10 Reasons Why You Should Send Cookies for Valentines Day + A Printable Cookies and Milk Valentine

February 8, 2017 by 1 Comment

This post featuring a free milk and cookies valentine printable plus 10 reasons why you should send cookies for Valentine’s Day is sponsored by Cookie’s by Design. 

When my husband and I were first dating, I started to send him a Cookie’s by Design cookie bouquet for Valentine’s Day. It was a special way for me to show him my love and a little less embarrassing than a flower bouquet for a man. At the beginning of our relationship, it was just a cute mug cookie bouquet (we still have some of those mugs!). But as the years went by the bouquets increased in size as our relationship grew. 

With 3 kids at home, that mug bouquet just won’t cut it. Because when my husband brings his gift home from work, 3 eager eyes watch him as he puts down the bouquet. He can’t help himself from sharing with them! And I don’t blame them for wanting in on some of that goodness! 

Even though there are flowers and chocolates and so many other ways to show your loved ones you care on Valentine’s Day, the one way we show each other how we care is through cookies! Here are a few reasons why you should send cookies for Valentine’s Day too! 

10 Reasons Why You Should Send Cookies for Valentines Day

1. Cookies are delicious. We all know this. But Cookie’s By Design cookies are baked fresh AND hand decorated. 

2. You can share with friends (or your kids)!

3. Each basket is made to order and can be personalized with messages or images printed right on the cookies.

4. You can’t eat flowers. But you can eat cookies. 

5. Cookie’s by Design cookie bouquets come in so many different varieties and designs. They even launched handcrafted cookie gift baskets featuring Build-A-Bear Workshop teddy bears. Perfect for the kids! 

6. They deliver right to your door. Cookie’s By Design creations are always hand delivered and handled with care.

7. You can even get them delivered as early as the same day. Cookie’s By Design offers same-day gift delivery on most of their hand decorated cookie bouquets. 

8. You can also pick them up locally at your closest Cookie’s By Design location (for those who procrastinated).

9. These cookie bouquets don’t wilt.  

10. Once the cookies are gone, the Build-A-Bear Workshop teddy bears last for years to come. 

Did you order your Cookie’s By Design Valentine’s Day cookie bouquet? Pair it with this cute printable valentine that you can print out on a 5×7 card to make your gift complete!

Cookie’s By Design is the original cookie bouquet company and they offer custom-designed, hand-decorated cookie arrangements, gift baskets, cookie cakes and cookie trays for every occasion.

Last-minute gift givers can still wow their sweetie with ready-made Build-A- Bear Workshop baskets available at most Cookie’s By Design locations. The new baskets are available to order now at all Cookies by Design locations and online at cookiesbydesign.com and baskets can be hand-delivered the same day or customized and delivered within a day.

You can connect with Cookie’s By Design online, on Facebook, and Instagram @cookiesbydesign. 

Do you have any Valentine’s Day traditions? 

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, gift ideas, gifts, Holidays, Valentine's Day Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Homemade Valentines Day Gifts

January 24, 2017 by 2 Comments

Homemade Valentines Day Gifts

I love receiving homemade gifts. There’s something about knowing that someone thought of you enough to make a gift for you that touches my heart. Now don’t get me wrong – I love any and all gifts! But homemade is always special.

If you’re looking for some homemade valentines day gifts then look no further. Below are some great ideas to get you started on gifts to make friends and family to celebrate the day of love.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, Holidays, Uncategorized, Valentine's Day Tagged With: , , , ,

Popcorn Valentine’s Day Printable + 7 More FREE Valentine Printables

January 11, 2017 by 2 Comments

This popcorn valentine’s day printable makes putting together valentines for the class easy and fun! 

popcorn-valentines-day-printable-a-quick-and-easy-gluten-free-valentine-snack

One of my favorite holidays is Valentine’s Day. I love seeing my kids excited about sharing little treats and goodies with their friends and enjoy celebrating what we love about one another on this day. What I also love doing is brainstorming with each kid and deciding what type of valentine they want to create. 

Now we’ve been making our own Valentine’s Day printables since my oldest was in preschool so it’s a tradition to share what we make every year. And this year is the first year my son has requested a food instead of a theme. We were shopping at Target and went down the snack aisle and he saw a large bag of individual popcorns. He asked if he could pass that out this year and I couldn’t say no. 

So we got home and I put together this simple printable using PicMonkey. Then I printed two sheets out for his 12 classmates and let him do the rest! 

popcorn-valentines-day-printable-popcorn-and-easy-printable

 

Popcorn Valentine’s Day Printable

What you’ll need: 

TO DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE CLICK HERE

What you do: 

1. Cut out printables. Make sure your child writes his or her name on each printable. 

popcorn-valentines-day-printable-punch-hole-in-top-of-bag-and-printable

2. Align printable with corner of popcorn bag and use hole punch to make a hole in both printable and top of bag (be careful not to puncture the sealed bag so you don’t accidentally open it).  

popcorn-valentines-day-printable-attach-ribbon-and-tie-together

3. String a piece of ribbon through the hole, cut off and tie! Curl the ends of the ribbon and you’re done! 

popcorn-valentines-day-printable-a-delicious-sweet-treat-for-valentines-day

What does your kid loving as a Valentine? 

Looking for more Valentine’s Day printables? Look no further! Check out our printables from the years past: 

I Dig You, Valentine Minecraft Printable

Tic-Tac-Toe Valentine Printable

Bugs & Kisses Valentine Printable

Your Pudding Me In A Great Mood Valentine Printable

Doh You Want To Be My Valentine Printable

RAWR Dinosaur Valentine Printable

Cutie Valentine Printable + How To Make Valentines with PicMonkey

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, Holidays, Uncategorized, Valentine's Day

Pfeffernüsse Cookies To Share The Holiday Spirit

December 23, 2016 by Leave a Comment

pfeffernu%cc%88sse-cookies-to-share-the-holiday-spirit

This time of year is magical, isn’t it? The holiday cheer, the smiles on everyones faces, and the loads of treats and goodies around every corner. We continue the holiday season even after Christmas is over by celebrating our own Christmas with my husband’s extended family. And that celebration has been dubbed Cookie Christmas. 

Why? You ask? Because we get together the day before the event and bake up 10+ different kinds of cookies to serve the next day. My husband’s aunt spends countless hours the week before the event making all of these doughs to bake up together. And then we all come together on Cookie Christmas to enjoy them all (and bring them home in tubs and bags to enjoy for weeks after). 

Each year there’s one or two recipes we try out to see if it can earn it’s place in the Cookie Christmas line up. We have our classic chocolate chip, our snickerdoodle, yummy sugar cookies decorated by the kids with frosting and sprinkles, etc. This year I thought I’d try out a new recipe or two to see if I could put it on the list of maybes to introduce to Cookie Christmas. And this recipe? It’s a winner! 

pfeffernu%cc%88sse-cookies-to-share-with-friends

Pfeffernüsse Cookies

  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup shortening
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Stir the molasses, honey, shortening, and butter together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until creamy, stirring consistently. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Add the eggs and combine.

Mix the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Add the molasses mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Roll the dough into quarter-sized balls. Arrange on baking sheets, spacing at least 1 inch apart.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Move to a rack to cool. Dust cooled cookies with confectioners’ sugar. Or get the kids involved and dump 1/2 a cup of confectioners’ sugar into a bag, then add a few cookies, seal the bag and shake shake shake! 

pfeffernu%cc%88sse-cookies-to-share

Interested in trying out some more new cookie recipes? You need to check out the #HousefulofCookies recipes being shared all month! YUM! 

pfeffernu%cc%88sse-cookies-a-fun-spiced-holiday-cookie

Filed Under: Baking, Christmas, Desserts, Holidays, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

Thanksgiving Napkin Ring Placeholders

November 9, 2016 by Leave a Comment

This shop featuring Thanksgiving napkin ring placeholders has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HandsOnCrafty #CollectiveBias

thanksgiving-napkin-ring-placeholders-adding-sparkle-to-the-thanksgiving-table

While spring may be my favorite season, I love the fall for the way it brings friends and family together in thanksgiving. We celebrate the month of November by sharing what we’re thankful for and spending time around the table together. And every year for Thanksgiving, we head over to my mother in law’s house to share a meal. 

My mother in law loves creating a beautiful table scape and, after making these napkin rings a few years back, I’m in charge of the napkin rings and place holders. And my daughter loves helping out so I always try and find something a. that she can do and b. that’s easy and quick since we usually have to make at least 20 of them. 

thanksgiving-napkin-ring-placeholders-a-quick-and-easy-table-setting

Well this year my mother in law will be heading out to Boston to celebrate with my husband’s brother so we’re still trying to figure out what our plans are. But no matter where we go, we’ll be prepared with these awesome thanksgiving napkin ring placeholders that my daughter and I put together this past weekend. 

She was dying to get started and make them so we got a head start and prepped about 10 of these bad boys (no names yet on half of them). We’ll be ready for whatever house we end up at on Turkey Day.  

Thanksgiving Napkin Ring Placeholders

What you’ll need: 

  • Scotch® Expressions Brown Glitter Tape
  • Scotch® Expressions Green Glitter Tape
  • Scotch® Create Double-sided Tape
  • 1 piece 8.5 x 11″ card stock (solid or patterned color)
  • scissors
  • chalk marker in fall colors
  • fake fall leaves
  • cloth or disposable napkin

thanksgiving-napkin-ring-placeholders-materials-needed

What you do: 

1. Grab the Scotch® Expressions Green Glitter Tape and, with your paper in the portrait position, place a row of green tape about 1/2 inch up from the bottom of the paper. Repeat once more with a second row of green glitter tape directly above the first. 

2. Cut a straight line about 1/2 inch from the top of the second row of green glitter tape. This will be your napkin ring base. Repeat as many times as you need to in order to get the desired amount of napkin rings. 

thanksgiving-napkin-ring-placeholders-cut-tape thanksgiving-napkin-ring-placeholders-write-in-name

3. Grab the leaf and write the name of the person this napkin ring placeholder is for. 

4. Position the Scotch® Expressions Brown Glitter Tape in the middle of the two green tape lines. Place the leaf in the center of the paper and use the brown glitter tape to secure it. Leave a small tail at the end of the brown tape to secure the placeholder around the napkin. 

thanksgiving-napkin-ring-placeholders-secure-leaf-in-place-with-tape thanksgiving-napkin-ring-placeholders-wrap-napkin-ring-around-napkin

5. Wrap the napkin ring around the napkin and secure in place with tail of the brown glitter tape and reinforce with some Scotch® Create Double-sided Tape underneath the overlapping paper. 

Tada! You’re all set! 

thanksgiving-napkin-ring-placeholders-a-simple-way-to-add-sparkle-to-the-table

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving in your home? 

I was able to find all of the crafting goodies I needed, including the Scotch® Expressions Glitter Tape, in the craft aisle in Walmart. So easy to find everything in one place! With a perfect combination of versatility, function & fun, Scotch® Expressions Tapes turn everyday projects into simply inspired creations. I love how simple and easy it was to make these Thanksgiving napkin ring placeholders with my daughter and how fun and sparkly they ended up! How awesome is that? 

scotch-at-walmart

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, Holidays, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized

Leftover Halloween Candy Blondies

November 1, 2016 by 10 Comments

This post featuring Leftover Halloween Candy Blondies originally appeared on our site on November 6th, 2012

Leftover Halloween Candy Blondies

With Halloween past us, the one thing I needed to do was get rid of all of the leftover Halloween candy. Especially the ones I loved… anything containing chocolate. So we went with a simple plan. We were going to turn our chocolate treasure into new, yummy treats to share with our friends and family.

This year we had not one but two trick-or-treaters and let me tell you that two adorable children in costumes are magnets for the good stuff. Yes, look at our score of yummy chocolate candies! 

So I had to act fast and turn the above into something I could giveaway as a homemade goodie bound to attract attention and hungry mouths no longer wanting holiday candy. Good thing our extended family loves sweets! It took less than 2 days for the whole batch of blondies to be completely demolished. A few crumbs left in their place. And oh were they worth it!

If you’ve never heard of or made blondies before, think of them as the brownies’ distant cousin. Still ooey gooey but without the cocoa. You can basically put just about anything into a blondie. They’re a great catch all for any ingredients you have on hand and want to combine. We stuck with the Snickers, Reeses peanut butter cups, and Baby Ruths for these blondies. The m & ms are earmarked for cookies and the rest will be taken to work by my husband.

If you have any leftover candy in your cupboards or on your countertop you should definitely try to make these delicious bars of gooey goodness. 

Leftover Halloween Candy Blondies

Leftover Halloween Candy Blondies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, almost melted
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup diced candy bars

Candy Blondies Ingredients

 Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Grease an 8×8 baking pan. Cut up candy bars.

2. Cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy

Candy Blondies sugar and butter

3. Add in the egg and beat until well combined.

4. Add vanilla and salt and mix again.

5. Take bowl off stand mixer. Fold in flour until just combined.

6. Fold in candy bar pieces until just combined.

7. Spread mixture into pan and cook for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

8. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes.

9. Turn onto a wire rack and let cool completely before digging in.

10. Cut into squares and serve.

Makes 16 servings

If you’re like me and cant wait to dig in, grab a small piece from the edge and enjoy it’s yummy gooeyness while everything’s still warm and hasn’t set. You’ll be glad you did. Then enjoy the rest when it’s cooled completely to enjoy the full effect of the melded flavors and crisp edges.

Do you have a great recipe for leftover Halloween candy?

I’d love to hear it!

Filed Under: Baking, Desserts, Halloween, Holidays, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Top Things To Do For Mother’s Day in San Diego

May 2, 2016 by 1 Comment

Things To Do in San Diego for Mothers Day 2015

Looking to shower mom with love and a delicious meal on Mother’s Day? Check out these great local eats perfect for Mom and the whole family! From Coronado, to Downtown San Diego, to Del Mar, Mother’s Day is covered! And if you need gift ideas, scroll down to the bottom for some great suggestions.

If you decide to go to our pick this year – the Westgate Hotel Mother’s Day Champagne Brunch – then make sure to head right around the corner to The Headquarters afterwards for some great shopping and entertainment!

Mother’s Day Champagne Brunch at the Westgate Hotel
Served in the hotel’s beautiful Fontainebleau and Versailles Salons, the Mother’s Day Champagne Brunch at the Westgate Hotel will feature made to-order-omelets, fresh seafood, gourmet plates, carving and crepe stations, baked breads, pastries and a variety of gourmet desserts. In addition to the delightful unlimited feast, the Imperial Bar will serve freshly squeezed juices and endless champagne, mimosas, Bloody Marys and margaritas. Mother’s Day Champagne Brunch reservations can be made by calling 619-557-3655.
Price: $79 for adults and $39.50 for children under 12 (plus tax and gratuity).
Location: 1055 Second Avenue San Diego, CA 92101
Website

Brunch at Mister A’s
Enjoy brunch at Mister A’s, which is just minutes from Downtown and features beautiful views. Entrees include Buttermilk Fried “Chicken And Waffles” or Eggs Benedict With Fresh Crab Meat Or Pork Belly.
Price: $64.50 per person, gratuity of 20% will be added to all checks
Location: 2550 Fifth Avenue Twelfth Floor, San Diego, CA 92103
Website

Brunch at Hotel Del Coronado
An elegant brunch with live musical entertainment, a rose for each mom that attends and a children’s buffet. MENU
Price: $120 for adults and$45 for children ages 6-10 in the Crown Room, $110 for adults and $43 for children ages 6-10 in the Ballroom. Children 5 and under eat free with paying adult.
Location: 1500 Orange Ave Coronado, CA 92118
Website

Dining at Blue Point Coastal Cuisine
A limited menu will be served from from 1 – 5pm. Moms ordering from this menu will eat for free!
Price: varies, you can view the menu HERE, Moms ordering from this limited menu will enjoy their entrée for FREE!
Location: 565 Fifth Avenue, San Diego, CA Gaslamp Quarter
Website

SEA180°’s Mother’s Day Champagne Buffet Brunch
Champagne Buffet Brunch with omelets, a pancake station, a prime rib carving station and more. MENU
Price: $64.95 adults, $12.95 kids 6-12 and kids under 6 are free
Location: 800 Seacoast Dr Imperial Beach, CA
Website

The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch
Mother’s Day is the last day to experience the beautiful Flower Fields this season.
Price: $14.00 for Adults, $13.00 for Seniors 60+, $7.00 for Children 3-10, Children 2 and under are free
Location: 5704 Paseo Del Norte, Carlsbad, CA 92008
Website


Mother’s Day at Rancho Bernardo Inn
Dine at the beautiful Rancho Bernardo Inn, featuring different menus throughout the day. Three different restaurants and menus: Veranda Fireside Lounge & Restaurant | Avant | Aragon Ballroom
Price: Varies
Location: 17550 Bernardo Oaks Dr., San Diego, CA 92128
Website

Hornblower Mother’s Day Cruise
Enjoy being on the water in beautiful San Diego. Two different cruises to choose from: Mother’s Day Champagne Brunch with Live Jazz or Mother’s Day Sunset Dinner Cruise. Menus: Brunch Buffet Menu, Buffet Menu or Dinner Menu
Price: Varies, depending on cruise
Location: San Diego Grape St. Pier 1800 N. Harbor Dr
Website

Mother’s Day Brunch Buffet at The Shores
Enjoy an oceanfront buffet with your Mom! Menu includes American Cheeses, Tri-Color Orzo and Artichoke Salad, Roasted Angus Top Sirloin, desserts, and a children’s station. MENU
Price: $52/person, $26 children 6-12, $4 per year children 5 and under
Location: 8110 Camino Del Oro La Jolla, CA 92037
Website

Mother’s Day Brunch Cruise
Gourmet buffet, live music and beautiful San Diego views while aboard one of the vessels of the Flagship Cruises and Events fleet. Featuring an omelet station, carving station, taco bar & more
Price: $74.50/Adult, $44.70/Child 4-12 yrs
Location: 990 North Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101
Website

Brunch at Top Of The Market
Enjoy beautiful views at one of San Diego’s finest restaurants. Entrees include Steak and Eggs, Free Range Eggs Benedict with Blue Lump Crab Cakes and Smoked Salmon Scramble Omelet.
Price: Prices vary, see MENU
Location: 750 North Harbor Drive San Diego, CA 92101
Website

Mother’s Day Dining at The Grand Del Mar
Brunch at The Clubhouse Grill (10:00 am – 4:00 pm) – $42 per person, includes coffee and tea MENU
Champagne Brunch in the Elizabeth Ballroom (10:00 am – 2:00 pm) – $108 per adult | $30 per child (ages 4 – 12) MENU
Dining at Amaya (Brunch: 11:30 am – 4:00 pm Dinner: 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm) – $75 per person | Children’s buffet, $30 (ages 4 – 12)
Afternoon Tea and Bubbly (2:00 pm – 4:00 pm) – $50 per person
Location: 5300 Grand Del Mar Court, San Diego, CA 92130
Website

Mother’s Day Run
Run with Mom! This 5k and 10k benefits the San Diego Rescue Mission
Price: Entry fees vary. Register HERE
Location: 3000 N Mission Bay Dr. San Diego, CA 92109
Website

Mother’s Day Brunch with Shamu
Enjoy brunch inside Sea World, with a french crepe station, omelet station, french toast, bagels and much more!
Price: This special brunch is $55.00 for ages 10+ and $27.00 for ages 3-9 (Park admission is required & not included in this price)
Location: Sea World, San Diego
Website

Mother’s Day Brunch at Fleming’s Steakhouse
Enjoy delicious entrees such as Baked Brioche French Toast, Prime Rib with a Trio of Sauces, Porcini-Crusted Filet Mignon and more!
Price: $39.95 for adults and $18.95 for kids
Location: La Jolla (8970 University Center Lane, San Diego, CA 92122) and San Diego (380 K Street, San Diego, CA 92101)
Website

Mother’s Day Brunch at Eddie V’s
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., treat Mom to a decadent three-course brunch with standout menu items including an Alaskan King Crab omelet, lobster quiche Florentine, pan seared steak and eggs, and house baked fresh cinnamon rolls. Raise a glass with classic mimosas, Bellini’s or Bloody Marys.
Price: $49 for adults, $15 for kids
Location:
Website

Mother’s Day Brunch at Season’s 52
The newly introduced brunch features seasonal favorites like a vegetable frittata with roasted red peppers, mushrooms and grilled asparagus, a brick oven brioche French toast with blueberry infused syrup, and a Shakshuka with chorizo and crumbled feta. Sit out on the newly redone patio to enjoy the beautiful San Diego sunshine.
Price: varies
Location:
Website

Gifts She’ll Love:

  •  For the foodie: You can’t go wrong with chocolates and cheese. Dallmann’s Fine Chocolates offers a Wine & Chocolate pairing box with locally made chocolates selected to pair perfectly with red and white wines ($20), while Venissimo Cheese has a huge selection of cheese from around the world as well as beautiful cheese supplies like this olivewood board and knife perfect for the hostess ($65).
  •  For the art lover: Aaron Chang’s world renowned 12×12 prints of San Diego scenery, tropical landscapes and beautiful orchids make a memorable gift at a great price ($150).
  •  For the fashionista: From Free People to Dolce Vita and everything in between, Madison San Diego is a great spot to find tops, shoes, bags and jewelry. Top picks include these gold Brighton necklaces ($78) and bright Hobo clutches ($110).
  • For the book worm: Geppetto’s has a number of customizable books for little ones to surprise Mom and Grandma with including “What I Love About Mom” ($10) and “Grandma is a Super Hero” ($10). In addition to being a great shop for beautiful cards and gift wrap, Seaside Paper has a fun “Q&A a Day for Moms” journal to fill out over the course of five years – as the journal fills, it becomes a loving capsule of memories ($16.95).

Top Things To Do For Mother's Day in San Diego

What are your Mother’s Day plans?

Filed Under: Events, Holidays, Mother's Day, Restaurants, San Diego, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Valentines Day Fun In Downtown San Diego

February 8, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Valentines Day Fun In Downtown San Diego

Looking for great gift ideas for Valentines Day? Or are you planning an amazing day for your loved one(s)? Check out what’s going on in Downtown San Diego, including a few fun events at Seaport Village!

Valentines Day Fun In Downtown San Diego

Unique Gift Ideas

Urban Beach House offers specialty salts from La Jolla Salt Co. for your culinary cutie. Keep the love alive in the kitchen with standout flavors including uncured bacon, Aleppo chile, black summer truffle and hickory smoked sea salt (starting at $12). You’ll find all his favorite SoCal brands including sleek Nixon watches and fashion-forward Stance socks.

Love is in the air with Surf’s Up Candles from Urban Beach House featuring beachy scents like surf wax, pina colada and pineapple coconut (starting at $18). Shoppers can also find beach inspired décor, bags and one-of-a-kind jewelry at Madison San Diego boutique.

Renowned photographer (and San Diego local) Aaron Chang offers a number of options for the art lover including 12×12 prints featuring waves and exotic landscapes (starting at $150), and a “San Diego Through the Lens of Aaron Chang” coffee table book featuring 80 pages of stunning San Diego scenery ($39.00).

From Feb. 12th- 14th local company Urban Shindigs will have a pop up floral shop and “Bloom Bar” in the central courtyard – the perfect place to buy blooms for your Valentine!

Fun with Food

Venissimo Cheese will offer Contraband Curds cheese plates featuring a selection of cheeses that have previously been banned. These $10 cheese plates will include dried fruit, chocolate, crackers and accoutrement.

With more than 20 hand-made gelato flavors, Gelato Paradiso will let movie guests “steal” a cone with any purchase ($1.00 value).

While you’re downtown, Morton’s The Steakhouse is offering a taste of the good life with an exceptional Morton’s steak and cold water lobster for only $55 (see image attached). We hope you consider including this in your Valentine’s Day restaurant round ups. Thank you.

Outdoor Movie Night

For a twist on the traditional Valentine’s Day date night, The Headquarters will also be hosting an outdoor movie night featuring the love and crime classic “Bonnie and Clyde” on Friday, February 12 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event is completely free – guests are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets.

How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day?

Filed Under: Holidays, San Diego, Uncategorized, Valentine's Day Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

A Dare + Tic Tac Toe Valentines Day Printables

February 3, 2016 by 8 Comments

This post featuring a dare and tic tac toe Valentines Day printables is brought to you by United Healthcare.

Tic Tac Toe Valentines Day Printables

When it came to Truth or Dare when I was in school, I’d always lean towards a truth. I don’t know what it was about dares that made me skeptical about accepting them but I always thought a truth would allow me a little safety. I mean, come on, I am already a pretty open book! But this month I’m sharing a few dares with you. And super cute tic tac toe valentines you can use in a few weeks! Added bonus? They’re non-edible so they work for preschoolers and school agers.

We Dare You is a campaign that dares people to live healthier and happier lives every day, one step at a time. Each month, United Healthcare poses three simple dares to the public to participate in. For the upcoming month of February, the dares revolve around taking control of your health care plan. Definitely something I’d like to know more about.

A Dare from United Healthcare + Tic Tac Toe Valentines Day Printables

In addition to the fun games, there is a grand prize given out to one lucky winner at the end of the month as well as weekly $25 gift cards. Pretty darn cool if you ask me! Ready to choose a dare (or three) and enter to win?

In February, we dare you to:

  1. Play the concentration game by matching the health insurance terms
  2. Answer one of the quiz questions about understanding health plan benefits
  3. Watch the “Using My Plan” video and share your opinion
The grand prize is a $400 gift card and, as I mentioned previously, there are weekly $25 gift cards given out as well. Want more details? Head here and start now!
 
Now are you ready for a game of your own? Print out and make these tic tac toe valentines for your little one to pass out this Valentine’s Day! 

Tic Tac Toe Valentines Day Printables

What you’ll need: 

Tic Tac Toe Valentines Day Printables supplies

What you do: 
  1. Print out the Tic Tac Toe Valentines printable. 
  2. Cut the printables out.
  3. Have your child sign their name to each valentine.
  4. Using a hole punch, cut a hole on the left side of the word Valentine’s between the V and the edge of the valentine.
  5. Slip the cap of a pen in the hole. 

Tic Tac Toe Valentines Day Printables with pens

When it comes to health care, what would you like to know more about?

Filed Under: Health & Wellness, Holidays, Uncategorized, Valentine's Day Tagged With: , , ,

Sweet Treats: Easy Chocolate Covered Caramel Candies

December 30, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Chocolate Covered Caramel Candies - perfect for gifts

Giving handmade gifts over the holidays is a simple and inexpensive way to share a little something with those you love without breaking the bank. I love finding new things to bake or make to add to the tin of goodies we prepare every year. And candies pair very well with our normal mixture of cookies and baked goods.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, these simple and easy chocolate covered caramel candies would be the perfect treat to make as a gift or as a sweet treat. I made them over the Christmas break and loved how quickly they came together. Add a sprinkle of kosher salt on the top for a sweet and salty mix that any friend would love to receive.

Chocolate Covered Caramel Candies

Chocolate Covered Caramel Candies

  • 12 ounces of sweetened milk chocolate chips
  • 24 caramel squares
  • Parchment Paper
  • Candy Sticks or toothpicks
  • Chocolate Melting Pot (optional)

Prepare your chocolate in a melting pot, or if you don’t have a melting pot you can use the microwave or a double boiler over the stove.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and keep it near.

Prepare the caramel squares with candy sticks down the middle. Alternately, you can use toothpicks. Dip caramel squares into the melted chocolate, cover each square completely with chocolate.

Place chocolate dipped caramels on parchment paper to dry, pulling candy sticks out as you go.

As each caramel hardens, peel it away from parchment paper.

Enjoy immediately or keep in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

How would you dress up these easy chocolate covered caramel candies?

Filed Under: Christmas, Desserts, Holidays, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized, Valentine's Day Tagged With: , , , , , ,


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