February 8, 2010
The Valentine Date
by Tara
Yeah….so…umm…I TOTALLY would have had this posted earlier but…
…….The Bachelor was on…………and I, of course, HAD to watch it!!
Gotta root for my girl, Tenley!!
Anyway – I had a BLAST planning the perfect “at-home” Valentine Date for my man and I hope this helps the rest of you out as well!
I am a BIG fan of starting off your creative dates with a “bang!” Mine is starting off with a Candy Gram Poem. I know there are a TON of cute Candy Gram Bouquets out there now….but I like mine to read kinda like a letter…
Here was the FINAL result:
CANDY GRAM POEM MATERIALS:
-Candy Bars (I found a BUNCH of my candy at the dollar store.)
-Poster Board (at Michael’s or ANY Craft Store)
-Heavy-Duty tape or glue (to attach the candy to the poster)
-Permanent Marker
-Download (Yep – you pretty much LOVE me, huh!)
More Info: SO – running around trying to find all the right candy bars probably took the LONGEST out of everything I planned! I would definitely try the Dollar Stores FIRST….I got a lot of my candy bars 2 for $1. Also – I typed up two different versions of the candy gram poems…..one is catered more towards my husband and us (pictured above) and the other one is JUST as cute…but more generic….so it could fit any couple. Click on the “download” above to print off those poems. And you better believe – I made them up all by myself…. {WINK}
* * * * *
Next – you gotta get yer man OUTTA THE WAY while you make the FAB dinner….so on the bottom of my candy gram, it directs him to change into the robe…and he will be blindfolded and led to this…
(Actual pic of our garden tub….at our FIRST house!)
A relaxing Bubble Bath! Make sure you SET THE MOOD first! Relaxing music, candles, magazines, and DON’T forget to sprinkle rose petals on top of the bubbles!
BUBBLE BATH MATERIALS:
-Blindfold (JUST to lead him to the surprise bath!)
-Bubble Bath Stuff (A while back I bought a BUNCH of stuff at the Dollar Store and it’s STILL going strong!)
-Candles (Michael’s has some GREAT deals on packs of tea candles!)
-Soft Relaxing Music (Gotta set the MOOD!)
-”Guy”Magazines (He’s a guy, ya know…might get bored…)
-Warm Towels (To dry off with…MUCH better if it’s WARM!)
-A Soft Robe or Comfy Clothes
-Rose Petals (Contact local Flower Shop)
More Info: One thing I recently read regarding bubble baths was…..DRUMROLL please…was that if you put Coconut Milk in it…your skin will be silky smooth when you get out! You can buy it at your local grocery store…and I am DEFINITELY trying it!
About the Rose Petals…I think it’s SUPER dreamy to have them EVERYWHERE….and when I called the flower shop in Albertson’s I found out that you can order an entire bag of rose petals for $4.99 (petals off of a dozen roses). I placed my order..and will pick them up on the 13th. The florist informed me that the closer it gets to V-Day….the higher the price gets. The bags will go up to $6-$7. SO – place your orders asap! I ordered two bags…and when I see how large they are, I will decided if I really need both. (The lady told me that was OK…tee, hee.)
Last of all, the relaxing music….one of the twelve DIVAS told me about this blog called, Love, Actually….which also focuses on spoiling yer man! I explored her blog a little and found a FAB date she had planned for her husband – an “At-Home Spa.” She found some FREE spa music….and shared it with all of us! Click on the “Soft Relaxing Music” above to be sent to that website. I checked it out and it’s GREAT!! I will definitely be placing our laptop in there with him….JUST to listen to the music!
* * * * *
Now….while your significant other is relaxing upstairs….you can focus on DINNER! Whenever I think about a SUPER romantic dinner, I think of Lady and The Tramp! {LOL} I know, I know….call me CRAZY….but it’s just about the most DAH-LING thing ever!!
I HAD to post a pic of that….BUT I also found a SUPER romantic pic of a table setting as well….see below! Obviously, since I haven’t done our date yet, I can’t show you my table setting….but you better believe I am going to recreate the pic below!! 
My friends ALL know that I am SOOOOO not a cook….so I will let all of YOU come up with the main dish. I am planning on making a supposedly fantastic pasta dish that another teacher at work told me about…..hopefully it’s as amazing as she says….so here is MY list:
ROMANTIC DINNER MATERIALS:
-Ingredients for Pasta Dish (If it’s a HIT….I will definitely share it in the future…)
-Some “Bubbly” & Wine Glasses (We don’t drink…so we will be toasting with Sparkling Cider.)
-Tall Candles (Michael’s has SUPER cheap ones!)
-Romantic Music (Gotta set the MOOD…a DIFFERENT one than above…)
-Garlic Bread (Ya know, to go with my pasta dish!)
-A FAB Pear & Blue Cheese Salad (This BETTER taste as good as it sounds!)
-Rose Petals (Um…yeah…seriously SO romantic!)
-Classy/Romantic Tablecloth & Setting (I’ll take a pic of ours and post it afterwards!!)
More Info: So…I was pretty dang excited when I found this yummy salad…and it looked SO freakin’ good…that I am posting a picture of it…..what do you think??
It LOOKS good, it SOUNDS good…..and if the taste matches what it sounds and looks like….then this will definitely be going in the recipe box! (Oh , do I even HAVE one of those??)
Click on the name above…and you can have the recipe, too!!
Not lots to say here….cuz I am NOT a cook….just make sure you make the SETTING romantic!! Dim the lights, tall candles…with other candles around as well, petals sprinkled on the table, etc……..so moving on…
* * * * *
…..AFTER dinner….comes THE LOVE HUNT!! I am SO, so, SO, so excited about this! It’s basically a treasure hunt…but in order to get each clue…there is a TASK your husband will have to complete….such as:
-Dance with you for an ENTIRE romantic song….
-Kiss you like you’ve NEVER been kissed before…
-Feed you (well..you actually feed each other…) chocolate-dipped strawberries…
I made ALL the clues & the tasks….and YES….you can download those as well…but you better leave me some LOVE in the comments!
The TOP card is the first clue….and then the rest of the clues are next to the envelope with the TASK on the outside….that he has to do….before he gets to open the envelope & read the clue…
Here’s what they look like all put together (the first clue is on the top). I made up a bunch of clues that could fit ANY household. My last clue leads to the bedroom….but I also created an optional last clue that will lead to the laundry room…where you could leave a fun Valentine Surprise or Present.
LOVE HUNT MATERIALS:
-Clue – BLANK (In case you want to make up your OWN clues!)
-Clues – FILLED OUT (They may be a little cheesy…tee, hee..)
-Task Download – BLANK (In case you come up with even MORE creative tasks…)
-Task Download – FILLED OUT (Can’t wait for the KISSING one!!)
-Sparkling Cider & 2 Wine Glasses (Ya know, to go with my pasta dish!)
-Chocolate-Covered Strawberries (Um…yeah…seriously SO romantic!)
-Love Mix CD (Ideally you would want Love Songs on there that MEAN something to you two…)
More Info: You may want to hide the clues before beginning the entire evening…one less thing to worry about once you’ve started the evening. (I am putting a clue on our dog AND our cat….so those will have to wait until right before….) Make sure you have the CD already in the cd player and ready to go….and prepare the strawberries ahead of time. One tip for melting the chocolate…make sure you use a double-boiler so you don’t burn the chocolate..and if you don’t have one, then you can make one by filling a medium saucepan 3/4 full with water. Then rest a saucepan or a heat-proof bowl inside of it and fill it with your chocolate chips. Turn the stove on low heat…and stir occasionally. Yep – coming from the non-cook…but HEY…great advice!!
So…like I mentioned earlier….my LAST clue will lead to the bedroom….and again…just LOOK at the rose petals! Aaauggghh…LOVE THEM!! Make sure the mood is set! Candles, music, dimmed lights, rose petals, etc.
Oh yeah…and a GREAT Kama Sutra Game! {LOL}
Yep…we got it as a JOKE from one of Jamie’s friends….for a Christmas present….and we LOVED it! I know there are ALL sorts of FAB games you can get out there…but this is one I would recommend. Another one of the divas let me know that she just purchased one on Amazon.com for as low as $4.99. I think this game regularly goes for around $24-$30.
Another one of the divas let me know that she just purchased one on Amazon.com for as low as $4.99. I think this game regularly goes for around $24-$30.
AND….last…but not least…the dessert! I LOVED the look of this dessert….and then when I read how EASY it is to make….it made my little “non-cooking” heart go pitter-patter!!
It’s SO yummy looking and it’s the perfect light, refreshing dessert to top off a FABULOUS night! You can get the recipe by clicking HERE.
Happy, HAPPY Valentine’s Day!!
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OOoooohhh!! We LOVE comments! Thanks for leavin' us some "love"! P.S. If you want a pic to show up next to your comments, go get a gravatar!
WOW! You are super creative. I love all your ideas and will do a few of them. Thank you for the inspiration.
Awe, I LOVE it! I can't wait to get started. And since V-Day is on a Sunday, it will work perfectly to be indoors. Thanks for the great idea woman! You are so super creative and I know my hubby will enjoy this.
Ok, you shouldnt have started this, you just set the bar so high! Geez, it is a good thing I have a few months to plan my whole date! haha Looks awesome!
Great ideas! I'm so excited to get started and this just made planning valentines day that much easier!
Joseph is on Valentine's this year, but don't you worry because it looks like I got next year planned already! Ha, ha Joseph- Tara did MY planning (and I can't believe how much time you put in…do I have to do that too? Uh, oh I am in trouble!)
Thanks for the link, Tara. I appreciate that very much… Good luck with your "dating blog" adventure–it sure is ALOT of work, but fulfilling at the same time… I have a feeling it will be a little less stressful with 12 authors!
I'm excited to see what else you girls come up with.
This will be a fun blog. Thanks for sharing your ideas. I am so NOT this creative.
Tara!
Wow! You are so creative!!
Love the candy gram just blogged about it on my blog! Can't wait to make one
Such great ideas. Wow, what detail you put into the post. Thanks, I'm excited to try a few of these things for next year, as this year we'll be in phx with family. Have a great weekend!
Tara, I made dinner and did the love hunt. Totally last minute and it was so much fun! It was definitely worth the effort. Thanks so much for being so creative. I'm going to try to think of a date this year that you can post because our date was such a success!
Add me to your blog personal blog so we can see what is going on with you Vegas people! bethieb2002@hotmail.com
Tara, what super cute ideas you guys have on here! Ashley has been telling me that I need to do the Love Hunt idea for Scott's birthday…I think I just might! I know he would LOVE it!
I'm excited to keep checking for new ideas…life can get pretty chaotic with kids, med school, etc…it's nice to feel inspired to keep the romance going!:)
Thanks to you and your team for putting this together!:) Great job!:)
I gave my hubby the three course meal and love hunt and we had a fab time. I felt really excited for him to come home and find me preparing this big meal. I did the house out with candles and hearts and stuff and I realised that after only eight months of marriage I had already stopped trying that much…so it was a really big wake up call to pay more attention to each other.
Thanks! xxx
I downloaded the cany poem and just wanted to say thank you for sharing it! I just found ya'lls blog yesterday and I really like it! You've inspired me to show my husband the love when most of my attention has been on my son lately. Thank you thank you thank you!
LOVE this post!
I love your ideas!! I think I may use some for my own V-day date this year. I’m just a little curious, though, how did the pasta dish turn out? And the salad? And do you have any pics of how your dinner setup worked? Oh, and thanks a TON for the clues and tasks! I LOVE them!!
The pasta dish was yummy, the salad was DELICIOUS!!! It’s been a repeat…and the dessert was my favorite. We used strawberries instead of the raspberries….and ooohhhhhh! YUM!! I don’t have any more pics then what is shown. Sorry! Well, I do….but it will be in another post. Tee, hee. …and you are SO welcome!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! My huney is pretty much confined to the house right now and this is PERFECT! Thank you!
Thank you for the great ideas! I can’t wait to use them this weekend. Except I have planned a getaway, but using all your great ideas just tweaking the clues for my hubby to find his way to me, on the beach at a great resort. I got a great deal on expedia for a beachview suite.. Thanks for helping me with all the extra fun and exciting clues,meal and tasks. I will take pics, especially of my table, You are great thanks.
I have to ask…what font did you use on your valentine candy gram download?? It’s super cute.
THANKS so much for this super fun idea! I got some random candy at a few different stores and made a candy gram, and then did the love hunt so he could find it! It was SO much fun! Thank you for the templates that you let us use!
My husband and I had SO much fun on Valentine’s Day! It was wonderful. 
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this date, I am planning almost all of what you put with a few twists(for example dinner, he’s taking me out), and I added a bunch of other ideas from other dates…. I can’t WAIT for V-DAY… Thanks for making up this awesome date!
Just wanted to let you know I am featuring this on my site tomorrow- http://www.toysinthedryer.com