Project 52 ~ Week 9

Joel is out of town this weekend, so the only date we'll get to have is one over the phone...

Saturday's Project

Pottery Barn's Hyde Console Table $499
My unfinished DIY table $35

My sister, brother in law and I built this console table in about an hour and a half. I am so happy with it! It's a Pottery Barn knock-off. They are selling one for $500. I spent about $35 for lumber. Plans are from knockoffwood.blogspot.com the website I am on most often. I cannot believe how talented Ana is.

I have been wanting a nail gun for awhile now and building furniture is just one more thing that I can use it for.

My list of things to do for 2010 is far too long and money far too short.

Project 52 ~ Week 8

Saturday morning Joel woke me up and whisked me off to Saint Paul. A few years ago, he had tried some of their pull apart cinnamon rolls and had been craving them.

When we asked for them, they were already sold out for the day. However, one of the employees called someone who had an order for five pull aparts that hadn't been picked up yet. The customer said that they were planning on picking them up, but not until Monday. The employees then turned to us and said "these won't last until Monday, we can sell you on of them, if you are still interested".

They were out of this world. Nummy. Nummy. Great date Joel!

Project 52 ~ Week 7

This week we were busy preparing for our 2nd Annual Fondue party. The morning started out with Joel's present to me - flowers, chocolates and another fondue pot! That man of mine sure knows me.

The guests -
The five of us,
Bethany's boyfriend
Carrie J and her niece
Nancy F
My mom


The menu -
Wisconsin Trio Cheese fondue
(dipping basket of rye bread, peasant bread, baguettes, rosemary and garlic bread and green apples)

Oil fondue
(dipping basket of marinated chicken and ribeye, shrimp, brats, cheese curds and hot dogs)

Bananas Foster White Chocolate fondue and a Chocolate fountain
(dipping basket of rice crispies, spritz, cheesecake bites, graham crackers, strawberries, bananas, blonde brownies, pineapple and cherries)

The cheese fondue was tasty, but I had a hard time keeping it warm enough without overcooking it. I recommend the green apples with it.

The cheese curds were an interesting addition this year. The oil fondue is the easiest for me to deal with. Set it and forget it. I recommend the shrimp dipped in butter.

The two chocolate fondues were difficult to work with. We spent about 30 minutes getting the chocolate fountain to work. While Joel was working on that, I started the bananas foster. I got it all melty and perfect and then added more banana flavoring, which caused the chocolate to seize. Ack! I was able to salvage it mostly, but it was never perfect. Still delicious, but a rookie mistake I won't make again. I recommend the rice crispies in bananas foster.

We did this for our date last year too, and I like it because it reminds me that Valentine's Day isn't only about "couple" love. It's about all of the relationships in our life that we cherish.

Joel says "The cheese fondue was killer and the cheese curds were a nice addition."
Wyatt and Alice cuddling up on the chair.
BINGO!

Project 52 ~ Week 6

Saturday after baseball practice we grabbed the cribbage board, a deck of cards and headed out to Caribou Coffee to sit by the fireplace and engage in a little friendly competition.

When we got there, the parking lot was full and it didn't look like there were any open tables, so we decided to try Dunn Bros. Score! We were practically the only ones there. Nice and quiet.

It has been years since I've played cribbage and I couldn't remember anything. Joel is very competitive, so I was a little worried, but he only took three of my missed points. I would have won if I hadn't have missed them. Shoot!

Joel says "It was good."

Project 52 ~ Week 5

Last year for our 10th anniversary, we tried The Melting Pot for the first time. Joel wasn't too sure about it at first, a little out of the norm for us. But we ended up LOVING it!

OK, so this doesn't fit our new criteria of $20 or under, but it's our anniversary week. I work hard for this meal!

Project 52 ~ Week 4

I've figured out how to get around the whole "no money" date things. Throw in a date as an anniversary gift!

I love the place that I get my hair cut because they give scalp massages after they wash your hair. It is something that I look forward to. After everything I do for everyone, it is so nice to have someone pamper me.

I knew that Joel would love, love getting a hair cut there, but also knew there would be no way that he would ever go there himself. So I made an appointment for him and brought him there.

When he was getting his massage, I noticed his little smirk, so I knew he was enjoying it very much. Not that he would ever tell me that...

Joel says "It was good"

Project 52 ~ Week 3

For my birthday, I got a gift certificate for an 80 minute massage at a local spa. It was wonderful.

When I came home afterward, I had no energy to do anything other than walk upstairs and take a long, long nap. Just Joel and I were home and enjoyed a quiet afternoon together, just relaxing.

Joel says "It was good"

Project 52 ~ Week 2

This week we went to a real dinner party. There was even wine to make it official.

We drove over to my mom's apartment. The party goers consisted of my mom and her date, her date's son and girlfriend, their son, two-thirds of my kids and Joel and myself.

The kids swam and I enjoyed a few glasses of that official wine.

The menu was prime rib and twice baked potatoes. The meat was tender and flavorful. My mom has mad skillz with home cooked meals.

We spent most of the day there and while not a kid-less date, I was reminded that it is important to foster relationships with family and friends. I have a hard time remembering that it's not ok to be a hermit, that I need those people in my life to say "Get off that couch and come with me".

Project 52 ~ Week 1

October 2009 marked our one year anniversary of dating. What a year. We went out to eat, stayed home, went to plays, discovered bar bingo, taste test for broasted chicken, football games, ice cream, comedy clubs, all you can eat crab, breakfast, wings, wings by the river. And I wonder... why didn't I blog about those dates?

This year, it appears that the idea is catching on in the blog world, but they've labeled it Project 52. I figure that since I'm already doing Project 365, I might as well tack on Project 52. This year will be a little more challenging. First of all, there are diets involved, so going out to eat is not always a good idea. We have also decided that we need to make a conscious effort to save money as much as possibl whenever and where ever possible, which means no more $100 date nights. The result of this decision was home date nights or dates under $20. We are going to have to get creative this year.

Week 1 - the first week of January.

New Years Eve - We love to fondue. We tried a new cheese recipe this time. It was smoky and smooth and yummy. The chocolate was my favorite, which isn't really a surprise, since I'm not much of a cheese person. My favorite part of doing the fondue is that it's hands on. And very romantic. And you don't have very far to go when you need to take a little rest after gorging yourself.

Joel says he liked the sausage dipped in the cheese fondue.

November

October POTD

While I was at it, I also updated October's POTD.

Click the photo below to be routed to October 1st's photo.

September photos

I've updated my September picture of the day calendar.

Click on the photo below to be routed to September 1st.