February Date Night

Sal and I had date night a few weeks ago for Valentine's Day. We couldn't go out that night, so we planned on going out that weekend - not to celebrate Valentine's Day, but to celebrate our love [having made it to 4 years and 2 months], my internship [which will have a post of it's own], and Sal's trip to Texas for work. We had a baby shower that afternoon, and then afterwards we ran to Walmart. Unfortunately, we weren't hungry like we had planned, because we had eaten so much at the baby shower, so we went to Fine Grind, a small cafe in his town, for dessert. We met his brother and new girlfriend there, and enjoyed a quiet night, with some amazing cupcakes.

It was a cannoli cupcake, stuffed with cannoli cream - talk about a way to end a night! It was amazing, and I even shared a little with Sal, which surprised him because I never share dessert! 

I had already gotten a gift from him the weekend I was sick - he went and picked up a movie for us to watch, but not just any movie ... BREAKING DAWN.

And even though I knew he had something else planned, I didn't really know what. I was thinking it was just something small. Unbeknownst to me, he surprised me with tickets to see LUKE BRYAN AND JASON ALDEAN ON MARCH 24th! Can you believe it? I couldn't and I was way too excited when I opened them. Although I thought the gift was really for him because he's a huge country fan too, I didn't mind!

Overall, date night was pretty amazing, and that just goes to show you that us girls, we can appreciate the little things, actually it might just be a way to our heart.

DIY: Handmade Cards

Why have I never done this before?! Personal, handmade cards for every occasion?! I think cards are great and all, but they mean so much more when they're handmade or they have something personally written inside. I used to save all of my cards, until I did a little spring cleaning this year and threw out all of the cards that had no meaning - someone just signed the bottom of it and wrote nothing else.

With that, I decided to make two cards for two separate occasions, a baby shower and Valentine's Day. My grandma sent me a card making kit, that included different color paper and accessories to add to a card, so I decided to take one of the sets and make the baby shower card.

With a little glue and a lot of love it came out like this... 

As for the Valentine's Day card that I made for Sal, it was quite plain, but definitely perfect for Sal, who is obsessed with the show How I Met Your Mother. I wrote a little something inside, which definitely made it even better. 

All I needed for the Valentine's Day card was blank cards, stamps, and ink, which I found at Michael's for under five dollars! It's much cheaper than buying one pre-made card, and these come from the heart. 

Pink & Blue Baby Shower

Sal and I attended a baby shower a few weeks ago, for a baby who's gender was unknown. To me it's unusual now-a-days that parents don't find out the gender of their baby. In my opinion, I don't think I could wait 9 months to find out, and would need to know as soon as the doctors could tell me. While I think it's an amazing experience to find out that day, I just don't think I have the patience.

I was so excited when I found out we were invited to his coworker's wife's baby shower. They're hispanic, so they invite both men and women to their parties, no matter what. I wouldn't do it for my own baby showers, but I thought it was really great to have the men involved, and they even played a game - chug beer from a baby bottle the fastest and you win a prize! There were other games like gift bingo and measuring her belly, which made the party that much better. The food was even great, especially the dessert, ice cream, which is my favorite!

Sal's coworker threw this party as a surprise for his wife... on his birthday! It was so sweet, and she was so surprised! She cried, and was speechless. What was even more amazing, was that he had a mariachi band come out and play a couple of songs in Spanish for her. Seriously... a mariachi band! Beautiful music came and filled the room, that had already been filled with so much love.



Just hit play.

Sal didn't win the beer bottle chugging game, but he did win the Gift Bingo - and received a piggy bank! We had a great day, and it definitely made me think about when I bring a little baby into the world! It's such an exciting time in a person's life, and I couldn't be more happy for the couple!

Ristorante Pizza Campaign

As most of you know I'm a Bzz Agent, which means I am sent campaigns to try out products and post reviews about them. Last month I received an invitation for the Ristorante Pizza Campaign, and I eventually got my coupons for free pizza, coupons for family and friends, and post it notes in the mail! Ristorante Pizza by Dr. Oetker, pronounced "oht-ker" is the #1 frozen Italian pizza in Italy.

I was extremely excited to try this pizza, because I had always seen it in the freezers at the supermarket, but had never purchased one. Having had two coupons for two free pizzas, I couldn't resist buying two different pizzas. They have six, Italian-inspired and high-quality pizzas for you to try, for a quick and satisfying meal. 

There six 10" pizza varieties include:

Mozzarella: Fresh mozzarella, sun-ripened tomatoes, zesty pesto sauces

Spinaci: Savory leaf spinach, mozzarella, hearty garlic sauce

Funghi: Aromatic mushrooms, mozzarella, tomato sauce, parsley, oregano

Quattro Formaggi: 4 premium cheeses: edam, mozzarella, emmental, blue cheese, basil seasoning 

Vegetable: Tangy tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, chillies, sour cream sauce

Speciale: Pepperoni, cooked ham, spicy herbs

I chose the Speciale pizza, which I knew my dad would enjoy, and Spinaci, which my mom would love. I knew I'd enjoy both - so I was open-minded when eating them.

Facts:

• Restaurant quality, ready in just 12-14 minutes [which is perfect for any family balancing extracurriculars, jobs, and children, or even just for a couple on a Friday night - perfect with a glass of wine!]
• Found in the frozen aisle of most major grocery stores on the East Coast
• Suggested to retail for about $4.99, a fraction of Italian restaurant price 
• It's also found online at oetker.us or ristorante.us - visit the sites for more tasty info and to see where you can buy them

I couldn't believe how fast the pizzas cooked, and I decided to pair them with a side salad, because the slices were rather small, and I wanted there to be enough food for the three of us.

 We finished the two pizzas, which is unusual because we usually have leftovers - though we were all quite satisfied by the end of our meal. While eating, I asked my parents how they liked it. My dad said it was great, and though it wasn't very talkative about the pizza, he was so busy eating it - I think he ate the most of it! My mom on the other hand had something to say - the pizza was thin and crispy [which she loves!] I loved that the spinach on the spinach pizza tasted fresh, like I just picked some out at the local grocer, and the meats were fantastic on the other pizza.

Trying these two varieties, makes me want to go and buy the other ones, because they were really tasty and definitely healthy - which we're all looking for right? Having extra coupons left over, after passing some out to family and friends, I hope to get to the supermarket soon to try other varieties. Instead of ordering the ten dollar pizzas at Pizza hut, filled with dough and grease, or the pizzas at local pizza places for fifteen dollars or more, go to your local supermarket and try these delicious pizzas. I can promise that you won't be disappointed, aside from the small size, even though it's great for someone that wants to eat pizza, but doesn't want to rack up calories. It's not only for those watching their weight though, it's for anyone that wants to enjoy GOOD pizza. 

Let me know what you think! Any questions? - Ask me. 

*I received a product sample, coupon, collateral or other special premium from BzzAgent.