Valentine's Post and Catching Up

monkeyman and i have been married for just shy of three years and our anniversary falls only about a week and a half after valentine's day. we don't typically make a big deal of it - it's cheesy, pricey, and we would rather spend the money to celebrate our anniversary. we usually see a scary movie and maybe make that an eat-out night. sky is working a shift that really can cut into prime time hours for normal things - like eating together or going out during his work week. he happened to be working on valentine's and was sort of bummed we wouldn't get to go on our cheesy scary movie date. so i surprised him!

i set the table with a clearance table cloth from the fabric store and got cooking! i wasn't sure when he would be home, so that made planning a little tough, but it worked out fine. possibly his favorite dessert in the world is raspberry cheesecake, so that's what i made. i tried a new recipe and it was incredible, and definitely my new go-to recipe for cheesecake.

i just cooked our cheesecakes in itty bitty Pyrex containers and topped them with a very thin layer of good raspberry preserves. we didn't eat dessert first, but the picture was just so pretty i had to show you!

we both love seafood, but scallops may be one of the top couple of seafood proteins either of us would choose. so that's what i went with - seared scallops with white wine cream sauce, roasted asparagus with lemon and a sprinkle of parmesan, and saffron rice with peas. i loved the color the saffron gave the rice! it was a meal made up of several of both of our very most favorite dishes. i know asparagus is out of season, so it's really pricey and woody. i'm not a fan of overpriced and woody asparagus, so frozen is a staple around here! we love lots of veggies and it's easy to get stuck in a rut. frozen veggies are a really good way to change it up, save lots of money, and not worry about your veggies going to mush in the forgotten drawer in the fridge...we've all been there, it's okay.

skyler brought home a really pretty little bouquet of mini roses in a bud vase as a surprise for me! it was a fun way we each got to surprise one another - and the flowers were just what the table needed to finish off the romantic look.

we such a fun time. valentine's day may be cheesy, but it's a good reminder of all the little things we can do for our partners or kids. it's easy to get in a rut and take each other for granted in our day to day routines. if we choose, it can be a day of stress and wasted money. we can also choose to just take it as a reminder for the little things that can mean so much to our loves!

on to our regularly scheduled programming!

you know i packed my man's lunch recently, so let's see what he ended up with.

clockwise from carrots: carrots and peanut butter; baked sweet potatoes topped with quick beef and baked bean chili (in the Pyrex with the green lid); miso paste to be mixed with hot water for a sippable snack (in the Pyrex with the orange lid); banana; raspberry Chobani greek yogurt; fig snack bar; and cinnamon apple freeze dried fruit snacks

notice that i didn't show the inside of the Pyrex? explanation: simply because it was ugly food! super healthy and super delicious, but not beautiful!

on a non-food related note: i caught up with my homework for the week, forgot my school snack on wednesday, and also got my teeth cleaned while having a good hair day. how's that luck? "i'm having a great hair day! let's go mash it in the dentists chair!" boo.

then skyler surprised me with this:

super delicious shamrock shake from mcdonalds!

then, because he is a good man, he installed our new pet/baby gate.

our puppies love the snacks they often find in the cat litter box. we had that little white gate in the background put in the hall to the utility room (where we do laundry, keep the cat box, and get to the garage), but i face planted trying to step over it one too many times. it definitely did the job keeping the puppies out - i don't think they've figured out it wouldn't be difficult to climb right over. i hope they don't figure that out, ever. also, i'm in pain pretty often because of my hips after some pretty crazy foot problems over the past couple years, so stepping over the fence was sometimes excruciating. this new gate is plenty sturdy, has a child-proof door that swings both directions, and will be something we will keep for a long time. i'm happy with the placement, because we also can keep the pups out of the guest rooms and not have to close the door. mushi especially loves to sneak up on the guest bed and chew any box he can find. so, no more musty rooms and no more puppies in trouble!