Bridal Tea Food

When we started planning this Bridal Tea Shower one of the most important (and most fun) things to plan was the menu!  When you're planning any kind of tea party, you want to provide the right variety of food that will feed your guests' appetites without being too heavy.  A tea party menu should be light, fresh, and delicious!

Since this shower was at 2:00 in the afternoon, we wanted our guests to have enough to snack on in case they didn't eat lunch before arriving, but not fill them up in case they had dinner plans shortly after.  Here's what we decided on for our buffet table:

• Veggies and Ranch Dressing
• Rainbow Fruit Kabobs as inspired from here.
• Variety of Mini Quiches (purchased from the frozen section of Costco)
• Chicken Salad Rolls (sliced Hawaiian rolls and pre-made chicken salad from our grocer's deli)
• Seafood Pastries (purchased from the frozen section of GFS)
• Petit Fours (purchased from the frozen section of GFS)
• Earl Grey Meringue Cookies (see below)
• Butter Mints
• Strawberry Cake and Cupcakes (see below)

As you can tell...mom and I were trying to make this as simple as possible.  There was more heating up and assembling than there was actual cooking involved.  We knew there would be a lot of set up with decorations and preparing for the activities, so we wanted the food to be as easy as possible.  Which is what a tea is supposed to be, I think...little work so you have more time to focus on your guests and less time in the kitchen!

I didn't get a close picture of the Earl Grey Meringue Cookies, but I do want to tell you about them.  I have been a lifetime subscriber of Food Network Magazine, and absolutely fell in love with a recipe that was included in one of their issues a while back.  The recipe is for Tea Cakes with Earl Grey Icing.  The first time I made the recipe, I made it as-is.  It was good, the cakes were alright, but the icing....the icing was freakin' incredible.  So the next time I made them, I made them with a plain chocolate cupcake from a box.  To.Die.For.  I have since been asked to make them several times.  They are so unique and different, I can't recommend them enough.  So, for Kim's shower, I wanted them incorporated somehow.  But, I had already decided on strawberry for the cake and cupcakes...there was no need to make MORE cake of any kind.  The icing is a meringue icing, made with mostly egg whites.  Our family loves the airy, light meringue cookies you can buy in the bakery at the grocery store.  So, why can't we use the icing recipe and just bake them as cookies?  That's exactly what we did!  They were delicious.  But I still prefer the cupcakes and icing over the cookies.  

Kim loves strawberries, and I liked the idea of having a teapot-shaped cake, so I came up with this strawberry cake.  I will do a separate, detailed post with how I created this beauty:

I had a ton of leftover batter, so also made a batch of cupcakes.  I incorporated one of the colors from our theme (purple) and the hydrangeas that I brought for the table, AND the inspiration I got from here to create these:

And of COURSE, you can't have a tea party without tea!  Mom and I had so much fun making a tea bar for this shower.

 As you read about in the decorations post, the teapots we used were from our grandmothers on both sides.  We brewed black tea, green tea, and had another carafe with just hot water.  We also set out cream, sugar, honey, lemon, and a variety of tea bags.  I got the idea for these jars here and the tea tags here.  I used my mom's Cricut machine to cut the hearts out of cardstock, then just pulled off the original paper tags and stuck the hearts together on the string with a dot of glue.  The tags for the jars were also made using her Cricut machine, and taped onto mason jars with a band of the same paper we used for the invitations.

To add a touch of elegance and indulgence, I made these:

This was as easy as buying a box of sugar cubes and whipping up a batch of royal icing.  I piped the leaves first and allowed them to dry before switching icing tips and adding the flowers.  I probably made way too many, but they were cute.  

For non-tea drinkers, we also provided a pitcher of ice water and a drink dispenser of raspberry lime punch.  You can also see the teacups we provided for each guest.  Mom and I had a blast hunting down a good selection and number of teacups and saucers.  Goodwill has a new set available almost every week.  Of course, you get odd numbers, but you can buy a set of cups and saucers for about $4.  Can't beat that!  We also looked around at thrift and antique stores, but they were a little pricier.  If you were doing a smaller shower, you could look there, but it wasn't price conscious for us.  With our collection, there were different colors and patterns, so guests had fun choosing one to claim for the afternoon.  We also used some from mom's (grandmother's) china set to make sure we had enough.  It's little touches like this that add personality and sincerity to a party!

The menu for this kind of event was absolutely perfect.  It provided light snacking, some indulgence, and a lot of fun for our guests.  We got a lot of compliments on the food, and I saw several guests going back to the tea bar to mix a new variety of tea.  I hope this gives you some ideas and inspiration for your own tea party!  I kind of envy the British after this...afternoon teas seem like something we should do more often!

May Date - Be A Kid Again!

I finally get to tell you about my FAVORITE date I included in the Dates for a Year Basket!
Spring is my favorite time of the year, especially when it's getting to the end of the school year and heading into summer vacation.  When you think back on this time of the year in your lifetime, when were you the happiest and most carefree?  When you were a kid, right?  So I thought it was time to pull some of that childhood joy into being a grown up because, let's be honest...being a grown up is just not as fun sometimes.  This month, Kim & Larry get to be kids again!


I got so excited and over-enthusiastic for this date, I ended up needing two envelopes to include everything!  

Here's what was included in the May envelopes:

• Date Card
• Two coloring books... (I used ones I had)
• 1 box of 16 Crayola crayons... (nothing beats Crayola)
• 2 stunt gliders/foam make it yourself planes
• $15 gift card for McDonald's
• 2 bottles of bubbles
• 2 ready to eat bowls of Lucky Charms cereal

Here is the date card that was included in the envelope:

This is my favorite date because I'm definitely young at heart.  Kim & Larry are, too...so I'm thinking they'll have a lot of fun on this date.  They could really do this any day, but I suggested Saturday on the card so that they can get up in the morning and then color and watch Saturday morning cartoons while they eat their Lucky Charms.  Of course, Saturday morning cartoons where much better in the 80's & 90's than they are now, but...oh well.  Then, they can head to a local park to play on the playground, blow bubbles, and race their gliders.  I included the McDonald's gift card so that they could REALLY be like kids that day and not have to worry about how to pay for lunch.  I suggest on the card that they end the date making forts and shadow puppets and doing all those fun things we did at sleepovers when we were younger.  

This date cost me around $20-$25.  It was definitely one of the more expensive dates, but I already mentioned that I went a little overboard.  Actually, if I would have left out the McDonald's card, it would have been one of the cheaper dates.  It was really simple to pull together.  I used a few things I had on hand (Being a teacher, I had a stash of bubbles, crayons, and coloring books), but everything else was purchased at the drug store right up the road.  I've seen a lot of variations of this date (I'm sure you even have some new ideas swimming in your head now), and you could definitely do it differently, or add more.  

As I mentioned, this date could be much cheaper by leaving out the gift card for lunch.  You could also just cut back on the items you include.  Suggest they use their own cereal,  replace the bubbles and gliders with ideas for games to play instead.  Add a stack of paper and have them create their own paper airplanes.  But, really...you can't get much cheaper unless you just give them the idea.  

I went a little crazy, and believe it or not, had so many more ideas to add to this date!  You could certainly make this an extravagant "kid" basket, and it would be so much fun putting together!  It would be cute to get little plastic bowls and spoons for the cereal to include.  You could also get them footie pajamas or fun socks.  For the park, you could include a whole set of playground equipment...jumpropes, sidewalk chalk, a kickball, frisbee, football...be imaginative!  I mentioned that they could make forts when they get home, so you could include a fort kit and flashlights, maybe even also add a gift card for pizza or ice cream for dinner.  Add a kids' movie or a DVD of classic cartoons.  You get the idea.    

This is date 11 of 13!    I can't believe I'm already saying that.  We've got two left, with a very special one to finish it out.  Have fun being a kid again this month!

Bridal Tea Games & Activities

Since this Bridal Tea Shower was a little bit more of a formal event, my mom and I didn't want to do too many cheesy games.  This was meant to be something sweet, sentimental, and rich with support and encouragement.  We still made sure to have things for the guests to do during the shower so that they still had a good time and made some fun memories.  So if you're looking for some ideas for personal touches or subtle ways for the guests to interact, you've come to the right place!

Last time, I showed you some unique ways that we decorated for this shower.  We tried to tie everything we did together with the "tea party" theme in mind.  There is a fine line to walk when you plan a tea party to make it classic and pretty without falling into the "grandma" category.  Not that the "grandma" category is a bad thing, but for a 23-year-old bride it's probably not at the top of her list when she wants to remember her bridal shower.  Lucky for us, one of the themes Michael's was selling was tea party!  We found pens, notepads, albums, blank cards, and more with teacups, teapots, and flowers on them!

We had one table set up in the main room where Kim would open gifts with all of our supplies for the games.  My mom found these adorable buckets filled with a set of tea towels and a teacup set for game prizes.  We made sure to gather all the materials we needed so we wouldn't be running around when it was time.

The Timer Game
We used an egg timer and turned it to a random spot when Kim began opening gifts.  The person whose gift she was opening when the timer went off got a prize!  So simple, but an easy way to involve guests.  I think it also helps them stay alert and paying attention when the bride is opening gifts.  You could alter this game if you have a larger number of guests by re-setting the timer when it goes off the first time.

Bridal Shower Poem Game
The second game we played I found here.  Since it was a Bridal Tea, I knew it would be a great opportunity to play a game involving what they were wearing.  Each guest was given a piece of paper and a pencil to keep score.  Then, I read this poem aloud and everyone added and subtracted until each person ended with a number.  Here is the poem:

This is a rather peculiar game


It really does not have a name


It’s simple to play, as a game should be


You just do as you’re told, you see


So now if you’ll please give me your attention


We’ll put an end to this suspension


In the end, whoever scores the most


Will receive a prize of which to boast


Now since you’re all fashionable girls


Give yourself 5 if you have any pearls


You may add 3 if your toes peek out


And earrings will give you 2 more to shout


Score yourself 5 if you show any red


Add 6 more for a curl on your head


Now before you think you are going to win


Take away 2 for each safety pin


Give yourself 6 if your pants are tight


Add 1 for a scarf which is just about right


Add 5 more if your shoes are black


And take away 3 for a zipper in back


Now count all your buttons, for each you get 2


And take away 1 for each button that’s blue


Give yourself 5 if your heels are high


And why not take 10 for the green in your eye


10 more points for a rose on your clothes


Take away 5 if you forgot to wear hose


If your husband you kissed today – add 9


If you didn’t subtract 12 – you’re subject to fine


This is the end…there isn’t anymore


Who is the lucky lady with the highest score?

Honeymoon Pig

This was a mix between an activity and a game.  I got this cute piggy bank at Target.  You could also search online to get one that matches the colors of the wedding, the theme of the party, I've even seen bridal pigs.  Then, I wrote a short little poem and framed it to go next to the pig.

In case you can't read from the picture, here's what it says:

Little piggy on the table

Will grant your wish if he is able.

Drop some coins in his tummy, 

He finds newlywed funds very yummy!

Don't wait, for now it's opportune

To help the new couple on their honeymoon!

A dime, a quarter, a dollar, or ten,

Your donation will be very well spent.

Couples' massage, dinner, a movie, or wine...

Let's help make their first days together shine!

At the end of the party, we'll see if you're wise.

The one with the closest guess wins a prize!

Throughout the shower, guests stopped by and added loose change from their purse, or a couple of bills.  When things started winding down, little piggy was whisked away, emptied, and the money was totaled.  Everyone wrote down a guess of how much was inside and the person that guessed the closest was the winner.

Besides these games, we had a couple of other activities for guests to participate in.

Thank You Envelopes
One of the duties of a bride is to send thank you notes for all the gifts that she receives at her showers.  To help Kim with the toughest part of sending these notes, we had the guests help by addressing their envelope for their cards to be sent.  All we did was purchase a few packs of cards (with the ones we found at Michaels, these were just $1 packs of blank cards).  We separated the cards from the envelopes, then put a small basket by the front door with the envelopes and a couple of pens.  I made another small frame with instructions for the guests.  By the door, guests can do this when they first come in, or be reminded when they walk out the door to leave.  Of course, this isn't fool-proof.  You may still have some guests who skipped over this task or didn't see it.  But the majority of guests will do this and it will save a couple of hours for your bride from gathering and writing out addresses.

A Year of Encouragement

As I mentioned, we wanted this shower to be a way for Kim to feel embraced with love and encouragement from the important women in her life.  One of my favorite things that we did for this shower was cards of encouragement.  Many have heard that the first year of marriage is a tough one.  There are sure to be a lot of adjustments, drifting from friends, figuring out what this new life is as husband and wife.  We wanted this feeling of love and encouragement to continue throughout Kim's first year of marriage.  So, mom and I found a cute set of blank note cards at Michael's and scattered them on a table with a frame and instructions.  

As guests had an opportunity, they took time to sit down and write a few encouraging words for Kim in a card that would be sent at some point during the following year.  At the end of the shower, my mom collected the completed cards and has been sending about one a month.  I think the coolest thing about this is that neither Kim or the author of the card know when a card is being sent.  My mom really doesn't either, she just chooses a card at random.  When my sister was over for Easter, she said she got my card and that I told her to call me to set up a date for sushi this week.  I had forgotten I even wrote that but now Kim and I are planning to have sushi when normally, we wouldn't have thought to make time for it.  I think this is a great way to remind the bride that she is loved and supported.

Dress-Up Photo Booth
One of the most popular things right now at weddings and other events is a dress-up photo booth.  We thought this was a perfect activity to add to Kim's Bridal Tea.  I mentioned in my previous post about this shower that it was planned and styled around a birthday party Kim had as a young girl, where we got to dress up in all kinds of fun stuff.  It was fun to gather things for this activity, and pretty cheap, too!  We asked friends if they had any old hats, scarves, etc. that could be used.  We scoured Goodwill, yard sales, and the attic.  We pulled random items that could be used from around our houses.  I think we ended up with a pretty nice collection.

For the backdrop, we hung a black sheet over the curtain rod in my parents' office.  We got a cheap clothing rack from Wal-Mart (which actually came in really useful later to hang our dresses the day of the wedding).  My mom had an old frame that she hung from the bar on the clothing rack, then draped another black sheet over and around the frame.  We set up all the hats, sunglasses, scarves, and boas on the long table against the wall and hanging on the side of the clothing rack.  Then, my dad set up the tripod facing the frame and zoomed to where the only thing guests needed to do was snap a picture or set the timer.

It was a little less fancy than some photo booths, but I liked the way ours turned out.  My favorite part was that it was so cheap!  Well, that, and that we had a ton of fun playing dress up and taking pics.

Overall, I think guests had a pretty good time.  There was a lot of catching up, giggling, and reminiscing on good memories years ago.  I hope that these ideas can stir up some of the same results at the Bridal Tea you're planning!

PS...If you're looking for more unique ideas and games that are aimed more for a bachelorette party, there are some great ones here and here.  Enjoy!

April Date - Garage Sale Scavenger Hunt

Woo-hoo!!!  I have been so excited to share this date with you guys because I think it's such a great idea.  I don't know why I've never done it before!

This is April's date for the Dates for a Year Basket!  The past couple of months have been at home dates.  In January, they learned to make fortune cookies in their kitchen, in February, they had an at-home spa night, and last month was an at-home game night.  I'm all about finding fun at home, especially if you're on a tight budget!  But I thought for April, it was time to get them out of the house! Especially now that it's finally Spring and the weather is just begging you to spend some quality time with it!  So, if they're going to be enjoying the weather, I knew I had to plan a weekend date for optimal time in the sunshine.  That narrowed it down to a weekend morning/day, and do you know what happens then?  GARAGE SALES!!  That may not sound exciting to you...until you realize that it's a Garage Sale SCAVENGER HUNT!

I definitely can't take credit for this idea.  The ladies at Dating Divas have it going on.  I found this date there, and used the templates to personalize some cards for Kim and Larry.

Here's what was included in the April envelope:

• Date Card
• Scavenger Hunt List
• Bonus Items List

Here is the date card that was included in the envelope:

When I downloaded the template, it was a blank PDF, so I copied and pasted the image into a Word document.  Then I made it smaller (I made it a landscape page format and shrunk the image to fit on half the page) and added my own items.  I used some of her ideas but came up with my own, too.  Here's what the finished product looked like:

After I printed this card I thought, "This isn't enough!"  So I made a bonus card.  That's why I made these items each worth 5 points each, so that I could make bonus items worth double that!  Bonus items are things that are left for interpretation, probably impossible to find, but a saving grace if you're not good at finding the other stuff.  

The plan for this date is for Kim & Larry to find a list of local yard sales (in a copy of the local paper or even more simply, through a search on Craigslist), grab some breakfast and/or coffee and head out the door.  I like that this is something they can do together but kind of have to sneak around on their own, too.  If they both peruse through yard sales side-by-side, it would be hard to have a winner because they'd find stuff at the same time.  Just like last month, this adds a bit of competitiveness to the date, which makes it fun and exciting.  Actually, I thought that it would be easy for them to use the same "prize" from last month's game night and just recycle.  

This date was basically free for me to put together, if you don't count the paper and time it took to create.  You could definitely make it a little more exciting by including a gift card for them to swing through Starbucks or McDonald's before starting.  You could also include some cash for them to purchase some things while they're looking.  Maybe even add the task for them to search for a perfect "couples trophy" that they could pass back and forth for these competitive dates.  Think about how fun it would be to find something unique...like a glass pineapple or something...that can be the sought after "prize" for bets and games.  It could even become something of a family tradition that's passed down when they have kids.  

Sounds like a fun weekend activity, doesn't it?  This is one of my favorites out of the dates included in the basket (not my favorite...that one is still to come), but yet it was one of the easiest ones to plan.  This is date 10 of 13, we're getting down to the last few now.  Stay tuned...they're worth waiting for!

Bridal Tea Party - Decorations

Hello, friends!

Man, am I excited!  I mentioned in my last post that I'm planning to be a lot more intentional with this blog and start to make it a regular habit.  Part of my struggle has been that I wasn't sure what to blog about.  With the way life has been for me lately, I've had to put a halt to some of my creative habits so I didn't think I had much to blog about.  Sometimes all it takes is some focus.  I found a bunch of stuff to share that I haven't gotten around to for the past year.  So I've just planned out the next 18 posts!  I'm excited about making blogging more of a priority and giving you guys some more ideas.

Onward...

As most of you know, my sister was married last July.  Actually, most of my blog posts this year have been about the wedding gift I put together for Kim & Larry, the CHEAP Dates for a Year basket.  Head over and check out some of those ideas if you haven't yet.  I also shared some games with you that I used for her Bachelorette Party, but I guess in all the chaos, I forgot to tell you about the shower that my mom and I threw for her last June.  I can't believe I completely skipped over it, because we put A LOT of work into it, and were both proud of the outcome.

Mom and I wanted to throw a shower for Kim to kind of pull together a bunch of little groups of people and have one big gathering.  It was a way to get a lot of the people together that love her and share in celebrating.  So, we needed something that would sound fun to a variety of people, something that wouldn't be too expensive, and something that would easily fit in most everyone's schedules.  So, we decided on a Bridal Tea Party.  It's traditional, fun, super girly, and cost-conscious enough to feed a large number of people on a weekend afternoon, which most people have available.

Another reason is tied into a few of our family traditions.  I'll get to those in a second.  Like I mentioned, Mom and I put a lot of planning and detail in this shower, so there is no way that I could do a post that includes it all.  At least not one that most of you would read all the way through.  So, I'm breaking it down.  Today, I'll go over the general plan and share some of the decorations and special touches we included.  Later, I'll share four more posts; one for food, one for games and activities for our guests, one for the favors, and one with some tips for all you Maid of Honors out there.  Don't miss them!

DECORATIONS
We wanted this shower to be feminine but not too frilly.  Classic but not "grandma".  Traditional but personalized.  My parents' gorgeous home was the perfect setting because Mom's decorating style is right in line with what we wanted.  The flow of the floor plan and the neutral, classic decor left a lot of ease in the plans for decorating, so we didn't really have to do much.

The first thing we wanted to do was make sure that we had plenty of seating for when Kim opened gifts (we were expecting between 15-30 guests), places for people to sit and chat while sipping on tea and snacking, and different mingling centers.  It's important when you plan a party to provide opportunities for conversation that are natural and comfortable, even for people who don't know each other.  At something as personal as a bridal shower, all guests have something in common so this is pretty simple.

We wanted to include some flowers, but nothing too formal.  Mom had a great wildflower garden to pick from and I have a stunning hydrangea bush at my apartment, so that's all we used.  Use what you have growing in your yard!  It fits right in with your home and most importantly, it's free!

We saw this idea on the ever-helpful Pinterest!  So easy and different.  We just used some wine glasses mom had, put a cluster of wildflowers underneath, and topped with a tea light.  It was the perfect way to spruce up our plate and silverware table.  Mom and I used plastic white tablecloths, but got a couple yards of fabric to match the feel of the shower that we overlaid on top of the white plastic.  This dressed it up a little and pulled it together.

I didn't arrange the hydrangeas that well, just stuck them in a vase on the table.  But I had so much fun making the wildflower jars that hung in the window!

It was really easy but got a great response at the party.  I saw the idea original here.  I had several baby food jars that were sent to my classroom and never used.  My mom had a ton of old ribbon that she got from my grandma which I cut to fit around each jar.  It was as simple as hot gluing them down with a couple dots of hot glue.  Then I used some twine to tie around the lips of the jars and left a long enough tail to hang them over the curtain rod.  I think it's a more dramatic and whimsical to hang them at varying heights.  After they were hung, I used a pitcher of water to fill each jar about halfway, then added a good mixture of wildflowers to each jar.  I wish I had a better picture of them.  We liked them so much, mom kept them up for weeks!

SENTIMENT STATIONS

I know that's a silly title, but I don't know what else to call them.  One of my favorite things that we included in our decorations for this shower were personal items from Kim's past and/or heritage.  I typed up short descriptions for each of them and got frames at the dollar store to display them.  These explain more about why having a tea party was so perfect and fitting for Kim's Bridal Shower.  These also provided the mingling spots I mentioned above.  Once guests spotted a few of these, they talked with others about them and started searching for each one.  

When Kim first asked me to be her Maid of Honor, we spent one night in the pouring rain sitting in my car in the Arby's parking lot near a bridal store where we had stopped to look at bridesmaid dresses.  I'll probably always remember that.  During that conversation, I was asking her all kinds of questions about what kind of showers she wanted, things she wanted incorporated during this special time, etc.  One thing she mentioned was that she would love to have a party similar to one she had when she was younger.  For her birthday one year, mom threw her a tea party and a lady came with all kinds of dress up clothes.  So it was a dress up/tea party.  It was perfect, and definitely something I knew she had to relive as a grown-up before tying the knot!  To tie the conversation and the idea together on the day of the shower, mom pulled out a bunch of old photos of not only the party but other times we dressed up to display.

Phew!  I was still planning on adding more to this post, but realizing I can split the last bit into a whole post on its own.  I don't want to make this too long!  Stick around...I'll tell you more about this special shower soon!

March Date - Game Night

Talk about last minute!  Life has been up in the air for me lately, but after some soul searching, motivational seminars, and inspiring books, I'm back to blogging.  I'm hoping to make it more of a regular thing...we'll see how it goes.  


Back to the reason for this post....March's date for the Dates for a Year Basket!  While I was planning out this basket, I tried to vary the dates month to month so that they would alternate from elaborate to simple, out of the house and a night in, etc.  Since February's date was pretty extravagant (as dates on a budget go), I needed this month to be more on the simple side.  Last month was super romantic and sexy, so this month I wanted them to have more fun.  I think varying the dates like this keeps that spark and element of surprise.  On a tighter budget, keeping with the idea of doing something more fun, and deciding to add some competitive edge to March (it is March Madness season after all), I decided on an old-fashioned game night!

Here's what was included in the March envelope:

• Date Card
• 3 puzzle books including Crossword, Sudoku, and Word Search
• "Battle of the Sexes" Card Game

Here is the date card that was included in the envelope:

Since I know that my sister already has several board games in her collection, I didn't feel the pressure to include one in this envelope.  In college, I was given the Battle of the Sexes card game and spent many a nights in our residential college lobby battling it out with friends.  It's a fun, easy game...but can get super competitive.  It's fun to play because the girls almost always know the answer to the questions the boys are asked and vice versa.  It's fun to watch the other sex squirm while you think it's such an easy question.  I also had the puzzle books lying around the house.  I had a huge stash collected from road trips and plane delays, so I tossed them in as well. 

Remember, the point of the envelopes is to spark the planning of a date.  The way I look at this whole project was that it was an almost guaranteed way for them to have one date a month their first year of marriage, no excuses.  Everything is planned and ready for them and they can go with it as is.  But if they wanted to add to this, they absolutely could.  They don't even have to use the games included, but they are there if they don't feel like pulling out their games or just want to try something new.  The idea and the pre-planning is the gift.  Remember that!

The cost of this date for me was practically free.  Since I had the games around the house, I didn't have to go purchase anything for this date.  You could use whatever you have.  Be resourceful.  Pull together a deck of cards, some dice, look up games online that can be played with household items.  Actually, it would be really fun to make this a "Minute to Win It" envelope.  There are a TON of great ideas, directions, and supply lists here.  I didn't think of this idea when I was pulling it together (this is another one I pulled together the week after the wedding so I had Maid-of-Honor brain).  

This date can be bumped up to a more elaborate date easily.  You could add a gift card to a local pizza delivery restaurant so that they can have dinner paid for and on its way while they start playing.  You could add a few different board games, a trophy for the winner, and snacks.  

Have fun and be creative planning this date.  I think adding a competitive edge to the relationship is a great thing.  It keeps things interesting, and offers a great opportunity for flirting like they did when they first met.  This could start a monthly tradition, something they keep the bet going for and compete for each month.  This is date 9 of 13!   I can't believe there are only four left to tell you about.  But I'm also super excited because the last four dates...they are something special!  Stick around...April's date will be posted very soon!

February Date - Spa Night

Just in time for Valentine's day, here's another date idea from my Dates for a Year Basket!  For February, I wanted to create a date that would be fun, but also relaxing and romantic.  Something more intimate that gave Kim & Larry the opportunity to just spend time together basking in their still fresh newlywed love.  I know that is totally cheesy, but it is Valentine's month, isn't it?  February is all about recognizing, highlighting, and appreciating the mushy-gushy-ness of love!

So, since I wanted it to be intimate and something very "alone" I knew February had to be an at-home date.  I figured they would already make separate plans for Valentine's and this would just be a bonus date.  I didn't want to do any kind of activity, I wanted the focus to be on them.  So, I thought they needed something that would be relaxing, easy, and stress free.  The first thing that came to mind was a Spa Night!

Here's what was included in the February envelope:

• Date Card
• A package of tea light candles in a relaxing scent
• "Spa-like" music on a CD
• 2 individual packages of facial scrub (I chose Apricot and Pink Grapefruit)
• 2 individual packages of facial masks (I chose Chocolate & Strawberry and maybe Mint & Lemon?  I don't remember!)
• One bottle of Lavender & Chamomile Body Wash/Foaming Bath Oil (You could choose any relaxing scent in any kind of bubble bath)
• One bottle of Neutrogena body oil (or any other body oil)

Here is the date card that was included in the envelope:

On the card, I suggest that they start the evening by lighting the candles, playing the music and filling the tub.  I know Larry probably won't be too into the scrub and mask, but I intended for this to be somewhat of a do-it-yourself spa night.  I pictured Kim doing a mini facial on Larry with the scrub and mask and vice versa.  After a warm bubble bath, they could use the oil to do massages like you would get at the spa.  

This date cost around $15-$20.  It was one of the more expensive dates for sure, but I figured Valentine's month was a good one to splurge on.  I already had the Zen Meditation music CD that, to be honest, wasn't played very often in my CD player.  Everything else I purchased at Wal-Mart.  The Freeman packets of scrub & masks were about a dollar a piece.  They had all different types and fragrances.  You could instead replace them with travel or full-size products if you were willing to spend a little more money.  The oil and bubble bath can also be purchased at different places, in smaller sizes or better quality.  However, I was pulling this date together the week of their honeymoon, so was running short on time and cash.  :o)  

This date could be cheaper by suggesting they use what they have or by buying travel-size containers and including something you already have on-hand.  You can easily make this more lavish and pricey in a lot of ways!  You can make it an individual date basket by including a bottle of wine or champagne and glasses; robes and slippers (maybe even personalized); add body scrub, foot scrub, body paint, lotion, a book or video on massage techniques, etc; possibly include a gift card to a local spa.  I'm sure there are many more things you can add to make this night even more extravagant and special.  But remember, I'm offering you ideas for CHEAP dates!

I tried to make this romantic, special, and something they felt was indulgent.  Being Kim's sister, I didn't want to get too sensual with this...I'm sure they can do that on their own!  But I hope they enjoy this night and it brings them back to the lovey-dovey feelings from when they first met.  This is date 8 of 13!    March is right around the corner, so stay tuned!