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!

The *Personalized* Red Plate Tradition

If you have been following my Dates for a Year ideas, then you might recall mention of a Red Plate as one of the items suggested for October's "bake a cake" date.  Some of you may have heard of the Red Plate Tradition, and even have it integrated in your family.  This is something I heard about a while back, and you can actually buy an "official" Red Plate to begin the tradition.

Basically, the idea is that the red plate gets to be used by a member of your family on their special day. So, when it is your birthday, you got a good grade, you got a promotion at work, you win a soccer game, etc, you get to feel special by using the red plate!  It's a way to recognize and celebrate special days in your family and a simple, extra way to highlight big events!

I think this is a great gift for a wedding or new baby.  Both are big milestones and a great time to start new traditions.  Since I was my sister's maid of honor and was attending several different showers, I knew I needed a few smaller gifts to bring.  I know I didn't have to, but felt like I should bring a little something to each shower.  I had this in the back of my mind as an idea and thought it would be something cheap and easy to be one of my "little" gifts.  Well, when I saw the price of the "official" Red Plate, I got discouraged.  With a regular price of $39.99, there was no way I could afford that in addition to a nice (larger) wedding gift (which ended up being the Dates for a Year Basket).  However, I still had my heart set on giving a Red Plate and initiating a tradition for Kim & Larry.

So...time to improvise!  Surprisingly, it was VERY cheap and easy to come up with my own version of the Red Plate, and I think, actually better!  I started by heading out in search of a red dinner plate.  It was more difficult than I thought to find a single, plain, red plate.  I finally found one in the discount aisle at Tuesday Morning for a cheap price!  The second thing you need is a glass paint marker that will write on glass, ceramic, etc. and stay permanently.  I used this Pebeo Vitrea 160 marker, that I got from Michael's.  You can get them in almost any color!

Instead of writing on the front, where I was worried the marker might chip or come off, I chose to add some personalization on the back.  This was my first time using a glass marker, and I wasn't sure as far as health and sterilization if it would be okay for a surface where food would be eaten from.  I am a pretty simple person, so I didn't do a whole lot of detail.  Actually, all I did was write "Knox" (their married last name) and Est. 2011 (the year they got married).

I also printed this poem on some card stock and enclosed it with the plate.  Kim LOVED it!  This was so much cheaper than the actual read plate and added a personal touch of personalization.  You could customize it for any couple or family.  Maybe even create a special red plate for each member of the family!  

I hope someone else can use this idea.  Anytime you can save money AND personalize a gift, I think it's the better option!  

January Date - Making Fortune Cookies

Last night I was looking for a photo on my computer and ran across the album that holds all of the upcoming dates for the Spring.  I am PUMPED that we have reached the halfway point.  From here on out, I think the dates are fun, creative, and different.  I'm excited to share them with you!


So, in continuing with the Dates for a Year Basket, here is January! 

January was a month that, like December, I could have gone a lot of different directions with...something "wintery", New Year's related, I even thought about planning some kind of exercising/active date to kick off resolutions.  But, I wasn't sure if that would be something they were focused on and didn't want to be too "themey" with the season.  These are intended to be dates that they can revamp, modify, and recycle throughout their marriage.  Then, I thought about a "dream" date.  


I read about this idea online somewhere and it sounded cute in theory, but when I started to put the envelope together, I decided not to use it.  For this date I would have provided home planning magazines, a baby name book, travel brochures, and other things that we often dream about accomplishing or doing someday but may not be a reality in the present.  During the date, Kim & Larry would plan for a someday house, pick out potential baby names, find fun things to do in vacation spots they want to visit.  Sounds fun, right?  Well...I had a hard time finding a cheap baby name book and was running out of days to find a travel agency to go gather brochures from places other than Nashville.  Plus, the more I thought about it, the more I leaned against it.  (I can sometimes analyze things too much)  I thought there might be a chance that they get frustrated being too far from a dream, or have other plans than what I would include.  Plus, it's kind of like the old-school version of Pinterest.  :o)  So I just opted to find something different.  BUT...it would be a fun date!

After that idea kind of flopped, I started thinking of other things I could do.  Then I thought about the kits that you can buy at bookstores that include supplies and a book to teach you something.  Do you know what I'm talking about?  There are books for stone massages, origami, sushi making, palm reading, magic tricks, aromatherapy, etc, etc, etc.  So, I headed to Barnes & Noble in search of some inspiration and a fun kit to center this date around.  There were a ton of options, but with some of the other dates I had already planned, I kind of struggled to find something completely different that wouldn't blend in and be similar to another date.  I really want the whole basket of dates to be a variety.  Then, I saw a small red box  with a big picture of a fortune cookie.  Perfect!  

Here's what was included in the January envelope:

• Date Card
• Make Your Own Fortune Cookies kit

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

This date was one of the easiest ones to plan.  All I needed was the inspiration, and some creative thinking for the card.  Of course, if you want to use this date in your basket, you can purchase the kit here (at the time I'm posting this it is on sale for $4.99 & eligible for free shipping!)  If you didn't want to get the kit, you can Google "how to make fortune cookies" and there are a ton of YouTube videos, blogs, and entire websites dedicated to making these predicting treats.  However, the kit is awesome.  It comes with a book containing a lot of different recipes and party ideas, white gloves for folding your cookies, printed fortunes, origami paper, and a wheel of fortunes.  A lot for such a low price!  Of course, if you didn't like the fortune cookie idea, you could look at other kits and see if there's one you like better.  There are definitely a lot to choose from!  This particular kit wouldn't fit into the standard envelope, so I took out the supplies and tossed the box.  So keep that in mind when planning.  

I put on the card that it would be a good night to order Chinese food for dinner.  If you wanted to turn this date into an entire basket, you could include a gift card for dinner and even get the ingredients to make the cookies.  

So, pretty simple, but I think this is going to be a great date for Kim & Larry.  I've never tried making fortune cookies before, but it seems like a fun and unique thing to learn.  This is date number 7 of 13.  Get pumped up for February's date.  You KNOW I went all out for Valentine's month.  <3

Life Box: Resolution Card

A few short days ago, I posted a tutorial to make a fun project to start for the new year called the Life Box.  I have been extremely overwhelmed and humbled by the fast and steady number of views that sprouted from that simple post.  I'm thrilled to see so many people are intrigued because I'm on day two of my box, and am still so excited about it!  I can already see how some days it will be challenging.  I've had a bit of a cold this weekend, so my days have been kind of boring and "uneventful".  But it's amazing what a little box and commitment of one line on an index card will point out in an uneventful day.

For me, Jan. 1 said "Traditional New Years dinner with the fam!"...something so simple and repetitive to me.  After thinking about it though, it's important to get that down.  Who knows what New Years Day will hold for me next year, let alone 5 years down the road?  It may look completely different, and it may be the same.  Actually, I think the repetitiveness of tradition is something that would be beautiful to see on a card year after year.  Jan. 2 seemed like it would be tough.  My day consisted of sleeping in, staying in my PJs until 2:00, watching TV, cleaning the fridge, grocery shopping...all boring stuff.  However, when I HAD to think of something to put on my card, reflecting on my day made me appreciate it more and draw more importance and meaning than "just another day".  Today, my card said, "Trashed the junk food, stocked up on healthy!"  Something so simple as cleaning out the refrigerator and pantry, tossing all the leftover Christmas goodies and then refilling the space with healthy options IS a big deal.  It could be the start of something incredible.  It definitely is a step towards my commitment to one of my resolutions.  Which brings me to today's post...the Resolution Card.

When I made my Life Box, I added a card that I hadn't seen in others' tutorials before.  A simple card with the year stamped at the top and left blank.

I decided to include this card to record my resolutions/goals for the upcoming year.  It's a good reminder so that I don't just forget about them after a month, and can kind of check in on my progress throughout the year.

I've heard before that until you share your goals with someone else, they're not real to you.  Sure, you have dreams of succeeding in this or that, but until you tell someone else you're going to do it, it's not something you really plan for.  If someone else knows about it, most people will do everything they can to achieve it to avoid embarrassment or disappointment of letting themselves (and/or others) down with failure.  Now I'm really putting myself out there telling you all of that!  I decided to share my resolutions for a few reasons.  One, for self documentation.  It's forever on my blog and shared with the world wide web, so I know where to find it if something should happen to my card.  Two, for the exact reason I just told you...to make them REAL to me, and something I'll try to achieve to prove to all of you that I can!  And finally, to share parts of me so that maybe some of you know that I've got the same goals as you this year.  Possibly to give you some ideas for your own!

So, here they are:  (If you don't care to know...you can skip the rest of this post and come back next time!)

I went with an even 10 resolutions this year.  Some big ones mixed in with some small.  Some that are repeats from years before, some new.  I wanted a good number so that I have several things to try to achieve this year and so that I don't feel like a complete failure when I don't do them all.  Surely, I can at least get a couple of these crossed off!

• Be a "yes" girl - I mean this in a very specific way.  I've always been a yes girl in the sense that I will agree to do anything for anyone any time.  But I'm not a yes girl when it comes to doing things for me.  I have a lot of excuses, things that come up, ways to back out.  Honestly, I think I have a bit of commitment fear for some reason, and that's something I want to work on this year.  So when I say be a yes girl, I want to go all in when I say yes to something.  I want to say yes to more.  
• Get healthy & stay active - Isn't this everyone's resolution...every year?  But if you're going to have a repetitive resolution, this would be the one.  For me, it's time to get back to being in shape and feeling good about myself.  This is the first time I'm doing it without a size or number in mind.  I just want to be healthy, active, and feel good about myself.
• Start an etsy shop - I've had several people suggest this, and asked why I don't have one already. I always had an excuse, no real reason.  It's time to commit, going back to my first resolution.  It's something so simple that I think would bring me a lot of joy...and give me a great reason to craft more!
• Read at least one book a month - for fun! - I read for community group, and right now I have to read for work.  I love to read for fun and need to make it a habit.  I have a pile of about 20 books waiting on me, I just need to get started!
• Visit a new state - One of the major things on my life list is to visit every one of the 50 states.  For me, it doesn't count unless I spend more than 24 hours in that state.  So far, my list consists of: Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.  That's 13...why not add to my number this year?  
• Be intentional with strengthening friendships - old and new - I'll be honest.  I'm horrible about keeping in touch with people.  Life gets busy, and phone conversations and e-mails seem to get squeezed out of my schedule.  This year, I want to aim to be better about making those things priorities.  My friends are too great and awesome to lose touch with...old friends from high school and college as well as my newer ones.
• Replace my wardrobe! - Maybe it's not realistic to do it completely, but I definitely need an update.  After college I taught elementary school, so style was not at the top of my list.  But now that I'm in adult world, I need to catch up and try to at least look the part.  :o)
• Smile at strangers - So simple, but something that will be a challenge for me.  I'm outgoing and bubbly once I get to know you, but I am incredibly shy with strangers.  Eye contact and a smile is a struggle, but you never know what can stem from that.  If anything, I hope this new goal/habit will help me get over being so shy around new people.  
• Save for/purchase a DSLR camera - I've wanted one for a long while, but never made it important enough to budget for.  My parents got me a photography class for Christmas (there's no way I can afford one before then), and it's a passion I want to pursue.  Who knows where it will lead, but I definitely want to learn more about the craft of photography and see what I can do with it.  I wrote save for SLASH purchase because the ability to purchase one sort of depends on my job situation and if that's something I'll be able to afford before the year is over.  
• Strive to be a Proverbs 31 woman - This is another one that is a repeat for me.  I am constantly trying to be a Godly woman, but in my human-ness fall short daily.  There is no such thing as earthly perfection, but I hope to keep this verse in my heart as I walk with Him this year.  

So, there you have it, friends!  This may have been something I posted just for me, but that's okay!  I hope to be able to tell you that I accomplished at least a couple of these this time next year when I'm giving my new list for 2013!  And if you want to donate to my camera fund or have a place for me to stay in a state I haven't been, let me know!  ;o)

Promise to post again soon with another date and more craft ideas!

Life Box

I am so excited about the project I'm sharing with you today.  I put a lot of time into it because I'm hoping it's something that will grow near and dear to me in the coming years.

If you're on Pinterest, you may have seen this "Line A Day" Calendar Journal:

I love the idea of this.  It's something small, simple, and easy to do each day to halfway journal/document your life.  I have kept this project in mind since I saw it months ago, and it remained something I wanted to do before the new year started.  I'm calling it my "Life Box" since it will really be a documentation of the most important and special highlights of my life.  Basically each card has a date on it, and at the end of each day you write down one thing you did, accomplished, learned, experienced, etc.   Something significant from each day.  The first year is probably going to be pretty bland and boring, but I think it will be fun and interesting to do this the second year and forward to see how much I or life has (or hasn't) changed in a year's time.  I was kind of getting butterflies in my tummy when I was making this, imagining the possibilities of what is now a normal date in my life to become something so significant.  This year, I may write, "took Akela for a walk" or "slept in until 10:00".  But someday, that same card might say "bought a house", "started a new career", "got married", "had my first child".  AHH!!  It's just so exciting to me, and honestly makes me think this is going to be something that motivates me to LIVE more and better.  It's that little bit of accountability to do something significant every day.  Just knowing that I need to have something to write on my card at the end of the day will, I hope, encourage me to do more significant things.  Make sense?  I also think it will challenge me to continue to improve and grow.  It would be a bummer if year after year a card got worse or less exciting.  So it will also be something that motivates me to make my cards (days, life) better and more exciting.  I'm pretty pumped about all the possibilities of this!  

My Aunt Sharyn gave me a gift card to Michael's for Christmas, so I headed out in search of inspiration for this project.  I found the perfect supplies, came home, and got started.  I literally finished a few hours ago, and couldn't wait to share!  

If you're going to make a life box of your own using the tutorial I'm giving, you'll need:

• A wooden box
• Acrylic paint (Colors of your choice, I used four different colors)
• Brush on gloss glaze (optional)
• Paintbrushes in different sizes
• Pencil
• 365-ish 3X5 inch ruled index cards
• White cardstock (I used textured, but you could use whatever you have, even colored or patterned if you wanted to)
• Rubber stamps...alphabet and numbers
• Black stamp ink
• Small screwdriver

I started this project by first making the cards for each day of the year.  When I was getting my supplies, I found packs with 180 ruled index cards at Kroger.  I bought three because I'm a perfectionist and knew I would mess up a few.  I also pulled out my set of rubber stamp letters (the plastic container I keep my larger ones in is from Dove facial cleanser wipes...perfect!).  

When I first started this blog, I promised to share all my successes and also misses.  Because any crafter will tell you that you almost never get it right the first time.  So I started testing out the different stamps I had.  By the way, the original tutorial on Design Sponge suggests using a date stamp.  If you have one of those, it would certainly be faster than what I did!  But I didn't have one and didn't want to try to find where to buy one or spend the money on it for just this project.  So I used what I had.  In the end, I'm glad I did.

After looking at my two options for letters, I decided the larger (capital) letters were too big, and I didn't like the way they were all spaced out.  I like the small (lowercase) letters, but it took a long time and didn't line up perfectly stamping each letter.

I tried to do it anyway, but still didn't like the look of the giant numbers.  At least not in this "font"...it just looked a little off to me.  

Fortunately, I was working on this project at my mom's house, and she has stamps.  So I raided her collection and found these!

I was psyched because the clear block and stamps meant each month's lettering would be uniform and perfect and OCD-friendly.  YAY!  So I started out with January 31, testing out the letters and two-digit date for spacing.  I used my notecard lines to make it straight.  I was excited!  

Then...

FAIL!  I loved the font and everything, but it wouldn't stamp evenly.  Since they were from different companies (and different quality), the number stamps were thicker and the letters weren't evenly sized.  I could NOT get the full month abbreviation to stamp and the ink from the numbers was bleeding.  So on to plan C, or J, or whatever it is by now.

I just used mom's numbers.  I liked this collection because they were all different and magazine ransom note-looking.  If that makes any sense why I would think that's cute.  Anyway...

I LOVED the way they turned out.  It seemed to go pretty quickly the way I did my stamping.  I started with the end of the month and stamped 8 cards with the 31 (yes, using the knuckle trick I learned in elementary school and taught my 2nd and 3rd graders to remember which months have 31 days).  Then, I took off the 1 and replaced it with a 0 and stamped 11 cards.  Once I got to 29, I stamped 12 cards for each number.  As I stamped them, I laid them across the desk in 12 different piles.  Doing this gave the ink time to dry before I got around to laying the next card down.  By the time I was finished, I had each of the twelve months stamped with dates and laying in the right order.

Then it was on to the month abbreviations.  I knew I didn't want to do the whole name for each month (how long would it take to get September done?!?!) so I decided on 3 or 4 letter abbreviations.  That, I can handle.  Sadly, the clear stamps wouldn't work.  There were a couple of important letters missing from my mom's set.  So, it was back to my wooden rubber stamps.  I opted for the smaller letters and decided to do the month on the other side of the card so it's more balanced.  I also decorated a couple of special days with stamps I had for holidays.

So at this point, all my cards were stamped with month and date, with a few decorated for holidays.  Time to start on the fun part!  The box!

I got this plain wooden box with a latch at Michael's for $2.99 from the wooden shapes aisle.  It wasn't my favorite...I was looking for something simpler, sleeker, something without brass hinges and latches.  But this was the day after Christmas, and this was the best I could find.  I'm so glad, because it ended up being perfect!

I didn't do anything to the box to treat or prepare it...it's ready to paint once you bring it home.  I was originally going to just do two colors, a main color and accent color, but went a different direction once I spent some time in the paint aisle!  I wanted the main color to be something pretty neutral and basic so that it could easily sit on a shelf or desk in any room without being an eyesore.  But I also wanted it to be personalized...something "me"...something fun.  So, I picked out a color combination that made me happy.  If you're interested in using the same colors, the main color I used is Apple Barrel Gloss in "Dolphin Grey".  I used this color on the outside of the box on all sides and the bottom.  To help make sure I covered everything, I used a small screwdriver to first remove the hinges and latch and separate the lid from the base.

The other colors I used are all Americana and are called "Bluegrass Green", "Deep Midnight Blue", and "Vivid Violet".  FUN, fun colors (though the coloring in the pictures isn't quite the same as real life)!  I decided to write the word "Life" on the front.  No, I didn't perfectly scribe it the first time.  It took about 30 minutes to get the size and lettering I could deal with.  Use a light pencil to trace, draw, or write your design first.  You can erase and redo several times...the wood is very easy to work with and erases easily.  

When you do this, start with your LIGHTEST color of paint first.  I started with the violet lettering and painted over my pencil letters with 2-3 coats.  Then, I carefully went around it with the blue and filled in.  I did the green and violet border last.  For all the paint on the box, I used 2-3 coats, letting it dry between to get good, even coverage.  The wood soaks up the first coat really well, so you'll definitely want to do at least two.

I let my box and lid dry completely overnight, just to be safe.  Acrylic paint dries pretty fast, but I wanted to be SURE.  Then, I gave the entire thing a nice coat of this brush-on gloss glaze.  This can be found in the same place that you get your acrylic paint.  

I really only needed one good, even coat of this triple thick stuff.  It worked great, and made my box come to life!  It sealed the paint in, brightened the colors, and gave it a finished, shiny but not glitsy sheen.  I let this dry and cure for another full day, then re-attached the hinges and latch and put the box back together.

The final thing I needed to do was add dividers for each month.  This is where the white cardstock comes in.  I used textured cardstock that I found in the clearance section at JoAnn's a couple weeks ago.  I cut a card for each month that was 3.75" X 5" to fit the box.  If you have a larger box, you may be able to cut your cards a little bigger.  For me, this size worked out great because the dividers where the same width, but stuck above the date cards enough for the month title to be seen.  I used my rubber stamps with the capital letters and a centering ruler to get them straight and centered.

Then, I added something a little different.  I knew I would be pulling this box out daily, so I decided to write important dates (birthdays, anniversaries...) on each month divider for a quick glance of cards I need to send out that month.

And one final thing that I did, but haven't completed yet is a resolution card.  I decided this would be a good place to put a concrete, real, written list of things I want to accomplish for the next year.  I was just telling a friend the other day about how I think when we actually write down and/or share our resolutions, we are more likely to fulfill them.  Again, that accountability comes into play.  So I have a 2012 card that I will be writing my major goals on in the next week.  I plan to keep it in the front of my box, so I look at it daily as a reminder of what I plan to do.  I'm hoping to turn it into a checklist more than a "hope I do" list.  How awesome would it feel to be able to cross out/check off a resolution once you accomplish it??

So here is my finished box:

Look how perfectly those cards fit in!  I couldn't believe it!  

I'm loving this life box idea and hope that it's something I keep up with.  For now, I plan to put it on my nightstand to remind me each night to write something down.  I loved journaling in high school but don't make much time for it anymore.  This isn't quite the same, but maybe it will fulfill that itch in a small way.  I can't wait to see what it will be like in 5 years!

December Date - Volunteering

Christmas has come and gone.  :o(  I'm hoping to catch up on blogging soon because I am SO behind.  For now, here's the next in the series of the Dates for a Year Basket ideas.

For December, I had a lot of different ideas.  I could map out where they could drive around and see Christmas lights, send them to Opryland and/or ICE for the night, go get their picture with Santa, etc, etc, etc.  You get the idea.  There are a thousand and one things to do to celebrate the holidays.  I decided to go a different direction for a couple of reasons.  One, I find myself getting so wrapped up in the other fun events of the holidays that I forget to focus on the true meaning and spirit of Christmas.  Second, I knew that we would be doing a lot of those fun things together this time of the year, and didn't want them to be overloaded with that.  And third...I had already planned some stellar dates for the Spring and my budget was getting pretty tight. :o)


So, what I decided is to let December be another open-ended date that kind of just kick-started the process.  This date is all about volunteering and giving back!

Here's what was included in the December envelope:

• Date Card
• Two Packets of Swiss Miss hot chocolate mix

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

The cost of putting this date together was free (I already had hot cocoa mix).  I thought that using this month, when my budget and theirs was tight, was a perfect time to have them volunteer together.  I MEANT to include a list of ideas, but am just now realizing that I left that out (sorry, Kim & Larry)!!  However, it is really easy to find ways to volunteer.  You could go online and search your community's name and volunteering opportunities.  You could find a project that you can collect items for or make things for and send them off.  One thing that we did as a family this year was Operation Christmas Child.  This was something really easy and fun that we were able to do at home together.  If you belong to a church, they almost always have some opportunities for you to volunteer your time, money, and/or talents.  I'm sure you could search and find more than a handful of opportunities that interest you.  

So that is December's date!  It's certainly not the most creative, but I think it's one of the more sentimental and one that will create memories that will last a lifetime.  I'm hoping Kim & Larry found something to do this first married Christmas that means something to them and that they can possibly make an annual tradition.  This is date is number 6 of 13.  Fun and exciting dates are just around the corner!  Stay tuned!

November Date - Movie Night

So much for posting a couple of updates yesterday!  I got too invested in decorating the house for Christmas.  I'll post some ideas for that soon.  I did want to get November's date posted right away since December starts this week!  So, in continuing with the Dates for a Year Basket ideas, here is November!  

Since the weather is supposed to be cooling down, I chose something for a cozy night in for November.  Here in Tennessee, we still have 70 degree days mixed in with a couple of cool ones, but cozy nights in are always indulgent!  This date is kind of a popular, predictable date, but it had to be included.  This month, Kim & Larry get to enjoy a Movie Night!

Here's what was included in the November envelope:

• Date Card
• DVD of a movie they hopefully hadn't seen (I got it in the $5 bin at Wal-Mart)
• 1 bag of unpopped popcorn
• 1 jar of Popcorn Seasoning.  The one I got was butter flavors, with four different varieties.  (I got it for about $3 at Ross)  They also had some other choices, like a sweet variety and a spicy variety if that fits your recipient better.
• 2 bags of candy (I got sharing size bags of M&Ms and Skittles...something fruity and something chocolate that they can share)

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

This date was an easy one to plan and prepare.  I had a box of popcorn, so just added one of my bags.  I grabbed the candy for a dollar in the checkout line at the grocery store.  When looking around at date ideas, I saw somewhere (though, I've searched and can't find it again!) where someone suggested playing a game.  The game is that you turn on the movie with the sound off, and each person chooses a character.  As you're watching the movie, you fill in your own dialogue to match what is happening on-screen.  You can turn a funny movie into something serious, a serious movie into a joke.  Have you ever done that while people watching?  I've seen Kim and Larry do that several times when we've been together, with strangers we see out, our pets, whatever is on TV, etc.  So I could definitely picture them playing this game.  I'm sure it wouldn't be fun for a full movie, you would probably get bored with it pretty quick.  But it makes movie night a little more fun and different. 

For me and what I included, this date cost about $10.  You could definitely make this date cheaper if you tell them to just rent a movie on demand off of their television, or to just turn to a movie channel at the top of peak movie times and use whatever movie is coming on.  You could also leave out the popcorn and candy and suggest they gather all their snacks onto a tray and bring them to the living room for munching.  You definitely could pull this together into a larger, more valuable gift, too.  You could include several movies and/or more popular titles.  Add more snacks, a six-pack of their favorite beer or bottle of their favorite wine.  A gift card to order pizza or chinese.  A nice big cuddle blanket, pajamas, and slippers can be added.  The possibilities are endless!

So, there you have it!  I'm really getting excited to get into the new year.  There are LOTS of fun, more creative, and exciting dates happening in the Spring & Summer!  This movie date is number 5 of 13.  Stick around, because I'll be posting December's date soon!