Loving Lately: Date Nights

Since the kids are gone to cousin camp, we've been out on dates all weekend. It started with our favorite barbecue place where the pepper poppers are drop-dead delicious. // Isn't my hubby adorable? Sorry the picture's fuzzy; I'm not sure why. // After dinner we went to watch one of our favorite bands play, Scales of Motion, at a festival downtown. // Later in the weekend, we went to see the movie, Moonrise Kingdom, which we both really liked.

Now the week is over and I'm off getting my kids back from cousin camp today. I'm ready to have them home and see their sweet faces again!! What are you loving lately?

5 Cheap Summer Dates

photo by The Altar

1. Thrift Gift
Head to your favorite thrift store with an agreed-upon price limit. Browse the shop for a one-of-a-kind gift for each other. See how original you can be!

2. Five-Course Dinner In
Choose five easy finger foods for dinner (For example: veggies with dip, fruit bowl, lettuce wraps, chicken wings and cupcakes) . Serve your date one course at a time on china or other fancy-ware. Make sure the table is dressed up for the occasion with candles and flowers. Silverware is optional.

3. Proposal Do-Over
Go to the mall and pretend a proposal all over again with a cheap ring from Claire's or some accessory store. Let the screaming and twirling of the girl begin. The bigger your show the better the story for all your viewers.

4. Texting Treasure Hunt 

Take your date on a treasure hunt by texting clues or information to 3-5 places. Leave surprises along the way. For example, send them to Starbucks with an empty cup waiting to be filled (with their name on it and in the care of the barista); then to the dollar jewelry store for a necklace waiting at the counter; then to a Bath store for a small bottle of lotion; and finally, to their favorite restaurant where you'll be waiting at the table.

5. Beach Bums
Head to the beach or lake for a day to play in the water and lay in the sun. Don't have a beach nearby? Set up the sprinkler with a made-up obstacle course. A day at the water park would be a fun alternative but a bit more costly; finding a neighborhood pool might be the next best option.

5 Cheap Spring Date Ideas

H&M Home

1. Tea Party Picnic. Hang the lanterns, lay out quilts and plump the pillows; it's time for tea! If your sweetie is opposed to anything too girly, fix brisket sliders instead of dainty cucumber sandwiches.

Hennaking

2. Bring out the Henna, and sketch some temporary tattoos! Too nervous about making your own designs? Choose a kit here.

Time

3. Mud fight. April's showers breed mud and what better than donning your play clothes and going for it!

Kites, Kites and more Kites

4. Let's go fly a kite! There's nothing more playful than running around like a maniac trying to get a kite to stay in the air. You can order ones that look like birds, flowers, bats, peacocks and more from the shop above.

Source

5. Feed the ducks. Feeding ducks always makes me think of happy childhood days. I love how they come swarming when food hits the ground or water. Since you'll probably have more time on your hand than crumbs, why not take along a Coke or Pepsi book? It has the best either/or questions; one of my favorite no-pressure conversation starters.

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you'll spend a little time outside enjoying the beautiful Spring weather.

Much Love Monday: Date Dice DIY

What I'm loving today?  Date Dice. (It could also be Girl's Night or Family Night Dice) It's the perfect solution to the what-do-you-want-to-do-tonight question.

1. Lay out six post-it notes or other any small square memo notes in the layout above; four across and three down. 2. Tape them together. 3. Fold up and secure with adhesive as you go. 4. Write your ideas on other notes and attach to the Dice. You can change out notes when seasons change or you're tired of doing a certain thing. I made two, one for places to go and one for places to eat. We don't always eat out but I want to have the option of choosing something if we do.

Dice #1 Where to Go:                    Dice #2 What to Eat:

Park                                               Italian

Skating Rink                                 Chinese

Hiking Trail                                  Coffee Shop

Zoo                                                Fifties Cafe

Movie Theater                             Jamaican                      

Sporting Event                             Mexican

**You could put specific names of  places or restaurants to narrow the decisions even more; my husband and I have multiple favorites in most of these categories, so I kept it general.

You're all set! Next time a free night comes around, roll the dice to find out what you're doing.

Three Adventurous Valentine Dates

Photo by Giverslog

1.  Scenic Quest

Make a list of wonderful surroundings like: a beautiful sunset/sunrise, an antique building, a snow or flower-filled landscape, a zoo, swings at the park, or a quaint house/barn. Spend the day finding them and picnic with chili and cornbread in a jar at the love-liest spot.

Photo found by Dark Lamb

2.  Breakfast at Tiffany's 

You and your loved one choose five things you've never done before (keep it simple). Spend the day doing them by alternating down your lists. For instance: get a cupcake at the fanciest bakery, lay on the car hood to watch the stars, dance in the middle of the mall, see how many freebies you can gather (popcorn and suckers at the bank, free coffee at hotel), or cuddle on the couch of a furniture store. End the date by watching Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Photo by Sensesmaybenamed on Flickr

3. Camera Word Search

Find words like LOVE YOU, BEAUTIFUL, TRUE LOVE, BE MINE, VALENTINE on buildings, traffic signs, graffiti and banners around town. The words don't have to be together--the more traveling, the better. (Although you may want to scope out places before date night) Take photos together in front of the words and frame them for an end-of-date gift.

Tent Date

This is my attempt at the camp-out/conversation date I talked about here. It took a bit to figure out how to hang the first blanket because unlike the living room, there were no chairs to throw them over. I ended up tying a ribbon around the light fixture to anchor it, then I was able to add the side panels to the middle one. It's a bit sparse compared to the many beautiful tents I've seen in Blogland (like this one) but it was fun to set up. I put tealight candles on the windowsill and heart shaped lights across the pillows. That's Hedwig in the middle (gifted to me by my sister and niece).

5 Cheap Winter Dates

It's cold outside and possibly the ground is covered in snow, so what's a couple to do? Here are 5 cheap winter dates:

1. Breakfast and a Movie - Why wait till evening when all the prices of movies are high? Eat breakfast together (an bagel egg sandwich with a fruit smoothie), then head out to the matinee.

2. Book Warmth - Stoke the fire, cozy up on the couch and read a classic book together. Or listen to one on c.d. if you or your date isn't comfortable reading aloud. Some of my favorites are: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Secret Garden, and The Little Prince. Make some easy taco popcorn to go along with it.

3. Nerf Basketball - Get your game on with a round of Nerf Basketball. Play HORSE, or Twenty-One. Whoever loses treats the other to a specialty coffee.

4. The Love Tent - Remember when you made tent hideaways with blankets? Why not bring back the memories of youth and create a haven for chatting? Play The Art of Conversation Talking Game by Taoc Taoc to get the conversation rolling. Fix carrot sticks and hot wings to add some spice.

5. Dark-and-Seek - Turn out the lights and play hide-and-seek the creepy way, find your date by feeling around in the dark. The most obvious places can be the best hiding spots in this twist on the age-old game. Warning: Beware of screaming and fits of laughter. Finish with a Hershey's dark chocolate bar and cocoa.

Most of these dates can be done at home. I purposely did this for couples who can't always find sitters but still want to do something fun together. And if you're snowed in, you might need a few indoor dates anyways.

Quaint Anniversary Picstory

We had the best time on our anniversary trip! It was the perfect mix of going and doing then resting and relaxing. We shopped in unique boutiques, walked around beautiful downtown, toured a scenic chapel, dined out in style and chilled in the room. We talked non-stop all the way there and had such a wonderful time catching up. It's not often we get extended time alone, so we relished every moment. On our fanciest dinner out, I took a photo of the sourdough bread and honey butter but when the entree came I was so hungry I forgot to snap a shot. Too bad because it was beautiful (and delicious). Ah well...maybe next time.

I'm determined to make more mini-dates throughout this year to give us extra time to catch up. We end up doing it late at night and we've got teenagers so late night gets REALLY late. Needing our sleep makes me want to figure out times to connect without taking too much away from family and without losing sleep. It also needs a bit of creativity because I can't be spending tons of money. I'll be sharing these fun, inexpensive date ideas with you along the way.

If you've got cheap date ideas to share, I'd love to hear them (and maybe try them out)!