So Valentine's Day's around the corner

There's no missing it, it's everywhere on the net. Promos, competitions, features, and more and more of Cyber-Cupid love all around.

So Mia's Crew's joining the fun, in our very own way of course. 

Happy Lovey from Mia's Crew

Hubby and I, we don't really do the whole Valentining thing. I think I remember only two occasions when we played love-birds. 

If I am not mistaken, it was our very first Valentine's and hubby came home with roses, balloons and a cake for me, as well as another cake for my mom's birthday which is on February 15. Total sweetness. My mom still has that teddy bear balloon saved at home (so weird how that balloon is still intact, only God Knows what's in it, but I seriously doubt it's air).

The second time was in 2009, and I don't know why but hubby decided to go for the whole shebang and made reservations to spend the weekend at a resort in Fujairah. It was really fun and with all his traveling, we really needed and enjoyed the time together... And the food. Especially the chocolate and strawberry fountain! ;)

I do remember also having dinners out from time to time but nothing very special. Like I said, we don't do the whole Valentining thing. 

But I should probably mention February 2010 because it was ridiculously funny. My cousin was getting engaged on that same day in Zahle, which meant we got all dressed up with full hair and make-up. Well I did, hubby preferred a more natural look. And we were back in Beirut in the evening with nothing to do. So we thought, since I already had my false eye-lashes on, why not go out? Of course, hubby wasn't about to stay in his suit and neither was I! So we changed into our most comfy outfits and walked in Hamra street looking for a restaurant that didn't require prior booking. We ended up at... Crepaway! Ok, if you don't know Crepaway, allow me to just list a couple of its "main competitors" identified on Wikipedia: TGI Fridays, Burger King and McDonalds. I disagree with the last two, but yes, TGI Fridays is the same kind of joint. Not your most romantic place. Not the most "grown-up" for such an evening either. And indeed we were surrounded by highly excited, blushing and giggling teenagers who couldn't be prouder to be out on that special night. Needless to say, my hair, full-make-up and false lashes made some heads turn! Especially when they looked a little lower and realized what I was wearing. And just to give you an idea of how Valentiny we are, the street vendor who sells roses every day in Hamra and who probably waits for this one evening to make the highest sales got all excited when he saw my polished face and impeccable hair. No doubt, he thought finally a couple of grown-up, well-off folks who will buy not one, not two but a dozen roses from me. Well, never fall for appearances! Hubby dismissed him with a laugh, and something along the lines of "we're married, I'm done impressing her" and I agreed with a smiley mouth full of burger. 

Crepaway's placemat

This year, it'll be even trickier since hubby won't be in town at the time. We'll probably make it up when he visits next. 

In any case, we're never really excited about the day since it comes after a series of celebrations, and by February 14, we're already fed up with balloons, gifts and cake. Oops, my bad. Not cake. We are never, ever tired of cake. 

So basically, we start with Mia's birthday on November 29, my brother's birthday on December 20, followed closely by Jesus' birthday on December 24, my parents' anniversary on December 25, then New Year's, my birthday 23 days later and hubby's on January 28. And we're not done yet. Then there's my dad's birthday on February 7 (yes in two days, I know) and my mom's on February 15. So Valentine's kind of gets blurred somewhere in between. 

Teeny note: I love December to February. There's always cake in the fridge!

Well, if you'll be spending Valentine's with your kids too this year, how about some crafts and yummies that everyone could enjoy playing with, making and I promise no baking?

Like I said before, the net is buzzing with all sorts of seasony ideas and here's two I think would be lovely: 

Get messy with some safe and easy Play Dough recipe by Great Moms

• 2 cups of baking soda 
• 1 1/2 cup of water 
• 1 cup of corn starch 
• Optional food coloring

And for your sweet tooth, how about a bunch of Dipped and Decorated Pretzels courtesy of 5 Minutes for Mom?

• Assortment of pretzels
• Microwave candy melts
• Vegetable shortening
• Candy sprinkles 

Source

• Step 1: Gather your favorite pretzel snacks. The large pretzel rods and twists work well for this sweet project but you can definitely dip the small sticks and twists too for a mini treat. 

• Step 2: Candy melts are a great product for a non-chocolate flavor and come ready in fun holiday colors like red, white and pink. When melting the candy, use a microwave-safe bowl and add 2 tablespoons of vegetable shortening to about a cup of candy melts. Microwave the melts in 30 second intervals, stirring each time in between until the melts are smooth and creamy. 

• Step 3: Place a large sheet of wax paper over a hard surface. Dip and cover each pretzel covering about a third of the surface. Tap the pretzel on the side of the bowl to remove excess candy. If your bowl is too small, use a spoon to pour the candy melts over the pretzels (necessary for the rods). 

• Step 4: Place the dipped pretzels on a sheet of wax paper and decorate with your favorite candy sprinkles. 

• Step 5: Let the dipped pretzels harden for about an hour. You can also place them in the fridge for a quick chill. 

• Step 6: Wrap your treats with candy wrappers which you can find at your local craft store. 

Click on Source for complete illustrated recipe

Now I'm usually more of a chocolate gal but these looked too adorable to skip. In any case, chocolovers can always swing by the Holidays recipes and try some of those chocolate-dipped strawberries I love so much.

And of course, don't forget to give away lots and lots of hugs and kisses! After all, the Day of Love wouldn't mean a thing without some warm, cozy and free-of-charge oversized displays of affection ;)


You can start now! Since I've just discovered that today is International Kissing Day. Yes! Apparently it's been trending on Twitter all day and I had no idea until now! So I figured, this is perfect for this post, right? Right. I wonder how we managed to survive all these years Twitterless!

Snapshot of my Twitter "Today is International Kissing Day" page

kisses to all, then!

Mamma Mia

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