Valentines Extravaganza!

Our Valentine's Day was extended which was so much fun!

On Valentine's Day, Eric surprised me with breakfast in bed! He made me an egg-in-a-basket (the basket in a heart shape) and provided me with some Love Potion.

**side note: the Love Potion is Martinelli's with a new label on it that says: Love Potion No. 9   Warning: Consumption may result in hot, passionate romance. I found them here at the Dating Divas site, in case you want to print your own. Trust me, Martinelli's is way more fun with this label...**

While at work, Eric would text me little question and answer things he came up with himself. He would pretend someone was asking him a question about me and then he would answer it. I was glued to my phone the whole day because I couldn't wait to get another text!

An example of a question/answer:

Mr. Hornibrook, I, Saint Valentine, have a few questions to ask you on this very special day.

Q: I see on your record that you are married. Please set the record straight with details about this woman.

A: Certainly, her name is Jessica but she prefers Jessie. She stands at 5’1” plus some change which is great because I always hoped for a short wife!

I had planned with the secretary at work to have little treats with notes on them put on Eric's desk throughout the day. Things like a box of Nerds that said I'm a Nerd for you or a package of Starbursts that said Stars Burst everytime we kiss.

When Eric got home we made our traditional Valentine's meal together -- Chicken Parmasean with potatoes and rolls. I have made this for him since our first Valentine's Day together - but this time he wanted to help (he knows that cooking can get difficult with Aaron wanting attention, and it is fun to cook together!)

After our meal we watched a movie... a very-much-not-Valentine's-movie-that-neither-of-us-enjoyed-at-all movie. It was called Hanna and we thought it was going to be similar to Bourne and somehow it got good ratings, but really ... ugh. A waste of time! We enjoyed each other's company but yeah...

Then on Wednesday, I had a deadline to meet! Eric's parents surprised us with tickets to the touring Broadway show Beauty and the Beast! I was so excited but I didn't have a dress to wear... (Eric had it easy ... he wore a colored shirt that I bought him for Valentines Day 2 years ago)

I wanted something knee length but all my knee length dresses either looked like (or were) bridesmaids dresses or they looked like they previously belonged to a fairy...

So I got to work. I gave Eric 3 colors to choose from (red, black, and blue) and when he selected red I showed him the dress I was going to alter. It was a strapless, floor length (well, more than floor length due to my *cough* unfortunate stature) red dress with a see through overlay containing some floral applique.

I thought about just snipping it at the knee and then wearing a jacket with it, but jackets move very easily and it is hit and miss as to whether or not the jacket will always cover my garments. so I decided it needed sleeves. Enter the hard part ... Aaron wanted to help.

I was trying to sketch out a pattern for the top of the dress and Aaron wanted to help - until he decided it would be more fun to eat the crayon. He had been crawling all over my paper and then snatched the crayon... silly boy.

I was surprised to discover that I liked my dress when I was done... I had expected to finish and then scramble to find something else in the closet to wear instead. :} If you look, the previous "neck line" or top of the dress that had rested above my breasts now sits under them. I used the bottom of the dress to create a chest piece and sleeves. I then added pearls along the Empire waist line. I was short on fabric and didn't have a piece big enough for the sleeves, so the sleeves are several strips sewn together - I had planned for them to be longer, but again, I was short on fabric. I was going to put the overlay back on but decided that I really liked it without...

My sister-in-law Kelsey took Aaron for the evening and we had so much fun. After we picked up Aaron, we went to Burgerville since Eric and I hadn't eaten dinner yet (by the time he got home from work we needed to get Aaron to Kelsey and head to Portland). **side note, Burgerville shakes are heavenly!**

Beauty and the Beast is one of my all time favorite Disney stories and the Broadway version was amazing. I loved how the actors didn't try to do it just like the movie... they really developed their characters in their own way.... All of the underlying necessary characteristics were there but they were portrayed in a unique way. All in all, for my first Broadway, I was very impressed!!!