Valentine's Day Archives - Journeys Are My Diary

Monthly Round-up – February 2017

March 13, 2017 by Bel Leave a Comment

Watching: This month I watched Maze Runner, Sharknado 4, Anastasia, Sing, Batman Lego Movie and Green Lantern. I also watched Bitten, Helix and started Riverdale. As usual there was Dance Moms, Bones, New Girl, Big Bang Theory, Grimm, Blindspot, Casualty, Holby City, Let It Shine, Suits, Jane the Virgin and of course The Walking Dead started again.
Sewing & Making (for Closet Geek): February has been crazy busy with orders but seems to have gone in spurts. I listed Moana ears and bows in the store on January 30th and so that caused the first wave of crazy. February 1st was also the last day for my 2K giveaway box, but I also launched a new monthly giveaway later in the month which was Beauty and the Beast themed (not to mention a loop giveaway I had been participating in finished too). I fiddled with some new bows, got some of Megan’s artwork printed on postcards, tried out some candle designs and generally ploughed my way through orders. I made a duvet cover and pillowcase, then bunting to match. I tried to work on new ideas for dresses but never seemed to find time – but decided to look for boy models, so I might list boys clothes. All in all, it was hectic and that’s not even mentioning when I sewed my finger!

And in other news…
– This month we have definitely spent more time being sociable. One night we had our friends Jon and Becka around for games and ended up staying up till 3.30 in the morning. Another night we have Jon and Becka, plus Nat and Dan around for dinner and though Chris headed to bed early, we went well past midnight.
– Amy and I booked to go to Beauty and the Beast afternoon tea at The Kensington Hotel in London. It’s not till May but I’m already looking forward to it.
– Lily chopped her hair short! The decision came out of nowhere and luckily she hasn’t regretted it since but I couldn’t believe she actually decided to go through with it.

– Valentine’s Day happened! The night before, Chris and I had a M&S Valentine’s Meal because it was our one night without the girls in the week. Valentine’s Day itself I spent the day with the girls and my mum, playing board games. Then when Chris got home we all exchanged gifts (that’s a sort of new tradition we have now) and then we headed out for some food and the cinema to see Batman Lego movie.

– I treated myself to a new lipstick and nail polish from the L’Oreal Beauty and the Beast range. I had to order from Amazon Italy but I actually had some euros left on my travel card so it worked out well. The Beast lipstick that I picked is perfect, but I haven’t tried out the blue polish yet. Hopefully I’ll do a review!
– For Galentine’s Day I sent Amy and Liv a gift, plus gave Nat something when she came around later that week. In return Amy sent me a Gaston Pop Funko and I love him.
– I booked to go away for my birthday weekend and I’m so pleased I have. I’m desperate to get back to the Harry Potter Studios, especially now they have the Forbidden Forest though a bit sad Chris might not be able to come. I’m still hoping to throw a murder mystery the night before we go away though.
– Lily and I worked on and off on her chocolate project, largely through half term. When Pippa’s birthday came around I used everything I’d learnt about making ganache and baked an amazing (even if I do say so myself) chocolate cake for her.
– I reformatted my laptop as it was dying fast and I honestly thought I would need to buy a new one. However it seems much better and much faster now so hopefully I can last out a little longer!
– Got a letter from Megan’s school, commending her on her hard work (this is the second one I’ve had since September. She’s also up to 16 certificates, which she needs 10 merits for each (so 160 merits in total!).
– Finally came Pancake Day and in true form we had pancakes for both dinner and dessert. We had stuffed pancakes with chicken, followed by sweet pancakes with various toppings.

Looking forward to in March:
– Can’t really think what March has planned to be honest but I know it’s a fairly hectic month. There is Lily’s birthday to begin with, followed by Amy’s, followed by Chris’ and then finally Mother’s Day. Lily has a school trip and a school play in March, plus her chocolate project is due so I imagine that will make things even busier.
– Amy is coming to visit for the weekend of 17th-19th. I haven’t seen her since we went to DLP so it will be nice to catch up. We’re also seeing the new Beauty and the Beast movie which I’m excited but nervous about.
– As I mentioned, Chris’ birthday is this month and we’re going out for dinner with friends and then doing an Escape the Room game. I’m quite excited about that too but I have to admit I’m worried it will be creepy!

Our Valentine’s Day

February 15, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

As I mentioned in my Wish List post for Valentine’s Day, February 14th has always been so much more than about couples for me. Ever since Megan was born, I have always bought a gift for her on V Day and when Lily was born, her too. It’s a silly thing really I suppose, but I love them just as much as any partner I’ve had – generally I love them a lot more!

So for all you single peeps out there, I know. It can feel lonely. And maybe I don’t hold a lot of credibility because I am happily married, how could I possibly understand? but I do. I really do. But if you do have a couple, Valentine’s Day is one of the trickiest holidays because it isn’t easy to whip up a thoughtful gift at the last minute. Still, whether your significant other spends the majority of their time in the office or taking care of the kids, he or she deserves to be recognized for everything they do for you and your family! You probably have a few sentimental gift ideas in mind, but nothing says ‘I Love You’ like taking the time to pick out a gift to complement his or her wardrobe, check these Matching Underwear For Couples – His and Hers Mr and Mrs Undies Sets and get something from their online catalogue.

This year, my mum – my go to babysitter – is away in New Zealand and so I knew there would be no me and Chris time anyway. To be honest, we find our own time to spend together – usually Monday nights or the odd trip away. In fact tonight we might be heading out to see Deadpool! Anyway, when I knew that the day would be spent as a family, I decided it would be nice to really spend it as a family and spread the love around amoungst us.

About two weeks ago, we decided that for Valentine’s Day, we would each buy each other a gift. So I would get for Chris, Megan and the girls (as I would anyway), but they would each buy a gift for each person too. Megan has her own bank account now so this was really exciting for her. She picked out Lily and Chris’ gift all by herself, then her and Lily chipped together (though Megan purchased it) for mine. I helped Lily pick out something for Megan and she was cheeky with Chris’ and pinched something from a Nerd Block we received, knowing it was something he’d like. Chris got it easy – already knowing he would buy for me, he picked up a box of chocolates for the girls (at my suggestion) and so really he didn’t have to use much brain power! To be fair, I know he struggles enough for mine.

On Valentine’s Day morning, we got up at normal (relaxed) time as part of the enjoyment of the day was not to feel rushed. We opened our gifts from each other and said thank you of course!

I bought Chris a pair of Star Wars pj bottoms, but also a new copy of Burgle Bros (a game he’d bought on Kickstarter and I’d accidentally split my tea on an ruined half the cards). Megan bought Chris a Star Wars Deathstar ice cube maker and Lily got Chris the White Walker figure from Game of Thrones.

Chris got the girls Ferrero Rocher as I mentioned before and he got me a photo frame and a really cute Me to You bear that’s a) a bee (I love bees, being nicknamed Bee by close friends) b) a blue nose friend and Chris has always bought me those and c) it says Bee Mine on it (lame pun but I still love it).

For Megan I got her a Pop Funko figure of Disgust (I think Megan pulls some similar faces!) and Lily bought her a Ravenclaw coaster and some Ravenclaw socks. For Lily I got her a Mulan Pop Funko (apparently her new favourite Princess) and Megan got her some Lego (Wyldestyle) since she seems to be into this again! The girls together bought me a really awesome Mickey Mouse Disney Tradition, which is funny because the Minnie was on my wish list last week!

There were nice cards, plenty of hugs and kisses and it was really lovely! Next up came breakfast – well more like brunch! We had all our favourite things, including; turkey rashers, croissants, pain au chocolat, cheese topped baguettes, real butter, chocolate crepes and prosecco (the girls had chocolate milk). The croissants and pain au chocolat were freshly made and they were amazing!

After brunch we played board games. First was Chris’ new copy of Burgle Bros – we played twice and lost both times. Next was “Say Anything”, a game that Megan has been dying to play for years and it was pretty fun. Afterwards we headed into the lounge and watched Tron Legacy. This was “boys” pick for movies and although Chris and I had seen it before, the girls both surprised themselves by enjoying it too.

After the movie it was actually dinner time. None of us were especially hungry but we knew we needed to fit it in, as we had plans for another movie after dinner. We had planned a three course meal, earlier in the week, and each taken responsibility for a course. Megan picked to do garlic bread slices topped with cheese, while I made Beef Stroganoff and Lily chose chocolate fondue for dessert. Chris was in charge of drinks so he bought us a bottle of rosé and the girls were allowed some strawberry and lime cider.

Finally, completely stuffed after dinner we headed back to the lounge again and this time it was “girls” pick. Though Lily wasn’t convinced, Megan and I chose Moulin Rouge and though no one but me had seen it, I think it went down fairly well. Of course its a bit of a strange movie but its also amazing too. Both girls cried at the end (like me) so I think that’s generally a hit!

After this it was Lily’s bed time and so she headed up while the rest of us just relaxed. Megan went to bed an hour later and we weren’t long after that either. All in all it was a really lovely day and something I would definitely consider doing again.

Tomorrow I’m planning a belated Galentine’s Day for all my favourite girlies and I’m really excited for that too. February is turning out to be so much better than January and at least the year feels like it’s off to a good start!

7/52

February 14, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

So last week I missed 6/52 and looking back I don’t even seem to have any pictures I can add late. Lily was in a school assembly but that fell into this week and last week I only had a Lily pic too. Sadly I’m just going to skip a week but I suppose it won’t matter in the long run!

This week’s 52 Project is from today – Valentine’s Day. We’ve had a lovely family day (which I will post about tomorrow) and this picture was taken at breakfast. I couldn’t be prouder and more in love with my two beautiful girls and today has been a perfect celebration of that.

Wednesday Wish List – Valentine’s Special

February 10, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

Valentine’s Day by diaryjourneys on Polyvore

I’m not a massive fan of Valentine’s Day as for the most part I know it’s just a commercialised holiday. However I’ve always seen it as a day to show everyone that you love them, not just a boyfriend, husband, partner etc. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always bought the girls a gift, as well as my partner – now this year, we’re all buying each other gifts and having a romantic family meal for 4 in the evening. The following day is affectionately known as Galentine’s Day – a day to show your female friends that you care and although I’ll be a day late, I might well get my best friend’s some gifts too!

Anyway, despite the fact I don’t think I’ll get any of these gifts, I figured I’d share a few bits I’d like to get. Starting at the top is Lush. There aren’t many Valentine products I’d like from Lush this year, having previously tried both. However the Unicorn Horn bubble bar was a firm favourite last year and I’d like to give Lover Lamp bath bomb a go too. Next is a Disney Tradition – I have a whole ton of these but Minnie with a heart? Seems like a good one to get for V Day! Of course my wish list wouldn’t be complete without a Pop Funko and who better than Hook? If I had to pick someone to spend my imaginary Valentine’s Day, Captain Hook from OUAT would definitely be my top choice!

Next up is Ferrero Rocher, in a heart shape box of course. These are one of my favourite chocolates and even though I know Chris has bought some for the girls, I secretly hope I have a box too! Since we’re spending the day together as a family, a board game would be a great idea. I love Ticket to Ride and since the new United Kingdom version was released just before Christmas, I’d love a copy of this. Finally, last but not least, some Haagen Dazs. Strawberry Cheesecake is the big recommendation for Valentine’s Day this year but I’d happily take any flavour! Bailey’s has always been my all time favourite and I’d love to give Salted Caramel a try too!

Week 7 – Monday Round-up

February 16, 2015 by Bel Leave a Comment

Some weeks I really hate the fact I do this round up thing – haha. I honestly right now can’t remember what I did yesterday, let alone a week ago. I’m going to try though, but it might be brief! On Monday Chris had the day off and the girls were at school. We had a very lazy day that started with bacon butties and moved on to cheese toasties at lunch. I spent majority of the day on my computer and then rang my car insurance to add Chris to it. After that he drove us to Saxilby – which was probably the most scary experience of my life. We picked the girls up from school and this time I drove home. When we got back Chris had offered to get us Indian for dinner and since I knew the girls wouldn’t want that, I ordered them pizza and a chicken burger from takeaway instead. During the day time my order for Ravenclaw material had finally arrived and so I spent the early part of the evening, cutting out the pattern pieces. Before putting the girls to bed I read them some more of the Never Girls book and then Chris and I watched the next few episodes of 100 before then watching the new Walking Dead episode. Not long afterwards, we headed to bed.

On Tuesday I have less of a recollection for the events. I know I took the girls to school and then headed pretty much straight home. I started to sew Amy’s Ravenclaw skirt and watch TV at the same time. After I finished that, I finished my T-Shirt Tuesday project which was the Game of Thrones handbag and finally after that I took a bath, knowing I didn’t have to pick up the girls from school. Honestly I don’t remember much more of the day, though no doubt blogging about my handbag was part of the day! Wednesday I was off to London, to see the Game of Thrones Exhibit at the O2. I took the girls to school and then headed to Newark where I would be parking the car for the day and catching the train. I headed off to London and went straight to the O2. The exhibition was pretty good but doing it alone just wasn’t as fun as I’d hoped it would be. After I’d looked around the exhibit, I caught the tube to Oxford Street and did some shopping. I went to the Disney Store, Primark, H&M and Lush. After all that I popped to M&S to grab a salad and then headed back to Kings Cross. I caught my train around 6pm and was back at Newark for about 7.30pm. I then drove home to Chris who was home by then too. I snuggled up on the sofa with him but was pretty tired so we headed to bed about 10pm.

On Thursday I managed a lay-in as the girls had stopped at Grandma’s and she was taking them to school. However as Chris wasn’t at work till late as well, it meant I didn’t get much of a sleep as sadly he wakes me! We eventually did get up and lounged around for a while, before heading out to take Chris to work. I was due to go around to my mum’s to get our electronic registration for visas done but as she wasn’t in, I popped into town for an hour first. After that I went to my mum’s and spent the afternoon there until going to get the kids. We then came straight home and hung out together for the evening. Just before bedtime, Megan started to feel unwell and so it was decided if she didn’t feel great the next morning, she wouldn’t go to school. I also realised that if Megan didn’t go, Lily probably wouldn’t want to either. Anyway in the morning neither girl felt well and so they didn’t go to school. Chris went out on his driving lesson and then straight to work afterwards and so the girls and I spent the day together. We popped out to the shops to get a few bits and pieces but for the most part we spent the day chilling out. We did have to make some Disney inspired food but that was pretty good fun. After the girls were in bed I spent the evening on my computer, watching TV and waiting for Chris to come home. When he did get back though I was so tired that we pretty much went straight to bed.

On Saturday morning the kids woke us up at about 9am with cards they’d made for us. We all got up and got dressed, heading out for “all you can eat” breakfast. After that we dropped Chris at the station and headed home. The girls got changed into fancy dress and we all watched a movie together as our Valentine’s treat. At 3.30pm the girls got changed again as Lily was heading out to a party. We dropped her off at the leisure centre and then Megan and I got some dinner and went for a coffee. Afterwards we went for a wander, in and out of shops, before heading back to get Lily and then go home. We then settled down to watch another movie together before the girls went to bed. On and off during the day I managed to sew Megan’s Ravenclaw dress and a Villains skirt for Lily too. Chris was home for 10pm and we watched a bit of TV before heading to bed. Finally it was Sunday and we had another fairly full day planned. We headed out to take Chris to work at 11.30am but we had to have so much stuff with us, that we spent most of the morning getting organised. We dropped Chris off at work and headed into town for a while. Lily bought a Tsum Tsum as they were released in the UK that day and then we all went to BHS for lunch. It was a bit of a bust AND we were late back to the car and I got a ticket.

We then went to my mum’s for the afternoon and despite planning to watch a DVD there, that didn’t work out either. At 3.30pm I had to take Megan to a party and then pop to Grandma’s to pick up a bag I’d left earlier in the week. I got caught chatting for a while but then got back to mum’s. The girls’ dad let me know he would be having them overnight and so I went to pick Megan up from her party and when I got back to mum’s, he was just arriving there too. I saw both the girls off and then stayed at mum’s for the evening to save on petrol and picking Chris up from work. At 9pm I went to get Chris but we popped back to mum’s as I’d offered up Chris’ services for fixing the pipe under her sink. After a quick look and removal of a few pipes, we headed home and sat together to watch some TV. We eventually headed to bed, to end our week!

That sums up my week haha. I’m sure I missed stuff but that’s the general jist. As usual these days, it was a good week and I look forward to the next one!

7/52

February 15, 2015 by Bel Leave a Comment

Two beautiful pictures this week. Lily’s taken in the toilet (whoops) when we all went out for Valentine’s breakfast and Megan’s taken in the new Ravenclaw dress I’d just made for her. My little girls are growing up and they are so beautiful. I’m so proud of them both.

February 14th… bleck!

February 14, 2013 by Bel 4 Comments

So despite having a partner on Valentine’s Day, I still can’t say its a day that I especially look forward to. For a start I always considered it to be an overly commercialised holiday anyway, and secondly it seems like a day geared for disappointment. How much do you spend on each other, what do you get, how much trouble do you go to in order to make the day special etc. etc.? This last point is highlighted for me this year in that despite not caring for the day, I’m upset my partner has to work 8am to 10pm, thus not giving us any time together! Irony much?

Anyway I’m definitely used to spending this day by myself, having been single for the last 2 of them and even before then having a husband who always had to work it (hospitality and catering is a bugger for that). Also I suppose on top of all that, doesn’t help that it is also my wedding anniversary today (with my ex of course) so its not exactly a day for celebrations and proclamations of love. You might catch yourself going “awww” at the fact my wedding day was Valentine’s Day originally, but honestly it wasn’t really that romantic. My husband (my ex) and I were just opening up a brand new restaurant, in a small town, and Feb 14th was available at the registry office. It was suggested that we could combine getting married and promoting our wedding – having the radio and newspaper there to document it. Doesn’t sound like much of a story I know, but for a little town they seemed to find it sweet that a couple opening a new restaurant were getting married in the morning and then serving 100 customers a Valentine’s meal in the evening. Anyway on a plus side I do have newspaper clippings and a radio recording of our wedding, though now we’re separated I suppose that means less.

Hmmm anyway, enough with the musings, there was a point to my post today. Oh yes! Valentine’s Day lol. Though I do think its overhyped and I do have issues with the day itself, I also think it IS a good day for telling the people around you that they’re important to you – the ones you love. For the last two years (and even before that really), the only people I’ve had around to love have been my children. They love Valentine’s Day. I think some of that is because I’ve always bought them a small gift on the day, usually some tacky cuddly toy that says “I love you” in some form or another, but also because at nursery and at school, they always seem to get them to make cards for mummy and/or daddy. I’ve always considered this to be sweet as like I said before, I consider it a day to share love with everyone, not just a partner.

Yesterday the kids had a lovely sweet idea for Valentine’s Day, for my partner. As I said, he’s working 8am till 10pm today and the kids think that’s sad for him. Having already asked the girls to be my Valentine’s dates today (we’re making heart shaped pizzas for dinner and eating by candlelight apparently) they’ve decided they want to try and make it special for my partner too. My youngest daughter Lily, decided that she is going to make him a card when she gets home from school today and my eldest daughter Megan, decided we should make him a heart shaped pizza for when he gets home tonight. It has also since been decided that we’re making him cakes and cookies – and last minute as I was driving the kids to school this morning, apparently we’re now also making decorations.

Anyway the long and short of this post is that despite the day being something it shouldn’t be – so far as bought cards, bunches of expensive roses, huge boxes of chocolates and so forth – the day does at least inspire love from all places. The fact that the day makes people WANT to do something special, is the part I agree with. Not the fact that we feel obligated to.

The only two people guaranteed to be in my heart every Valentine’s Day <3