keep the love alive

On Sunday I was working on The Org Junkie's monthly roundup by cleaning up my filing cabinet (come on back in a few days to see my before and after!) and I came across a file labeled "from Heidi". I started to look through it and found all of the cards, notes, and misc. things that I have given my husband over the six years since we've been together. I was able to do a little reminiscing as I pored over all of the creative ways I used to show him how much I love him! It's then that I noticed that the longer we have been together, the less things I have done for him. Can we say kids, anyone?

So, for Works for Me Wednesday, and with Valentine's Day approaching, I thought it would be fun to share some of the creative things I have done for my man in the past...on birthdays, anniversaries, and Valentines day. I won't share with you the stacks of cards (and surprisingly it was a lot!) or the handwritten notes (yes, he has kept them all...how sweet!), but here are a few fun things...

For Ryan's birthday a little over three years ago, I made him a special coupon book with fun things we could do together (and that HE really enjoys doing), like going to a movie of his choosing, playing tennis, picking berries, and going fishing.


For an anniversary gift (or maybe a birthday?), I created a scavenger hunt (with rhyming poems even!) taking him various places that we enjoy. We did fun things like go to Outback Steakhouse, a movie, and on the way home we picked up some icecream. To finish it up, I had gotten him a surround sound system.


For our first Valentine's Day together, I made a little goodie bag that had a few random things inside and to each of those things, a little note was attached. Some of the goodies included: a baggie of conversation hearts that all said "Mad 4 U", breath mints, lottery ticket, a candle, and a 100 Grand candy bar. It was kind of cheesy, but I think he loved it!


Almost five years ago, I surprised Ryan with a barbecue party and a new barbecue for his birthday! I sent out invites and right before the party was about to start, I showed Ryan his new barbecue out on the patio. He had only thought that his family was coming over, and was shocked to find that his friends were coming too!



Finding these things has really inspired me to use my creativity to do more things for my husband. I really enjoy making him smile, so hopefully I can do a little more of that! Sometimes it's easy to get overwhelmed with all the things that require of us as moms, but I can't forget that I'm also a wife.

Keeping the creativity and the fun in my marriage works for me!

For other Works for Me Wednesday tips, check out Rocks in My Dryer.

man, that girl can sing!

About two months ago my husband surprised me with 2 tickets to the Carrie Underwood concert here in Portland. (He had picked up on a couple of my subtle hints that I had dished out in passing...what a man!) Here's today's confession: I am a HUGE fan of Carrie Underwood. I often get lost in her music and have her entire CD memorized!


Last night was the much anticipated concert, so hubby and I found a babysitter and we headed out for a night out. Because of time, we stopped by Baja Fresh for a quick bite to eat and then headed to the Rose Garden. I had been a little anxious about leaving the kiddos with our first non-family/non-friend babysitter, but the anxiousness went away as the night progressed.

Carrie was headlining and Little Big Town was opening. We found it a little funny that a group who had been together for 10 years was opening for someone who no one knew about 4 years ago. She's THAT good! Little Big Town did a great job, but the minute Carrie came on stage, I was hooked! Her voice is incredible and her stage presence keeps you entertained. I cried, laughed, sang, (dare I say danced?!) to the music and was lost for the next 2 hours. Her performance is summed up with one word: AMAZING!

Of course, I came away wishing that I was a country superstar, but only for a second because then I realized how much I couldn't wait to come home to my sweet babies. Instead, I'll just keep turning Carrie's music up and singing along with her...and that will suit me just fine!