I guess 2013 is off to a good start in this aspect… I just realized this is already our second road trip and it’s still January

We’re in Tulsa with our friends Doug & Lisa shooting a little promo video for their non-profit organization for burned out pastors – Barnabas House. It’s been a swell time so far!

The plan tomorrow is to go see Jon Acuff, then home on Monday. Short but sweet weekend. What are you guys up to???

David and I have always had lots of fun together – we enjoy trying new things, being silly together, being romantic, etc. but after almost 9 years of marriage, and more importantly, almost 6 years of having kids, well, it just takes a lot more effort.

Knowing this phase would come, we did put a tradition in place to help us make sure we didn’t let our dates fall to the wayside. This month *cue cheesy romantic music* marked our 113th special date

To be quite honest, though, our favorite thing to do for the past few months involves some buffalo chicken at home after the kids are in bed…

And really, we love that we’re comfortable and happy with that because of this stage of our lives. How.ev.er. David’s birthday is coming right up next week and he’s starting to feel a little old. I happen to know that he would really enjoy a REAL date and somewhat more sophisticated activities, LOL, so I was stoked when Datevitation contacted us to try out one of their custom coupon books!

As I looked through all of the romantic date ideas I started getting excited thinking about actually going out more Sure, technically I could just make my own date book or coupons from scratch, but there’s something so much more fun about having the cute little pictures and putting it all together SO effortlessly.

I went through each section, and I have to admit I blushed a bit in the adult one Looking at all of the date prompts, I can’t help but think that the possibilities are endless and your creativity is your only limit. Sure, there is a descriptive title under each picture, but don’t let that box you in! I mean, it might start out as “Sleeping In” but with a little customization, pretty soon it says:

And I know the creators had something else in mind with this “Answers” date, but why not make it a little more fun???

OK, hopefully you get my point – you can do whatever you want! And no, I didn’t actually pick either of these options for the book I made for David… I’m not going to give him coupons for stuff we already do, LOL!

Hey, guess what, I have 4 more cool things to tell you about Datevitation:

1. This is a family business run by a husband and wife team – you know we support that

2. These coupon books are NOT just for romance! You can pick which genders you want to appear in the illustrations and there are a bunch of chores and fun events to pick from that would be great for a friend or family member. This really is the perfect Valentine gift for anyone.

3. With the code TICOANDTINA you could get your own custom book (normally $20) for $10! Take advantage of this offer through January 31 and get it in time for the Love holiday.

4. Lastly, Datevitation is giving away a book to one of our lucky readers! I hope it’s you (enter in the Rafflecopter below)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So our little household has been pretty much in survival mode lately. I’m the only one who hasn’t had a fever, but I’ve been dealing with sinus crap for almost two weeks. Apparently blogging isn’t part of surviving? But today I’ve got a fun person for you to meet! Megan is our Takeover this month and she’s here answering some questions that fit our blog.

Things I’ve laughed at lately:

I’ve spent my days and nights laughing at Grumpy Cat on Pinterest. I know, pretty low brow, but seriously look at it and tell me it’s not funny.

The Mindy Project. I know in my heart me and Mindy Kaling would be besties in real life.

I’ve also been dying over Big Bang Theory. What on earth are they going to do with Amy Farrah Fowler?

My Hubbs who supplies an endless supply of comedy on a daily basis, whether I like it or not.

A favorite adventure I’ve had, or dream of having:

I really want to go to Kings Cross Station in London and pretend I’m on my way to Hogwarts. With an owl in a cage and a trunk full of my valuables. I’m 34, so judge away.

What I would do if I knew I couldn’t fail:

I would write the book that’s been in my head for a year and submit it to publishers. I’m just too darned scared to do it. I know, I know, just do it already. How am I going to know if I don’t try???

*All photos provided by Laura Hernandez Photography

Pop over and visit Megan at Absolute Mommy!
I promise you’ll enjoy her fun take on life

Hey guys, go check to see if you won the LeapsterGS giveaway! If you didn’t, do come back because we’ll have another LeapFrog giveaway later this month In the meantime, here’s Sarah, last month’s Blog Takeover, with a cute dog and a fun girly giveaway!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi I’m Sarah and I blog over at: Life in a Break Down and I’m lucky enough to be guesting over on this fantastic blog today!

So I sat pondering what to write this post about, and as I looked around the room my eyes
drifted to my dog she looked so very cute curled up her head resting on her pillow
her paws all in a bundle, and suddenly it came to me I could write about her.

So I thought instead I would treat you to some aww-tastic photos and 10 things about Sal!

1. She was once a Brummy Street Dog – until I got her from the Dogs Home when she was 5. (That was nearly 7 years ago)

2. She’s the reason I’m alive today – she saved my life
on more than one occasion and in more than one way.

3. She used to be scared of squeaky toys – now she loves them.

4. One of her nickname is monkey due to things like this:

5. All our animals end up with middle names – Sally is Sally Ann.

6. She burps like a human – my Mum has got the blame on more than one occasion.

7. According to my Dad she is the ‘perfect dog’
(I think he has rose tinted specs on when he looks at her).

8. Ash’s description of her:
Big waggly tail, Big Floppy Ears with one torn slightly and Biiiiggg eye balls.

9. She likes to lay on her back and waggle her legs in the air at the most
annoying moments (ie when you’re trying to get her harness on her).

10. She loves car rides and refuses to get out the car
if she doesn’t think you have driven far enough.

And an extra one for luck! Sally LOVES Christmas

Thank you so much Christina and David for having me
I hope you have all enjoyed my post.

I’ve just got one more little surprise a small giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I didn’t get to do the Copy Cat Challenge this week, but it just so happens that the interview we did with Natalia of Ma Nouvelle Mode this summer is up now, and so I’m going to share that instead!

Natalia and I have a little joke now that she’s much less demure in person than I had originally gathered from her blog. Her great beauty tips and beautiful pictures sort of threw me off of the reality of her spunky personality – though to be fair, one could probably read between the lines

Isn’t she great?
Go check out other interviews at the BlankCanvas blog,
which we’ll be making a lot of changes to, hopefully soon!