The couple that jumps together stays together

I just love when Valentine's Day falls on a Saturday! It just makes for so many good options for having a memorable love day. This year, Alex made dinner reservations at an awesome restaurant that we'd been wanting to try since we moved to Columbia. Since he made plans for the evening, I told him not to make any plans on Saturday morning because I had a special date in mind.

Getting ready to get our jump on!

Face it: nothing says "I love you" like a a trip to the trampoline park! I'd been only one other time with my work peeps, but A had never been. As you can imagine, the place was crawling with kids. And we were definitely the only adults there who were not supervising their children. Luckily, our "flight time" was early - 10:30 - before the absolute gaggles of children arrived. However I still managed to knock down one small child. (Gotta learn at a young age to stay in your own trampoline square, kid!)

Taking it back to my cheerleading days

A trampoline makes you feel like a kid. Very therapeutic!

Catching our breath

Free jumping: so fun!

After we jumped for a solid 40 minutes, we were wiped! It is a huge workout that will leave you out of breath. Or maybe that's just me...at any rate, I was sore the next day in my shoulders of all places! Even though our tickets allowed us to jump for an hour, 40 minutes did it for us! We left just as dozens of kids were piling in - good timing!

We grabbed a post-workout (since that's what it felt like) lunch and did some errands before heading home. Our dinner reservations were early (6pm) since A had to leave earrrrrrrrrly on Sunday morning to go to Florida on a recruiting trip. We laid around the house and recovered from our jump session until it was time to head to dinner

Columbia skyline from across the river, where the restaurant was

Dinner at Terra was absolutely divine and mad props to my husband for calling more than a month in advance to get us reservations! You don't understand: we've tried to eat at Terra several times for different special occasions, and we've either tried to go on a day they were closed or we couldn't get reservations. So the hubs didn't take any chances, and I'm glad he didn't!

When we came home from dinner, we opened gifts and toasted to each other: prosecco for me, espresso for him.

And of course, Valentine's Day wouldn't be complete with snuggles from Penny and Ellie. These girls make me smile every day, and nothing makes me feel more loved than when they greet me at the door!

Alex and I had such a fun day together. I love that we both planned parts of our date day, and the fact that it was Valentine's Day made it even more special. So blessed to have a husband that is not only my Valentine, but my best friend.

xo
KH

Valentine's Day is for lovers

V-Day. Love Day. Single Awareness Day. February 14. Whatever you call it, I love Valentine's Day as (sometimes) overrated, (almost always) cheesy, and (often) expensive as it can be. I love that it is a day dedicated to celebrating those you love. And the flowers and candy don't hurt, either. 

Here are five things that will make Valentine's Day 2015 extra sweet:

ONE. Dress up in a cute date night outfit

I am so excited and VERY impressed that my husband got Valentine's reservations a full month ahead of time. Way to go, hubs. You get an A++ just for the planning! We're going to a restaurant that we've been wanting to try since we moved here 18 months ago. It's not a super, extra fancy place - not many places in Columbia are - but I still want to get a little dressed up and wearing pink and/or red is a must!

Valentine's Day by klhamilton featuring kate spade jewelry

TWO. Make a decadent dessert, like this flourless chocolate cake

Because when you're gluten-free and want V-day baked goods, it does not get any better than this! I found a recipe on Pinterest for a flourless chocolate cake and I made a few tweaks and came up with this one. You can easily double it for a "normal" size cake - but this one will make it just the right size for two (and still have some leftover). 

Flourless Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 2 TB Sugar
• 10 oz. 60% cocoa chocolate chips (like Ghirardelli)
• 1 stick of butter
• 2 TB cocoa powder

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat the HECK out of the 5 eggs. If you have a stand mixer, beat them on medium-high for 5 minutes (just set the timer and walk away: let that Kitchenaid do its thang). When the 5 minutes are up, add the sugar and beat until mixed. Meanwhile, line a springform pan with a round of parchment paper in the bottom and grease the sides with butter. Melt the butter and chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each time. Once melted and smooth, add the cocoa powder. Then, fold egg mixture into chocolate mixture slowly until mixed (but don't get too aggressive with the mixing). Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. After it cools, flip onto a platter. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream. SO EASY and so delicious!

THREE. Know your Love Language

Alex and I never have read this book, and what better time of year to do it? We just did the assessment to figure out our love languages and it's really eye-opening! I highly recommend!

FOUR. Make the house feel festive

Love is in the air when you've got an XOXO banner across the hearth. And fun Valentine-y candles. And a big bowl of Hershey's Hugs and Kisses. And y'all know by now that I love me some throw pillows. I switch them out for different holidays and seasons - it makes me happy! 

FIVE. Dress up your dog

You can't help but feel the love when this little cupid shows off a "Little Valentine" shirt (which has gotten a little more snug over the years...) or a heart sweater. Penny has some great wardrobe options for Valentine's Day!

And with that, I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day filled with a lot of love. Take the time to tell a single friend that you think they're amazing. Call your grandpa and tell him you love him. Text your brother. Take your pup for a walk. Send a stranger a smile. Share the love!

xo

KH

Linking up with

 April, Christina, Natasha and Darci! 

Five on Friday: happy Love Day!

Happy love day, friends! It's no secret that I love this day. Candy, flowers, and lots of pink, frilly stuff - it's a fun holiday, even if it's wayyyy over-commercialized! It's just a good excuse to say "I love you." Preferably with wine and chocolate.

I've been cooped up in the house since Tuesday afternoon due to Mr. Winter Storm Pax who decided to wreak havoc on the South and beyond. We were very fortunate - no power outages and no damage due to the ice! Which is amazing considering how much of it we got, along with sleet, freezing rain, and snow. Fun fact: Columbia had four consecutive days with snowfall for the first time since 1899 - so this is a rarity, y'all. 

Which brings me to my Five on Friday! 

I first want to say that I scheduled this post before I knew about the "Team Teddy" challenge, but I wanted to mention it to do my part in spreading awareness. This darling 7-month-old baby boy has been diagnosed with Menkes Syndrome, an incredibly rare genetic disease that is terminal. No one should ever have to lose a child. It's a terrible, horrible, very sad thing. I lift this family up in prayer that they may find peace and understanding in the tragedy, but joy in the rest of Teddy's life! Read more about Teddy's story here.
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One. I'm thankful for snuggle time with my furkids and husband during the storm! We didn't get out and play as much as we did two weeks ago (hello, ice!), but it was a nice break from the ordinary. 

Me and Ellie playing in the ice/snow/wintry precipitation

Two. Ellie cut her paws on the ice, poor baby. The silver lining in it is that it reminded me of what a wonderful Golden we have, who will let us do anything to her, like bandaging her paws time and again. She's such a good girl. 

In good spirits!

Is this a pitiful face or what?!

Three. It's not every day that I get to see my man shovel snow (with a ghetto garden shovel, no less). But it's pretty hot to see my golf coach husband in bean boots, jeans, and 2 days of unshaven face. 

Four. The cabin fever made me bake. I have no other explanation. Calories don't count on snow days, right??

Five. It's Valentine's Day! So tell those you love that you love them. Say something nice to a stranger. And be thankful for your blessings! 

Linking up with

 April, Christina, Natasha and Darci! 

When you're "iced in," make cupcakes

Today is not what I thought it was going to be. If you would have asked on Sunday afternoon what I'd be doing right now, I'd have said running around like a chicken with my head cut off during my work event that was planned for today. But good 'ole Pax had other plans, which effectively canceled mine, forcing me to postpone the huge event I've been planning since I started my job in August, involving 15 speakers from around the state including the Governor, which had over 200 attendees who'd already registered and paid....to April 24. April flipping 24th. That is an eternity to have this event hanging over my head. I want so badly to be able to cross it off my list and move on. However, given the absolutely terrible conditions we've got here in Columbia today, I'm glad we didn't risk it. Postponing was the right call.

Anyway, I'm enjoying my second winter weather day in as many weeks, working from home with intermittent snow/snack/pup-cuddling breaks. We've gotten about an inch of solid ICE in the last 24 hours, along with another inch of miscellaneous precipitation (so far) that has frozen, providing an igloo-esque situation and a very real threat of power loss. Since the news keeps saying that loss of power is "imminent" and it might be out for a few days, I figured I better jump on my Valentine's Day baking while I still had an oven.

I decided to make cupcakes, since I had some cutsie cupcake liners and festive sprinkles to use. If you want to make cupcakes that aren't technically from scratch, but have that bake shop consistency (and don't crack or balloon up to epic proportions), this recipe is the bomb.

Bakery-Style Cupcakes from a Cake Mix
1 box of cake mix (I used Betty Crocker's SuperMoist Triple Chocolate Fudge)
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of sour cream
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
(yields 20-24 cupcakes)
Mix all ingredients together for 30 seconds on low, then 2 minutes on medium. Scoop into lined cupcake tins using an ice cream scoop, filling a bout 3/4 full. Bake at 350 for 18 minutes. Let them cool, and then frost and decorate!

I'm feeling generous on this frigid day, so I'll share my frosting recipe, too. I've been using this recipe for several years now and it's to die for. I get so many compliments on this frosting, and it's embarrassingly easy to make. I will not judge if you eat it with a spoon. Because I have.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 package (16 ounces) confectioner's sugar
(yields enough to frost about 20 cupcakes)

Beat butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract at medium-high speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.  Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar at a low speed. Once mixed in, beat at high for about 2 more minutes until fluffy.

Place the frosting into a plastic bag, snip the tip, and frost!

Ain't they purdy??
Now dig in. Or share with your Valentine.

And just so you know I'm not exaggerating, here's how much winter precipitation has taken place at my house! Sadly, it's 75% ice. And it's still coming down!

xo
KH

Happy love day | Life lately

Happy Valentine's Day to all you lovebirds out there! And for all the single ladies, happy Single Awareness Day (yuck!!!). [Don't feel bad, I'm a married gal and I will be spending my V-Day alone, since the hubby is in GA]. Regardless, I hope you all are feeling the love today from someone!

At my house, Penny is rocking her "Little Valentine" shirt, while Ellie is pining for a red velvet cupcake (fat chance there, pup). While I won't get to see my Valentine today, I will see him tomorrow when I head down to Macon for the weekend!

 

the meds!

My posts have been a little sparse lately, and I'm sorry about that. Life lately has been a little crazy. I started my Humira this week for treating my Crohn's. I went Tuesday morning to the doc so they could show me how to inject it and I had 2 injections then. On Wednesday, I was scheduled for 2 more injections, which I very bravely gave myself! It was a moment on triumph for sure!!

My injections

I also found out yesterday that one of my best friends (and the friend I've known the longest) is pregnant with a little girl!! I am so very happy for her! All my friends are having little girls, which is so much fun. But one of these days, I'm going to need a little boy to spoil, too!

Other than that, I have been adjusting to life at home without Alex around. I've been a little blue and lonely, but I know it will all pay off and this decision we made together is going to benefit us in a huge way in our future. It's just hard to be patient :)

I hope you all have a great Valentine's day! xoxoxo

Be my Valentine

I seriously love Valentine's Day. I know it's a cheesy, card-company created holiday, but I love it! Even when I was a single girl and I pined for a Valentine, I still secretly loved it. Let's look at the awesomeness of Valentine's Day:

1. It combines all of my favorite things (pink, candy, chocolate, flowers...and my silly, child-like affinity for plush toys - which I do refrain from indulging in, thanks). 
2. It celebrates love: not just romantic love, but love for your girlfriends, your parents, your siblings, and Christ's love for us. 
3. It's a good excuse to send a single friend an "I love you and you are amazing" snail-mail card. 
4. And for those who are coupled up, it's an excuse to have a date night!

I don't go overboard with Valentine's decorations at our house, but I like to have a few sprinkled around. And have I mentioned that I adore seasonal candy? Conversation Hearts are some of my faves! I'm also a sucker for Hershey's Kisses in the seasonal wrappers. So festive!

Here's what we've got going on in our home this month to celebrate the day of love!