Giveaway Ending SOON & New Moon!

Hey all! Today is the last day to enter the giveaway!! You have until 12 midnight EST.

So get yourself over to THIS post.

As a side note,

I'm going to New Moon tonight with my girlfriends....we're pretty excited. We've even got matching vampire shirts.

We thought about making our shirts say,
"My husband has my heart, but Edward has my neck..."

But then we found pre-made shirts at TJ Maxx. Mine says, "I'm in love with a fictional vampire..." hehe.

So long, husbands! :)

Anyone else going tonight..(or last night)...or soon?!

4th Anniversary...

no...it's not the 4th Anniversary of this blog (it's not even a year old yet)...

... it's my Wedding Anniversary today!

And, I wanted to take one blog post to say Happy Anniversary to my hunny. He deserves a "public dedication" and this is close as I'm gonna get. And since this blog seems to take a lot of my free time which could be spent with him... I really owe him one.

I'll save the gushy stuff for him in person, but, I really Really REALLY love this boy....4 times as much as the day I married him. Really. I'm so thankful to have him in my life.

Happy Anniversary, babe!

Pizzeria Date Night

Has anyone seen "No Reservations" with Catherine Zeta Jones? I love that movie...I especially like how it makes running a little restaurant with your love seem so romantic! This was my inspiration for today's idea.

~~~

On your next date night, open a pizzeria together at your place! You'll be the chefs, creating your own pizza masterpieces. This can be done while the kids eat mac&cheese in front of a movie. You have to eat dinner, too... might as well make a date of it!

Here's what you'll need:

• Pizza kits (pre-made dough and ingredients)
  
• Pizzeria Style drinks (Coke...or whatever.)
  
• Chef's Hats & Aprons (optional, but fun!)
  
• Red and white checkered tablecloth
  
• Paper plates/napkins
  
• A sign on your wall or table identifying it as your pizzera
  
• Mints (I don't think I've ever left a pizzeria without being offered a mint)
  
• My free downloadable and printable invitation

And, just for fun...I thought I'd throw in pictures of our date..

Oh, and don't worry if things get a little saucy...

Buon appetito!

*******
PS: Don't forget about the current giveaway!! Click HERE for your chance to win... ends Friday!!

Love Debit Cards 2

Remember my Love Debit Cards?

Well, I may have found something better. Yes, I can admit when I've been outdone.

Links2Love sells these fun (and real looking) credit cards. But, you know me. Why buy when you can create your own? You can use them as inspiration for your own design, if you don't mind getting a little crafty. My favorite thing about their cards....the "slogans".

"LOVE - It's Anywhere You Want It To Be!" (think Visa)

"The Romantic Express Card -Don't let your special someone be without it!" (think American Express)

"Love's in your wallet" (think Capital One)

"Love - Spanning the Miles unconditionally!" (think frequent flyer rewards card)

"The Knowledge that you are truly loved - Priceless!" (think MasterCard)

Clever, right? Head on over to Links2Love and check them out!

{Let's Just Fall in Love Again}

If I could have a "theme song" for this blog, I may have just found it!

You've got to watch this ADORABLE music video...I'm sure you can find a way to apply it to your relationship!

If you can't see this video, go to launch.com and in the Top 100 Video Charts,
look for "Let's Just Fall In Love Again" by Jason Castro.

Let's Just Fall In Love Again Lyrics

Let's pretend baby
That you've just met me
And I've never seen you before
I'll tell all my friends
That I think you're staring
And you say the same to yours

And oh, we'll dance around it all night
And then Ill follow you outside
And try to open up my mouth
And nothing comes out right

And I wanna fall in love with you again
I don't have to try
It's so easy
Who needs to pretend?
But because it's so funny
Let's just think about it, honey
Let's just fall in love again

I'll call you in three days
Not too soon, not too late
And I'll ask your roommate if you're home
You call me on Thursday
And we'll hang out all day
Then fall asleep on the phone

And oh, I'll hold your hand when we drive
And we'll lose track of all the time
And we'll tell everyone
That we ain't never felt so alive

And I wanna fall in love with you again
I don't have to try
It's so easy
Who needs to pretend?
But because it's so funny
Let's just think about it, honey
Let's just fall in love again

We'll fall disgustingly fast
And we'll stop hanging out with friends
And they'll be so offended

And I wanna fall in love with you again
I don't have to try
It's so easy
Who needs to pretend?
But because it's so funny
Let's just think about it, honey
Let's just fall in love again
Lets just fall in love again

Giveaway!! {Hot Lunch Dates}

Get a load of this...

THE coolest website found ME and offered a giveway of something fabulous. I'm not exaggerating. This one's really cool. Read on, my friends.

Hot Lunch Dates has created themed dates all packed inside lunch boxes for ridiculously fun dates! These are great for you and your spouse, or as a gift...(I'm thinking wedding or bridal shower gift!)

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks perpetual "dinner and a movie" dates are BORING!

They have 4 different Hot Lunch Date Boxes to choose from and they will be giving away one of them to one of my followers (You'll get to pick your favorite).So, first, go check their website out so you know which Hot Lunch Date you'd want if you won!

And then, read the qualification standards (can you tell I'm in real estate..?) for winning:

1. Be a follower of my blog. {yes, I discriminate} :)

2. Answer this question in the comments section of this post: What is the best pickup line used on you or the best way you've been asked out on a date?

Lots of Additional Entries:
(leave an additional comment for each)
*Post my button on your blog.
* Become a Facebook Fan of "Hot Lunch" and "Love, Actually Blog"
* Follow "hotlunchdates" and "ccloveactually" on Twitter
* Subscribe to Hot Lunch Date's blog
* Look at their Lunch Box Dates and write which date box is your favorite and why.

What a delicious giveaway...I'm so exited about it!
Get yourself entered...Giveaway ENDS Friday, November 20th.

Maggie's Dinner Dates: Group Dating Inspiration

My blog has been hijacked!!
Okay, I'm only kidding. But, if I could choose anyone to hijack it, it'd be Maggie from Maggie's Dinner Dates.

We're gonna try a blog swap every month or so...she has some fabulous ideas for group dating....
I'll let her tell you the rest...
~~~~~~

Hello Love, Actually readers! I'm so excited to be blog swapping with Cher today. I'm Maggie, the dinner date girl. My blog is Maggie’s Dinner Dates. Cher, thanks so much for blog swapping with me! I also would like to invite you to come read her post today at my blog.

A Little About Me:
I am a super busy SAHM who does digital scrapbooking, puts together family home evening kits, and designs Twilight products. My specialty and joy is planning and carrying out themed dinner parties in our home.

How Maggie’s Dinner Dates began:
My love for group dating really started a year and a half ago as my husband and I undertook a ‘year-long project’. We were determined to meet every couple from our church ward on a more personal level. Our 4th child was recently born and I was just a little overwhelmed by motherhood! I was dying to get out of the house and have fun with other adults, but it never seemed to happen. Jeff and I were so busy with our young family and not making time to date one another. By Summer of ’08, I knew that I had to do something!

Then the idea came to me rather suddenly. I would pick a different theme per month and plan a dinner party around that theme inviting somewhere between 4 and 9 couples to each party. My husband, who was also eager to get some adult time, was all for it!

That first dinner date was an Italian dinner. I remember how I felt that night after my first dinner party. I felt wonderful! I was exhausted and a little sore from all the running around, but I was deliriously happy that it had gone so well. I guess you could say that I was giddy!
Because of the success of the first one, I felt reassured that we needed to continue with the project. We followed with an Asian dinner party the next month and every month thereafter it was a new theme. We quickly worked our way through the couples in our church and while doing it, WE HAD A BLAST! During each dinner party (as hectic as they sometimes were) I would step back and think about what an amazing group of people had come over that night and how it seemed that everyone was really enjoying themselves. After our first dinner party I was on a total high! I didn’t feel like Ann’s mom, or Jeff’s wife, but I felt like Maggie, the fun loving outgoing girl that I had once been. With each party my confidence grew!

I hope that each of you will give ‘dinner parties’ a chance! Just go for it! It may sound scary, but with Cher and I here helping you with any suggestions or advice you may need I know that you can do it! Don’t keep putting it off! In the process of group dating/dinner parties I have fallen in love with my husband all over again. And I do every single time we host a party.

This month Cher has asked me to share with you one of our dinner dates. This is a party that I have not hosted yet, but will be hosting on the 19th of this month. It is a dinner party for the release of the New Moon movie in theatres. I know that my husband is one of many men that have also read the books and won’t mind having dinner celebrating the movie release (not to mention.. those Twilight books always put me in a more affectionate mood (wink, wink). I have created for you some fun date idea cards to help you quickly plan a New Moon party in the next few weeks.

Images are LINKED for free download!

I look forward to posting next month about a couple’s dinner party to celebrate Christmas called a Jingle Mingle! You don’t want to miss it!

~~~~~

Isn't she great? Thanks, Maggie.

I gotta say, I can totally relate to loving my husband more when we hang out with other couples...however bad this is about to sound. After interacting with other couples and their husbands, I sometimes can't help but be thankful that I have my husband... (and hopefully none of my friends reading this take offense...) because I think mine is the best! {But isn't that how everyone should think about their spouse?} It's nice to go with him at the end of the night.

Don't forget to go check out Maggie's Blog!

Cake Pop Proposal

So, I just stumbed upon the CUTEST. Proposal. EVER!

Bakerella teamed up with one lucky girl's boyfriend fiance to make one clever proposal!

Aren't you curious how the whole thing went down? You've got to check THIS and THIS out!

It made me all giddy...and made me wonder,
how were YOU proposed to?

I'd love to hear your story. So, please share in a comment!

Peanut Butter Love Note

I haven't done a Midweek Romance post in quite a while, soo...... here's for all you who need a quick idea, without much effort!

If your other half is a peanut butter lover (or maybe even a butter-tub lover), leave him a little love note on the next new container you buy.

Romantique Paris Rendezvouz

If any of you dream of going to Paris....and you know you won't be whisked away anytime soon to the "world's most romantic city"... then stop dreaming and start creating!

I've borrowed these ideas and pictures from Becca. (I've used her and her hubby's ideas before...and I'm sure this won't be the last time). She's got one great husband...and she knows it. He planned this day in Paris for her.

They ate at a little cafe in Paris... overlooking the Eiffel Tower!

The cafe served French Fries (...of course, hehe)


and Croissants...

As a souvenir of their trip to Paris, they used Photo Booth on their MAC to create this:

Sooo fun---and such a perfect example of how you can create a great themed date without spending a bundle!

Here are some other ideas for bringing Paris home!

- Place a printed flag of France near the door with a sign saying, "Welcome to France"
- To make this a more "authentic French" date, prepare a traditional French delicacy. Ideas & Recipes HERE.
- End the night with a little French Kiss! Ooh La la!

Au Revoir!

{Love Birds}

The winning pumpkin has been tallied!!! I bet you really want to know!

{ The love birds will be taking home the prize.... }

Congrats to Kara Finley!!
She wins a customized rubik's cube!

What a fun contest this was! Thanks again to all those who submitted pumpkins and to those of who you voted! I'll be thinking of another fun contest, perhaps with a Christmas theme...let me know if you have any good suggestions!

Prisoner Strip Search

Today's idea comes from one of my followers, who wanted to remain anonymous. It's a bit risque...but what's romance without a little intrigue now and again?

She came up with this idea for when her husband returned from a week long training excursion. Her husband is a wildlife officer.... Yours, however, does not have to be for this to be fun.

She writes,

Wildlife officers have paperwork they have to do each month called monthly's. So I made a little booklet with instructions on how to do this "monthly" search of me.

I left it on the bed with a mint. It said:

Prisoners are subject to strip search each month. Todays prisoner is A3278BF.
*Prisoner must comply with all spoken orders.
*Touch anywhere you think they might be hiding drugs.
*A thorough investigation is imperative.
*This prisoner is crafty, may require smelling or licking of upper body.
*Exercise your authority and do whatever is neccessary to ensure prisoner is clean.
*This search can be done laying down or however you see fit.
*Prisoner will arrive in only a jumper and handcuffs for added convenience (I used some bib overalls.)
*Handcuffs can be removed if easier to complete exam.


Clever idea, right? What a lucky hubby she has.

For you, I have a free PDF download of this little "report sheet" for your "officer".

Download PDF HERE

To spice this up, here are a few things to try:

- mark your prisoner # as a tattoo somewhere on your body
- hide small "weapons" in underclothing to be found by the "officer"
- don't forget handcuffs!

PS--When asking for my husband's thoughts on this idea, he provided me with two thumbs up. I think your husbands might like this one, too. ;)

Movies & Popcorn Printables

If you don't have time to give your love the Red Carpet Treatment (one of my previous posts), then get a load of these.... free printables from The Toy Maker!

The perfect solution to having no time and energy to plan a spectacular date...

You can pick up the downloads HERE. Enjoy!

Has anyone seen any good movies lately that you recommend for couples to watch? If so, let us hear it...

Have you VOTED for the best pumpkin in my last post yet?

Carving out a Winner!!!

The polls are now open (well, the comments section is, anyway). So, pick your FAVORITE pumpkin picture and leave a comment with its corresponding number. The submission with
the most votes, wins!

May the best pumpkin win!
(remember, the only criteria was that this activity united the family...something they did together...or otherwise family-oriented!)

(I feel that this one needs explanation--she and her hubby grew this pumpkin together!)

I was very pleased with the variety of the submissions--so thank you to all who sent me your pictures!

PLEASE VOTE!
(That goes for everyone...not just those who submitted!)

Saying I'm Sorry

Let's face it... marriage can't always be lovey-dovey. Sometimes, you're going to make each other so flippin' mad... and, yes, I know the feeling. (I think some people think that my marriage is an exception to this because of this blog...think again!)

But, sometimes we get out of hand and an apology should be in order. Those words don't come easy for me, so I look for alternative more creative ways to express my apology. Perhaps you can benefit from some of these, too!

Here are two other cute ideas:

• Tie a small note around the collar of your pet and have it deliver your apology. While the person you're saying sorry to might not want to see you right now, who can resist that cute little cat face or puppy dog eyes?
  
• Chicago's "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" has some perfect lyrics...
  "After all that we've been through, I will make it up to you. I promise to."
  
  Find something to use as a makeshift microphone and when he/she gets home, have the music blairing while you lip-sinc to the words. If they aren’t laughing (or trying hard not to) in 30 seconds, then surely you've done something beyond repair. (maybe buying them a new car will work.... kidding.)
  
  Now, don't go looking for reasons to make your spouse mad just so you can apologize---I know it's tempting after fun ideas like these, but give it time....I'm sure something will come up. I wish you the best when it does. :)

Fantasy Football

Football season is now in full swing and men everywhere are turning their attention to the TV. (well, my guy, anyway) Instead of turning into a football widow, try turning date night into a fun and sexy afternoon or evening watching the big game!

Here are a few ideas to spark some romance, bringing a whole new meaning to your husband's “Fantasy Football”.

Throw him a Tailgate Party

• Put your camping chairs in front of the TV.
• Get some manly appetizers and drinks: (chicken wings, chips/salsa, soda, etc.)
• Let him explain the game to you (if you aren’t a football buff yourself).
• Throw around an inflatable football (available in the LAB Boutique) during commercial breaks.
• Wear his team’s football jersey….(pants optional) or his team’s colors if no jersey.
• Get some shot glasses marked “1st Down” “2nd Down” “3rd Down” and “Touchdown”. At each down your team gets, each of you take a shot of whatever you’re drinking. (mmm...Root Beer shots for us!)

You don't have to go out and buy these....get some clear ones at the dollar store and mark them with a sharpie!


Plan your own half-time show!

During half-time, tell your man he’s been chosen for the football draft for “Team _____” (insert your last name).

Set up a basement or large room in your house as a football field. Use masking tape as yard lines and get an inflatable football. Play a version of flag/tackle football against each other with these rules:

1. Each person has 3 flags (ribbons, cut fabric, etc.) attached to them. The point is to try to steal the other person’s flags before they steal yours!
2. Tackles are perfectly acceptable and count as downs. Sneak a kiss for every first down.
3. Whenever one scores a touchdown, the next person has to take off a piece of clothing.
4. After each touchdown, give the scorer a chance to score a field goal. (kick the football in between your arms (held up like field goal posts).
5. Call “timeouts” so you can enjoy a football snack or makeout...

If you really want to kink spice up the “strip football” aspect of this, you can buy or make your own underwear like THIS which say:
Joe's Tight End (on back of underwear) or Joe's End Zone.

At the end of your game, surprise him with an MVP certificate and trophy (a king-size candy bar or something he’ll actually enjoy).

You can download my design HERE.

With a date like this, how could your husband NOT think you are THE coolest wife on the planet?! This date will go down as a touchdown in his playbook for sure!

Feel free to comment with any further suggestions!

Chinese Date Night

Dim the lights, clear the furniture away, leave the forks in the drawer, and enjoy dinner on the floor with chopsticks for this Chinese Date Night.

This is a themed date night which may require a little planning and perhaps a trip to the party store, dollar store, or a stop by the Love, Actually Boutique (when it's actually ready--not quite yet!)

Here's what you'll need:

• Chopsticks (see if you can snag 2 sets from a take-out place nearby)
• Take-out Boxes (you can usually find these around $1.00 at craft stores)
• Oriental Music - I just played these sample clips from Amazon
• Red, Gold and Black accents (decor)
• Chinese Food for dinner...see below
• Fortune Cookies (real or paper....check these out )

Optional:
- You can also look for Oriental clothing (I found the hats below at iParty).
-I saw slippers which matched the hats at Target for $2.50 a pair.

*picture, candle holder, mats, and chop sticks all from Target. (spent $10)

Now, for the food.
There's a few ways you can do this, which I have categorized for your convenience. :)

Lazy - Have "takeout" delivered.
Easy - Have your spouse pickup takeout.
Not-hard - Buy "frozen takeout" (orange chicken from Costco, Trader Joe's, etc.)
Superwoman Style - Make your own Chinese food.

If you want to be "Superwoman", then by all means...try these recipes.

Orange Chicken


Sweet and Sour Chicken


Beef Noodle Bowl


Wonton Salad


Egg Rolls and Fried Rice


After Dinner:

Have a fortune cookie(s) in a take-out box (I would have one real one to eat, and then a paper fortune cookie with your own fortune in it..)

Ideas for fortunes:
"Tonight will be a lucky night for you..."
"A secret admirer will soon send you a sign of affection."
"The time to make love is now..."

I'll let you take it from there....Best of luck!

Fortunate to Have You!

Look at these cute Paper Fortune Cookies... I found them on Angela's Blog, but for a different purpose than how I'll be using them. You can find the tutorial for these HERE.

I would put a few of these little "cookies" in a takeout box which you can find very inexpensive at any craft store or make your own from this template.

Attach a tag to the takeout box which reads,
"I'm so fortunate to have you!"

Of course, I would put my own little "fortunes" (i.e. love notes) inside each cookie for my husband to read.

You could also pop a paper fortune cookie in his/her lunch as a simple and cute way to say you love them...

Come back on Wednesday for a Chinese-themed dinner date at home!

You are BOO-tiful to me!

Great news, people! You get three posts from me this week, starting with today. I normally don't post on Sundays, BUT... I have an entire week off to spend with my mom who's flying across the country to hang out with her only daughter. (I'm really not excited....okay, just a lot). :) We're gonna spend a couple of days in NYC and then back to Boston so she can experience the beautiful New England Fall!

So, I don't anticipate checking in all that often this week... but before I abandoned ya'll, I wanted to tell you to go grab yourself this FREE download for Halloween....

As it gets closer to Halloween, surprise your hunny with a treat tucked inside one of these cute matchbooks! I especially like the yellow "Boo-tiful" one... for obvious reasons.

You can pick these up until Wednesday (10/14) HERE!

Don't forget your manners---be sure to tell Juli "thanks" for the download!

Three Things.

Hey all!

Three things.

First, I hope you like the new design. I think it's fantastic.... thanks to Carolynn from My Blog Makover!



You've got to check out her site---lots of cute and FREE layouts (you know my feeling on cheap and FREE stuff) and she has terrific prices for blog makeovers. She was so great to work with on my design as well.

Here are 3 of her SUPER CUTE and FREE layouts that Love, Actually is sponsoring...

Second, I have only 3 submissions so far for the PUMPKIN CONTEST! Keep em' coming!! It's worth a personalized rubik's cube if you win!

{Click image for details.}

Third, I have a new button design as well.... If you currently have a LAB (love, actually blog) button on your site, please update it with the new one! If you don't have one, feel free to grab the code on my sidebar! I thank you in advance for helping me spread the word about LAB...and your friends will thank you later! :)

Oh, and (I know this counts as 4...) please take the time to comment when stopping by the new posts twice a week. I appreciate those comments more than you know... I'm gonna try to respond more in the comments section as well...

And that's all. I'm done. Have a great weekend!