A Sucker for Romantic Movies

Hey guys! It's been a while, huh? The short story is that I was in and out of the hospital a lot last week. The good news is that I'm in recovery mode (finally) so I can get back to blogging. Hooray!

Although I was too sick to watch the Oscars on Sunday, I heard a lot of positive things about the films that won awards. Normally I'm ahead of the game when it comes to watching Academy Award contenders, but this year was an exception. I literally had nothing to draw from in terms of understanding all of the nominees. That's why it was so refreshing to come across the Best Animated Short Film from Disney called Paperman. I just watched it for the first time. Based on how moving it is, I'm excited to familiarize myself with some of the other award-winning pieces out there. It looks like it was a good year for films! 

If you haven't seen Paperman yet, here's a link from Hulu. I dare you not to cry! Simply amazing.

Romantic Breakfast

Hello, readers!  For all of the romantics out there, happy Valentine's Day! Here's what I treated the hubby to this morning:

Romantic French Toast:

• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup of heavy cream
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 4 tbsp. of creamy peanut butter
• 8 pieces of bread
• Butter for frying
• powdered sugar for sprinkling
• Heart-shaped cookie cutter

Cut the bread in heart shapes. Discard leftover pieces. You should have 8 hearts when you're finished. On 4 of the hearts, spread the peanut butter. About 1 tbsp. of it per heart. Fold together with remaining heart shapes to form little sandwiches.

Mix together the first 6 ingredients above in a bowl. Dip the sandwiches into the mixture and place into a warmed fry pan with melted butter. Cook until desired firmness is achieved. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.

DIY Sugar Cube Shapes

Nifty Thrifty Things has a sweet (pun intended) idea for turning sugar into adorable little shapes. I love this idea because I never would've thought to try it and it's so simple.  I can imagine doing heart shapes for Valentine's Day or stars for Christmas. So many possibilities!

You can read the full tutorial here.

Love is Forever

Sometimes you read inspiring stories of love that unexpectedly take your breath away. This L.A. Times story does just that:

Joe was married to Eileen for 40 years before ovarian cancer claimed her life in 2002. Ever since her passing, he's taken to placing ads in the L.A. Times newspaper, once on her birthday and once on the day she died. He'll say things like, "Happy birthday, Ei. Let's go shopping at Loehmann's. We miss you a lot." It's his way of showing that even though she's gone, he still grieves for her and loves her very much. 

What a touching reminder that love truly is eternal.

Vintage Vibes

A floral blog that I follow called Fiore Fresco has this great, budget-friendly idea for adding a little bit of vintage to your table setting.  Old candlestick holders are usually readily available at garage sales and thrift stores and you can add simple touches like ribbon and sprigs of basic greens to spruce them up.

Personally, I'd use something like this for a garden party or outdoor wedding. Gorgeous!

Coolest Thing Since Sliced Bread

One of my favorite bands, OK Go, recently released a video for their new song, Last Leaf.   It's a romantic little ditty, cleverly crafted atop a very unusual backdrop.

While the tune may not be for everyone, it's inspiring to see something so simple transformed into art.