Valentine's day the Strait way

James and I hate going out Valentine's weekend so we mostly stayed in. Friday night we watched the Olympic open ceremonies and made this divine chocolate cake together. Cary (my neighbor and friend) brought me a piece of one she had made and I just didn't get enough. So when James asked what I wanted to Valentine's day I said "Cary's chocolate cake!!" So we borrowed the magazine and made it together. That made it even better.

The recipe comes from "Better Homes and Gardens" magazine. Heaven. Seriously. It's one thin cake cut into thirds and stacked with this amazing chocolate frosting in between and around the sides.

Last night I made up some valentines for James and the kids. They're cute and funny and cheesy. I put cars stickers on the kids and they thought that was pretty cool.

James and I made a delicious chuck roast for dinner today, complete with potatoes, carrots, and broccoli. Um, heaven. The veggies were probably the best part. I'm not sure what made them so good but holla! They were. We also tried a new brand of apple bubbly. It's now my new favorite.
James chopping vegetables. I was about to say I didn't really do anything to help make dinner but I played with the kids and kept them out of James' way while he cooked. That's a big deal.

I forgot to mention we also ate some Frenchy cheese, Camembert, with a bagget. The bagget wasn't that great so it wasn't a "wow" experience.

The Spread. I added gravy after the picture. Seriously, the potatoes and carrots were the best I've ever had.

Today I got to tell James that he's my best friend. "What makes a best friend?" I got to thinking. Well, a best friend is someone you tell all your secrets to; happy, sad, personal, gossipy, embarrassing. I tell him anything. A best friend is also someone you want to spend time with, all the time. It's not like you get bored of them after a few months. I still want to hang out with James all the time. We can just sit on the couch and read next to each other, we watch movies, we go shopping together, we go on dates. I don't get sick of this guy! I can't say that about anyone else. (Yeah, I'm kind of a snob like that.) James sees me when I'm at my ugliest but I also want to be my prettiest for him. A best friend is someone you trust with everything. It takes time to learn about each other's weaknesses and strengths but I WANT to. And you know what else? A best friend is someone who just listens, who's there. James IS my best friend. I like living with my best friend! I love James so much and I'm so glad I get to be with him for eternity. See, we can do that. Isn't that neat?

This is James' favorite picture of us. He said "This is a sexy picture of us. We both look good." This is from our anniversary in 2008. We got massages at the collage and ate at The Bambara. Yum! I had duck and we shared a cheese appetizer. How very "French" of us.