The Backyard is Another Room!

Did you know that your backyard can be another great room for entertaining?  

Purchase a simple wooden bench and add pillows to make it more inviting for guests.

A small glass top table for drinks and snacks is a perfect addition.

For a cozy feel have a fireplace in the middle of your entertaining area.  This will allow you to host parties in the cooler months of spring and fall, while also providing a fabulous atmosphere.

A touch of flowers brings the feel of fresh spring days and the gorgeous smells will be breathtaking for 

family, friends and guests.

While you entertain friends and family, remember the kids need a great play area too.

Arrange your backyard sitting area similar to a living room.  You want your guests (and yourself!) to feel comfortable and welcome.  It is all about atmosphere, atmosphere and more atmosphere!

Credit: Pinterest

Credit: Pinterest

Credit: Pinterest

Credit: Pinterest

Here's to a great start of the week!  Happy Monday!

A Date Night in Spring: Romance, Romance and More Romance

With the beautiful spring air, the smell of blooming flowers and fabulous fashion finds, it's time for a special date night with your lover.  Here are a few of our favorite date activities.

A Walk on the Lakefront 

Dinner on the Beach

Ice Cream Sundaes with the sunset

Mini Golfing, in cute heels, of course!

Browsing the Art Museum

Wine Tasting at Vino100

A Stroll through Tiffany and Co., jewelry time!

Picking Wild Flowers and taking a Nap together in the Sunshine
Cooking a Fabulous Dinner Together

What was the best date you ever had?

Spring Date Night by provocmanners featuring bracelet jewelry

Dolce Gabbana dolce gabbana dress
$1,080 - flannelsfashion.com

Timeless peep toe heels
$59 - pret-a-beaute.com

Nine West evening handbag
ninewest.com

Daniela Farah bracelet jewelry
yoox.com

Engaged Couple In Love Wedding Silhouette die cut for scrap booking or...
etsy.com

So This Is Love! This Is What Makes Life...

Yes, those are lines from Cinderella, but we can even apply Disney movies to everyday life.  Do you have a skeptical look on your face?  Well we are wondering, how do you keep the love in your life?  Whether that means family love, siblings, parents or romantic love and love for friends?

Do you spend time together watching classic movies?

Credit: Pinterest

Do you plan a spring picnic?

Credit: Pinterest

Are sunsets your favorite moments to spend time together?

Credit: Pinterest

A day at the spa with your mom and sisters or cousins?

Credit: Pinterest

A home-cooked dinner date with your lover

Credit: Pinterest

Picking fresh wildflowers for your significant other?

Credit: Pinterest

Spending time with the kiddos?

Credit: Pinterest

Reading with friends, kids or family?

Credit: Pinterest

Ignite The Fire! "I Want You To Want Me"

Written By: Ooh La La (Danielle Marie)

I've noticed an odd trend, very few couples spend any time together!  Now I'm not talking about those little lovebirds still in the climax of their relationship, please!  No, I'm referring to those couples who have hit the honeymoon stage and are way beyond it!  They are still very much in love with each other, love spending time together but for some reason, they just don't make date nights a priority.  I know, I shouldn't talk because my husband and I also have a hard time planning alone time, it gets tough with kids.  So this post is to put my fire ablaze too!

IGNITE THE FIRE!

Set the fire ablaze!  Get rid of the excuses, work to grow your relationship and above all, find time for each other!  If it means you pick the 2nd and 4th Saturday of every month for date nights, then do it!  No excuses, there should be at least one date planned a month!  Show your lover that he is an important part of your life.

TRY A CHANGE-UP

Try something new.  Stop recreating the same date nights over and over again, even people who don't take risks and like consistency will at times enjoy change, just be careful not to fly them to Paris without warning!  (You got the point!)  If you always plan a dinner date, but why not try a new restaurant downtown, or a picnic near the lake or how about dinner reservations on a small boat?

BE CREATIVE

Dates are not all about spending money, they are about spending time!  Oftentimes the best dates are the unplanned, unique but intimate ones.  Try not to make it about yourself, but about the both of you as a couple.  Spice up your time together, plan something unexpected, something that will make you laugh, make you joke, maybe even make you cry (happy tears) but best of all, make some memories!

I WANT YOU TO WANT ME

As sensual beings, we all want to be loved.  We want to feel needed, caressed, cared for and above all we want to be wanted!  Show this to your loved one, whether it's a kiss on the neck as he's watching a football game, or a massage (without strings attached) or bringing home flowers, just because!  There doesn't have to be a special occasion for you to show your love, these small actions will be welcomed everyday throughout the year.  They don't have to be over the top, but once in awhile, a genuine surprise is amazing!  And no, purchasing a new shower rod is not a "surprise" or a "gift"; it is a household "necessity", can we say HOMER GIFT!

GIRLS' WEEKENDS v. GUYS' WEEKENDS

This has become the new trend, girls' weekends (manis, pedis and plenty of shopping) v. guys' weekends (golf, golf and more golf!).  There is nothing wrong with these types of vacations, we all need girl or guy bonding time, but there must be a limit and by the way whatever happened to COUPLES' WEEKENDS, or just COUPLE WEEKENDS?  Why must everything be done in social groups?  We don't have to make everything public to the world, somethings are better private.  Make time for your girl weekends and guy weekends, but spend time away as a couple...alone.

THE UNEXPECTED

A surprise doesn't have to be crazy, it just has to be unexpected.  So plan a date for you and your loved one, but something you will both enjoy!  Just remember, it's not where or how you are planning the date, it's who you are spending it with!  

Word to the Wise...You never know where the night will take you, so be prepared to have the time of your lives!

It's a Fun Floral Rainy Day!

~ It's rainy, and cloudy with thunder and lightening today,

so here are a few cheerful photos of flowers ~

Photo Credit: Andrew Schliesman Photography

Floral Designs by DMH Custom Floral Designs

www.dmhcustomfloraldesigns.com

Pink and Sassy!

Written By: Va Va Voom (Katrina)

~ Pink makes everything a little bit sassier! ~

House or Home?

Written By: Va Va Voom (Katrina)

Do you have a house or home?  Do you feel relaxed and comfortable in your house or is it just a place to stay until the next big event?

Do you entertain and have people come over?  Or are you embarrassed and ashamed of your house? If so, it's definitely not a home.

In this crazy world we live and everything is rush rush rush...but we shouldn't feel rushed to leave our house, right?

Remember those knickknacks your Granny use to having around her home?  Believe it or not, that made her house a home.  Those were little precious memories surrounding her throughout the day.

No matter what the size of your house it's easy to make it a home!  Want to know the secret?  The perfect recipe to make a house a home is one part cheerful colors, one part memorable knick knacks with picture frames and stir it with load and loads of laughter of loved ones!

Make your house a home today!

(Pillows from Bed Bath and Beyond.  Leopard fleece throw: fabric from JoAnn Fabrics)

 ~ Add a leopard print throw with your decorative pillows for warm feel with a saucy edge! ~

~ Display a vase of flowers on your dining room table for a warm summer touch. ~

It's a Two-Way Street!

Written By: Ooh La La (Danielle Marie)

www.retroclipart.com

Where have all the friendships gone?  Weird question, right?  Not really.  Our world of over-communication via internet has somehow lost those good old-fashioned friendships.  What's the reason?  Why have so many friendships gone amiss?  Well no one wants to go out of their way anymore.  If you want a good friendship, you have to be an amazing friend and work at it.  Don't expect the other person to do all the work.  Why is it so hard to be a good friend? Has our world become so self-centered?



What makes a good friend?  Need a few Sauce of Life Tips?

Call, text, email or stop over at a friend's house just to see how they are doing.  You may be needed more than you think or more than they will admit!

Once in awhile, send a funny or sentimental card in the mail.  Everyone loves to receive snail mail (that isn't junk) and this shows you were thinking about them.

Don't forget the flowers!  All women love flowers, so bring your bestie a small bouquet of tulips or wildflowers just to show you care.  It may make her day more than you realize.  (Hey, we need to pick up where men may slack.)

Listen.  This one is difficult for all of us.  Everyone wants to talk, but no one wants to listen.  And be careful not to force your opinions on others, wait for them to ask for advice.

If you are invited to several "outings", "playdates", "girls nights" try to attend a few of them, even if you are exhausted.  Just making an appearance at such events will have more impact than you may think.



We have only touched the surface for what it takes to be a good friend, but we all need a place to start, right?  Stay tuned for more. 

Do you have any creative ideas for showing your best friends you care?

Is the Word "Sorry" in your Vocabulary? It Better Be!

Written By: Ooh La La (Danielle Marie)

We all have those crazy, over the top, outlandish days!  Wait, you may say that's pretty much everyday.  No, we mean those days where all you want to do is sit, have a glass of wine (actually make that two glasses) and zone-out or even have a good cry!  We've all been there and it's usually the cause of too much stress, over-booking ourselves, loss of control and thoughts of failure.  With all this being said, don't take out your problems on everyone else!  This all ends up creating ugly situations where we regret our actions and words.  So, what's the next step?  Time to apologize!  Why is it so hard to apologize when we are in the wrong?

Just remember, apologizing is stating you have done something wrong and asking for forgiveness. You may sometimes have to apologize even if you are not at complete fault, but be the better person and try to move on while helping others move on as well!

Seriously, this topic shouldn't be that hard to understand, now let's put it into practice!  If you bump into another shopper at the store, apologize or say "excuse me".  Don't give them the death stare, you aren't always right!  If you get in a car accident, ask how the other person is doing and apologize if you were at fault!  If you hurt another person with cruel words or actions, apologize!  This will make a world of difference to that other person, and add a smile too.

If it's your spouse, hurry up with that apology, don't take a week, a month or your whole life to remove your pride and bring out the words "I'm sorry".  All that waiting may result with you missing out on some amazing conversations, romantic dates or even those fabulous nights of love-making!

After the initial apology, it may take the other person time to accept it.  Be patient, show your kindness, concern and gratitude and life will be much easier and happier!  Don't keep these feelings built up, they will eat you alive!  In the end, IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON! 

Do you need a "smoozing gift" to help the apology get started?

Flowers: Pick a bouquet of wild flowers, A few hydrangeas from your garden or have your local florist design a custom bouquet!  www.dmhcustomfloraldesigns.com

Chocolates:  Who can go wrong with chocolates?
A Card with a Personal Message
Wine or A Favorite Beer:  So much to choose from!
A Massage:  This could be a personal massage or a gift card to a salon www.azanaspa.com
A Surprise Night out on the Town:  Have fun with this one and go crazy or keep it simple!

Champagne and Chocolates (or as Heather Dubrow says, "champs") LOVE!

Photo: www.heatherdubrow.com

Sauce of Life Quotes: "A stiff apology is a second insult.... The injured party does not want to be compensated because he has been wronged; he wants to be healed because he has been hurt." ~G.K. Chesterton

Give Some Extra Lovin' on Valentine's Day!

Written By: Va Va Voom (Katrina)

It's Valentine's Day! This day has mixed emotions for people all over the world!  If you're a man you come up with the excuse that Hallmark created this holiday and too much pressure is put on you!  And you're right, a lot of pressure is on you, you better make this a very memorable day!  Here's an easy trick, watch any chick flick and repeat!!!

For women on Valentine's Day, it can be a day of fancy, frustration, anxiety, wonder, happiness, nervousness, excitement or disappointment.  More importantly it is a day of chocolate!  Forget love ladies, all we need is chocolate, am I right?

"After about 20 years of marriage, I'm finally starting to scratch the surface of what women want. And I think the answer lies somewhere between conversation and chocolate." Mel Gibson

Eating chocolate can have significant influences on mood, generally leading to an increase in pleasant feelings and a reduction in tension. – Peter Rogers, Ph.D., Institute of Food Research

"Let's face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people; it does for me." Audrey Hepburn

Now seriously, Valentine's Day is a day to remember that you are loved, whether it's your spouse, your friends or your family, Valentine's Day is the day for extra lovin' (apply where needed hehe).

So remember to love whole heartily and if you do, you will receive it back times ten!

“When you fish for love, bait with your heart, not your brain.”  Mark Twain

“Because when we love, we always strive to become better than we are.”  Paulo Coelho in The Alchemist

“A man loses his sense of direction after four drinks; A woman loses hers after four kisses.”  H.L. Mencken

“A kiss can be a comma, a question mark or an exclamation point. That's basic spelling that every woman ought to know.” Mistinguette

“Love is like a river, always changing, but always finding you again somewhere down the road.”
Kelly Elaine

“One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: that word is love.”
Sophocles

And finally.... Provocative Manners dares you to do some extra lovin' today! We dare you to hug, kiss, or say I love you to someone you have never said it too! Good luck and good lovin!