CELEBRATE FEBRUARY! #ASWEETPAIRING

I love chocolate and wine. I also love special events held in the month of February. Red hearts and pink decorations are everywhere! After spending more than 25 years working as a Technical Writer I also love to be creative with writing my blog, Leslie In Little Rock. I was so excited when I was recently contacted about combining all these things I love into a Valentine’s Day Promotion featuring Ghirardelli Chocolate and Josh Cellars Wine! Since I am a widow and both of my daughters live out-of-state, I tried to think of ways I could participate in this promotion and share the love!

Host A Neighborhood Girls Night Out!

On Thursday, February 4, the ladies in my neighborhood held our monthly Pokeno Night at one of my neighbor’s home.  I have been participating in this event for over ten years now!  It’s a chance for us to get together without kids to eat snacks, talk about what’s going in in our lives and play Pokeno, a game similar to Bingo. We take turns hosting each month and usually follow a holiday theme for the food and decorations. You can plan your own party! I have friends who get together for a monthly Bunco or Movie Night or just have an annual #GirlsNightOut. For this party my friend who hosted offered delicious Tomato Basil Soup along with cheese & crackers and homemade Valentine’s Day cookies. I brought a bottle of Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon and Ghirardelli Valentine Chocolates to share with my friends. The Red Wine went perfect with the individual wrapped chocolate squares, including dark chocolate with strawberry, milk chocolate, and dark chocolate.

Create A Valentine’s Day Gift Box For A College Student!

My youngest daughter, Sara, is a Freshman at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi. Last Friday, February 5, we spent the day together in Memphis. It was great to see her again and we had a wonderful dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, The Cheesecake Factory! Before she left to drive back to Mississippi, I gave her a Valentine’s Day Gift Box complete with individually wrapped Ghirardelli Valentine’s Chocolates she can share with her dorm mates. I also included movie sized boxes of non-chocolate candy along with microwave popcorn, homemade Valentine’s cookies, a heart shaped photo holder and a card from her grandmother containing cash! Everything was placed inside a red Hallmark medium sized gift box with red shredded tissue paper and tied with a red ribbon. All of these items can be purchased at your local Walmart and will make the day for your special student!

Assemble A Wine & Chocolate Package!

My oldest daughter, Lauren, is 23 year old, a recent college graduate and lives and works in Boston, Massachusetts. She has several friends who also live in this area and they like to socialize on the weekends. I assembled a group of items that she can serve at her next party! I bought a bottle of Josh Cellars Chardonnay Wine along with a box of Ghirardelli Chocolate Valentine’s Impressions Milk & Dark Chocolate and Milk & White Chocolate Squares. I added a “How To Host A Wine Tasting Party” book to complete the package. You can also include wine glasses, decorative wine charms and Valentine’s Day napkins to add to the festive theme. Most of these items can be purchased at your Walmart Store. To locate the nearest retailer that offers Josh Cellars Wines in your area, just click on their website and enter the zip code of the location you wish to purchase the wine.

Stop By Shop My Closet On Thursday, February 11!

I volunteer for the charitable resale boutique, Shop My Closet, located at 14810 Cantrell Road in Little Rock, Arkansas. You can read more about this great organization in my Shop My Closet blog post published on August 26, 2015. This Wine & Chocolate Tasting Girl’s Night Out event will feature complimentary Josh Cellars Wine and Ghirardelli Chocolates along wtih a chance to win a $75.00 American Express pre-paid gift card. The gift card winner will be chosen during a random drawing at the store that evening.

In addition, you can enter a drawing for another $75.00 American Express pre-paid gift card. You have to be at least 18 years old and live in the United States to be eligible for the drawing and the online giveaway.  Each winner will be mailed the gift cards directly by the sponsor, Ghirardelli Chocolate, after February 15, 2016.

Leslie Smith Doan, a native Arkansan, is a retired Technical Writer and
active blogger. She enjoys traveling and attending special events with
her two daughters, ages 23 & 18. Leslie lives in Little Rock with
her two rescue pets, Oreo, a black & white Australian Shepherd and
Lilly, a calico kitty. She blogs about her personal experiences as both a
cancer survivor and widow along with movie reviews and humorous
essays.You can find Leslie online at her blog, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.