just for fun--Vday follow up

State of the Valentine Address

9:03 PMHeather

For those inquiring minds (and I am sure that both of you that read this blog have stayed up nights wondering after reading my post "Can't buy me love")....My Valentine plan WORKED! I love it when a plan comes together!!! And, since I had made my intentions known to the world at large via the world wide web, I felt the need to be a woman of my word. So, I was determined, whether snow or sleet (not likely in Texas).. hail or tornado (yes, both during Valentine's week)...or even a great grandma whose need for stitches turned into a need for a ventilator (albeit briefly and boy, did she fuss at the doctor who put that tube down her throat).

I did, indeed, create my own fabulous chair back baskets--without the creepy owl eyes staring at you. I personally think Pottery Barn might want to place a patent on my idea. After all, the hearts are removable and you can switch out the holiday decor! Okay, maybe not, but here's a glimpse.

The whole grandma-in-the-hospital-thing threatened to kill this plan, and I pictured pulling an all-nighter in order to get these done....but I was able to get them knocked out without the need for a sleepless night. Our children awoke on Valentine morn to find these little gems attached to their chairs, with candy and love notes from mom and dad. (Even if one child gave the candy back because he didn't like that kind). Of course, we missed the magical moment because everyone here knows that mom and dad sleep in on Saturdays.

The kids loved the heart-shaped pancakes, and it didn't hurt that they were chocolate chip.
(note to reader: please don't look too closely at this little sweetie's nose...allergies are the thorn in her side)

Because Great-grandma was in the hospital, my in-laws had flown into town for the weekend. This only made the day better for everyone, and we got to eat lunch together (except great-grandma who was still in ICU). I wasn't even too bummed that I had overnighted the in-law's Valentines to them, which arrived while they were here. My husband must have caught the Valentine bug, because he surprised me, our daughter, his mom, and his grandma with roses. Oh la la!

I did go with the heart-shaped meatloaf idea for dinner. It tasted yummy, and was festive--even if maybe it did remind me of my bloody Valentine. Any feedback here?
After dinner, we surprised our kids with the Scavenger Hunt, sending them all over the house to find the basket of goodies (a basket with heart-shaped holes, nonetheless!).

Hmm....can you tell WHICH child likes to pretend he's not interested? (I don't allow myself to believe he's really NOT interested).

(See? You see the smile on his face...I know you agree with me--he really does like all this stuff. Especially when it involves goodies and gifts).

And, just when the kids thought the fun was over--we did our "love posters." I took 12"x 12" scrapbook paper, and used alphabet letters to spell our each family member's name on a separate sheet of paper. With colored markers, we wrote on each paper, telling what we loved about that person. Yes, the squabbling brothers had to work at this, but hey--so what if what they love about the other is that coveted toy? (just kidding).

I plan to frame these pages and hang them in our house. There you go--a meaningful and budget conscious decorating idea. It's like a bonus blog.


Last but not least, YES, I did our "Love Chart." We award heart stickers when each child displays a different characteristic of love from 1 Corinthians 13. In fact, the chart is still going. It's such a hit, we decided to keep it going for a while.
Because I had it laminated, I can remove the stickers, and simply roll it up and reuse it next year.

The whole planning and implementing was a lot of fun for ME. I loved doing something for the kids that makes me feel like the kind of mom I WANT to be. I think I may be on a roll here....I'm mulling over Saint Patrick's Day ideas.... Hmmm.......
green chocolate chip pancakes in a shamrock shape?

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