Lovely Day

We had a full day of fun around our house for Valentines day.
The kids woke up to treats awaiting them on the table. And after they got their school work done, we had a couple of friends over to celebrate with LOTS of treats.
The kids gave their friends the valentine cards they worked so hard on, played hard and the moms got to enjoy a bit of company and coffee. That's a good afternoon.

Then, we moved onto our second celebration. While the kiddos napped, I got the table set, dipped the strawberries, spruced up our cheesecake with toppings, and threw a salad together.

 I really wanted to make a cheesecake for my husband's birthday "cake" but wasn't going to have time so I bought a plain one from the store, added caramel, melted dark chocolate and some strawberries that I cut into hearts.

Not too shabby.

Strawberries drizzled in dark chocolate have been apart of our Valentines dinner from the beginning....and why shouldn't they be.

Add the salad, the pizza, the fancy glasses filled with root beer, 4 very excited kiddos and you have yourself one special candlelit dinner to be remembered. :)

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
1 Cor. 13:4-7

Hope you had a wonderful Valentines Day celebrating those that you love and showing love to those you may not know.
Have a wonderful weekend!
-Jenny

Happy Valentines Day!

We started off our morning with some surprise treats! My sweet mom always had a little something waiting for us on the table Valentine's day morning. I remember it very well. She made us cards and had fun little treats picked out just for us. It meant so much to me and I still remember it fondly.

So....I am keeping the tradition alive with my little ones. They already look forward to it and remember the years past. :)
We don't spend a lot of money on things. I filled their bags with some things that they love and use often; glitter glue, paint by number kit, coloring book...things like that and all found in the dollar bins at Target. Oh, and of course, chocolate!
I also make them each a special card, which honestly, always seems to be the one thing they hang onto.

I always enjoy making their cards and thinking of ways to make them special and personal for each one.

I covered the table with white paper and added some hearts and a hand written message. It looks nice now and they can draw on it later! And we have a fun little centerpiece that is holding our plates, napkins, and treats for a little Valentine play date this afternoon.

After that, we'll gear up for our family Valentine & Birthday dinner tonight! It's party, party around here today!

Happy Birthday to the most amazing husband and daddy! I love this man a TON!

And a Happy Valentines Day to all of you!

-Jenny

DiY Bucket of Love

Valentine’s Day is here! First, I must say that yesterday was my 7 year anniversary and I am so so so very blessed to celebrate the time I’ve had with my hubbs. He is truly an amazing man that teaches me more then he’ll ever know. I love that man! And just for fun here is a pic of us 7 years ago.

But Valentine’s Day can be fun for the whole family. Cause I know you all cannot get enough of your little loves. So, here is a fun idea for a Valentine’s Day bucket of goodies for your little bit. I picked up the buckets, play dough, sunglasses, crayons and markers at the Target dollar spot and the stickers and balloon at the Dollar Tree. Of course we had to make a bucket for our buddy Jens so she and Key each got one full of these goodies. Total cost about $8.

And don’t forget daddy needs a little love from his littles too. We did hand prints with finger paint to make his valentine. Cut it out and put a little fun saying on the back. Of course Keylee “signed” her name to make it a little extra special!

Remember to celebrate those you love throughout the year and make sure they all know how very special they are to you. And if you get a chance to show a stranger, neighbor, or a clerk at a store a little love today do that as well. Everyone loves chocolate!

Happy Valentine’s Day to you all!

Daspri

Special Valentine Dinner-Celebrating with Kids

We don't go out on Valentine's Day anymore. We stay in and have a special dinner with our kids. It's so crowded to go out anymore. (wow, I sound old) And this day is about showing love to those in your life, right? I want to celebrate with my kids whom I adore.
Some sweet friends of ours have a big Valentine's Day feast for their family. They dress up and they serve their children. They really go all out. And one day, when my kids are a bit bigger, I would like to take our dinner up a notch but for now, it's pizza!
Not just any ole' pizza though. We eat heart shaped pizzas, drink rootbeer from fancy glasses, and enjoy chocolate covered strawberries and another special dessert in honor of my husband's birthday (which is also on this day!).
And......we do all of this at a nicely set table and candle light! That is my kiddos favorite part, the candlelight. They love it!

So, break out your fancy dishes (what are you saving them for anyway?), your table cloth, and your candles and celebrate with the one's you love!

Happy Valentines Day!!
-Jenny

Last Minute Valentine Idea-DiY

Yes, I know that Valentine's Day is tomorrow and yes, I am still working on making Valentine's for people. I have good intentions of getting a head start on things lately, but last minute just seems to be the nature of my life right now.
So.....I go with it.

 Adults can make and give Valentines too.
That's right, these are not for my kiddos or their friends....they are for my friends.

 All you need is:

large paint swatches

your favorite chapstick (one of mine is YES to Carrots)

washi tape

fine tip sharpie

scissors

You simply fold the swatch in half length wise (with the color on the inside of the fold). Then cut 2 slits (while folded).

Unfold, apply your washi tape, write your cheesy message, and slide the chapstick in!

I have Berry flavored and Mint flavored chapstick so my messages say:

"Our friendship was MINT to be"

"You and I were MINT to be friends"

"so BERRY glad we're friends"

I know, but I couldn't resist. :)

Enjoy!

-Jenny

DiY Valentine Fun For Kids

Daspri shared a fun DiY Valentine idea for little ones earlier this week. Now, I would like to share some more!
I love the cute valentine card ideas that I see everywhere for kids but I also really love to see what they come up with on their very own. I have some pretty creative kiddos and I love to find ways to encourage that in them when I can.

 So, we had a little Valentine card making party yesterday afternoon. While they were napping I got out all of the supplies for them; glue, scissors, scrap paper, card stock circles in bright colors, craft sticks, markers, colored pencils, heart stickers, red and pink cards, and their glitter paints. We do it up right around here!

 

I divided up some of the supplies and made them each their own little art station. The rest of the supplies were for all to share.

These little hearts were actually part of the rainbow garland I made for Baby Girl's rainbow birthday last year. I love recycling our supplies! And there's that lovely stitching that I love so much.

I gave them a few suggestions of what they could do and let them go. I absolutely love seeing their creative minds at work, as well as their big hearts. They love making things for people and they really put thought into each piece making it personal for each of their loved ones. Makes my heart happy and my mouth smile. :)

 I love what they did with the craft sticks! In case you were wondering, this beauty in the pink dress and the golden crown is me. :)

They made everything from princesses to ninjas.
Unfortunately, we waited a bit late to make these for some of our out of town friends to get them in time, but they will get them and hopefully feel all of the love that was put into making them.

What special things do you make/do with you kids for Valentines Day?

 -Jenny

DiY Manly Bouquet

It’s fun to find stuff to give or make for men. They aren’t always the easiest to buy or make for. Why not a man bouquet?

You need:

Pack of new socks (main was 5 pair, so 10 socks)
Small wooden dowels (as many dowels as you have socks)
Green paint and brush
Straight pins
A vase or jar (something you probably already have around the house)
Some rocks or filler

1.      Paint your dowels green and let dry (I used a floral foam block to hold mine).

2.      Fill vase with rocks or filler.

3.      Fold sock in half the full length and fold heal over to make a basically straight line.

4.      Put dowel on toe end and fold toe over onto dowel making sure it is tight and will hold.

5.      Roll entire sock onto dowel, pin, and place in vase.

Turns out pretty cute and what man doesn’t like something practical.

Inspiration: 
Valentine for Him

Enjoy!
Daspri