Valentine's Day

I have realized something about myself.  I don't do much for holidays other than Christmas.  I don't decorate, I don't do stuff with the children, I don't do stuff for Kent.  I think to myself that it would be fun to do things, but then the day arrives and I haven't put my thoughts into action.

So this year, I am trying to do a bit more.  I'm not going crazy to try and compensate for years past, but instead do just a little something concrete.  Here are the efforts and end results of this year's Valentine's Day.

Martha Stewart has these cute hearts hanging in front of a window.  They are made with crayons and wax paper, both of which I have on hand, so last week I gathered the children to the kitchen counter and had them sharpen crayons.  Once we had lots of little crayon shavings, we folded the wax paper in half with the shavings inside, then ironed them.  The shavings melt creating these wonderful, bright opaque colors.  We cut hearts from the paper, and because I am not nearly as fancy as Martha, we just taped ours to the sliding glass door.  I am happy to report that the children stuck with this little project until almost the end, helping sharpen and iron (under my very watchful eye) and cut and stick.  And they were thrilled to show Kent and Grandma Merlynn and Grandma Sue and various neighbors our hearts, pointing out which ones they were responsible for making.  Wonderful!

As sugar cookies are my favorites, nary a holiday passes that we don't make and decorate cut out cookies.  For family home evening on Monday, we all made cookies.  The children helped roll out and cut the dough, but they did no frosting.  They were too busy eating.  Do I need to confess that I have eaten the bulk of the finished product?  No?  Good.  I won't then.

Sometimes, as I am surfing the net, I come across cute projects that seem easy and doable, and although I am not a crafty/artsy sort of person, I fall prey to the charms of the thing's cuteness and say boldly to myself, "I could do that!  It would be fun!  The children would love it!" and I over enthusiastically (because I certainly have an over abundance of enthusiasm) launch in.  The above hearts are just such an example.  I needed a bunch of broken crayons, which I have, and a heart shaped mold, which I also have.  The web site had a cute little tag I could print off, and I thought these would be great to give out to Brandt's class.  I cut up crayons, I had the children help fill the molds, and I had them help assemble the bags.  They are cute, but it was far more time consuming making 50+ crayon hearts than say buying a bag of suckers and taping them to the purchased Valentines.  Ah, live and learn.  Poor Blythe will likely never have anything cute to take anywhere because she is my second child.

Brandt came out of school (along with all the other kindergarteners) wearing this darling heart.  There is a poem attached that says:

There's a Valentine

Standing at your door.

I'm one of a kind;

You can't buy me at a store.

I have something for you

That you won't want to miss.

Just pucker up

And give me a

GREAT BIG KISS!!!

I complied.  

Lots of times.

Brandt came home with a tremendous Valentine's Day haul.  He had lots of candy that he tore into.  Blythe looked forlornly at all that sugary goodness and said, "Mom, I want a candy."  Brandt kindly shared.  Eventually I gathered up the remainders and put them up on the ledge above the kitchen sink, hoping I could pace the children a bit.  Brandt cleverly used his pirate sword to scoot the candy off the ledge so he could continue to enjoy, always when I was out of the room.  I have found candy wrappers all over the house.

Kent and I try judiciously to avoid the commercialization of our love, so I got nothing for him and he got nothing for me.  He did, however, agree to pick up heart shaped pizza at Papa Murphy's so I wouldn't have to cook (I was going to make pizza, but it is easier to have it pre-made for you), and I made heart-shaped fruit salad.  Cute, huh? 

On a day when we honor love, I will confess that I love my Kent, I love my Brandt, and I love my Blythe.  They are my bestest people, my very favorites, and I am a lucky woman to have them.  I love lots of other people too, family and friends alike, and recognize how blessed I am in my associations with others.  I feel rich to have so many who love me too, especially Kent who has linked himself to me for eternity.  He makes me a better person, accepting me, loving me, desiring me.  

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."  Antoine de Saint-Exupery.  From one of my favorite books ever, The Little Prince.  

Happy Valentine's Day.