Love Letters

There must be millions of people all over the world 

who never get any love letters... 

I could be their leader.  

~Charlie Brown

Written any love letters lately?  I found these in the $1 bins at Target on Monday.

The package contained eight (approximately) 10 inch by 10 inch Valentines plus 8 heart shaped stickers.

I thought they were sweet and cute, and a really simple, neat idea.  Best of all, these would be so easy to create on your own (using pink construction paper or any number of cute scrapbook papers).


Step 1. Turn the paper over to the white side (or whatever side you want to use to write your note) and write something sweet and maybe even romantic (depending, of course, on exactly how you feel about your Valentine).

I kept mine strictly G-rated.  Later I decided I should have written "You have my heart."

2.  Then, turn your Valentine upside down (this one is minus the message) and fold one side in, like this

3.  Fold the other side in

4.  Fold the bottom (which is actually the top of the heart) up. Now you can see your envelope taking shape.

5.  Fold the top down to create the flap of your envelope and add a cute heart-shaped sticker to complete.

Who wouldn't love this sweet envelope with an even sweeter message inside for Valentine's Day or any day?  

Love Week** Nears

1 CORINTHIANS 13 FOR KIDS

If I speak beautifully and can sing like an angel, but don’t love others,

I sound like a child banging on a piano or a screeching radio.

If I am smart, almost a genius, if I can figure out the hardest math problems and understand sentence diagrams, but don’t love others, I am nothing.

Love will stand in line and wait its turn.

Love looks for the good in others.

Love doesn’t always want what others have and doesn’t brag about what it does have.

Love is polite, even when the other person is rude.

Love doesn’t always have to be first.

Love doesn’t get angry over the small things and it doesn’t remember one reason after another to be hurt.

Love isn’t happy when someone else fails but is happy with the truth.

Love always protects others, especially those who are picked on or teased.

Love always believes the best about others and is steady and true. Love never gives up.  

Preaching will someday stop, so will speeches.  Knowledge will come to end.  Today we only know part of what there is to know. We can preach and speak only with a small part of understanding, but when perfection comes then what is imperfect will go away.

Now I am young and so I talk and think and speak like a child.  When I become an adult I will put childish ways behind me.  Now we see only a poor reflection, like in a mirror, then we will see face to face.  Now I only know part of what there is to know; then I will know fully and will be fully known.

Only 3 things really matter in life:

Faith, Hope and Love

But the greatest of these is LOVE. 

*From the NIrV Adventure Bible for Young Readers

To print out a copy, go  here.
** Read more about Love Week here.

St. Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

More than 140 million Valentine's Day cards will be sent and received today.   Count me among the enthusiastic senders (and, hopefully recipients). 

When my children were younger I loved having them create their own cards -- I'm more practical these days and am happy when they can settle upon a store bought type that they actually feel reflects their personalities.  

In our house I have a "clothes line for cards" (for lack of a better term) that hangs in our kitchen window.  

The card line, after my son's recent birthday

The card line has these great suction feet that allow me to put it up anywhere, but the kitchen window allows for maximum family enjoyment.

Just prior to a family member's birthday, the card line appears with photos from previous years' celebrations.  Then, Birthday cards are pinned there during and following those special occasions.  

But during Love Week, the line is reserved just for declarations of devotion, from grandparents, extended family and one another.  It's a happy reminder of our attachment to others in the world.  

I purchased my "card line" at the Hallmark store eons ago but recently found a similar item (except it's vertical) via another blog.  Alternately, you could make one yourself.  Here are the directions.  

I think it's  safe to say that our card line is a very own banner of love.  

Conversation Hearts

What the hollow chocolate rabbit is to Easter, the conversation heart, sometimes called the sweetheart, is to Valentine's Day.   They are ubiquitous (and how often can you use that word?) and the quintessential Valentine's candy. 

I am not a conversation heart connoisseur, but I have it on good authority that the Necco conversation heart is the best, less powdery and just the right amount of sweet.  I must admit, I wish they tasted a bit more like their candy cousin, and my childhood favorite, the Necco Wafer (makes the best gingerbread house roof, ever!).

Still, I've been known to consume just a few of the 8 billion lovely sugar confections, with their irresistible catchphrases, that are produced each year. That 's why I was delighted to find the individual-size packages, in addition to the boxes, on the drugstore aisle.  

 Let's hear it for portion control!  

I also found this cute item -

That comes with all of this -

And makes 24 of these -

Of course, if you're not into candy or crafts, you can always use them to decorate!

Love Potion

Because my husband and I met on the 11th of February, we've always celebrated that day more than Valentine's Day.  Dinner reservations are more easily made and flowers are not quite so expensive (as they are just a few days later).


Still, I've always loved Valentine's Day -- replete with hearts, cupids, red and pink.  What's a girl not to love? Consequently, for years I agreed to be the Valentine's Party mom for my children's classrooms, providing the snacks and drinks. I looked forward to creating one of my (and crowd pleasing) favorites -  Love Potion, using dry ice.  

This punch bowl is not pink, but some reason (can you say Love Week?) it photographed that way!

I use this big plastic punch bowl I purchased inexpensively at a party store (I never attempted Love Potion in  a glass punch bowl.  I don't own one and toting this one to class parties was much simpler).  

Early on I made fancy multi-ingredient punches.  But after two or three parties, I realized pink lemonade works just as well because the dry ice gets all the attention any way.


Here are some easy to follow instructions for using dry ice and a container in a container.  You can also Google it for additional ideas.  I put my dry ice in a (new) knee high stocking so that I don't have to worry about the kids swallowing any small pieces.  I also create tiny, tiny holes in the stocking so it doesn't float.    Don't forget to use heavy duty gloves for this task -- they are key to the safe handling of the dry ice. 

This is always a HUGE hit with the kids. They are used to seeing a bubbling cauldron at Halloween but a Love Potion at Valentine's Day -- now that's a surprise. 

A Sweet Valentine's Day Treat

Valentine's Day is such a great holiday -- you can express your love for anyone and everyone regardless of the intensity or depth of your emotions.  It could be a passionate love that will last forever,  a Sally Field Oscar moment ("really, really like"), or just someone whose talents and abilites (like a gifted teacher) you appreciate.  

I plan to write more about Valentine's Day (and our family's LOVE week) in the next few days, but right now I wanted to share a cute, super easy recipe that I found on The Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen website.

They are called Valentine's Day Buttons

Just 3 simple ingredients:

Pretzel Snaps

white or pink melting disks (I used white, because the pink ones reminded me of Pepto Bismal)

and red or pink chocolate candies (I removed the white later, when I realized they wouldn't show up against the white melting disks)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Place pretzels on baking sheet (pretty side up).  Place melting disk on each one.  

I know.  I need a new cookie sheet

Place in oven for just 2 minutes. Remove and place one chocolate candy on to the center of each disk.  This could easily be a two person job - one person to put the candy on and another to push down a bit to really get the candy in place. Either that or don't make too many at a time -- otherwise you are rushing to finish before the disks set.   Place your cookie sheet in a cool place (I used my refrigerator)  to set. 

 The finished product.  My future as a food stylist in doubt, trust me when I say these are so much cuter than my photography skills do justice.  

Now you can share these with your kids (wouldn't they be a fun lunchbox surprise?), your kids' friends, a teacher or just anybody.  They would also make a great party treat or favor.  Maybe you could even have a few yourself. 

I plan to put mine in these cute little bowls I found for 99 cents at my local craft store and share with some special friends.