And The Christmas Challenge is really meant to also cover all our gifts for the year including birthdays and special occasions.
Possibly not everyone celebrates Valentines Day. I do as basically my motto is if it is good and sweet I'm in. And yes we should do lovely things for those we love all the time but an extra push never hurts!
Also somehow my celebrations have expanded. Once I would have wanted to do something romantic but now I think of sending pretty little things to friends, making heart shaped cakes for the girls as little gifts and it being a day of sweet tokens of affection. Maybe some romance as well!
Once before I wrote about Valentines Day and how I read on a forum about a woman who was saying it was her and her husbands anniversary and she had no money so they could not celebrate. I thought that was terrible as you do not need money to celebrate! That infuriates me! Hello! A little effort goes a long way!
For a situation like that I would say why not write your husband a letter or list the things that you appreciate about him? Seriously, take time and write them down. If you have a hard working, honest and kind husband you have a lot to be thankful for. Many men work so hard and without many thanks. If you were to write in a card I really love and appreciate the way you..." and fill this in from the bottom of your heart, seal it up and tie a ribbon around it... I pretty much guarantee he will think this is the best thing ever. He might cry. In a good way!
Or make a special dinner, light candles or bake a heart shaped cake for desert. Truly it is not important about the money!
One of my successes was during the day I set up a table for two that looked really nice out in our yard. It did involve dragging outside lots of things but it looked lovely! I baked a brie in puff pastry and served it with a salad and made heart shaped pavlovas for desert. But as soon as Andy came home from work he saw the table and candles etc outside he knew it was a special dinner. He knew how much trouble I had gone to! He loved it!
In my opinion the tougher men are on the outside the mushier they are on the inside. They see what you did for them and know how much trouble you went to. That touches their heart.
One time years ago I had a friend who completely forgot it was her wedding anniversary. Did nothing. Her husband was a fisherman and out at sea. He was due back in several hours. She was stuck. I suggested we go down to the warf and find his car.... and we took red lipstick and covered the car with kisses. (Side note... we looked like idiots doing this and got a few looks) HOWEVER when he came back everyone saw his car covered in lipstick kisses. I did worry he wouldn't like the lipstick on his car but no it was a massive success. He loved it! He left that lipstick on his car for about two weeks so other people could see it! And that went down as a best anniversary ever!
So really a little imaginations, a little effort, a little fun mean more than money.
This year I have small gifts for a few friends. I am making a heart shaped pink friendship card to send to my friend in the nursing home. And I will decorate the envelope so it looks exciting on arrival!
I am making heart shaped powder puffs! I have six made so far...
And heart shaped soaps. These are my first soaps of the year! They were a simple melt and pour soap that Helen gave me for my birthday. All I had to do was add colour and I put dried rose buds in them... but they worked out really well!
During the week I am making two other types of soap and then will do a post that should contain a method of soap that anyone will feel happy to try at home. So if you have always thought about soap making this is it! So gather things to use as your moulds.
I am big on heart shaped food. Other Valentines Days on work days I have sent heart shaped scones, biscuits, sandwiches etc in lunch boxes. I've made heart shaped pancakes fro breakfast...
This year I am making a heart shaped chocolate brownie, tying it up with a red bow and adding a card. I will present it still warm with a bowl of strawberries and cream. Done.
Andy will love it! Plus left over brownies will go in his lunch box all week! Bonus!
If you are in Australia Adriano Zumbo and Donna Hay both have fool proof stunning brownie mixes that are beautiful. I don't normally use a packet mix for anything but I do this as I ate one out and asked for the recipe and this was it! But it is so good and makes a beautiful gift.
So they are my little plans to make a couple of people feel special for Valentines Day and you certainly don't need to spend a lot of money to do it!
A little effort to show your love and appreciation of someone is never a bad thing.
If you have ideas please share! We can get through another occasion without blowing the budget and mainly making our own gifts!
Have a really good week. We have lovely weather and I am painting, making soap, shopping and learning all about Aldi!
See you Wednesday to update on The Vicky Challenge! xxx
Dear Annabel, I completely agree that effort means more than money. I told you that for my husband's birthday, I cooked his favorite meals all day and baked his favorite cake. He loved this. I told him I felt bad for not buying him anything, but he told me that was ridiculous. Really, I don't think I could have done any better than what I did, and it turned out to be a very nice day for both of us. I am the same way- take me on a picnic and I'll be happy! Sometimes for a date we will get an inexpensive ice-cream cone and go to the city park. We race down the slide, he pushes me on the swing, etc. Yes, we get some looks but we have the best time and it's nearly free.
ReplyDeleteI also think heart-shaped things are special. It's those extra things that make people feel pampered and cared for. I am going to keep my eye out after Valentine's day for the sales. So many of the "decorations" could be used for Anniversaries and special romantic occasions.
I will be looking forward to your soap-making tutorial. I ordered my rose shaped moulds and they arrived yesterday. I also went to a garage sale at the last minute when the people were about to pack up and got fifteen small terracotta pots! These will be perfect for gifts.
Have a fun and productive week, Annabel! With love, Kelsey
Dear Kelsey, You reminded me of picnics! A Valentines Day post needs picnics mentioned. That is a great way to do a romantic dinner plus outing all in one. I love picnics.
DeleteI should have three ways to make soap up next week! You will love making soap as it looks so good for presents and is useful.
So glad about the pots! They have all sorts of potential! Well done, you have the best finds!
Have a good week. Look at everything as potential soap moulds i.e. cartons and packaging etc! With love Annabel.xxx
I am going to form some heart shapes out of bacon for my husband on Valentine's Day. Nothing says love like bacon!
ReplyDeleteTrue. True here also! That is a good man gift! xxx
DeleteBeautiful post Annabel, hope Andy knows how lucky he is. The powder puffs are scrumptious. I don't know about melt and pour soaps but they look great with the roses inside. The soap I make is the cold pressed soap and it's delicious to wash with. Have a great week. Fi x
ReplyDeleteDear Fiona,
DeleteI am on to cold pressed soap this afternoon after shopping. I haven't made it in years. But Im excited. My plan is to have three methods for everyone to try and get confident maybe by starting on one and working through them. So that way all the ladies who have been saying they have always wanted to make soap but haven't quite been game with get going. Once you start its a bit addictive! Your soap is beautiful. I hope your shoulder lets you get back to all these kinds of things soon. Have a good week, with love, Annabel.xxx
Everything is lovely Annabel! The soaps, the pancakes and oh my gosh, the powder puffs! The red is divine! On the agenda here for Valentines Day, is pan fried toast with a heart cutout with an egg cracked into the heart shaped hole, heart shaped cupcakes, and a long soak in a tub full of bubbles made with your bubble bath recipe we used last week. A few rose petals sprinkled over a candlelit dinner table, with more rose petals sprinkled over a pretty pink dessert, and we'll be very happy. I hope you get spoilt. You spoil everyone else, so you deserve it. Mimi xxx
ReplyDeleteAnnabel,
ReplyDeleteAll the thnings you make look truly scrumptious and luxurious. I love that red powder puff! Thanks for the lovely ideas for Valentine's Day! I hope to make chocolates that I didn't have time to make at Christmas for my girls and hubby. I have written "messages" on the tops of homemade chocs with simple icing sugar/vanilla icing, spelling out "Be Mine" or "I Love You" and leaving them to be discovered at breakfast time, in years past. This year my husband and I will be watching "Chocolat" in the evening, as my oldest gave me the movie for Christmas. Lots of fun!
xx Jen in NS
Dear Jen, I love your ideas and that you do things for your hubby and daughters. I bet they love it!
DeleteA movie night sounds lovely too! With love Annabel.xxx
Sounds lovely! Chocolat is on my to watch list, I'll have to see if my library have it :)
DeleteHere are my little gifties for Valentine's Day. Last week I made chocolate fudge sprinkled with crushed peppermint (ingredients all purchased on Christmas specials). I then cut the fudge with a small heart shaped cookie cutter. I have this ready in the freezer. This week I am baking heart shaped cakelets in my Nordic Ware pan. Those will be covered in pale pink icing and decorated with red glitter frosting. I have plastic containers that I have been saving from purchasing croissants on bakery markdown. Each container will be lined with red heart shaped doilies and filled with cakelets and fudge then tied with red or pink tulle (purchased with a 40% off coupon). I'll also attach a (repro) vintage Valentine card to the top. I'm making these for friends and family. Also for my sons I am giving them $5 bills folded into hearts (actually my husband is doing the folding) and for daughter I have a miniature stuffed panda bear holding a paper heart (purchased last month on sale as a Christmas item but with a handmade heart it's a Valentine stuffie). For husband I'll bake his favorite pineapple cake just for him. I have plans to make a heart shaped pizza for supper and heart shaped gingerbread cookies. That's it. Nothing expensive really just taking some time to make things special.
ReplyDeleteGinger
Dear Ginger,
DeleteBeautiful ideas. I especially love the red and pink tulle and the heart shaped doilies.Please take photos as the idea sounds so lovely!
And a heart shaped pizza! I love that! Well I love everything. You have given me heaps of ideas and everyone reading I think! With love Annabel.xxx
Lovely ideas, Annabel!
ReplyDeleteI got two heart shaped glass dishes at our dollar store and I'm going to make homemade truffles to put in them for my mom and MIL. I've also been making notepads for friends (really easy, cute, and inexpensive!) Also making pyjama bottoms for my children.
Dear Jenn,
DeleteIt is so sweet you are making pyjamas for the children plus something for your Mum and MIL. I love occasions. Its kind of an excuse to do the sweetest things.
Remember to take photos! With love Annabel.xxx
My younger son turns 15 this week so I have his birthday as well as Valentine's day. We always invite lots of family and friends to birthday parties. I have been buying ingredients for his party foods on and off the past few weeks. Husband and boys will butcher a hog this week for me to BBQ. I'm also making potato salad, layered dip, baked beans, and BBQ sauce. And my friends and family always bring more food!! Cause we dont ever want to risk running out of food. LOL! For his cake he requested a brownie. So I am making a three layer salted caramel fudge brownie and buying vanilla ice cream. He wanted clothes for his presents. I did really well with that. I shopped Old Navy and purchased winter markdowns and used a $30 off coupon. I got him a $100 wool coat for $12, $50 baseball jacket for $6, $36 flannel shirt for $7, $10 tee for .97, and $36 pants for $9. He likes comic type items so I bought him an Avengers fleece blanket after Christmas marked down from $15 to $3. I just need to come up with an inexpensive way to wrap everything. I may wrap it all as one big present inside the fleece blanket. I feel good about the savings here and that we can have everyone come over to celebrate with us. Ginger
ReplyDeleteDear Ginger,
DeleteYour place sounds lovely and full of family and friends and good food!
Feel free to show pics and this Brownie recipe. Brownies are not really something I had ever tried until recent years. Salted caramel sounds amazing!
You got amazing deals! I hope your son is really happy with everything and has a great birthday. It sounds guaranteed actually!
With love Annabel.xxx
I do cold pressed soap as well, Annabel and have been trying out the room temperature method lately where you don't heat the oils. The melt and our soap looks lovely I must say. I do hope Andy realises how fortunate he is to have a generous wife like you. :-)
ReplyDeleteDear Nanna Chel, It was your posts last year that made me decide to get going and also Wendy starting up. One lot of soap I will just link to you for the instructions as I have followed your links and tips. Thank you!
DeleteMore soap making tomorrow. I am loving it! With love Annabel.xxx
Lovely heart shaped gifts you've made Annabel! 💝
ReplyDeleteThanks Maria! I love heart shaped anything! xxx
DeleteAnnabel, your powder puffs are absolutely gorgeous. Yes as you say its the simple things in life that count and can make a difference. You did an extremely good job of making the melt and pour soaps. Love them. I have some soap supplies in a cupboard. Must get onto this during the week. Love Christine
ReplyDeleteDear Christine,
DeleteThank you! If you have soap making supplies you are set. I really love using things we have on hand to make gifts and useful things. Also making it now it will be really hard and excellent to give at Christmas and alter in the year. I made more today (with lye) and tomorrow am making another kind as well. So far so good! With love Annabel.xxx
It's so true - doing something meaningful really impresses.
ReplyDeleteSome years ago now, my son was trying to come up with ideas for Valentines Day for his new girlfriend. Being at uni, he had no money, so planned a picnic, unfortunately, it rained for the week beforehand, so he scrapped that idea. He asked if we might go out for the evening so he could prepare dinner for his girlfriend. It was nothing extravagant, salad and min pavlovas with fruit for dessert. The thing that made it really special was the rose petals he'd gathered from all the relative's gardens - they were spread all the way from the front door to the candlelit dining room!
It must have worked as we now have a wonderful daughter in law and 2 gorgeous grandchildren.
Janine
Dear Janine, I would call that a success story! How gorgeous! I love a story with a happy ending! Truly effort and care shown speaks volumes! It is not token it is real. I love that!
DeleteThis made me smile so much! it is exactly what I mean, just beautiful! Thank you! With love Annabel.xxx
Oh Annabel I love the lipstick kisses on the car! I've left a kiss or two on the bathroom mirror in my time, but never the car - wonder how they'd go down on the work van?
ReplyDeleteWe don't spend money on our Valetines gifts to each other, we have to find something special that doesn't cost anything. Last year I found a beautiful pink rose next to my coffee mug at breakfast time and Wayne came home to his favourite dessert of lemon meringue pie and ice-cream, single serve size, just for him. Not sure what we'll do this year but it won't cost us anything.
I've always left little presents for the kids. I used to pack them in their lunchboxes, now they're grown up I leave them on their pillows. Small things like fudge or a special cup cake just for them.
I can't wait to see how your soap turns out. Wendy has lent me her pretty moulds so I'll be making soap this week too so I can give them back to her on Friday.
Dear Cath,
DeleteThe mirror! Messages on the mirror too plus kisses! Very sweet.
I love lemon meringue pie so that would make me very happy too.
I also love that you do presents for the kids and even now they are grown. We are all soft hearted and never really grow up. It means a lot!
One lot of soap is from your website and I will link to it when I post the pictures. I am trying to give options so that anyone who has been thinking of making soap will take the leap and just do it. It is really fun. Very good for gifts and to keep as spares.
I am very much looking forward to Friday night and Aldi. I have had two catalogues in the mail and signed up for emails too. The prices in the catalogues are wonderful.
With love Annabel.xxx
What delightful gift ideas! I am inspired to make Valentine's Day extra special for my husband. So far I found an amazing vintage tin (that he will absolutely love) in a second-hand shop for 25 cents that will be the "gift wrap" for his more significant gift. I also may try the lipstick on the car idea (brilliant!), but not sure if I can gather up enough courage to go kissing my husband's car in the daylight (he parks it on the street, no garage)!
ReplyDeleteDear Teresa,
DeleteThe vintage tin was a great find!
lol kissing a car in public is a tough act to pull off. Also depends on the colour of the car if it will show. A white car would be best. Otherwise the windscreen is the go!
I hope your husband is thrilled with your gift and the trouble you have gone to for him! With love Annabel.xxx
Dear Annabel, thank you for another lovely post. I won't be celebrating Valentine's Day but might do something nice for myself. I love the powder puffs and also love that you make Valentine's Day special without spending a lot of money. Thanks again love Barb
ReplyDeleteDear Barb,
DeleteI have had some sad Valentines Days. Terrible in fact! It can be really hard. Do some nice things for yourself and your family as that will help a little bit. And there is mail coming your way! With love Annabel.xxx
Your soaps and powder puffs are sooo pretty Annabel.I still have the puff you sent me ,like new, although I have used it twice :-)
ReplyDeleteYou've given me a good idea now as I was going to bake banana bread as Ive 2 bananas to use up.And I have a silicon 6 heart muffin pan and a big heart cake size one.I could use either I think and then add pink icing.
Btw Ive struck a problem with my crochet, it looks like the yarn I got will nowhere make the pattern I thought it would. This is my weakness ie matching yarns to patterns . Ahh a learning experience.At least I learnt a stitch in the process.I look forward to the soap tutorials,love Maria xx
Dear Maria,
DeleteWell, mine look like they have been run over by a truck 1000 times! I have enough of this fabric to make about 12 of each colour so I might let myself have new ones. lol But this comes from constant use. I might wash them in the wool wash and see what happens.
Can you pick up some more of that yarn? Or do a border maybe..? I hate it when that happens. Well done on learning a new stitch! I am trying to learn a crochet pom pom edging and now have things lined up to edge!
This is in between making soap.. I made another batch today and it it is set and I can have my moulds back tomorrow I will make another. I want to post there ways so there is something to suit everyone...
Many thanks! With love, Annabel.xxx
Hi Annabel, I'm new to your blog and have only been following it since Xmas, thanks to Wendy from my abundant life, and I'm loving your ideas and creativity and enthusiasm.
ReplyDeleteWe celebrate Valentine's by decorating the house with heart shaped bunting handmade from scraps, we involve the whole family to show our love towards each other, the dinner table gets covered with a rose print tablecloth made from an old diner cover, we can usually pick up some cheap heart shaped sweets that are placed in bowls, if we r lucky enough with the weather some roses in the middle and a few candles. I was lucky last year in the post Valentine's sales to pick up some heart shaped jelly moulds which make a lovely touch for dessert when you add a few sprinkles.
Kathleen
Dear Kathleen,
DeleteThank you so much and welcome! Wendy and I are friends and I love her blog and the way she does things. I get to see her Friday!
I just love the way you decorate your house and also the sound of a rose print tablecloth is perfect to me!
Heart shaped jelly moulds! I would love some, how pretty. At the moment every mould around I look at and consider filling with soap... I am soap making all week! But I have some nice moulds the right size... thanks to a friend.
Thank you so much for commenting. with love Annabel.xxx
Annabel i love those heart shaped powder puffs and the kisses on the car is adorable. My husband's in hospital at the moment and probably will be still there at the weekend so i might just have to take him something special over that i've made. mmmmmmmm
ReplyDeleteDear Karen,
DeleteI really hope there is nothing serious wrong... and that everything is ok. I am sure doing something special will brighten everyones day and especially your husbands! The comforts of home are a big thing in hospital, Dads stay is fresh in my mind. Hope he is allowed to come home soon! With love Annabel.xxx
Many people think that Valentine's Day is just for couples, but while I was single, I decided to use it as an opportunity to tell all the people I love just how much I love them. It changed the day for me. By doing this, I was able to keep my chin up and be happy. I remembered all the things I had to be grateful for.
ReplyDeleteI know you have lots of readers in all types of circumstances, so I just wanted to encourage the ones who aren't in a relationship right now to think of the people in their lives. It really helps. <3
Cristy,
DeleteI know a gal who makes sweet little Valentine corsages (like boutonnières) for all the elderly ladies or widows in her church. Valentine's Day is certainly an "others" oriented holiday.
Your advice is delightful!
Kelley~
Many people think that Valentine's Day is just for couples, but while I was single, I decided to use it as an opportunity to tell all the people I love just how much I love them. It changed the day for me. By doing this, I was able to keep my chin up and be happy. I remembered all the things I had to be grateful for.
ReplyDeleteI know you have lots of readers in all types of circumstances, so I just wanted to encourage the ones who aren't in a relationship right now to think of the people in their lives. It really helps. <3
Annabel
ReplyDeleteI don't know how much time I'll have, but our anniversary is the 12th and then Valentine's the 14th so we usually just celebrate them together. I am planning on making the grandbabies heart shaped jello jigglers and if I can get to it I am going to take some vintage valentine images to the bakery and have them print them for me in the edible ink and I'll transfer them onto cookies I bake at home(not sure I'll have time) and I'll make my husband a nice dinner.
XOXO
Vicky
Dear Vicky,
DeleteWow I never knew about this writing in edible ink. Your bakery is a bit more advanced than mine! The possibilities!
I have seen on Etsy edible floral transfers for cookies that look so pretty and is if you had really fancy icing skills but they are transfers! Well I hope you take pictures as this all sounds gorgeous! with love Annabel.xxx
Hi Annabel - I love your blog and all the beautiful pics of what everyone is making. My husband teases that I am not a "crafty" type of person which is very true. My talents seem to lie in other directions. However I found this online today, and I think it's something even I might be able to make. So while I haven't actually made it yet I thought I would share the info in case others might be interested as well: http://craftsbyamanda.com/burlap-doily-luminaries-rustic-meets/
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I loved at the link and love it! If you make these please take a picture and be in our show and tell later in the month!
DeleteI have a friend who said she wasn't crafty. But I egged her on to try card making and now she is wonderful at it. Then she tried soaps, now she is wonderful at that! Now I am hoping she will start crochet as she will be wonderful at that as well! And that is how it works... try one thing. You will have the best time! Good luck with this project! xxx
lovely ideas Annabel, anyone would be happy to receive them as gifts. Those powder puffs are beautiful and your soap has turned out lovely. I have made soap heaps of times over the years and homemade soap is so lovely to use and everyone loves it as a gift. Heart shaped food is ideal for Valentines day and makes it special.
ReplyDeleteI will be working all day Sunday but usually come home to dinner cooked for me so I'm hoping it is special this week :)
Have a great week. Debbie xx
Dear Debbie, Coming home after a long day to a cooked meal for you sounds beautiful to me.
DeleteI am making soap again today. Its a bit addictive!
Have a good week! with love Annabel.xxx
What a lovely post Annabel. I love this and this is definitely our way of celebrating together. I just find it much sweeter to do something so personal and thoughtful. I think I might make heart shaped pancakes. Has anyone seen a love heart cutter? I only have a star one, and a heart would come in handy for lots of things really. I also love the idea of letting everyone around you know how much you love them. Just lovely Annabel. Love, Bridge
ReplyDeleteDear Bridge,
DeleteI will watch out for heart cutters, I have them and they are basically all I use. Even for scones! I just love them.
The pancakes were easy after a couple of practices and I made a big stack. Also pavlova is easy to make in a heart shape and looks spectacular. Or pizza! I know you will come up with something lovely!
Have a good week. I hope you are not too busy this week. With love Annabel.xxx
As you know Annabel, I am something of a 'Celebration Tart'. I'm prepared to go along with almost any celebration.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I have no family support so Valentine's Day simply CANNOT be for us as a couple, so our children have always been involved in celebrating it. We have a very simple approach that rarely costs more than an ordinary day would. Just with some additional effort to make heart shaped foods or red and pink foods. We have decorations that we use each year. Mostly home made.
This year I planned ahead in the after Christmas sales when all of the Christmas stock was being sold out for 50c. I bought beautiful jars which were filled with pralines wrapped in gold, silver, red and green shiny wrappers. I was buying them for the jars and I expected that the chocolates would be cheap and nasty and thrown away but upon sampling one they were absolutely delicious. And they have been incorporated into many celebrations since. Some of the green and gold ones became 'Australia Day chocolates', silver ones were used on a birthday to add sparkle to the table setting, some red and gold ones were used yesterday in the same way for Chinese New Year, some more red ones will be used on Valentine's Day and some more green ones on St Patrick's Day.
But back to Valentine's Day...I also managed to snaffle some wicker heart shaped wreaths in the same sales. They have tiny fairy lights hidden within the wicker. So they will be going up on the wall. I long ago bought a heart shaped notepad...one of those block type pads to keep beside the phone....it comes in varying shades or reds and pinks and will have things that we love about each other written on them and scattered on the table over the tablecloth... a sort of love confetti. We'll drink from red stemmed glassware and have red linen serviettes (op shop finds). My eldest daughter has no 'boyfriend' in her life but celebrates it with her 'girlfriends'.
And today, being Shrove Tuesday we will make pancakes for afternoon tea. And although we COULD do it tomorrow we will wait until after Valentine's Day to decorate for Easter.
Celebrating is easy and can be done for nothing or next to nothing. I actually have a filing cabinet that I have filed away the decorations for each thing we could celebrate (excluding Christmas because that requires many cabinets all for itself)...the first day of each season, special holidays throughout the year, things that are specific to our family. If you CAN celebrate something, why wouldn't you? It doesn't have to cost you a cent.
Dear Lorax, You could just about write a book on celebrating. I have a lot of memories of the start of school holidays celebrations and other things that I thought were awesome at your house. I remember banners across driveways and greeting buses and all sorts of lovely things and nothing to do with expense just happiness and enthusiasm!!
DeleteI very much like the idea to keep supplies, recycle supplies too.
It was great that the chocolates in the jars were so good and lent themselves to so many occasions!
Red beautiful glasses and table napkins sounds divine to me. This reminds me I have a pair of red very tall bud vases, I should drag them out.With love Annabel.xxx
Dear Annabel,
ReplyDeleteYour powder puffs and soaps are really gorgeous! They look so decadent :). It really is special to put a little effort in at Valentine's Day. We do decorate a little bit here, and the kids and I started last year making our own cards with stamps, colored pens, stickers, our own doodling/drawing, glitter, etc. Of course we could run to the dollar store for pre-made Valentine's, but this is an event! We take over the kitchen table for an entire evening. The kids have been talking about this since January. I am beyond blessed, as Bill always creates a menu and cooks a special dinner at home for me. I ADORE this! I have something special planned for him, I can't share it yet as I never know if he will read a comment! ;). This year I am making simple, heart-shaped cookies for my kids wrapped in cellophane. Along with it I'm attaching a coupon for their own "date with mom". This will be a big hit. The dates will be a walk to the park to play basketball, or crafting, or watching a movie, etc. We get busy with daily life like everyone else, so with 5 kids altogether I need to remember one-on-one time with each is important. We are big on gifts of time, experiences together, one-on-one "face time" if you will. Those cost us nothing and the return is beyond measure. It's often so overlooked, I know you agree!
Love, Colette xxx
Dear Colette, Your card making day sounds beautiful. Especially that it is anticipated and looked forward to so much.
DeleteI remember your lovely dinner last year. That is lovely!
Even with two children I discovered the value of one on one time and how important that was so dates like you organise is a really great thing. Things get talked about that are different from when everyone is together.
So I do agree and understand! Creating special times can take some effort and thinking but worth it.
I can't wait to hear about your dinner! With love Annabel.xxx
We have had the expense this week of installing a new loo. Hubby got a great price but it was still a cost which came out of our emergency fund. This poor fund has had a hammering since the New Year. Back to building it up again. Hubby and I don't do Valentines Day. It just doesn't enter out lives. We do different things for each other whenever the thought or opportunity arises. An example from today. Hubby knows I like shortbread, he found some on special and bought it home for me as a treat. Lovely man. I still went ahead with the Christmas Challenge just not with Valentines Day in mind. I added to the present stash whilst trying to use what I have. I made three heat pads or trivets, I rolled hemmed some pretty cotton fabric into squares and then crocheted a trim around these hankies. I also made bubble bath, scented bath salts and brown sugar scrub. Last year I had purchased some cheap coloured glass bottles andthis week i put the various products into them. I have kept one set and sent the other home with my daughter. Her housemate has now put in an order for the bath products. This challenge is keeping my mind on the go and has me setting weekly goals for fabric stash busting crafting and sewing. This coming week will see me working o the corner to corner crochet QS blanket that I am about 2/3's through. I need to finish it by mid March as it is my sons Birthday gift. I haven't done much work on it for the past month as it's just been too hot. Need to just get on and get it done. Thanks for hosting this challenge and keeping me on track.
ReplyDeleteDear Jane, Sorry I was so slow to see your lovely rug on the fb page! It is stunning and Im so glad you posted it. Is it ok if I re post it here?
DeleteYour emergency fund has taken a bit of a hit, Im thinking the vet expense would have been worse than the loo... but still! Well I hope this is the last of the reasons to need it for ages. These things happen.
A deadline is always a push with a project. I also do much less craft with yarn in the hot weather. Come autumn I go crazy!
The bath products sound lovely! I love that the housemate wants some too! I was in The Body Shop and they had milk and honey bath soak... idea there I thought!
I like that you have a few things on the go like me... With love Annabel.xxx
You are so right Annabel. It doesn't take money to show you care! A few years ago when money was very tight, my husband made me some heart shaped shortbread biscuits for Valentine's Day and dipped half of each one in chocolate. This was such a lovely gift and delicious! In previous years I have bought hubby a $2 box of strawberry centered chocolates from Kmart and I also bough my kids a large pink, red and white lollipop each and found a free printable online with said "I'm a sucker for you" which I thought was cute! I can no longer find the link to this but you could easily draw your own up. I have also found adorable vintage style Valentines and made them into cards. http://vintageholidaycrafts.com/free-vintage-kids-valentine-cards/ This year keeping in with my "use what I have" way of thinking, I will make some heart shaped biscuits and maybe cupcakes. Your red heart powder puff is just divine! x
ReplyDeleteDear Mel,
DeleteI think small things can make someone feel really special. Also I remember with children title things like a candle seem amazing and wonderful! So really they are in awe if we think of something to do that is different. Just the effort makes it happen.
Thanks Mel I have lots of red to go so am making a few more powder puffs. I hope to add soap and other bath products and have kind of luxury packs to put together later.... thats the plan anyway! with love Annabel.xxx
Thanks for the great ideas! Love the "red lipstick" story. I just finished making cookies with a Hershey Kiss in the middle. These will be bagged up and tied with pink ribbons. They are for girls who I mentor at AWANAs Bible clubs.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of an idea I read of years ago. To wrap up baked goods in foil to look like a giant Hershey Kiss. The card is a strip of paper stuck in the top to look like the candy.
Thank you for the inspiration.
Blessings,
Leslie
John works this Valentines Day and we've just finished celebrating our birthdays. Our 'fun' this year was to go purchase 10 Valentine cards and address them to our grandchildren who were all thrilled to get mail from Grampa and Gramma. In years past we have celebrated Valentines and it's run the gamut of big splurgey dinners out to simple meals cooked at home for one another, heart shaped sugar cookies (biscuits to you), etc. My most successful for him was taking 50 construction paper hearts and writing out what I loved about him on each one. I hung them on the back of the bedroom door, so he didn't see them until we were off to bed that night and he was wowed. He asked me to leave them up and there they stayed for over a year! It was one of those things that cost nearly nothing but time but oh how precious it was to know I'd hit on the thing that meant something to him on such a personal level.
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