VALENTINE'S DAY

We missed you GRAM!

I happen to love Valentine's Day.  Since I was a little girl it has always been one of my favorite holidays.  It was always so fun to make your mailbox in school and assemble your valentine's notes at home for your friends.  I love that it is day where we tell the important people in our lives how much we love each other.  

I think that if we spent more time each day telling people what we love about them and focusing on the positive aspects of each other, this world would be a different place.  

 As I was growing up, my mom always tried to make valentine's day special.  She never bought us extravagant gifts but she always did little acts of kindness and love to make our February 14th memorable.  She would always write us lovely notes and make her AMAZING sugar cookies.  Whether I was 7 and living in her house or I was 32 and living in my own house, I always received a care package on Valentine's Day.  This LOVE package was always filled with her heart shaped cookies and a delightful love note.  Sometimes she would throw in other items but, I could always count on a delicious cookie to arrive in my mailbox.  

This tradition has become one of the many things that my children love about their GRAM.  They love that she takes the time to bake for them.  They knew that this Valentine's Day was going to be different because she was not going to be able to mail us her traditional package due to the distance.  I tried to make the day special and hopefully the girls felt loved by us.  Some of the things we did on Valentine's Day this year…..

1.  Claire and I delivered flowers for a friend who owns a beautiful flower shop in Sydney.  Valentine's Day is the BIGGEST day of the year for a florist.  They are swamped with flowers, candies, teddy bears, and balloons.  They needed a little extra help with deliveries so they asked us if we wanted to help.  Of course, I jumped at the chance to spread joy on one of my favorite holidays.  Claire decided to take the day off from school and be my flower runner.  We had a FANTASTIC day driving around and brightening everyone's day. We saw amazing vistas and met some very excited recipients.  :)

We tried to deliver these flowers, but, the address was incorrect and there was no contact number….So I got to take them home.

2.  I made heart shaped food for dinner.  I have made various heart shaped food for my children in the past so I tried really hard to think of something new.  I ended up with heart-shaped watermelon slices (benefits of living in the Southern Hemisphere), turkey-pesto puff pastry Palmier, Kiss cookies and heart shaped sugar cookies.

3.  Opened some cute little Valentine's Prezzies (Presents) for our lovebirds.

4.  Claire attended a Tri-Stake dance that night and we watched one of my all-time favorite movies "Can't Buy Me Love."

Valentines Day was a success … however, when we return to the USA, I will happily hand the SUGAR COOKIE QUEEN title back over to my lovely mother.