Valentine's Day

Though we normally don't make a big to do for Valentine's Day, with it being on Saturday this year, I knew it would probably be fun to make a little something of it for my nieces and nephews.  So Mom and I began considering several weeks ago what we might want to make and how we could decorate.

We did run into a bit of a challenge, though:  we knew we couldn't really do a whole lot with pink and hearts if we wanted Benjamin to enjoy the evening and sit at the dinner table with us. :)  So we had to be a bit creative and think outside the box.  That meant by-passing all the pink and heart-covered plates, napkins, and other decorations at the stores and resorting to the odds and ends we had at home from previous celebrations.  So no pink - just red, white, and silver.  It turned out not looking too bad, though a little splash of that girly color would have been fun...

For some sweet party favors without overdoing on chocolate candy, we filled muffin cups with iced animal crackers and had one at each place setting.  We also covered pretzel rods with chocolate and finished them off with blue, red, and pink sprinkles.  (Oh yes, there's some pink, but it was approved since it was paired with some blue!)

I knew that one of Benjamin's favorite desserts is angel food cake, so I decided to try my hand at making a homemade version from a recipe that a friend had given me several weeks before.  A dozen separated eggs and 5x-sifted-flour made a beauty that was as equally delicious as it looked!  (Thanks to Mom for separating all the eggs for me while I sifted and sifted and sifted that cake flour.)  Served with strawberries it did well for our red and white theme we had going. 

So enough about the food and decorations (and lack of pink).  Since Rachael had to work that evening, Kathy came up with the grand idea of having the kids help her make a count-down banner for her for school, the idea being that every weekend we would give her one more piece to complete the picture.  Since this semester is particularly challenging and demanding, it would be a way to visually see the end is in sight.  I couldn't think of a more fitting activity for the afternoon and evening.  And everyone worked really hard on it!

And here's what the completed banner will look like in May!!!

Isn't that the essence of Valentine's Day - showing someone how much you love them with simple acts of encouragement and kindness?  

So it was a wonderful Valentine's Day celebration this year - even though there was no pink. :)