Valentine Stuff

This is a really cute look

 

 

Find a photo tutorial at Smart School House

 

Pink hot cocoa is something I've never seen, but I have seen white hot cocoa and adding food coloring to that would make the pink color ..., so cute for a Valentine drink, especially if it doesn't warm up much by then.

 

In her comments below her post we also learn that the strawberry milk mix could be used for a different flavor.  I've never tried warming that up, but maybe it's good ?

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Here is another drink for Valentines Day - Mini Red Velvet Milk Shakes from Pizzazzerie



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This is a great looking refreshment too!
Raspberry Cheesecake Mousse recipe for two from Love Raw




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How about a pink cookie with a chocolate kiss? 
Cherry Chocolate Kisses recipe from The Curvy Carrot




 

Story of St. Valentine

 

"The story of Valentine's Day begins in the third century with an oppressive Roman emperor and a humble Christian Martyr. The emperor was Claudius II. The Christian was Valentinus.

Claudius had ordered all Romans to worship twelve gods, and had made it a crime punishable by death to associate with Christians. But Valentinus was dedicated to the ideals of Christ; not even the threat of death could keep him from practicing his beliefs. He was arrested and imprisoned.

During the last weeks of Valentinus's life a remarkable thing happened. Seeing that he was a man of learning, the jailer asked whether his daughter, Julia, might be brought to Valentinus for lessons. She had been blind since birth. Julia was a pretty young girl with a quick mind. Valentinus read stories of Rome's history to her. He described the world of nature to her. He taught her arithmetic and told her about God. She saw the world through his eyes, trusted his wisdom, and found comfort in his quiet strength.

"Valentinus, does God really hear our prayers?" Julia asked one day.

"Yes, my child, He hears each one."

"Do you know what I pray for every morning and every night? I pray that I might see. I want so much to see everything you've told me about!"

"God does what is best for us if we will only believe in Him," Valentinus said.

"Oh, Valentinus, I do believe! I do!" She knelt and grasped his hand.

They sat quietly together, each praying. Suddenly there was a brilliant light in the prison cell. Radiant, Julia screamed, "Valentinus, I can see! I can see!"

"Praise be to God!" Valentinus exclaimed, and he knelt in prayer.

On the eve of his death Valentinus wrote a last note to Julia, urging her to stay close to God. He signed it, "From your Valentine." His sentence was carried out the next day, February 14, 270 A.D., near a gate that was later named Porta Valentini in his memory. He was buried at what is now the Church of Praxedes in Rome. It is said that Julia planted a pink-blossomed almond tree near his grave. Today, the almond tree remains a symbol of abiding love and friendship. On each February 14, Saint Valentine's Day, messages of affection, love, and devotion are exchanged around the world."

 (From my files, but also found here after a google search)

 

The following info is from here

Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written Valentine's didn't begin to appear until after 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. (The greeting is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England.) Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

 

and

image from my files

Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s.

In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap."

 

 

Let the Valentines Begin!
(If they haven't already.)

Celebrate February!

While cleaning my files I found a folder full of fun and silly reasons to make your day a special day ... things to celebrate ... every day ... any day.   I remember having some fun with these years ago, using some of these ideas for a while before forgetting about them. I've found a few more to add to them.  Some of these are quite ridiculous, but several are great for family fun, for preschool fun, for party fun, or just for fun!

Happy Celebrating!

February

 

Birthstone is Amethyst (meaning Sincerity)

Flower is Violet, Primrose

 

- Creative Romance Month

- Nat'l Dental Month

- American Heart Month

- International Friendship Month

- Nat'l Hot Breakfast Month

- Chocolate Lover's Month

- Potato Lover's Month

- Canned Food Month

- Avocado and Banana Month

 

- 2nd week is Boy Scouts Week and Nat'l Hero Week and Nat'l Pancake Week and Celebration of Love Week and Jell-O Week

- 4th week is Second Honeymoon Week 

 

- 1st Friday is Wear Red Day and Bubble Gum Day

- 1st Saturday is Ice Cream for Breakfast Day

- 2nd Monday is Clean Out Your Computer Day

- Presidents Day is 3rd Monday

 

1

- Nat'l Freedom Day

- Skippy Peanut Butter created 1933
- Nat'l Cake Pop Day

2

- Groundhogs Day

- Crepe Day

- Heavenly Hash Day

3

- Nat'l Carrot Cake Day

- Elmo's Birthday (Sesame Street character)

4

- Nat'l Popcorn Day

- Thank a Mailman Day

- Nat'l Stuffed Mushroom Day

5

- Peter Pan Day (movie released in 1953)

- Nat'l Weatherman's Day

- World Nutella Day

- Nat'l Chocolate Fondue Day

6

- Nat'l Frozen Yogurt Day
- Nat'l Chopsticks Day

7

- Charles Dickens Birthday (b1812)

- Pinocchio Day (released in 1940)

8

- Fly a Kite Day

- Boy Scouts founded in 1910

9

- Hershey's Chocolate founded 1894

10

- Umbrella day

- Chinese New Year

- Nat'l Cream Cheese Brownie Day

11

- Thomas Edison's Birthday (b1847)

- Make a Friend Day

- Nat'l Peppermint Patty Day

12

- Abraham Lincoln's Birthday (b1809)

- Nat'l Lost Penny Day

- First Public School Started in 1635

13

14

- Valentine's day

- Ferris Wheel Day

- Read to Your child Day

15

- Nat'l Gumdrop Day

- Nat'l Hippo Day

16

- Nat'l Almond Day

17

- Random Acts of Kindness Day (shouldn't this be everyday?)

18

- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn published in 1885

 

19

- Prize inserted into Crackerjacks box for the first time in 1913

- Nat'l Chocolate Mint Day

20

- Nat'l Cherry Pie Day

21
- Nat'l Pancake Day

22

- George Washington's Birthday (b1732)

23

- Nat'l Banana Bread Day

24

- Nat'l Tortilla Chip Day

25

- Nat'l Chocolate Covered Nuts Day

26

- Tell a Fairy Tale day

- Nat'l Pistachio Day

 

27

- International Polar Bear Day

28

- Nat'l Chili Day

29

- Leap Year (every four years)

 

 

Homemade Granola

granola bars recipe at DIY Bride

 

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or how about granola - no bar - and no oil - recipe at Cooking Classy




 

No Knead Bread

I think I should try this sometime -

recipe found at Inspired By Charm

 

 

maybe after I try this ... if I like it ... I'll have to buy that book and try some more ...

Banana Pancakes ... sorta

I am intrigued enough to try these someday -

2 ingredient pancakes recipe at Recipe Girl

 

 

it looks like a fun site to visit

 

Raspberry and Chocolate - 2 of my favorites

I would love to sink my teeth into this yummy Red Velvet & Raspberry Supreme Cake from Sweetapolita

 

 

 

 

Work From The Inside Out

I was trying to do some de-junking, and was going through my Sunday School study guide to see if I had written any notes that I wanted to save (and hadn't yet).  There was a quote someone shared last fall that I really liked.  It was this:

 

"The Lord works from the inside out.

The world works from the outside in."

 

So True!

 

I searched for and found the message that quote was taken from.

It is from Ezra Taft Benson, full message found HERE.

His message continues like this;

 

"The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature."

 

His message is titled

 

Born of God

03241_000_002

“What think ye of Christ?” (Matt. 22:42.) That question, posed by our Lord, has challenged the world for centuries.

 

Throughout the ages prophets have exhorted the people to make up their minds. “Choose you this day whom ye will serve,” pled Joshua. (Josh. 24:15.) Elijah thundered, “How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him.” (1 Kgs. 18:21.) When you choose to follow Christ, you choose the Way, the Truth, the Life—the right way, the saving truth, the abundant life. (See John 14:6.) “I would commend you to seek this Jesus,” states Moroni. (Ether 12:41.)

 

I love the internet and am often amazed at what I can find there.  I love the good stuff, like this print of the quote I heard/found.   



image here

Cute Rag Rug

Cute rug seen on Craftaholics Annonymous, but made by Jaime at Everyday Art

 

 

 

Desk

I love this desk!

Can I make one? I want one!

From Creative Ambitions 

(it was a shipping crate)

Awesome!

 So many talented and creative people out there!  Love it!

 

 

 

 

Look at this Lighting

 

Found at Knock Off Decor

 

 

and this one at The Chronicles of Home


 

 

Smile Everyone!

 

image is from a calendar I have
Graphique de France Ltd.
artwork by Betsey Cavallo

 

 



Vintage Camper

Look at this! These little campers are so fun looking.  here

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This is a fun look, and don't you love the banners on each of these campers.  Such Fun!
This one is from Retro Renevation

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Cleaning the Office

Ohhh!  I have oodles of paper stuff filed away in the office.   Some of it is so cute.  Some of it useful.  Some of it is just saved stuff.  So I've decided to purge those files and get rid of the things I have not used in years and see no reason to use in the near future.  If I need it some time I'll just wish I had it and then move on to something else. I WILL BE OK!  Most of it is preschool stuff anyway and I no longer teach preschool ..., haven't for many years ..., and don't want to start again now. 

I began my purging project last week and it's been working pretty well.  Except, this project is an extension of a bigger project - cleaning and purging the office.  That poor room has taken a beating over the past year (or more) and needs an overhaul.  I'm tired of seeing the clutter and tripping over things in there.

Sorry! No photos of the cluttered office - it's just too cluttered. If I posted a photo it would be among my most embarrassing moments ..., or my most humiliating.
I will share this that my oldest son gave me many years ago:

There are things in the way that need a place, but I have no place for them right now, so I have started in a strange way.  I'm working from the inside out.
One thing I am sure of is that I have too much paper stuff!  We have four file cabinets lined up against each other, and three of them are filled with my stuff. YIP ..., TOO MUCH STUFF!

I am removing an armful of folders at a time, taking them to a soft place to sit, looking thru each, removing what I do not want anymore, and returning what I do want.

I am not doing the complete purge right now, but I am removing a lot of stuff.  I'm freeing up space for some other stuff before I get into too much detail.  At a later time I will return to those files and organize and label them as needed.

Here is something I found in my files, and share here because it fits so well -

Love it!

I'm creating several piles as I purge, which means more purging later, but I'm feeling so pleased with the beginning steps. 

Pile 1 -

Save the look or idea onto my blog (then get rid of that paper).

(So, I'll be posting some stuff from my files throughout the year ..., it's gonna take me awhile to get thru that stack, but I'll enjoy doing it when I have some time. All of the future posts that contain things from my files will be be under the label From My Paper Files.)

Pile 2 -

Items to be put in a different place (like color books, activity books, idea books that were filed under themes).

When I've gone thru all my files I'll decide where to put it or maybe I'll give the book away ..., it'll be one of the easiest piles to sort through.


Pile 3 -

Items that will, for sure, be given to my children and grandchildren if they want it ...,

folders of things ... too many to count ... I probably have six stacks just like this one ...

 activities and info  ...  of all kinds and for many themes ...

magazines about animals ... I remember enjoying these things everytime they arrived ...

(I certainly don't want to clutter anyone elses homes, but there are some really cool and useful things ..., I just don't have young children anymore and I don't do preschool anymore, so someone else might enjoy them.)

Pile 4 -

Garbage for sure!
(I'll spare you the photo here ..., especially since we took it to the dumpster this morning.)
 I did fill one garbage bag out of two cabinets that I have completed so far. YEAH!

Pile 5 -

The last pile is for things I don't know what to do with right now.  I'll spend more time later going through them to determine their destiny. They will end up in one of the above piles, put on a shelf, or stuffed back into a folder in the file cabinet. 

It's been fun looking through things and finding things that remind me of good times and hard work.

Things that I have colored and cut and laminated. 

Things that my children have doodled or created.

I'm off to a good start and hope to see some improvement in the room soon.  I haven't got much time each day to spend on it right now, but a couple hours is better than nothing.  Maybe in a couple weeks I'll free up some more time and see some more visible improvement.

I love a good start!

One more thing I found in my files (a clipping cut from a magazine sometime):

Happy Day!  I'm a great housekeeper! :)



Do Good = Feel Good

“When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion."

― Abraham Lincoln

 

And a few more favorite quotes by this great man:

 

“My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.” 

 

“Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.” 

 

“I will prepare and some day my chance will come.”  

 

“Every man's happiness is his own responsibility.” 

 

“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”

 

“The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.”

 

“To ease another’s heartache is to forget one’s own.” 

 

“Live a good life. In the end it is not the years in a life, but the life in the years.”

 

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”   

image HERE

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How this post came to be:

I was reading a Student Manual of Religion 121 and 122, p96 (Copyright 1989, 1996) and found the quote at the top of the post.  I was intrigued by it and decided to look up more quotes from Abraham Lincoln.  These quotes seem to help with the original topic of my reading, which is this:

 

"Satan is increasingly striving to overcome the Saints with despair, discouragement, despondency, and depression..."

 

It does seem to me, that there is a lot of that in our lives today and we must find the better way, away from that direction, toward another direction.
 

 "Sin creates disharmony with God and is depressing to the spirit. Therefore, a man would do well to examine himself to see that he is in harmony with all of God's laws. Every law kept brings a particular blessing. Every law broken brings a particular blight.
 

"Those who are heavy laden with despair should come unto the Lord, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light."

(See Matthew 11:28-30)

 

 

 

Framed TV

Frame your TV - an awesome look

I saw this at Tip Junkie, but Tip Junkie sends us to Remodelaholic for the tutorial 



Frosted Twigs

It's still cold outside, so frosted twigs could still be plucked from the yard.

They can be frosty inside too, if you follow the directions found at Grow Creative

 

 

Household Hints

 

I received an email last year with several household hints and ideas.  There was no info as to where these tips were found.  I might want to remember these some day - so I'm posting them here:

I found that this post I posted today had some technical issues - like the pictures weren't showing up.

Since the post is just pictures with words over them there was no way to know what the great ideas / household tips were.

Well, I got into my post to try to fix it and all of the pictures came up just fine, but somehow they were not showing in the post when it was published. 

 

I've re-saved the pictures in a new place and hope that fixes the problem  - if you see pictures, then you'll know that I was successful in my attempt.  If not, I apologize.

 

Just in case, I'm adding a description of each picture so that the ideas will survive.  :)

 

 To keep kids from falling out of bed, put a pool noodle under the fitted sheet (on top of the edge of the bed).

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Use a staple remover to open/separate the key ring to add keys

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Put a nylon over the end of the vacuum hose to find tiny items like earrings. 

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Turn an old bottle into a simple cord holder, and hang it over the plug.

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Toothpaste might clean up hazy car headlights???  Should try it! 

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place a rubber band around a paint can to wipe the brush on and keep it off the side of the can.

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cut paper towel rolls open and use them as a cuff to keep your wrapping paper tube rolled up.

 

For several years now, I have been using hair bands to hold my wrapping paper together. It works great, but it looks like toilet paper or paper towel rolls would too.

 

 

 I hope this post works now!

 



Helpful Cleaning Hints

Young House Love shares their cleaning secret.  They used this combo on an old dresser to help remove the years of grime and make it "shine".  I have used Magic Eraser and find it to pretty awesome stuff.  I have used vinegar in cleaning and find it to be pretty awesome too.  I've never put them together though - on to a new adventure.

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The Country Chic Cottage had a full week of helpful cleaning hints - here are a couple I'd like to remember.

Cleaning with Vinegar HERE

Cleaning with Cream of Tartar HERE

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Get Organized

We are a couple weeks into the new year and so many rooms in my house need my attention.  That kinda happens to me after the holidays.  Actually it happens on several other occasions too.  It seems that I'm always looking for a better way to organize whatever needs a better way to be organized. 
I do like some of the ways I'm organized, but I am really never completely satisfied with everything.  Oh Bother!

Here are some organizing ideas I found on 2 Crafty 4 My Skirt

There are several ideas there, but I'm showing only a few, and I'm giving the source for each too, just in case we wanna look into the details someday.

I've never liked trying to get labels off of plastic containers, but Lewisville Love says it's easier if you use a blow dryer.  And, just look what a cute label and a little spray paint can do.  And, I've already shared about my love for clear containers - here, here, and here.

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From Shady Tree Diary comes the idea to use a plastic soap box for storing little items like crayons, cards, and beads, or first aid, stamps, stickers, candies, nail clippers, etc.  (and look!, they are see thru ... yeah!)

 

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I like this organized storage under the sink - idea from Pregnant... with Power Tools



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And,  from Superwoman,  we find this magnetic strip on the inside of the cupboard door. It looks like a great way to hold those little metal things that get lost at the bottom of a drawer or box or bag.
Maybe we could even put some non metal items in a small bag or envelope and use a magnet to hold it in place.  I've seen this idea in the kitchen for knives too.



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Now that the little metal things are in place, what about all of those hats?  Try this idea from House Dressing Style



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So, maybe your necklaces need a better place too - Try this idea from This Bird Can Sing



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Other sites had some great organizing ideas too -
Like organizing a craft room, with ideas for washi tape from Lili Scratchy



and this type of hanger from Fancy Frugal Life



and this I saw on Pinterest
I kinda like the idea of a rod - wooden closet rod (as shown below) or a pretty curtain rod or bath towel rod (as shown in a couple photos above) for more decor.

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I do love to organize, but I probably collect more than I should, which makes organizing always a need around here - every time I bring something home I have to find a place for it, and I'm running out of places. I must think on this a moment and see what I can do to make things better in that respect.
The 100 Thing Challenge has some wise words;

"It’s not about counting things to keep or get rid of. It’s about freeing up space in our lives. Getting rid of the stuff that overwhelms and distracts us. Then making use of that space to do good things in our families, communities, and beyond."

So, with that in mind ..., well, on to organizing whatever space I need to in the future.  What can I get rid of?  What should I not purchase or bring home?  I've really been trying this for the past few years, and it's worked on occasion, but I'm not very successful overall.

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