St. Valentines

Our valentines went across the country this year and up to the city.  Takes a little planing when they have to travel distances. I also bought wooden hearts for the day care this year.  They hung them up with satin ribbon.  I think the biggest hit though was the sugar cookies we made and decorated.  Such sweetness!  I made sure everybody saved at least a few to take home. 

Salty Sweetness

Happy Valentine's Day!  Eli exchanged valentines at school and made some for everybody in his class.  Emily made some for a select few.  We had all day daycare yesterday and I painted some more hearts to adorn our door.  It was a rainy day and I got to do my own project in between snacks and stories.  If you can't beat em join em.

Today Eli was really excited to make a batch of sugar cookies for dessert.  He insisted on making them himself and wanted no help.  He got out all the ingredients and mixed, stirred and measured himself.   I glanced at the batter and told him it might be good to stir in the clumps of butter.  To no avail.  We just had to make sure we didn't step on the cookie sheet on the floor.

We don't have a working mixer so everything is mixed by hand which takes a bit of work.  When he started to roll it out, it looked quite sticky.  I suggested he might want to chill it.  When I came back into the kitchen it was sitting on the counter with a towel over it.  Like brother like brother.  But this wasn't bread so I reiterated "chill" and carefully put it in the refrigerator.

Then he proudly rolled the cookies out and decorated them with sprinkles before they went in the oven.  When he had his beautiful plate arranged I poured the chamomile tea.  He took a bite of a cookie.  "Huh, these cookies are a little salty."  I took a bite.  "Huh, they sure are."  Then he looked on the counter where he made them.  Sitting next to the bowl was a 1/4 cup measuring cup sparkling with grains of salt.  "Ahhhhh.  The recipe said a 1/4 teaspoon."

Sweet Mail

When you mail valentines across country you have to start a bit early if you want them to arrive in time.  We did just that.  We each made our own unique valentine to send to Nate.  I even painted an ocean rock which I thought he might appreciate.  I've been having fun painting hearts on some flat rocks I found at the beach.  I also made this string of hearts to hang in our window.  They were inspired by Maya*made and her heart garlands that she makes in various forms.  I used a potato stamp and acrylic paint and stamped them on newspaper.   Then I hung them on a satin ribbon.  As I was hanging them at about midnight I deemed them Dude Girl hearts.  Tough, made out of newspaper, yet adorned with pretty paint and hung on a satin ribbon.