Ten Things You May Not Know About Valentine's Day:

Love it or hate it, Valentine's Day is here.  Mark and I don't really make a fuss over Valentine's Day...mostly because, since I've been at home with the kids, we'd rather spend our money on other things.  But, I do have a great Valentine's Day story from our first one together...

Our first date had only been a couple of weeks before Valentine's Day, so we didn't have much time to prepare.  Mark found out that my favorite flowers were irises and tulips, so he had a beautiful bouquet of those sent to me at work.  A little boy in my class that had a little teacher crush on me, was insanely jealous and could not stop asking about those flowers.  That was pretty cute.  In classic Mark style, he told me about all the places he thought about taking me for Valentine's Day, but that we were not going to for one reason or another...I guess I should be impressed that he thought about it??  Instead, we had Taco Bueno.  I can't remember exactly why, but I think it had something to do with the fact that there was a ton of snow on the ground and all the nice restaurants were booked.  Anyway, we did get each other a couple of gifts.  In fact, we got each other the exact same gift.  We got each other the DVD Lost in Translation (the first movie we saw together) and a Starbuck's gift card (where we also went on our first date).  The funny thing was, we also got each other the exact same card.  Interestingly, it wasn't even a Valentine's card...it was a card from a totally different card section...with a picture of a shooting star on the front, and blank inside.  Anyway...we were totally amused by that, and hopefully you are too, or I just wasted a good 3 minutes of your time.  Count this little story as number one on the list of things you may not know about Valentine's Day.  Here are some more:

2. Cupid is associated with Valentine's day because according to Roman mythology, he was the son of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty.  Cupid was not really all cute and cuddly.  He was kind of a punk and liked to make mismatched people fall in love and enjoyed the chaos that ensued.  Shame on you cupid.

3. During the Middle Ages men and women drew names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine.  They pinned this name on their sleeve for one week...and this became known as "wearing your heart on your sleeve."

4. Remember those sweet and loving Romans?  In a way, we have them to thank for Valentine's Day.  Good ole' Claudius the Cruel was a little peeved that men did not want to leave their families to come fight for him, so he cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome.  But dear, sweet Valentine, a priest in Rome, secretly married couples.  For his super secret marriages, he was beaten to death with clubs and beheaded on February 14.  (nothing says romance like a beheading.)  Later, the church, not wanting to celebrate the pagan holiday that began on the 15th, came up with their own love holiday and named it after good Saint Valentine...which is why you now have to cough up tons of cash every February to prove your love.

5. According to legend, while imprisoned, Valentine fell in love with the jailer's daughter and sent her a love note signed, "your Valentine."  So, really, when you ask someone to be your Valentine, you're asking them to be your imprisoned priest/martyr.

6. According to the above story, Valentine witnessed to the jailer and converted his entire family to Christianity before he was killed.  The jailer's daughter, whom Valentine fell in love with, was named Julia, and was blind.

7.  In the Middle Ages it was believed that birds chose their mate on February 14.  So, it became the official mating day.  I bet you didn't know there was an official mating day, did you?  You're welcome.

8.  I've been reading about Valentine's day all morning, and while all of the above are supposed reason why we celebrate this holiday, it appears that no one really knows for sure...and no one can really prove any of the stories about St. Valentine.  So, basically, we're all being scammed.  But, I guess "Happy Official Mating Day" doesn't sound as poetic.

9.  According to the French, the word "Valentine" comes from the french word galantine which means lover or gallant.  See, no one really knows what's going on here.

10.  Doves mate for life, and are therefore the official bird of Valentine's day...really?  Did they sign a contract?  Do they get money for this?  I doubt it, but I found it on the internet, so it must be true.

And one more thing that I did not know until today (and it has nothing to do with Valentine's day!)   Ella is the happiest girl, and I am the meanest girl.  I know this because she told me when I put her down for a nap.  Happy Valentine's Day to me!!

I hope you have a great day filled with lots of quality time with those you hold dear!  Happy official mating Valentine's day!  Now, go put your bird houses out...nesting will soon begin!

Mark

Mark got up first this morning...to let the dog out.  And then, he got up again...to let the dog out.  (I'm glad the age old question of "who let the dog out?" has finally been answered...it was Mark.)  Then, he got up again, to turn on cartoons for Ella.  And, another time to make me pancakes and coffee.  It was almost like being in a spa resort...except for the 2 year old screaming at me with snot running down her face and needing help in the bathroom...and the 8 year old, also needing a little bathroom help (don't ask)...and the dog, chewing on my foot...except for all that, it was JUST like a spa.

And now, Mark is vacuuming...on a Saturday morning...and using vacuum cleaner attachments.

I love him.

Snowflake Hearts

Valentine's Day is coming up and I love this project idea from Party Starters. I plan on making some with the kids this weekend and hanging them all over the kitchen on Monday...the perfect decoration for our Valentine dinner.  There are lots of other amazing ideas on this site too...so, hop on over and check it out.  Enjoy!

Party Starters: Snowflake Hearts {Tutorial Tuesday}: "With Valentine's Day right around the corner I wanted to create a fun projects that all of my kids could help me create. The collaboration..."

Asleep

I was putting away laundry yesterday and peeked in Ella's room to see this:

I love this picture because she is all pink and perfect.  I love her colorful pillows and her quilt.  She is snug and safe and warm.  Her Raffy is nearby and so are 2 small plastic giraffes that she loves to play with.  I love that she fell asleep with a book on her chest...how many times have I done that?  But, what I love most about this picture is she is asleep.  Can I get an amen from all the moms out there?  I am thankful for Ella, and her warm bed, and the toys she loves, and books, and colorful quilts, and stuffed, well-loved giraffes that played music many washings ago, and naptime--glorious, wonderful, beautiful, sweet naptime!

I hope everyone gets to enjoy a little time to themselves today!!  

Ten Things

1.  Going back to school after an unplanned week off for ice and snow is really difficult for an 8 year old boy.  He kept looking out the window...like everything would spontaneously freeze and school would be called off at the last minute.  One can always hope, right?

2.  The dog is driving me nuts today.  I guess since we actually got up and started moving around this morning, he is worried I am going to leave him.  Because he is constantly under my feet...I can't even walk in my own house.  I had to take him with me when we took Aidan to school, because he just about had a heart attack when he saw us headed to the car.

3. I am happy that the Steelers lost...but it was hard to be too happy because they're my sweet hubby's team.  Even Aidan was pretty low key about the Packers winning.  He felt bad for his daddy...isn't that sweet?

4.  Mostly, I'm just glad football is over for a few months.  The week leading up to the Super Bowl was especially hard...seriously, how much can you talk about a game that had not even happened yet?  Apparently, you can talk about it A LOT.  Enough to fill a whole week's worth of TV watching.

5.  If my daughter doesn't stop waking up in the middle of the night...only to walk in my bedroom and say, "mommy, can you take me back to bed?"  I am moving out.  Not really.

6. Dogs + tubes of yellow gel food coloring + carpet= tears of frustration and 1 partially yellow dog

7.  I made cupcakes with the Steelers emblem on them last night for Mark.  Because he asked me to.  He did not even eat them after I made them.

8.  I made an Aaron Rodgers cupcake for Aidan last night.  Because he asked me to.  He promptly ate and enjoyed it.

9.  I think my cupcakes had an influence on the outcome of the game.  Maybe the next time I make special cupcakes for Mark, he will take enough time away from the football game to actually eat them.

10.  My husband did not make me any coffee this morning.  I don't want to make it myself.  If he had made it for me, I would be drinking it right now.  But I'm not.

Texas Snow

I love Texas snow, although I'm sure Jerry Jones does NOT love it, and that makes me love it a little more. Is that wrong?  Anyway, I love Texas snow, because it is so rare.  We're lucky to get it once a year, if at all.  We're more likely to get slush than snow.  But, when we get real snow, it is such a treat.  Not only is it rare, but it's fleeting.  It never lasts long.  It's not unusual for Texas snow to be here in the morning, and melt by the afternoon.  So, whenever we get this treat, we take full advantage.  We get outside as soon as possible, make snowmen and snow angels and have snowball fights.  It is all the more joyful, because we don't know when we'll be able to do it again.  Snow is a gift...at least in Texas.  Mark and I stood watching the snow come down the other night...the big beautiful flakes that I love.  It was so peaceful.  I had this sense of God saying, "shhhh" to my spirit.  Snow quiets the world and covers all the ugliness and grime with pure, perfect sparkling white.  Sort of like what Jesus does for us.  That is why I love snow.  I just wanted to bask in that moment...take in the beauty and the peacefulness of it.  God never ceases to amaze me with beauty and awesome power.

 No one can mistake that voice--His word thundering so wondrously, his mighty acts staggering our understanding.  He orders the snow, "Blanket the earth!" and the rain, "Soak the whole countryside!"  No one can escape the weather--it's there.  And no one can escape from God.  Wild animals take shelter, crawling into their dens, when blizzards roar out of the north and freezing rain crusts the land.  It's God's breath that forms the ice, it's God's breath that turns lakes and rivers solid.  And yes, it's God who fills clouds with rainwater and hurls lightning from them every which way.  He puts them through their paces--first this way, then that--commands them to do what he says all over the world.  Whether for discipline or grace or extravagant love, he makes sure they make their mark.  Job 37:2-3 (the message)

"Come now, let us argue this out," says the LORD. "No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it.  I can make you clean as freshly fallen snow.  Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool.  Isaiah 1:18 (NLT)

Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow.  Psalm 51:7 (NLT)

Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding... Psalm 148:7-8 NIV

Happy Snow Days!  

Snow Fun

It is our 3rd snow day in a row!  I don't know if we've ever had this many in a row.  We have had so much fun with everyone home.  I love that since Mark is a teacher, if school is closed he gets to stay home too.  I hate when it's icy and you have to make that decision about going into work or not.  I'm sorry for those that this ice has caused such an inconvenience for...frozen pipes, electricity outages, etc.  Fortunately, this time has been a huge blessing for our family.  There is no where to go, and we've just been hanging out having a good time together.

If you're pulling your hair out wondering how to entertain your kids on the THIRD snow day, and the thought of your kids flying across the ice in a flimsy laundry basket doesn't scare you half to death, AND you can tolerate single digit temperatures, you should try this today:

Can you tell by their faces how much fun they're having?  One word of caution, if you do this, 8 year old little boys will NOT under any circumstances want to come in the house.  Even if his mother's fingers and toes turn black and fall into the icy street.  He will just laugh and say, "more! more!"  Then, you will have to use your mean momma voice and tell him to get inside before he freezes to death.  When that doesn't work, you will have to bribe him with hot chocolate.

These may be the cutest little snow babies I've ever seen...I mean, ice babies.  (ice, ice baby...sorry, I had to).

Happy snow days!  And don't forget to let those faucets drip...and stay home...and eat...at least that's what we're doing, and it seems to be working so far.