Valentine's Fun

On a completely different note from the last couple of posts, I wanted to share some of the things we are doing to get ready for Valentine's Day. I don't usually do much but with Pk getting older, I am so aware of the memories that we can make and the lasting impressions we can create for her future. With the theme of love, Valentine's Day fits in so perfectly with the values we are trying to pass on - most especially, on the gift that love is in our lives and on the importance of sharing love with others.

Valentine's Treats

As always, I wanted to find a nice treat for Pk to take to her daycare party this week. She fell in love with marshmallows so when I saw this recipe for marshmallows from scratch, I couldn't resist! They were really easy! The recipe appears here:

This was my result. The original post called for dusting with red sprinkles and cinnamon hearts, which I don't have so I just used icing sugar. I spread the mix into a large pan (10 by 15, I think) so they weren't too thick and were easy to cut. I sprayed the cookie cutter with Pam and they were easy to work with. The marshmallows were yummy and really pretty.

Valentine Cards

This year, another thing I wanted to try was to have Pk make Valentine's for family (we caved and bought "Max and Ruby" Valentine's for her daycare friends that she fell in love with). She doesn't generally have all that much endurance when I try to get her to make pictures for a purpose (thank you cards after Christmas are still in process) but she had a great time with these - we just used red marker, foam hearts of various sizes and colours, and heart stickers. We are going to mail these later today.

Valentine's Mobile

I have tried to decorate a bit this year and since last year, I liked the "Names of Jesus" garland that I found on Monica's blog so I extended off the original idea and modified it to fit our light over the dining room table. I have been looking for ways to incorporate more scripture into our home. The pictures here don't do it justice but I think it turned out really well.

You will need:

three patterns of Valentine's scrapbooking paper

dark red cardstock

adhesive

printer paper

a heart shaped paper punch

1. Choose five love related texts from the Bible and print them (I used bradley hand font, 8 inch and kept the margins really tight, about 3 inches so they would fit on the hearts).

31 "So may all your enemies perish, O LORD! 
But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength." Then the land had peace forty years. Judges 5:31

7 Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. Psalm 17:7

37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Matthew 22:37-39

35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? Romans 8:35

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 1 Corinthians 13:4

2. With the scrapbook paper, cut 5 2-inch squares from each pattern.

3. Cut 15, 1.75 inch squared from the cardstock.

4. Punch five hearts from each patterned paper. Attach with adhesive - heart on cardstock square, cardstock square on patterned square.

5 . Cut 4 inch squared from the patterned paper and cut 5 hearts slightly smaller than 4 inches to fit in the squares. Mount each scripture passage on the hearts on the squares.

6. I took them all to have them laminated so I can use them again.

7. Attach based on the photo below.

Sorry, I am no great photographer but I think they they look really pretty.

Heart Match Puzzle

I found this online and had it laminated, as well. Pk loves it! It's nothing exciting but since I am trying to work with her on colours and matching, it's kind of fun.