Valentine, You Make My Heart FIZZ!

Bath bombs seem to be the latest craze lately, especially among little girls.  About a year ago, Lilah and I were able to experience a really cool store, in a mall, called Lush. We found their bath bombs super cute and amazing for bath time.  

You Love Me Better Than [Five Guys] Combined!

Darren and I love giving gifts to each other.  We LOVE being creative.  We don't give the obvious, the standard, or the mundane year after year.  We go out of our way to show each other that we put thought into every detail. 

I have several Valentine's Day gifts for him (we celebrate tomorrow, February 17th) and this is ONE.  

 

I bought him a gift card to Five Guys, so we can go out to lunch and enjoy a yummy meal. THAT is BORING... but what's NOT boring is what the gift card is attached to.

I came up with the idea/tag line all by my lonesome and designed a cute printable.  I am sharing it with you HERE! T.G.I.F.

Apples For Teachers ~ Valentine's Day 2014

Gotta love those "GALS" (bus driver and teachers) on Valentine's Day! So what did we give those beloved humans?

First up, a trip to Fruitions a.k.a. Elderberry's.  The gift certificate covers a gourmet sandwich wrap and an ultimate smoothie.  

Notice the cute lips attach to the straw, so when they drink it, their lipstick will be perfect.  Ahem... maybe it's time they use their lipsense gift certificates I gave them to buy the best lip color ever.  Also, aren't the details on the cups adorbs? "Be Mine, Hugs & Kisses, I Love You Berry Much!"

I also included some cozy, heart-shaped socks because they "knock our socks off" all  year long.

Strawberries & Cream Chocolate Hearts (Pink & Ivory).  

Simple, sweet, and practical!!!!

 Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Our Friendship Can't Be... Erased!

Okay! If you know me WELL, you know that I am completely obsessed with everything about Valentine's Day! I have probably repeated myself each year, on our blog, when I say this, but I will say it again... I love the colors, the emotions, the intentions, the sentiments, the chocolates, the entire thing screams LOVE! 

I spotted these darling, Valentine woodland creatures at HomeGoods.

They came in a box set and included a bear, a bunny, and a fox and included red, white, and pink heart-shaped erasers. The company Elum Designs makes them.  

The back of the creature looks like this... but I wanted MORE!

So I created a printable.  

It reads, "Our friendship can't be ERASED!"

Make no MISTAKE (ha ha) about it, these will be enjoyed!

I am offering this printable to you for FREE.  You might not be able to find this Valentine boxed set this late in the game BUT, you will be able to find some sort of eraser.  So feel free to click here for the red printable and here for the pink printable to replicate this idea!

Wishing you all a HAPPY LOVE DAY!

Love Is....

LOVE IS... being willing to have your life complicated by the needs and struggles of others without impatience or anger.

LOVE IS... actively fighting the temptation to be critical and judgmental toward another while looking for ways to encourage and praise.

LOVE IS... making a daily commitment to resist the needless moments of conflict that come from pointing out and responding to minor offenses.

LOVE IS... being lovingly honest and humbly approachable in times of misunderstanding.

LOVE IS... being more committed to unity and understanding than you are to winning, accusing, or being right.

LOVE IS... a making a daily commitment to admit your sin, weakness, and failure and to resist the temptation to offer an excuse or shift the blame.

LOVE IS... being willing, when confronted by another, to examine your heart rather than rising to your defense or shifting the focus.

LOVE IS... making a daily commitment to grow in love so that the love you offer to another is increasingly selfless, mature, and patient.

LOVE IS... being unwilling to do what is wrong when you have been wronged, but looking for concrete and specific ways to overcome evil with good.

LOVE IS... being a good student of another, looking for their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs so that in some way you can remove the burden, support them as they carry it, or encourage them along the way.

LOVE IS... being willing to invest the time necessary to discuss, examine, and understand the relational problems you face, staying on task until the problem is removed or you have agreed upon a strategy of response.

LOVE IS... being willing to always ask for forgiveness and always being committed to grant forgiveness when it is requested.

LOVE IS... recognizing the high value of trust in a relationship and being faithful to your promises and true to your word.

LOVE IS... speaking kindly and gently, even in moments of disagreement, refusing to attack the other person’s character or assault their intelligence.

LOVE IS... being unwilling to flatter, lie, manipulate, or deceive in any way in order to co-opt the other person into giving you what you want or doing something your way.

LOVE IS... being unwilling to ask another person to be the source of your identity, meaning, and purpose, or inner sense of well-being, while refusing to be the source of theirs.

LOVE IS... the willingness to have less free time, less sleep, and a busier schedule in order to be faithful to what God has called you to be and to do as a spouse, parent, neighbor, etc.

LOVE IS... a commitment to say no to selfish instincts and to do everything that is within your ability to promote real unity, functional understanding, and active love in your relationships.

LOVE IS... staying faithful to your commitment to treat another with appreciation, respect, and grace, even in moments when the other person doesn’t seem deserving or is unwilling to reciprocate.

LOVE IS... the willingness to make regular and costly sacrifices for the sake of a relationship without asking for anything in return or using your sacrifices to place the other person in your debt.

LOVE IS... being unwilling to make any personal decision or choice that would harm a relationship, hurt the other person, or weaken the bond of trust between you.

LOVE IS... refusing to be self-focused or demanding, but instead looking for specific ways to serve, support, and encourage, even when you are busy or tired.

LOVE IS... daily admitting to yourself, the other person, and God that you are unable to be driven by a cruciform love without God’s protecting, providing, forgiving, rescuing, and delivering grace.

Ask yourself… are you a LOVE-ing person? I think if you're honest... I think if WE are all honest... we are not loving others well.  Remember, scripture says...

"And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ~1 Corinthians 13:2"

Ouch!!! This topic is truly so important and really important to meditate on and think about, myself included. The world would be a much better place and God would be much more glorified if we all considered the cost of hate and the profits of LOVE.

Planting God's Word In Your Heart!

Sometimes sibling rivalry can be intense in our house.  They have major LOVE/hate moments.  I know ALL of us as parents go through the same thing.  IF not, you might want to check with your doctor to make sure your children are breathing OR you aren't suffering with DENIAL.  This week, our household will focus on Romans 12:9-12.  Darren and I consider it a tribulation to have to endure sibling rivalry and there's NO denying it certainly tests our patience, so that part of scripture is for US! Haha. If you want to print this to be displayed in your home or for your children, click here.  Enjoy!

Valentine's Day 2017

Time and seasons, right?  Man, how I miss being able to stay caught up on my blog content.  One day, I won't have ANYTHING to blog about because my children will be LONG gone, so for now, I will cherish this hectic season of LIFE.  I am JUST NOW getting around to posting my children's Valentine's Day gifts.  I love everything about LOVE DAY! The colors, the sentiments, the emotions, the thoughts E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.  I just think it's another reason to be INTENTIONAL to those you love. The kids enjoyed EVERYTHING too.  We celebrated with our children on the actual day, February 14th.  We waited until AFTER SCHOOL to shower them with our LOVE blessings. The twins arrived home first. 

They received a "lovely" snack.  ALL heart-shaped.

Ritz crackers with peanut butter and heart-shaped strawberries.

A tic tac toe board using frosting, graham crackers, and conversation hearts.

Strawberry lemonade in a fancy, plastic wine glass, topped with a heart-shaped strawberry slice!

Cheese and heart-shaped pepperoni.  

Heart-shaped gummies.

Then came the gifts. Girls first: here are Liley's gifts.  

A cute shirt.

An iTunes gift card.

A new make-up bag.

Ever heard of Sugarfina? Do you have a friend, child, or family member who is obsessed with anything GUMMY? THIS company is then a MUST TRY!

It's the BEST.CANDY.EVER.  I absolutely hate candy, but when I was debating on whether or NOT to buy this expensive candy for my children, from the Mall Of America, I had to taste test.  After trying them, I HAD to buy them.  They are SOOOOOOOO gourmet and tasty.  

"You give me butterflies"

A cute heart-shaped bowl, "Love Ya!"

Old fashioned, scented LIP GLOSS!

Sour conversation hearts!

Fake nails with hearts on them!

A bath balm in the shape of a heart!

An ice cream cone soap luffa.  

Here are Jaxey's gifts.

Lip gummies.

"Kiss Me"

A solar dancing cupid!

Legos!

Berry Burst gum!

A walking heart!

#LOVE

A red, SNAP hand.  So fun!

A shirt endorsed by their favorite player, Stephen Curry, "I can do all things".

Ty's gifts.

Pink macaroons!

Sour hearts!

"Pucker Up!" flavored peach bellini.  

And how could I forget my fur kids?

Then of course, Daddy gave Liley a special gift. A single, red rose, a box of chocolates (her favorite) and the COOLEST pillow EVERY.  It's a mermaid pillow.  Ever see them?  Black sequined heart or is it?  Move the sequins ONE WAY and they are black.  Move them the opposite way and they are white. She was ecstatic.

The cutest card picked out, from her daddy, with the perfect message.

I cooked a special Valentine dinner.  Heart-shaped ravioli, chicken fetticcini alfredo, salad, and bread.

I also made them a heart-shaped cookie cake!  It was so delicious.

 It was a wonderful day, spent with those I love the absolute MOST.