We know not everyone celebrates St. Valentines Day, but we find it a great time to express our feelings to each other, our families and friends. Plus, there’s nothing wrong with a holiday that highlights eating chocolate in the middle of a long, cold winter!

The treasured photograph above is of Kevin’s parents, Warren and Irene Wollschlager, taken in 1946. The red-lettered caption, photoshopped in by Kevin’s niece, Rachel, reads, “Have you ever wondered what true love looks like?”

HEART-SHAPED TURKEY MEATLOAFS                                                                                                       We took our favorite turkey meatloaf recipe and shaped it into 2 hearts (shown above), perfect for St. Valentine’s Day. We used celery to create Cupid’s arrow! Heart healthy hearts!

STRAWBERRIES & BARK                                                                                                                               These were made by dipping fresh strawberries into melted semi-sweet and white chocolate. We made these treats more special by sprinkling crushed red-hot candies on the white chocolate confections and adding classic candy hearts with messages to the semi-sweet chocolate ones. We took the leftover melted chocolate and made bark by spreading it on parchment paper and topping with the leftover candies and dried cranberries.

COLLAGE BANNER                                                                                                                                         We made copies of treasured old black and white family photos and created the keepsake collage banner leading off this blog. Kevin’s mom and dad are pictured on their wedding day and Roy’s mother and father are shown getting ready for one of their Sunday afternoon drives. We added a picture of ourselves at Narragansett Bay to the mix. These photos are grouped with heart shaped doilies adorned with stickers. To finish the banner off, we added a pair of heart shapes, color copied with Roy’s mom’s original watercolor flower painting. We skipped spelling out “Happy St. Valentine’s Day” – this banner’s message of love is clear without it!

OUR DECORATIONS                                                                                                                             We used our old standby tomato cage tree as the center of a St. Valentine’s Day vignette, which includes the banner, red lights and additional trees. In addition, our laundry room door is decorated with a variety of St. Valentine’s cards we have received from family members or made for each other throughout our nearly 17 years together. Kevin attached some of them to 3 cardboard hearts we got from Party City and connected them vertically with a length of chunky red ribbon.

TRIVIA                                                                                                                                                               St. Valentine’s Day is believed to have it’s roots in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, a fertility celebration commemorated annually on February 15th. Pope Gelasius I renamed this pagan festival St. Valentine’s Day and moved it to the 14th. Source: (Usefultrivia.com)

JOKE OF THE WEEK                                                                                                                                  What did the caveman give his love on St. Valentine’s Day? Ughs and Kisses!                                 Source: kidsplayandcreate

XXOO

Roy and Kevin