Never too late for love...

I spent some time last weekend, pulling together pictures of Valentine's Day, getting ready to post a blog and then it happened. I reached for a glass of water, took a sip...and felt a slight tingle in the back of my throat. If I had only known what was next....sigh.

If you've ever had strep throat, my heart goes out to you. I'm not the dramatic type and I'm usually the kind of girl who has to be forced to see a doctor, but I have to honestly say, short of childbirth, I can't remember having to endure such horrible pain with no end in sight and nothing to take it away. If you've never had it, get on your knees and thank the Good Lord...and then stay on your knees and pray that you never do. Any research and energy that our government puts into biological warfare should be stopped immediately. Strep throat...that's all we need. The strain that I had will stop any enemy in their tracks and they won't even begin to feel a tad bit better for more than 4 days.

Ok....enough of that...just wanted to explain my lack of posts when in my heart I really, really wanted to :)

Valentine's Day came and went without much fanfare but that does not mean that it was not thoroughly enjoyed by myself. I always hear people talking about how hard Valentine's Day is for single people and I just don't get it. I absolutely love, love, love Valentine's Day. I enjoy lavishing some love on the people in my life. I love watching people love each other. I love spending time with my friends and giving them gifts that make them feel loved. Are you feeling the love?

Here's a few highlights from my V-day.....

I did lots of Valentine's Day crafting, but took few pictures of what I was making. I know, big sad face, but I wanted to make sure they were done on time so I lost track of what I was doing and was bummed when I realized I had no pictures. I did snap one of this little frame I pulled together. I had some glitter scrapbooking letters, some pink paper and a frame from the 99 cent store (actually 3 frames for 99 cents) and thought it was a simple little piece of decor for my living room. I felt it needed something more so I grabbed a few fabric scraps and made a few rosettes and glued them to the bottom corner and was very pleased with the final product. Simple, inexpensive but so cute. I heart it.

As a single gal, I'm not one of the girls at the office who gets flowers delivered so I bought myself some roses and a few daisies. They made me smile every time I saw them. Dear Michelle, I love you. Love, Michelle

The absolute love of my life is my son Adam. He's a fairly simple boy to make happy. He loves my homemade salsa so I made him his own batch, wrote him a card, threw in some chocolate and he felt the love.

Whether there are boyfriends in the picture or not, my girlfriends and I have a tradition of getting together to celebrate Valentine's Day and lavishing each other with gifts...this year was no exception. From a love monkey and balloon.....to Edward Cullen conversation hearts and sparkling cider...to dietary supplements and giant Reeses Peanut Butter Hearts...the love was not lacking at our table. The lucky patrons of PF Changs heart our laughter, watched us open gifts and witnessed us eat massive amounts of awesome food. It was one of the best years we've ever had and I will never forget it.

So here's to another year of celebrating who we love and why we love them. And may you always have love, laughter, and tiny, naked, glass men hanging from your water glass. Yes, that was another gift from the girls :) Seriously, what's Valentine's Day without them???

I love you all <3>

I heart Target

Who says Valentine's Day decor for your home has to come from Pier One or Pottery Barn...not in my house. Finances are hard on everyone but that doesn't mean you can't bling out your house a little bit to celebrate the loves in your life. Being a single gal, the loves in my life are my family, my friends and my cat...but don't judge...love is love after all. (stop laughing)

When you first walk into a Target, don't rush past the dollar bins. They are seriously my favorite part of the store. Yes there are the lame dollar gifts, but on every trip, I tend to find at least one treasure that makes me smile. These little "I heart U" milk jugs were $2.50 and they were the last ones in the bin. I snatched them up and knew immediately what I wanted to do with them!

I have a ton of felt scraps at home and used some red and pink to cut out a few circles. They don't have to be perfect, just freehand cut in a circle. Once you have a circle, start on the outside and cut a spiral circle toward the center. The arrows show where I started and stopped cutting. Again, it doesn't have to be perfect. It's just you and the felt :)

After cutting the circle, I apparently lost my mind because I thought to myself..."what about making a video about the rest of this?" Seriously, me on video is a nightmare but I did it. Please excuse the poor lighting. Please excuse the sound of Dr. Phil in the background. Just focus on the craft and enjoy yourself. Life is short.

I made two roses in red and one in pink. I had some cloth covered stem wire and cut 3 six-inch pieces. I pushed the stem into the bottom of the rose, put one in each vase and there you have it. Valentine's Day decor for less than $3. There's nothing I love more than a bargain...so it's kind of appropriate. They will spend their time on my bookshelf...next to "The Shack" which gave me a different perspective on God's love and changed my heart....and "How to Know if Someone is Worth Dating in Two Dates or Less"...the book that probably explains why I'm single.

Go ahead, you can laugh at me on that one