14 Lovely and Loving Moments

 

In the firm belief that love should be celebrated every day, I'm posting 14 loving moments from my year. This is by no means exhaustive.

Bop, aka Grandpa pondering over plans for woodworking projects with two grands. 

My Valentine and I kayaking last summer. 

Evening light beside a peaceful lake. 

Sweet peas and peaches on the kitchen windowsill.

Baking with two little loves.

All the grands lying on the floor with their new pillows at Christmas.

Silly fun with my Valentine. On our anniversary while traveling up north last summer - we found two brand new party hats on a bench at a park and put them on for a selfie! 

A pink rose in the garden we visited on our wedding day, and again this summer after 45 years.

Adventuring together. He's the best!

Roses from the garden.

Two grands celebrating close-together birthdays.

Bright hope of spring.

This past week we celebrated our grandson's birthday - those tacos took the place of cake - waffle bases, crumbled brownies (meat), coloured coconut (lettuce), maraschino cherries (tomatoes), orange Twizzlers (cheese). Delicious, but disconcerting to eat.

The three older grands at the table with the birthday boy in the center. 

As Anne of Green Gables once said, "Dear old world, you are very lovely and I am glad to be alive in you."

Wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day. Treat yourself with love, treat others with love, treat God's world with love. 

Friday Bliss: Tea, cookies, and SNOW

Bunches of ranunculus appeared in the store this week. Tight buds that will open into layers of pink. I couldn't resist and a small bouquet made its way home with me. 

The big news this week has been the weather. Snow, snow, snow - and more snow. It's been beautiful. School was cancelled for an unprecedented three days in a row. I went for long walks on my own to enjoy the transformed landscape. It's not cold, and so lovely out there.

On Wednesday, I took two grandchildren to visit their cousin, about 15 minutes away. The snow was all the entertainment they needed. 

Driving was fine on the main roads, but our town has few snowplows and side streets were slippery and messy. Coming home I lost traction on the hill on our street, backed up to a clear patch of pavement for traction and set off again, this time with a heavier foot. I made it, but just barely. Later, I saw some of our neighbours out shoveling the street because they could not make it, either.

My father taught me how to drive in all kinds of weather. He drove big trucks and trailers when I was young. To this day he is a good driver. We lived in the north where there is plenty of winter driving, and I feel quite comfortable in the snow.  

This fat robin is probably wondering when the snow will disappear. In the tall tree outside my daughter's dining room window a varied group of birds arrived - flickers, robins, varied thrush, red-headed woodpecker, juncos - all at once, to chatter and feed. 

I stitched a quilted heart to use as a hot mat for a teapot on the coffee table.

Tim and I celebrated Valentine's Day at home, simply, on the 13th. I made dinner, he brought me roses. I baked heart-shaped cookies, a family tradition. Tea and cookies are a lovely way to spend time chatting with a friend, a child, a husband, or anyone.

I hope you've all had a sweet Valentine's Day, celebrating positive and loving relationships in your life. 

Linking to Friday Bliss, hosted by Riitta of Floral Passions.  

Bright and Cold

When our temperatures hover around freezing here in the temperate rainforest, we call it cold. Those in more northerly regions scoff. Cold is a relative term. 

Spring is en route, but winter continues to hold sway. Frosty nights are followed by bright sunny days. It's enough for flowers to appear, such as the Henderson Shooting Stars above. The glow of colour in the background is a naturalized lawn of crocuses and shooting stars.

The crocuses are just beginning to open, tentatively unfurling a petal or two. 

In the late afternoon, a gnarled Garry Oak stands out against the clear sky. 


We walked quickly, for we had dressed according to the sunshine, not the temperature. Brrr. It was good to come indoors to the blast of warmth. 

Our Valentine celebration was a simple affair at home, made special by the effort of setting a table with a vintage tablecloth given to my in-laws on their wedding day 63 years ago today. China, crystal, and linen lift a meal to a celebration. 

Tonight we lingered over dessert (chocolate souffle cakes), tea, and candlelight, chatting together about the years we've spent together. No regrets at all about choosing each other.

One more bit of green - I do love moss. Happy Valentine's Day to each of my readers.  

Mosaic Monday: Valentine Fun

One set of parents asked us to watch their children on Sunday afternoon/early evening so that they could go on a Valentine's date together. So we offered to the other set of parents childcare during the same time.

I prepared some craft supplies beforehand and we had fun making these heart-shaped sun-catchers that look so pretty taped to the windows. 

The two girls, in particular, loved the gluing, the arranging, the choosing of colours and so on. Grandpa helped Felix to create his artwork, and then the two menfolk went off and did other things while the girls continued to craft.

Yesterday I baked a batch of sugar cookies, the same recipe that I've used for many years, my mother's recipe. She made heart-shaped cookies for Valentine's Day, and sent them carefully packed, when I was in college. 

There was a lot of icing consumed, and plenty of sprinkles landed on the floor (and into mouths), and it all added up to a very sweet time - the kind of time I've anticipated as the children grow up. Thank you to all the other Nanas out there who post about the things they do with their grandchildren. I'm inspired by you all. 

I showed them my collection of heart-shaped rocks and they each picked a favourite one. Miss A was astounded that rocks could be found in such shapes. Next time we go to the beach I'll help her find some for herself. 

Decorating for Valentine's Day is minimal. I've left the red and white dishes from Christmas in the china hutch, and will take them down soon. I propped up this old postcard, written with a simple "To Bertha, from Grandma and Grandpa" on the back. It's undated, and must have been hand-delivered, for there is no postage on the card, but I have others to Bertha, and they are from the early 20th century. 

While cutting out simple heart shaped cookies yesterday, I cut a few pairs with cutouts, as well, and put them together with raspberry jam, then dusted them with icing sugar as a treat for the man I love. 

Tomorrow is a holiday here - how I love Sunday nights with Mondays off. It's Family Day here in our province, and we will be getting together with family once again. 

Linking with Mosaic Monday, hosted by Maggie of Normandy Life. 

February Flowers

Monochromatic greys and greens were the view out the window this morning. But inside the tea was hot, the atmosphere convivial, and the food delicious. No need for sunshine.
 

After breakfast we walked along the sea wall in Sidney. Expansive ocean views to one side and in the gardens lining the pathway wonderful signs of spring. The trees are beginning to bloom, delicate pinks and whites that make a living Valentine. It's so early!

And the crocuses! Well, you can see for yourself how gorgeous they are. Purple, white, striped, and a few yellow ones. Spring seems to be well on the way.

I'm writing this on Saturday evening after a day of doing very little. It's been wonderful. I hope your weekend is equally relaxing.

Linking to Sunlit Sunday and Mosaic Monday. 

Celebrating Love

Love is more than romance. For me, Valentine's Day is a lovely way to celebrate not only the romantic aspects of love, but friendship and familial love as well. Sugar cookies are made. (but the photo above is from last year) We'll have a cozy dinner tonight at home, just the two of us.
 

He might bring home flowers, or not. But he'll be here and that's more important. I bought tulips earlier in the week and they are beginning to fade and wilt. 
 

Yesterday I made a little dinosaur toy for Mister F. Just 3 days old now, it will be awhile before he can hang onto this. He's keeping his mother awake at nights and seems to sleep only when being held. Tiring days for a new family. 
 

In the summertime Little Misses A and S know that there are always home made popsicles in Nana's freezer. So I created these bags of felt popsicles for play. I'll take the gifts around to their homes later today.

How are you marking this day of celebrating love?

Stretch

Resolutions. It's that time of year. Not here. If something needs changing in my life, I like to take steps as soon as I can, rather than wait. However, I have decided that this is my year to Stretch. Life itself will likely stretch me in ways I don't anticipate or even want. But in addition, I'd like to stretch myself intentionally. To try new things and to improve in others. To read. To grow. 

I'd like to stretch my creativity. I'm practicing writing patterns and instructions of some of the projects I've created and I hope to do more. It's fun, it's challenging, and I like to see others using my tutorials and patterns to create things for themselves. I've put the pattern for the Faux Fur Cowl Scarf - my first pattern - up on Craftsy. The link is in my sidebar. It's free, and it's an easy project. Seriously easy. I first wore the scarf in the snow on the mainland just before Christmas. It's cozy and there's plenty of winter left for enjoying it.
 

Moving on to Valentine's Day. (I'm jumping from not making New Year's resolutions to mid-February here.) It's low key, doesn't have to be all about romance, although that's fun, too. But love means so many things - love between friends, of parents and children (and grandchildren) - and I think it's a fun day to celebrate. 

Adding a touch of Valentine's Day to the decor doesn't take much. I have a couple of tutorials that are apt for this day - the Love Bird Mobile and the Je t'aime Pillow. I've also added a few garlands similar to the one above in my Etsy shop.

So there you have it. My non-resolution for 2014. Stretch. It feels good. Any non-resolutions in your corner? 

Our First Valentine's Day Together

We attended a very conservative Christian college in Saskatchewan. Boys were not permitted on the girls' floor.  A central lounge area and porch separated the dorms. To contact someone from the opposite sex, you asked someone entering the dorm to take a message. No cell phones or personal computers back then.

On Valentine's Day, which happened to fall on a Saturday that year, I was in my room when I heard someone in the hall calling my name. I poked my head out the door and the messenger handed me a single red rose and a card. Other girls experienced the same, but I remember most of the girls in the dorm coming by to see MY card because it was so different, and almost risqué - referring to kisses and all. The inside of the card reads, "But you can keep trying."

That night we attended a concert in Regina, about an hour's drive away. Back then a date with just the two of us counted for more than a double date, and date points were strictly rationed by the month. We had saved enough points for a "just-the-two-of-us" date and planned to have dinner out before the concert. 

En route to town, we saw a fellow classmate's car pulled over beside the road. Two couples stood beside it looking lost. We knew we had to stop and help, but we saw our "just-the-two-of-us" date disappearing fast. Sure enough, the car couldn't be started. We offered to take the couples into town and to drop them off wherever they wanted to have dinner, then pick them up again and take them to the concert. Being polite young Canadians, they insisted that wherever we were going was fine with them. 

It wasn't fine with us. We wanted "just-the-two-of-us" for dinner. But Tim headed the car in the direction of our intended restaurant.

As we drove along, one of our passengers said sotto voce to another, "Isn't that where we were going to eat?"

Tim overheard, turned as soon as he could, and before anyone could say, "happy valentine's day," our erstwhile passengers were standing in front of their restaurant and we had arranged to pick them up to take them to the concert. We carried on to our own dinner à deux, glad for the escape and feeling only slightly guilty at ditching our companions.

Last week, while rummaging in a cupboard, I came across the old scrapbook containing the above page. No acid-free paper or tape. No fancy papers or stickers. The rose came wrapped in the green paper behind the card. The hearts were cut from some scrap. The caption is from a magazine. On the next page there is a placemat from the restaurant and ticket stubs from the concert. No words tell the story I've told here, but just looking at the pages brings it all back. I think of throwing away these old, crumbling scrapbooks, but I don't have the heart to do so. Maybe someday.

I'm so thankful for a love that has lasted a lifetime. I don't take it for granted. I know of so many aching hearts for whom such love does not exist. I have no secrets beyond mutual respect, shared values and a commitment to love even when love is not felt.

Happy Valentine's Day to my readers.

 



 

Valentine's Day Cookies and a Kitchen Tip

Should you come to my house for tea today or tomorrow (and I'd love it if you would), you'd be served sugar cookies. This is a recipe I got from my mother years ago and is her standard. Crisp, buttery, and so good. When I went away to college, she sent a box of pink iced heart shaped cookies at Valentine's Day. You could say they are a family tradition.
 

Unlike my talented daughter-in-law who makes the most amazing cakes, I am not a decorator of food. I cook, I present, but I don't decorate. My lines are uneven, and I'm never happy with the results. I'm learning that icing consistency is EVERYTHING!  Today I couldn't find my icing bag and tips (that's how often I use them). Instead, I found these condiment holders, never used. I cut the attached lids off since they just got in my way. What an easy way to decorate. I'll probably never go back to the bags. Well, I might. But this is easy. Trust me. 

Most of these cookies will be going out the door to my children's homes. (Act surprised, kids). But there will be a few here for us to munch on as well.

Any Valentine traditions being upheld in your home? Are you staying in or going out? Flowers or chocolate? 

 

From the Heart

I like Valentine's Day. Around here it's sweet and understated. I put out my rock hearts - three of them for my three children, each one unique. A bit of lace and a touch of pink finish it off. 

The other day I went through my night table drawer and found a number of Valentines given to me by Tim. And ones that I've given to him. I save them and put them all out the next year. In fact, I have the very first Valentine card he ever gave me, back in college. We don't exchange cards every year but acknowledge the day in a variety of ways.

I like to cook a nice meal for my husband, and eat by candlelight. I might get flowers or I might not. With his current work schedule I'm thinking not, this year. And that's okay. As I've grown older I think I've grown a bit wiser - and lessened my expectations. Love isn't shown by flowers and chocolates, although they are nice, but by coming home every night, sharing dreams and thoughts, and enjoying each other's company. 

A Little Crafting for my Etsy Shop

I was puttering away in my studio (sounds more professional than a craft room, doesn't it?) yesterday afternoon and came up with a few Valentine's Day cards for my Etsy shop.

Stitched with bits of paper, a felted wool heart, buttons and a charm, these were fun to do.

You can find them in my Etsy shop. More will be coming. If you want a particular card background, please let me know.

Stitched with Love - Friendly Friday

Love is a marvelous, miraculous thing, but has this in common with fire:
one must keep it going and feed it.
Jean Simard

An evening or two of stitching resulted in this crazy patch heart. I love making things without patterns - just stitching as the muse leads. A few buttons and a piece of twill tape stamped with love to hold a little bouquet finished it off.


Now, where to put it? And should I do a tutorial?

Check out more Friendly Friday posts at Lynne Laura's A Romantic Nest.