Valentine's Day 2015

That day so loved by some and dreaded by others has arrived again. No, not Christmas! It's Valentine's 2015 and the day began for my beloved little men with these simple and simply beautiful heart shaped cinnamon rolls. I bought the cheap store brand and just layered one heart-swirl on top the another, making them Cinnabon worthy.

My two youngest boys are still just young enough to bring in classroom Valentine's and each year my OCD for details gets worse, so I must top the treats from the previous year.

My 2nd grader brought these, sure to not be wasted, Goldfish crackers and a Koolaid single. The tag read "You are O'Fish'ially the 'Kool'est (friend's name) there is!"

Yeah, I suppose the tags could've been nicer, but what more can an 8 year old ask for?

This will be my 5th graders last year having class Valentine's, so I wanted to make them special and a little grown-up. My son has taken a fancy to origami and crafting, so I thought these origami fortune cookies were just the ticket, and so easy. It took a little practice forming the 'cookies' from a simple circle, the real work came in finding or creating the fortunes to put inside. I found age appropriate fortunes online, used bible verses in some, and added a few with my own whimsy and wisdom.

On the homefront, I left a little surprise for my big man to wake up to. It wasn't fancy, but I've always wanted to do something special with post-its.

So I wrote down several of the reasons that I've loved him over the last decade and made a handsome heart on the bathroom mirror. Funny thing is, when I asked him if he took the time to read his whole Post-it Heart, he didn't know what I was talking about 'cause he hadn't been in the bathroom all day!

I try to make each little holiday a little special for my family to break up the rest of the mundane and rainy days of the year.

Desserts are always the funnest to make, but hardest to decide which one(s). Chocolate covered strawberries are a must!

YUM! Then you have to work in the red-velvet cake, so I made cake balls, and marble Cupid cupcakes.

There was a lot of candy/ chocolate coating going on and it gets tedious, if not frustrating at time. You just have to make sure to stir your melting bowl and Do Not overcook! Follow the 60 sec. rule and checking it early won't hurt.

Ya'll remember Jigglers? Who doesn't remember Bill Cosby with the Jigglers? Well, I made some jjello hearts and my kids had nooooo idea what I was talking about when I asked them if the Jigglers were any good. They didn't even get the connection! huh

Because of my obsessive-compulsive-'detail'-disorder, I had to find some dinner for the occassion and we weren't doing steaks and potatoes.

It was a cold night, so we had some chili with a rice heart. I thought it was ingenious myself, but I do get a little cocky when I come up with something all on my own, without the influence of Pinterest.

#ValentinesDayfood #KidsValentines #paperfortunecookies