Valentines Day Kids Treats

I think Valentines Day is actually more fun for the kids than for us adults! HayHay always loved giving the little boxes of these sweetheart conversation hearts to his friends along with their Valentine card.

It was always so much fun for the kids to address all their Valentine cards and decorate a shoebox or little brown bag to take to school to collect all their treats. I miss those days!

Even when HayHay was too young for school, our neighborhood playgroup hosted some very fun Valentines Day Parties for all the kiddos. HayHay is too old for that now, but for those of you with the little ones, here are a few ideas.

Whether your hosting your own Valentines Day Party or taking some goodies to a school party or a friends house, here are a few cute and easy ideas.

My friend, J, made these adorable pretzel rods for our Race for the Cure bake sale, but they would be perfect for a Valentines Day Party. You could decorate them with more pink and red hearts and pink sprinkles.

Again, these are pretty easy! Just melt the white chocolate squares, dip the pretzel rods into the melted chocolate, and roll in various decorations. It would even be more fun to do this at the party and let the kids decorate their own.

Valentine Celebrate the Pinkness

Some people think Valentine’s Day was dreamed up by Hallmark or Russell Stover. That’s a pretty cynical view though, don’t you think? Most people do think Valentine’s Day is just for people who currently have a sweetheart, but I don’t buy that either. I don’t have a Valentine this year, but it’s ok, really. Don’t cry for me. For me, Valentine’s Day is a genuine, validated, honest-to-goodness reason to celebrate my favorite color…pink! It’s a beautiful thing. Let me count the ways I love pink pink and more pink!

• Pink - in some shade – looks good on everyone, whether it’s clothes or makeup.
• Pink goes with every other color. Think about it. Pink with neutrals: brown, gray, black, white. Pink with brights like orange and yellow sends you off on a crazy fun 60s trip. Pink with green is fresh, pink with blue is sweet, and pink with red is beyond fun and cheerful. What have we missed? Pink with purple? With aqua? It all goes together. Can you say that about any color? I think not! Pink rules!
• Pink works in unexpected ways in decor. It doesn’t have to be Barbie or Strawberry Shortcake. It can be a subtle accent shade, or it can be a strong punch of unexpected color. How brave are you? I’m pretty brave…the condo I lived in for 10 years had pink living room walls. I mean pink! Ralph Lauren Duchesse Satin metallic luminescent pink walls! Sadly, they discontinued this paint, so I can never recreate that room that I loved.
• Pink‘s music is a great choice for your iPod cardio playlist!

Valentine’s Day's Special Red Velvet Cupcakes

Well How about another colorful cupcake for Valentines Day? By the way, have you made the Pomeranian Pomegranate Cupcakes that I talked about a few days ago? If not, here’s option #2 for your Valentine’s Day, and it’s another vegan one!

These are actually called Crimson Velveteen Cupcakes (I love the name!) and they’re from Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule. I have several of Isa’s other cookbooks, but I just got this one and these cupcakes are the first thing I’ve baked from it. This cute little cookbook was named the “Cookbook of the Year” by VegNews.

So, back to the baking. There was nothing weird in this recipe that required an emergency trip to my favorite little hippie health food store (although that would be dandy with me since I love it there). Just flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and soda, soy milk (I used almond), canola oil and flavorings. It was super easy to whip up, so the recipe wins kudos for that too.

History OF Valentine

Every year, the fourteenth day of the month of February has millions across the world presenting their loved ones with candy, flowers, chocolates and other lovely gifts. In many countries, restaurants and eateries are seen to be filled with couples who are eager to celebrate their relationship and the joy of their togetherness through delicious cuisines. There hardly seems to be a young man or woman who is not keen to make the most of the day.
The reason behind all of this is a kindly cleric named Valentine who died more than a thousand years ago.

It is not exactly known why the 14th of February is known as Valentine's Day or if the noble Valentine really had any relation to this day. The history of Valentine's Day is impossible to be obtained from any archive and the veil of centuries gone by has made the origin behind this day more difficult to trace. It is only some legends that are our source for the history of Valentine's Day.

The modern St. Valentine's Day celebrations are said to have been derived from both ancient Christian and Roman tradition. As per one legend, the holiday has originated from the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalis/Lupercalia, a fertility celebration that used to observed annually on February 15. But the rise of Christianity in Europe saw many pagan holidays being renamed for and dedicated to the early Christian martyrs. Lupercalia was no exception. In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius turned Lupercalia into a Christian feast day and set its observance a day earlier, on February 14. He proclaimed February 14 to be the feast day in honor of Saint Valentine, a Roman martyr who lived in the 3rd century. It is this St. Valentine whom the modern Valentine's Day honors.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, there were at least three early Christian saints by the name of Valentine. While one was a priest in Rome, another was a bishop in Terni. Nothing is known about the third St. Valentine except that he met his end in Africa. Surprisingly, all three of them were said to have been martyred on 14th February.

It is clear that Pope Gelasius intended to honor the first of these three aforementioned men. Most scholars believe that this St. Valentine was a priest who lived around 270 AD in Rome and attracted the disfavor of Roman emperor Claudius II who ruled during this time.

Happy Valentine's Day

Apparently, the best idea for someone special on Valentines Day is to take them out to a romantic spot outside like the beach or a pretty field of flowers somewhere they won’t forget, at sunset cause that’s the most romantic lighting and have a well cooked dinner of their favorite meal and desert. And have their favorite flowers and candles spread all over the place.

Moreso, And spell out “I Love You” in flowers on the ground with a little gift laying inside the heart. Have romantic music playing in the background. After eating the delicious dinner ask for a small dance. While dancing whisper reasons why you love the person your with.

Here is the list of 10 best, romantic and most popular Valentines day gift ideas for your someone special:

1. As it’s a Sunday, you can stay home, cook something special and celebrate with champagne.

2. Gift an iphone or an ipod.

3. How bout a gaming console? He would love the PS3.

4. Take your partner out for a romantic dinner night out.

5. Get her a diamond ring or a necklace.

6. Why don’t you take her out for shopping to her favourite designer boutique?

7. You can even get your partner’s name tattooed on your body.

8. Gift his/her the best, favorite perfume. You would want your partner to smell good, right?

9. Give your partner 14 red roses, 14 cards – remember its February 14, Valentines Day.

10. Gift a spa package.

Here are some samples of Happy Valentines Day SMS Quotes and Messages. The cheesier, the better it gets.

A lovely day is made up of 24 hours.

A lovely week is made up of 7 lovely days.
A lovely year is made up of 52 lovely weeks

“Love is the emblem of eternity: it confounds all notion of time: effaces all memory of a beginning, all fear of an end”

I love you not because you are beautiful
I love you not because you are rich
I love you not because you have the characteristics that I am looking for
I love you, simply because you are what you are.
Happy Valentine’s Day!

“When you smiled you had my undivided attention. When you laughed you had my urge to laugh with you. When you cried you had my urge to hold you. When you said you loved me, you had my heart forever.”

“Love, an emotion so strong that you would give up everything, to just feel it once, to know that you are part of something special. To know that you can feel what love really is, to know, to feel, to love.”

“The hours I spend with you I look upon as sort of a perfumed garden, a dim twilight, and a fountain singing to it. You and you alone make me feel that I am alive. Other men it is said have seen angels, but I have seen thee and thou art enough.”