Dear Elizabeth, Sandy, Paula Clare and Betty...

Your Valentine cards

have been mailed today...

Late, I know,

life got in the way.

You are so special

all year through...

so I'm sending my love,

to each of you!

I don't usually like to preview my projects before they are received,

but I wanted you to at least see what was on the way.

(I will show the cards I've received when they have all arrived)

I love Valentine's Day.

I always have...and always will.

I know there's a lot of discussion about whether Valentine's Day

 was invented just so that the greeting card industry

could make money from the

sale of cards but of course that's not true.

Valentine's Day goes back centuries to Medieval times.....

but I'm not talking history here....just fun!

 Years ago, my sister started a tradition in our family of

celebrating Valentine's Day by eating "red" food.

This usually meant eating spaghetti or lasagna for dinner

and red-sprinkled cupcakes or cookies for dessert.

I like this tradition...it's easy and fun and who doesn't like

pasta and red-sprinkled desserts?

This year David and I are breaking with tradition!

Because I was sick in January for both of our birthdays and we

never got a chance to celebrate, we are going out to a

favorite restaurant tonight for dinner.

Wonder if they'll have red food on the menu?

One of my traditions on Valentine's Day is to make (or buy)

and send Valentine cards to my family and friends

and always take some kind of treat in to my workmates.

I'm not working today so they'll enjoy their treat tomorrow...

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

I saw the recipe for these on

 Olive Knoll's blog before Christmas and just knew that

I would have to try these morsels.

The recipe can be found right here.

The treats will be accompanied with a tag.

Every year I chose one of my pieced Valentines to

scan and copy to make multiples for the girls.

(I like the gang I work with but not everyone will

keep a handmade card for 100 years like I do.

I know the card makers out there will understand what I'm saying.)

Now the thing about making Valentines, for me, is that once I start making them

 I don't know when to stop. Like eating potato chips...one is never enough!

I can't show you all of the cards I've made because some friends need to be surprised...

and I don't even have David's made yet (Yikes!)

but I did surprise him with this little banner when he got up

this morning and came downstairs for his coffee...

The last item I'd like to share with you today comes from my sweet, sweet,

blogging friend Mary Lou of House of Whimsy. (Her photos

are on this post and are much better than mine)

We had a little one-on-one Valentine swap and this is the

magnificent piece she sent..

this beautiful padded and decorated heart...

seen here on the arm of my santos

beautiful attention to detail...

Thank you Mary Lou....I love this treasure!

OK-I better be off and finish the rest of my

Better-late-than-never Valentine Cards...

Have a wonderful day everyone....I hope it's filled with lots of

LOVE!

xoxo

Joyce