It's beginning to look a lot like Valentine's!

Despite our disgusting sickness of coughs, colds, and miserableness, we still are excited about Valentine's Day! I love Valentine's Day. Justin and I don't make a huge deal out of it, but I just love all the love-y-ness. And yes, I know it is over commercialized and has now been deemed meaningless. But all the same, I like it. I like hearts. I like doilies. I like old, corny valentines. I like new, funny valentines. I like pink and red. I like the girls getting Valentine's ready for school. I like seeing them planning Valentines for Daddy. I am a sap.

But a happy sap. I mean, hey! it is Valentine's Day. And I am getting my sense of taste back, which means I can actually eat the chocolate truffles I have sitting in my fridge. Which I found on Smitten Kitchens blog by doing a google search on truffles. I got up from my rest on Sunday thinking I needed to make truffles. So I did. Even though I didn't have the $97 for a six pound block on Amazon chocolate specified. I used unsweetened. And then threw in a quarter cup sugar into the cream. And then worried that they wouldn't be sweet enough, so added some sugar to the cocoa you roll them in. For not really following the recipe  they were really good! I added a little kosher salt to the sugar/cocoa coating, and I think it was a great addition. But then I like a bit of salt in my chocolate.

But back to Valentines. Which started yesterday afternoon, when we descended on Mom and Dad's to clutter things up with all our mess. My Uncle Scott and Aunt Geri were there, so it just seemed silly to stay at our house doing fun things when we could do fun things where Scott and Geri were. Since we haven't seen them in a long time.

I didn't bother going to Wal-mart for Valentine's this year. I had cardstock paper, and when the internet has such cute printable valentines for free, why pay money for ones I don't like as much? The links to these valentines are below them if you want some cute, free valentines for yourself.

Orianna somehow convinced Olivia to cut out her valentines. Orianna used these ones... 

http://peptogirl.blogspot.com/2010/01/free-download-print-valentines.html

Lily cut her own out, but Tori trimmed them up for her. Which was probably as much work as cutting them out right to begin with. Lily wanted these ones...

http://secret-agent-josephine.com/blog/2009/02/06/free-valentines-for-you/

And then both of them used these ones for their teachers and Olivia, who volunteers in Orianna's classroom.

http://theblackapple.typepad.com/inside_a_black_apple/2008/02/be-mine.html

Aren't they adorable??? And they are all there, free for the taking. Kind, generous, blogging souls that they are. 

Orianna addressing hers

Valentine work

Rice Crispy treats or is it Krispy? Then we had to put sprinkles on them. Because the girls love sprinkles.

They told me there was no way I could get 43 hearts this size out of that much Rice Crispies. Ha! I got 47. The leftover bits stick together to form hearts too. But there were none leftover, which was a little sad. 

Cleaning out the bowl.

Mom, Scott, and Geri listening to the Farm of Yesterday by the Gibson Brothers. Here is a youtube of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehx6vJincww I know I wrote about them awhile ago. But they grew up locally and... well... being a farm kid, I love this song. 

My poor, sick girlie

Still working away

Olivia got a box of Olivia the pig valentines from a friend, so she decided to make them out for kids in Orianna's class. 

Doesn't she look pathetic?

Orianna's imperfectly perfect cutting job.

Elsie was fussing while Dad held her, so he took out his harmonica and she quieted right down. For a little bit anyway. 

And then she fell asleep. 

Isn't she perfect?

This morning, getting ready for school.

Orianna twirling in her heart skirt. I made matching ones for Cheyenne and Breanna, so this is their cousin skirt. 

Dancing around the living room while waiting for the bus. Most mornings are a little rough, but they woke me up 15 minutes before my alarm to tell me it was Valentines Day. And then did everything I told them to while maintaining a steady stream of happy, anticipatory chatter. So it was a good morning!

My sweet little Valentines.

And a large version of them. For some reason Blogger made all my pictures huge, so I went through and changed them back to normal. But I liked this one big. 

Lily's bookbag. Which is Valentine-y.

And the flower's I bought myself. Justin generally buys me some, but I like a lot of flowers and flowers that last, so I told him I would rather buy my own flowers this year. Since he isn't here anyway. And so I got these. Two bunches of white mums and a bunch of Gerbera daisies. I thought the red Gerbera Daisies would make it look a little Valentine-y, but really, they look a bit Christmas-y. But they make me happy. So Christmas or Valentine, they are red and white and bright and cheery. And what more could you ask for on a grey-ish winter day when you are coughing too much and going through kleenex at a rapid pace?

And since I didn't get this post up until this afternoon, here are some pictures of the girls and their school Valentine loot. 

But first, Gilbert with his banjo. This is an old wooden racket from Mom and Dad's. Originally from Parkers I think, since it has Parker written on it. He loves this thing. And strums it enthusiastically. Occasionally he whacks people with it and loses his banjo for an unspecified amount of time. Mostly when I remember to give it back to him. 

Lily and her cheerios Valentine box

She wanted to be sure I took a picture of this one. 

Doing her happy dance

across the living room

Orianna. And Elsie. These next pictures look practically identical, but if you look closely, you will see how Elsie is progressing incrimentally from the carpet to the wood floor. She is totally almost crawling. 

And that is it. Are you Valentine-d out now? Hope you have a heart-y pink and red day!