I LOVE Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays.  Maybe because I am blessed with having the same wonderful Valentine since 1984!!!  He also now happens to be my husband. That’s right, we were/are highschool sweethearts.  We met through a mutual friend’s beach birthday party (Karen) and there was an instant connection.  It started to rain so we all got in our cars and headed to Karen’s house. He said to me, “I’ll see you there” and then he never showed up.  Frankly, I was ticked! 

Sort of an Accidental Love Story

The next day I was out mowing the lawn (you know,  teenager chores- Lol) and he called me!!!  He hadn’t gotten the chance to get my number so I was surprised to say the least.  He then went on to explain that he and his friend and gotten into a car accident on the way to Karen’s house.  Later that night, AFTER he had gotten released from the emergency room for the cut and bump on his head he headed straight to Karen’s house where he found the party was over.  He said he woke her up and begged for my phone number. Karen wasn’t sure what to think but she gave it to him. (Of course, as any skeptical teenage girl would, I checked the story with Karen and his friend.  Haha. It was legit as the cut on his head! )

Thirty Six Years and Counting

From that day on we spent hours talking on the phone every night.  Not a cell phone of course. The kind of phone that has a long cord (if you’re lucky).  The sort of cord that looks like a stretched out pig’s tail. You wanted a long cord so you could roam about your room or house and have privacy and comfort.   We talked about anything and everything late into the night and neither of us ever wanted to say goodbye.

By the time we had our first date we were already best friends and realized how much we had in common.  The rest, they say, is history. We dated for years given our age, got engaged, got married and had beautiful daughters. Thirty-six years later (29 of them married) we are still crazy in love and best friends. (You have to be a little crazy to make it through all the ups and downs life will bring along the way.)  

Finally Home Alone- Lol

So now you know why I get excited about Valentine’s Day.  This year both of our daughters are married and out on their own so I decided to make the most of our “empty nest” and start planning a Valentine celebration for home.  We’ve been so busy with two weddings, work, and caring for parents that a special night at home, alone sounds DIVINE.  

Don’t get me wrong, I love a nice night out on the town but Valentine’s Day is NOT that occasion!  Everywhere is crowded beyond capacity and the restaurants decide on “special” menus (usually surf-n-turf which I don’t even care for) that are meant to make their life easier while making a bundle off of couples trying to celebrate their sweetheart.   

There are Other Ways to Celebrate

I prefer to celebrate with an evening of meaningful gestures.  The scene will be set with some special decorations that are significant to our history.  Some sweet and sentimental, some that are more on the funny, goofy side. We will start our celebration with a cocktail.  Most likely a dirty martini with blue cheese stuffed olives but I am thinking we may have to try this Southern French Kiss Martini from Trina over at Redneck Rhapsody. It sounds like liquid love in a glass.   Of course we will need an appetizer to go with our “love libation” (Corny humor is definitely part of what has made our relationship fun for the last 36 years, Lol.)  My scallop ceviche is one of his favorites so it will be the perfect starter.

Make New Memories Together

Lately Chad has taken an interest in helping in the kitchen. So we will work on making a delicious dinner together.   I am planning on making the Splurge Dinner for Two from Esme’s blog.    Chad calls himself my Sous implying I’m the chef. I love that man. The day we married, I couldn’t cook a lick! My cooking was so bad I lost ten pounds our first month married. Things change, and you learn and grow. Now I love cooking and baking and have gotten way more comfortable with even the most complicated recipes. Here’s a perfect Valentine dessert recipe – give this amazing Nutella dessert a try! Add a few raspberries or chocolate dipped strawberries as a garnish to make it extra over the top for Valentine’s Day.

Token of Love

Let’s Get Crafting

You don’t have to have a ton of money to make it a special night for you and your honey.  I got all these goodies below at the Target dollar spot. That does not mean every item is a dollar of course but all the items below cost me under $20. If you don’t have access to these same items at your Target I have linked some similar items from Amazon.  This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)! Read my full privacy and disclosure policy here 

Treat Jars

As soon as I saw the glass jars I knew what I wanted to do.  I am going to fill one with Chad’s favorite sweet treats, my super dark and decadent homemade truffles. I’ve included a recipe for the truffles down below the picture.   Literally so easy and once you have had one of these the store bought ones will never taste the same. The other jar I am going to fill with colorful slips of paper where I write some of the reasons I love him.  Treats to eat and treats to read. I chose to laser the lids for this project but you could just as easily etch the glass like I did here in a previous project or use your Cricut machine and make a vinyl decal for the lids or jars.  

Dark and Decadent Truffle Recipe Below

Place Mats and Apron

The apron will look cute over my Valentine T that I made last year with my Cricut.  Aprons have such a cute vintage feel and everyone knows if you wear an apron to fix a meal it automatically makes the dish taste better and look more complicated than it really is.  Lol. I will be using my Cricut machine and HTV to complete these projects.   The place mats, tea towel, and hot pad will help build a coordinated and festive “tablescape” for our special night.  If you have any couple’s sayings, nicknames, or inside jokes it is also a great way to incorporate them to make your efforts even more personalized and memorable.  I think I’m even going to make a set for my daughter’s first Valentine’s Day as a wife.  If you are new to Cricut or HTV or want to see the Glowforge Laser in action watch the tutorial here.

Pièce de résistance

I am SO EXCITED about the idea I got for Chad’s gift! You know how the best ideas sometimes just pop in your head? This was one of those moments. I am going to make him a custom, personalized, trophy!!! A trophy may seem like an odd Valentine gift but trust me.  I think my hubby is going to love it! My husband never played organized sports.  At least not the kind where he won a trophy. He was a swimmer so he got medals as recognition for his success.  But it never replaced the desire for a trophy. So I thought Valentine’s Day might be the perfect occasion to present him with one – A “Best Husband” award!   

The Best Valentines are Homemade

He will love that I made him one out of wood using the Glowforge Laser. My Link will save you $500 off a Pro, $250 off a Plus, or $100 off a Basic and earn me a commission without costing you a penny more!  He knows all the varieties of wood and has started to create a woodworking shop in our garage to pursue his own creative hobby.  Walnut wood is one of his favorites so I went with Walnut veneer over Basswood for this project. I used proof grade materials so it literally could not have been any easier.  The whole thing from start to finish took me approximately 15 minutes and cost about $6.00 in materials. I used the “trace” feature to add my own handwritten message to the bottom of his trophy to make this “award” truly one of a kind!   

What’s your favorite way to celebrate?

So there you have it, a Valentine’s Day that is as personal and special as it is quick and easy.  What’s not to LOVE??? (See what I did there?? Haha. By the way, I saw that eye roll! Lol) Be sure to share the love fest with a pin or tweet and comment below and tell me your favorite Valentine’s memory.  Seriously, I appreciate you being here and being part of the Kim’s DIY Tribe family! 

Until next time,
Kim