Charming Valentines

As Valentine's Day approaches, ye olde memory bank clicked in about Mom helping us make cards for family members and neighbors even before we started going to school. I remember how thrilling it was to see the very large satin See's box pulled out and placed on the dining room table a couple of weeks before the big day!

The white paste pot sat next to it I still remember that paste smell, as it was used thru elementary and Jr. High school, unless for special projects we used Le Page's amber flowing, always with a dark red rubber slanted applicator or someone brought from home airplane glue when there was a builder of those in the house. Dad built models that were very large with real engines and rubber tires.




Back to the Valentines...Mom saved bits of ribbon, lace, all sorts of stuff all year and it was divided up between making May baskets and valentines. New supplies were purchased at the "Five and Dime"- Dennison's Crepe Paper and fresh construction paper.

 Of course the "special big box" of crayons with 64 colors" were saved for special projects. Almost forgot the paper doilies.We were busy bees because we had two sets of grandparents, many aunts and uncles- and some great grandparents as well as a gaggle of cousins, the neighborhood kids, etc.

The final job was decorating our own Valentine Box for our home. The ones we received in the mail were added to those in the box and the grand opening was St. Valentines Day.

Image from Martha Stewart. Link below

Mom made her famous Devil's Food Cake cupcakes and what celebrations we had. Dad would come home from work with a red satin heart from See's for Mom and special things from there for us. Call me a combination Hershey's/See's kid. :) See's candy was a big thing in my generation.


Thanks for letting me share a warm memory of way back when. XO Happy Valentine's Day!

Edda Gahm

Thank you back. The reminiscence affected how I feel about the infamous- dare I call it as an overworked friend in the floral trade used to call it after one last minute run on the store by a dozen too many desperate men afraid of offending their significant other ordered bouquets- VD- Day? So many bad jokes that flow from that acronym....

 I haven't decided quite what I want for the holiday. We've never been into high glamour, crowded restaurants or forced romance. But after 35 years of marriage to the same man- something charming is authentic.  

Sharon Lovejoy's Homemade Cheese ball

I don't think I've ever seen anything more charming than Sharon Lovejoy's cheese ball.  

So tomorrow I start. Shhh. Don't tell Gerry):- Just because dinner is at home doesn't mean it is going to be dull.