Monday, February 14, 2011

All kinds of love...

I have rather particular views of Valentine's Day, and I attribute it gratefully to my family. Every Valentine's Day, my dad would show up with heart shaped boxes for each of his three daughters, typically wrapped in brown kraft paper in such a way that the heart shape was still evident. Even since I left for college and beyond, almost every year one of these heart shaped boxes arrives in the mail. (If you haven't guessed already, those hearts were full of chocolates.) The boxes are my dad's act of his fatherly love for his daughters on Valentine's Day. 

Then there's my mom. Like with every holiday, her home cooking reflects the celebration. Green mashed potatoes and corned beef on St. Patricks Day, tree-shaped rolls on Christmas morning, and hearts, pinks, reds, and sparkles on Valentine's Day. Sometimes notes in lunchboxes too. All gifts of familial love, from mom. 

It is exceptional that I grew up this way. In my life, Valentine's Day has always been a day, not just for romantic love, but for expressing all kinds of meaningful love. As a girl who was basically always single until I met my current husband, I never spent a Valentine's feeling like I was alone or unlovable. That's a big deal.

I suppose I just want all my family and friends to know that I love them so much, and I'll use Valentine's Day as an excuse. Will you ALL be my Valentine? :)

Thanks for shaping my views like that mom and dad. You do good work ;)

Here are some not-necessarily-romantic cards for any kind of Valentine:

Tolstoy Everything because of Love Print from Raw Letter Press

Fatherly Love and Big Mama greeting cards from Heavenly Creatures Art
I've always had a thing for elephants, and these cards are gorgeously done. Great for a mom or dad for Valentine's Day. Don't understand why? You need to know more about elephants!

Rabbit Hugs 2011 from GoGoPicnic
This card calls on the Chinese symbol for 2011, and is a great piece of letterpress design.





Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Hitting the Wall(s)

We are sooooo used to bare walls. Before Christmas, not a thing was hanging. I am proud to say though, that we are beginning to hit up the wall decorating. And that's important BECAUSE our living space is currently very green, white, and brown ...We need some mo' color! 

So here are our first additions. 

This calendar, from PaperSource, knocks my socks. Each month of awesome pattern power can be turned into a gift box, file folder, or note card thanks to cut and fold lines on the back of each page.
Available from Paper Source- Now it's 1/2 off because, well, it's February already
This divider wall between the living room and kitchen, has a face that features prominently in the dining space. Boring whiteness, but now, with the calendar...hello personality. 

On to another dinning room wall. We have learned that, while our new home has treated us very well, there was a time when someone did some shoddy or misinformed electrical work. A lot of outlets are crooked, neutral wires missing, etc. And there are outlets where outlets are not normally needed. Take this one: about 7 feet from the floor and 3 feet from the top of the counter. 
(You can see hints of another project we are working on to the right!)
So, we hid it. We didn't even have to get out the hammer and nails.

I noticed this clock while browsing seltzerstudios.com (a great place for quirky interior pieces). However, Hubs found it for cheaper at Amazon.
Available at Amazon

So our walls are slowly becoming a reflection of us...colorful and nerdy.


Friday, February 4, 2011

Maturity? Sort of...

Today my husband joins me in his 27th year of life. Happy Birthday Ceej! It's upper-20s now for us both. We still feel (ahem, and maybe act) like we are 18. It's hard to wrap our brains around our full 27 years of life. It's strange to realize that we are supposedly functioning adults. However, when I take an external look, I suppose the proof is irrefutable:
- We are married
- We own a house
- We each work 40-65 hours per week
- We have a budget
- We set our own priorities
- We talk through our problems because we want a healthy relationship
- We go on vacations all by ourselves
- We pass on dessert sometimes

And look at the gifts I got Ceej for his birthday this year:
Can be purchased on Amazon and other bookstores...more likely those in Ohio
We want to start a garden come spring! But we don't know how. I watched my parents garden as a child, but I didn't do much other than eat and occasionally harvest the produce of their labors. This book should be the assist we need. Very adult-ish, eh? I just gave my husband a gardening book for his birthday...and he liked it.

And this wii game...it's Wheel of Fortune. We honestly like to watch this show. Hmmm....
Hi Pat, Hi Vanna
So here's to adulthood, or should I say teenagers living like responsible adults?

Thanks for being born Ceej! We have been married for 1.5 years, so it is now actually quantifiable. I am officially and measurably better and happier for having you in my life.
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