Valentine's Day!

It's almost February, and you know what that means - Valentine's Day! What is better than a holiday centered around pink and love? I enjoy Valentine's each year - with or without that "special someone." I just love LOVE.  You can celebrate by showing your friends, family, or even your dog, lots of LOVE! Just make them feel extra special - and that makes you feel loved and special too. Check out sone of these ideas to make all those around you feel LOVED:

FRIENDS:

Make your friends cookies or some sweet treat - maybe even include a kind card to show them how much you LOVE them and are thankful for their friendship.  I found these on Pinterest - super cute ways to decorate your cookies add an element of fun (if you like to bake and decorate, like myself). If you need cookie cutters, Wilton has good quality ones.  

If you're at college and do not have access to a kitchen (like me), treat bags are always great ideas, too!

FAMILY:

I am planning to go home Valentine's Day weekend - my mom got tickets to an event for us to go to. I am excited to make cupcakes when I get home - pink and red of course!  These are some that I have made in the past so I might do one (or both) of these! The ones on the left are fresh strawberry cupcakes with a strawberry buttercream and garnished with a strawberry (yum!) and the ones on the right are red velvet with a cream cheese icing and garnished with edible pearls!

I will probably make a batch (or two) for my family, and then take some to my grandparents as well!

YOURSELF:

Of course you deserve a little LOVE too! Get a pedicure with your best friend, pick up a few extra Valentine's Day decoration for your room, splurge on that dress you've had your eye on for over a month! No shame in treating yourself once in a while. These are on the top of my list lately:

1) Jack Rogers sandals

2) CiChic dress

3) Lilly Pulitzer dress

GOD:

The Valentine's Day season is also the perfect time to reflect on God's LOVE for us - He LOVES us so much that he sent us Jesus - that whoever believes in him will receive eternal life in heaven someday! (John 3:16)  The Bible teaches us so many great lessons about LOVE. We are called to LOVE. Matthew 22:37-38 says "You shall LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the greatest and first commandment." Again in Colossians 3:12-14 it says "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these, put on LOVE, which binds everything together in perfect harmony."  

LOVE God, LOVE others, and LOVE yourself.

Xoxo, Roxanne