Friday, February 14, 2025
Happy Friday, Everyone!
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
Can you feel the love?
We sure hope so!
We pray that wherever you are today
you are feeling cherished and loved for who you are!
as we share this edition of our WEEKLY SNAPSHOTS!
Today’s post features a few snapshots from our GRAND lives,
those sweet moments - past and present -
that make our days memorable!
It’s been another frigid week here in Minnesota
with daytime temps averaging in the single digits!
As you can imagine, we’re a bit in hibernation mode
and, when we do head outside we are definitely bundled up!
Here’s a glimpse at what we’ve been thinking about or up to this past week!
Today Laurie has a few photos for us
from a gathering her daughter-in-law hosted recently
to a special ❤️ tradition she and her husband share each year!
We Love Our Galentines!
My DIL sure knows how to throw a party!
Recently, she hosted several friends for some girl time
and as you can see from these photos, she created the perfect Galentine setting…
Complete with yummy treats and beverages and fun projects for all!!
There’s nothing like the relationship shared with good friends
and girlfriends are in a category all their own!
What a blessing such friendships are in life!
My Sweet Valentine!
Do you and your significant other give each other gifts on Valentine’s Day?
My hubby and I have our very own special tradition!
When our kids were young, I made sure that my husband and I made some sort of loving gesture toward each other to model to our children how important it is to express love in a marriage.
Once the kids were grown and had moved out, this kind of came to an end… That is, until one year, when I walked into the house after a long day of celebrating Valentine’s Day with a classroom of kindergartners. There on our kitchen table was a poster board filled with pictures of the two of us from the past year! Imagine my surprise! My husband knows how much I love photos and doing things with them (scrapbooking, anyone?) so he had decided to return the favor by giving me a beautiful collection of photos of us together! He knows me so well!
Since then this new tradition has continued! Hubby has switched from a big poster board filled with photos to a collage printed on regular copy paper. (That change came about after two years of not knowing what to do with those large, sturdy posters!) Now I can take each page, scan it and put it in my scrapbooks, which works so well.
(And I might just be saving them all in a special notebook!)
You hit it right on the mark, Hubby!
Valentine’s week has always been a memorable one for Laura and family!
Read on to find out more!
My Special Heart!
Each year when Valentine’s Day arrives,
I have a special accessory that I always wear!
When our oldest, Daughter J, was in kindergarten
she made this pin for me.
It’s always meant the world to me
and each year when I put it on, I’m reminded of this sweet 5-year old face!
Truly the best kind of gift!
Wouldn’t you agree?
Chocolate, Anyone?
If you're like me and love a yummy piece of chocolate and If you live near a Trader Joe’s, I strongly suggest that you run out and buy a few boxes of these seasonal items before they disappear! These Belgian chocolates are soooo delicious!
They remind me of the more expensive treats I find in local candy shops but at a much better price point! I do like to buy locally, but I’m hosting a bridal shower (or two) this spring, and I bought a few extra boxes of these so I can add one chocolate heart to each dessert plate! Trust me… you won’t regret it!
I Love You to Pieces!
When I was visiting our Littles a few weeks ago,
Little L and I made a Valentine gift for her mommy and daddy
(and a few other special valentines, too)!
Since Little L loves to do puzzles, I went with that theme. I bought a set of 6 blank puzzles (16 pieces each) from Amazon. I used a permanent marker to write the message and then Little L got busy painting!
When her project was done and it had dried,
We took the puzzle pieces apart and put them in a decorated envelope
to be opened on Valentine’s Day!
I hope her mommy and daddy love their Valentine!
Of course, our focus this week at Our GRAND Lives
has revolved around Valentine’s Day and ways to make it special.
We've managed to cover a few other topics, too!
Kindness Counts!
Did you know that February 14-20, 2025 is
Random Acts of Kindness Week?
This week is set aside as a time to perform small acts of kindness
to make the world a better place!
Coincidentally, we wrote a post yesterday that focuses on just this thing!
Did you get a chance to see our post?
It’s definitely one of our faves this week!
While the message shared in this post is perfect for Valentine's Day, it’s equally relevant ANY DAY of the year!
We outlined our ideas for teachable moments that are simple, intentional and often impromptu ways of helping Littles grow and develop skills for being kind human beings!
Instagram Faves!
that celebrate Valentine’s Day!
We’d love to have you follow us!
Be sure to stop by regularly to check out new ideas, too!!
Sticker Love Yous!
Here’s a fun and simple Valentine (or any time) game to play with your Littles. It will make you smile and fill your heart with joy! Take turns putting stickers on each other (use heart stickers if you have them). Every time you stick one on the person you are playing with, say “I love you!” ❤️
Valentine Tic-Tac-Toe!
Valentine’s Day is a great time of the year to teach your Littles this fun and simple game! As you can tell, we created a simple board (on construction paper heart to make things festive) and then used Valentine fruit chews to play the game! (You can also use Valentine M & M’s or buttons or any other set of small objects that you can find.)
And Our Final Thought for the Week!
While Valentine’s Day is special for us all,
it has added meaning for Laura…
It’s MY birthday!
The photo was taken last year when I FaceTimed with Little L..
I had originally used these glasses during my last year of teaching
when I I was teaching kindergarten virtually!
Now that was a memorable Valentine's Day party!
Celebrating my birthday each year along with all the Valentine’s Day festivities
has certainly made my day extra special from year to year!
And... my hubby has no excuse for forgetting either! LOL!
My mom always said that I was her valentine gift to my dad
and I guess that was true!
Each year she’d make me a heart shaped birthday cake
and I’d often have special outfits to wear or birthday treats to share,
compliments of her!
I lost my mom in 2021 and I, of course, have missed her ever since!
Yesterday, this memory popped up on my Facebook feed,
a message she'd sent on February 14 of that year!
This message yesterday felt like a giant birthday hug from my mom!
One I’ll cherish always!
Wishing you hearts and happiness and LOVE today and always!
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Hi Laura, and what a gorgeous post! I love the Valentines tradition your husband has started with you. How thoughtful and sweet! Also loving the photo of your grandchild all bundled up warm and cosy in the snow. Snow is such a novelty to me here in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia where it is currently summer and very hot and humid! That blank puzzle idea is fantastic too. I'm gonna keep that one in the memory bank for whenever I might be able to use it. I must admit the memory message that came up for you on Facebook from your Mom made me tear up. I know what it's like to miss your Mum. I only just lost my Mum…
I could feel all the love in this post. I'm really enjoying these weekly snapshots. Great post! Thank you for sharing with us at the Crazy Little Lovebirds link party #76.
Steph@CrazyLittleLovebirds
You always have such great fun ideas and today's post is no exception! Thanks for the ideas.
Debbie from debs-world.com
What delightful Valentine traditions you have! I love the poster board from your husband and the pin from kindergarten days. #MMBC
Happy Birthday and LOVE all of the Valentine goodness :)