Easy, Non-Candy Valentines for Kids

Vera's little Cuddles class at church had a Valentine's Day party this past Wednesday night, so I wanted to send some Valentines for her to hand out.  The age range is between 14 months and 2.5 years, plus there are some children with allergies, so I wanted to stick with a non-candy Valentine.

 

Tad picked up some heart straws for me at Wal-mart (4/$.97) and I made some cute little "flags" to attach to them.  I printed directly on heart scrapbooking paper (had on hand) and went ahead and typed each child's name on the flags.  On the other side, I typed, "Hope your Valentine's Day is 'strawesome'!!"

I cut the paper into strips, folded it in half, and stuck it around the straw using roll-on adhesive (double-sided tape would work too).  The packages came with white/red straws and pink/white straws, so I gave the white ones to the boys and the pink ones to the girls.  I trimmed the ends of the flags to help with the cuteness factor, and they were done!

Very quick and easy to do, yet still a fun gift to give and get.

Here are a couple of other non-candy Valentine ideas I love:

Source: zakkalife.blogspot.com via Aliesha on Pinterest

Source: sweetandlovelycrafts.blogspot.com via Aliesha on Pinterest

Source: theblueelephant531.blogspot.com via Aliesha on Pinterest

Source: dandee-designs.com via Aliesha on Pinterest

Source: blog.craftzine.com via Aliesha on Pinterest

What are your kids giving to their friends/classmates this year for Valentine's Day?
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New Haircut

I got a new haircut this week!  It's not a major change or anything, but it is definitely fresh and feels lighter.  I got layers put in and had a little taken off the length overall.

It will be pretty easy to keep up with too!

Week Thirty-Nine

I'm sooooo ready to meet our new baby!  I feel like I'm just "biding my time" until she arrives, and I know I should probably try to be more productive until she does.  I have very little energy, due to being this far along and also due to difficulties sleeping well.  My midwife told me to try and rest as much as I can, so I am trying to take naps each afternoon when possible.  I didn't rest yesterday afternoon because I wanted to put away some more meals in the freezer.  I ended up making eight more meals!

I feel absolutely huge right now, though I don't think I'm that much bigger than I was a week ago.  I do think I'm much lower than I was, so that may explain why my maternity clothes aren't even fitting anymore and why I waddle everywhere.  Baby Mango is still quite active, but I think she might be starting to feel a little cramped.

I have lots of Braxton Hicks contractions each day.  I usually experience them for an hour or two several different times during the day (particularly in the evenings after dinner and again before bed).  My midwife told me that they are working to thin my cervix and prepare for real labor!

I have to keep repeating this mantra to myself: "I will not be pregnant forever... I will not be pregnant forever... I am super uncomfortable, but I am incredibly blessed to be pregnant. I will not be pregnant forever..."

Week thirty-nine with Vera.

Starfish Project

I'm over at She {hearts} It today sharing about a neat company that sells beautiful jewelry and provides hope to woman of Asia.  Read my review of Starfish Project and enter the giveaway!

Maternity Photos

Sorry I've been neglectful of the blog as of late.  I'm still pregnant :) but just haven't done much the last couple of days that's blog-worthy. (Want to see a picture of my clean fridge, or of a pile of Hershey Kisses wrappers that I've consumed? Didn't think so.)

I just got my maternity pictures back, and I am SOOO excited for you to see them!  A really sweet photographer friend, Shannon, took them for me a few weeks ago.  She is AWESOME!  If you're local and need a photographer, definitely get in touch with her!

We had so much fun on the shoot, as you can tell from how the pictures turned out.  Shannon made me feel like a model! 

Here are just a few of my favorites, but you can see more on Shannon's blog.

Isn't Shannon great?  I love how all of these turned out!  Remember, more on her blog!
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Heart-Shaped Cinnamon Rolls

I made some of these cute little cinnamon rolls for our youth Bible study this morning.  Thought you might enjoy making some for your Valentine!  :)

I started with a roll of canned cinnamon rolls (not as good, but I didn't feel like cooking from scratch today). Separate each cinnamon roll from the "log," then unroll each one halfway.  Re-roll the end back in towards the other side so that you have two "curlicues."  Pinch the bottom into a point so that it forms a heart shape.  Bake as directed.

Simple and quick... but so cute!

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We Bought a Van!

Today we were incredibly blessed to be able to purchase a new (to us!) van!  I'll update this post tomorrow with a picture of it.

Update: Here's a picture!

It is a 1996 Chevy Astro with 120,000 miles.  I named her Estelle and she is in great condition!  We got a great deal on her too!

Thank you for your prayers!  We are so grateful for the good deal that God gave us on this much-needed vehicle.