received / given

photos by L

Today I received a cute little valentine "flower" (one of the guys here made them for everyone). It reminded me of Valentine's day growing up. I always loved Valentine's day as a child - the giving and receiving of homemade cards and candy gathered in "mail" boxes decorated with hearts of all sizes. I remember in first grade I had a little boyfriend who delivered a heart-shaped box of chocolates to my house. It made me feel so special. Through the years there was rarely that special someone to share Valentine's day with but it didn't really matter, I truly did enjoy the making and giving of gifts more. It's still true today. So in the spirit of younger years, this year I made my co-workers a little special valentine ball filled with candy and placed it on their desks. I hope it will make them smile and remember their childhood days of getting that cute little card with the bumble bee on it saying, "Honey Bee Mine"./

every year at my middle school we would make little mailboxes for valentines that other people in the class would give out- conduits for candy if you will. i remember one year that i made an awesome box that looked like fluffy white couch and on top of it i put two valentine bears that my nana had given me. i always had the most "artsy" box in the class because my mom and oma would always help me out. i think i still have the box somewhere. but it's funny how what i remember from that valentine's day celebration, and almost every one in grade school, is making the box with my mom, not any of the little gifts i might have received or words that were exchanged.

traditions - old / new

solo post- L
The table was decorated with red, white and blue and everything looked very festive. I was there when their guests arrived (two couples I've known since I was a little girl) and I smiled when I saw that they all were wearing their patriotic colors – one man even had a t-shirt that said "Proud to be an American". My dad has a red, white and blue striped shirt that he's been wearing on this day for years – I love that he does that. My parents were having a get together at their house and prepared a traditional 4th of July dinner with barbecue pork (cooked on the green egg), potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans and corn on the cob. My dad traditionally bakes an apple pie for the 4th of July and this year was no different. And I have to say it looked delicious. (btw, T was very disappointed that there was none left over for her).
I'm not much of a cook but I love to look at new recipes. I clip them out of magazines, thinking that one of these days I will try them out. In fact, I clipped a recipe just yesterday that I saw in Southern Living. T and I both thought it sounded so good. It wasn't my party but I thought this recipe with watermelon was just what they needed to complete the meal. It was called Watermelon, Mache and Pecan salad and had a pepper jelly vinaigrette with gorgonzola cheese and toasted pecans – sounded like the perfect refreshing summer salad on a day when watermelon is a tradition – and so much less messy too. I prepared it for them and it was every bit as delicious as it sounded. I think it's going to be my new tradition for the 4th of July. Do you have a traditional dish you prepared on this day?