Happy V-Day!

One of my favorite things about today was hearing Sarah ask me several times throughout the day, "Mommy, is it still "Balentine's Day"?" Isn't that sweet? No, I didn't misspell the word. She says Balentine's Day. She LOVED today so much - all the hearts, love, fun surprises, and just the sweetness of the day!!! She didn't want it to end! Daddy says he thinks Sarah has discovered a NEW favorite holiday, maybe! :)

Today has been a lot of fun! I always LOVED seeing what my mother would surprise us with every Valentine's morning. She was always so creative with what she gave us and had it sitting at our place at the breakfast table so that is where I left Sarah and Elizabeth's this morning.

I wanted to share with you a couple of the things the girls got this morning. Sarah is really into creating stuff by drawing, coloring, gluing, and glittering on a daily basis. Have y'all seen the new crayola markers called Pip-Squeaks? I love them! They are so adorable and easy for small hands to hold. My favorite thing about them is how each one is labeled with really fun names like; chocolate chip, little boy blue, copper penny, inchworm green... I thought since they are small in size they would work well for Elizabeth too.

And for Elizabeth, one of the things we gave her were these really darling hot pink shoes... You're going to laugh, but they're actually made by a company called Wee Squeaks. So we've had a lot of squeaking going on today. Not only are the shoes this company makes so cute but they have a removable piece in the heel of each shoe that squeaks when you walk. It is suppose to be good for babies learning to walk to hear the sound and to put their heal down first as they step. I love them because I can put them on her and I know exactly where she is. ha! :) And, it's fun to see her face light up when she walks. She loves them!

Last night Mike and I went to a beautiful Valentine Dinner Dance that our church hosted. It was really quite a treat! They even provided childcare which was really wonderful!!! Here are some pictures and a wonderful recipe for a delicious appetizer dip! It was so good! I can't wait to make this for us!

I love the name of this recipe!!! Sorry, I didn't get a picture. You'll have to visualize!

Cowboy Caviar

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (4 oz.) can chopped black olives

1/4 cup diced onion

1 clove garlic

2 Tbsp. canola oil

2 Tbsp. lime juice

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cumin

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

8 oz. softened cream cheese

2 hard-boiled eggs

1 chopped green onion

Tortilla chips

Marinate the first 10 ingredients for at least 4 hours. Drain; save 2 tablespoons marinade. Add the reserved marinade to the cream cheese. Spread the cream cheese mixture on a plate; top with bean mixture. Chop up the two eggs and make a ring around the bean mixture. Sprinkle with chopped onion. Serve with tortilla chips.

Here are some people doing the "Cupid Shuffle". Ha! Our pastor is the gentlemen to the far right of the picture!

Happy "Balentine's Day" Blessings,
Until next time...