8 Ways to Make Valentines for Everybody

I. Love. Valentines day. And it's not just because I'm married. I've loved it all my life, even in my single days. Listen haters, it doesn't have to be limited to romantic love...that's so narrow. This is a holiday for all love!

If you're experiencing a brain freeze or a budget freeze (like we did last February), you might be lacking creative ideas for this special day. Here are a few:

1. Get an old sheet (or use one you have) and paint different color hearts on it, Twister style. Then paint a die with those colors on the sides (instead of a spinner) and play! 
2. Buy a bag of chocolates and wrap them in saran wrap with a little ribbon or yarn. Put them out for the mail lady and the recycling or trash man. Get some you like so you can eat whatever's left over! I'm loving Dove's Hazelnut Dark Chocolate right now.
3. Rent a favorite romantic movie to watch with a sister or girlfriends - maybe Austraila at someone's house who has surround sound?! (I have a thing for being able to hear the horse's hoofs pounding - so exciting!) 
4. Make a pan of brownies to top with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Share it with the girls, your partner, or your kids for a surprise after school treat. It's so much easier than chocolate-dipped strawberries, but still feels luxurious.
5. If you're strapped but want to go out, eat dinner at home and go out for a fancy dessert. Sometimes it's hard to get all dressed up if you're staying in and a little fresh air is nice on a date even if it's really cold. Brian and I like to get the Black Tie Mousse Cake at Olive Garden and split it. The best part is that after we've filled ourselves to the top with chocolatey goodness, the server brings Andes mints! More chocolate. So good.
6. Make a playlist on YouTube of songs that make you think of someone and send them the link. This is great for all your peeps whose love language is Words of Affirmation. 
7. We always think of Valentines as an evening thing, but you could start someone's day off with a sweet treat instead. A donut with heart sprinkles? Or some homemade goodness, like hot apple crisp? 
8. If you see a fun (or sweet) Valentines card and want to send it to someone you love, take a picture of the front and inside in the store and text it to them. Here's one I "got" for Brian last year:

There are my ideas. I'm sure you can find many more on Pinterest...I've pinned a few myself. Just keep it light and have fun. Nothing kills a good holiday like big expectations. I think we've made Valentines a little too intense. I fell in love with the day when I got tiny cards from all my classmates and a if I was lucky, one of them would have a gross sucker attached to it! Scrap your fantasy Valentines day and have a real, good one. I'll share what I did for Brian and the kids after the fact, since he is sweet enough to read this sometimes and I still haven't decided what to do with the kids!