Valentine's Day Minus One

My husband asked if I wanted to go out for dinner on Valentine's Day.... this week seems like the calm-after-the-party, being that we celebrated Valentine's Day on Saturday night with our Charades party. I'm not interested in going out tomorrow for a dinner.... half of the world will be out for dinner and all the restaurants will be too crowded. I suggested we go to Skipper's at lunch-time, and enjoy the best Greek food in the state for Valentine's Day. So we may just do that.

I'm starting to get thank-you cards from our friends... R sent me another one of her handmade cards. Her style is so much different than mine... R's cards tend to be very modern, very eclectic, extremely artsy. Her cards would be right at home in NY's Soho or The Montrose section of downtown Houston. Just this morning, I mailed R and C one of my own handmade Valentine cards... so different in its style. R teaches art therapy classes, so she knows firsthand that art is never wrong, that everyone has their own interpretation and style.

Art therapy. Maybe that's why I'm enjoying making these cards lately. It's very relaxing and it keeps your hands busy. Can't eat a piece of Valentine chocolate when you've got a glue-gun in your hands.

We're having a sunny day today, after yesterday's rain and wind. I thought the post office was closed yesterday for Lincoln's birthday, but we had mail delivered. I keep forgetting that the Powers That Be in the Government Holiday Department have decided to combine the birthdays of Lincoln and Washington into just one day. It was raining so hard when the mailman came yesterday that I didn't want to drive to the post office. I went there today instead with my eBay packages, then stopped in at the fabric store.... they had all of their Valentine ribbons on sale for half-off, so I got a few pretty rolls for next year's party. Into the closet they went, soon to be joined by the rest of the Valentine decorations still up around the house. I've got so many little red hearts hanging from the dining room chandelier that it's going to look positively plain when I take them down.

Next on the party agenda... St. Patty's Day. We will probably have a lunch or dinner, with just enough people to fill the dining room table (with one added table-leaf, not two, which means 10 people including us). We did that last year, asking everyone to bring something green for the table-- naturally green food, not something like mashed potatoes with green food dye. Turned out to be a great afternoon, and I've already got shamrock decorations and party favors and cellophane gift bags decorated with clovers, so I'm set to start planning.

One thing I have to do next time.... make sure that whoever brings food to our parties takes home their pan or bowl or platter. After every party, I find myself sticking notes with names onto the kitchen items of our friends, then driving around the subdivision to deliver the plates and bowls and pans to their owners. So much easier for everyone to just take those things home with them when they leave. Some of our friends bring their pot-luck foods on antique china. I don't exactly like being responsible for Great-Aunt Millie's irreplaceable wedding china serving bowl.