cupid

as a child living on washington street...i remember february 14th as a very special day. i remember my nose waking up before my eyes to the smell of boxed candy chocolates sitting on our dining room table awaiting my two front teeth to sink deep into its odd mystery creamy center. did i eat chocolate for breakfast on this special day? hmm, i think so...but that memory may be wrong. however, what i remember clearly...and most fondly...were the cards from my parents. one from my mom...one from my dad...and one from the two of them. such loving cards....

and then as the years passed...as they always do...i barreled into my prepubescent bowl-haircut phase...and no shock here, february 14th became a dreaded holiday. sure, i had the loyal heart shaped box of chocolates in the morning along with kisses and hugs and cards from my parents...but the anticipation of receiving a candy-gram or a love note from one of my out-of-reach crushes at school, was more than a freckled face-noodle body could handle. so, it was then that i wrote off this hallmark day of love for good.

even after meeting my love...my dear husband...i still did not celebrate february 14th. and lucky me, he also thought the holiday was a total sham. truth be told, i think he too had a bit of an awkward time during his young teens...or as his mother would describe, "david's husky years"...anyway, it was agreed by all to simply treat the day like any other.

so last night as i lay in bed desperately trying to coax my mind to sleep, i couldn't believe that i was tossing and turning to the visions of a heart...a big boxed chocolate....paper cutout....bright red conversation 'be mine' heart. yes, it's true... st. valentine snuck in to my crafty brain...and by morning, he was still there. instead of fighting, i surrendered...and the excitement i had as a child came rushing back.

before the sun had risen, i was knee deep in my art supplies closet grabbing paper, scissors, tape, yarn, hole punch, pictures, more tape, more scissors and for the heck of it, more yarn. by the time hugh had finished his last bite of breakfast, i had our valentine's-day-card-craft corner open and ready for business. 5 hours, 15 snack breaks, 1 nap, and 2 walks later, hugh and i proudly completed {um...only} one very heart-shaped valentine's day card...

and i think that will do just fine for this year...