If Loving Chocolate Is Wrong, I Don't Want to be Right

There are few things that can get the ol' blog-writing juices flowing like chocolate.

Even though I am NOT sappy, sentimental, or romantic, I still love Valentine's Day.

As a child, it was my favorite school holiday because of the Valentine's Box Decoration.

Nothing thrills me more than to take an ugly, large shoebox, cover it with cute paper, cut out lots of hearts, and change it into an adorable makeshift mailbox.

You can imagine my delight and outright GLEE when Jackson came home with a school paper proclaiming it is Valentine's Box time!

I immediately pictured the entire family creating our own boxes (in addition to his assigned box) in which to leave little notes and candies all week.

The breath from the fantastic idea had not yet left my mouth when Brad vetoed the entire plan and called it "lame."

He also said that nothing about it sounded fun and if I really wanted to make a box so bad, why didn't I make my own and leave him out of it?

Well, being the only one with a box and forcing people to put gifts in it didn't sound too fun.

Instead, I re-channeled my Valentine's (or is it the singular "Valentine"?) energy into making goodies for some special people in our lives.

We've done this for a loonnnggg time, and it has always been such a blessing.

Even before I had kids, I remember making a few simple Valentine's cards for some co-workers. One of them commented to me that she couldn't remember the last time someone had given her a Valentine's card.

And I honestly couldn't believe that something so simple helped her feel loved on a day that usually left her feeling empty.

Since then, that has been the goal: to show love to others in our lives because it is usually so unexpected!

So here is my plan for this year:

1. Bake brownies and eat lots of the batter.
(Oh, and use a giant heart cookie-cutter to make some cute shapes.)

By golly, EAT THOSE SCRAPS!

2. Separate the leftover red and green Christmas M&M's.

Before you get all grossed out that I am just picking up stray M&M's from around the house, know that they were extras still sealed in the bag from Christmas.

(Most of them anyway.)

3. Round up some Hershey's kisses.

Using your leftover Jedi Snack bags, load up the super chocolately brownie, M&M's, and Hershey kisses.

Then tie them with that gorgeous and cheap grosgrain ribbon you snagged from Hobby Lobby for 90% off at the post-Christmas sales.

My petite-artiste (Lilly), made some cute cards with our Valentine's verse for this year:

"We love because He first loved us." I John 4:19

Now dream up something cute yourself and go deliver some love!