Our last minute valentines

With all the snow fun and outdoor play, we hardly had time to craft during one of our favorite times of the year.

We missed school most of last week, which bought us some time to scramble around for class valentines. 

This was a real quickie, but they turned out kind of cute.

We used a roll of brown mailing wrapping paper and cut out hearts.

We took two hearts and sewed them part way together.

In the small opening we stuffed a few valentine M&Ms and sewed the hearts closed.

We then wrote to our valentines on the front of the heart.

The girls thought it would be cool for their friends to tear open the paper for a treat. 

We missed school on Friday, so the girls are hoping to hand out their valentines tomorrow. 

Marlee is prepared with her iPod valentine box she made last year.

In other news, some friends made last minute plans to pop into Asheville for the weekend.

We always love spending time with our favorite Atlanta folk, regardless of all the trouble we make.

What a fun weekend!!

Birthdays & BFFs (near and far)

We had quite a fun week! A nine year old now lives in the house. 

It took Marlee and myself 9 years to learn that a bigger party doesn't always mean better. We decided to forgo inviting the usual 30+ kids over to the house and for 2 hours of free range fun, which usually resembles a wild college party.

We had a few mini celebrations around town and realized how much we appreciate quality over quantity.

And of course we hit our favorite restaurant for the big birthday dinner.

We also had a surprise visit from our favorite family from Portland. It was quite fun to spend a spontaneous afternoon with friends at the park. The weather was optimal and usual neighborhood antics resumed.

It was nice to be out and about; a little break in this long, cold winter. Speaking of, it'll be back to winter business as a winter storm is brewing. I foresee lots of days off from school, valentine crafting, and drinking (lots of) winter themed cocktails. 

We will share our homemade valentine gifts in a few days.

Isn't this the cutest picture ever? :)