Meet my Valentine ♡

Happy Valentine's Day!

42 years ago just three weeks shy of Valentine's Day,

I met my Sweet Heart. 😎

While we had just met and were not "officially" dating, 

my husband asked if I would be his "Valentine" on Valentine's Day. 

What a disappointing reply when I had to decline as a good friend

whom I worked with at the time had asked first

and I thought it would be rude to be a "Valentine" to more than one,

even though he was just a friend whom I worked with.  

Till this day my husband has never forgotten that

and every Valentine's Day he is sure to ask the question, early by the way ~

"Will you be my Valentine?"

Of course my answer has always been yes since my mess up that very first

Valentine's Day shortly after we met. 

My husband is a tender hearted guy and those little meaningful things

matter to him, for which I am very thankful. ❤

I met my husband on the ski slopes where

I was working as a chair lift operator while my husband was enjoying being a tourist.
My husband and a friend saved their money and came to Colorado
just to ski for three months.
All the way from Canada he meets a girl born and raised in Colorado,
only God!
This photo is of Game Creek Bowl where I worked, gorgeous isn't it?!
My husband took this picture after a snow storm just weeks ago.
he said it was an "Epic Day" snow up to his knees.
Unlike the year when we met ~

 That particular year, 1977 was a bad year for snow

and so my husband spent most of his time on the slopes

where the chair I worked on was located, it was there he would strut his stuff

hamming it up for this operator on his ballet skis.
Ballet skiing was something all new to me,
so of course he caught my eye, though I never let on.
My husband has a style in his skiing like none other, I could pick him out

on a slope covered with hundreds of skiers,
whether he was on his ballet skis or down hill skis.

The first time I saw him coming towards my chair lift

I was smitten!

And the rest is history...

Meet my Valentine ❤

This video is of my Sweet Heart doing down hill skiing.
I do not have any videos of him on ballet skis, sure wished I did.
John Denver's song "Sunshine on my Shoulders"
goes perfectly with this video that was done here in Colorado.
Enjoy some Colorado beauty ~

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBQJAoCS7fo&t=23s

I thought it would be fun to share with you a couple of photos
that were taken for a Valentine's Banquet my husband and I went to
since it's Valentine's Day and all. 
Gone with the Wind ~
The theme was well known couples, we were Rhett Butler and Scarlett ~
I think my husband looks quite handsome with pitch black hair. 😉

Another year the theme was the 50's ~
The two of us had a great time playing it up as boyfriend and girlfriend ~
we were "going steady" and in love.😍

So happy you stopped in for a visit to say hello!
I've been in Arizona enjoying some time with my dear mother. 
Enjoy your day in all its glorious beauty
and spread some love today. 

Take Joy!
Debbie
❤

Puppy Love ♡

Hello precious friends!

I trust that you had a beautiful Valentine's Day ♡

I was sick all week, but I wasn't about to cancel a special tea party I had scheduled.

This Valentine's tea party was for my dear Stephenie and her little one,

but the Lord in His goodness made it possible for my dear husband's

schedule to change allowing him to join us.

Of all the tea parties I have hosted this was my husband's first and he loved it,
with the exception of the tea. 
My husband is Canadian, yet he has never acquired the taste for tea.
It was while living in Canada and spending much time visiting with the elderly
that I came to enjoy a good cup of tea.
Visiting these elderly ladies was how I came to learn
of tea parties and fine china.
Isn't it wonderful the way the Lord brings others into our lives
so that we can learn many beautiful things?

 I found these adorable dog dishes at Pier 1 Imports 
and although I really didn't need them
I just knew my grandsons would enjoy them .
It is a perfect set, complete with four plates and four matching drinking glasses.
Each plate is decorated with a different dog picture and is so adorable!
When my oldest daughter's three boys come for their next visit
I will host a tea party for them as well. 
I'm thankful my grandsons enjoy having tea with their Gamma.

I made heart ice cubes and served raspberry mint lemonade.

The color red was my prominent color in decorating ~

I usually decorate with soft colors and plenty of lace,
but for the boys I went with reds. 
That's partly why I purchased this adorable set.
My grandsons enjoy the finer things that grace the table  at a tea party,
but a tea party is usually on the feminine side, wouldn't you agree?
Though these dishes are adorned with hearts, 
they will get used a lot I'm quite sure. 

We played Valentine's Bingo ~

I prepared sandwiches made more for the guys.
BLT rounds ~ roast beef  with horseradish sauce ~ heart shaped grilled cheese ~

Potato fans made with mini potatoes ~

Of course we had to eat our veggies!
They always taste better with ranch dip, don't you think?

Many dainty desserts to choose from.
Strawberry tarts ~ mincemeat tarts ~ maid of honor tarts ~
strawberry french cream pastry puffs ~
chocolate covered strawberries ~ 
and of course, cherry scones served with clotted cream and lemon curd.
What would a tea party be without a scone?
A dear friend gifted me with some dried cherries from Michigan 
and oh are they ever delicious!

Gifts were shared around the table.
Stephenie gifted me with a beautiful lavender sachet that she made.
It found a special place rather quickly
and looks gorgeous hanging with many of my lace scarves.

This was the first use of Stephanie's tea cozy that I purchased
from her lovely etsy shop Rose Petal Blessings.
I LOVE the embellishments!
I was amazed at how warm my tea pot stayed
keeping the tea quite hot for a long time.

♡♡♡

It was a lovely Valentine's tea party!
What were some of your memory making moments
this Valentine's Day?
Thank you for stopping by, I always enjoy your visits.

♡♡♡

" Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God;
for it is pleasant; and praise is beautiful."
*Psalm 147:1*

Joy!
~ Debbie ~

Love One Another ~

" This is my commandment, that ye love one another, 

as I have loved you. 

Greater love hath no man than this, 

that a man lay down his life for his friends. "

*John 15:12-13*

♡♡♡

February 14th is a day in which we celebrate LOVE~Valentine's Day.

Cards are sent out, chocolates are given, flowers adorn our homes
by those who graced our hearts with their love.

I know for myself, I enjoy blessing others by sharing my love and gifts, 

but I enjoy being remembered just the same. 

I'm not one to buy chocolates for myself, 

but there is something beautiful in receiving one of those

fancy red velvet heart shaped boxes filled with delicious chocolates. 

I enjoy storing sentimental little keepsakes in those heart boxes once emptied, 
then years later sit and pull out those keepsakes 
that have been tucked away and look back over sweet memories.
Do you reuse your heart shaped candy boxes for anything special?

LOVE...

Valentine's Day is a time when we can show others how much we love them
with little acts of kindness.
May we have big hearts spending the day looking for ways to love on others.
To you, my graceful followers, love and hugs are sent your way 
with best wishes for a special Valentine's Day.

♡♡♡

As Christians we must strive to love sacrificially, just as Jesus did.

Paul taught the Ephesians to walk in love ~

"And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, 

and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice 

to God for a sweet smelling savor. "

*Ephesians 5:2*

~~

The love that believers have for one another should be a selfless

effort to meet each other's needs~in a way that

let's the world know who we really are. 

"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, 

if ye have love one to another. "

*John 13:35*

We see Jesus' love manifested in His substitutionary atonement ~

"We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us"

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, 

that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, 

but have everlasting life."

*John 3:16*
For God so loved the {whole} world...
His love spreads to every tribe and nation,
to every believer and non-believer and His love is without measure.
Oh the wonderful love of Jesus!
Have you received the love of Jesus?
"For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world through him might be saved."
*John 3:17*

Jesus laid down His life for us,"herein is love."

As believers in Christ we should display our mutual love by humbly

meeting one another's needs.

John expressed brotherly love's practical implications 

in 1John 3:17-18 ~

"But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need,

and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him,

how dwelleth the love of God in him?

My little children, let us not love in word,

neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."

In the book of 1John chapter 3 verses 7-21 
John says "God is Love" these are tremendous Scripture verses
that instruct us on how to love one another, for love is of God; 
and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God.
If we say that we love God, then we will love our brother also.

♡♡♡

How have you been blessed by allowing the Lord's love to shine through you?

"We love Him because He first loved us."
Amen.

Be Loving!
~Debbie~

 The hand painted items in my photo's were purchased from 
Celestina, who has a lovely Blog over at Southern Day Dreams
You will find gorgeous hand painted roses and home decor
in her beautiful etsy shoppe Rose Garden Market