Happy Valentine's Day!

Who Needs Hallmark?
I have really enjoyed this holiday this year! I used it as a great excuse to bake sweets and make some crafts!

I decided to try my hand at embroidering paper. While it seemed intimidating, I looked up some advice online and got started! I found that simple designs worked much better. More complicated and smaller designs, like a smaller font, resulted in the paper becoming weaker. One bit of advice I read was to place something soft like a dish towel under the paper while embroidering. I tried this the second time around and it made all the difference! With those tips in mind, lets get started with what to do step by step!

First pick out a pattern and print it off. Tape or paperclip it to your paper. Use your embroidery needle to make a hole where the stitches will be. I used a back stitch which was recommended for paper. Once the pattern was on the paper itself, I removed the design and started my project. After starting my first stitch, I taped the end of the string on the backside of the paper. When design was complete, I taped that end as well. I covered the back of the stitches with another piece of paper. Get ready for your fingers to be a little sore from pushing on the needle, but otherwise, it is easy and looks great!

Thach got to play a special role in the Valentine's card this year! He asked my mom to be his Valentine inside her Valentine's Day card! He was proud to wear his sign and pose in the picture! I placed his picture over the stitches to hide the backside!

Heart Cinnamon Rolls 

I kept seeing a recipe for heart-shaped cinnamon rolls. The recipe suggested making the dough but I decided to go the "semi-homemade" route. I opened a can of crescent rolls and pushed all the seams together. I then brushed 3 tablespoons of melted butter on the dough followed by 1/3 cup of brown sugar and a heaping tablespoon of cinnamon. After spreading out the sugar mixture, I began the rolling. To make them heart shaped, roll halfway from each direction (as shown below). This will create the top curves of the heart! Slice the roll into about 3/4 inch slices and place on a greased cookie sheet. Once they are on the cookie sheet, you can help to shape them to look more like hearts! I recommending pinching the bottom point into the dough.

Bake at 350 for 9 to 13 minutes depending on how dark your baking sheet is. If you have a silpat, I recommend using it because some of the sugar will melt onto the pan.

I recommend removing the cinnamon rolls quickly before any of the sugar that melted underneath the cinnamon roll hardens onto the cookie sheet.

Make powdered sugar icing with powdered sugar, water, and vanilla and drizzle over the cinnamon rolls! Enjoy!

52 Reasons
For Danny's Valentine's Day surprise, I tried my hand at a craft using playing cards. Also seen on pinterest, I made a few changes to my own version. I used the card box cover for the cover of my book.  I cut red and tan paper into rectangles and used a permanent glue stick to glue them to each card. I picked a font that I liked and used it as an example as I wrote my 52 reasons on the cards with a sharpie marker. I chose to handwrite the notes instead of printing them off the computer. Instead of using metal binder rings, I used ribbon since I had the ribbon already! Danny was excited to see such an unusual use for a deck of cards!

My prayer for today is that we all remember who is the greatest example of love on this holiday! Enjoy the ideas and some chocolate for me!

MF

Thach's Big Adventure

I have always thought that we have the best dog in the world. He is always willing to cuddle up next to you, chase after a toy, put his head on your lap, or give you a high five! Thach was pretty willing to please from the start. He took a few days after bringing him home to realize he could trust us. Those few days included learning about a leash, experiencing a kennel for the first time, and hiding in some thorny bushes when uninterested in going outside. However, once we got over that hump, he was ready to go! I still remember after just a week I was taking him tailgating and to Auburn's tiger walk.

Everyone loves their pets and thinks they are special. But of course, I think Thach is a little extra special. Because of this, I have always wanted to train Thach to be a therapy dog. This year, I decided I would finally make that dream come true, and Danny decided to join in on the fun. I asked that my Christmas money go to fund Thach being trained to be a therapy dog. I was familiar with Birmingham's Hand-in-Paw after interacting with them at Birmingham Children's Hospital. After researching the local organization that does similar work in Nashville, we have set up our initial review toward the end of February. We are so excited and are praying about the process! Thach is very well trained but I am hoping he decides to be on his best behavior with great listening ears that day! Once we can pass that hurdle, we will move onto a training process.

I wanted to share this exciting new adventure with you for your prayers and thoughts. While part of me is just excited to share my sweet dog with the world, I also go back in my mind to the memories of my patients interacting with therapy dogs at Children's. Sometimes we take so much for granted. I pray Thach will get to be that special friend to someone. Please keep us and hopefully Thach's future friends in your prayers as we begin this adventure!

Check out the organization's website. We will be meeting with Therapy ARC (animals reaching clients). Therapy ARC

MF

Valentine's Day Around the Corner!

I can't believe it is February already! While I am not one to decorate much for the smaller holidays, I still had my Christmas wreath hanging on the front door. It seemed to still fit the season until groundhog day hit and (even though he saw his shadow) its been in the 50's and 60's outside. I used some supplies I already had on hand to transform my wreath to be ready for Valentine's Day.

The wreath was previously covered with burlap, layered with an artificial evergreen wreath, and a tartan plaid bow. First I removed the evergreen wreath. I then cut out hearts in both red felt and burlap. I layered the hearts and then strung them on a piece of yarn. So easy and only took a few minutes! Check it out!

My last day of work is this Friday! I am looking forward to getting started at my new job! Hopefully during the in-between I will enjoy making a few crafty things and watching the super bowl with Danny!