Cupcakes and Valentines

red & white felt garlands - West Elm C-mas Collection similar here | XO garland - DIY

We are not huge celebrators of Valentine's Day, despite our love of both candy and flowers around here. That being said, it's still nice to do a little something for the ones you love. So today, The bambino and I picked up some red tulips at Publix, made a little chocolate ganache for some leftover cupcakes, and got a little crafty.

Z made (all by herself *wink*wink*) a super cute Valentine for the Hubs. This momma was certain there was going to be a red paint nightmare all over the house, but the kid did so good!

And, with somebody's first birthday coming up next week (holy smokes!) the leftover batter for the smash cake made some pretty nice cupcakes. I went the easy route for the smash cake and made a boxed mix (the cake for the grownups will be a little "fancier".) and froze them until next week. But the cupcakes, well, with a little chocolate ganache and festive sprinkles, well they made the perfect dessert for our Valentine's Day dinner (chili, if you must know, since it's chilly outside tonite. Not terribly romantic, but very yummy!). 

And what kind of chalkboard artist would I be if I let a holiday go by without a little something? Last year, it looked a little something like this...

And this year...

heart striped shirt

These days, we don't get too many smiles for posed pictures. But at least she (and Monkey) sat still long enough for me to catch some kind of shot. Three seconds after the shutter snapped, she was making a bee line for the open door to the back porch. Heaven help me when she starts walking!!!

Happy Valentine's Day y'all! Hope you're all celebrating with someone you love!