Valentine’s Day cookies with Lena

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Elliott was the first one to remember it was Valentine’s Day.  He gave me a kiss — “… and happy Valentine’s Day, my valentine!” — as he headed out the door early in the morning, leaving behind a still-sleepy wife and two sleeping babies.  I will admit I didn’t give Valentine’s Day another thought until that afternoon, when Elliott’s return was growing imminent and I had absolutely no plans to commemorate the day.

Since my friend Shelley was generously providing dinner for us, I didn’t have to come up with a meal.  But maybe I could handle a dessert?

Correction: Lena and I could definitely handle a dessert!

I found this sugar cookie recipe and halved it.  I also added in the grated peel of a whole orange, which made the cookies 10xs more delicious, in my opinion!  We mixed up pink frosting from this recipe.  Gil woke up in his swing while we were finishing up the frosting.  When I turned back around, Lena had the frosting all over her clothes!  Time for a wardrobe change.

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Unfortunately I didn’t realize until the dough was mixed and chilled, the frosting prepared and set aside, and the dough rolled out for cutting that I do not own a heart-shaped cookie cutter.  What?!  In the end I improvised by cutting the dough out around a construction paper heart (which, ironically, was a note I had written to Elliott at a Valentine’s Day dinner last year).

We made 3 heart-shaped cookies and the rest were butterflies or flowers.  And yes, I did attempt to frost one while also nursing my baby.  #fail Recently Updated123

At last Daddy came home… bearing bouquets of flowers for both of his girls!  Lena wanted to show hers to her little brother.  “Wanna smell my rose, Gil?”  *smash* Recently Updated124

We ate a delicious meal from our friend and topped it off with the heart-shaped cookies for dessert.  Later Lena blew out the dinner candles with Elliott.  We eat by candlelight most nights, and no, it is not my idea!  Elliott’s parents almost always have candles burning at the dinner table (something they picked up from Edith Shaeffer’s The Hidden Art of Homemaking, a wonderful book that is not nearly as stuffy as it sounds).  Elliott brought that tradition into our home, and now Lena’s new tradition is to count the candles (“waaan… twoo… treee… fur!”) and blow them out with her daddy every evening. Recently Updated125

While Elliott gave Lena a bath, I admired my own beautiful flowers: romantic roses mixed in with my favorites (daisies… or at least the closest we can get to daisies from our local flower shop).  Then I tried out the ring sling with Gil for the first time (he liked it!) while washing the dinner dishes.

I’d like to say we stayed up late watching a romantic movie with glasses of red wine, but actually we went to sleep around 10pm.  Oh the life of parents of a newborn!  We’re both looking forward to an evening out at our favorite sushi restaurant and this amazing chocolate cafe once life takes on a little more of a routine.  In the meantime, we’ll enjoy our candlelit dinners and handmade sugar cookies at home!

What did you do or make for Valentine’s Day?

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9 Responses to Valentine’s Day cookies with Lena

  1. Poppy February 15, 2013 at 3:29 pm #

    Perched on cliffs above the orchards
    There’s little time for tea and brie;
    Oaks of righteousness take root there
    Under Mt. Etna, near the sea.
    –Poppy

    • Becca February 15, 2013 at 3:35 pm #

      Love! Thank you, my poetic father.

  2. Eden February 15, 2013 at 5:02 pm #

    Love the rose *smash*. Charlie and I had an early dinner at Boundary Road (site of our first date) then came home to watch Bridesmaids. I have had a mild stomach virus – feeling achy the last few days.

  3. Emily R-C February 15, 2013 at 9:15 pm #

    We went to Chipotle and on an excursion to the University to watch two films about love in the Ultra Orthadox Jewish community. Kinda nerdy :) Love the cookies!

  4. Abi February 16, 2013 at 5:30 am #

    We went shopping at Buy Buy Baby and admired the myriad of gadgets and gear one might procure there. Then we found out what parents who don’t hire a babysitter do for Valentine’s Day- they take the family to Buffalo Wild Wings to see Lola the clown! Your celebration actually sounds perfectly romantic to me! Much love, my friend!

  5. Abi February 16, 2013 at 5:30 am #

    We went shopping at Buy Buy Baby and admired the myriad of gadgets and gear one might procure there. Then we found out what parents who don’t hire a babysitter do for Valentine’s Day- they take the family to Buffalo Wild Wings to see Lola the clown! Your celebration actually sounds perfectly romantic to me! Much love, my friend!

  6. Anna H February 17, 2013 at 12:38 pm #

    Valentine’s Day ended up being our school’s Sports Day (originally scheduled for the week before, but rained out), so I cheered on the Blue Kingfishers and, with the help of several awesome parents, ran the running long jump and triple jump events for grades 5-12. Then my sister and other roommate worked on planning an Amazing Race activity for the middle/high school camp next weekend, and then I went to a friend’s house for dinner (take-out Chinese). We wrapped up the evening reading aloud a few pages from “Three is Company” in The Lord of the Rings. I think I was wished Happy Valentine’s Day once during the whole day. :)

    However, the evening before my roommate and I made a scalloped potato dish that was actually mostly beets and carrots (hence pink) in our only cakepan, which is heart-shaped; and we watched The Philadelphia Story (not sure we’d watch it again) together.

    Thanks for sharing so much of your life on this blog!

  7. alyssum February 24, 2013 at 5:16 am #

    I can hear Elliott singing “My Funny Valentine” in my head now.

    • Becca February 24, 2013 at 12:51 pm #

      My blog needs a “like” button for comments!

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