Loving the Ones You Love

I love the month of February because the theme for the month is LOVE!  I enjoy ALL holidays because I adore any opportunity to make cute cupcakes and crafts with the kiddos!  February is a great time to make homemade goodies in the kitchen and to serve up some sweetness to your loved ones.  At our house we like to make homemade valentines as they are much more fun than the store bought kind.  We have a mailbox we put in the kitchen and for the first 2 weeks of February everyone is encouraged to put little notes and cards inside to be opened on Valentine's Day.  Everyone gets into this and it is a lot of fun to pull out all the contents and hand everything out.  If you are looking for some creative ideas to make with your children familyfun.com is a great place to go.  I have been going there for ideas since my oldest was born.

I want to really focus on showing love to my family this month, and all the time!  I want to make a concentrated effort to show kindness and gentleness and love to my husband and children.  For children, spending time with them shows love.  We moms need to make sure we are taking time to play with and read to our little ones and we are spending time talking and hanging out with our older children.  My teenagers love to talk and sometimes when I am too busy I cut them short.  I'm going to work on that this month!  Our husbands need time and attention too.  Husbands feel love when we show them respect.  Make an effort to show your man the respect he craves.  This month try making his favorite meal and lighting candles, or scheduling a date night, or just helping him get some things done on his to-do list.  These are all things I plan on doing.  Often when I am tired or overwhelmed I am disrespectful and rude to my husband.  This month as I focus on showing love I am going to really work on that. 

For the month of February get busy making some Valentine's Day crafts with the kids, choose some verses on love to memorize as a family, bake cookies and deliver to a neighbor or someone who lives alone.  Hug and kiss your husband and children as much as possible this month.  Tell them you love them over and over and don't forget to tell them why you love them!  Read some good books aloud to the kids while sipping cocoa and get the love flowing in your home!  Make some heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast and put a little love note at each person's plate.  Just be creative and show love!  In doing this our homes will be warm, loving places where our husbands and our children will love to be!

BE-MY-SWEETIE CUPCAKES

18-1/2 oz. pkg. white cake mix
1-1/3 c. water

3 egg whites
2 T. butter, melted
1/2 t. peppermint extract
3 to 4 drops red food coloring
16-oz. container vanilla frosting
16 to 20 red and white peppermint candies, crushed

Blend the first 6 ingredients together on low speed of an electric mixer for 30 seconds; increase speed to medium and blend 2 additional minutes.  Spoon batter into paper lined muffin cups until 3/4 full.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 24 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center tests clean.  Cool in muffin tin 10 minutes; remove cupcakes to wire racks to cool completely.  Frost; sprinkle with candies.  Makes 2-1/2 dozen.