Anita, The most touching memory I have of Valentine's Day is one when I was in the local supermarket and saw the men in the checkout line--this was in the evening right after work--each prosaic, workaday figure holding a bouquet of flowers to take to his sweety. THIS is what it's all about. In spite of my laments about our garden in February, today it's tolerably sunny and warm, and my husband is working on a pergola in our shade garden, one of the numberless projects he has done for me. The pergola is to keep 'Treasure Trove' off our heads as we descend the path: we obviously planted this rose in the perfect spot, as it is completely happy while we do absolutely nothing to take care of it. But it's impossible to train up the locust tree as we had planned, as our ladders are too short, the slope too steep, and our bones too brittle; so he's putting together a rebar-and-wood pergola that 'Treasure Trove' can sprawl over while we walk beneath. The pergola, plain though it is, has magically transformed its area into a GARDEN--it's amazing what can be accomplished by a structure--and meanwhile I'm with my husband, enjoying his company, investigating the late-winter woodland, checking and mulching our plants, and feeling that this really is our day of love. Melissa

What a great way to start the day! Thank you dear Edna! (I have a resident on my floor who is leaving next week for a half-way house and a new life. Your "life survival kit" is PERFECT timing for something I can use for her going-away party!) A very Happy Valentine's Day to you and everyone here at the Cottage Garden! XOXOXO Patti

guys can be that way, grant learned his lesson last spring when he got so sick. he missed all that work. it was so bad. he was glued to the couch. i so love this group of people!!! so caring for each other!! oh becky i tell ya the best thing i ever did was go to sallys beauaty sallon and buy one of them wax thingi's for 19 bucks. and then i bought a small thing of wax for like 13 i think. then i use strips of crappy sheets. LOL ya know. the one's we keep using. but they have the strips there for i think 6 bucks. and i also use pop cycle sticks. alot cheaper to use them!! i use olive oil afterwards to make sure all the stuff is off my face. it makes me nice and soft!! LOL so all in all. under 40 bucks to get your stuff done in the middle of the night or whenever you want it done, and no one can look at ya afterwards if ya want, LOL like after ya get it done by someone else. LOL but that's just my opinion. LOL i did my chin and my sides (of my face) just make sure to leave enough pull room!! LOL :')) i wanta go back and see if they have any almond massage oil. then i'll be happy!! yep!! so we went t the store today. grant and i did not mesh. at all. we argued the whole time!! of course he said it was my fault and i say its his fault and bla bla bla. then on the way home we didn't even get out of town and he told me sams club lets ya get cash back, apparently i musta made a face, he was like what was that disgusted face about?? all attituded out. well that was it for me so by now i'm yelling in the kia. and i'm like what? what? i didn't do anything! do ya just want me to draw some eyebrows on?? will that make it all better for you?? will it?? cuz if it will i will!!!! and for your info i don't have a problem with that!! thats just your own problem or guilty consience or something. and i was done!! didn't talk all the way home. and baby that's over 40 mine. a long time for me!!! LOL i think at that moment i actually hated him more than anything!! but we get home and we get inside and its like nothing ever happened. i'm so not kidding!! we got along so good!! i think its just that he's so used to shopping by himself and the stress of spending the very little he got off of his last check from the one job. and he just told me citibank told him that they are gonna repo our house if he doesn't pay them our payment by the 22nd. by now, i'm almost in hestarics inside. that's the reason i didn't want to morgage our house. cuz up til then we owned it. so i calmly ask. honey. are ya gonna be able to pay it?? he say's yes. i'll get paid by then. then i freak!!! I'm bad about that!! but that's no excuse for today. imo. i don't know. it's been crazy!! LOL hope ya'lls day went alot better!!

Thank You ALL for your lovely comments. Sorry I took so long to reply... DH & I spent the day down in NY our DD needed us babysit. We had to be there for when the Gkids came home from school. We ended up taking them to their favorite place to eat - Nathans. Geeeesh..you can drop a bundle just going out for Hot Dogs!! We ended up taking our oldest DGson home with us for the weekend....we love it as much as he does. magpie...keep checking your surrounding areas for CTS shops. They have been cropping up all over. Originally they were only in Cape Cod, Ma..but now are all over the place. They do have great deals. milosmom...you still have time before V-Day to do a table. I know what you mean about enjoying everyone else's. This table came by pretty quick..working around the 'Special Couple'! DD...you're right, I find you have to think of clever ways to 'fill in' with a large table to make it intimate for just two. This one seemed kind of easy with the bears towards the end, as a focal point. Glad you liked the look. jeanne...I'm sorry about the 'CTS'..I forgot that not everyone knows what that stands for. Glad you figured out the 'mystery' though! lol. Too bad they don't sell online..that would make lots of happy campers here!! karen...what a cute description of this table 'A Sweet Box of Chocolates'...that would make me smile too! Glad you enjoyed it. OA...those little 'Valentine Balloons'..are actually little heart picks that I bought last year, and kind of just propped them up on either side of the bears. I thought they looked cute and do look like balloons. As far as the bows on the glasses...Hey...go for it. I saw this idea on someone's table once, and liked it..and I 'stole' err borrowed the idea myself!! lol Lynn...seems like everyone is so impressed with those heart napkins. Yes they came from $ General, and I'm sorry I didn't buy more. They are so cute and the fabric is a nice pique and look even nicer in person. kathleen...that would be GREAT..borrowing each others things to add to what we have in common. I'm sure you were able to buy more of those plates than I. I hear ya on the 'stay warm'... It's been brutally cold, especially with that nasty ole 'wind chill factor' whipping around. You do the same... I'm sure your making nice hot soup or some other great comfort food to chase away the cold...lol Luvs... I guess you're right, better to have the two plates than none! The red flatware is a great look for the price. I wouldn't usually buy red, but it was too tempting. dream...seems the flatware and those napkins are the big hit of this table! If I added up what I spent for everything...it comes out to cheap..cheap...cheap!! Thanks again everyone. jane