In an effort to avoid having to store (or rebuild every year) my Thanksgiving Tree, I am trying to find ways to re-theme it throughout the year.

In November you could find this on our table: Then at Christmas it looked like this:

The past month it’s been on our table bare and I decided it was time to revitalize the tree.

Now, it’s become a love tree. The perfect theme for February and leading up to Easter.

If you already have a tree, putting this together will be simple – skip ahead to step 2.

I’m not a crafty person. My crafts have to be affordable and fairly easy otherwise they won’t happen. This one meets both of those requirements.

Love Tree

1. Find sticks of varying sizes and arrange them into a vase. Use small rocks or glass pebbles to weight down the vase or else it will topple over on you.

2. Cut hearts of varying sizes out of different color construction paper or card stock. I used pinks and red, but blues, greens, and grays would work too.

I have a pdf of 3 different size hearts you can use if you’d like.

To access the pdf, click here!

3. Hang the hearts. I used a needle and white thread. On the large hearts, it would look pretty to use a hole punch and hang it up with ribbon.

4. Between now and when you use your tree for Easter, take time each day to write something/one you love, someone that loves you, a way you showed love or were shown love, or a scripture verse about love on the hearts. Toddlers could color on the hearts or dictate to you.

What a great time and memorable way to focus on God’s love for us and the way that He and others show love for us.

Linking up to some of these parties  Growing Homemakers, Tending the Home, WFMW, Lovely Ladies Linky, Wise Woman Link-Up, Welcome Home Wednesday, Homemaking Link Up, Thriving Thursday,  Pin It Thursday, Fabulously Frugal Thursday, Mommy Brain Mixer, All Things Thursday, From House to Home, Proverbs 31 Thursdays, Let’s Get Real, Thrifty Thursday, Family Fun Friday, Hearts for Home, The Weekend ReTreat, Fellowship Fridays, Essential Fridays, Faith Filled Friday, Frugal Homeschool Friday, Link Party Palooza, Weekend Wind Down Party, Follow Our Thrift, Strut Your Stuff

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This is the second post on celebrating Valentine’s Day. Today I have some ideas on how to celebrate the day in your family. One of these I looked forward to every year and am excited to do with my daughter this year.

Secret Pals

Valentine’s morning, draw names in your family to be a secret pal. You then get to (sneakily):

• Do acts of service for them: – Make their bed – Do their chore – Clean their car – etc
• Give little gifts: – Draw a picture – Write a note – Leave a favorite candy bar on their chair

That evening before bed, everyone can reveal their secret pal. Even assuming that everyone has already figured it out, it’s still a good time to reminisce and share stories and thanks.

Treasure Hunt

This is one of my favorite Valentine’s memories growing up. Each year my mom would come up with a series of clues. She handed us the first clue and off we went. Each clue would lead to a piece of candy with another clue taped onto it. We went to six different places to find our treasures.  We didn’t want it to end.

• Pre-Reading/Toddler: This is actually easier with younger kids. All you have to do is draw a picture to send them on their way. For instance, draw a picture of their toy box. They walk to their toy box and find a piece of candy with a picture of their pillow pet on it. The next piece will be on the pillow pet. You get the idea!
• Reading Kids: Write a riddle. Here’s where you have to get a little more creative. Adjust the difficulty of the clues based on age. For a little older pre-reading kids you can read the clues aloud.
  To begin, go to where
  of a visitor you are made aware.

   

  In the bedroom, you will see
  Under your pillow, something from me!

   

  Next to your chair, you will find
  Another treat of a different kind!

   

  You got to that one very fast,
  Run to the bookshelf to get the last!

Valentine’s Food

Be creative. I’m sure you can come up with so many options.

• Form food into a heart – last year we did this with homemade pizza – heart shaped sugar cookies – heart shaped pancakes – cut brownies with a heart cookie cutter
• Make dishes with lots of red – spaghetti – lasagna – soup
• Eat by candlelight and turn your normal fare into something special or make a fancy dinner even more over the top.

How do you celebrate Valentine’s Day in your house? Do you have any of the same traditions you did as a kid?

Linking up with Proverbs 31 Thursday, Pin It Thursday, Thrifty Thursday, The Weekend ReTreat, Hearts for Home, Family Fun Friday, Let’s Get Real, Frugal Homeschool Friday, Follow Our Thrift, Essential Fridays, Fellowship Fridays, Strut Your Stuff, Link Party Palooza, Weekend Wind Down, Show Stopper Link Party, Happiness is Homemade, Mindful Mommy Monday, Motivation Monday, Living Proverbs 31, Modest Monday, Monday’s Musings, TGIM, Mama Moments Monday, Pin It Monday, Good Tips Tuesday, Titus 2 Tuesday, Babies and Beyond, Share Your Stuff Tuesdays, Growing Homemakers, Tending the Home, Titus 2sday, Do Tell Tuesday, WFMW, Lovely Ladies Linky, Wise Woman Link-Up, Welcome Home Wednesday, Homemaking Link Up, Thriving Thursday, Fabulously Frugal Thursday, Mommy Brain Mixer, All Things Thursday, From House to Home

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