The Origin of Valentines Day
Saint Valentine’s Day, commonly shortened to Valentine’s Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. Valentines were handmade and had verses in which tiny pictures took the place of some of the words. They also had ornamental lettering in the style of illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages.

“Cutout” Valentines were made by folding a piece of paper several times and cutting out a lacey pattern with small, pointed, scissors.

“Puzzle Purse” Valentines are a folded puzzle which was read and refolded. Among the numerous folds were written lines and verses that had to be read in a certain order to be understood.

"Pinprick” Valentines were made to look like lace by pricking tiny holes in the paper with a needle or pin.

Modern Day Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards. Valentine's Day is one of the most romantic days in a year. Each of us wishes to find a unique way to celebrate with our someone special. By using your own romantic ideas you can make your Valentine's Day remarkable that will leave an unforgettable impression in the mind of your beloved.

There are many valentine ideas to create love and ambience around you and your loved one. Write a poem, have a massage for two, make a romantic late night dinner, or share an evening martini and chocolate covered strawberries. Your Valentine’s Day gift need not be expensive but should be straight from the heart. If your loved one is long distance then sending a poem would be a very personal and sentimental gift.

Kids Valentine
Kids love Valentine’s Day as well. It is a time for them to trade Valentine’s Day cards, bake cookies and of course give and receive candy. If Valentine’s Day falls on a school day it is a nice touch to bring heart-shaped cookies for your class. Below is an easy sugar cookie recipe along with icing. For something different host a Valentine’s Day cookie baking party for your child and their friends and family. It is a great way to be together on that special day.
Frosting for Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
assorted food coloring
Directions
1. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
2. Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

Easy Rolled Sugar Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Five girls ages 10-13 got more than they bargained for when they teamed up with Posh Party Box to do a good deed, putting together Toys for Tots packages to donate at San Clemente’s new fire station. The girls spent their Sunday assembling donation packages for toys for tots.

Posh Party Box donated the toys. The girls – Megan Douglas, Kennedy Kingsmill, Avery Sayler, Cameron Sayler and Jessica Rugg – assembled packages.

The girls delivered about 50 sports bags full of sports-related toys, about 20 magician hats containing wands, about 35 princess gift bags and several unwrapped toys of other types.

When the girls delivered the toy bundles to firefighters conducting a Toys for Tots drive at San Clemente’s new Avenida Victoria fire station, the firefighters were so impressed that they gave the young visitors a tour of the station.

The girls had such a great time and were so excited to be able to do something for kids who may not have had a Christmas without the donations!

How To Host A Treasure Hunt Children’s Party

Have you ever found hordes children in your home for a party just a little too much? Your furniture is being jumped on, piles of newly-ironed children’s clothing is being thrown about, the garden is not big enough and the dog is hiding under the stairs. There are five hours to go, and you’re beginning to wish it was all over.
A Treasure Hunt is one solution to keep the party guests busy, and works like a charm!

We were lucky in having a large park nearby. This was to be the location of the Hunt. My son was six, so I chose a Pirate theme, and arranged to have a friendly uncle and my partner on hand to supervise the children. My partner and I began warming to the task of making clues. I remembered the time we made treasure maps at school and used the same technique.

Making Treasure Clues
If you feel like making these it’s fun, and does add to the excitement.
• Take sheets of paper and tear round the edges so they are uneven
• Take a wet tea bag and wipe over the surface of the paper, until it is pale golden in colour
• Put papers in a warm, dry place, like an airing cupboard or laundry room, to dry
• If you want to go for full authenticity you can burn the edges of the paper slightly, and blow out the flame quickly, to leave it charred
• Buy a length of thin red ribbon and cut into sections. After you have written the clues, roll each scroll up and tie with a bow
Children find these details very memorable. All the children (particularly the girls) wanted to take the clues and ribbon home with them to play with.
Planning your Treasure Hunt
It is important to walk the route that you want to send the children on first. Take a helper at this point, especially if they will be leading the hunt, so that you can spot natural landmarks and direct the children there. Someone will need to go out shortly before the hunt and plant the clues, too. In our park there were plenty of landmarks, e.g. a playground, a lake, an ornamental garden, woodland and a running track. We decided to use each of these as part of a task before the children could go on to solve the riddle and find the next clue. For example, a task might be ‘Go down the slide twice then return to finish the puzzle’, or ‘Run once around the running track’. This was useful as it extended the hunt, tired the children out and calmed them down so that they focused on the puzzle more easily.
Activities and Puzzles



Clues needed activities attached to them, since simply pointing the children to the next location would have meant the event was over very quickly. In practice the children loved trying to solve the puzzles as they went. It made each new location something they had worked for, rather than been given. We put the clues in waterproof boxes and hid them in bushes out of sight near to each location. Inside the box was the scroll with the clue on it and also a handful of candies to ratchet up the excitement. Make sure you put enough in for the number of guests. Anything else needed for the puzzles went in the box too eg. Code keys, dice, pencil for working out.

They’re Brighter Than You Imagine!
Clues and puzzles need thought. Children of six are more capable than you may think, especially when there is treasure at stake. We used puzzle books to help us. Code breaking was the most popular task. Letter substitution was successful – numbers for letters is a bit too easy, but a reversed alphabet kept them thinking for longer. Simple math’s questions can be made harder by using but three or four stage sums. Another good puzzle was a quiz, with the first letter of each answer spelling out the next location.

Sample clues:
Run round the running track then do the following sums
E.g. 12 + 12 – 6 ÷ 2 (= 9 which equals 9th letter of the alphabet)
Throw this dice until you get three sixes, then answer the following questions. The first letter from each answer is your next location.
Who was Top of the charts this week?
Who was the act that left X Factor this week?
What type of animal is a kangaroo?
What is the name of the President’s oldest daughter?

What was striking was just how much the children loved being challenged in this way, before running for the next clue. I still think our clues were too easy, and they solved them in no time at all. Consider making them harder than you’d imagine they might manage, and offer a little help if needed. We did notice that the brighter, more dominant children tended to take over, which could leave to quieter ones left out. In this case, perhaps take charge of the task a little and try and include everyone, even if it is just the quietest one opening the box, reading out the clues, or unrolling the scroll.

Treasure!
After solving all the clues and riddles the children solved the final (extra hard) puzzle and found the location. It was the ornamental garden, where I was waiting with a treasure sack for each child, and a big bottle of drink to rehydrate them after all the running around. We then walked home for party food and cake, and parents arrived quite soon afterwards. There was no leaping around or silliness as the children were worn out. The girls sat rolling up the scrolls and tying them with bows, the boys just showed off about who solved the most clues. It was one of the most successful parties I ever hosted, and they children went home satisfied, feeling like they’d achieved something and succeeded at something, which is always a great with little ones. They were proud of themselves…

… and rightly so.

It’s time to celebrate the 4th of July! And, why not do it with a bang? Make this year’s festivities one to remember with all the traditions we have grown to love and cherish. It’s also an opportunity to use your imagination and maybe make some new traditions. Outdoor barbecues with great food and decorations make it more memorable for all those involved for a successful 4th of July celebration. The key is to keep the party simple as well as convenient. This way, the party will be more fun for both guests and hosts alike!

Hamburgers, hotdogs, watermelon, corn on the cob, ice cream and wonderful fresh fruit of the season are delicious party foods we enjoy every Independence Day. A patriotically beautiful outdoor table setting with coordinating table cover, plates, cups, napkins and balloons in traditional red, white and blue sets the mood to mark our great nations birth in a really fun way. Be sure to have some form of old glory present to remind your party guests of the reason behind the celebration. The stars and stripes can be presented in the form of one big flag, many little flags, swags, banners and/or bows. Remember to bring your table setting together with a ready made eye-catching coordinated center piece.

Have fun and entertaining games and activities for your party guests. You can be as traditional or unique as you would like. Almost any outdoor activity can be incorporated into the celebration. Summer is the best time of year to get outside and enjoy the weather with family and friends. A game of baseball, softball or wiffle ball, a sack cloth race, volley ball, badminton, a game of horse shoes are just to name a few, ways to have traditional 4th of July fun. Maybe your party guests would enjoy a sing along of patriotic songs. Pass out printed out lyric sheets so that everyone can join in the fun. The youngest members of your party can join the fun too. Children love to play with bubbles. Have plenty of bottles of bubble liquid and wands on hand to keep the fun going. Along with adult supervision, sparklers are an amazing sight for the kids to see. Don’t forget, us grown-ups enjoy them too! Keep your 4th of July celebration fun as well as safe.

Be sure to take pictures and video of your beautifully coordinated patriotic table setting when it’s surrounded by family and friends. The day’s activities caught on film and pictures will also create great memories of your successful 4th of July party. It can be easy to gather together on the 4th of July to celebrate our independence and to say happy birthday, USA! No matter how you choose to celebrate your 4th of July party be sure that it is fun and convenient for everyone. And most importantly, patriotically themed as a gentle reminder of what the party fun is all about.

Labels: 4th of July, party in a box, Summer Bar B Cues

Did you know that father’s day is quickly approaching? Let Dad know how much he is appreciated with a great and memorable celebration. Parties and get togethers are always fun. Spending time with our loved ones will create lasting memories for everyone. All Dads will enjoy this special day in their honor.

Father’s Day parties can be celebrated based on a party theme. What hobbies or interests does the Dad to be honored have? Theme parties are a great way to personalize your get together. Father’s hobbies or interests are as varied as there are fathers out there. Maybe he likes fishing, golfing, hunting or bowling? Father’s Day parties can be as unique as the Dad, himself. Maybe he’s into football, baseball, basketball, hockey or any other sport. You can’t go wrong with a theme based party on Dads special day.

It can be easy and convenient to successfully arrange this event. An example can be a football themed party based on Dad’s favorite team. Coordinating cups, plates, napkins and balloons of his favorite team’s logo and/or colors on them will pull together a great party. Even the cake can be decorated with a team logo for a super finishing touch.

Remember to take photos too! A wonderfully put together themed based Father’s Day party for Dad will make for some fun and memorable shots. Keep your party fun and convenient so that everyone has time to enjoy themselves and participate.

Labels: Father's Day, gift ideas, posh party box, theme parties