Picnic Fun ~~~~~~~~~~

Place a blanket on floor near lit fireplace with candles on mantle and have your Valentine's meal as a candle-lit picnic with a bottle of your favorite bubbly.

Italian Romance ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some soft Italian love songs on CD player, a luscious Fettucini Alfredo with a bottle of your favorite Italian vino, then some fresh canoli from pastry shop and cups of amaretto- flavored coffee for a taste sensation - top it off with a sensuous scented bubble bath for two

A Cereal Surprise ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sneak in love notes and chocolate kisses in your sweetheart's or children's cereal

Notables ~~~~~~~~

Little notes in their lunch boxes, on bathroom mirror, in his briefcase, stuck on car windshields, in his underwear drawer

I'm fortunate to have you! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mix up a batch of fortune cookies (see http://www.whimsies-online.com/valentine.htm for recipe!) and add your own little words of love

Messy but Marvelous ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Make sure you wear old clothes for this one and plan this escapade where cleanup will be easy (no carpets, please!) Make up a batch of chocolate pudding. Feed each other and wind up having a food fight! Ideally, this is more fun in your birthday suits, then pudding won't go to waste where it lands! Guaranteed for loads of giggles between two of you - take a shower-for-two after this one and wash each other's chocolate-flavored hair!

Take a Letter ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Take turns writing a love letter or love poem to each other. Read them out loud

Valentine Sharing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Plan some community work - help out at local shelter, volunteer at your local church, work with other volunteers to spread some caring amongst your community.

All in Family ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spend some quality fun time with your niece or nephew or other child in your family.

Long-Distance Caring ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Call your favorite aunt whom you haven't seen since she moved far away, or your best friend who transferred to another country - let them know you're thinking of them this Valentine's Day

Just For You ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have you wanted that delicate pair of earrings for awhile but kept putting off purchase? Give yourself a special Valentine's Day gift

Poetry In Motion ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Write him or her a poem - can't write? Try out poem generator on http://www.whimsies-online.com/valentine.htm for fun! Print out your creation and place it on your loved-one's night table for when they awake!

BUTTERFLY FEEDER

This is exactly what you'll see in botanical gardens. Take a plastic pot saucer, sand and about 1 T. of cow or horse manure and an overripe piece of banana, apple or pear. Place sand and manure in saucer with small amount of water and add fruit. Voila! Butterflies will come!

SIMPLE BIRD BATH OR BIRD FEEDER

Here's an idea for a simple and inexpensive bird bath or feeder. Use a tomato cage, anchoring it firmly in ground. Put one plastic plan saucer inside top ring of cage. Plant vining plants such as nasturtiums or morning glory around bottom. Fill saucer with water for birds, of poke a few holes in it for drainage and fill it with birdseed.

EDUCATIONAL

·Use a digital or throwaway camera to record progress in garden and learn more about nature and photography. Put photos in a scrapbook for memories!

·Place a rain gauge in garden.

·Study insects that come and what they do.

· Read about vegetables, fruits and flowers on Internet.

·Be sure and don't take "the sun" for granted. Water and sun and good soil are what gardening is all about.

·The garden will need to be tended and this teaches responsibility. It needs to be watered, fertilized and weeded. Establish a regular schedule for tending garden.

CELEBRATE THE HARVEST with flowers on table, or a pizza, or hot sauce, or whatever garden harvest has brought. Be sure and take more photos for scrapbook.