Valentine's Day!

We had a pretty low-key Valentine's Day this year, and we're just fine with that. We enjoy the opportunity to just relax and have a "luxury" meal together once in a while. Gary knew that I was going to make some cioppino for dinner, along with a Caesar salad, but he didn't know what else I had planned.

First though, we'll share what Gary made for Peri's V-day present. It was very thoughtful and very well-made, Peri and I both love them! Here are pictures:

On the one side it says Peri.

On the other it says love! How cute!

I put them in front of Peri when I set her in her usual play spot. She was a little unsure of what they were for at first.

What's this?

 But she decided she liked them in the end.

 I made a pretty table setting using some things we had around the house, some things I got from the dollar store, and the beautiful white bone china that belonged to Gary's grandmother. They are simple and elegant and I love them to pieces. We also found a table cloth and matching napkins with them, so I figured I might as well use them too!

 This next picture is sideways, and I can't muster up the motivation to fix it. Oh! as a side note to other bloggers with this problem (it crops up a lot actually) if you save the images in .png form, it won't turn sideways when you upload it. Anyway, The fabric was something that Gary's mum sent back home with him from his trip to Portland. It is great fabric, and I can't wait to put it to use somewhere!

I made napkin rings out of the fabric with hot glue (Gary let me buy one a couple weeks ago! I'm so excited!) I'd rather have sewed them, but time was short, and Peri was impatient.

I got little suckers from the dollar store and put them in our champagne flutes for a festive touch! I thought they were rather cute! We removed them for the sparkling juice, though I wonder what that would have tasted like?
 

Peri and I got all dressed up for Dad when he got home. 

 

She's wearing my pearls!

 We were planning on taking pictures of the entire meal, but we only got one of the cioppino. We got so busy eating, we forgot about the rest! What we had after this was Caesar salad, with homemade Caesar dressing because I forgot to buy some at the store (I might make this a habit. It was so good and a cinch to make in the food processor!) After that I had some lemon pepper chicken breasts and butter fried parsnips and zucchini to round out the meal. I hadn't had time to make dessert before Gary got home, so we made the cherry chimichangas together after dinner. Yum!

Peri was so tuckered out after the long day of preparation. 

Oh! I almost forgot about our presents to each other! I made Gary a pillow out of his favorite(?) shirt that had holes in the armpits and was too short for him after about a decade of washings. It is still a bit lumpy, but he loves it!

Thundercats, HO!

As for his gift to me.... well, I haven't received it yet. He's making it out of wood, and hasn't had the time to get it done yet. Mostly because he's working on another project I asked him to make, but that's another post! Still, a very great Valentine's Day!