Be My Valentine, Puh-leese!

Last night I was listening to some of my favorite songs on my playlist and I was thinking why they were so appealing to me.  I thought I would make a few small lists and share them with you.  Indulge me, since it's Valentine's Day in just two days.

My Favorite love songs from when I was just a young little whippersnapper romantique.

1. More – Bobby Darin – It wasn’t until years later that I realized that Bobby Darin made this song popular and not the Lennon Sisters (or Lemon sisters, as I thought they were called.  You have to realize how young I was).  I loved this song and I think I wore out the Lawrence Welk record version featuring the Lennon Sisters singing it. I think I got a crush on the Lennon sisters too – they were cute and they wore cool dresses, and I pretended that I was the youngest sister, Janet.  Janet is the one on the right front.  Doesn't she look cute?

2. Happy Together – the Turtles – I did not get a crush on the Turtles, not even one of them.

3. This Guy’s in Love withYou. Herb Alpert – Julie and I used to go down to the Polar King and play this over and over on the jukebox. I think we were about 10 and 11.

4.  Maria - And somewhere between 3rd and 8th grade there was West Side Story.  Shirley gave us a record and AA played it all the time.  I liked some of the songs but I loved Maria, Tonight, and There's a Place for Us.  My gosh, I almost wished my name was Maria.  That or Gloria, I was torn.
4. Love’s Theme – When I was a junior in high school this song was very popular and I loved it. Still do. This was the song we did our dance to at the Jr. Prom.  I have to say, I had one cute dress, not a date, but cute dress.  I'm over not having a date for prom . . sort of . . well, kind of . . . not really.  I know, I’m dorky.  That's probably why I didn't have a date for prom.  That and the big ever giving zit on my chin from February to April of 1974.   I'm not bitter. 

So, if you're wondering what these songs sound like,  they are the first ones on my playlist now. Click play and enjoy!

Favorite books from when I was a teenager and had romantic ideas.

I won't tell you what they are, but you will know from the pictures and I think you will laugh over some of them.
I read this book for the first time in the summer between eighth and ninth grade. It took me all summer – I had to keep renewing the book.

   I read this in the summer between ninth and tenth grade. Never read it again. Don't you think these two had an unhealthy relationship?  I'd say Heathcliff was just a little too obsessed with Cathy, wouldn’t you say?

 I remember the first time I read this book in ninth grade. I screamed when Darcy proposed to Elizabeth; it was so unexpected. Mom came into my bedroom to ask what I was screaming about and I said, “He told her he ardently loved her!” It’s an annual read.  I like this part in the movie, even though it doesn't take place in the book; it should.  What's wrong with Jane Austen that she didn't think to put a swimming scene in?

 I Read this one in tenth grade and it was the start of my love of Georgette Heyer novels. Her books are
the best!  I read this one once in a while now.  I know this one isn't hard because the name is on the book.  My original copy looked just like this one. Now I have it on my ipad and it goes everywhere I go.

 5. I I know - another title on the front, but can you remember his name?  Her name was Stacy.  I love the scarf he's wearing around his neck.   Oh, how I wish I had that Janet Daily calendar. I don’t read Janet Dailys anymore, and if I did, I wouldn't admit it here on my blog.

 Most Unexpected Valentines Gifts

1 A bag of Fruit and Nut bars for the whole family from Lizzy. Was she trying to tell us something?
2. Baskin and Robbins ice cream Sundae from Lizzy – it had a sucker in it. Very cool.

4. A package of chocolate candy sent from mom and dad sometime in the 1990’s. It was so sweet.
5. And my gift last year from Alan.  Our conversation about about it went a little like this.  He was in Ethiopia.
  Alan:  Hello, Happy Valentine's Day!
  Me:    Hello, Happy Valentine's Day to you.
  Alan:  Did you get my Valentine's Day present yet? 
  Me:  Uh, I don't know.  Did you send something?
  Alan:  Yes, a carpet steam cleaner, did it get there yet?
  Me:   Why yes, I did get it.  Oh my!

                                                         

Nothing says I love you quite like a Hoover!

My favorite memories of Valentines Day

Mom had a beautiful Valentine’s candy box and a few times she made fudge, penuche, and divinity (mom’s divinity never turned out), and cookies to put in it for daddy. I loved that box, it was satin pink and had golden glitter on in that said, “Be Mine.” I didn’t really know what to think of mom giving dad such a romantic gift.

I loved kicking Valentines. It was fun to get valentines at school, but the best part of the day was when we got home from school and began delivering our valentines in the neighborhood. It was so fun to deliver them and run away like crazy hoping we wouldn’t get caught. It was especially exciting when we would hear a kick at our door and we would run to answer the door and find a pile of envelopes or maybe a plate of beautiful heart-shaped cookies. I loved catching the deliverers. Funny story about kicking Valentines below.

 One year, I think this would have been around 1970 when I was in seventh grade and too old for kicking Valentines, Julie talked me into delivering a trick Valentine to Mack Wilberg. So embarrassing! She said it would be fun, but I knew it wouldn’t be and only went along with it because she begged me. We tied a string to the Valentine, placed it on his doorstep, and then hid behind the cement wall in front of his house. Then we realized someone had to kick the door. She talked me into doing that too, and all I really wanted to do was run home. So I kicked the door and ran to the hiding place. When Mack came out he didn’t see the Valentine and unknowingly stepped on it, so when Julie pulled on the string it broke. I was ready to give up, but she talked me into trying again. Could Julie have had a crush on Mack without me knowing? She retied the string and kicked on the door. Mack again came to the door and this time Julie pulled the Valentine and he followed it and found us. Julie jumped up and ran home to her house, without saying anything to Mack or me and I sat on the gravel looking really stupid. That’s what happens when you don’t have a good exit plan. Yeah Mack, well Happy Stupid Valentines Day!

Planning a surprise trip to Castle Dale from Logan on Valentines Day 1986 when Morgan was just one and a half. I had baked special cookies for everyone in the family and was going to frost them and write everyone’s name on them. I had to go upstairs for some reason and left Morgan with the cookies on the table. When I got back downstairs I found, to my dismay, that she had broken every single one of the big heart cookies in half. So I scolded her good, and sent her upstairs to play while I made and baked more cookies. In her defense, she was only one and she had no idea what she had done wrong. After awhile I decided to go upstairs and see why she was so quiet. There she was standing on the bathroom vanity looking in the mirror and smearing her lips with my red lipstick. She was so funny and cute, I had to take a picture. Big smile for Mom! Well, we got the cookies made and safely packed and we traveled to Castle Dale. We put Morgan and the cookies out on the front porch and rang the doorbell and hid off to the side. Soon the door was answered by Mom and she was surprised and so happy to see her little granddaughter out on the porch delivering Valentines. Everyone was happy to see the cookies, but Morgan was the best Valentine that day.

And now for something completely yummy! Mom’s Strawberry Jello Cake recipe.

Set oven at 350
Ingredients:
1 pkg white cake mix
3 Tbs. flour – ¼ cup flour
1 small box strawberry jello – not the sugar free
Mix these together well in a large bowl or your kitchen aid mixer, and then add ;
1 cup vegetable oil
½ cup water
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup fresh or frozen strawberries. Drain if using frozen.  Let them thaw and then drain any juice.

 Mix together 30 seconds on low, then 2 -3 minutes on medium speed. Your batter should look something like this - pink and fluffy.

 And this:  thick and battery looking.  This makes a pretty moist cake with the additional oil, egg and strawberries.

If you haven't done this before, do it now.  Go buy two heart cake pans!  JK.  Pour batter into greased 9 X13 rectangle pan, or two round cake pans. If using layer cake pans, use waxed paper in bottom of pan, and then grease and flour the waxed paper before pouring in batter. 

 Divide the batter evenly between the pans if using two pans.

 Bake for 27 - 30 minutes.  I baked mine for 30 minutes EXACTLY and look how EXACTLY perfect they turned out. While the cake is baking, make the frosting. 

Frosting Ingredients: 
1/4 cup butter or margarine - softened
1-2 Tbl. milk
1 box of powdered sugar or a bag - you won't use it all
½ cup strawberries cut up – can use frozen.

Start with 1/4 cup softened butter or margarine.  In med. sized bowl beat the butter till smooth and creamy looking.  Add about 1 Tbl. of milk or cream.  Add 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time turning off the mixer when you add the sugar, otherwise you will get a sugar cloud developing in your kitchen and your grandaughters will start coughing.  Add in about 1/4 cup of strawberries.  Add more powdered sugar, then more strawberries until you get the frosting to be the consistency you like.  Mine was a little thin, and I only used half of it.  If you make it thick you can really pile it on.  Mom's original recipe called for 1 sq of butter, and no milk, but that made a ton of frosting. You do what you think is best for you.

 This was after I let them cool in the pans for about 45 minutes and then took them out. 

 Cut the rounded top off one of the cakes so that the other layer will sit safely on top and won't break. 
Then find a beautiful cake plate like mine and center the cake on top.  Spread some frosting on top all the way out to the edges.  Then place on the second layer.  You can see how runny my frosting was. 

 Then frost the second layer making sure you get the sides covered completely, or do whatever you want to do at this point.  I Let Lily and Leah take over . 

 Lily was very into her heart sprinkles and she kept wanting to stick her finger into that cake, but somehow we made it through the whole process without that happening.  See the bowl of frosting off to the right?  She did keep sticking her fingers into that.

 Leah  wanted to be in the middle of things, but at the same time she was very sick.  We kept telling her to cover her mouth when she coughed, but she did cough on the cake several times. 

 And here it is! Such a beautiful cake for my Valentines.

 We didn't wait very long before we cut it and served some up.  We couldn't wait 'til Monday.

And that is Grandma Jorgensen's  very rich and yummy strawberry-jello valentine cake. 

Indulge yourselves and make it for Valentine's Day.