Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope that you have great plans to celebrate this special day. This is a wonderful holiday to help break up the winter months. My late husband, Jim, and I loved Valentine’s Day. We gave each other heart-shaped Valentines and crazy and useless romantic gifts. It was fun!

This year, my daughter, Carissa, and I will be joining my sister, Pam, and her daughter, Kristina, in the Wine Country in Napa. This is the first time that just the four of us have taken a mother/daughter trip…and we just happen to be going over Valentine’s Day.

My son-in-law, Ken, will stay home with the girls. Savannah will be 7 on January 27, and McKenna will be almost 6 months old by that time. Ken is a great dad, and he will be kept quite busy taking care of the two of them.

Carissa and I took a trip together when Savannah was about McKenna’s age. We took a short “girl cruise.” I remember the first night on the ship, Carissa slept so hard…and long…that I found myself checking to make sure that she was still breathing! (We will always be mothers.) Carissa was exhausted from the pregnancy, getting up several times a night with Savannah, and working full-time. A lot of what she did on the cruise was sleep.

Savannah was over 18 months old before she slept through the night. McKennna has been a better baby. She is already sleeping through the night and has been doing so for several months. I’m convinced that part of the difference in the two girls is that Carissa has done this before. She is not nearly as nervous as she was with her first, and I know that babies pick up on this.

My sister’s husband, Ken, will get his wife and daughter back late on February 14th since they are heading back a couple of days before we do. It should be a fun trip for the four of us. Napa is not particularly warm during this time of year. The average temps typically hit 60 degrees, or “sweater weather,” as Jim used to call it. We might get lucky though, as it’s gotten as high as 80 degrees some years. (Years ago Jim and I were there in February and experienced absolutely beautiful weather.)

The vineyards are quite brown, but I love how laid-back this part of California is. My best guess is that Carissa will catch up on her sleep, we’ll visit a few wineries, we’ll eat some great food, and maybe we’ll treat ourselves to a massage. Sounds like fun to me!

Hope your month of February is great. Next month we get to look forward to the coming of spring, which is my favorite season. We’ll talk next month.

Special Notes

Happy Valentine’s Day! Many of our advertisers have something for every sweetheart. Don’t forget to say you saw them in Women’s Edition!

Are you looking for a fun winter project for your kids? QC Sew With Me is enrolling little tikes now for creative sewing classes. Sewing is a fun way to learn a new skill. See the ad on page 7.

Have you noticed the adverb changes on each Organize That ad each month? Check out page 26 and learn to make changes in your own life through organization!

Where is a great place to take your Valentine for dinner on February 14? Biaggi’s of course! Fine cuisine, delicious wine, and delectable deserts will surely make for a special evening. See the ad on page 10.

What’s better than a little sparkle on Valentine’s Day? Riddle’s Jewelry in Northpark Mall has a beautiful and wide selection of all kinds of sparkly things, including watches for men. See the ad on page 9.
February is National Heart Month. Hampton Health & Wellness wants to help you live life to the fullest. See the ad on page 13.

Oops! Last month we ran the incorrect phone number for QCI Firearms in our Market Place paragraph. Please note the correct number is 563-528-5711. We apologize for the mistake. Please see the ad on page 26.

Positive Thought of the Month

“A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in.”
—Robert Orben