Happy St. Valentine’s Day!

Hearts, flowers and chocolates are all part of the holiday we celebrate as Valentine’s Day.  Find out more about the Legend of St. Valentine and the origins of the Day of Love by clicking here: History.com

 

Here’s 10 Trivia questions (answers given below) about Valentine’s Day: 

 

1. Who is the winged child shooting the lovers arrow?
2. Is Valentines Day the #1 card giving holiday?
3. What does the word ‘valentine” stand for in Latin?
4. On Valentines Day 1876 who received a patent for what important invention?
5. What percent of women send roses to themselves on Valentines Day?
6. Who will receive the most Valentines cards this year:  Mom, wife, girlfriend, or neither?
7. In Old Ireland a heart was carved into what as a Valentines gift?
8. The Farmers Almanac says “If a woman sees a robin on Valentines Day she will marry a ..???”
9. Which state produces the majority of America’s roses?
10. Name the actress who was nominated for an astounding SIX Academy Awards and was born on Valentines Day?

 

 

 

Trivia Answers: 

1. Cupid
2. No, Christmas is.
3. Valor
4. Alexander Graham Bell for the telephone
5. 15%
6. Neither.  Teachers get the most!
7. A wooden spoon.
8. Sailor
9. California
10. Thelma Ritter was born Feb. 14, 1902.  She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for All About Eve (1950), The Mating Season (1951), With a Song in my Heart (1952), Pickup on South Street (1953), Pillow Talk (1959), and Birdman of Alcatraz (1962).  She never won! 

 

 

Besides Frederick Douglas, Carl Bernstein and Jimmy Hoffa,  click HERE for a list of other famous people born on February 14th.

 

Did you know?

The heart shape wasn’t always a romantic symbol. 

Artist Gil Elvgren‘s pinup girl wishes you a happy holiday!

Prior to the 14th century, the shape we call a heart symbolized the anatomical heart, widely believed to be humans’ center of memory, according to Time. It wasn’t until Italian and French artists began championing the idea of romantic love that the St. Valentine heart became synonymous with love.

“Wearing your heart on your sleeve” is more than just a phrase.

In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names to see who their Valentine would be. They would wear the name pinned to their sleeve for one week so that everyone would know their supposed true feelings.

 

Find out more trivia about Valentine’s Day from Woman’s Day.com

 

 

 

Hilda, Won’t You be My Valentine?

Meet Hilda, the creation of illustrator Duane Bryers and pin-up art’s best kept secret. Voluptuous in all the right places, a little clumsy but not at all shy about her figure, Hilda was one of the only atypical plus-sized pin-up queens to grace the pages of American calendars from the 1950s up until the early 1980s, and achieved moderate notoriety in the 1960s.

19 Natural Aphrodisiac Foods Proven to Spark Romance

Do aphrodisiacs really work? Sample these aphrodisiac foods with your sweetie and see if the science holds true.

Photo by Reader’s Digest

Source: 19 Natural Aphrodisiac Foods Proven to Spark Romance

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Queen of Hearts pin-up by artist Vaughan Alden Bass.  He also created a portrait of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, which is in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. 

 

 

 

 

True Love

Maxine© in February

Uncommon Goods – Love Natural Style

Uncommon Goods points out how romantic the Animal Kingdom is.  Read on to find out more.

So romantic.  Welcome to the Valentine’s Day edition of Uncommon Knowledge—a place where we can talk about all the romantic things animals do for each other. For one, sea otters hold hands when they sleep. They do this mostly so they don’t drift away from their pals while they snooze on their backs in the water, but the result is true intimacy.

Another romantic gesture? Penguins will propose to new mates with a pebble. Many penguins assemble their nests out of pebbles, so really, it’s a way of offering their beloved a promise to build a home with them. Maybe we can follow suit and start replacing engagement rings with a nice adjustable rate mortgage?

Brolgas cranes, like most cranes, are monogamous and will mate with the same partner every year, typically at the same nesting spot. However, the brolgas know a thing or two about keeping the romance alive—no matter how many years they’ve been together, the brolgas will still court their mate with an intricate mating dance. Ooh la la!

Okay, let’s do some rapid-fire romance: Ready for a puppy fact? Male puppies will intentionally let female puppies win when they play-fight so they can get to know them better. Like seahorses? They’re monogamous and will hold each other’s tails when traveling.

Ain’t love grand?

 

 
Written by Kate B
Kate is a copywriter. Strangers would describe her as that very tall girl with glasses, as would her friends. She is pretty good at needlepointing, surprisingly good at bocce ball, and very bad at choosing between sweet and savory at brunch. She is well-liked by most dogs.

 

Maxine© on Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Extra-Large Rosé Sbagliato

Yield: 10 plus servings

Photo by J Muckle; Styling: Rebekah Peppler

• 4 cups (32 oz.) Campari, chilled
• 4 cups (32 oz.) sweet vermouth, chilled
• 1 (750 ml) bottle sparkling rosé, chilled
• Several large ice cubes or an ice ring, optional

Directions: 

1. Combine the chilled Campari, vermouth, and rosé in a large pitcher or bowl. To serve, pour or ladle into champagne coupes or punch glasses.
2. If the punch begins to warm, you may want to add large ice cubes or an ice ring to chill it. (The larger the cubes or the ring, the slower they will melt, and the less they will dilute the drink.)

 

By Rebekah Peppler