I love you because

You can never say "I love you" enough. But do you?

For the next 14 days of February, I'm writing love notes to Todd, Madeline, and Ava. It's easy, only takes a few minutes, and best of of all, it's free!

I took this idea from Pinterest. Big surprise.

I got out some scrapbook paper I had on hand (you could use construction paper or anything you have available), a pen, and some scissors. It took me several tries (and some not-very-Christian mumbling), but I finally got a perfectly-sized heart template. I traced the heart outline on the scrapbooking paper. I made 42 hearts total (3 people x 14 days). Cutting out the hearts took the most time, but I had a sharp pair of scissors and good tunes on my iPhone, so I daresay it was a pleasant experience. On each heart I'll write one reason why I love the recipient. To avoid confusion, I'm numbering and labeling each heart with the recipient's name.

Before you all ask: No, I did not make hearts for myself. As much as I would love 14 days of positive affirmations, it seemed a bit forced to have Todd or the girls to write me notes every day. I'm doing this project so I can show my love for all of them. If they want to do sometime for me in a different way, that's great. I'm not doing this for what I'll get back, but for what it will add to my family.

The biggest challenge of this project was where to put all the hearts. I wanted them to be somewhere we'd all see them multiple times a day, so hiding them away on the girls' bedroom door (like the pin from Pinterest) wasn't my first choice. I decided to put them in the blank wall space in the stairway. It will be one of the first things we see when we come downstairs in the morning, and one of the last things we'll see before going to bed.

We all show our families love in different ways: cooking special meals, keeping the household running smoothly, working hard at our jobs, snuggling on the couch, reading together, and on and on. But how often do we tell our loved ones why we love them? Give it a try!