The invitation said" Girl's Night Out". 

Wear pink and/or black.

Guestlist is a surprise, so no discussing this with anyone.

My youngest sister was the hostess.  She told us that this was the first time in her life that she decorated any part of her home for Valentine's Day.  She certainly did a beautiful job!  The tablescape was a masterpiece!

She purchased this foil tree from Target.  Then she took a strand of foil hearts, cut them apart, and glued them onto the tree.  It immediately dressed up her big round table(that her husband built for her), in a colorful, festive fashion.

We freely gave our hostess ideas as to how she could dress up this tree, for many holidays:)

What a fun way to add pizazz to a Valentine party.

As each guest arrived, the surprises continued.  It was so much fun seeing who was invited. 

We are a group of family and friends who spent many Thursday mornings together years ago, when we got together for a weekly Bible study.  We shared memories, laughter, stories, updates, lessons learned and blessings we gained from our studies together.  Years have passed since our times together.  We now found ourselves, a group of "almost" empty nesters, empty nesters, and grandmothers sitting together, amazed at how quickly it all happened. 

The details of this table were endless.

One of my favorite details were the glittering initials tied onto each chair, identifying where we were to sit.

I don't think I ever saw so much pink.  Pink is a happy color!

The tomato bisque was exceptionally good!  The hearts were cut out of slices of American cheese and added yet another artistic touch to the meal.  My sister credited our mother for that suggestion.  She added touches of beauty to every food she served in our growing up years, and now, we find ourselves doing the same.  Thanks Mom!

We were each given a pink, sparkly bag with a small gift inside.  We were to open them and share what was inside them with everyone.  If someone wanted what we had opened, they could take ours.  In other words, it was a bit like..."now you have it, now you don't".   You can imagine how much fun and laughter this game generated.

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But, the main reason for this party, was for the elegant looking lady in the above picture.  She is our dear, life long friend and is going through a difficult journey right now.

Having been diganosed with cancer this past summer,

she had one of her many chemotherapy sessions the day before this party. 

We were thrilled to have her join us.  It was a much bigger feat (to attend), than any of us could imagine, and we each felt gratitude in our hearts, that she was there.

She shared what was on her heart.  We laughed and cried with her.  What a lady!

I told her, "that she was a beautiful example of looking good through cancer".  Her blond wig was the perfect style for her.

We were all honored to have her with us, and it certainly gave the "heart holiday", a new perspective for each and every one of us.

All the ingredients were present to make this a most memorable evening.

It was a Valentine party extrordinaire!

Thank you dear sister for all you did to create this wonderful evening for each one of us.

Wishing you a good weekend!

It is snowing and cold here.  I know that "cold" is relative.  Where my youngest daughter lives, it was minus 40 degrees yesterday.  Bless her heart!