Beloved,
let us love one another,
for love is from God,
and whoever loves has been born of God
and knows God.

1 John 4:7

This morning I had a little brunch for a few of the ladies from my Bible study and used Valentine’s Day as a theme for decorating.

My friend Christina recently sent me three handmade buntings that I was so thrilled to use today.  I put one on each fireplace mantle, and I used one as a garland for my seasonal tree.  Thank you, Chris!  xoxo

Sarah loves this tree and spends a lot of time taking everything off it and then putting the ornaments all on one branch, making up little stories all the while.  (I adore 3 year old girls!)

Sweet little ornament from Dawn.

I collect fiestaware and took out all of my red, pink, and white dishes to use.  This round platter is black with cherries on it.  I love cheerful cherry things, and have a cherry apron and placemats, too.  (also perfect for Valentine’s day decorating!)

I always light candles when company is coming.  This one was from a shop downtown.  The gold leaf is charming.

This candle, from anthropologie, is orange scented and the red jar is thick and lovely.  I’ll be able to use the jar again when the candle is used up.

Whole cloves are like tiny pieces of wood.

I put a 7 pound ham in the oven at 8 so it would be done by 10, when my friends were to arrive.

I scored the ham and inserted a whole clove in each cross section.

I used a glaze recipe from my old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and it was delicious.  You take a cup of orange juice, two teaspoons of finely grated orange zest, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1 & 1/2 teaspoons of ground mustard, and 4 teaspoons of cornstarch, and whisk together in a pot on the stove.  Cook until thick and bubbly and brush on the ham in the last 20 minutes of cooking time.  The resulting Ham was delicious, simple, and elegant served on a big white platter.

Just be sure to remove the cloves as you carve.  Not many people enjoy eating whole cloves.

(they are like tiny pieces of wood)

(actually, cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, Syzygium aromaticum, native to the Maluku Islands in Indonesia)

We had an assortment of coffee, hot chocolate, and tea to chose from.  The sugar and creamer were served from rose fiesta ware.  (but of course!)

One more beautiful heart, made by Dawn.  Dawn loves me.  🙂

The ladies and I had a fun time gabbing at the table while eating ham, pasta, apple slices, and scrumptious muffins.  We talked about everything from our children’s mischief to the problems of internet, with lots of laughter.  Thank you Kate, Diane, and Paula for a wonderful morning!

“If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”  1 John 4:12