Clockwise from left: a swoon-worthy scent, pearl earrings with gemstones, big blooms, a unique medical-alert bracelet and a splurge-y Van Cleef & Arpels necklace.
By MyLittleBird Staff
FEBRUARY is American Heart Month, in case you hadn’t heard.
“So, how about we do a post on stuff that’s good for the heart?” suggests LittleBird Nancy. “Great idea,” I (LittleBird Janet) reply, “but what exactly do you have in mind?”
“Steel-cut oatmeal in a gorgeous painted container?” answers Nancy. “Hmm. Anything else?” I ask. Reader, we only came up with one other thing, and that’s when we had an, er, change of heart and decided to pose the question to our staff and contributors: What do you want for Valentine’s Day?
Val Monroe, who pens How Not to F*ck Up Your Face, loves getting jewelry for Valentine’s Day because she says she rarely buys any for herself. She has her eye on a pair of Lizzie Fortunato Confetti Drop Earrings in freshwater pearl with amethyst, topaz, peridot and aquamarine stones. Val fans, take note: They sell for $230 at Shopbop. (And Val should leave this page open on her computer so that her beau might see it. By chance, of course.)
LittleBird Janet—that’s me—is a fool for good scents.
One that lingers in my mind is a Hermetica fragrance I dabbed on my wrists a while ago at Bloomingdale’s in NYC. I got one of those little sample vials to remind me that I wanted it. (I still have that sample, long empty.) Well, one thing led to another and another and . . . I forgot about it until recently when my go-to Acqua di Parma ran dry and my husband objected—kindly—when I purloined some of his Eau Sauvage.
Note to self: Valentine’s Day is as good an excuse as any to gift myself with a beautiful bottle of Source1 Eau de Parfum. It’s not my usual citrus-y, green formula but a more complex blend, including notes of bergamot, woody musk and amber. And I’m imagining how good it’s going to look adorning my bathroom vanity.
Well-Being columnist Mary Carpenter was rushing off to Kansas City but in between packing she said she loves to get flowers—”lots and lots of them,” and all the better if they’re in shades of blue and purple.
She didn’t mention where she’d love to get said blooms, so I rooted around and found these eight stems of vibrant-colored hydrangea from Farmgirl Flowers. Double the pleasure with 16 stems for $136. Or go all out, Mary and/or admirers, with 24 stems!
Nancy Pollard of the Kitchen Detail column began her VDay wish as: “What I want? The return of Jon Stewart to The Daily Show. No, wait, that has already been gifted to me, on February 12.
“But foodwise, I want a fabulous bistecca alla fiorentina accompanied by a nice glass of Valpolicella from the winemaker Dal Forno Romano. I keep seeing [the steaks] in various expensive grades in these cushy-looking see-through fridges in restaurants.
“Above is a picture I took of the last one I had. It was enormous, but not to worry: I was accompanied by the Resident Wine Maniac [Nancy’s husband]. Also by at least one grandson (see the little red toy car on the table? It’s a must-have for one of them when he eats in restaurants).”
Tuscany is home to Chianina beef, Nancy explained, not as expensive as Wagyu A5 (which presents its own set of challenges), and quite lean where Wagyu means heavily marbled. I’m surprised, she continued, that the RWM has never tried this, but here is the website of the 5C – Cattle Group in El Paso, Texas.
A neighbor of LittleBird Nancy’s is an entrepreneurial type and, as such, pals around with other entrepreneurial types. Her friend has come up with TapMedID, a simple-enough idea that makes a whole of lot sense.
It looks like that fitness tracker that you stopped wearing (right?), but it has magical powers. There are a lot of medical-alert bracelets and pendants on the market, but this one lets your medical needs speak for themselves: In case of an accident, a Good Samaritan can read the QR code on the silicone bracelet and know what you’re unable to tell them (there are also other ways to unlock the info, and unlimited space to list all your needs on your online profile). Also, the TapMedID will automatically alert your emergency contact that something has happened—and where.
The band requires no batteries, and best of all—for those of us suffering from subscription fatigue—it’s one-and-done, no monthly fee. The TapMedID costs $38.99 on the TapMedID store on Amazon, but there’s a discount for MLB readers: TMID15OFF.
Green Acre columnist Stephanie Cavanaugh has a great sense of humor and obviously passed it on to her daughter, Monica Weddle. “Oh, Moni found it for us,” LittleBird Stephanie confirmed. “I thought it was perfect.” What, you ask? The Midcoast Fencing Athletic Club, in Topsham, Maine (nowhere near where either Stephanie or Monica lives), is offering a two-hour Stab Your Spouse fencing class, to be held from 6 to 8pm on Valentine’s Day (there goes that romantic dinner!). It’ll be a test of your relationship to see if it can survive this.
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All really good ideas. And there are many memories of Valentine’s Days way past, particularly grade school. However, as my husband says, he doesn’t celebrate any holiday with a “St.” in it. Sometimes I get cards from my kids and/or grands. So there ya go. Happy St. Valentine’s Day, y’all.
And to you, too. My husband doesn’t celebrate “Hallmark” holidays. So, what’s left? Presidents’ Day?