I’ve always been fascinated by claddagh rings. I’ve seen them all over jewelry stores and a friend of mine from high school had one. So I decided to do a little research and let everyone, who didn’t already know, what it’s true meaning is!

This traditional Irish ring is a symbol of love, friendship and loyalty. It originated in the Irish fishing village of Claddagh, located just outside the walls of Galway. The designs of the ring give you its meaning: the heart symbolizes love, the hands represent friendship and the crown signifies loyalty.

Depending on how the claddagh ring is worn on the hand usually tells the wearer’s romantic availability, or lack thereof. When worn on the right hand with the heart facing out, the person is still searching for love. When worn on the right hand with the heart facing in, he or she is in a relationship or ‘someone has captured their heart’. When the claddagh ring is worn on the left hand ring finger, facing outward, it indicates the wearer is engaged, and when the ring is worn on the left hand, facing in, it generally means the person is married.

The claddagh ring is recognized worldwide and many people of Irish and non-Irish descent wear it. It is used as both a cultural symbol and as an engagement/wedding ring. What I found amazing was that there are many legends of how this ring came about, including gifts from the heavens for doing charity work and unforgettable love. However it came to be, this ring is truly valuable to the Irish culture and indeed signifies the cherished qualities of love: heart, friendship and loyalty.

Source: thecharmingtouch.com

Anyone from Virginia can tell you that ‘Virginia is for LOVERS’ has been our tag line for many years. It’s on at least 80% of the tourist merchandise sold at Virginia Beach’s oceanfront!

Hand in hand, Virginia and Valentine’s Day truly is for LOVERS! This great state offers romantic settings and picturesque landscape for your special day. From the boardwalk at Virginia Beach’s oceanfront, to the nightlife in downtown Norfolk; from the spectacular scenery of the Appalachian Trail to the beautiful and historic inns of Williamsburg, Virginia has everything to offer you and your special someone during Valentine’s Day and all year long!

So what does the LOVERS state have in store this Valentine’s Day? There are Wine Country Tours of Virginia’s majestic Wineries taking place from February 9^th-17^th. At Breaux Vineyards there is a Chocolate and Cabernet weekend on February 9^th-10^th, bringing two enticing elements for Valentine’s Day-chocolate and wine! The Cooper’s Landing Inn Romantic Valentine Dinner, the James River Plantation Valentine’s Candlelight Dinner & Tour as well as the Land Rover America’s Polo Cup Valentine’s Gala which all take place on February 14^th.

Virginia has magnificent attractions for all LOVERS! So this Valentine’s Day celebrate it right, with the state that accommodates you and your special someone! Go to Virginia!

Source: Virginia.org

Want to get your kids involved on this lovely holiday? Then get out some construction paper, glue, scissors and your creative flair because the following ideas require a bit of imagination on you and your kids part!

Make Valentine’s Day Card for your family & loved ones

○ Using construction paper, glue, scissors and whatever decorative element you can get your hands on, make a Valentine’s Day card! Doesn’t require much, just a bunch of love and time!

Make Someone a Coupon Book (help around the house, get out of jail free card,

whatever!)

○ I’m seriously contemplating doing this for my boyfriend. A bunch of coupons for ‘not doing the dishes tonight’ or ‘free night out with the guys’. Both inexpensive and exactly what he’d like! (permission from me to get out of doing chores)

○ You can get really creative & specific with this for the person you’re making it for! (i.e. If making it for mom, throw in a few ‘I’ll do the dishes’, ‘not make a mess’, ‘clean up after my own toys’, etc.)

Create Beaded Jewelry Crafts

○ Go to your local craft store and pick up a variety of beads and string. You and your kids can create one of a kind jewelry pieces for each other or their friends!

Handprint Poems

○ When you come up with enough creative writing to write a poem for your loved one, make sure you display it properly by putting it on a hand printed cut-out! (trace your own hand to make it personal)

Bake Valentine’s Day Cookies

○ You can use the store bought ones, or create your own. Regardless this activity with kids will be super fun and very yummy!!!

Personalized Valentine’s Day Candy Jar

○ This will be super fun for your kids to create. Get various sizes of jar/containers, ink/paint & stamps. (This will get messy so make sure you have a cleaning station prepared and newspaper down on your surface)

○ Let their imagination run wild!! After its dried, fill the jar with all sorts of little candy treats!

These crafts allow you and your kids to get in the spirit for this lovely day! Let us know your fun craft ideas!?

Cheddar-Chive Biscuits

These Cheddar-Chive Biscuits are an easy option when you want to set out the food and enjoy the fun.

INGREDIENTS
4 cup(s) self-rising flour
1/4 cup(s) fresh chives, snipped
2 tablespoon(s) sugar
1 teaspoon(s) freshly ground coarse black pepper
3/4 cup(s) solid vegetable shortening, chilled and cut in small chunks
1 cup(s) shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cup(s) (up to 1 3/4 cups, as needed) buttermilk
1/4 cup(s) unsalted butter (optional), melted

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, stir flour, chives, sugar, and pepper until blended; using a pastry blender, cut in shortening and cheese, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Drizzle 1 1/2 cups buttermilk over the flour mixture, stirring it in with a large fork until a moist dough forms, adding the remaining 1/4 cup buttermilk if dough seems dry (it should be slightly sticky). Turn dough out onto a floured surface. With floured hands, gently knead 3 or 4 times until dough comes together.

Dust surface with a little more flour, then roll dough 3/4-inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit or cookie cutter, cut out rounds. Transfer dough rounds to a baking sheet, 1 inch apart. Gather dough scraps and repeat rolling and cutting, for a total of 24 biscuits.

Make a slight dimple in the center of each biscuit to help the top rise evenly. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush tops with melted butter, if using. Serve warm.

Souce: MSN Lifestyle

So yesterday was our office Holiday Cookie Exchange. Several people from our department brought in their favorite holiday goodies. If you or someone in your office is thinking of doing this too, here are a few tips:

1. Invite the entire department, quad or group to participate.
2. Ask each guest to bake enough for the exchange and perhaps a few extras for people to take home to their families.
3. Avoid duplication of cookies by asking guests to tell you (or whoever is organizing it) what they are bringing.
4. A neat idea is to ask others to choose a recipe that is traditional to their background. That way everyone learns about traditions from another culture and/or ethnic group!
5. And of course a great present to everyone (besides the yummy treats you bring in) are the recipes so others can use them for their holiday feast this year!

We had a nice selection of treats for our exchange. Chocolate Chip w/Mint, Candy Cane Jo Jos, Sugar Cookies with holiday decorations, Pistachio and Macadamia Nut cookies, Grandma Kisses and so much more! Here are a few recipes from those that participated so you can try to make them!

Reindeer Poop:

Ingredients:

1- box of Chex cereal (any flavor)

1- stick of butter

1- bag of semi-sweet chocolate morsels

1 cup of creamy peanut butter

Powdered/confectioner sugar

Directions:

Melt together the butter, chocolate, and peanut butter on medium. Pour evenly over cereal then cover with powder sugar. If you want to do this in a big Ziploc bag, it may make shaking it around to evenly cover a little easier!

Mint M&M’s & Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Ingredients:

Chocolate Chip Toll House Cookie Dough

Mint flavored M&M’s

Directions:

Leave cookie dough at room temperature for at least 10 minutes so it’s soften. Greece baking pan(s). Take a slice (or scoop depending on the size of cookie you’d like) and put in as many or as little mint M&M’s you’d like (more M&M’s will give it a bigger mint flavor). Roll repeatedly in your hand for form a ball. Make sure all the M&M’s are surrounded in dough (although some can be on the edges). Put mixture on cooking ban and bake for 11 minutes at 375 degrees (leave in longer if you’d like it crunchy versus soft and moist)

Do you have any additional Holiday Treat Recipes you’d like to share? Any you learned from your Holiday Cookie Exchange?? Let us know!

Peanut Butter Balls

Prep: 35 minutes

Stand: 10 minutes

Makes about 25 candies

Ingredients:

½ cup of peanut butter

3 tablespoons butter, softened

¼ cup of crisp rice cereal

1 cup of powdered sugar

6 ounces chocolate-flavored candy coating, cut up

1. In a bowl stir together peanut butter and butter. Gradually add cereal and powdered sugar, stirring until combined. If necessary, knead with hands until smooth. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls; place on a baking sheet lined with waxes paper. Set aside.
2. In a small heavy saucepan melt candy coating over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat; cool for 5 minutes. Using a fork, dip balls, one at a time, into coating, allowing excess to drip off. Return to waxed paper; let stand until coating is set (about 10 minutes). To save for another day you can store them, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 month (or freeze for up to 3 months-but be sure and thaw at room temp. before serving once frozen).

Source: Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book; 14^th edition

On September 7, the For Rent Media Solutions office in downtown Norfolk was a little more quite than usual. Many of our employees participated in the United Way’s Day of Caring, an uplifting day of volunteerism in the Hampton Roads of Virginia. On this day, FRMS employees spent the day working side-by-side with co-workers outside of the office landscaping, painting, cleaning and working on whatever needed to be done at multiple project sites selected by United Way.

Employees made their rounds, assisting everywhere from local residential homes to shelters and museums. Erin Zarate, Marketing Manager, volunteered at a local residence, for a woman who dedicates the majority of her time caring for her child who is severely mentally retarded and physically and medically fragile. As a volunteer, Erin did yard work and helped paint the woman’s garage. Account Executive, Linda Perryman, volunteered at the Hermitage Museum in Norfolk, Virginia. While there, she showed off her green thumb, gardening and cleaning museum signs and preparing the flowers for show. Other volunteer locations included the Dwelling Place and the King House, local family shelters; as well as Meals on Wheels.

At For Rent Media Solutions, helping other is how we do business. Our company’s effort to give aid has extended beyond the traditional business-to-business and business-to-consumer relationships. How do you help in your community?