There are many different stories regarding the origins of Valentine's day. The one that I find most intriguing is the theory that Valentine's Day with the Christian martyrs is celebrated in the middle of February as a way to Christianize the pagan celebration of Lupercalia, a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
The actual fertility celebrations get a little weird with women and crop fields getting slapped with strips of goat hide that had been soaked in dog's blood (I couldn't make this up even if I tried).
Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity and but was outlawed—as it was deemed “un-Christian”–at the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day. It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively associated with love. During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance.
All of this information and more can be read in its entirety on the History Channel's website.
Thankfully in my house, there is no slapping women with goat hides dipped in dog's blood (and after three children I definitely do not need any more fertility). Instead we go for the more mundane tradition of giving gifts to each other.
Wine Glasses
My Therapy
As funny as this may sound, this glass accurately sums up my experience with wine. Had a bad day at work? A glass of wine will help calm you down and let it go. Kids driving you crazy? Put them to bed and enjoy that warmth and fuzzy feeling a glass of wine can provide.
What Night?
Another great and funny wine glass that helps me gauge how much wine is needed after a long day. Most of the time, all I need is just a good night or maybe a great night. Sometime, though after a really long and trying day with work and/or my minions a what night? is needed to help unwind.
Both glasses are from GotMeTipsy and are a great quality for the price. Other glasses I have purchased at this price point felt thin and fragile. These glasses, while not overly thick or heavy feel appropriate for every day use. The designs on them are white and printed on the glass instead of etched in making the designs easy to see and read whether you are drinking a red, blush, or white or you need a refill. Best of all they are dishwasher safe so the design is not going anywhere. Coffee Mugs
Go Away 
Much like the What Night? wine glass this coffee mug is marked with different levels communicating to everyone around you whether you are approachable or not yet. This is particularly handy after a night of indulging in "What Night?" levels of wine drinking or if you are generally just not a morning person. It is a great tongue-in-cheek gift for anyone who is not a morning person or is a coffee addict.
Favorite Child
This mug makes for great subtle bragging rights in large families. I have a lot of sibling and I like to joke that I am my mother's favorite. So it only seemed fitting for me to get this mug. I like to break it out during family gatherings just to show off a little to my brothers and sisters.
Much like the wine glasses listed above, these coffee mugs are also from GotMeTipsy. They sport the same screen printing technique for the design making them easy to read even when the mug is empty. Also just like with the wine glasses, these are dishwasher safe so the design is not going to just come off with one washing. Both mugs, while made of glass are fairly weighty and feel well made and the handles are well crafted and not a seam can be found.
Wrist Rest
I work extensively at computers, both at my day job as well as with my hobbies.
Lately, I had started getting a little concerned because it seemed as though my hands were "falling asleep" more frequently than usual. I had also started noticing shooting pains from my wrist to my fingers not terribly often nor would they last too long, but long enough to have me concerned.
I watched my mother and her journey with carpal tunnel and it is not something that I am anxious to repeat. I know that the damage that is already done, is most likely irreversible but hopefully with the right gear I can slow down its progression. That is why this gift means so much to me.
The wrist rest pad does help me to keep my wrist in line while typing and the filling is supportive but also soft enough to yield a little to the weight of my hands. That plus the soft covering makes for a really comfortable experience. The bonus mouse pad is made of the same material and is just as comfortable.Since I started using these items, I have not noticed the shooting pains and my hands are not falling asleep all the time. Hopefully I have bought myself a little bit of time before I will have to got for medical intervention for carpal tunnel.
My gift to everyone else was rolling sushi by hand.
Sushi knives
As with most things, what may seem like a hard task is made much easier if you have the proper tools. For example rolling and cutting sushi can be quite disastrous. I have tried to do this in the past with my other knives, and while I love them and they are great at what they do, they are not a good fit for cutting sushi rolls. They tear the wrap and all the sushi rice sticks to the blade preventing a good clean cut. This sushi knife is super sharp and slices right through the wrap. The shape and thickness of the blade is such that it helps reduce the amount of rice that sticks to the blade. The knives are lot lighter than my normal cooking knives and the balance feels just slightly off. My only other complaint is that the way the tang of the blade fits into the handle I am worried about the knife's longevity but so far it has not been an issue.Complete with mixed drinks made with a new cocktail shaker.
Bars N Roses has a beautiful stainless steel cocktail shaker kit. The lid of the shaker fits down nicely into the bottom and the cap comes off for easy pouring through the strainer. The kit also included a smaller jigger for measuring as well as an ebook with drink recipes. Now my house is equipped for me to play bartender. 
As always feedback, questions, comments, and suggestions are always welcome. Please remember to follow the blog and register your email address at the top of the page to have new posts delivered right to your email inbox and never miss an update. Disclaimer: please be aware that any item mentioned in this blog may have been received for free or at a discount in exchange for a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own regardless of how the items were acquired.
