The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

The Oakville Beaver, W e d n e s d a y F e b ru a ry 6, 2002 - B3 F ill! Y O U I! V A L E N T I N E Master the secrets of a loving, romantic marriage (MPS)-Valentine's Day tends to be an extremely roman tic holiday. Amidst all the flowers, jew elry and other gifts given and received, it is essentially a time when couples reaffirm their love for one another. One o f the best gifts you can give your sweetheart this holiday is to learn the patience that it takes to retain the "glow" that many couples maintain in their marriage for decades. Valentine's Day is a perfect time to be reminded o f these special factors that can help ensure "happily-ever-afters." Modem Bride's Barbara S. Smalley offers a few dos and 'don'ts that many happy husbands and wives practice daily: 1. M aintain y o u r frien d sh ip : In a recent study, 300 cou ples who'd been happily married for 15 years or more were asked to share the No. 1 reason for their marital success. Both men and women said. "My spouse is my best friend." Keeping this friendship, strong can be difficult when both partners work and quality time together must be scheduled. However, time together should be a priority. Learn to say no to social invitations that will take too much time away from being together. Time together does not have to be filled with nonstop activity. Friendships thrive on time spent doing nothing more than talking. 2. Rem ain intim ate: Intimacy is not necessarily synony mous with sexuality. Over the years, you will re-create the wild attraction you felt when the relationship was new, but your ability to remain intimate will become the foundation for your marriage. The rules for maintaining intimacy and friendship are identical. To be intimate, couples must make spending time together a top priority. Letting your spouse know your deep est feelings, hopes, thoughts and fears and having your spouse respond with respect and love can mean the differ ence between a rocky relationship and a rock-solid mar riage. 3. L earn to com prom ise: When couples are willing to compromise, they send each other a powerful message: "1 love you, let's work this problem out." Sometimes compro mise means meeting halfway. Sometimes it means deciding what's really important to you and making trade-offs. And, it always means communicating openly and honestly with each other. Compromising w on't work, however, unless both part ners are willing to give and take. So, one key to compro mising is to pick your battles carefully. When you can live with it, give in. Then, later, when something is really impor tant to you, hopefully your partner will do the same for you. 4. S u p p o rt each o th er; rem em b er y o u r com m itm ent to each oth er: It usually happens that when times are good, Oakville Florist Shop Valentines Day Thursday, February 14th Large selection o f rosesat an affordable price itq W A they're very good. W hen the bad times hit, there's a lot of blaming and complaining going on. Couples need to learn that all marriages have their ups and downs. 5, H ave fun to g eth er: Consider the following scenario: You and your spouse have both had a hectic week. Now, it's Friday night, and both o f you would love to rent a video and snuggle in front of the television. However, the apartment is a wreck, and two w eeks' worth o f laundry is waiting. How would you wind up spend ing your evening? Couples with a highly successful marriage would choose the video over cleaning. Happily married people have a knack for finding ways to take care o f domestic business and have fun at the same time. Keeping your sense o f humor in the worst and best o f sit uations is also vital. Laughing is a great stress-buster, and feeling comfortable to be silly around each other is the ulti mate bonding device. -- S e r v ic e . I f * 905 MUR 849-8885 L M . 511 Maple Grove Drive O t ik . 2 ( ^ 1 *<" C. CALIFORNIA 8 PLANTATION 2HUTTER2 W ood 8c vinyl sh u tte rs su p p lie s 8c in stalled Heartfelt gift ideas for your valentine (WMS) -- Perhaps you're looking for a Valentine's Day gift that comes directly from the heart - they' re simpler than you might imagine. Here are some inspired ideas for your sweetie! F o r him Appeal to his manly appetite and whip up a culinary masterpiece featur ing all of his favorite foods. Or, if you'd rather stay out of the kitchen, make reservations at a cozy, informal restaurant where he can ju st relax and be himself. Indulge him in a night of his favorite activity. If that may be watch ing sports, fishing or even that action flick he's seen a dozen times, snuggle up with your man and cheer along. Give him one day off from his share of the chores so he can just lounge around in sweatpants and his lucky college "Pshirt. Send him flowers at work for an interesting change. Ask your parents to watch the kids so you can spend some quality time together. Invite his buddies over for sports night or game night. F o r h er Rent her favorite weepy love story from the local video store and watch it with her. Cuddle her at the most sappy moments and make sure tissues are not too far away. Turn the bedroom into a lovers' retreat, complete with scented candles, rose petals on the sheets, soft music and the like. Wear silk pajamas rather than your favorite gym shorts to b e d .; Give her one day off from her share of the chores so she can just lounge around in sweatpants and her lucky college T-shirt. Treat her to a special show, whether it is a local theater production, ballet, or just a pageant the kids put together with your help for the occa sion. Reenact your first date or arrange to renew your wedding vows. Organize a special family portrait she'll just love. High Quality at Affordable Prices. Customer satisfaction guaranteed «» Q Aiilluirim Viithoii/cd l Mmlltilt riculcr SHUTTERS ETC. Serving OalwiUe with Shop til I lomr V n nee ^ Beautiful crafts can be made from valentine flowers (MPS)-- Ask almost anyone what he or she thinks is one of the most popular Valentine's Day gifts given, and he or she probably will tell you bouquets and arrangements, long-stemmed roses, and other varieties of flowers. While most people are overjoyed when they receive flowers, they also hate to see them die. Rather than keeping flowers until they are wilted and droopy, why not prolong their lives and put them to good use. Flowers can be used in many ways -- they can be dried and pressed, mixed into fragrant potpourris, and even used as ingredi ents in fabrics, papers and recipes. "Floralcrafts" (Crown), by Gillian Souter and Catherine Lawrence, provides step-by-step instructions for creating 50 extraordinary gifts and projects made of flowers. According to Souter and Lawrence, flowers and foliage can be dried in a number of methods -- certain ones suiting some flowers better than others. The simplest method for drying flowers is to let them dry natu rally. either by hanging them upside down in a room or cupboard or by standing them in a container that is empty or has very little water in it. Darkness will help preserve the colors of the flowers. The easiest way to hang dry flowers is to strip off unwanted leaves and bunch stems loosely so that flower heads arc staggered in height. Secure the bunch with an elastic band, which will hold them in place as the stems shrink. Bend the two ends of a stub wire. Hook one under the band, and use the other to hang the bunch. ( 905 ) 691-4455 i& in tA e a w a 1* 1(1111111111 Winner hi llnl Shutten " etiletpry ie OAKVILLE CENTRE Ask about our special Spice up your Valentine's Day with the taste o f the Mediterranean Love is important in the Mediterranean, especially this time o f year. Montfort will be more than happy to help you share in this special occasion with your loved one or more! And, if you can't make it on the 14th we're here for you on the 8th. 9th, 15th & 16th. So, you have no excuse not to treat your loved one to a fantastic evening. Celebrate Valentine's Day the M editerranean way!! M ake your reservation today! U pperM x Jc S eR d Valentines D ay isjust around the comer and the Holiday Inn Oakville-Centre has two incredible offersfor this special occasion. Sweetheart Package - $139* per coupic, per night in the courtyard Bistro * One night accommodation for two in a newly renovated room » Breakfast for two in your room or in the restau rant * Special Valentine' s Gift Basket » Extended checkout time o f 2:00 pm * Use of indoor heated pool, whirlpool & sauna » Unlimited in-room movies Romantic Package - $199* per couple, per night Sun M T W Th A special Valentine menu: 3 4 5 6 7 February 8, 9, 10 11 12 13 14, 15 & 16 F Sat S~ OP& 16 i 5 HOST (STradcmaik of Roya Host Corp. Padogcs available from February 10 to February 16.2002 Prices do not include taxes and incidentals. On these special nights, enter to win tickets to Oliver! a West End Studio Theatre production. 1 K xjuo* L eighiandA v o Shore b s-d / 0£w * One night accommodation for two in a newly renovated room «* Special dinner for two in the restaurant Special Valentine' s Gift Basket * Extended checkout rime of 2:00 pm * Use of indoor heated pool, whirlpool & sauna » Unlimited in-room movies 386 Iroquois Shore, Oakville (905)845-7937 Upgrade to a King Jacuzzi Suite with $ 40 per couple either package- add % C all n o w to b o o k y o u r V alentine's getaw ay today! Holiday Inn Oakville - Centre · 590 A rgu s Road, Oakville L6J 3J3 (At the O.E.w. & Trafalgar Rd ) M E D IT E R R A N E A N £ Phone: (905) 842-5000 · 1-800-842-0092 Reservations Only Emaii:hioaksales@sprint.ca Website: wwwholidayinnoakville.com r C U ISIN E