Reflections of Restless Romantics -- Love is in the air for the month of February, so each day we're posting one of our favorite quotes on romance!

"The only abnormality is the incapacity to love."
-- Anais Nin

"We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant...You've got to keep watering it. You've got to look after it and nurture it."
-- John Lennon

"Nobody has ever measured - not even poets - how much the human heart can hold."
-- Zelda Fitzgerald

"The best thing to hold onto in life is each other."
-- Audrey Hepburn

"Love does not dominate; it cultivates."
-- Goethe

"Fortune and love favor the brave."
-- Ovid

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."
-- Lao Tzu

"A woman in love can't be reasonable - or she probably wouldn't be in love."
-- Mae West

"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved."
-- Victor Hugo

"No Romance Without Finance."
-- Gwen Guthrie

"I get a feeling when I look at you Wherever you go now, I wanna be there, too."
-- Kirsty MacColl

"If you want to be loved, be lovable."
-- Ovid

"Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence."
-- H.L. Mencken

"Before I met my husband, I'd never fallen in love. I'd stepped in it a few times."
-- Rita Rudner

"When you fish for love, bait with your heart, not your brains."
-- Mark Twain

"Love is the greatest refreshment in life."
-- Pablo Picasso

"There is time for work, and time for love. That leaves no other time!"
-- Coco Chanel

"Love is the hardest habit to break, and the most difficult to satisfy."
-- Drew Barrymore

"Don't settle for a relationship that won't let you be yourself."
-- Oprah Winfrey

"We got high on travel and we got drunk on alcohol, and on love, the strongest poison and medicine of all."
-- Joni Mitchell

"Love is a fire. But whether it's going to warm your heart or burn down your house, you can never tell."
-- Joan Crawford

"Romantic love is mental illness. But it's a pleasurable one."
-- Fran Lebowitz

"Fortune and love favor the brave."
-- Ovid

Check back everyday for a new quote!

Restless Entertaining Expert Brian William Armstrong helps you plan an intimate, heartfelt evening.

In February while the weather outside is usually frightful, our thoughts indoors turn to The Feast of St. Valentine and romance. While it's easy to get caught up in the frenzy of tacky cards, over-priced flowers, tasteless boxes of flavorless candy, and off-hour dinner reservations in the run up to the holiday itself, the last thing romance should ever be about is fulfilling clichéd expectations. The point is to spend quality time with your loved one doing something that's actually meaningful to the two of you.

Disconnecting from the commercialism and hoopla surrounding Valentine's Day is the easy part. Once we've taken that leap, it's another jump to reach that point where the day becomes about the two of you and no one else. Meaning that champagne is always great, but when your partner announces that they've decided to train for a marathon, an economy-sized pack of tube socks may be far more meaningful than a magnum of Moet. Equally, a dozen roses is great, but if some gift-wrapped gizmo off a late-night infomercial you've been obsessed with makes you laugh and feel appreciated, well, there's no contest, is there? Outsiders may be baffled by your choices, but they should be; intimacy between two people is as much about understanding and appreciating each other's quirks as it is about anything.

As it is on V-Day, so should it be in real life, no? It takes real style (and careful thought) to break out of the mold and open your heart in a new, fresh way. Valentine's Day is a great place to start, but read on for some ideas that not only make Valentine's Day special, but will work any date you're in the mood to celebrate a fine romance.

Have A Romantic Indoor Picnic
Not a chef? Not to worry. Anyone can put together a simple romantic indoor picnic. Fill your picnic basket with a fabulous bottle of wine, a selection of three cheeses (something soft, something aged and something sharp), a beautifully crusted baguette, thinly sliced prosciutto (for something salty) a selection of fruit (seedless grapes and strawberries are always a safe bet) and a decadent chocolate (skip the seasonal candy aisle and go for the Gourmet section). Most of these items can be easily found at your neighborhood grocery store. Spread a cozy blanket and a few pillows on the floor, turn off all electronic devices and devour a delicious meal and each other's company.

Make Your Own Valentine: Any Day of the Year
True sentiments don't come from greeting-card writers; they come from you. Even if it's not the perfect sonnet, a personal handwritten note immediately makes your card a memorable keepsake, far more important than any store bought card could ever be. Need inspiration? Pull a passage from your diary where you gush about your budding love, attach a photo from your favorite vacation together, or make a Top Ten list of reasons why you love them so. Even old-school crayon drawings are fine, but I draw the line at macaroni art.

Remember that Cost is No Substitute for Care
When it comes to gifts, it's the thought that counts. When it comes to Valentine's Day, that's especially true. Don't get me wrong, everyone loves a little blue box, but it's much more romantic to get (or give) that surprise on a random Wednesday, than on Valentine's Day when it's practically expected. Valentine's Day presents a great opportunity to agree to stick to a $25 spending limit. It's easy on the pocketbook, but more importantly, it also has the added advantage of forcing the two of you to be creative if you're to find the perfect gift for each. The gift should be as unique as they are, and when possible, an activity that you can do together. A flat of flowers and two pair of gardening gloves, a tandem kayak rental, whatever the present, the true gift is the time that you invested in the search.

So whatever you do this Valentine's Day, make sure it honors the true meaning of the holiday - the celebration of love - your love, not the commercially-manufactured version. And don't be afraid to break out that spirit anytime the mood strikes you; true romance never goes out of style.

Enjoy!

REE (Brian William Armstrong)

Go (window) shopping for the world's most lavish jewelry with Paris-based blogger Debra Layne Healy

Diamonds, as they say, are a girl's best friend. But what about Rubies? Emeralds? Opals? If your taste runs to sorbet as well as ice, check out "Diamonds and Rhubarb" an ongoing blog written by Jewelry Historian, Designer, Dealer, Author and (rabid) Enthusiast Debra Layne Healy. Based in Paris, Healy has devoted most of her adult life to fine jewelry. After checking out her lavishly-illustrated blog, it's easy to understand why; Who could resist a heart-shaped bundle of round rubies, set in gold, all wrapped up in a diamond-studded "rope"?

And that's just the beginning. No tennis bracelets here, but check out Marlene Dietrich's enormous ruby bracelet with diamond straps, or the jellyfish brooch in gold, platinum, diamonds, moonstones and sapphires. An afternoon browsing Healy's blog is an education not only in the art of jewelry, but the craft and the history. Search: diamondsandrhubarb.blogspot, and get ready to lose your breath.