Inspiring Romance #27 – Appreciate Him

Each year I listen to those around me grumble about what they didn’t get on Valentine’s Day.

Even before I sat down to write this post today I went about a little research and came across and article that instead of listing the most romantic things you could, it listed the worst things that couples did on Valentine’s Day. After reading the article, I got confused.

It seemed the author, must not have ever had a day where they felt appreciated, let alone loved. According to the article the worst thing you could do was go out to dinner. Reasons that were listed included bad food, over crowded establishment, and the expense of a disaster waiting to happen.

You would think that staying home would be better than going out, but again the article says not.

Along with flowers, chocolate, and holiday cards, nothing seemed to be the RIGHT thing to do in order to properly celebrate this special day. After all, what is there to do right?

Being a romantic at heart, I had to sit and give all these things great thought. As I turned to my husband, he said to me, “what should it matter? If you show love everyday, then Valentine’s day has no more special meaning tomorrow than it does the next day to those who show their affection.”

So surprise him, today and everyday.

Appreciate him.

Don’t harp, hound, or whine when he first gets home. Prepare him a meal and sit down with him at the table. Ask him how his day went and be his #1 fan. Let him put his feet up, and curl up beside him. Remember when your mad and in the midst of an argument that in God’s eyes he is one with you.

Tell him you love him, often and without doubt, even when it seems he’s not listening to you – he probably is. Compliment him on all the good things you like, the services he performs around the house, and how he deals with the rest of the family.

Simply appreciate the one you love this day and everyday.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Published in: on February 13, 2010 at 2:33 am  Leave a Comment  

Inspiring Romance #26- A Box Full of Kisses

A few months ago, during the holiday season I heard a story shared one Sunday morning.

The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight. He became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.

Never the less, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, “This is for you, Daddy.”

He was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found the box was empty. He yelled at her, “Don’t you know when you give someone a present, there’s supposed to be something inside it?”

The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, “Oh, Daddy, it’s not empty, I blew kisses into the box. All for you, Daddy.”

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness. It is told that the man kept that gold box by his bed for years and whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

In a very real sense, each of us have been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, friends, family, or God. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.

With Valentines’ day drawing near, why not exchange that box of chocolates for a box full of kisses, and give it to that special someone you hold dear. Maybe they too will keep their box near and take out an imaginary kiss when they are feeling discouraged.

Published in: on February 5, 2010 at 8:05 pm  Comments (2)  
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Inspiring Romance #24- Compliments Count

Compliments don’t come our way quite as often as we’d like. 

You can say, “I love you” almost every time you see someone, but a compliment says you’ve gone out of your way to find something especially special about another person to comment about it. 

A compliment need not always be about someone’s appearance.  People also like to hear compliments about their work, humor, talents, and their intentions.

Today, compliment the one you love.  This not only helps affirm the bound of your relationship, but sprouts new conversations and heartfelt smiles.

Some compliments you may want to consider giving the one you love:

  • the way they always make you laugh
  • their ability as a spouse
  • their ability as a parent
  • the outcome of a task or project they completed
  • their genuine concern for others
  • their kindness
  • their hospitality to others
  • their cooking
  • the way they always smile
  • the way they react to a situation
  • how they are always there when you need them

When you give a compliment, give it in sincerity.  Sometimes the tone of our voice says more than the words from our mouths.   In all your relationships with the people you love, be encouraging and accepting of their return praise. 

How will you complement your love one today?

Published in: on January 8, 2010 at 10:15 am  Leave a Comment  
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Inspiring Romance #22 – Build a Gingerbread House

 Inspring romance can easily get pushed to the bottom of your Christmas list during the holidays.  It is easy to lose track of one another in the hussle and bussle as you shop, wrap, and decorate for the upcoming days. But while you’re out looking for the perfect gift for that special someone, it’s a good idea to touch base with your beloved often.

A relationship is like a gingerbread house, you have to work to keep it together - piece by piece.

As you can see by the photo (gingerbread houses my husband and I put together with our two youngest) that building a gingerbread house doesn’t have to be perfect.  Neither does our relationships.

This evening gather up some graham crackers, icing, and search the kitchen for cereal, twizzlers, gum drops, m&m’s, smarties, and other candies to decorate your gingerbread house.

Sit down together and start building a gingerbread house from foundation up.  While you’re hard at work, take time to discuss the expectations of your current home, future home, or dream home.  It’s okay to dream, but try not to complain, but to find the positives in building both your gingerbread house and your relationship.

So now that you’ve seen our little gingerbread houses, how did your’s come out?

Published in: on December 18, 2009 at 10:56 am  Leave a Comment  
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Inspiring Romance #21 – Share a Christmas Memory

The spirit of holidays have a way of lifting our hearts and our spirits.  This evening curl up on the sofa, grab a soft comfy blanket, and over a plate of cookies and mugs of hot chocolate, share your favorite Christmas memories.

I remember when I was six-year-old, Santa brought me a super Pound Puppy. At six, the plush puppy was huge! Now, as an adult I still find that plush puppy the perfect size for cuddling up with at night with my spouse’s arms wrapped around me.

When I asked my beloved what his favorite Christmas memory was, he replied,” the first Christmas we were married.”

What’s your favorite memory?

Published in: on December 5, 2009 at 1:53 am  Comments (1)  

Inspiring Romance #19 – Carve Him a Pumpkin

hpumpThe very first time I ever went to my husband’s hometown while we were dating, he took me to a local pumpkin patch.  It was cold and muddy, from the rain that morning, and the wind blew a chill up our backs.  But we walked, hand in hand, down along the rows of the pumpkin patch searching for that perfect pumpkin in which we could carve.

Once we found that pumpkin, we took it back to his mother’s place, cut a circle in the top and proceeded to scoop out the seeds together.  He gave me the honor of carving our pumpkin, and I put our names in it.  As our afternoon turned to evening, we put light inside to shine.  Eventhough, that light and that pumpkin would never last as long as our relationship, it was nice to lean back against him and watch our names flicker in the dark as we mused about what we’d carve in our pumpkin next year.

With halloween so close, and pumpkins in abundance, why not carve him a pumpkin tonight and make a memory of your own?

Published in: on October 30, 2009 at 11:17 am  Leave a Comment  
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Inspiring Romance #17 Make Music Together

Standing under a street lamp, with the car windows rolled down, and sounds of music floating into the darkness you step into his arms.  “If beauty is all in the eye of the beholder then i wish you could see the love for you that lives in me….” The lyrics of If You Could See What I See by Geoff Moore serandes you and together you relive the first time you danced, the first night you dated, or the first time you realized love had blossomed in your heart for him.

Music has a way of soothing our souls, trickling down into our hearts, and recalling memories from our past.  We associate the words, the tempo, and beat to situations that imprint themselves upon us for a lifetime.

Songs are an unforgettable part of our lives and lasting keepsakes of our romantic relationships. There is always that song you just can’t get out of your head, or the one that makes you pause and think of him. 

You may have listened to the radio and picked a song that best suited your relationship together, already.  No matter how it happened, if you haven’t yet, tune into the radio, pull out your music CD’s, and tonight focus on finding that special song that pulls your hearts closer together, and have you falling deeper in love.

Try putting together a CD or a collection of downloaded songs to a MP3 player.   This way you can select a variety of songs from those special moments in your relationship, or from the reception of your wedding (if your married), and create an extra special gift that says, “I love you” even when your not there to say it yourself.

Published in: on October 16, 2009 at 6:56 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Inspiring Romance #16 – Send Him A Cryptogram

Finding a new way to say “I love you” is always fun and interesting.  One special way you can get the message across is by sending him a unique message that he’ll have to figure out!

There are several ways you can do this: a book, and email, or his bathroom mirror. 

When of the great delights I get in the morning is after the bathroom is all steamed up from taking a hot show, I can read the cryptic message my spouse has left for me.  Many times it says, “I love you” and sometimes it list the names of our children and says, “I love child#1, child#2, and child#3’s mother.”

Even my kids are doing it too, you simply take your finger and write your message on the mirror when it’s damp with steam.  The next time it gets all fogged up in the bathroom, your message will appear. 

If you’re not married, I say go for his favorite book.  Find the page he’s been reading, take a pencil, and underline certain letters in words that will spell out your message.  (Use pencil, so he can erase it later if he wants.)

Or send him an email, like this one:

Dear Beloved,

I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you, and put into words what you mean to me.  You are my best friend, and I love you for always being there for me no matter how tough the situation has gotten.  You’re always lending a hand, a shoulder, and more often an ear to me.  I can always count on you, you know exactly what to say and how to fix what’s going on.  You’re a caring, generous, and selfless person that knows how to make me laugh at the right times.  I’m so blessed to have you in my life.

(cryptogram: I found the one I love.)

By chance if your man is a mathematician like my spouse, then you might want to try this one.

GSRH RH NB YVOLEVW ZMW GSRH RH NB UIRVMW

(cryptogram: This is my beloved and this is my friend – Song of Solomn 5:16)

I’d love to hear how he figured it out.

Published in: on October 9, 2009 at 1:12 am  Leave a Comment  
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Inspiring Romance #15 – Cook His Favorite Dinner

 

Romantic Dinner

Romantic Dinner

Nothing beats a home cooked meal! Tonight dress up the table with a few candle sticks and rose petals and serve his favorite dish. He won’t believe you went through all the effort and be really impressed! Turn on some music (low in the background) and bask in his attention because tonight he’s all ears while his mouth is stuff full of your delicious cooking.

 

Don’t know what to put on his plate tonight? Want to surprise him instead? Try this recipe… It’s been a big hit for dinner on my table.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs w/ steamed Rice, green beans, and Egg Rolls

ingredients:
16 oz can whole berry cranberry sauce
2 c chunky pasta sauce
1 lb of ground beef
1/2 finely chopped onion
1/2 c fine italian bread crumbs
1 eggs – beaten
1/2 c milk
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t allspice

To make meatballs: Mix all ground beef, onion, italian bread crumbs, eggs, milk, salt, and allspice together in bowl. Form into small round meatballs. Place in 13×9 dish and bake @ 350 for 30 minutes. D rain any grease.

In large skillet combine & heat cranberry sauce & pasta sauce. Fold in 1/2 of the cooked, hot meatballs. Serve over steamed rice. Steam green beans and heat egg rolls as directed on their package. (they come pre-made in a box and you heat them up.)

Good Luck!
Let me know how it goes. :)

Published in: on October 2, 2009 at 2:43 pm  Leave a Comment  
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