A way to a mans heart....

...is through his stomach.
I sneaked a Valentines card and two protein bars for his morning tea in his bag to find at work. He was pleasantly surprised. For Valentines dinner this year we stayed home. I would usually find us a babysitter and book us a table somewhere for dinner, but it just didn't work out this year. The jump from two to three kids for a babysitter just seems too much to organise. So I made us a nice tea at home. I had envisioned a nice romantic candle lite dinner after the kids had gone to bed. But it just didn't work out that way...so dinner for two was the usual party of five. I made us "duck al' orange". I know! Fancy much! Well it was my take on it (It always is!). Along with some champagne and a some dessert later after the kids were in bed.

Duck al'orange (fancy name for orange glaze)..on a bed of red cabbage and broccoli with potato stacks. And delicious Kapiti Ice cream for dessertMaintaining the romance after almost 10 years of marriage, three kids, a mortgage and work, seems like so much effort but they say "familiarity breeds contempt." So what if Valentines Day is a big money making-commercial day? I still need reminding that I am loved and I have someone to love. A hallmark card helps me remember that for the rest of year I should let the one I love KNOW that he is loved.

Happy Valentines to my LOVE!P.S
Thankfully he understands the bloggers need to take a picture of the food BEFORE it can be eaten!

Swing and a miss....

I don't know what it is about Christmas presents...but me and my hubby can't seem to get it together when it comes to giving each other gifts. I'm not sure if its the pressure of the season but it always seems to come up...well.. swing and a miss.
It's so weird. He knows me like no one else. We have the same sense of humour and have even developed our own language and in-jokes that no one else would get. And last night we discovered he has started finishing my sentences. After 9 years married we are in sync. Except when it come to gift giving!

Take last year, for instance. We actually bought each other the exact same present! We had to have a laugh at each other when we both opened up a Texas Holdem Poker set. Maybe just a little too in in sync?!

One of the first presents I got him was a subscription to a fishing magazine. Except I hadn't bothered to buy him the current magazine. Instead he got to open up (in front of his family) a card that I had lovingly prepared and decorated with pictures of fishing stuff on it. I got the response no one wants to hear..."What is it?"

The year before that he bought me a new frying pan and some bananas. Admittedly it was to make me some Pancakes with bananas and bacon for breakfast, but it was funny opening up bananas in Christmas wrapping.

And this year was no different. I thought since we were going to the beach for the week at Christmas a new snorkeling set would be ideal. I must have asked everyday..."You gonna go out for a snorkel today?". Until finally he revealed he hates snorkeling by himself, and is just a tad fearful of sharks, and probably won't be using it anytime soon.

And although I wasn't expecting anything this year because I bought myself an early Christmas present (A new bike for my triathlon), I was happy to open a gift from my love. A couple of CDs (not quite my taste) and a pack of my favourite brand of coffee.

I really don't want to get to the stage where you buy your own Christmas presents and wrap them up just to open something up on the day. But wasting money is a big downer. How do you all get on with getting the other half a Christmas gift?

Flowers for me....from me.

“Truly loving another means letting go of all expectations. It means full acceptance, even celebration of another's personhood.” unknown author

When ever I go to the Saturday market, I always look longingly at the gerbera stand. Gerberas are one of my favourite flowers, I had them in my wedding bouquet.
Last Saturday I bought myself this bouquet. For no other reason than I wanted to. I just felt like making my day a little brighter with some flowers. I would never buy myself a bouquet of flowers. Instead I would expect that my husband should because that's what loving husbands do. Right?

There was a young couple in our church and it seemed like the husband was forever giving his wife flowers. And I used to be a little miffed. It seemed like their marriage was so lovely, and she was treated like a princess. That was until we had them over for dinner and we talked about how he was always giving his wife flowers and he admitted it was because he was always making up for being in the doghouse for something he had done wrong!

After nine years of marriage, I no longer expect my husband to get me flowers, because unmet expectations breeds dissatisfaction. If you want or need something you are better off just communicating and asking...or just getting it yourself. And if you are blessed enough to be surprised with a bouquet of flowers, then its so much more enjoyable.