It doesn’t matter the circumstances of life – celebrating with your spouse builds a healthy marriage. Birthdays are an ideal excuse to celebrate that special person God created just for us.
August 27th is my birthday.
September 7th is Robert’s birthday.
There are 11 days between.
So this year Robert and I are going to celebrate the days between our birthdays
with a dare…
12 dates in 12 days!
The idea first came from this post by Fawn Weaver at the Happy Wives Club!
As people who blog about marriage, we are great at giving ideas, so I thought it might be fun to take up one of these dating dares and follow through. Now – if it were just me, I’d start with good intentions, but after a few days “life” would take over. I’d get side-tracked. Knowing my own tendency, I recruited Robert. He is persistence personified!
He read Fawn’s post. We sat together and planned out our 12 dates – and modified the dating ideas to fit our personality. One modification is that we’re going to stretch out our “Become a Connoisseur” date over the next 12 days.
To be candid, it was a little difficult to decide what we wanted to become a connoisseur over – it had to be inexpensive, and something we liked to eat for 12 days… One idea was sushi. However, as much as we like sushi we decided we couldn’t handle 12 days of raw fish. Another idea was salsa, but our palates aren’t honed enough to truly appreciate the nuances.
What did we settle upon, you ask?
(to learn what we chose – sing this to the tune of “The 12 Days of Christmas”)
On the first day
between birthdays
my true love gave to me…
Soup.
Yes.
We are a boring couple…
We have chosen to become connoisseurs of soup.
Celebrate!
If you and your spouse became connoisseurs –
what would you choose?
ps- We went to Red Lobster and had their Clam Chowder (7/10) and the Lobster Bisque (9/10)! We both liked the Lobster Bisque the best because it had just a hint of a kick with every spoonful. As usual the cheddar biscuits were astounding and addictive. We ate w-a-y too many!
Thanks to Laura, our server!
Our 2nd date is a “home improvement” date!
And we’re trying some place new in Raleigh for our next soup adventure…
If you’re interested in the 12DateDare that spawned our celebrations read it HERE.
If I’m candid, I must admit that cooking is not on the top 10 list of things I like to do – so Robert loves it when we have company over for a meal.
Why?
We eat things we don’t normally eat –
the fancy stuff
the yummy, decadent desserts
the nibbles and goodies of hors d’oeuvres
Sometimes I make special foods when it’s just Robert and me. I’ll choose the dishes that he loves like Chicken Divan and Lemon Souffle Pudding – recipes his mom makes and he’s loved since childhood. Those are easy and let him know I think he’s special. It’s my way of encouraging using food.
Fortunately, Robert isn’t picky. As much as he enjoys the fancy stuff, he gets excited over cheese and crackers, a hot dog, or Kraft Mac & Cheese. (yes, really)
Cooking can either be a chore that has to happen – or it can become a celebration of relationships.
Right now, with all 5 of us living in the house, we’re trying something new. (Alex and Alisane are buying a house – so they needed to move out of their apartment before the house was ready.) What’s new? On Thursday nights Sarah, Alex and Alisane take turns cooking for all of us!
We have a friend who is a chef, and last Thursday Alex and Alisane made Chicken Milanese from her cookbook! It was quick to make – and now has become a new family favorite!
It was such a great experience that I wrote a blog post for her site, “Cooking with Elise” about the experience. Click here to check it out!
It’s such a lovely feeling when those you love cook for you.
What recipes do you “go to” to make your spouse feel special?
Does your spouse cook for you?
Thanksgiving is coming in a bit more than a week – will you make something special for your spouse that reminds him or her of their childhood celebrations?
Glorious food. We all need to eat – why not make it a celebration?
OK. I confess. I’m not thrilled about cooking. I do cook. Often. And Rob is a very good husband because he never complains and is always appreciative even if what I make doesn’t turn out the best. I have a few favorites that I make on a regular basis – but on the whole I’m not very adventurous.
To inspire myself, I’ve been reading food blogs. Recipe blogs.
In addition, one of my friends is a chef and she’s been spoiling me… So.
Warning: This post is going to make you hungry.
One way to encourage your wife or husband is to feed them.
Eating together is another way to spend time talking about the good stuff in life. Therefore, here are some blog links to get you thinking about making something special for your spouse:
Elise is a wife, open-nester mom, & chef who believes in encouraging families to get into the kitchen and cook together. She blogs constantly, is passionate about natural foods and has an infectious laugh. I must admit, her glorious food makes my mouth water…
Here’s one of her videos – this one is for biscotti which is awesome dunked in morning coffee!
Recently I met the 2 ladies who host Carolina HeartStrings – Alessa & Tammie – at a taping of Cooking with Elise at Home. We had such fun eating and talking about blogging for a few hours that day.
On a cold, dreary day a hot bowl of homemade soup with a side of crusty warm bread can feel comforting.
Never underestimate the power of warmth. The one you love may not always be close, but if they are, then reach out – provide a warm, loving gesture.
A gesture could be food. Or that warm, loving gesture might take a more intimate form. The choice is yours. Encourage and warm your spouse from the inside out. 😉
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