I hope you are out spending time today with those you love and not inside reading my blog so I will keep it short!

This is who I am loving on today… Who are you celebrating with?!!

Source: Rich Miller Photography

Red is the first color we think of when we think of Love.  It is cheerful, seductive, patriotic, sophisticated, serious, playful, eye-catching, and fabulous!

This week I got thinking of all of the things around me that were red that I LOVE!  I won’t bore you with all of them (there are a lot!) but I will share a few of my favorites!

So relaxing and delicious!  Red wine is on the top of my list of red things I love.

This picture of Red Velvet Cake makes my mouth water.  My sister-in-love(law) makes this cake every year and I look forward to cream cheese icing each time!

Who doesn’t love the classic beauty of red roses.  Receiving a dozen roses will turn anyones day around and remind them they are being thought of and loved!!

One of my guilty pleasures I must admit to!  I LOVE pedicures…and my usual default color is red!  Although I don’t get them nearly as much as I would want to, when I do it makes my day that much more wonderful!

Full of red sassiness, Betty Boop is the cartoon seduction in red.  She is full of attitude and represents carefree days and confident women everywhere!

Go Red for Women is an amazing campaign ran by American Heart Association encouraging women everywhere to take steps to improving the health of your heart!

I saved the best for last!  My heart skips a beat every time I see this well known red symbol!  What can you not find at Target?! Sometimes when I need to get inspiration or just clear my head I will wander around the aisles!  Love it!!

Make it a great Valentine’s Day this year!!!

What red things can you not live without?!

Sources: Food Network, Wine Community, Xperience Days, Star Store, Go Red For Women

I think we can all agree that Love is a roller coaster!  One of the best books I have read that helps explain “love” to me and explains why I act and feel the way I do is The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman.  It breaks down how you and your significant other interpret love.  Honestly, it opened my eyes and changed the way I show love to my husband.

It is a very common mistake to show love to your mate in the same way that you interpret love.  While I may feel loved through Quality Time, Josh feels love through Physical Touch.  If we didn’t know this about each other, it would make our relationship a rocky ride! Here’s a quick overview of the Five Love Languages. If you have time, try taking the short quiz at the end to find your love language!

Quality Time:

This love language is about focusing 100% of your energy on your mate while you are spending time together.  It is sharing your thoughts and experiences together and giving back and forth responses that let you know the other is listening!  If this is your language, you could spend a romantic dinner with your fiance or an entire night watching TV together and never feel like you spent true quality time together! Get out and do interactive activities together, creating memories AND communicating love!

Receiving Gifts:

If your partner’s love language is Receiving Gifts, you need to understand that they respond to visual symbols of love.  Without the symbols, they can become discouraged in the relationship.  This does not mean they expect diamond rings on a weekly basis.  These gifts don’t need to cost a lot, just something small and thoughtful to remind them that you are thinking of them.  Understand your partner’s love language is important even for the Savers among us.  If your partner feels loved when you give them gifts, it’s OK to splurge now and then!

Acts of Service:

Laundry might not be how you typically spend your Sunday afternoon, but if your wife’s love language is Acts of Service, you might need to reconsider.  This love language interprets love by seeing the one they love go outside of their normal habits and help them with acts that they view as important.  You could be doing chores all day long, but if you aren’t focusing on the activities that they see as a high priority, you will not be saying to your partner, “I love you”.  Also, you need to insure that you are doing these acts out of love, not guilt or obligation or because you have to, but because you want to show your significant other how much you love them!

Physical Touch:

In order for someone with this love language to feel secure in the relationship, they need to feel your physical touch.  A hug can solve any crisis and a small kiss on the forehead can scream “I Love You!”  Everyone is different as to what they are sensitive to and what is uncomfortable for them.  If your partner needs your touch to feel loved, you need to work with them to figure out what they see as a loving touch.  You might need to work on being more affectionate in public if you aren’t one to typically do this.

Words of Affirmation:

This love language needs words to help build them up.  Their confidence in the relationship and in themselves will only grow as they hear sweet words from their partner.  Even as simple as, “you look great today,” or “that meal you cooked was delicious” will make them feel loved!  If this is your partner’s love language, make a point to compliment them more often than you normally would.  No matter how trivial you may think it is, they will appreciate it!

I truly think understanding your partner’s love language is so important.  Just as important is understanding your own.  If your husband is not into talking about his emotions and the touchy-feely, and you realize that Words of Affirmation make you feel loved, you will be able to approach the conversation with him gently armed with that knowledge!  If your wife isn’t one for gifts, and you know your love language is Receiving Gifts, you can explain it to her rationally instead of resenting her for it!

**Take this Short Quiz and discover your love language…you might be surprised!

You could also purchase the book and read in more detail about each one.  You can get the book at Amazon or check your local library!

You have heard the saying, ”The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” Maybe this isn’t completely true, but it’s a start!  Specifically, if you want to heat up your relationship with a romantic dinner for two this Valentine’s Day, I have some food ideas below!

When planning a romantic meal,  stay away from anything heavy or that takes your whole day to prepare.  Keep the menu simple; stick to food that you can either eat with your fingers or have fun with.  Focus less on the food and more on the atmosphere.  Perhaps you want to set up a picnic in your living room or dust off the fondue set you’ve never used!

Aphrodisiac Foods:

• Chocolate (Of course!)
• Raspberries
• Grapes
• Bananas
• Almonds
• Walnuts
• Garlic
• Honey
• Oysters
• Arugula
• Asparagus
• Ginger

Try incorporating one or two of these ingredients into your meal this Saturday!!

This V-Day, my husband and I will begin by making our own pizzas. We have to make two individual ones since we like completely different flavors!  His will consist of a variety of meats and mine will consist of fresh mozzarella, spinach and tomatoes! We love doing this together because it allows us to be in the kitchen together but focused on our own meal so we aren’t running into each other (Did I mention we have a very small kitchen?!)

While the pizzas are in the oven, we will throw together a quick salad for an appetizer and begin on our chocolate fondue dessert… My mouth is already watering!  We’ll cut up strawberries, pineapple, and angel food cake, and display it with marshmallows (my favorite!) and bananas.  This meal is extremely simple and will take us minimal amount of time to prepare, allowing us maximum time to spend together!

February 14th is a day created to celebrate those we love, not necessarily for the man or woman you love! If you are unable to be with your sweetie or you don’t have anyone special, I highly encourage you to grab a group of your friends and hit the town!  I have heard rave reviews about He’s Just Not That Into You & Confessions of a Shopaholic!

Josh and I are choosing to stay in this year and cook together. This might sound awfully boring to you!  Find a restaurant in your area, dress up, and go out!  Go to a movie that you have been wanting to see or find a local comedy club to visit!

Don’t over plan the evening; just enjoy yourself and love every moment spent with those special to you!

Sources: TrekEarth

Anyone who knows me, knows I am a quoteaholic. I wanted to share with you some of my favorite quotes on love for this Valentines Day Week!!

“You know, whenever anyone says something really funny and I laugh… I always look around to see if you think it’s funny too.”

“But maybe that’s what it all comes down to. Love, not as a surge of passion, but as a choice to commit to something, someone, no matter what obstacles or temptations stand in the way. And maybe making that choice, again and again, day in and day out, year after year, says more about love than never having a choice to make at all.”

“You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry. From that moment of yes to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making promises and agreements in an informal way. All those conversations that were held riding in a car or over a meal or during long walks – all those sentences that began with “When we’re married” and continued with “I will” and “you will” and “we will” – those late night talks that included “someday” and “somehow” and “maybe” – and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart. All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding. The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, “You know all those things we’ve promised and hoped and dreamed – well, I meant it all, every word.” Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another – acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, and even teacher, for you have learned much from one another in these last few years. Now you shall say a few words that take you across a threshold of life, and things will never quite be the same between you. For after these vows, you shall say to the world, this – is my husband, this – is my wife.”

“Love IS everything it is cracked up to be. That’s why people are so cynical about it…
It really is worth fighting for, risking everything for. and the trouble is, if you don’t risk everything, you risk even more.”

“I want to find a guy who calls me beautiful instead of hot, who calls me back when i hang up on him, who will lie under the stars and listen to my heartbeat, or will stay awake just to watch me sleep. I will wait for the man who kisses my forehead, who wants to show me off to the world when i am in sweats, who holds my hand when we are in public, who thinks im just as pretty with out makeup. One who is constantly reminding me of how much he cares and how lucky he is to have me. I want the one who turns to his friends and says “that’s her”

“The one God has meant for us is going to be the hardest to get, the hardest to keep, & the hardest to accept because through all that, love will grow stronger, bonds will become thicker, & the future will become more clear. Love wasn’t made to be easy, otherwise we wouldn’t end up w/ the right person — we would end up w/ the first one who comes along. By struggling we single out the wrong ones & realize who really is the one “

“Love is living your own life, but sharing it. Love is forgiveness, its making a million mistakes and turning them into learning experiences. Love is patience, optimism and sometimes it’s a kiss when there is nothing left to say .”

“You’re not the breath I breathe, just the sweet scent that I enjoy. You’re not the sights I see, just the most beautiful of them. You’re not the water I drink, just the flavor that makes it taste so good. You’re not the ground I walk on, just the partner I sometimes lean on. You’re not the blood in my veins, just what makes it burn so sweetly. You’re not my life, just the one I want to spend it with. You’re not my world, just the best thing in it.”

“His hello was the end of her endings. Her laugh was their first step down the aisle. His hand would be hers to hold forever His forever was as simple as her smile He said she was what was missing She said instantly she knew She was a question to be answered and his Answer was I DO”

“Love me when I least deserve it, because that’s when I need it most”

“When you truly care for someone, you don’t look for faults. You don’t look for answers. You don’t look for mistakes. Instead, you fight the mistakes. You accept the faults and you overlook excuses. The measure of love is when you love without measure. There are rare chances that you’ll meet the person you love and who loves you in return. So once you have it, don’t ever let go. The chance might never come your way again.”