Blue and Orange Outfit

Here's a quick post of what I wore.  I love the color scheme of this modern dress and the style has a retro feel.  I paired it with a cardigan in the same blue and added some tights for warmth.  My cute vintage scarab bracelet I found many years ago at a yard sale for a quarter!  How awesome is that!  And my vintage rose pin was given to me by my mother-in-law.  I feel very June Cleaver-ish in this outfit and most of my boys got into as much mischief as Beaver ever did.  My hair is styled from a hot roller set done the day before.  Sometimes it takes really well and will hold for a couple days, other times it falls out before the day is through.

*Outfit Details*

Dress - Ross

Cardigan - Sears

Vintage Slip - yard sale

Tights - Kohls

Shoes - JCPenney

Vintage Scarab bracelet - yard sale

Vintage Rose pin - gift from MIL

Everyday Romance

Source

For a relationship to last, one must have the ability to see the big picture and recognize the beauty in sharing everyday experiences with the person you love.  Each day you should try to reflect on your spouses best qualities and attributes.  

In part two of our Romance series lets look at some classic ways to bring romance into your every day routine.  If you missed part one, look here.

• When the alarm goes off in the morning, before getting out of bed, take a moment to snuggle with your spouse. This will help start your day off in a relaxed manner and leave you feeling connected to your love.
• Serve him a cup of coffee with a kiss while he's getting ready for work.
• Kiss hello, goodbye, good morning, goodnight, and lots of times in between.
• Remember to have common courtesy. Treat the one you love with more consideration than you would a casual acquaintance.
• Try shifting your mood on the drive home from work as that of "worker" to that of a lucky person coming home to a happy home with a loving spouse.
• When arriving home, be sure to give your spouse as much attention as you do the kids. Try to reconnect as warmly and lovingly as possible, no matter how bad your day went. Save that discussion for later, after you've shown some affection.
• Try to spend as much time together as possible. Slow down and relax, try having some quiet time together and during this quiet time try holding hands, or kissing his cheek for no reason, or rubbing his feet while he reads the paper.
• Listen to your spouse and respectfully acknowledge his thoughts.
• Try to keep the mood relaxed by speaking in softer tones. A warm and peaceful home atmosphere allows a couple to escape the tensions of the outside world, while tending to each other's needs.

Knowing that relationships have a common progression from an intensity of emotion early on to a slower pace as you acclimate to each other, finding ways to keep the romance alive is a good way to ensure your relationship will stand the test of time.

I Voted, Did You?

Please take the time to vote today.  Our grandmothers fought for this right, don't let that be a wasted effort.  I was out voting bright and early this morning before heading into the office.  Here is my patriotic outfit for the day.

*Outfit Details*

Jacket - Stein Mart

Top - JCPenney

Pants- TJ Maxx

Shoes - Walmart

Earrings - I can't remember

Flag Pin - Gift from Mom

Daylight Savings

Does anyone else hate daylight savings time as much as I do?  My body struggles twice a year to readjust and sometimes I feel like it takes until the time changes again.  My internal clock gets all screwy and my sleep patterns go haywire.  I don't think it's too concerned with saving daylight, more like it's concerned with catching a few more winks.

Oh well, here's a couple vintage posters on DST that will hopefully help ease my sleepiness.

Where can we find a post card to have this reversed?

Everybody break out your hoes!

(Both images are courtesy Pringle Hill)

The Definition of Romance

This month, the Mister and I will celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary, which got me thinking about romance that stands the test of time.  Given that the divorce rate has significantly risen over the years, I wanted to explore what couples of the past did to keep the romance alive throughout the years plus delve into the foundations of long term relationships.  As I started to explore this topic and plan for this post, I realized that this is quite a large undertaking, so I think I will be breaking it up into a series of posts.  Here's the first in the series.  


You may remember from this post I did a while back, that I found this lovely little book, Retro Romance - Classic Tips for Today's Couple, at our local antiques store.  It is chocked full of useful tidbits on how to build more romance into your relationship.

Retro Romance by Cheryl and Joe Homme

But what exactly is romance?  Mr. Webster's defines romance as an emotional attraction or aura belonging to an especially heroic era, adventure, or activity or a love affair.  He further defines a love affair as a romantic attachment or episode between lovers or a lively enthusiasm. 

Personally, I prefer Cheryl and Joe Homme's definition which states:  romance is a learned behavior that expresses love and caring from one mate to another by the willing gift of time and service to one's mate, and the willing sacrifice of self-interest in those pursuits.  In addition to time, service, and sacrifice, perhaps the greatest element of all is thoughtfulness.  These components combine to cement the union and provide a shelter from the storm while deepening the value and joy of the relationship.

Wow!  What a powerful statement.  Let's explore this a little deeper and break it down.  First, they state that romance is a learned behavior.  It's not something that comes naturally, it is something that you have to learn. Learning is gaining the knowledge through study and experience, trial and error.  You may not always get it right, but over time you will come to know what works or doesn't with your spouse.  Getting to know each other is key to learning this behavior, keeping in mind that likes and dislikes change over the years, so getting to know your spouse should be an ongoing process.

Second, it expresses love and caring from one to another.  An expression is an outward manifestation of an emotional state.  It isn't necessarily done with words, it can be conveyed through a look, a touch, or an action.  You would be amazed at what a simple smile or hand on the shoulder would do.  Or how about holding hands when you are sitting quietly together.

Third, it is the willing gift of time and service to one's mate.  Willing, not begrudgingly, but willingly.  Willing is done, given, accepted, or offered freely and heartily.  This doesn't have to be some grand elaborate gesture, it can be something as simple as offering to run an errand for your spouse to save them time or listening while they blow off some steam.

Last, it's the willing sacrifice of self-interest.  Sacrifice is the forfeiture of something highly valued for the sake of one thought to have a greater value or claim.  Putting your spouses wants and needs before your own and doing so willingly.  I would wager that in todays society, with the "What's in it for me?" attitude, this is the hardest element of romance to fulfill.  But, I would further venture to say that if you want your relationship to withstand the test of time, you need to be selfless, more concerned with your spouses needs than your own.  Again, this could be something as simple as getting out of bed on your day off to start the coffee pot so that your spouse can have those few extra minutes of sleep.

So there you have it!  Put some romance into your everyday life and see if it helps your relationship withstand the test of time.  Stay tuned for part two where we will delve deeper into relationships.