Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day my friends. What are you doing to celebrate? Valentine's Day also happens to be our wedding anniversary so we will be having some fun treats for dinner, a nice bottle of wine, and I'll be giving this card to my husband. I made it in art class this week using Japanese mulberry paper that I painted with bold colours a la Kandinsky and then cut up and shaped into a heart. 

I recently read that in Finland Valentine's Day is called "Friend's Day" and is a day to celebrate friendship. Women in particular have embraced these holiday and now send cards and give gifts to their friends. Don't you love that - it's about remembering all your loved ones not just the ones you are romantically involved with. So my friends, I'm wishing you all a Happy Valentine's day - blowing you kisses and sending my love.

How Blogging is Like a Marriage

I've been thinking a lot about blogging recently.  It could be because last month was my third anniversary of blogging. Coincidentally our 32nd wedding anniversary is this week.  As I've been pondering both anniversaries I have been struck with how similar blogging and marriage are.  

Starting a blog is like starting a romance.  Do you remember the infatuation of those first weeks and months of blogging?  Do you remember how annoying you were to everyone else?  All you could talk about, think about, and do was blog.  That unreasoned passion is short-lived though and must give way to a deep affection and liking. Sometimes with blogging (as with a marriage) you forget why you fell in love in the first place and you falter in your dedication when little disappointments come along.  In marriage the infatuation stage supposedly lasts a year or two and in blogging I'm guessing about the same.  

As I was thinking about this post I noticed an article in the New York Times that just said it all:  Long-Lasting (Blogging) Love Takes a Lot of Work.  One of the points that I found interesting in the article was that we tend to become habituated to positive circumstances - or in other words "we get so used to things that make us feel good that they no longer do" (also called hedonic adaptation).  The author suggests that we take time with our blogs (I mean spouses) and express what we like about them.  She also says that variety is the key as it is innately stimulating and rewarding.  You can't just keep writing the same kinds of posts all the time or you will become bored with your blog (as will your readers).  Instead you must change things up to keep your blog "fresh, meaningful, and positive".  Surprise yourself by learning something new or trying a different kind of post.

I also looked at some marriage advice to see how it might apply to blogging.  (Who knew that the best list I found would be on Wikihow.)  So here are some sensible tidbits for helping you have a better blog (er, I mean marriage):
Be yourself from the start of the relationship.  So important.  I love when people say that my blog sounds like me.  It isn't always easy to stay true to that when we read other blogs and want to channel a little of their style.
Exercise your sense of humour.  I love funny blogs, but I'm not a humourist.  Even if I'm not outright funny I do try to stay light-hearted and not sound preachy.
Try to let the little annoyances go.  It is very easy to look at other blogs and see what they are doing, the ideas they have, the projects they are doing, the opportunities they have received and feel disappointed in your own blog.  It is always important to keep the right perspective and let those little annoyances and jealousies go.  You never know how long or how hard that other person has been working on their blog.
Make time to post regularly and visit other people's blogs.  Not always easy when life gets in the way, but to really grow a blog it is important to spend time with it.
Be cautious and think before you choose the words you use.  It is so easy to post something you may regret later. Always think whether you would share that same information with someone sitting next to you on an airplane.  You never know who is reading your blog and once it is out there it is there for good.
Learn from your mistakes.  If you ranted and raved in a post and regretted it later, move on.  There's plenty of room for forgiveness.
Act like everything's okay.  To get over a blogging slump, it is important to try new things and look for inspiration to bring happiness back to blogging.  Sometimes acting like there is nothing wrong and you are satisfied with blogging is the best medicine - just keep going and the inspiration and freshness will catch up to you. Remember what you love about blogging (okay, I added this one on my own).  Then you can focus on the real reasons you blog when you become discouraged.  I've been meaning to come up with a list that I can pin to my notice board.   Any other suggestions?

And what do the pictures of citrus fruit have to do with blogging and marriage you ask?  Well nothing actually, but last weekend I decided I wanted to sample every citrus fruit that was available at our nearest grocery store.  I couldn't get enough of all that citrusy goodness so I had some fun and took a few photos.  It was an exercise in healthy eating and trying new things to keep life interesting (see this post).  

Oh and by the way, have you tried a Cara Cara orange - that's one of them cut open in the photos above.  They are the best orange I have had bar none.  They are so pretty with their pinky-orange segments and are sweet and juicy and delicious.  If you get nothing else from this post than an orange recommendation, then I will consider it a job well done.  Let me know when you have had one.

Linked to Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill,
Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now

8 Thoughts on Aging Gracefully

Yesterday was my birthday and a winter storm started up in the night so today we had a snow day (hooray!).  I totally claim the snow day as a birthday present.  Snow days call for baking yummy food which you can read about here.  They also call for taking photos with the new camera my husband bought me for my birthday.

Rumour has it I'm one year older now (although I don't feel it and certainly don't act it).  There are many seniors in my life that I admire very much (my parents included) and want to emulate.  I've recently been pondering ways to get life in balance.  Not that it's terribly out of balance, but sometimes there are things I should be doing, but I'm not doing them and instead I'm spending time on the computer.  Anyone else struggle with this?  So along with getting some balance in life I've also been considering what I need to do to ... well, age gracefully.   Here's what I came up with (some of which I'm doing, some not so much).
1. Do something creative.  For me my creative outlet is blogging and taking photographs.  
2.  Learn something new. I've been learning so much at the art class I attend. Before Christmas it was all about Paul Klee and now we have moved on to Kandinsky - totally inspiring.  Travel falls in this category too and I adore traveling to new places.  I'll be heading off to New York City next month - can't wait.

Kandinsky

3. Laugh often.  That is something I love to do.  I find laughing makes me feel so good and a smile on my face makes me look and feel younger and more cheerful.
4. Help Others.  Helping others helps us too.  I'm lucky that my job involves helping others so there is that built in satisfaction of making a difference, but there is always room for more.
5. Eat healthily.  I try, but there is always room for improvement.  I've been obsessed with Cara cara oranges recently.  Have you tried them yet?  They are the best oranges I have had in years. 6.  Exercise daily.  I wish this came easily, but it is hard to fit in with work and winter and my nature ;)
7.  Love with your whole heart. Enough said.
8.  Everything in moderation, but treat yourself now and then.  I'm good with the treating part, but need to work on the moderation part at times.
Do you think that covers it?  

Finally, I've always loved this poem that has been attributed to Audrey Hepburn because it was her favourite and she quoted it often.  It was actually written by Sam Levenson.  Nevertheless I think of Audrey when I read it.

Healthy Delicious Orange Oatmeal Cookies

It was a snow day today so that meant I had to bake something delicious.  I was inspired by the cookies that Ann made at On Sutton Place.  I can never leave a recipe alone so, of course, I tweaked and changed the recipe quite a bit and have posted my version below.  I was on a super duper healthy cookie kick so I put all the nutritious things I could think of into these cookies along with some orange and cinnamon to make them interesting.  We all loved them - so delicious.  I do think they look a little 'healthy', which is why I arranged them on this pretty plate which I always think looks so happy, don't you agree?

I hope you get a chance to make them. They are the perfect snack when you are hungry or just when you want a little something with a cup of tea.

Orange Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups oats
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 banana, mashed
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1/4 cup orange juice

Cooking Directions:

1. Mix together wet ingredients.
2. Mix together dry ingredients and add to the wet.
3. Drop onto greased cookie sheet.
4. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes or until just beginning to brown along edges

Do you make super healthy cookies?  What do you include to make them palatable?

Guest Post at Thrifty Parsonage Living

Do you want to see the before photo of our kitchen?  I recently found a photo of our kitchen from soon after we moved into our house and it really shows how much the kitchen has changed.  You know you want to see it!  Just pop on over to Thrifty Parsonage Living where I'm guest posting today while Joy and her family move across the country, to see the photo and read an update about how the kitchen has stood up to the daily living it gets.  

Come on over and visit me at Thrifty Parsonage Living.  I'd love to see you there.