Valentine's Day - all you need is love!

Good day everyone! It was a gorgeous day outside here on East Texas, the sun was bright and the air  cool but very pleasant...

So... Valentine's Day... right? it's coming and many (including me) are looking forward to it ... dates are nice, and we all want and enjoy them (I know I do)... but something I need to remember to keep my focus on is how all I need is LOVE!

In a marriage... Dates are not REALLY NEEDED (although I know it is just an expression)... DATES ARE WANTED and APPRECIATED...  Time and communication with our spouse IS needed... but "dining out, flowers and chocolate" are not a NEED  yes, dates out are awesome, they're nice, they're great, they're fun but not INDISPENSABLE... Traveling is not needed, days without the kids are not needed, expensive dinners, clothes and gifts ARE NOT needed...

All we NEED is love!


Sometimes we get confused between the external demonstrations of love and the very essential source of those demonstrations... LOVE itself! We can hang beautiful curtains on our windows, have the best decorations, buy nice things for our homes... and if the very foundation is not solid... cracks will form, deep cracks that we might not see in the beginning because we are so focused on other "adornments" but they can grow so much, so deep... that the house at some point will fall or become inhabitable.


My parents have been a great example of love for me... true, deep, awesome love... their "house" (marriage) never had fancy drapes, nice vases or decorations, flowery stuff but their foundation is solid... They LOVE each other... they love each other in a practical way, when one cares for the other when sick, when imperfections become part of the very things you love about that person, when come what may they'll always be together... They don't date... in my family we've gone through so much... winds and storms have hit... there's been poverty and trying to survive... moments of defeat, loss, struggle, real struggle where dates, dinners out (sometimes dinners at all), movies were not even on anybody's mind... where my dad would show his love by trying to sell some rocks he found on the backyard ... and carrying water from outside so we could have some water in the house, where my mom would show her love by always trying to have a cup of instant coffee ready for him or by encouraging him, listening, being cheerful in the situations, being prayerful until her knees got calluses...

I've never seen my dad give my mom a Valentine's gift (although growing up I did see him did pick a flower here and there for her, wrote her a nice letter, always called her sweet things or reminded her of a song they both liked)... but in spite of no movies or specific Valentine's gifts I've never thought they didn't love each other... I am not saying Valentine's gifts are bad (I want one!) I am just saying that sometimes our focuscan be a little deviated from where it should be... and of course social media doesn't make it that much easier... I am so glad there was no facebook (sometimes not even electricity though... ) for my parents to see where everybody else was going, what they were wearing, the brands they got, etc or to be told through many posts that they should "go out on a date, pay for a babysitter, etc." ... I am so thankful they never paid for marriage conferences where they would be told "he needed to be more romantic" and "she needed to be sexier" (conferences are great and I know they have saved marriages, we just have to take the good, what's godly and discard whatever might not apply to us) ...  So ... I guess what I am trying to say...  If you're happy with your husband who might not be very romantic but loves you to pieces and everyday works and sacrifices for his family then... enjoy!!! We shouldn'tt need a "special date" to feel loved... He is LOVING YOU every day! If your man is your spiritual leader and he prays for you when you need it! Treasure that and don't feel the need to "live up" to the facebook/instagram pictures of anybody else! ... You have a special thing as long as Love (with capitol L) is the foundation...

My man is amazing and he often doesn't match the descriptions of posts that invite you to "share if your husband is a *true* gentleman with 9 chivalrous habits" but he does way more than that... and I wouldn't trade back...

Some posts will tell you that your husband should "watch girly movies with you" and that is part of making him a "true gentleman" ... the truth is that I don't even like most girly movies so I don't need that from him ... Josh is MY prince, MY knight in a shining armor, MY VERY TRUEST gentleman and there is nobody like him for me...

I am not saying men shouldn't do all those chivalrous things ... I just think that if they don't necessarily do "them all" that's ok too! Everybody is different... and we should appreciate what we have. The one and only thing I can tell you every marriage needs (without any fear to be mistaken) is... Love ....

Love... 

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters." 1 John 3:16


Love...

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 Love never fails." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

My man loves God, doesn't yell, laughs hard at my jokes, finds my goofiness special, tells me how smart I am often, asks for my opinion, prays with and for me, is a great daddy to our girls, loves and respects my parents and siblings, helps others, serves others... and lots of other things that I don't even have to share... because you don't need to know... your husband WILL be different from mine and I don't have to put together a "list of 9 things" that your hubby should be or do!

Have fun this Valentine's Day! Go on a date if you can afford it (and if it really means something to you), I want one myself! I am excited just thinking what we might do... it can be here at home... maybe just a special dinner when the girls go to bed... or just eat a piece of a special kind of chocolate (dark chocolate over 85% cocoa if you are a Trim Healthy Mama). I might not have the best ideas for you... but just do what comes from the heart, what's meaningful for you both and what shows... Love... not to the world... not to facebook... but to both of you! Things will look different depending our season in life.

According to many blogs... My parents don't even know that their marriage shouldn't exist any more! Or at least it shouldn't be a Happy one! And yet... there they are! My dad still making sure there's no cold wind blowing into the house during the night, my mom still making his coffee!

Don't fall trap for all those things that pretend to "help your marriage" and sometimes end up hurting... many posts have the best intentions... and they're not at all giving you bad advice... most of the writers might be godly people who have experienced things that work for THEMSELVES... but don't let anything put a strain on your relationship, an added stress, a discontentment for the things you now feel "you should be enjoying" just because your FB contacts are... 

If you have Love... this Valentine's Day... you have it all!!! 

© Paloma K.

First day of normalcy

Today was the first day back to my "old routine" ... Hubby went back to work after he spent two weeks at home just off for the holidays... I really missed him... I know! it's just a few hours... but he truly makes my days brighter! I always tell him that when he walks in a room it's like the sun came out just for me!

With my love!

I guess it was harder because I just got a cold, the day was gray and cold and I didn't feel like "facing the day without him" (especially with two little ones that still eat, play, run and need all my attention and energy!) but ... I still made it through the day and I must even say it was a productive one... I enjoyed dancing with my 4 year old and re-starting our homeschooling!

Tomorrow... Tomorrow will be better! I am sure... I am very thankful for the comments I receive on this blog! And I encourage you to keep coming, trying my recipes, sipping a cup of coffee (or whatever you prefer) and just sharing about yourself! I do read all your comments and they mean so much to me, sometimes it takes me a little bit to get back to all of you but I do try!

Don't forget to "mention coffee" in any of your posts of the week so you can link-up with us!... Now that everything is back to normal we're re-starting our "Coffee Friday Party" tradition and we'll have a great featured blogger! You won't want to miss it!

See you around!

© Paloma K.

Christmas Traditions

Hello everybody! I hope you've been enjoying the recipes I've shared with you! I've posted several cookie recipes and you can also check my Recipe Index for more yummy dishes/desserts!

Today... I want to ask you about Christmas traditions... Do you have any? Anything that you do with your family every year that you all enjoy? some little thing that you probably haven't even realized it's a tradition but you love doing on Christmas?

Share with everyone here... maybe someone will read them and even make your family tradition their own!

Something we do here every Christmas season is watch the movie:

 Such a beautiful movie!! We watch it a week or two before Christmas. We also love "White Christmas" and something we do on the very Christmas day is sing Christmas Carols with song books made for the whole family, the Christmas songs books get out at some point in the night and everybody sings together and Josh (my hubby) reads some Bible verses on the Birth of Jesus between some of the songs. It's very beautiful and we used to do this with hubby's family but now that we moved to Texas we "skype" to "be" with them.

Do you do anything special? I'd love to read all about it!


© Paloma K.

Thanksgiving through the eyes of a Mexican!

 Sorry I've been away... Thanksgiving was great here! We had so much stuff to eat but most of all we gave thanks, shared what we are thankful for and had a great time with family! My brother, his wife and my sister were able to spend some time with us, they came from Mexico specifically to spend Thanksgiving with us. Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Mexico since it doesn't really have anything to do with our history... but in my house there's been always love towards the American beginnings and its history... I've also always loved the whole Thanksgiving Tradition because, when in Mexico, living right at the Border with USA I had some friends who lived in Texas and they did celebrate it! I even got to be part of one Thanksgiving Dinner and I know I still didn't get the "whole experience" because there were "tamales" involved! LOL! ... I wanted to know what the traditional meal was really like... but never occurred to me that one day I would be hosting my own! I try to keep it as traditional as possible to make sure hubby enjoys everything he loves about it and also to share it with my Mexican family, who also appreciate it all... it's so different from our traditional food in Mexico! so they get the taste of what Josh (my husband) grew up with!

So... Here are some pictures of what we enjoyed here...

Our Thanksgiving Table (Thanksgiving Tree in the back)

My girl!

Appetizers: Stuffed Celery, Pretzels, Deviled Eggs

My littlest one! Enjoying too!

Everyone happy!

With my sister and my brother!

With my hubby!

YUM!

Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie, Sugar Cookies, Pumpkin Brownies, M&M's

So... That was our Thanksgiving... we are very thankful for all our blessings, most of all for salvation, family and good health.

Now... I am gearing up for Christmas! I just wish there weren't so many events in between so I can lose more pounds and not be tempted with more food! LOL! ... I am already getting recipes, memories and just random thoughts on Christmas to share with you!


© Paloma K.

First Fondant Cakes ever for my birthday girl!

Hello friends! I had an amazingly busy couple days... Sorry if you've sent me e-mails or comments and I haven't responded yet... I am sooo behind with everything (blogging wise) but I am very proud to say my oldest girl (now 4) had an amazing Birthday! ... I opened a fb invitation for all my friends in the area who wanted to stop by to have a slice of cake with us (yesterday) and wish her a happy Birthday... well... It was total success! I am so blessed to have found such an amazingly loving church family and friends here! We are overwhelmed with such amount of love and affect we've received! My girl had an amazing day and my cakes turned out really great! I was afraid to work with fondant (ehem... I still am!!) but I wanted to make her cakes extra special! So I made two cakes on Monday (taking advantage hubby was off from work) and the hard part... the fondant... in the end was totally worth it! A friend even commented it was better than "The Cake Boss" cake and fondant she had in his bakery! So... wow! I'd say I did pretty good! and my girl loved the fact that her mommy made her pretty cakes!  We had people start showing up a little before 10 a.m. and the last person left after 7 p.m.! we had snacks, cake, coffee, great conversation, so much fun, even some rice and salad for some (lunch time) and a great time in the pool in the evening with those that were here after 5 p.m.!

Before I share the pictures I just want to remind you we have our Coffee Friday! And we will have a special featured blogger that... if your mom ever told you to not lick the plate where you eat... well... she'll have to forgive you because you'll lick the bowl with her recipes!

So... tune in! Don't forget to add some coffee to link up with us! I try to tweet and pin all those links who join on Friday! Plus I choose a post or two to feature each week (which I will do tomorrow with those who linked on Friday) ...

Now... My birthday's girl and my first cakes ever using fondant!

Ta-da!

Happy girl!

First round! Singing Happy Birthday!

Many friends!

Just with mommy!

Second round! Evening cake! Blowing candles again!

Happy Friends!

Let's swim!

So... you can see it was great... I will now just leave you with my "Coffee Friday Party" Button ... grab it to link back with us and spread the word!

<center> <a href="http://www.love4coffee.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="The Coffee Shop" src="http://goo.gl/XfoA6"></a></center>

© Paloma K.

A day or Romance and Splashing!

Good Tuesday everyone! Inspired by hubby's note on the mirror yesterday... I thought Today's Quotes would be all... romantic! Let's get mushy! shall we?

Hubby and me!

Romantic Quotes: 

 ♥♥♥♥♥♥

"The ultimate test of a relationship is to disagree but to hold hands."
- Alexandra Penney

"Before I met my husband, I'd never fallen in love. I'd stepped in it a few times."
- Rita Rudner

"As we grow older together, As we continue to change with age, There is one thing that will never change. I will always keep falling in love with you."
- Karen Clodfelder

"Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves."
- Albert Einstein

"Love is not blind - it sees more, not less. But because it sees more, it is willing to see less."
- Julins Gordon

"Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit."
- Peter Ustinov

♥♥♥♥♥♥

So... I hope you liked these quotes... and if you haven't been inspired to tell your other half how you feel about him/her lately... hopefully these encourages you to go and say something nice... we all need to hear we are loved!

Now... I have to get going... taking my girls to the Splash Pad today!

© Paloma K.

Happy Monday... it definitely is!

How can it be any other way? Yes... today is a Happy Monday... because just like the sun raises every morning... His mercies are new each day! :) Happy Monday! YES....

Look what I saw when I woke up:

♥

Yes... Happy Monday... I am beautiful and I am loved :) ... My hubby is awesome! ♥  I am so thankful!

Have a great start of the week! Thanks to those who joined coffee Friday... also! It made my day to see my friend Diana from A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa link up!!! YAY! She brought an amazing recipe! I am going to make these:

Mini, Sweet Cherry Cardamom Pies

 For the recipe click here

Hopefully more and more people will continue to join!  Remember you just need to "add coffee" to your post (just by mentioning the word coffee, even if it's not the main topic and linking back to us you can link up to our Coffee Party)

Happy Monday everyone!

© Paloma K.

Has it been that long?

As I drank my cup of coffee this morning, I realized it's been a REALLY LONG TIME since I last posted here... and I actually felt embarrassed! I hope I can get a "grip" of blogging again! It's been crazy busy, I had a baby (she is gorgeous!! what can I say? I might be biased!) and during the pregnancy I "lost my taste for coffee" it was horrible to feel like I would never be able to enjoy a cup of coffee again, but little by little, after she was born, coffee and I reconciled, it took small steps, we looked at each other first, we had to "forgive each other" (I might have even said things that probably hurt! LOL!) and then with little sips, the old feelings rose and now we are "more in love than ever" ... And here I am ... trying to recover it all! My blog and my friends, the "Coffee Lovers" ...

We are also in the middle of a BIG MOVE HERE! We are moving to another state... over 1000 miles away... wow! that way I'll be closer to my family in Mexico, so it's exciting and a little nerve wrecking! But it's all for good! I hope once I get more normalcy in my life I'll be able to post more!

Love you all! and miss you tons!

How has this year been for you? Have you had issues with coffee too? Why don't you share a little about it? ...

My new girl, she is 6 months now... a Future COFFEE LOVER!

Paloma.

Holding our Good Father's hand!

Happy Thursday everyone! Ready for the weekend? We are almost there! It is a beautiful, warm, bright day here! Yesterday was warm and breezy too! After having a nice day with my daughter I went to pick hubby from work, he was actually in a meeting for some Community group he is part of, he wanted to take a walk with us around the neighborhood, so we held our daughter's hand and off we went about 2 blocks away from home... We were talking and sometimes singing (because our daughter loves to dance) but most of the time we were trying to CONVINCE Natalia to keep holding our hands, we kept telling her it was necessary and that she couldn't walk around on her own, she kept trying to get her hand loose.... and finally we let her walk on her own just for a second.... We had just let her hands go and after a few steps she fell, right on the concrete, making some scratches on her knees, nothing serious of course, but you could tell it hurt.... We explained to her that's why mommy and daddy have to hold her hands when we are outside, she was all happy right away, and it seems she forgot all about it quick enough because she started trying to "escape" from us again.... It made me think how much we are like that, as parents we know we have to hold our children's hands for their own good but still we fail to hold our own Father's hand in our everyday walk! Don't we want to do our own thing sometimes? How many times I've tried to walk "on my own", take my own steps, in the direction I want, we even make excuses and we think we are "big enough" to make certain decisions in our life without God's approval... we think that if we aren't doing "anything wrong" it's ok to choose for ourselves certain things that aren't "too big of a deal to ask our Father about it" but there's nothing too small for God... He cares about everything we do... and His Hand is always there... to hold us when we walk, to pick us up when we fall! And even after falling, we let go of His hand again! why? Well, we are like that! And after some bruises, scratches and some pain we sometimes dare to ask: "Why me?" or we wonder if "it was a punishment from Him" I would say that most of the time... when things go wrong in our lives... It's just a consequence of walking away from Him.... I pray I learned enough from my daughter's fall yesterday! I hope that picture stays in my mind forever .... I hope I always remember to hold my Father's powerful hand!

I have to go now... have to pick up hubby from work for lunch... I am drinking a Frappuccino, enjoying the beautiful day God's given us today!

Have a wonderful, blessed day!

 ^"23The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

 ²⁴Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand." (Psalm 37:23-24, King James Version)

My baby is reading!

 Well... she is not exactly reading... but she takes it very seriously when her daddy reads for her!

So, last night hubby was reading the Bible and Natalia (1 1/2 yrs. old) went to sit on his lap... he started reading for her and ... well... you can see how much she was enjoying it here:




















I am so proud of them! I had to share this video!

Thanks! and remember we have a giveaway going on! for 4 Starbucks Frappuccinos and 1 Starbucks gift card... just click on the "frappucino picture" on top of my sidebar to know how to enter!

Hugs!

Tuesday of quotes.... and verses!

Good Tuesday everyone! I hope you are ready to enjoy a cup of coffee (ok, you can drink milk, tea, chocolate or anything you prefer!) and read our Tuesday quotes and verses...

Take this time as a moment to reflect..... just take a deep breath and read this peaceful, happy quotes.... and to gain wisdom from The Book.... The Bible.... which.... by the way.... is the God's living Word.... so it will not just stay in your brain... but it will go directly to your heart... making changes to it.... basically a heart surgery....

☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼

Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking.

It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

I Corinthians 13:4-8

▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣

The perfection of wisdom, and the end of true philosophy is to proportion our wants to our possessions, our ambitions to our capacities, we will then be a happy and a virtuous people - Mark Twain

Wisdom is better than rubies. - Proverbs 8:11

Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. - Proverbs, 15:17

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

And just to share some more about love.... Hubby and I just love doing simple things together... it makes our relationship so much stronger... there's no need of fancy stuff... some crackers and cheese are a big thing if you want it to be like that! so I want to invite everyone to enjoy the little things of life.... not worrying much about money... having it or not.... everything passes.... It is good to work but not to be anxious about anything... Those things that matter the most are not money related... Take a walk with your children, hold your husband/wife's hand, drink a glass of grape juice (it always makes me happy), enjoy your family! share with them, smile with them!

And be always grateful for your blessings!

My girl's Valentine

Sorry this is not about food, drink or anything related to coffee.. but ... there is nothing that nourishes more than love and nothing sweeter than a girl and her daddy! So in a way... I am still providing with something sweet for all of you to enjoy! I don't think I need to say more... The pictures will say it all...

 

  

 

 

  

  

  

  

 

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend!