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.

The Coffee Shop is back!

Hello Friends! It's been a long, long, LONG time... I've going through a journey of what some would call 'self-discovery'.

Life happens, things change, children grow, knowledge increases, you freak out, you settle back down, etc... and that's pretty much what's been happening with me! In all this I have been wondering what I can blog about! It is crazy! This blog started with coffee... wanting to talk about it, wanting a cup of it and for sure wanting to share it with all of you! Then, things evolved and I realized that even when coffee would still be present, I wanted to widen my horizons and be able to talk about everything... and by everything I guess I meant "mostly food" because I was obsessed with it... and by mostly food It seemed to be "basically desserts" ... and then the kids came... motherhood hit...



No comments (Mother's Day 2014)

and I continued to blog... but the blog ended up becoming more a "what I baked today" ... and in my constant need to express myself I ended up with several more blogs... one to write about my very unique and fun marriage (I'm a Mexican and he's as white as you can get) so I ended up with a blog named "You're bread, I am tortilla" (or something like that), another blog to express my gratitude towards God for His presence in my life and His mercies towards me (Gratefulness Journal) and in the trying to stay true to my roots I ended up with another blog (but now about Mexican cooking) named "Cooking with Fire"...  and as the weight from all that amazing dishes became a BIG issue I then created yet another blog that I will not mention here but it talks about my journey towards a healthier weight... and yet another one, my latest blog was even a couponing blog (because yes, I became a couponer) ...... see how crazy? It's been basically a lot... and I've changed a lot... also my relationship with food has changed a lot as well (no sugar for me and only occasionally for my family! (Who would've thought???)  but... then... blogging just stopped! As things changed and I realized I couldn't keep opening blogs for every single idea that crossed my mind  I just stopped and realized this is the blog where I always come back... but I still love communicating and expressing and sharing... So I am trying to re-gain those of you who are still out there and still wanting to know about me and what's going on over here... and I look forward to updates from all of you to know what's going on over there... in your lives!

I still love cooking and I still love taking pictures!

 

Cooking classes... just a dream! they're expensive! It would be a fun date though!

I still love coffee and I still love talking with you! Whoever you are! I definitely need this space where I know I can connect with others! Thankfully I have lots of IRL people that are always there... but there's just something about a virtual space that allows you to connect with people that otherwise you would never even know exist! I want to make sure I stay here... in spite of all the changes! I'll be in touch with all of you! I guess I put myself and the blog in a box and I felt like I could only talk about 'a specific thing' here... I guess I forgot what I always said this blog would be... Just like a COFFEE SHOP... where we can talk about everything and anything going on in life! Whether we agree or disagree.. it will be ok! We're just here for coffee and to have a good time! We can get into the nitty gritty of the issues happening even in the politics if you want (blech! that can get ugly!) or we can just talk about the new shade of color on your carpet because of that grape juice your kiddos spilled!

 

Ah! Life! keeps moving, keeps changing, we change with it as well... But here we are... come and have a cup of coffee with me! you might want dessert with your coffee... I will too! (just sugar and gluten free, please)



Coffee always present, even when camping!

Ah! Home, sweet home! It's so good to be back!

Your friend... Paloma.

© Paloma K.

Back to the roots!

So... Yesterday was officially our first day home after our long family vacation... We enjoyed 7 days with family in Wisconsin... going back to hubby's roots and also to our own family's foundation... where "it all started" for us!

It was wonderful!

And because of that ... I thought I would take a few snap shots of some of the food we enjoyed there... I thought it would be good to take my blog back to its very roots as well... back to when everything was just about "taking pictures of food... a cup of coffee or a coffee shop"

I hope you enjoy!

Are there better cookies than grandma's? Doubt it!

Date with hubby, this is what he had: Stuffed crepes. Delish!

This is what I had... Tuna melt with alfalfa sprouts and side of Indian rice. Really fragrant

Our coffee at our favorite coffee shop, they sold their name "Alterra" and they're now Colectivo... I guess it will eventually grow in us.

Cafe "Cortado" half espresso half steamed milk

The coffee sign :)

Of course we ate a lot more than just this... But these were shots of very special "food moments"

© 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.

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.