Valentine’s Day Romantic Table for Two

Before I give you the details surrounding my “Valentine’s Day Romantic Table for Two”, I would like to bring up something that has been on my mind all week.  If you’ve been following along here at redheadcandecorate.com you have probably heard me talk about my husband often, and most of you know how we are still very much in love- even after 30 Valentine’s Days (as of this year).  I know being happy in love for that long is very rare, and I certainly know that 30 years with the same mate doesn’t involve luck.  In fact, when someone says, “Oh, you got lucky!” I cringe 😳 because luck really has nothing to do with a happy relationship/marriage.  Marriage takes work, and Rick & I are constantly “working” on keeping our connection fresh.  Let me give you a personal example just for fun…

I recently read an article regarding texting.  Yep…you heard that right.  Texting.  Most of us text often, maybe a little too much at times, and it has become my first form of communication with everyone I am close to, with the exceptions being my Mom & cats.  They do not text  😀 .  Now, what I learned is that texting can be very good for a marriage (“Hi honey!  I miss you!”), but it also can be bad for a marriage 😯 .

To get down to the deets, the article discussed co-workers texting.  I’ve never really given the “co-workers texting” thing a thought, until now.  My husband is a lawyer and sometimes he does text his co-workers- usually during a crisis, and I can see why they would use that form of communication because it’s fast & simple.  Heck, if I had co-workers I would text them, too.  As you know, I do not have co-workers.  Oh, I have blog friends where we network, and sponsors I discuss campaigns with, but that is all through e-mail, or Facebook (that’s another topic for another time).

So, the article explained that when co-workers text it can become a little “too personal, too quickly” by accident  😯 .  It described how boundaries can be pushed when the co-workers least expect it.  For example, if the text-er brings up an argument/problem with their spouse inadvertently, and the text-ee takes it to the next level by being kind and offers advice, or even a shoulder, that’s where an unexpected connection can surface, and it can really open up a whole new “situation”.  You see where I’m going here?

All of this really began to sink into my dollar store soul, and I couldn’t help but tell my husband about this texting anxiety I was now feeling 😥 .  It’s theory all made perfect sense, and it almost made me sick to my stomach.  It was then that I wrote Richard an E-MAIL.  He ended up calling me in my time of despair, and reassured me that he loves me, and he can completely understand why I would feel that texting is a bit too personal for co-workers.  Then, he said he would e-mail co-workers from now on 😯 . He explained that it doesn’t make any difference to him e-mail or text, but he will do e-mail out of respect for my feelings.

There I was worried he would get angry and think I was being ridiculous.  He did the exact opposite, and made sure I was okay.

Fill plastic shot glasses with water & faux rose and it looks real.

After 25 years of marriage I can tell you that this is the kind of “work” that goes on in a happy marriage/relationship.  There’s communication, honesty, vulnerability, genuine concern, empathy, compromise, and love.  Rick could care less about the texting, and just wanted me to feel respected.  Well Richard, I certainly do feel respected, and I wish that for all who read this.

Now that I have your attention that off of my chest…let’s get this “date night” started.  Can you guess where I went shopping???

You know me too well.  The dollar store wins again.  Geeze, I really wish they paid me for these posts.  Almost everything on the “Valentine’s Day Romantic Table for Two” is from the dollar store just like the “Valentines’s Day Tree” from last week.  Even the card for Richard is from the dollar store.

Before you beat me up for mention my unique “flatware placement” know that I put all of the goldware on the left side of the heart placemats because it fit in there perfectly like a little nook when I turned the heart placemats.  Feel free to follow flatware rules, but I don’t worry about that sort of thing.  Here’s another fun flatware idea if interested.

Here’s a few notes about the supplies:

-Heart chalkboard sign, placemats, red glass heart paper weights, faux roses (I cut), plastic shot glass, heart beads, heart sticks, doily/glitter hearts, and candles are all from the Dollar Tree.

-The clear glass plates, bowls, & wine glasses are thick clear glass and from the Dollar Tree, too.  I may go back for more, they are very nice.

-The pink scarves are from the Dollar Tree as well, and I just folded them up to make them fit in the wine glasses.  So fun!

Happy Valentine’s Day from us!

(Stay tuned I have a new pasta dish coming up next week to serve on this “Valentine’s Day Romantic Table for Two”, but if you can’t wait that long, try these recipes I hand picked for a romantic dinner for two below…)

PS: No texting during dinner allowed.

30 years ago!

Spinach & Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms

Chicken Loretta

Spinach & Tomato Pasta

Easy Homemade Fudge