Category Archives: Holidays

Classic Movie Date Night

14 Thursday Feb 2013

Posted by in Date Ideas, Holidays, Inexpensive Date Ideas

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

Valentine’s Day is upon us (at least if you’re in my time zone) and I could not be looking forward to it more.  Every night is special with him, but Valentine’s Day and our anniversaries are definitely a special time to set aside time to celebrate our love and make a special effort.  They’re a time for surprises and that little extra bit of romance.  One of our favorite things to do for date night, which very well may be a part of tomorrow night’s date, is to watch a movie together.  Often, those are classic movies.

We both like classic movies.  I have always loved them much more than modern movies.  Don’t get me wrong, I like modern movies, and there are a few I’d watch over and over, especially animation, but don’t get me started on that.  It’s not what we’re here for.  Classic movies are movies I watch over and over.  Movies I treasure.  I can tell you all about so many of them.  Growing up, I was strongly influenced by them.  I had the biggest crush on Clark Gable, I wanted to dance like Ginger Rogers, sing like Ava Gardner.  Most of all, I wanted to find a man someday who would take me in his arms and kiss me the way Humphrey Bogart kisses Lauren Bacall.  Without saying too terribly much, let me just say, mission accomplished.  So, you can see why I love classic movies, and they make a fantastic date night.

With Valentine’s Day here, I thought I’d share a list of some classic movies with you that I like.  Some we have in our collection, some I hope to acquire in the future.  If you’re still looking for last minute date ideas, this just might work for you.  Maybe go out for dinner and then snuggle up and watch a movie afterward, or just order in and stay snuggled up.

Romance:

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Suspense:

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

A little something for the men:

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: walmart.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: walmart.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Romantic Comedies:

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: walmart.com via Rachel on Pinterest

And it’s entirely possible we will be watching…

Source: amazon.com via Rachel on Pinterest

 

On Netflix you can find:

  • Sabrina
  • Funny Face
  • Monkey Business
  • Charade
  • Penny Serenade
  • Kiss Them For Me
  • The Grass Is Greener
  • I Was A Male War Bride
  • Move Over, Darling
  • McLintock!
  • Top ‘O The Morning
  • Breakfast At Tiffany’s
  • Angel and the Badman

You can also just check out the classics on Netflix.  Instant date with no extra money spent.  If you don’t have a Netflix account, you might be able to do a free trial.

On Hulu you can find: Anything Goes (for something more lighthearted) and The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (for those who like a little excitement).  This will be both instant and free.  There are also some classic television shows available.

You might also want to check out TCM’s schedule, although tonight I think Gone With The Wind will be on soon after I post this, which is not really the movie for men and quite long.  You might want to skip this if you’re looking for a couple’s movie tonight.

If you’d like, you can check out the rest of my Pinterest board where I’m keeping a list of classics I like.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post.  I really do love classic movies, as you can see.  If you haven’t watched any, maybe this will inspire you to give them a try.  If you do love them, maybe you’ve found a new one you’d like to watch or to add to your collection.

If you’re still looking for that last minute date suggestion for Valentine’s Day, you can still get started on this one.  Some of the movies listed from my Pinterest board may be available to rent on Amazon, you’ll just have to check.  But if you’re not looking to spend or just don’t want to bother, the movies I’ve listed from Netflix are all movies I’ve watched and enjoyed, and there’s always Hulu.   Hope this helps.

If you’re in a long distance relationship, you can still have that date tonight.  Pop some popcorn, stream a movie, and chat as you watch.  Make sure to have a blanket to keep things warm and snuggly.

Who knows, if you enjoy yourself, maybe you can make this date a regular occurrence.  David and I have.

All my best wishes for the couples and the singles on Valentine’s Day and throughout the year.

Inexpensive Valentine’s Day Decorating

13 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by in Holidays

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

I know this post may be a bit late, as Valentine’s Day is practically upon us. To be perfectly honest, I have been busy preparing for Valentine’s Day and spending time with my valentine. But, have no fear, because this post is perfect for those who are looking for some things they can do the day of. I just wanted to pop in and share some Pinterest inspiration for decorating on a very tight budget. These ideas work very well for the day of as well, most of them are pretty quick and done with things that you already have or can certainly find at Walmart. I have a little surprise in the works for my valentine, which I prepared in advance. I hope these ideas will spark some inspiration for you to create something of your own. Enjoy!

Source: bhg.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: mayarts.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: abigslice.com via Rachel on Pinterest

The Valentine’s Day Collection

08 Friday Feb 2013

Posted by in Date Ideas, Holidays, Inexpensive Date Ideas

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

LOVE

I thought I’d post a little collection, all in one place, of some posts I have written in the past that I think might be of interest with Valentine’s Day approaching.

    • Inexpensive Gift Ideas:  Valentine’s Day:  I made a little list of suggestions for very inexpensive Valentine gifts for both women and men.  These are gifts that I honestly would appreciate, or would honestly give.
    • Inexpensive Valentine Date Ideas:  This is just what it sounds like.  A list of inexpensive date ideas I compiled in anticipation of Valentine’s Day.  Just because you are short on funds doesn’t mean you can’t give your time and attention to that special someone, and show them that you have put some thought into making it a special day or night for the two of you.  In this case, I really think it’s truly the thought that counts.
    • Making a Valentine Card:  Leave the Macaroni in the Pantry:  In this post I explain how I like to make cards as an adult, and give some suggestions and ideas for making one yourself.
    • 10 Not-So-Lovely Love Songs:  When you think about it, and really listen to the lyrics, some “love songs” just aren’t very loving at all.  I made a list of some.  I think this could be a good post for those who are single on Valentine’s Day.
    • Late Shift Date Night Ideas:  This post is recent.  I thought I would include this post for those who may be working late this Valentine’s Day.

I suppose I could have written some new posts for Valentine’s Day, but I’ve been very busy getting ready for it this year!  Hopefully this post will be interesting, maybe helpful.

Linking Up to “and here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson”

07 Thursday Feb 2013

Posted by in Holidays, Just For Fun, Nuts & Bolts, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

, , , , ,

I have added my link to a link-up at and here’s to you Mrs. Robinson.  This is the first time I’ve done this, so I’m hoping I’ve chosen a good post.  This link-up was based on a fantastic idea.  It is the National Marriage Week link-up.  Please click the Pinterest link below to head on over to her post and learn more about National Marriage week, check out some posts related to love, marriage, relationships, and Valentine’s Day. You may also find my post I chose in the links or here on my blog.

 

I also encourage you to check out her blog by clicking this button, taken from her blog.

LDR: Spending a Holiday Apart

21 Friday Dec 2012

Posted by in Holidays, Long Distance Relationship

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Until a couple days ago, David and I had planned to spend Christmas together, as I believe I had said here on the blog.  Due to unforeseen circumstances, however, it just isn’t the best idea.  It will be much better for us to wait, so we’ve postponed our holiday visit for the following weekend.  To be honest, that was a rather sad realization for us at first.  We hadn’t spent Christmas apart before and realizing it so close to time just made it a bit of a shock.  However, like many things, we’ve gotten past the initial sadness together, really pretty quickly.  Now, what’s interesting about this post is that I had already planned to write about this at some point anyway, but, after yesterday, I thought now would be a good time.  I want to talk a bit about spending a holiday apart, and share some tips for having a happy holiday, even apart.

One of the first things that I thought of after the initial sadness had worn off is that  this will be a great opportunity to spend time with my family.  My mom will love spending time with me.  Honestly, I am sort of excited now about spending time with everyone and having a house full of family.  I’m sort of looking forward to spending Christmas day on the couch, in my pajamas, eating too much leftovers from my mom’s incredibly tasty Christmas Eve dinner and watching Christmas movies.  I do love my family, and I’m lucky to have some really great family members who are a joy to be around.  No, that isn’t sarcasm.  I really recommend spending as much time with your family, friends, or family of friends as you can.  It’s just a great blessing anyway, but when you have to be apart from your significant other, it really helps to have other people you love around.

Something else about postponing our next visit is that it will make things a lot better.  We’ll be able to have a better visit, and things should be easier.  Because of that, it’s really a lot of fun to think about.  So, in the next week or so, I’m sure we’ll be spending time thinking of ways to make our next visit a great visit.  We’ll talk about things to do together.  We might even plan a date or two to look forward to.  Maybe you have something you always do together, that both of you really enjoy.  Or, maybe there’s just something fun you’ve wanted to do, like a new restaurant you want to try, or an activity, maybe a movie is coming out that you both want to see.  I find that this always really helps when we are apart, and I’m sure it will be a great help to us for Christmas as well.

For my last tip, I’d like to share something that we plan to do for Christmas, while we’re apart that will help us share Christmas together, from a distance, and feel close to each other, even though we’re apart.  David and I have planned a little online date.  It might sound silly, I guess if you’ve never been apart from the one you love, but for us, it’s a way to feel close, and to do normal couple things when being together just isn’t possible.  We’ll share our days, we’ll watch a Christmas movie together, and we’ll even see each other.  It won’t be the same, but it will be fun, and we always enjoy spending time together.  If you know you will be spending your next holiday apart, maybe you can mail your special someone a care package.  Perhaps include some popcorn, cocoa, maybe even a movie for the two of you to watch, then share in the same experience during your holiday.

Now that I’ve given you my tips when it comes to spending a holiday apart, I’d like to leave with one final thought.  Christmas is not just a day.  It’s something we carry with us.  The whole holiday season really is more than just a few important days when people have parties and special meals.  It’s a time when we celebrate the good things, the important things, the special things.  It’s a time when we carry a bit of that childlike whimsy and innocence with us everywhere we go.  There’s no reason we can’t have that anytime we like if we just allow it, if we hold on to it, and hold it close.  There’s certainly no reason why it should matter what day we choose to celebrate all those wondrous things and bountiful blessings, particularly with the one we love.  I hope that you will keep the spirit of the season with you in your heart once the parties are over, and decorations boxed up, and I hope that the love and joy you share with that special someone will help to give you peace and joy this holiday season, no matter where you are.

12 Christmas Couple Activities

11 Tuesday Dec 2012

Posted by in Date Ideas, Holidays, Inexpensive Date Ideas

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tree 2011

I thought I should do a Christmas themed post with the holiday fast approaching, and since I–and all of us, I’m sure–will be very busy during Christmas, I thought sooner would be best.  So, since everyone seems to love the date ideas, I decided to share 12 simple special activities to do as a couple during those busy days.  I love being around the family during Christmas.  The house is always full.  But it’s also such a romantic time to me.  The soft glowing lights, all the music, and sometimes even a white blanket of glittering snow everywhere you look (though, I’m not sure we can count on that this year).  So, if you feel like I do, here’s a dozen simple ideas to make the most of those little moments together.

  1. Kiss underneath mistletoe.  (If there isn’t mistletoe, kiss anyway.  Catch that special someone standing in the doorway and surprise them.)
  2. Kiss and cuddle in the dim glowing light of the Christmas tree.
  3. Bundle up and go for a walk to steal a moment alone together after Christmas dinner.  Walking mitten in mitten makes it that much better.
  4. Play a board game, they’re so much fun and there are plenty of short ones.  Checkers, Jenga, and Trouble are all quick games, we like to play for kisses.  Sensing a theme here?  But it makes everyone a winner.
  5. Make cocoa together, or just pick some up at a gas station, a lot of them have cocoa and/or cappuccino, and you can generally find one that is open, even on Christmas.
  6. Be a little naughty and have a midnight snack of cookies and milk together.
  7. Watch a Christmas movie together.  Some of my recommendations are Since You Went Away, It’s A Wonderful Life, The Bishop’s Wife, and White Christmas.  You can find White Christmas on Netflix if you have that, assuming you do not have the DVD.  Also, it’s usually on television a few times this time of year, TCM especially.
  8. Before bed, share a blanket on the couch and stay up and talk about the day and day dream about the new year together.
  9. If we should be so lucky as to be blessed with a white Christmas, build a snowman together.
  10.  OR have a snowball fight!  Winner gets to choose the next activity, whether that is later in the day, or your next date.  :)
  11. Christmas mini dance party.  Put on some Christmas music and dance together. Pandora is great for this.  I recommend the Nat King Cole holiday station.
  12. If you’re traveling, as we will be, have a sing-a-long in the car.  Nothing like 4 hours of Christmas karaoke.

I hope you enjoyed this post, and that you and yours have a Merry Christmas and a very happy holiday season.

LDR: Holiday Planning

26 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by in Holidays, Long Distance Relationship

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

A question I get a lot, especially this time of year from those who know David and I are in a long distance relationship is “How do you do the holidays?”  Well, that’s sort of both simple and complex.  In the three years we’ve been together, we’ve sort of figured out a starting place, but it’s still something we have to decide every year.  I know a lot of people, both in long distance relationships, and others, have the same decision to make, so I thought I’d write this post telling you some of the factors we have taken into consideration when planning where we will spend our holidays, mainly referring to the holidays season:  Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the new year.

I’ll start with the main considerations we take into account.

  • Do any of our relatives have a special tradition for this holiday, or is it especially important to them?  Would it hurt their feelings if we miss it?
  • Do we have a special attachment to being somewhere or with someone on a certain day or for a certain tradition during the holidays?
  • Which of our relatives will be home during this holiday?  Will any of them be traveling?
  • Will our relatives have other family around, or will our absence leave empty places at the family table?
  • Will these people have the opportunity to see us during the holidays if we don’t travel to see them?  Are they making a trip anyway?
  • Are we going to be there anyway without making a special trip?
  • What is best for our schedule?  In other words, how much time can we allot each activity and leave time for safe travel?

Then, there are the obstacles…

  • How do the finances look?  The holidays are a bit tighter for most people anyway, but if you’re travelling during the holidays, how many hours you’ve gotten this paycheck as compared to the price of gasoline and the number of miles to drive may very well make your decision for you.
  • How much time do we have to travel?  A lot of people do get at least one day off during the holidays, but not everyone does.  As well, if you only get one day and will be travelling a number of hours, well, there just may not be enough hours in the day to do everything you’d like to do, go everywhere you’d like to go, or see everyone you’d like to see.

Now then, what do we do?

When David and I started out, we wanted to do everything, make everyone happy, and not leave anyone out.  Our first Christmas was fantastic, but it was on a very rigid timetable, things moved quickly, and although it was wonderful, it was quite stressful for both of us.  He drove four hours to come get me earlier in the week, then four hours to take me to where he lives.  Then,  the night of the 23rd he drove more than two hours so that we could see his mom early the morning of Christmas Eve.  We had breakfast with her and then immediately left on what was probably a five to six hour drive to have dinner with my mother and spend Christmas with her.  We spent half the day in holiday traffic.  When we got to my mother’s house dinner had been done for a few minutes.  We weren’t late exactly, we got there just in time to be polite.  Sounds exhausting, doesn’t it?  It was, but it was still a good time.  We had a visit in Indiana like we like to do and got to do all those couple things like looking at Christmas lights, then we got to spend a bit of time with his mom, and we got to spend Christmas with my family, which meant I got to introduce him to some of them for the first time.  That was all wonderful.  In the grand scheme of things, though, I don’t think it’s something we’ll elect to do again.  It wasn’t the most practical choice, and with all that stress, having done things differently now, I know, Christmas was not as holly jolly as it can be.

After that, we came up with an idea to sort of put the holidays into a rotation.  That was a good idea in theory, and I would recommend others try it, but all in all, it isn’t the best way exactly for us.

So, what are we doing this year?  Well, the plan is that he’ll come down to Kentucky to spend Thanksgiving with my family and then we’ll come back up to Indiana for a bit and spend time together before Christmas.  This might be different next year, but for this year, it’s the best solution, and as it works out, it would have been my mom’s year for Thanksgiving anyway.  Last year we didn’t get to spend Thanksgiving together for various reasons, and his father and stepmother typically spend Thanksgiving with other family.

Christmas is an interesting dilemma as well.  This year we’re hoping that he can make it to Kentucky to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with my family and then we will leave that night so that he can be on time for work.  His father and step mother do more celebrating the weekend following Christmas so that they can see their grandchildren, which works out well for us.  We’ll spend some time with them then and we’ll get to start the new year together.  His mother typically comes to Indiana around Christmas to see the grandchildren as well, so hopefully we’ll get to see her then if she has time when David isn’t at work.  I think things will work out either way.  This is definitely the best, most practical, least stressful solution we could come to this year.

Basically, what this means is that we will both be back and forth a bit.  I’ll be spending some time away during the holidays.  While I’m in town I’ll be trying to catch up with everyone and spend as much quality time with my momma as possible.  He’ll be quite the busy beaver making it all happen.

Hopefully we do a good job making this difficult decision every year.  I know we do the best we can, especially David.  God love him, he works as hard as he can and does the best he can to do right by everyone, especially me.  My best advice for deciding what to do about the holidays is to do what you can, and do what will make you happy.

My best advice to those who are long distance around the holidays is:

  • Concentrate on love and joy as best you can and put the rest in the background.  Now is the time to have your priorities straight.  Be thankful for what you’ve been blessed with and have a little faith that things will work out.  Don’t try so hard to make it all happen.
  • Be reasonable.  Don’t be a hero, you can only do what is humanly possible.  Save the rest for another time.
  • Be flexible.  The unexpected can and will happen.  That’s okay.  It will be okay.  Make that your mantra.
  • Don’t be long distance any longer than you have to!  I jest of course,  A little…  Things are wonderful now, but we’re very much looking forward to being together in a home that is ours for the holidays someday.

I hope you and yours have a happy holiday season, wherever your home and heart may be.

Love Built To Last Autumn Update

13 Saturday Oct 2012

Posted by in Date Ideas, Holidays, Inexpensive Date Ideas, Just For Fun, Long Distance Relationship, Modest Style, Nuts & Bolts, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

After my post yesterday about packing and the long distance relationship, I decided I wanted to do a little bit of an update post.  I actually have a lot of ideas for posts, and plan to be writing maybe a little more than usual this month.  I have also created a new category here on Love Built To Last.  So, I’m going to just explain a bit about what’s going to be happening this fall here on my relationship blog.

First, I’ll get to the new category.  You may or may not have noticed this, but I created a Long Distance Relationship category.  You’ll find that in the side bar under the heading “Organized Chaos” as well as on my Find It Fast page.  For anyone who doesn’t know, David and I are in a long distance relationship.  The category here on the blog came about because previously, I only had one humorous post about what I do when we’re apart, but since then I have recently added a couple posts about packing & the long distance relationship.  I thought the 3 posts were probably a good enough start to warrant a category that would make them easier to find.  I did say “start” just now, didn’t I?  That’s because these three posts are a foreshadowing of more posts to come.  I have a few ideas for posts about this, and you’ll likely see at least one more of those before winter.  I hope that people will enjoy this part of the blog.

I’d also like to fill you in on some posts that you can expect to see this month should you be interested.  I will be writing a modest style post to go along with my Autumn Date Ideas post.  I thought this would be nice.  I’ve seen a lot of date night outfit ideas on magazine sites, but to be honest, I don’t really take much away when I read those.  There aren’t a great deal of modest ideas, and really I just think they’re a little more fashion magazine (sort of conceptual) and a little less man-friendly.  Let’s be honest, a lot of guys like outfits that are just simple and cute and easy for them to understand.  Why are you wearing shorts with pantyhose in the fall?  They just don’t get that.  Why are you wearing a leather jacket and boots with that frilly dress?  I’m joking, of course, not too serious, but it is true.  So I’ll be sharing my simple, practical ideas for cute cozy outfits for different types of dates.

Something very much in line with what I normally do on Love Built To Last, but just a bit different, is a topic I have mentioned quite a few times, but have been planning to eventually post about more often.  I will be writing at least one post about this before winter as well.  Respect.  It is a very big part of our relationship, and something I have written about before.  I will, however, be focusing on it specifically and what it means in my relationship with David, and how I demonstrate respect.  Honestly, it may grow into a category.  I definitely hope those posts will be helpful and interesting for others and maybe give those we know a little bit more insight into how we relate to each other.

Another post was inspired by a question people have been asking quite a bit.  That is “How do you do the holidays?”  How do David and I decide how to schedule our holidays, what is it like, how does it work, does it change, what are the deciding factors, what about the time, how do we feel about the situation?  Those sorts of things.  Honestly, the holidays are a very busy time for us and making this decision is a big deal every year.  If you’re interested in this, or if you’re trying to figure this out yourselves this year, I will be posting this before Halloween.

You might also see a post here or two about what we’re up to this fall.  I’m pretty sure there will be at least one new picture.  So for those close to us, don’t worry you’ll get updated too.  David and I are planning to see each other in a week’s time.  So we’ll be busy little people.

Finally, I thought I’d just post a link here to some autumn and Halloween related posts.

From Love Built To Last:

From Princess In The Kitchen, a list of recipes I enjoy for fall:

I hope you enjoy the addition of these recipe links.  Some of them have things I typically associate with cooler weather, like apples and cranberries.  Others are just cozy recipes that are great served warm.  :)

If you’re interested in what’s coming up, be sure to check those posts out this month.  You can also subscribe in the side bar if you want to find those more easily.

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 56 other followers