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dinner at eight :: valentines day
It felt like the perfect week to start this new project with the silly + sweet holiday of love and all. I mentioned in my last post that our date with narrowly ruined by the intense lack of sleep we got the night before but I figured that most likely something will come up every time I try to plan one of these special dates and so I needed to power through and make it happen. I do want to make sure and point out though that my house was: a. not entirely clean b. the kids were entertained by the television while I did some prep work c. I was wearing my sweats until about ten minutes before Chris arrived home d. the kids were not exactly angels and asleep when we sat down for dinner.. but we had the best time, seriously it was so much fun!  For our first date I wanted it to be super romantic and special and on valentines day since I knew there was no way we would be able to find a sitter. I also wanted it to be different enough from the norm so that it would feel like a real date. A few days beforehand I borrowed a card table from my step mom specifically so that I could set the dinner table out in our front room by the fireplace. I love our front room space so much and it is also the easiest and fastest to clean so I focused my attention on making that room look special and did not worry about the rest of the house (my house has yet to be entirely clean since baby number three arrived for the record).   I set the mood by hanging a string of Christmas lights from a hook that was already in the ceiling. I added some doilies to a few of them to give it a valentinesy feel and of course had to add my heart strings bunting to it. But it was still missing something and I remembered some hanging lanterns I made last summer for our deck. The perfect thing to add to my little scene so I ended up making a super simple mobile with a metal hoop I found in my studio and some vintage fabric and yarn. It is kind of hard to see in the photos but definitely added a nice candle light mood.  Dinner was easy both Chris and I decided to use what we had on hand. The menu was one of our favorite meals: Cesar salad, french bread, salmon, mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. I love this meal because Chris is so hands on in preparing it that we totally tag teamed it and I didn't feel the least bit stressed about the food - a plus when trying the get the kids to bed early. The kids were very interested in our special date and wanted to know why they couldn't eat out in front of the fire too but we promised they could eat breakfast at the special table and got them in bed. The boys came out multiple times and there were some tears in there but for the most part by the time dinner was in full swing they were behaving themselves and in bed. Josie was not as easy and needed to be fed mid date but it wasn't really a big deal at all since I was having so much fun!  When Chris and I finally sat down together it truly felt like a real date. We toasted the special evening and chatted about valentines day's past. I remembered the time Chris had his brother Jeff help him make me a loaf of the Gough families traditional almond bread in the shape of a heart as a gift and he had memorized our song on his mandolin..we laughed and relaxed and really truly enjoyed dinner and afterwards sat and talked for a long time in front of the crackling fire that Chris built for us! Dessert was also a yummy treat, molten lava cakes per Jenny's recommendation and a movie to end the night. We watched the Social Network which I thoroughly enjoyed!    I feel like this first really super intentional date at home went miraculously well considering. I also learned a couple of things, especially that I need to lower my expectations on all the details. I am really into the details but it isn't necessary to truly enjoy each other. I will say though that spending a bit of extra time did make it feel that much more like a true date night. It was a treat to say the least to be with my sweetie and focus on each other for a change! I loved it and am already super excited about our next date!!       |
I also want to thank everyone who left a sweet comment about Andi and my new adventure in dating our husbands it was fun to see it spark some ideas for your own date nights in! Now head on over to Andi's place and check out her first dinner at eight!
outtakes from ♥ day
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| sweet treats |
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| addressing valentines for the boys classes - we went with these this year! |
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| setting up for dinner at eight - details to come Thursday! |
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| making dessert |
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| roses from my valentine |
on another fun note I am sure most of you noticed that Anthros new wedding line, BHLDN launched yesterday! So fun to get a few emails from my newly engaged Sister gushing about her favorites. Oh how I wish this line would have been around eight years ago..almost makes me want to renew our vows just to have an excuse to buy something! Here are my favorites:
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| one, two |
make something monday :: cupids kiss "mocktail"
Happy Valentines Day everyone! Today I have a simple little recipe for a festive "mocktail" perhaps an idea for something extra special to surprise your loved ones with tonight!
2oz of grenadine syrup + sprite or 7UP poured over ice
A splash of half and half
And of course a cherry on top!
Enjoy!
Tonight we plan to put the kids to bed early for a date night in, I am looking forward to it!
I know that valentines day can be cheesy and overdone but it is always a good idea to tell the ones you love what they mean to you. I hope however your day plays out, romantic, silly, uneventful - that you all know you are loved!
xoxo
Tonight we plan to put the kids to bed early for a date night in, I am looking forward to it!
I know that valentines day can be cheesy and overdone but it is always a good idea to tell the ones you love what they mean to you. I hope however your day plays out, romantic, silly, uneventful - that you all know you are loved!
xoxo
deep breaths :: a donut
My patience is so thin most of the time. I found myself more than once being particularly harsh with my middle child this week - so much pressure on this little guy. He is only three even though most folks think he is five. A mom friend the other day even had to clarify that he wasn't older than Simon because he is big and so very verbal and capable. But I forget, he is only three.
Three is hard. Being the middle child is hard. I can sense sometimes his frustration with Josie and not getting the attention he deserves from me but he does an amazing job of holding it together and not letting on. He is a shy and tender little boy and quiet to voice his opinion sometimes.
Yesterday morning I made a little suggestion that the two of us run over and get a special donut together in our pj's. He was lightening fast to get on his shoes and coat and jump in the car. He picked out a special donut for Dad and Simon too and we had some time to be alone together.
Oh how I long to find the energy and time to connect with each of my kids perfectly. To give them my undivided attention once in awhile instead of always saying "no not now" or "you need to go play I am busy"..
It was a little treat for both of us something I am hoping to do more often with my kids individually.
How do you go about making your kids feel special? I would gladly take any suggestions! I want to make the time and effort for them while they are still interested I know down the road a donut with Mom could be torture..oh to keep them small forever.
dinner at eight
While brainstorming ideas for a few new features to add to a bit of sunshine this year I started thinking about ways to use this space to really bless and encourage my family. As most of you know this past fall we welcomed our third baby into our home and my oldest is just four. That is a lot of littles running around here - we have lots of fun yes but please don't be confused we also have lots of messes, whining, wiping, crying, yelling, running, jumping...utter chaos in every aspect of that word. Mr. Gough and I rarely find the time (or the money for that matter) to get out together on regular dates. Babysitters are rare and lets face it slightly intimidated to watch our brood at this young stage and so Chris and I end up giving each other breaks but we don't really spend much time alone together (when we are not zombie like tired at least)...
Then it occurred to me, what if I staged simple and sweet dates at home for my sweetie and I. Put the kids to bed early once in awhile, lit some candles, turned on some music and focused on our marriage for a change. I love the idea of having the kids help me with this project fully knowing that they will be going to bed and not a part of the actual date but a great way for them to see the importance of our relationship. Our children need to see that we love each other and that their home is built on our respect and deep commitment to each other. Dinner at Eight was born.
I instantly knew I wanted to do this project with someone else too, to help keep me accountable and excited. And someone who I knew would encourage me in my marriage and I in hers - lift each other up in prayer and cheer each other on in being intentional. I knew it had to be Andi. A kindred spirit in so many ways, married young, little ones...we chatted on the phone the other night for hours and I felt so deeply inspired and blessed by her.
So we have decided to kick this project off with a little q&a today and plan to stage our first dates, next week just in time for valentine's day. This will be a bi-weekly feature so that we don't get too burned out. Every other Thursday we invite you to join us for a peek into how we manage to go about dinner at eight..I am so excited!!
Now a little bit about the Goughs:
Now a little bit about the Goughs:
01. When + where did you meet your husband?
I met Mr. Gough the Spring of 2001. He was working at the Church I had just started attending and the pastor had asked me to come to a worship rehearsal for the new evening service. Chris was there to help out on the drums and I distinctly remember him walking in. I was introduced to him and the first thing that went through my mind was "wow that is a real man" ha ha...he just seemed so tall and handsome and I was immediately drawn to his strong hands (all the Gough women love our Gough boys hands!)...I also remember thinking he was so shy (HE IS NOT) and asked him if he wanted to help out on drums at a Tuesday night service too. I sort of just knew this was different. He was so different.
02. How long have you been married?
Since April of 2003, I was twenty three and he twenty five. We were married on the very same stage we met surrounded by all the worship teams and about six hundred of our closest friends and family (ha ha, told you he wasn't shy)
03. What do you think is the biggest challenge in your married life right now?
Most certainly finding time for each other. We have some serious responsibilities on our plate much more than when we first met and a lot of other stresses play into how we spend our time too. My Mother in Law calls this season the "trenches" and I must say that is the perfect way to describe how we feel. Just surviving day to day the best we can with little energy for ourselves.
04. What is one of your favorite dates you have ever had with your husband?
My favorite date was one we had early on. Our first Christmas together Chris planned an amazing date - we got all dressed up, his brother picked us up and acted as chauffeur taking us to a romantic dinner and then the ultimate for me amazing seats to the Nutcracker. Seattle is world renown for our ballet company and it was seriously so magical I will never forget that night!
05. What excites you the most about this project?
The chance to really focus and pour creative and intentional energy into our relationship and knowing that I will have at least one evening every other week to simply sit and enjoy my husband. and I am also excited about planning the dates too..I can't wait!!
All right now go check out Andi's q&a and come back next week too when we share our first date night with you!{my february favorites}
I had such fun yesterday, thank you to everyone who made the virtual trek over here to participate in ten on ten this month! I looked at everyone's set so far (still time to link up below) and was blown away by how creative and talented you all are! Here is a collage of my top picks from the day, I ended up adding five extra because there is so many amazing photos to choose from!
one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen
It is always a joy and honor to look for beauty in the ordinary day with all of you! Hope you all have a lovely and blessed weekend!
happy photographing,
Rebekah
ps. I will be back soon with a brand new feature to unveil, I am super excited!!!!
one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen
It is always a joy and honor to look for beauty in the ordinary day with all of you! Hope you all have a lovely and blessed weekend!
happy photographing,
Rebekah
ps. I will be back soon with a brand new feature to unveil, I am super excited!!!!
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