Nick and I just got back from enjoying a kid-free vacation in Park City, Utah… the first we’ve shared in over 6 years.

In 6 years time, it is pretty easy to forget all the reasons you fell in love with your spouse in the first place. I definitley knew I still loved my husband, but this vacation was exactly what we needed to get reacquainted with each other again, and that was a good thing.

With 4 kids and grandparents who live far away, getting away for even a date night is hard. Add to that living on one income and juggling busy schedules, finding the time and resources to get away isn’t easy, but we decided it was time to make it happen.

There’s something to be said for adult time… getting to have real conversations without interruption, sleeping without little bodies wiggling between you, eating at restaurants you wouldn’t set foot in with children, doing activities (like our 22 mile hike) that you wouldn’t sanely take 4 kids on…. it was truly blissful.

It’s important to turn off the noise and let the light shine on you as a couple every once in awhile. Hopefully, now that we’ve had this reminder, it will happen more often than not. I am grateful for the man I married. I love my kids too, but I know that we will both be better parents if we continue to invest in our marriage this way, don’t you think?

We’re back home now, but have one more kid free evening ahead of us. I see these fun cocktails and a good movie night in my future!

I’m thankful for my in-laws for keeping the kids at their place while Nick and I vacationed together! We couldn’t have done it without them.

Print

Cherry Poke Cake Cocktails

This refreshing cocktail recipe tastes just like old fashioned Cherry Poke Cake.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Pinnacle Cake Flavored Vodka
• 1 ounce fresh lime juice
• 4 ounces cold Sprite or 7-Up
• 1 ounce cherry juice from the Maraschino cherry jar
• Maraschino cherries for garnish

Instructions

• Fill a highball glass with ice
• Pour Cake Flavored Vodka, Lime Juice, Sprite or 7-Up and Cherry Juice over ice. Stir well.
• Garnish with cherries.

The post Then There Were Two {Recipe: Cherry Poke Cake Cocktail} appeared first on Dine and Dish.

This time last year I was having a conversation with my husband about my family. “You know? Sometimes I think I would be fine if I just cut contact with some of them.” Of course I didn’t mean it, but I was frustrated. Each year I host our family Christmas and each year, it felt like it was becoming less and less important for people to be here. My brother, Larry, in particular was notorious for never letting me know ahead of time if his family would come, making it difficult for me to plan the amount of food we would need.

I mostly got over my fit in time for our family gathering. We had a great time… Just Dance Competitions, rousing games of Apples to Apples and just hanging out. My brother and his family did show up. I was still feeling annoyed with him though, so I don’t really remember hanging out with him much. I hung out with his kids, but I honestly can’t remember having much interaction with him at all that day.

No one in our family was ill last Christmas. Everyone was healthy and there was no reason for me to believe that things would be any different the next time we all got together. Little did I know that in June 2011 my brother would be diagnosed with cancer and two months later, he would die. I had no idea our next family gathering would be his funeral.

What I wouldn’t give to replay last Christmas… to appreciate the family I have for everything they are. To love them unconditionally and to get over my bratty self and to savor their presence, announced or not, at our family gathering.

Think about your family this Christmas. What would you do differently if you knew someone you loved wasn’t going to be there next year? Is there someone you need to forgive and embrace for who they are? The best gift you can give yourself this Christmas is the gift of family, love and forgiveness. Appreciate the people God has placed in your life, for everything they are, because you never know when it may be your last chance to show them your love.

The post Christmas Forgiveness appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Nick is a fairly predictable guy. Sometimes I think he might be a little bit OCD because he is very routine about things. He wakes up at the exact same time every morning, he goes to the window and peeks out the blinds, walks into the bathroom and brushes his teeth, turns on the shower water, goes pee, hops in the shower, etc. His routine is just that… a set in hard stone routine. He is a very easy guy to figure out.

The other day, Nick, who never puts mustard on anything and detests honey said “I have really been enjoying the salad at  the deli in my office building lately. They have the best Honey Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing I’ve ever tasted.” Excuse me? Honey Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing? Who are you and what have you done with my husband? After all of these years, I thought I was married to a Buttermilk Ranch / Italian dressing kind of guy, but noooo… I am married to a Honey Mustard Vinaigrette man and never knew it! “Since when do you like honey mustard vinaigrette salad dressing?” Apparently he has always loved it… honey mustard vinaigrette salad dressing is his favorite kind of salad dressing. Who the heck knew? Just when you think you really know someone they throw you for a loop!

Being the thoughtful, intuitive, kind wife I am, I made up a batch of Honey Mustard Vinaigrette dressing for my honey. We shall see if it rivals the deli in his office building. In the meantime, I am going to spend some time trying to unravel the layers of this mysterious man that I have lived with for so long. My marriage based on Ranch and Italian salad dressing love has been turned upside down.

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette Salad Dressing (from Recipezaar)

5 min | 5 min prep

1/2 cup

The post Who Are You? (Recipe: Honey Mustard Vinaigrette) appeared first on Dine and Dish.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Rabbi Shmuley Boteach this morning for an article I am doing for Her Life Magazine. You have probably seen Rabbi Shmuley around the major morning news shows lately promoting his book The Kosher Sutra.  I first became aware of  Rabbi Shmuley through his show on TLC Shalom in the Home. He was on Oprah talking about a couple who had a father who was “broken”. My husband and I started watching Shalom in the Home soon after that and it was like having a weekly marriage therapy session. The issues were real, the families were relatable and the advice Rabbi Shmuley shared was invaluable….

Read More

The post A Loving Welcome (and Brown Sugar Pound Cupcakes) appeared first on Dine and Dish.