Valentine's Day Goodies and Realities

It's coming to that special time of year again, where we  think of hearts and flowers. Engagements and proposals.

What are the biggies? Balloons, candy, flowers. Oh, and engagement rings. Yikes. How many of you are expecting an engagement ring this year?

Guys like to surprise their sweeties on this day. Some guys pull it off with flair, others not so much.

But, before you go all ga-ga over expecting a proposal, maybe you might want to consider this article about whether or not an engagement could hurt your relationship.

But, let's not forget what Valentine's Day is, and that's about celebrating love.



A Wikipedia search on Valentine's Day is pretty amazing if you'd like to read the history, legends, and traditions of St. Valentine's Day.

The History Channel description of St. Valentine's Day is not as detailed but interesting to learn about as well. Here's an interesting fact from the History Channel site.

While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial--which probably occurred around A.D. 270--others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to "Christianize" the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. 

If you are looking for some Valentine's Day quotes you can find 101 of the best at Brainz.

For example, here are the first five:

1. "When love is not madness, it is not love."
Pedro Calderon de la Barca

2. "Oh, if it be to choose and call thee mine, love, thou art every day my Valentine!"
Thomas Hood

3. "Many are the starrs I see, but in my eye no starr like thee."
English phrase on poesy rings

4. "Loving is not just looking at each other, it's looking in the same direction."
Antoine de Saint-Expuery, Wind, Sand, and Stars, 1939

5. "Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love."
Albert Einstein

Check out the link for the rest, if you are interested.

For the men who are reading this, or if you women would like to direct your man here, in a subtle way, are some tips for gifts for the woman in their life. The site lists items like flowers, chocolates, perfume, lingerie, and other similar things. I'd like to hear from the women who read this blog. What would your favorite Valentine's Day gift be if you could design it?

Would they include anything from Gifts.com and the hundreds of ideas they have there?

If you're looking for a gift that's more personalized and doesn't cost too much, you might want to consider things like breakfast in bed, or dinner in bed, or even writing a love letter. You can find more easy gift ideas here.

If you're looking to get away and have a Valentine's Day vacation look no further. Here are your 2013 Valentine's Day Getaways. From Bed & Breakfast to Exotic getaways. I hope you enjoy your trip. Wouldn't every one of you want to travel to the beautiful island pictured above for your romantic getaway?

These are the tips I have for Valentine's Day. If you have more, I'd love to hear about them in the comments section.

Enjoy the holiday!

Happy Halloween!!

Hey kiddies and not so kiddie-ish!

Halloween is here and that means tempting candy is close at hand. Ever wonder which ones are "better" for you than the others?

I did to. So I found this article from Lifescript. Trick or Treat: What's Good to Eat?

I suggest you read it and tell me what you think.

While you're at it, tell me what your favorite Halloween candy was when you were a kid. Mine was and still is Tootsie Rolls. And, guess what I got to give out? Tootsie Rolls. Yep, and I'm going to be stingy too, so I"ll have some left over for me. Mawaaahaahaahaaa!!

What's your most memorable Halloween? Mine was when I was about 5 years old. I was washing dishes and a top from a can slid into the water. It sliced my left thumb. I went around as a fairy princess with a great big bandage on my thumb. I had to show everyone and tell them the whole story. I still have the scar.

So, have a Happy Halloween and for those that practice, Happy Samhain.