:: I’m in the final stretch of the Circle of Moms Top 25 Vegan and Vegetarian Contest. It seems like it’s a real fight over towards the finish line ~ if you like this blog, I beg you to vote for me with a simple click of your mouse. You can vote today and tomorrow (last day) with 24 hrs in between voting! I really appreciate everyone helping out. xo
:: happiness is… a lovely way to start the week with a positive reflection of what brings happiness to you right now. positive thinking on a monday morning ~ there’s no better way to start the week. i hope you will join me.
Happiness is…
- being in the final stretch of the Circle of Moms Contest
- having great friends who will continue to vote for me ;)
- a snowy weekend
- tobogganing with the little kids ~ I do like the mild winter but I’ve realized that winter is boring without the snow ;)
- that cold crisp air ~ it’s so refreshing
- having the greatest sisters/ aunts
- a long walk in the snow with the Mr. and having it be his idea
- ketchup hearts on sandwiches
- my living room art wall ~ which I will soon share
- having a creative job and appreciating it although I do have some reshoots requested. bummer.
- a morning visit for a long therapeutic talk ~ we’ll see how that goes ;)
- enjoying this beautiful project called Love Ever After An Art Book project in New York, NY by Lauren Fleishman
This is how Lauren describes the project:
Love Ever After will share the love stories of couples who have been married for at least 50 years. Inspired by a letter my grandfather wrote to my grandmother during World War II (and rediscovered after he passed away in 2007), I began photographing and interviewing couples in the New York area as a way to preserve their stories and to illuminate our universal experience of love.
“You have to remember the times were different. We met in the 1939 and we didn’t have money. So our group of friends always met at our friend Betty’s basement. There weren’t things like dates and going out to dinner. We didn’t know from those things because we didn’t have money. So we enjoyed each others’ company. ”
Fran Futterman, April 25, 2011.
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“April 14th will be our 68th wedding anniversary. That’s right, you heard it! Friends ask me how I managed to get someone like Jean. So I have one expression. I prayed well.”
Abe Small, March 2, 2011.
Take a look at this clip and learn how you can support Lauren with Love Ever After:
~ Wow. How do you feel about this project? It’s so wonderful to see these beautiful old couples be together for all these years. I am reminding myself that these were different times where people married younger and led different, more traditional simpler lifestyles. One thing is for sure, they are a true amazing inspiration of Love that us young(er) couples could really learn from.
My grandparents and even my parents had been widowed too early in their marriage to even come close to such a long and successful marriage. And honestly, this makes me think of them right now ~ I need to research more into my family’s love life ;)
Please share what happiness is to you right now.
Wishing you a lovely Valentine’s Week ~ yes, make it a full week of extra kissing and hugging and ‘I love you’ words and notes ;)
Much love to you from me. xo
ps. the winner of the Love-ly Giveaway is Ashley Jensen. Thanks everyone for playing, your definition of Love is so beautiful I wish we could put all those words in a book ;)
Blogger, Recipe Developer, Photographer and Author. Loves healthy food, photography, sunshine and dancing in the kitchen with her two daughters. 
How beautiful. I am sure there are plenty of marriages from earlier times that were not wonderful. But these are the ones that made it through, so there is definitely something to be learned and celebrated! So so sweet…thanks for sharing.
Clair, I know what you mean…. Things were swept under the run all the time. A long marriage didn’t always mean a happy marriage – but these couples do really beam with love for each other. I guess perseverance through life and love are part of the success ;)
Happy Valentine’s Day to you guys ;) xo
Dearest sweet Ella, beautiful post and i love your grandparent’s love story! So inspiring and beautiful! :) Have a lovely merry happy Valentine’s week and love to you!
Hello Jacqueline my dear ;)
Oh these are not my grandparents – mine are long gone now unfortunately. This is a project by an photographer in NYC ;)
Woo hoo! Thanks so much for the give away Ella! I loved hearing my grandparent’s love stories! My dads parents were 15(grandma) and 20(Papa) when they got married! Happiness is…our daughter crawling into be with us on the weekend mornings for a few mintues while our dog and cat crawl on top of us getting to loved on. All 4 of them within my reach is pure bliss. I wish many times someone could be standing over us taking a picture to capture it!
Congrats Ashley! (I will be emailing you)
Your grandma was 15 when she married? Wow!
You guys are so cute with the big weekend morning rituals – Oh I do wish someone snapped a photo of you guys ;)
i love your posts.and such a sweet story. reminds me of my grandparents. they used to argue all the time.. but there was always an undercurrent of love and playfulness. And when my grandma passed away, grandpa was the most distraught. There is something about the 55+ plus years they spent with each other.
Hi Richa, what a lovely story of your grandparents and so sad too that there’s always suffering for the ones left behind. But so lovely to have had that partnership for all these years….
xo