When I was newly married, one of my favorite books was called More Hours in My Day by Emilie Barnes. I learned so much about homemaking from that book! As a young wife it was wonderful to have such an encouraging and inspiring resource for setting up my own home and establishing healthy habits for my family.
Emilie shared a sweet idea for showing love to her husband called “The Love Basket.” I know, it might seem a little bit sappy, but creativity in marriage is a surefire way to keep the sparks alive, right? We all tend to be a bit more sappy and sweet when we are dating, but can so easily forget that important element of romance later on in our marriages.
My husband and I have been married for 25 years so we know how easy it is to slip into the everyday routines and forget the importance of still being playful and fun!
So what is this Love Basket about?
Emilie shared in her book how she would pull out her picnic basket and fill it with special little things to show she cared. For instance, if her husband had a rough week at work, she’d fill the basket on Friday night with tasty things he would enjoy, like his favorite drink and maybe a special dessert. Then after the kids went to bed for the night, she’d surprise him by inviting him to join him for a little date!
The creative ideas and applications for a Love Basket are endless!
I think the Love Basket is a very fun way to create special dates on a budget. When my kids were very young we didn’t have money for dates we’d have creative “at home date” after the kids went to bed. Start this Love Basket date tradition in the summer and carry it on all year round. You can use your basket for dates inside or outside, depending on the weather and the theme of your basket. I bet it will become a very special tradition in your home!
During the summer your Love Basket could be filled with favorite magazines, books, cold drinks and a blanket to sit on. Then you can invite your man out for a reading date at the park or if you don’t have a sitter, take him out to the backyard while the kids play in the sandbox!
Or how about filling your Love Basket with favorite card games and fun coupons for prizes? Instant game night date for two on the living room floor! A movie themed Love Basket date would be fun too. Or if you really want to make your man smile, how about a romantic Love Basket date? {blush} I’ll leave the ideas for that one up to your imagination.
The fourth of July isn’t the only day of the year for fireworks, you can create a lasting spark in your marriage and build fun memories into your relationship with a Love Basket!
What other date ideas do you have for a Love Basket?
How about using a Love Basket to show you care about your kids and friends too?
This adorable picnic basket (i.e. the perfect Love Basket!) and sweet chalkboard for your love notes is available from the Redeemed Collection at DaySpring! You can see the Picnic Basket here and the Chalkboard here. And today is the last day to enter a giveaway for both items at The Inspired Room!
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I love the basket idea. Early on in our marriage, I was challenged to not let the spark go out and to remember the passion I felt for my husband and why. Remembering is such a major theme in the Bible and a key to faithfulness in my relationship with God and I believe my spouse as well. I began keeping and stashing every card and love note I received from David. I also began keeping the notes and cards I wrote to him (If he didn’t store them himself) I have them in his undies drawer, my drawers, cook books, silverware drawers….. I come across them frequently and take a moment to read them now and again. MY notes remind me of the passion I felt/have for for Him and what I loved about him. His notes remind me he does love me and what about me he loves. Though these notes are years old, they still spark memories, emotions and passion in my heart for him. I posted a 3 part series titled “Pants on the ground: Keeping the spark alive” that explained this more in detail.
Love that idea, Jody! Thanks for sharing it!
My mom lives quite a ways away from me (She in Florida & I in Michigan). We were all eager for her 5th year of being breast cancer free to occur (September 2012) when the horrific news came in last week that the doctors have discovered another lump. My mother is very spiritual and loves God. I envy her for her deep faith. If I had a basket like that I would fill it with pictures and mementos of all of us who love her and are praying for her along with Get well cards, hand made pictures made by the grandchildren, letters and spiritual books…all to help her along during this difficult time. She means the world to us.
How about creating a smaller “I Love You” box, where you can drop notes in about things you really love about each other.
My husband and I had a long distance relationship and wrote letter to each other daily for 9 months. I miss those love notes and think this would be a great way to resurrect some.
Love the idea of sharing notes with each other!
I love it! Other ideas???
Start a scavenger hunt with the first “clue & gift” in the basket…could be set up around the house, or out on a big adventure ending at some hotel somewhere 😉
I will set up my basket today for my hubbs for when he gets home later…Thank you!
LOVE this idea!!! And Emiiee Barnes is an amazing woman- I love her books!!
Me too Sara, I haven’t read them for years so I think it is time to pull them out again!
oh my goodness I love this idea!!!!!!! thank you for sharing!
Great idea! I love it!
My hubby and I have also done something special to keep us on our toes.
We call it our Notebook. Each of us have a small sized notebook (personal size) and each day write something we love about the other person. Then we leave it for the other to find. Somedays it’s not as easy to come up with a positive…but if you dig deep God will soften your heart to find something good to say.
It’s a great way to keep a loving heart.
Often we get frustrated with little things in our marriage and this is just a way to remind each other that you care and not let the junk build up and overwhelm you.
Love, love, love this idea! May have to steal it!! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
This is a really sweet idea. After having two sons leave home and having my daughter left. I am beginning to fret about what my husband and I will do once she is gone, too. I think rekindling and keeping alive that flame is so important.
Great *keeping the spark* ideas !! We can always use these reminders and fresh tips, at any point in a relationship. Love it for kids idea as well!
My husband bought me a puzzle this Christmas so we could spend face time together. He said we could frame it and remember that like our love it had all the perfect peices, and it will stay together if we take care of it. I love that idea for the basket.
Thank is a sweet idea, Melinda!! My husband loves doing puzzles!
We have just (about 20 minutes ago) finished “the marriage course” by Nicky & Sila Lee, we have just entered the ’empty nest’ stage of our marriage and chose to invest in our relationship by attending the course – what a fantastic investment it has been.
I will try many of these ideas – find out which ones work for us and keep working to ensure our marriage stays strong.
We are dealing with the added change in my illness having more and more impact on my mobility and confidence, it would have been so easy for me to retreat into my shell and my wonderful husband do more and more around the house that there would be no time to talk, hug and have fun – we will make sure this doesn’t happen now that we can see the slippery slope we were on.
Thank you all – God’s timing is perfect as always 🙂
Wonderful ideas! I had no problem keeping the spark early on in marriage–it’s the later on that’s hard for me. Between stressful work for him, long drives, & not much sleep–it can be hard.
Thanks for the ideas!
Lovely. I have given picnic baskets as wedding gifts for this very reason!
What a fabulous idea!!
Your post made me smile because it brought back such sweet memories. I, too, read Emilie’s book as a new wife. I remember how everything was so new and exciting when we were first married. I always loved the Love Basket idea. Thank you for the reminder!
Blessings~
Blessings back to you, thanks Kristi!
What an intriguing idea! I love all the nifty suggestions of what to put inside to create specialized date nights and how this encourages all of us wives to really pay attention to what it is our husbands love to do.
Thanks so much for the idea. Now I am thinking about what I can do with one of my own baskets. . .
I am going to look for that book, even though I know it all. *ha ha ha*
We have a tiny mailbox with a flag we put up when we have something in it. Candy, notes, cartoons, what have you. We only use it about once a month….but now with two kidlets….creating sparks is HARD. I used to be the sexy one, now I am TIRED. so I think I will challenge myself to do more with the mailbox…toward that end!
Were the winners ever announced for the picnic basket giveaway, or did I miss it?