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A Simple Celebration

May 31st, 2014

Mr Chiots and I really appreciate the simple things in life.  We have tried hard to simplify and get back to the basics, and the celebration of special events is no different.  Birthdays go by as any other day, no gifts or anything out of the ordinary except for maybe a “happy birthday” uttered in the morning.  We are big believers that you should make the most of every day and moment and not relegate celebrating to one special occasion.  Thus our celebration of 16 years of marriage yesterday was simple.  We both worked outside until around 7pm and then enjoyed a simple meal. A salad harvested from the garden topped with homemade meyer lemon vinaigrette paired with scallops I picked up a few hours earlier at the farmers market.
dinner
After dinner we went out and closed up all the birds, checked on the pigs, watered a few things in the garden and then settled in for an evening of reading and writing.  It was simple and just the way we like our evenings to be; is there any better way to celebrate life than by living life?  I think not!  Far too often we are too busy worrying about the next big event or celebration and we miss the moments that happen each day.  These moments, even if they are simply doing chores together, are the moments that make up our lives.  There is great value in these moments, don’t let them slip away!

What’s your favorite meal to celebrate a special occasion? 

11 Comments to “A Simple Celebration”
  1. daisy on May 31, 2014 at 5:23 am

    Sounds like a lovely way to spend a special day. Congrats on your anniversary.
    I indulge in a mocha cake for my birthday-homemade, of course!

    Reply to daisy's comment

  2. Kay on May 31, 2014 at 6:37 am

    Happy Anniversary! We enjoy a good steak, and once or twice a year, I will make a German chocolate cake with English walnuts in lieu of pecans.

    Reply to Kay's comment

  3. kristin @ going country on May 31, 2014 at 6:50 am

    Anything I don’t have to cook myself.

    Happy anniversary to you both.

    Reply to kristin @ going country's comment

  4. Marina on May 31, 2014 at 6:51 am

    A happy marriage is a gift for every day.
    I would say you and Brian are lucky, but it is more than that.
    Like a garden, you start with good soil, good seeds, fine weather…
    Then, nurture, nurture, nurture.
    I wish you a long happy life, nurturing your world!

    Reply to Marina's comment

  5. Jennifer Fisk on May 31, 2014 at 7:17 am

    I would say you had the perfect celebration. I love a meal nicely cooked by someone else.

    Reply to Jennifer Fisk's comment

  6. Jaye Whitney on May 31, 2014 at 9:02 am

    I like and admire the way you think Suzy! Dinner looks amazing :)

    btw, how do you prepare your scallops?

    Reply to Jaye Whitney's comment

    • Susy on May 31, 2014 at 9:43 pm

      These were dried on a kitchen towel and sprinkled with salt/pepper. Then I sear them in a hot cast iron skillet for 2-3 minutes on each side depending not the side of the scallop. That’s pretty much it, I find scallops to be so good on their own they need little done to them. On occasion I’ll deglaze the pan with some white wine and add a dab of butter to make a light sauce.

      Reply to Susy's comment

      • Jaye Whitney on June 1, 2014 at 7:08 am

        Thanks Susy, I knew you’d have a simple and tasty way of preparing them :)

        to Jaye Whitney's comment

  7. laura on May 31, 2014 at 9:21 am

    Happy Anniversary!
    blessings
    ~*~

    Reply to laura's comment

  8. Nebraska Dave on May 31, 2014 at 3:58 pm

    Susy, I have celebrated several birthdays on short term mission trips helping to do electrical wiring for hurricane damaged houses. Those were the best birthdays ever. I wish I could celebrate some more like that with simple meals in sometimes places without power and sleeping in warehouses. During those short few years I racked up over twenty week long trips all through the south. The crew I ran with would work on electrical wiring for new additions for churches in the off seasons when no disaster jobs were available. I traded that in for raising a grandson and trying to get my youngest daughter started in life. It’s not exactly my first choice but a worthy responsibility and I gladly do it without complaint. Nothing gladdens my heart more than to see a hellion wild kid at four become a well mannered great kid at age nine. My best life time present ever is to be able to help a young boy, who had a rough start in life, get directed down a better path then what he was on. Rules, boundaries, and some rather harsh discipline through love in the beginning really did make a difference in the life journey of a young boy.

    I’m in awe at the “live what you preach” lifestyle you live. One of your podcasts was about living simple. You continue to inspire readers by example in just about every blog post. It’s why your blog is a must read for me every day.

    May you have many more simple celebrations for special days.

    Reply to Nebraska Dave's comment

  9. whit on June 2, 2014 at 9:47 am

    Happy Anniversary to you and Brian.

    Reply to whit's comment

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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