Use Your Words: And a Black Eye

Today’s post is a monthly writing challenge. If you’re new here, this is how it works: participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once. All of the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who got their words and in what direction the recipient will take them. Until now.

At the end of this post you’ll find links to the other blogs featuring this challenge. Check them all out, see what words they got and how they used them.
I’m using: card ~ love ~ flowers ~ wine ~ yelling ~ black eye

They were submitted by: Not That Sarah Michelle.

I love Google.Well, we're two days from Valentine's Day so what better time to announce your love, right?

But the truth is, I have no idea how I made it through day to day life before there was such a thing as Google. How I found out all those little bits of information I needed or wanted or even just plain never knew existed. 

Like today. I got these words and I thought " card, love, flowers, wine, I can do that, especially two days before V. D." I even thought "yelling, that could work too, after all, yelling doesn't have to be in anger. There's that whole shouting-from-the-rooftops thing". And then I got to black eye. All I could think of is "huh? how the hell am I going to work that into a Valentine's Day post? I got a black eye when I fell from the aforementioned rooftops following a love proclaiming yell-fest?"

Enter my good friend Google. Saved my ass this time. Because guess what that know-it-all Google told me today? That there is a winery called Black Eye. Don't believe me? Google it. HA!

Red Hot Cocoa

I know that many people don't believe in celebrating Valentine's Day. I'm not one of them. I am a full participant in the celebration of V.D., love it in fact. The holiday, of course, not the disease. Although many people believe that the holiday was created by greeting card companies or chocolatiers, it's not really so. Valentine's Day seems to have its roots both in a fertility festival celebrated in ancient Rome and as a way to honor up to three early saints named Valentine in three different parts of the world but all of whom were supposedly martyred on February 14th. I'm fairly certain I know why no one names their kids Valentine any more.

Even in terms of the connection between the holiday and romance I'm pretty sure Hallmark has plausible deniability. Valentine's Day was first associated with love back in the Middle Ages. It seems most likely that the first correlation between the two was in a poem by Chaucer dating back to the 1300s and references St. Valentine's Day as a day for lovers.

How do I know all this? Yeah, I Googled it.

The truth is, whether it's become completely commercialized or not (doesn't take Google to attest to the fact that it has), I just see no problem at all with setting aside a day when we all are reminded to stop and take some time to express our love, make or pick out a mushy card, brighten up someone's winter day with some pretty flowers and chocolates, share a romantic dinner and a bottle of wine, put aside any anger and yelling, and, whatever you do, refrain from giving any one a black eye. 

Unless, of course, it's the wine.

Links to the other Use Your Words posts:

The Bergham Chronicles 
 Spatulas on Parade
The Diary of an Alzheimer's Caregiver  

Dinosaur Superhero Mommy
Southern Belle Charm 
 Not That Sarah Michelle
The Angrivated Mom 
Never Ever Give Up Hope 
My Brain on Kids 
Confessions of a part time working mom 
Climaxed 
Someone Else's Genius 

Red Hot Cocoa

                                                                        ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients (4 servings):
1/2cup heavy cream
1 TBSP Cinnamon Schnapps (such as Goldschlager)
3 TBSP powdered sugar

1/4 cup water
1 TBSP chocolate syrup
3 TBSP Red Hot Candies
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup sugar
dash of salt
4 cups milk
OPT: 4 oz Cinnamon Whiskey (such as Fireball)

Directions:
*Beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Beat in the cinnamon schnapps and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Place in the refrigerator while making the cocoa.
*Crush the Red Hot Candies. Set aside 1 TBSP for the garnish.
*OPT: Place 1 ounce of Cinnamon Whiskey into each of four mugs.
*Whisk the water, chocolate syrup, 2 TBSP crushed candies, cocoa powder, sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium heat until boiling. Lower the heat and whisk in the milk.
*Heat, whisking now and then, until the mixture is hot but do not allow to boil.
*Divide the hot cocoa evenly into the mugs.
*Top with a dollop of the whipped cream. Sprinkle with the remaining crushed candies.