Let's Talk About - The Element of Surprise

Let's Talk About...
THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE

I am a believer that leaving little notes for a loved one to find is a great boost for relationships.

I first learned this concept from my Aunt Sue because she taught me to discreetly write "present for Sarah" onto my mom's shopping list. (You can picture a mother's smile when she grabs the list off of the counter and runs to the store to pick up a few things... milk, eggs, bread, burgers, buns, present for Sarah.) That's when she thinks to herself "I've got a pretty neat daughter."

When dating my high school sweetheart, I used to sneak into his laundry bag and tuck notes into his socks or into the flap of his whitie-tightie underwear to let him know that I was thinking of him while he was away at college. Of course, he wouldn't find these notes for a few days so I'm sure it was a nice surprise.

Once, I tried to make my own fortune cookies, but I had to tell my boyfriend that they were, indeed, fortune cookies. (They had, sadly, turned out NOTHING like the picture in the magazine and looked NOTHING like fortune cookies as we know them.)

In my current relationship, I recently taped a note to the back side of the remote control as a surprise for my boyfriend to find. It simply said "You turn me on."

We've left little notes for each other taped around the apartment before. (i.e. bathroom mirror, fridge door, etc.) It really is kind of a sweet way to let someone know that you were thinking about them.

The one that I left him that really caught him off guard was the note taped to the bottom of the toilet seat. He admitted "that one, I was NOT expecting." (SEE PHOTO.)

So, I encourage you to sneak a note or a special treat into the bottom of a lunchbox, into a glasses case, as a bookmark in the book that they are reading, scribe a note on the steamed bathroom mirror... tell someone that you love them.

You'll be glad that you did.

Trying out someone else's kids

While on vacation to South Carolina, I had the opportunity to meet these adorable kids who, I must admit, are 100% ALL BOY!

While fishing on the property's pond with the kids, the oldest of the 3 boys was first to catch a fish. Cameron wasn't shy at all to pose for the camera after knowing me for less than an hour. He even asked "Y'all are gonna send a copy of the photo, aren't ya?"

Following my horse ride, the middle child (Owen) took one of our horses back to the stable. My horseback ride had turned into a walk back since I was too chicken to get back on after my original hourse geeked out on the trails.


The youngest boy, Clay, was the one who was keeping up quite well with his two older brothers. (See photos below this text.) The way he flew around on a 4-wheeler was quite impressive and almost second nature to him. In fact, he made it look so incredibly easy that we laughed when my 37-year-old boyfriend struggled to get one started when the kids were not around to show him how it's done.

You've got to admit that the INCREDIBLE photo is adorable. He posed for a few photos in his puffy muscled costume. I caught this look of complete admiration as he sat in the kitchen chair, talking to his grandfather – whom he calls Papa.

YEP, CUTE KIDS! My mom reminds me that my biological clock is ticking so someday, maybe I will be lucky enough to have some of my own... only time will tell!

WIDE AWAKE for no particular reason

Don't you just hate when you go to bed tired, have gotten only about an hour of sleep and wake up feeling like it is morning?

Yes, I am that person right now.

At 12:32AM, I finally got out of bed because I have been WIDE AWAKE for 30 minutes now.

Now, I sit at my computer running through my previous day in my head, wondering where I had consumed some late-night caffeine, having caused this episode of insomnia. Sadly, I am coming up with NOTHING.

Sadly, it is the time of night when many people are still out in the bars having a good time. And here I sit, after an hour (or so) of sleep – feeling well-rested.

Perhaps, I subconsciously wanted to get a head-start on my day of therapeutic fun since I had planned to make cards, scrapbook and work on artsy projects on my day off of work. YEP, I'm going to go with that.

Therapy now in session...
have creative work to do, quietly, in the middle of the night.

(Although, I am sure that I will end up back in bed before the night is over.)

YES, therapy now in session...

Life of a Domestic Goddess

I was scheduled an easy shift today– only 4 hours. (Lucky me, eh?)

So, what will I do with the rest of my afternoon, you ask?

Well, the current state of my kitchen is disasterous... the dishwasher is full of clean dishes, the sink is full of dirty dishes, and the neglected pans from dinner last night are still on the stove. (I did manage to put the leftovers away.)

The bed is unmade, but that isn't unusual at all. I like it to look warm and inviting. (Mom and I disagree on this one, as she thinks that a made bed looks more inviting than an unmade one, but I feel that an unmade one is more ready to just crawl in....) Did I mention how much I adore the flannel sheets that we just purchased? They are cozy, especially when used in combo with my electric blanket.

I have a load of laundry from last time around that I didn't feel like putting away yet. (The important point is that it is all clean.) The hampers are full of dirty clothes and it is time to wash again. Perhaps, this time, I will be able to put all of it away at once.

The bathroom could almost always use a little attention.

There are kitty kibbles on the floor near the food bowls and there are scraps of paper debris scattered on the office floor, which is my evidence of last week's home-made valentines. So, perhaps I need to get out the ol' Hoover, too.

So, needless to say, I will be a domestic goddess today – following my trip to the post office, bank and laundromat (aka my parent's house).

And when all that work is done, I will need to make something for dinner, clean up my mess and then hope to have a therapeutic afternoon/evening where I will be able to do some scrapbooking. (I love that hobby and find it so darned addictive!)

Well, I had better mosey on with my day... especially since I can't play until the work is over.

Domestic goddess signing out.

You get what you pay for - TOAST

So, I am here to tell you that YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

For example, if you buy a $5 toaster, keep in mind that it will not last as long as the one that was handed down from your dad's great-aunt and still works to this day. In fact, you should probably not leave your $5 toaster unattended.

In my divorce settlement's division of property, I had not acquired the toaster. So, for 2 months, I made toast under the broiler, but my friend (turned boyfriend) laughed at me and eventually bought me this $5 toaster for my birthday.

This morning, for example, I had thrown an English Muffin into the toaster. A few minutes later, my boyfriend informed me that we had a fire in the kitchen. He had unplugged the toaster. I went into my tiny kitchen to investigate and was bewildered to find that the muffin was not toasted at all so, I asked him about this so-called FIRE.

"Don't you smell the melting plastic?" he asked.

"Well, yeah, but the toast isn't burned at all so, where's this fire?"

He then pointed to the panel of the toaster and informed me that there were flames shooting out right there.

"Needless to say," he says "we need a new toaster and I am thankful that I was in here to see it happen."

SO, YOU ASK.... where is your toaster right now?
ANSWER: Out in the snowbank on my deck.




(May the toaster rest in peace after a lifespan of just 9 months.)

OK, so I'm new at this

OK, so I am new at this whole BLOGGING thing. Truth be told, a few months ago, I found a blogger's webpage and have been addicted to her site ever since. She is a graphic designer and paper crafter (scrapbooker, card maker, etc) in Utah and I go to her blog every day that my computer is on. (kwernerdesign.com/blog) I think she is great and I especially love how she posts a video every Monday where she makes a beautiful card right before your very eyes. Check her blog out. Chances are, you'll be hooked, too!

So, I was a graphic designer in a former life, but opted to work retail now because I LOVE to talk to people.... even better to get paid to talk to people.

I love my Macintosh computer and wish that I could afford a new one. (One with a webcam would be GREAT.)

I keep trying to win the Powerball jackpot, but in all the years of playing, I don't think I have ever cashed in more than $4. I buy a ticket whenever I am feeling lucky (or whenever my palm itches because mom told me once that it meant I would get money). I buy tickets under the philosophy that I can't win if I don't buy a ticket. Maybe someday....

I like to write, but seldomly ever do it. In fact, once upon a time (catchy, eh), I wanted to be a writer. I have no formal training in it, but am told that I tell a good story. Maybe someday I will follow my dreams...

When I was married, I used to write a goofy newsletter to my in-law side of the family as well as to some of our friends who thought I was hilarious and wanted "to subscribe". It was my way of being creative and venting my frustrations of my brother-in-law spending too much time at our house. I had a lot of fun with it. It showcased my quirky personality.

So, I am tempted to post this now... just to see what it is all about.

Then, I will have to call my mom and tell her to check it out. (HI MOM! ... I love you!) She will agree that I am slightly quirky, too, but I know that she loves me, despite the quirks.

OK, so here goes..... my first blog posting.