Archive for December, 2009

I promised I would share my “25 Reasons Why I Love You” list that I plan on giving to my husband this Christmas. I could go on and on but I won’t bore you with giving you more than the 25 reasons. I will probably change out a few of these to more private ways I love him. I just don’t feel it would be appropriate to share. These are private.

1. The way you laugh when you are teasing me.
2. Before you left for work today you pulled the down comforter on me and told me to stay in bed and sleep. You knew I had gotten up at 3AM and didn’t go back to bed until 5 AM because I couldn’t sleep. You wanted me to rest.
3. You don’t have a jealous bone in your body.
4. You put gas in my car so I don’t have too. (I really don’t know how to gas my own car)
5. The way your brown eyes sparkle when you know you are going to surprise me and that is hard to do.
6. You stood beside me and took care of me when I had cancer.
7. You love me just the way I am.
8. You put up with me when I am grouchy.
9. The way you kiss me when we are laughing.
10. The way you hug me.
11. The way you hold my hand when we are walking on the beach.
12. Sitting and having a cup of coffee quietly together.
13. The way you laugh and play with the grandkids.
14. You can fix a delicious dinner for us when I am too busy to.
15. You surprised me with my favorite dark chocolate.
16. You make sure my car is in perfect working order.
17. The way you always fall asleep on the couch and snore. (Yes, honey you do snore.)
18. In the middle of the night if we both wake up you pull me close to you and tell me you love me and then we go right back to sleep.
19. You always make me laugh even when I am mad at you.
20. You are my rock.
21. The way you laugh when you watch “My Name is Earl” TV series.
22. The way you help around the house to make it look nice.
23. The way you put your arms around me.
24. The way you would rather be with me than anyone else.
25. The way you try to do the right things.

So make your “25 Reasons Why I Love You” appropriate for you and your husband only. Enjoy the love you have for them and let them know how much you appreciate their love.

Don’t forget to pick up the items I told you to get last week. I will tell you what you will be doing with all these items tomorrow, Friday, December 18, 2009.

• Christmas stationary (Love Letter or 25 Reasons Why I Love You)
• 1 String of battery operated Christmas lights (Don’t forget the batteries) 
• 1 Small blank Christmas card
• Small Christmas ribbon that will allow you to attach and tie something
• Something sexy to wear

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2009 – 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

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A few years back a gal I worked with came to me after hearing a coworker talk about her romantic getaway. She asked me if I would help her save her $5.00 a week and handed me her first $5.00. I put it in an envelope with her name on it and then every week I would remind her to give me her money so she could go away on her anniversary.

Six months in advance she made reservations at a special little inn in Ballard, CA about 30 miles from where we live. It felt like you had traveled a hundred miles to get there. It is in the country overlooking the beautiful rolling hills of Santa Ynez near by. The area is beautiful and quite with gentlemen’s ranches nestled next to each other. There isn’t much in Ballard but the inn and a small restaurant across the street. She told her husband that she needed him to turn in a two day vacation request but wouldn’t tell him why. She wanted to surprise him.

When the day came I handed her the money she had saved. She looked at me and sheepishly told me she was concerned that her husband would want to pay off a bill instead of getting away. I told her that she had nickel and dimed herself to death to save this money and that she should stick to her grounds and still go. I also told her when she got to the inn she needed to pay in cash with her husband watching. I warned her she may need to count it twice because sometimes money has a way of sticking together. Especially if you are counting with all the $5.00 you saved.  After she was done paying for the room in cash, she was told to turn to her husband and smile at him and tell him this was how much she appreciated being married to him and how much she loved him.

I lent her my old fashioned picnic basket for them to use. They drove along the country roads instead of taking the freeway. Wineries dotted the landscape where they stopped and did some wine tasting and ate a picnic lunch that she had loving prepared. Then she directed her husband to drive to the inn. He thought they were just going wine tasting and that was it. He was so surprised! When she got to the inn she paid cash and told him how much she loved him. They had enough money to go across the street and have dinner at the charming wine bistro. A leisurely breakfast was served in the morning which was part of their room rate.

They both came back beaming and thanked me for helping her save the money they needed for their romantic getaway. The real thanking came a week later after they had returned. The coworker came to me and told me that while they were in Ballard she thought to herself this is nice but there was something she didn’t expect to happen. She told me that it was the afterglow that was still with her and her husband a week later.

Keep saving your $5.00 a week and you will get the same afterglow they did and you will be hooked. You will always remember to save your money so that you get that alone time together that every marriage so desperately needs.

Don’t forget to pick up the items I told you to get last week. I will tell you what you will be doing with all these items on Friday, December 18, 2009.

• Christmas stationary (Love Letter or 25 Reasons Why I Love You)
• 1 String of battery operated Christmas lights (Don’t forget the batteries) 
• 1 Small blank Christmas card
• Small Christmas ribbon that will allow you to attach and tie something
• Something sexy to wear

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2009 – 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

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Christmas is almost here and there really isn’t enough time to do everything. Buying and wrapping gifts, parties, cooking, cleaning house, working and taking care of the kids. Don’t make yourself crazy with trying to go out this coming weekend. You can still have some alone time at home if you plan it right. Why not rent a romantic funny movie for you and your spouse to watch together after the kids are in bed and asleep. I went on line and did some research and found some romantic comedy Christmas movies you both might enjoy watching.

One of these seven should make it an enjoyable evening together:

  1. The Family Stone
  2. The Family Man
  3. The Holiday
  4. Love Actually
  5. Noel
  6. Preacher’s Wife
  7. When Harry Met Sally

Make some hot chocolate or hot apple cider and cuddle up together with the fireplace on. Relax and enjoy your quite evening sitting beside each other at home.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2009 – 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

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Your marriage deserves a little lift! Save $5 a week and make those reservations.

Keep those sparks flying!

JoJo

© 2009 – 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

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A while back I was at a department store and I was purchasing something cute and sexy for my husband. When I walked up to the register the lady who was in her seventies looked at me, smiled and with a twinkle in her eyes she proceed to tell me this story.

Her husband came home one evening with a bouquet of flowers for her. He smiled and said “Just because I love you.” Well that got her thinking that she needed to do something “Just because I love you also” for him. As luck would have it she worked in the lingerie department and purchased a very sexy corset set. One evening she put the corset on and when her husband came home and walked into the house she smiled at him and said “Just because I love you!”

I loved this story for four reasons. Number one her husband didn’t expect anything in return when he brought the flowers home. Secondly, his wife started to think of a way to show him how much she appreciated him. Thirdly, this is a couple who were very much in love with each other and they obviously were thoughtful of the other. People don’t stay in love when they are not courteous to one another. The couple that stays in love respects each other and shows their love in expected and unexpected ways, they keep the romance alive. Lastly, the forth reason I like this story is because the couple was in their seventies. They didn’t have the youthful body that a young couple would have but they were comfortable enough with themselves to not be afraid to dress sexy in the privacy of their home.

Why not have a “Just because I love” date night. Ladies get the sexy lingerie and let your spouse know you love them just because. Men pick up a bouquet of flowers and bring them home to that special wife of yours and when you walk in the door tell her “Just because I love you” and give her a long and romantic kiss. AH, the pleasure of a “Just because I love you” moment.

Don’t forget to pick up the items I told you to get last week. I will tell you what you will be doing with all these items on Friday, December 18, 2009.

  • Christmas stationary (Love Letter or 25 Reasons Why I Love You)
  • 1 String of battery operated Christmas lights (Don’t forget the batteries)
  • 1 Small blank Christmas card
  • Small Christmas ribbon that will allow you to attach and tie something
  • Something sexy to wear

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2009 – 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

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There are a series of books on the best places to kiss that you can buy on Amazon.com. I thought you would enjoy reading. I choose only the ones that have been published in 2000 to current. There are several that were also printed in the 1980s and 1990s but I felt they were too old to mention. They are still being sold on Amazon.

Here is the most current list:

  • The Best Places to Kiss in the Northwest, by Teri Citterman
  • The Best Places to Kiss in Northern California, by Kate Chynoweth
  • The Best Places to Kiss in Southern California, by Bonnie Steele
  • The Best Places to Kiss in Paris, by Souffard Thierry

If you live or are planning on traveling to these areas you may want to pick up a copy and read it before you go. How fun would that be to plan a romantic kiss in a specific spot together. The book gives you inns and hotels that you can stay at as well as eateries, shopping, parks, museums, etc. A great little book to bring with you on your travels when romance is on your mind.

Go to www.amazon.com to purchase any of The Best Places to Kiss.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2009 – 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

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You want to go away someplace special for your anniversary but cannot afford to pay the full rate for two days. Then check out the Starwood Hotels. They are having another special now through December 31st, 2010, for every night you pay regular rate, you can get next night at 50% off. So whether you stay 2 nights, 4 nights the 50% discount is applied to every second night.  If you want to get this rate you must book your room by December 30th, 2009. This special is valid for arrivals Thursday through Saturday.

I checked out the Westin South Coast Plaza in Orange County to see if this special offer was available for January 15, 2010 through January 17, 2010. See below for the breakdown.

1/15/10                                            $149.00
1/16/10                                                74.00
Tourism Assess Fee for 2 nights:             .60
Tax 8%:                                                 17.80
Total:                                                $241.40

Saved:                                               $260.00
Room Fees:                                         241.40
Money leftover:                                 $ 18.60

The Starwood Hotels are across the United States so check to see if there is one near you. Who knows you might get a better deal than I did. Please note not all the Starwood Hotels are offering the second night half off.

Start making your travel plans and see if you can get this deal by going online to:

www.starwoodhotels.com

Remember to make those reservations at least six months in advance so you can plan on saving more money if you need too. Your anniversary could be double the fun!

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2009 – 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

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Yesterday it rained most of the day and it was cold, it was 50 during the day. I know some of you are laughing but for us Californians that is cold. Since the weather is chilly, I decided to make one of my husband’s favorite meals which is Tortellini Soup. This is an old recipe that I got from Bon Appétit years ago. I made some slight changes. It smells wonderful and everyone that has tried it loves it.

Tortellini Soup

4 14 ½ oz cans of beef broth
4 cups water
1 lb mild Italian sausage, cut into ½ inch pieces
10 oz fresh cheese tortellini pasta
10 oz fresh spinach tortellini pasta
½ lb cabbage, shredded
1 small green bell pepper, cored and diced
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 small red onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
1 crushed clove garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Combine first 12 ingredients in large pot and season with salt and pepper. Bring to slow boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 min. Ladle soup into bowls. Serve immediately, passing grated Parmesan cheese. (Soup can be prepared 1 day ahead, covered and refrigerated)

Serve with garlic bread and a nice green salad. Delicious!!!

This makes a huge pot of soup. I have friends who have moved out of state call me because they couldn’t find the recipe and needed it. You will become quite famous when you serve this to family and friends. It will warm their hearts.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2009 – 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

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Saving $5 a week and staying at that special inn or hotel will have you and your sweetheart waking up in the morning with a big grin!

Keep those sparks flying!

JoJo

© 2009 – 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

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The holiday season is such a busy time of year. Christmas shopping, parties, gift-wrapping, decorating and cooking all packaged up together for 25 days. Why not have a date night and go Christmas shopping together?

I know men are thinking are you nuts? I HATE TO SHOP! When you work together as a team to get things done there is less stress and more time to enjoy the holiday festivities as a couple. Let your wife know you want to help with finding gifts for the men and boys in your lives. Ladies don’t expect your partner to know what to buy for the women and little girls in their lives.  Before you leave the house have a list of names with an idea of what you want to get. Then hop in the car and make it a fun night, think of it as a scavengers hunt. Go out to dinner and then go shopping, after you are done go for a cup of hot apple cider or hot chocolate.

While you are shopping don’t forget to bring along your list of things to get that I told you to do a couple of days ago. Have it with you and you both can pick up the items you don’t have. If your partner asks you what these are for just tell them it is a surprise. This should cause a little fun bantering back and forth. Have fun with each other with lots of twinkles in your eyes. You will have the gift of anticipation in both of you. You can’t wait to give your gift and the other is wondering what it could be.

I will tell you what to do with these items on December 18 so you will be ready in plenty of time.

Here is a reminder of everything you need:

  • Christmas stationary (Love Letter or 25 Reasons Why I Love You)
  • 1 String of battery operated Christmas lights (Don’t forget the batteries)
  • 1 Small blank Christmas card
  • Small Christmas ribbon that will allow you to attach and tie something
  • Something sexy to wear

Turn your date night into a scavengers hunt. Enjoy the Christmas holidays and the moments you create. When you do this even the most mundane things turn into something special.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2009 – 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

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