Surprise Kiss

Archive for December, 2010

Give the gift of love to your marriage today by saving $5 a week for your romantic anniversary getaway.

Don’t forget to get what you need for a very memorable Christmas. See Romantic Christmas, December 2nd, 2010. Remember last year and the fun you had with your sweetheart? See Christmas Lights, Dec 18, 2009. The big reveal will be tomorrow, Dec 21st.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

So many couples today are struggling to just keep a roof over their head and food on the table. With so many people loosing their home and/or their jobs there is very little money for Christmas gifts. Many couples are opting not to give each other gifts this year so they can give a Christmas gift to their children.

Gifts don’t have to be bought you know? The gift of time is more precious than any extravagant present you could give your love one. Find something you both enjoy together and make a pack that you will make the time each week to do it. Here are some suggestions:

1. Walk on the beach or in the woods

2. Play a game: Board games, cards

3. Read a book: This month’s Oprah Book Club pick is Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities and DailyLit has it on their website. Or maybe you both like to read mysteries, autobiographies, sci-fi or romance. Check out DailyLit to see what they have. All you need to do is register with them. It is free!

4. Make a special meal for the two of you. Feed the kids an easy meal they like and let them watch a movie and then you go into the kitchen together and make something special for the two of you.

Make sure what ever you decide to do that you both enjoy doing it. The most important thing you are doing is something money can’t buy and that is the gift of time. So few couples realize how important that is.

 Don’t forget to get what you need for a very memorable Christmas. See Romantic Christmas, December 2nd, 2010. Remember last year and the fun you had with your sweetheart? See Christmas Lights, Dec 18, 2009. The big reveal will be on Dec 21st.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Our daughter and her husband went to visit their daughter and husband a couple of weekends ago. Our granddaughter lives in Reno, NV near Truckee, CA. So Denise and Tom decided to stay in the quaint little community of Truckee. They drove up on Friday and came home on Monday.

Denise took the picture from her cell phone while traveling home on Donner Pass. I had to share it with you. Isn’t it beautiful!

They stayed at the Hampton Inn right in Truckee near the town’s small airport. We stayed there over the 4th of July weekend with them and really enjoyed ourselves. The lobby area has a huge fireplace and plenty of sitting area. The rooms are clean and the staff was very helpful and friendly. We ate at a couple of very good restaurants per their recommendations.

The Friday and Saturday rate with tax was $187.00 a night. On Sunday, Denise & Tom paid $146.11 with an AAA discount. FYI, this is a 100% non-smoking hotel. Here is the breakdown:

1 King Bed Nonsmoking:  $132.05 (1 night stay, midweek)

Taxes:                                  14.00

Total:                       $146.11

If you saved $5 a week for 52 weeks you would have saved $260.

Saved:                                     $260.00

Hotel Room:                            $146.11

Total Leftover:               $113.89

You have a $113.89 to spend on dinner! You don’t have to worry about breakfast at the Hampton Inn it is complimentary. Lunch and dinner is the only thing you need to think about spending.

If you live within 2 to 3 hours away from Truckee, CA you may want to spend your anniversary money enjoy the picturesque area and the quaint community.

Don’t forget to get what you need for a very memorable Christmas. See Romantic Christmas, December 2nd, 2010. Remember last year and the fun you had with your sweetheart? See Christmas Lights, Dec 18, 2009. The big reveal will be on Dec 21st.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Recently I mentioned my husband’s oldest brother has cancer and he is not doing very well. They have brought in hospice and the whole situation is very sad. Larry is not only dealing with the eminent loss of his brother but he is helping his parents who are 88 & 90 years old deal with their sorrow. And like everyone else the company he works for is in what I like to call the lean and mean period. We have all seen it when the economy is on a downward slide the company cuts back and expects more from their employees who are still employed by them.

Like most Saturdays Larry went into work to catch up on tasks that couldn’t be completed during the workweek. Now this is a man that goes into work during the week at 6:30 AM and comes home most evenings 6:30 PM. It is only a 10 minute or less drive to his office.

This Saturday was no different he went into the office at 6:30 AM and came home at 1:00 PM. I could tell he was very stressed and tired. I asked him if he wanted to talk about it and he said no but just sat there and stared. I decided not to probe him and let him be. A short while later I suggested he lay down on the couch and take a short nap. With a little convincing he did lie down and fell asleep for a couple of hours. That seemed to help and a little later while in the car we talked about what is going on with him.

The reason I am telling you about this is because on Monday, Dec 13, the Today Show had a segment about the difference between the male and female brain and how it works. They talked about how a man when under stress his brain activity decreases whereas a women’s brain activity increases. They said to give him space and leave him alone. When under stress a woman needs to talk about it and they suggested women call a friend. So I guessed I did it right. I left Larry alone and let him work it out then later while we were driving he opened up.

Check out the video I think you will lean a lot about how to interact with your spouse.

The Today Show – What You Should Know About His Brain – and Yours

I have mentioned before I noticed Larry is at his most talkative when we are in the car. He is relaxed and looking straight ahead concentrating on the traffic ahead telling me about his day, concerns or wishes. We all need to understand how each of us communicates for us to have a good marriage.

Don’t forget to get what you need for a very memorable Christmas. See Romantic Christmas, December 2nd, 2010. Remember last year and the fun you had with your sweetheart? See Christmas Lights, Dec 18, 2009. The big reveal will be on Dec 21st.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I have had to attend parties for the last five days. On Wednesday I went to a business associates Christmas open house at her office. Thursday it was girl’s night out with a group of girlfriends one of them is visiting from Mexico.  Larry and I had a company party to attend on Friday. Then on Saturday our daughter and her husband had the couple from Mexico and mutual friends over for dinner.  Tom cooked prime rib. Yum!!! A fun time was had by all. We talked, laughed and ate all night long. After this weekend I know we must have put on an extra five pounds or more. I don’t dare get on the scale.

I don’t know about you but I am always looking for something different to give when we have been invited to a dinner party. Typically people will bring flowers or a bottle of wine. I know flowers are a beautiful gift to give but they are not a good gift to bring when the hostess is cooking dinner. She then has to drop everything to find a vase to put them in.

I found something that was the hit of the party. It is a Wine Bottle Candelabra. I just brought an empty wine bottle for the hostess to put the candelabra in and light the candles. One little tip make sure the Candelabra fits the bottle’s opening before you bring it. Denise ended using it as the center piece of her table. (I brought it to her earlier in the day.) It was a hit. Everyone wanted to know where I got it, including our 18 year old grand-daughter who wanted to buy one for her boyfriend’s parents for Christmas. They are wine connoisseurs, so that would be a perfect gift for them.

The Candelabra makes for a really nice and unusual gift. Guys this is a great stocking stuffer to give your wife with a note saying, “For those romantic evenings together.” You can buy it at amazon.com.

[amazon_link id=”B0012UQYWA” target=”_blank” ]Scroll Wine Bottle Candelabra – Includes 5 Tealights[/amazon_link]

I bought additional ones for gifts and one for myself. I plan on using it when we have our next quite romantic dinner at home. As I mentioned we had a little trouble finding an opening that would fit the candelabra. We finally found one we had purchased and drank that had a screw top (would you believe it was an expensive bottle of wine too!)

Another great gift that is very similar to the Wine Bottle Candelabra is wine cork candles. I have put five empty wine bottles on my dining table. It makes for a beautiful and romantic dinner party. And it is an impressive and inexpensive way to decorate the table.

[amazon_link id=”B002CBLO78″ target=”_blank” ]Novelty Lifesize Wine Cork Candles – set of 4[/amazon_link]

Don’t forget to get what you need for a very memorable Christmas. See Romantic Christmas, December 2nd, 2010. Remember last year and the fun you had with your sweetheart? See Christmas Lights, Dec 18, 2009. The big reveal will be on Dec 21st.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Inspire your children to have the best marriage they can have when they they are married by having the best marriage you can have with your spouse. Keep saving your $5 a week.

Don’t forget to get what you need for a very memorable Christmas. See Romantic Christmas, December 2nd, 2010. Remember last year and the fun you had with your sweetheart? See Christmas Lights, Dec 18, 2009.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Want to go to a movie or try a new restaurant but you are not sure if you will like the movie or the new restaurant? How many times have you wanted to see a movie that sounded good on the commercials but when you went to see the film it didn’t meet your expectations? Or how about going to a new restaurant and after trying it you both agreed you would never go there again because the food was terrible and/or the service was horrible. I hate when that happens! That is a date disaster! Before you spend your hard earn money go to these two websites were you can read trusted reviews from people like you and me.

1. RottenTomatoes – Reviews on current movies and DVDs

                                                     2. Dine – Reviews of restaurants

Don’t have a date disaster with your sweetheart look over these two websites before you go out. They will help you decide if you want to see the movie or eat at that new restaurant. You want to make sure you are spending your money in all the right places. There is nothing more discouraging than trying to plan a special evening without the kids and then end up not having a good time because the movie was boring and the restaurant wasn’t any good.  Research and do your homework before you go out. There is less chance of having a date disaster and more of a chance of just the two of you having nice evening out together.

Don’t forget to get what you need for a very memorable Christmas. See Romantic Christmas, December 2nd, 2010. Remember last year and the fun you had with your sweetheart? See Christmas Lights, Dec 18, 2009.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Did you recently have a baby? I can bet the last thing on a woman’s mind is having sex. Between feeding, changing diapers and taking care of a crying baby this is what is on the top of her list and sex is on the bottom of her list. Men sometimes have a hard time wanting to become intimate with their wife because she in now in the mother role and it is harder for them to see her sexually. Or they saw more than they wanted to during birth. How do you over come these roadblocks and get back in the saddle again?

Yesterday I was watching the Today Show on NBC and they had a segment on Sex after having a baby and thought it might help you to look at things differently. Watch the video below:

Sex after Baby: How to Reclaim the Passion

Take the time to read the article below the video too because it goes into more detail about what is going on with you and your husband after the baby is born. The more you know and understand what is going on with your body and mind the quicker you can fix it and go back to having great sex even with baby. And when you are back in the saddle again you will both be yelling “Oh Baby!” at the end.

Don’t forget to get what you need for a very memorable Christmas. See Romantic Christmas, December 2nd, 2010. Remember last year and the fun you had with your sweetheart? See Christmas Lights, Dec 18, 2009.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Do you have a picture you took while on your romantic weekend away? Would you like to hang it on the wall but you don’t want to have it in a small picture frame? Or maybe you would like to make a Christmas ornament? On Dec 3rd, 2010 I was watching the Nate Berkus Show and he had a photographer, MeRa Koh and they talked about some different ways you can use your photos.

Nate Berkus Show – Turn Your Portraits into Art

They talked about two companies you can use that I thought you might be interested in looking into:

CanvasRox

Shutterfly

There are so many options and new ways you can display your pictures. Hang that special photo of where you went on the wall in your home. Every time you look at the photo it will bring back the memories and feelings of the special weekend you took together. You will always be reminded of why you are saving your $5 a week and it will keep you committed.

Don’t forget to get what you need for a very memorable Christmas. See Romantic Christmas, December 2nd, 2010. Remember last year and the fun you had with your sweetheart? See Christmas Lights, Dec 18, 2009.
Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Hope you had a nice weekend. Did you take my advice and turn your Christmas shopping into a date? We did. We wrote our list on Friday and checked it twice. And even though Larry worked on Saturday in the morning when he came home at noon we hopped into the car and went to San Luis Obispo and shopped till we dropped.

We went out to lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Big Sky Cafe. We had a cup of soup and split a Cuban pork sandwich with sweet potato fries. Yum! With list in hand off we went to the various stores to get everything we needed. We were even able to find the cutest pair of cowboy boots for our 2 ½ year old great-grandson. About half way through our list we stop at one of the local coffee houses, Linnaea’s Cafe, and had a cup of Mexican hot chocolate with whip cream on top. We sat at their small bar overlooking the street with the window open watching people walk by. We relaxed and talked about what we had bought and still needed to get.

Then it was back to shopping and completing our list. We got home around 6:00 PM and ate leftovers, a chicken dish I had made on Thursday night. Later that night we relaxed on the couch with a glass of wine and a candle lit. It was a nice way to end the day after Christmas shopping. We only have one gift left to get and plan on getting it this week.

We turned something that can be stressful into something enjoyable while accomplishing so much. We came to an agreement ahead of time about what we wanted to buy and how much to spend then we went together and turned it into an enjoyable day. When you do simple things like Christmas shopping together you get a sense of connection most couples don’t have. We turned a mundane task by eating out at a special restaurant and taking time for a break and having a warm drink together. Even simple things don’t have to be boring.

Don’t forget to get what you need for a very memorable Christmas. See Romantic Christmas, December 2nd, 2010. Remember last year and the fun you had with your sweetheart? See Christmas Lights, Dec 18, 2009.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.