Thursday Thirteen - 13 Romance Tips for Him part 2

14. Let her fall asleep in your arms.

15. If she's mad at you, kiss her.

16. If you care about her, then TELL HER.

17. Every guy should give their girl 3 things: a stuffed animal(she'll hug it every time she goes to sleep), jewelry (she'll treasure it forever), and one of his t-shirts (she'll most likely wear it to bed) or sweatshirts sprayed with his cologne!! and flowers or something occasionally.

18. Treat her the same around your friends as you do when you're alone.

19. Look her in the eyes and smile.

20. Hang out with her on weekends.

21.Kiss her in the rain (girls love this).

22.Kiss her just for the heck of it.

23. If your listening to music, let her listen too.

24. Remember her birthday and get her something, even if its simple and inexpensive, it came from YOU. it means the WORLD to her.

25. when she gives you a present on your birthday,Christmas, or just whenever, take it and tell her you love it, even if you don't (it'll make her happy.)

26. Always call her when you say you will, it may not seem like it, but it does hurt her and makes her think you don't care so call even if you can only talk for a minute. Girls don't necessarily have to have hour long conversations every night but its nice for us to hear your voice even for a quick hello.

Humpday Help - Palm Reading

Paul was ambling through a crowded street fair when he decided to stop and sit at a Palm Reader's table. Said the mysterious old woman, "For fifteen dollars, I can read your love line and tell your romantic future."

Paul readily agreed and the reader took one look at his open palm and said, "I can see that you have no girlfriend."

"That's true," said Paul.

"Oh my goodness, you are extremely lonely, aren't you?"

"Yes," Paul shamefully admitted. "That's amazing. Can you tell all of this from my love line?"

"Love line? No, from the calluses and blisters."

Tasty Tuesday - Types of Chocolate

Mmm, we all know that rich, melt-in-the-mouth quality of good chocolate. That taste sensation comes from chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa butter. Chocolate can vary in quality, of course. Lower-quality chocolate includes other fats, which raise the product's melting point, and offer a less distinct flavor. Here's a quick guide to help you choose the perfect chocolate.

Baking Chocolate--best for cooking and baking.
Also called bitter or unsweetened chocolate, this type is hardened cocoa solids and cocoa butter with no added sugar. Since its taste is astringent, it's used primarily as a baking ingredient. Unsweetened chocolate contains 50 to 58 percent cocoa butter by weight.

Bittersweet Chocolate--best for baking, cooking, and eating.
Bittersweet chocolate is the darkest of all eating chocolates. It must contain at least 35 percent chocolate liquor. Bittersweet chocolate has a more pronounced chocolate taste because of its higher concentration of chocolate liquor and less sugar. Some premium bittersweet chocolate can have a cocoa butter and cocoa solid content of 70 percent or higher. It can be used in cooking and baking, as well as eaten for a treat.

Semisweet and Sweet Chocolate--best for baking, cooking, and eating.
Semisweet and sweet chocolate are similar to bittersweet but have a higher percentage of sugar and thus a sweeter taste. Their required chocolate liquor content is lower, averaging between 15 to 35 percent. Both kinds can also be used for cooking, as well as eaten as candy. Semisweet chocolate can usually be interchanged with bittersweet chocolate.

Milk Chocolate--best for eating.
Milk chocolate creates the sweet, creamy taste found in candy bars. Milk chocolate contains at least 12 percent dry milk solids and 10 percent chocolate liquor along with sugar and added cocoa butter. Milk chocolate is generally not used in baking or cooking, as its delicate flavor is easily overwhelmed by other ingredients. It's the favorite chocolate of most Americans, preferred over dark or semisweet varieties by two to one.

White Chocolate--best for baking, cooking, and eating. This variety is not "true" chocolate, since it contains no chocolate solids. However, it contains cocoa butter, the vegetable fat that gives chocolate its snap and luscious mouthfeel. When the cocoa butter is replaced with other, less expensive fats, it's no longer white chocolate: it's referred to as Almond Bark or confectioners' coating.

Couverture--best for baking and confections.
A glossy form of chocolate used by professional pastry chefs and chocolatiers, this chocolate contains a minimum of 32 percent cocoa butter, which allows it to flow more easily when it's melted and tempered. You'll find this type of higher-grade chocolate in professional pastry and cake supply shops, as well as high-end groceries and online. Both dark and milk chocolate couvertures are available. Cocoa Powder

--best for baking and beverages.
When most of the cocoa butter is removed from chocolate liquor, a dense cake forms. This is then ground into powder containing 10 to 22 percent cocoa butter. "Dutched" or Dutch Process cocoa is cocoa powder treated with an alkalizing agent such as baking soda to make it darker, less bitter, and more soluble in liquids.

Cocoa Nibs--best for baking.
Cocoa nibs are roasted and broken up cocoa beans, which have a very delicate chocolate flavor. They add crunch to cookies and are a delicious addition to shortbreads and other butter cookies.

Mojo Monday

~ Groucho Marx

I read in the newspapers they are going to have 30 minutes of intellectual stuff on television every Monday from 7:30 to 8. to educate America. They couldn't educate America if they started at 6:30.

Q: What do you get when you cross an insomniac, an agnostic, and a dyslexic? A: Someone who stays up all night wondering if there is a Dog.

Behind every successful man is a woman, behind her is his wife.

Friday Photo

Here's a nice black and white photo of Ben Godfrey

Thursday Thirteen - 13 Tips on Romance for Him part 1

1. Tell her she is beautiful.

2. Hold her hand at any moment . . . even if its just for a second.

3. Hug her from behind.

4. Leave her voice or txt messages to wake up to.

5. Wrestle with her :)

6. don't go hang out with you ex when shes not with you, you might not relize how badly it hurts her.

7. If youre talking to another girl, when you're done talking, walk over and hug her and kiss her....let her know she's yours and they aren't.

8.Write her notes or call her just to say "hi".

9.Introduce her to your friends . . . as your girlfriend.

10. Play with her hair.

11. Pick her up (she loves it).

12. Get upset if another guy touches her and she doesn't like it.

13. Make her laugh.

Be sure to visit Romance Writers Behaving Badly for a T13 on Mae West!

Tasty Tuesday - Chocolate Diamonds

A chocolate diamond is a brown diamond, one of many types of colored diamonds. Most chocolate diamonds come from diamond mines in Australia. The natural occurring brown color is thought to be created by the earth's pressure on the diamonds deep in the earth. Chocolate diamonds, perhaps due to their new name, seem to be gaining in popularity however. A brilliant marketing scheme to help sell an abundance of low color diamonds was to rename them to "chocolate diamonds." People who never gave brown diamonds the time of day, now are looking at these diamonds. They want to be able to say that they own a chocolate diamond. It's different. It's a conversation starter and more than anything else, it's still a diamond! There are also different hues of fancy colored diamonds.

For instance, the hue of a brown diamond is designated into the categories: Chocolate – light brown diamonds with no other discernable color Champaign – sparkling warm golden brown
Cognac – deep reddish/orange
Cinnamon – light pinkish brown
Honey – deep yellow orange
Clove diamonds – deep olive brown

Chocolate diamonds look great with gold and also colors like blue and green. These really make it stand out.
Chocolate pearl diamonds – this is a very elegant mix of dark brown and white that reminds many of the chocolate diamond’s namesake. Chocolate diamonds & turquoise – a very daring, but stunning mix with different textures to enhance the overall effect. Chocolate diamonds & white diamonds – this is a very common mix, but still very brilliant. Chocolate diamonds & other colored gems – again very common, but so much variety, any piece of jewelry is practically its own unique piece.

Banner contest

I'm looking at posting a new banner for my website.

Please look over these contestants and pick your favorite. Feel free to make recommendations too!

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Gotta love living in Michigan.

We started Spring Break with snow and ice.

We ended Spring Break by breaking a temperature record set in the 1920's by hitting 85 degrees.

Last night I slept with the windows open. The wind blew through the trees and instead of sounding like dried bones rattling, the branches thudded as if they were soft and coming back to life.

The spring peepers sang all night; despite keeping my boys awake, I found it to be music lulling me to my dreams. When I lived in northern Michigan, I became so used to the shrill peeper call that if I didn't hear it, I couldn't sleep. Ahhhh.....peace.

But the summer-like temperatures aren’t going to last. A cold front is expected to move through central Michigan, dropping temperatures to a much more normal range, in the low to mid-60s with lows in the 40s.

Seriously?

Sometimes I wonder if the state's weather is the result of Mother Nature on PMS. It certainly has "mood swings". For the moment I will enjoy this lovely breather. I open my arms and embrace Spring. I inhale the scent of Mother Earth as she wakes. I feel strength pour into my weary, cold soaked body.

Happy Spring to all.

Here it is, Monday. I've been up for four hours and have swept/mopped the floors, did five loads of laundry, and tidied the kitchen. Then I noticed how dry my hands were. Here's a few tips for those dishpan hands.

* Rub olive oil into your hands before cleaning. Especially if you wear cleaning gloves - which is a very smart thing to do, but not everybody feels comfortable wear those big ugly yellow things.

* Silicone Glove is a lotion sold by Avon. Many women (and men) state how this seems to protect their hands. (My Mom used it all the time, but Dad preferred Corn Huskers he purchased from the pharmacy.)

* Mix together 1/4 cup of ground almonds, a beaten egg, a handful of comfrey root, and a tablespoon of honey. Coat your hands with the mixture, pull on an old pair of leather or cotton gloves and wear overnight. Rinse your hands in the morning and repeat this for a week. Your hands will feel very soft and supple.

* For bad nails, immerse fingertips into a bowl of warm olive oil for 30 minutes a day until you see an improvement. (I did this prior to my wedding and I had amazing nails!) If olive oil is a bit sparse in your cupboard, fill a small bowl with water and add just enough oil to cover the water. Warm carefully.

* For stains that won't go away, rub hands and nails with the pithy side of a piece of lemon zest. Leave for a minute and then wash off.

* If you cook with cast iron or have a large wood cutting board, use lard to bring the polish back. Afterwards, rub your hands together and enjoy the softness in your skin.

There are so many products on the store shelves for dry, cracked, itchy, red... whatever state your hands are in. Through my confusion I think back to the work my grandmothers used to do, yet their hands, skin and hair was always nice. Perhaps in the old wives' tales there may be some truth!