Love in a Bottle

Good Monday morning!

The Showcase Pic is of me and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson... in the Hollywood Wax Museum... in Gatlinburg. (Am I the only one who thinks that's funny?) Look at my face. It's the same exact face I would have if I was standing beside the REAL Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Sad. Very, very sad.

The Gallery Pics include the last of the Top Twenty Mountain Pictures (from Austin's camera), another Hillbilly Sign and one picture from our anniversary trip this past weekend. (The remaining anniversary pictures will appear tomorrow. I didn't want to overwhelm you with 98 pictures on a Monday. That would be too, too much.)

Believe it or not, we are just one week away from unveiling yet another Special Guest. On Monday, February 1, our February Special Guest will make her appearance. Clues will appear each day this week, so see if you can guess our newest member to this little club. Here are a few to get you started.

1. She has more children than I do. I'm not saying how many more she has, but when I stopped at three kiddos, she kept going.

2. She has answered all of her questions in a timely manner. However, she is having difficulty sending them to me via e-mail, Facebook, etc. While I would be hitting panic mode, she considers this just part of being "her," and has no doubt I will receive the answers momentarily. (In reality, I think this, too. No worries.)

3. She is hip and cool and a fashionista. (Pretty much my polar opposite... and yet I love and admire her and her many gifts and talents.)

Any names coming to mind? Let me know.

Monday Mayhem

Today's section will be short since I do not want to talk about this past weekend until I finish talking about the pictures from last week. There must be order!

The only thing I've left out of our Mountain Trip narrative is the dinner my group served Sunday night... before the Hole in the Wall Gang went downstairs and did their damage.

Roxie, Katie, Zac and I decided to prepare a 50s-themed dinner. The menu consisted of Cheeseburger Sliders, Chili Cheese Fries and Ice Cream Sundaes.

I had brought several Elvis movies to watch AFTER dinner, but the kids quickly nixed that idea. They had brought G. I. Joe, Transformers, etc. Let's face it. Elvis is good, but the car chases and his karate moves do not compare to the blow 'em up action of today's flicks. And this generation does not understand the need to break out in song during awkward, romantic or action-packed moments in a movie. They just don't get it! (And I must admit... As I've grown a little older and little wiser, it doesn't make a great deal of sense to me either.)

I had to be flexible, so we popped Girls, Girls, Girls (a classic) in the DVD during dinner. It had almost as many songs the first 30 minutes as an Elvis CD. In between song and dance numbers, I regaled my family with fun Elvis facts. Well, until one of them audibly groaned and said, "Isn't this guy dead?"

"Why, yes. Yes he is." And I took that opportunity to tell the group exactly where I was when I heard Elvis had died.

Let it be known, this is when the boys made a run for the Game Room and minutes later Austin went through the sheet rock. I hate to admit it, but I may have been partially responsible for the hole. I'm NOT paying for damages, but I may have contributed to their delinquency. I'm just saying.

Next year's theme... Barry Manilow and the Copacabana! He's still alive and crooning, and I have almost as many fun facts about him as Elvis. I can hardly wait!

Love in a Bottle

It pains me to do this, but I have switched Monday's Party/Event section to Wednesday. Thus, moving Wednesday's Seasonal Traditions section to Monday. The only reason I am doing so is to give you enough time to prepare for this tradition. It needs to begin Monday, February 1, and I want you to be able to put some thought into the preparation.

This tradition also goes with Thursday's Date.

You will need to find pretty sheets of paper and rubber bands. For each member of your family, you will need to prepare 14 individual sheets of paper with the words "I love you because..." written on them. Take your time and make the 14 reasons you love your son(s), daughter(s), husband, etc. personal and unique. "I love you because you took out the trash last week without being reminded." "I love you because you always tell me you enjoyed what I fixed for dinner." The list goes on and on and on.

Once you have finished 14 Reasons, roll them into a little scroll and use the rubber band to secure them.

Drop the 14 Reasons for your husband, son(s) OR daughter(s) into a long-necked glass bottle. (Make sure the scrolls are rolled tightly enough to slip in and out of the bottle neck easily without getting stuck.)

After you have finished a bottle, on February 1 hide it in a place only that specific person will find it. (For example, on February 1 Roxie will open her make-up bag and find her bottle on top of her make-up.)

An instruction card should be attached to the bottle. The person is only allowed ONE scroll per day, and the last scroll will be read Valentine's Day. It doesn't matter if the person opens the scroll in the morning or at night before bed. It is up to them.

With four other people in my family, I have to come up with 56 love messages. That's why I wanted to give you plenty of time to work on this. That's a lot of messages, and you will want to put some thought into writing them.

This idea came from Better Homes & Gardens, February 2010.

Have a blessed Monday. I hope your day is filled with good memories and moments. Tomorrow's recipe is a main dish from Martha Stewart. (Yes. I know that's scary, but it is doable. I promise.)

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda