How to Preserve a Husband

I know some of you who know I write mystery are thinking I'm looking for a way to hide a body. ;) 

This is a note I found under Preserves and Pickles in The Oregon Trail Cookbook by Leslie J. Whipple. This is a cookbook I purchased years ago while working in a stationary store. It is getting pretty ratty because I not only use many of the recipes but I also enjoy reading the anecdotes about families that traveled the Oregon Trail.

How to Preserve a Husband

Dorothy Winn Crawn

Be careful in your selection; do not choose too young, and take only such varieties as have been raised in a good moral atmosphere. When once decided upon and selected, let that part remain forever settled, and give your entire thought to preparation for domestic use.

Some insist on keeping them in a pickle, while others are constantly getting them in hot water. Even poor varieties may be made sweet, tender, and good by garnishing with patience, well sweetened with smiles, and flavored with kisses to taste, then wrap well in the mantle of charity; keep warm with a steady fire of domestic devotion, and serve with peaches and cream. When thus prepared they will keep for years.

Another of my favorites in this book.

Wedding Cake

Ralph M. Wade

Four pounds flour of love,
One and one half pounds of buttered youth,
One and one half pounds good looks,
One and one half pounds sweet temper,
One and one half pounds blindness of faults,
One and one half pounds sifted forgiveness,
One and one half pounds powdered wits,
One and one half pounds dry humor,
Two tablespoons sweet argument,
One and one half pints of rippling laughter,
One and one half wineglasses full common sense.

Put the flour of love, good looks, and sweet temper in a well furnished house. Beat the butter of youth to cream. Mix together blindness of faults. Sift forgetfulness, powdered wits, and dry humor into a sweet argument, then add this to the above. Pour in gently rippling laughter and common sense. Work it all together and bake gently forever.

                      Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

BE MY VALENTINE
Love Paty

As a child I remember loving and hating Valentine's Day.  There were years when I agonized over who to give valentines to. I always gave them to the unpopular kids because I felt I was in that same category. Being overweight and shy, I only had a handful of close friends. And every year, I'd have a crush on a boy. While I wanted to give him a valentine with hearts, I didn't want to let him know I liked him. Do you remember those days? You wanted their attention but you were afraid if you got it you wouldn't know what to do. Or worse, it was out of pity.

As an adult I love Valentine's Day. When the kids were growing up, I'd make heart-shaped pancakes or toast for their breakfast and if they took a cold lunch I'd add heart-shaped cookies and valentines. I would think about what I was going to make for our Valentine's dessert as soon as February hit.

Now without kids at home, I think about what dessert I can make for hubby and I and how we can spend the evening. Do I get a new movie, do we go out to dinner, what will we do? I can pretty much guarantee he'll at least bring me chocolate after years of getting me nothing and I'd say, "At least you could have bought a card, so I knew you were thinking of me." That was back in the days of his trucking and he didn't remember any special event he was on the road so much. Now that he has a job where he stays in one place, his co-workers remind him it's Valentine's Day or his anniversary. ;)

To all who read this. 

I'm wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day and whether you hug a pet or a person, hold the feeling in your heart and carry it through your life. 

Sending you cyber hugs and chocolate!

Happy Early Valentine's Day

To help everyone get in the mood for Valentine's day I have Rebecca Clark here today to reveal her characters through Valentine's Day questions.
Welcome Rebecca!

What would your hero do for your heroine for Valentine's Day? Why?
Zach and Audrey’s first Valentine’s Day together will be a very different experience for Zach. He’s used to showering his girlfriends with gifts and jewelry, and whisking them off to exotic and exciting locales. He’s very generous with his money. But Audrey’s not like the other women he’s been with. She’s not into material things and is very much a homebody. She just wants him to be generous with his heart. So he needed to think outside the box. He took a class on gourmet cooking, so he plans to make her favorite dinner. He’ll set a beautiful table using her late mother’s dishes and crystal, because Audrey is all about sentiment. He’ll also have some early spring irises on the table, because purple is her favorite color.

What is your heroine's feelings toward Valentine's Day?
Audrey is a romantic at heart, so Valentine’s Day has always been her favorite holiday. She adores anything that has to do with love and happy ever afters. It’s been a long time since she could share this day with someone special. To her, it’s about spending time with the man she loves, not the gifts.

What was the most romantic thing you special someone did for you on Valentine's day?
It was 1986 and a few days before Valentine’s Day. Because my boyfriend and I went to separate colleges across the state from each other and wouldn’t be able to see each other on the actual holiday, we’d decided to celebrate early. When I got to his house, something yummy-smelling was bubbling on the stove and the table was set with his mom’s beautiful china. When I saw the upside-down cups on saucers, my first thought was: I wonder if he’s hiding an engagement ring under there—we’d been talking about getting engaged soon. When he went to check on dinner, I took a peek under my cup. Nothing. Darn it. During dinner, he said he’d been thinking. Because both of us had two years left of college, it really didn’t make sense to get engaged just yet. Outwardly, I agreed, but inwardly, I was kind of bummed. After we finished eating, he went into the kitchen for the coffee, calling back for me to turn over our coffee cups. And what appeared under his cup? A small velvet box, of course. I hadn’t considered checking under his. We’ll be celebrating our 23rd anniversary this year.

Bio:
Rebecca Clark has wanted to write romance novels since she read her first Harlequin Romance at age 11. After marrying her college sweetheart, she worked in the graphic design and PR field for several years before becoming a stay-at-home mom for 12 years. These days, when she’s not writing, she works as a personal fitness trainer and group exercise instructor. Her favorite class to teach is Zumba and thinks the world would be a happier place if everyone Zumba’d. She makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of 22 years, two kids, a German Shepherd beast who thinks he’s a lap dog, two cats, and a gecko. In her abundant free time, Rebecca enjoys reading, watching Criminal Minds reruns on TV, and doing absolutely nothing.

Blurb:
It's a classic case of mistaken identity...only this time, it's no mistake.

Mild-mannered teacher Audrey Thompson dresses as her flamboyant but cowardly twin in order to break up with her sister's fiance, Zach Banister. Before she can do the dirty deed, she starts to fall for him herself. Her plan goes hilariously and seductively awry, as things tend to do when you're stuffing your bra and borrowing your sister's stilettos. Little does Audrey realize, however, Zach is also playing a game and has his own agenda.

Excerpt:

Well. It was now or never. Adrenaline blasted through her veins, heating her skin. Taking a deep breath of courage, she navigated the first step downward while holding the banister for support. Her ankle wobbled on the four-inch heel. She took another step. This time, she swayed precariously. Her head swam with visions of being splayed out like road kill on the Banister slate.
The threesome below turned her way.
“Ava,” Zach greeted with a smile in his voice. Its deep tone echoed the answering quiver in her belly. She imagined what her name would sound like rolling off his tongue. She froze on the second step from the top, afraid to move. Who in their right mind would ever install hardwood stairs? Nerves rattled around her gut like coins in an empty soda can.
“Darling, we were just talking about you,” he said, moving toward the bottom of the staircase.
Darling? Oh, crap. How was she supposed to break up with a man who called her ‘darling’ in such a sexy way?
“Come down here, and I’ll introduce you.”
Judging from the hostile postures of the women, Audrey decided she’d rather have a root canal. She hoped they couldn’t see up her skirt from their lower vantage point. She said a silent prayer of thanks she hadn’t taken her sister’s advice and was, in fact, wearing panties. Could she call a thong “panties”?

You can find me on the web: www.RebeccaJClark.com
www.shywriters.blogspot.com
www.facebook/RebeccaJClark.author