Thrift Store Date With Your Mate

Good Thursday morning!

The Gallery Pics are miscellaneous for sure. Tomorrow I hope to have some method to my madness... or maybe not!

RANDOMNESS #1 - If you've known me two minutes, you know I love all things Pioneer Woman. I love her recipes. I love her photography. I love her red hair. I love her cooking show.

And I love her twitters. (Is that right?)

The Enchanting Belinda does not twitter. The Enchanting Belinda does not expect to EVER twitter. However, The Enchanting Belinda DOES read the Pioneer Woman's twitters which are posted on the sidebar of her blog every day.

I loved this one.

"Sometimes when I'm hit with a sudden urge to rearrange furniture, I just part my hair on the other side instead. Much less danger of hernia."

Is it hard to see why I love her so? I know. She just makes sense!

RANDOMNESS #2 - Things I've Learned While Raising Teens... A Humbling Experience - The list of "Things I've Learned" is growing, but my goal to post one a day has hit a brick wall.

I'll post them when I can. (All 132 of them!)

Teenager Facebook Etiquette - You might think a 50 year-old mother of three would not need to be schooled in Facebook etiquette. In fact, you might be under the impression that as the mother unit, I would be the one teaching the children about Facebook etiquette.

But you would be so wrong.

I am on Facebook to keep up with the kids. I openly admit it. Living in the advanced technical age of 2012 (and being severely technically-challenged), I use every tool at my disposal.

Facebook is a tool.

While I am "friends" with several of the kids' Facebook "friends," I was "asked" to be their friend. I did NOT ask them. Until one day...

I was reading Facebook, and "C," one of Roxie's friends, had posted something very amusing as her status. "C" and I weren't Facebook friends, but I wanted to respond by hitting the "Like" button... and I couldn't.

Without thinking about the aforementioned "DO-NOT-ASK-TO-BE-THEIR-FRIEND... WAIT-UNTIL-THEY-ASK-YOU" rule, I sent a Friend Request to "C."

She accepted immediately.

I hit the "Like" button under her status.

I heard feet running through the house. Fifteen year-old girl feet. Angry feet.

"Did you just ask 'C' to be your friend?" she asked, breathless.

"Yes. Oh, I forgot the rule. I'm sorry. But she accepted immediately, and all I did was hit the 'Like' button." I explained my action with a smile.

"The rule is there for a reason," Roxie explained. She leaned over me, hit a few keys and deleted "C" as my friend.

"How did you know we were friends? It happened 30 seconds ago!" I asked.

Everything was happening so fast. My head was spinning. I wanted to pick up a real telephone receiver and dial a real telephone... not a push button. I wanted a cord between the receiver and the actual phone. A short cord.

I didn't want it in the car with me. I didn't want it in the store with me. I didn't want it in my blue jean pocket. I wanted it attached to the wall.

And I wanted it to be light blue in color.

Roxie patted me on the shoulder, and turned to walk away. "She texted me," she said over her shoulder. "No harm done."

Wow. "C" had ratted me out. But she had accepted my Friend Request. I didn't know what to think.

And then, there was a flash on my computer screen. Someone had sent ME a Friend Request... and it was "C."

I accepted her friendship.

I heard feet running through the house. Fifteen year-old girl feet. I assumed they were once again "angry" feet.

"Okay. Did you get her Friend Request?" Roxie asked as she ran into my room.

"Yes," I answered slowly.

"Okay. Did you accept it?" she asked as she leaned over my shoulder.

"Yes." I had no idea what was going on.

"All right. You're all set. Now remember. Do NOT talk to them. You can press the 'Like' button, but only for really good things. Not every time they change their status. You can answer direct questions to you. And never, ever send an e-mail. I would die! I would literally die!"

"Can I send them a 'Happy Birthday' message?" I asked, meekly.

"Yes. But only on their actual birthday. Do not send it a day ahead trying to be the first one to wish them 'Happy Birthday.' That can look a little stalker-ish."

"Okay. I think I've got it now," I mumbled.

"It's a lot to take in," Roxie said as she patted my shoulder and kissed me on the cheek. "I think you're doing great!"

I hope Roxie has five children one day. And I hope all five them turn into teenagers!

RANDOMNESS #3 - I know. I know. I haven't made my January Paula Deen recipe... yet. I have until Monday, January 31 to make Ham and Black-Eyed Pea Cake "Benedict." AND I WILL COMPLETE THIS TASK! I WILL!

Because as I skip ahead in the calendar to the February recipe, I'm a little overwhelmed. I'm not going to tell you the name of the dish, but I will give you a head's up.

It takes 25 hours of prep time, and is described as "moderate" in difficulty. (That's right. Twenty-five HOURS of prep time! If February's recipe turns out well, I can assure you NO ONE will be eating it. I'm going to shellac it and use it as a centerpiece until I'm 80 years-old. And I'm not kidding!)

Blog Linkage - I only have two today, but they are definitely worth reading.

1. Go to BooMama under My Blog List and scroll down to her post entitled "Well, Hello There, Yosemite" dated January 25. Funny and light. I needed that this week!

2. Go to The Dating Divas under My Blog List and read their post entitled "Mailboxes for Valentine's Day" dated January 26. I actually bought these mailboxes at Target last weekend (see Gallery below), and beginning February 1, The Faulkner Five and Melia are going to start stuffing them with sweet notes and treats to open Valentine's Day. I just have to decorate a little, as you can see!

Thrift Store Date With Your Mate

Before the big day (Valentine's Day), spend an hour or so on a Saturday or Sunday and find the perfect gift or gifts at a local thrift or antique store. Set a $10 or $20 limit, and use your imagination to find the "perfect" gift for your mate.

Did your Valentine love comic books when he was a kid? Antique stores have lots of old comic books.

Does your wife like a cup of hot tea in the afternoon? There are tons of AFFORDABLE and beautiful pieces of china in thrift stores and antique stores.

Divide the store in half. You take the right side. Your spouse can shop on the left.

When you are ready to purchase your item(s), text your date you are heading to the cash register at the front of the store. Make sure the store clerk double bags the items. No peeking allowed.

Make sure you have a few red or pink gift bags at the house to make wrapping an easy task, and exchange your thrift store gifts on February 14.

Oh! And since you didn't spend time TOGETHER in the thrift store, head to your favorite coffee "place" and/or bookstore, and spend an hour together before heading home to wrap the gifts

Fun, different and memorable. Now that's a good date!

Have a terrific Thursday. I'll be back in the morning with Weekend Happenings and basketball pics.

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

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda