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So leave your comment below to be entered to win!

And yesterday’s winner? Heidi! Please e-mail kimber@kathilipp.com and she will get it right out to you!

Project #19

The Service Here is Excellent

Bringing Home the B&B Experience

One of our favorite getaway spots is a little bed and breakfast in the mountains. When you ask my husband why he likes it so much, you very well might hear about the cheese and cracker plate with fruit that is always waiting for us when we arrive. My thought has
always been, “Great, we just spent the equivalent of a month’s worth of groceries on a cheese and cracker plate.”

Why We Love a Good Bed and Breakfast

What is it about the Bed and Breakfast experience that makes us want to fork over upwards of $200 a night to sleep on somebody else’s she
ts and eat clotted eggs in the morning?

• The room is cleaned every day.  Now I know some of you actually do this but it doesn’t matter. It’s so much better and it just feels cleaner when somebody else does it for you.
• The bed is made.  Now I know I’m spoiled, because my husband makes the bed everyday. But, how great is it when you’re gone even for just half an hour you come back and the bed is done up. The pillows are fluffed and there’s a little mint sitting there waiting to be indulged in. There is no better feeling on the planet.

Back Home and Back to Reality

Sadly, most of us can’t afford to camp out in the local bed-and-breakfast on a regular basis.  So it’s probably time to bring some of that bed-and-breakfast experience home.

Here are a few simple tips from designer and author Kathryn Bechen to help you get that restful and relaxed feeling in your own bedroom:

1. Clutter Cutter. De-clutter your bedroom when you begin your fluff-up. Nothing kills romance faster than a pile of dusty magazines and techno paraphernalia.

2. Maid Brigade. Next are the dust rag and vacuum. Turn on some music and make it fun!

3. Sensuous Sheets. Purchase some colorful new sheets in a pattern you love with a thread count of at least 300.

4. Divine Duvet. Invest in a pretty new duvet cover or bedspread. It will freshen up the room instantly.

5. Pillow Pizzazz. Some new pillows and pillowcases that coordinate with your sheets and duvet will add softness to your bed.

6. Flower Finesse. Buy some fresh flowers and put them in a favorite vase.

7. Candle Cozy. A few flickering candles will add
instant romance to your new B&B bedroom.

8. Music Magic. Now for some light jazz or classical music to set the tone for the evening.

9. TV Tune-out. Unless you and your mate purposely choose to watch a funny or romantic movie together, turn the TV off.

10. Tray of Delights. Bring in a drink and cheese tray with some fresh fruit, dim the lights, and you’re on your way to a lovely and ro
antic stay in your very own Bed & Breakfast Inn bedroom. Enjoy!

Chocolate Dipped Fruit

1 pkg.  milk chocolate morsels (11½  ounces…2 cups)

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

Strawberries, grapes, bananas, apples, kiwi, or pineapple

Melt milk chocolate morsels and shortening over hot (not boiling) water; stir until smooth. Remove from heat, but keep over hot water. (If chocolate thickens, return to heat; stir until smooth.) Dip pieces of fruit into chocolate; gently shake off excess. Place on foil-lined cookie sheets. Chill 10-15 minutes until chocolate is set. Peel off foil. Fruit may be kept at room temperature up to 1 hour. If chocolate becomes sticky, return to refrigerator. Makes 1 cup melted chocolate. In microwave, melt on high 1 minute; stir. Repeat.

Prayer for Today

Dear God, remind me to treat my husband with more care and honor than any guest who comes into our home.

Getting Creative

• My husband loves a special kind of root beer that we cannot keep stocked in the house. (With four teenagers it’s hard to keep them from eating anything within their line of sight.) If I want to make sure he can have a cold drink after work, I hide it under the veggies in the crisper – no chance of the kids looking there.
• If your husband gets home before you do, plan ahead by hiding a treat in the fridge for him. Call during the day to let him know that it’s waiting for him.

Project Reports

“Fridays are the favorite day in our house. We try as much as possible to keep Friday nights free. I know my husband likes to come home Friday night and have nothing to do. I am the one who wants friends over for dinner and/or go to a friend’s home for dinner. It is not my husband’s favorite thing to do. He wants to be home and relax.

This past Friday I set out all of his favorite snacks so when he arrived home he was greeted with food and beverage. I had to pick up one of our children so was not home right when he got home. When I arrived home I was greeted at the door with a very nice kiss. I know he appreciates the thought that goes into making his homecoming special.”

Sue