Tips For Making The Perfect Marriage Proposal

The key to making the perfect romantic proposal is designing it to fit you and your partner’s tastes.

Organizing a message to be displayed on an enormous message board at a sports game is probably not the best way to propose to a partner who is embarrassed easily. Perhaps a discreet setting would be more appropriate.

Read on to discover tips for making the perfect romantic proposal to your loved one.

Photo source: Pixabay

Tried and true

A popular way to propose marriage is during a meal at a romantic restaurant. If you feel your partner would appreciate this type of proposal, take some time to consider the details which will create a unique and special experience for both of you. Choose a special restaurant, perhaps where you went for your first date, or somewhere you’ve both wanted to try. Be sure to advise the restaurant of your special event and check the date you have booked doesn’t clash with a noisy event. It’s also useful to ensure your partner is aware you are going out for a dinner at a special place so attire can be appropriate. A surprise proposal after your partner has just arrived straight from work before a shower and a change of clothes, may not be appreciated.

A home-cooked dinner can be another romantic event to present a proposal, especially if your partner ordinarily does the cooking. Just because you are at home, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put in any extra effort. Ensure the home is clean and tidy, advise family and friends that you are not to be disturbed and turn your mobile phones off. Run your partner a bath or pour a glass of wine so he/she can relax while you cook the dinner.

Be creative

Practice how you are going to word your proposal. If you're a person of few words, keep it short, but try to add something personal and unique that relates to your relationship.If you are a creative type, using your creativity to propose will make it extra special and memorable. Consider writing your proposal in the sand at the beach, creating a poem or a song for your loved one or designing a special painting or card.

Recreate a special event

Recreating a special event you have previously experienced together is a romantic lead up to a marriage proposal. You can take this idea a step further by organizing a tour of special places or events that are important to your relationship. Ending the tour at a new location and proposing marriage there, can be a surprise ending to the tour.

Keep it simple

Often, the simplest proposals are the best. Wrapping the ring in increasingly bigger parcels or boxes is an easy and fun way to do this. If starry nights or rainbows are special to the couple, propose next time there is one on display. Another simple yet romantic way to propose is to leave notes around the house with clues which lead to the engagement ring.

A proposal of marriage is a serious commitment, making it romantic and perfect will ensure it is an event to be treasured and remembered for many years to come.

Teaser Tuesday - The Outsider by Stephen King

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Purple Booker. Please feel free to play along.

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday• Grab your current read

Here's my teaser: 

Jack didn't know how long he stood there, unable to move. The person - or the thing-stood behind him, its shadow long and thin. 

Author: Stephen King

Title: The Outsider 

It's a spooky one for sure and even though I'm over half way through, I still can't figure out who done it. Love it!

Happy reading

Love KB

x

An Emotional Year

This year has been an emotional one, but I didn't realise how depressed I'd become until I started feeling healthy again.

A couple of years ago, our darling dog became seriously ill and although she recovered, she remained unwell repeatedly until she died just before Christmas last year. Whitesnake and I were devastated. Dear Coco was no longer in pain, but the experience put a damper on our favourite time of the year.

Linked to Camera Critters and Saturday's Critters

Shortly after, I received news that my iron levels were too low and underwent a pelvic ultrasound  to confirm the diagnosis. Thankfully, a change of contraception fixed the problem and my iron levels are slowly increasing 

An enormous accomplishment for me this year was remaining alcohol free for two months. Health wise my blood pressure is lower, I've lost 3 kg and at the time I was sleeping amazingly well. I am hoping to achieve this goal again next month before the silly season begins.

My retina detached in March, leading to my first operation ever! This was quite a frightening experience. Not the surgery, but the fact that I could have gone blind. Retinal detachment surgery recovery has been successful, but my eyesight is understandably worse in the affected eye than before. I'll be heading to the optometrist soon for new glasses.  

A couple of years ago, I found myself a new job. The first year I loved, but I found that being better at my job, equalled more responsibility and work . Add to that several 30 hour weeks I covered for my colleague as she took holidays and sick leave and the meetings I needed to attend. A fun part-time job became a great deal of extra hours and work. I convinced myself I was still enjoying my job until I had a massive panic attack there which forced me to reassess my feelings. A shame because my bosses were great and the location not too far away, but I decided it was time to put my health and my family first.

Finally this blog is up to date again. Thanks to the support of my wonderful husband and doctor, I'm feeling like myself again and that makes me happy. 

Love KB

x

Original Ways To Propose Marriage

A thoughtful, romantic marriage proposal is to be treasured. It’s important before deciding how to propose, to consider the personality and feelings of the other person. Proposing to a loved one who is scared of heights, after skydiving is probably not a good idea. A private person would probably prefer to be proposed to one-on-one, rather than in front of a huge group of strangers in a football stadium.

Photo source: Pixabay

Here are some original ways to propose marriage:

One on one 

Recreating a special moment previously shared by two people who are in love, is a wonderful way to propose marriage. Taking this idea a step further, taking a partner to revisit milestones of the relationship and then ending in a place never visited before is fun. Proposing in this new location will be the next milestone to be reached and will add a lovely surprise to the end of the tour.

In the company of others 

Throwing a party with friends and family is a great idea, as the proposal and the engagement can be celebrated at the same time. Including children from previous relationships in a proposal is a wonderful idea because it makes the child feel part of this new relationship. Another lovely way to present a partner with a ring is to attach it to the collar of a beloved pet. After time apart, picking up a loved one from the airport is always appreciated. It’s twice as nice if accompanied by a ‘Will you marry me?’ sign. 

In writing 

There are many creative ways to propose in writing such as in the sand on a beautiful beach, in the snow on a deserted mountain top, a heartfelt poem written by hand on beautiful stationary or a handwritten letter posted via mail. To build a little more anticipation, send four balloons, roses or cupcakes, an hour apart with each item having one word of the phrase –‘ Will you marry me?’ written on them.  Starting a website or journal and including stories of how the couple met and important aspects of time spent together with a proposal at the end, is a lovely way to record the romance and include the proposal.

Keeping it simple 

Often, the simplest proposals are the best. Wrapping the ring in increasingly bigger boxes or parcels is an easy and fun way to do this. If rainbows or starry nights mean something special to the couple, propose next time there is one on display. Another simple way is to leave notes around the house with clues that lead to the engagement ring. 

There are many ways to propose marriage, but with a little thought and imagination, a proposal can truly become a wonderful way for two people to begin a new life together. 

How To Tell If Your Spouse Is Cheating

It’s often difficult to pinpoint why a person thinks a spouse is cheating, it may be based on a feeling of something not being quite the same as it was. A spouse may slowly begin to change behaviours which don’t stand out alone, but when combined together, may reveal a cheating spouse.
Here are a few signs that a spouse may be cheating:

Time apart

Cheating takes time and effort, therefore a spouse who is cheating will need to be away from the marriage partner more than in the past. This may involve such excuses as staying late at work, going out with friends, taking up a new pastime or needing time to be alone.

Being secretive

Being secretive is part of a cheater’s new skill set. Secretive behaviours may include talking quietly on the phone, hanging up the phone when a spouse enters the room, unexplained charges on credit cards, spending more time on the computer and keeping the screen hidden. When asked for the reasons for these changes in patterns, a cheater will easily come up with a plausible excuse and probably try to make the questioning spouse feel guilty for asking.

Withdrawing or overcompensating

There is a lot of guilt involved with cheating. A cheater may overcompensate for cheating by paying more attention to a spouse or go in the complete opposite direction by withdrawing completely. A cheating spouse may often flip between both of these behaviours, causing confusing unexplained mood changes.

A new best friend

When a spouse is finding it difficult to communicate or connect with a marriage partner, they will often turn to another to confide in. Talking is a great way to solve problems, but when a spouse is talking to a new ‘best friend’ instead of the person they are married to, it can become a problem. How many times has the expression, ‘Oh, we’re just friends.’ been used only later to be proved false due to an exposed affair?
Any relationship needs a level of trust to survive. If a spouse is showing combinations of the above signs and their partner's gut feeling is that cheating is involved, this may indeed be the case. However, the above could also be signs of many other problems such as work stress or health issues. If a relationship with a spouse is causing concern, communication is the key to working through these problems. The first step is to sit down and talk about how both parties are feeling and take it from there. Hopefully, cheating isn’t the cause and you can both work through whatever it is.

Photo source: Pixabay

What to expect from your first cruise

Photo source: Pixabay

There is nothing quite like waking up to one beautiful location after another on your first cruise. First time cruisers will be amazed at the size of the ship and the facilities on board.

The check in procedure is much faster and hassle free compared to standing in line for hours to take a plane journey. Once you are on board, you will be greeted by friendly staff who will show you to your cabin. You will have plenty of time to explore the delights of the ship or perhaps share a beverage or meal with some of your fellow passengers before setting out to sea.

Ships vary, but most include a banquet room, casino, library, gym, bars, lounges, swimming and spa pools. In fact, there is so much to do that you may not want to leave the ship. Moist cruises on the big liners host dinner and a show each night, including a couple of formal dinners where you can dress up and meet the Captain and crew. If this is not for you; many other more casual style dining options are available, including room service. You can then party the night away in the many pubs and clubs or head to your room for a movie and some quiet time.

A wide range of activities are planned for adults and children during the days at sea. When you reach your exotic destination you can choose to stay on board or explore the main land. In some cases you can straight onto your destination from the ship and if not, boats are provided at regular intervals to and from the cruise ship. Many tours are available for you to take part in and can be arranged prior to reaching your destinations.

One of the great things about a cruise is the availability of refreshments. You could eat all day and most of the night if you wanted to. Buffet style is more prominent during the day, but other options are on offer most of the waking hours.

Often, travellers are put off cruising by the idea of sea sickness. Remedies are available for this on board and of course, a doctor is available 24 hours a day for emergencies. If you are looking for excitement, variety, friendly staff and value for money; give cruising a try. You'll love it.

Poetry: Wasted Time

Tick, tock, tick, tock

How do I make the ticking stop?

There aren't enough hours in the day

Most of them spent dreaming away

Tick, tock, tick, tock

Back to the chores, where's my mop?

Hands move slowly, a waiting game

Days passing, remaining the same

Tick, tock, tick, tock

Do I hear his key turning the lock?

Supper's eaten, time to unwind

A busy day of wasted time