Shannon here: Lorna Seilstad shares how humor and high-jinks keep her real life romance alive. Comment or answer the question at the end of the post to enter the drawing for a copy of the First Love Forever Romance Collection. Deadline: April 14th, 11:59 pm, central time. Here’s Lorna:
Fools for Love
Sometimes we married folks fall into a habit of going through the day and forgetting the joy that comes from doing life with our spouses. Marriage and romance experts will tout numerous things that can take a marriage from “ho hum” to “wow”, but I’ve found there is one secret ingredient that always puts a spark of joy in our marriage. That ingredient—LAUGHTER.
Since I write historical romances with a generous dash of humor, that may not come as a surprise. In fact, the hero “Lighter Than Air”, my novella in the First Loves Forever Collection, is not one to take life to seriously. I imagined him being a practical joker with his other professors, but in a novella there simply isn’t time to develop everything I’d like. I believe his fun nature still comes through.
My husband, however, doesn’t always find my humor quite as laughable as my reading audience. But I don’t give up, and today, I’m sharing some of my favorite April Fool’s Day giggles with you.
Unfortunately, April Fool’s Day is just behind us. So if you want to use any of these, you’ll have to save
them for next year. I do something every year. My husband David knows he has to be watching for it, but I still usually get him (or the whole family) and get him good.
Here are a few of my past April Fool’s Day pranks:
- I put those big packing pillows, like the ones you get from Amazon, behind his car tires, so when he backed up, it sounded like a tire blew.
- I made chocolate sundaes out of mashed potatoes and dark brown gravy and presented them in sundae glasses as a snack to the family.
- I put tape over the optical sensor on his mouse and remote control.
- I placed bubble wrap under the rug so when he stepped on them, he’d get a nice surprise.
- I made a cake of white bread with bologna layered between and frosted it with spreadable cheese. Very pretty, but not the cake the family thought it would be.
This year, I put googly eyes on everything in the refrigerator. It was very cute, seeing milk, eggs, and ketchup all staring at us when we opened the door. I also taped a rubber duc on the back up camera of our new car.
But my all-time favorite prank involved Post-it type sticky notes.
While my husband wasn’t home, my daughter and I covered his car windows with the notes. Of course, I wrote, “I love u” with a contrasting color of notes.
Everyone who drove by while we were doing it gave us a thumbs-up or stopped to comment. See? April Fools jokes can create community spirit.
Actually, laughing together binds us all, and it certainly works in a marriage. So, get creative—or get the internet—and find some ways to bring a smile to your spouse’s face not just on April Fool’s Day, but throughout the whole year.
About Lorna: Lorna Seilstad brings history back to life using a generous dash of humor. She is a Carol Award finalist and the author of the Lake Manawa Summers series and the Gregory Sisters series. When she isn’t eating chocolate, she’s teaches women’s Bible classes and is a 4-H volunteer in her home state of Iowa. She and her husband have three children. Learn more about Lorna at www.lornaseilstad.com.
About the collection – First Loves Forever Romance Collection: A first love is never easily forgotten…
and coming face to face with that person again can be awkward when the heartstrings are still holding on to the “what ifs.”
In settings from 1865 to 1910, nine couples are thrown back on the same path by life’s changes and challenges. A neighbor returns from law school. An heiress seeks a quick marriage. A soldier’s homecoming is painful. A family needs help. A prodigal son returns. A rogue aeronaut drops from the sky. A runaway bridegroom comes home. A letter for aid is sent. A doctor needs a nurse. Can love rekindle despite the separation of time and space?
First Things First by Susanne Dietze
1877 – South Texas: Texas rancher’s daughter Georgie Bridge mourned when her first love, Ward Harper, left town to study the law, but now he’s back—as opposing counsel in a case against her father.
A Most Reluctant Bride by Cynthia Hickey
1880 – Ozark foothill ranch: Maggie Spoonmore marries her father’s former foreman, Zach Colton in order to salvage her reputation, yet struggles to believe he married her for love and not her inheritance.
Weeping Willow by Marcia Gruver
May of 1861 – Port Royal, Virginia: In Civil War Virginia, tables are turned for Willow Bates when Julian Finney, her childhood crush and steadfast defender, returns from the war a broken man in need of rescue.
His Anchor by Carrie Fancett Pagels
1894 – Mackinac Island, Michigan: Robert Swaine, a ship captain, returns to Mackinac Island where his first love, Sadie Duvall struggles to support her siblings. Will she anchor him to the island he has vowed to leave behind?
After the Ball by Martha Rogers
1910 – Dallas, Texas: Chase Thornton, a wealthy oil man yearns for the life of a cowboy and his first love, Susannah King, but can she trust him to keep his word to leave the city and stay on the ranch?
Lighter Than Air by Lorna Seilstad
1900 – St. Louis, Missouri: After Titus Knott crashes his hot air balloon behind Ella Mason’s boarding school, he must convince his former sweetheart that his words are true and not full of hot air.
In Due Season by Connie Stevens
1901 – Whitley, Kansas: Leah Brown accepts her role of town spinster until Gareth Shepherd unexpectedly steps back into her life. Now she’s faced with a choice. Can she forgive the man who jilted her?
Heartfelt Echoes by Jennifer Uhlarik
1875—Virginia City, Nevada: A short, urgent letter mentioning his childhood love, Millie Gordon, forces deaf Travis McCaffrey to turn to his estranged birth father for help rescuing the woman he can’t forget.
Prescription for Love by Erica Vestch
1905 – New Orleans: Erstwhile fiancée Natalie Morrison is the last person Dr. Mackenzie wants as his new nurse, but when an epidemic hits, Phin finds she’s come back into his life at the perfect time.
Question for Readers: What April Fool’s Day pranks have you played on someone or had played on you?
Come back April 6th for part two with Lorna!
I have had vaseline and shaving cream put on car door handles right before my wedding after I had got a manicure!stuck my fingers in it ! YUK!!
Ugh, Sheila! That sounds awful.
You must have a fun household, Lorna! You had me laughing out loud! I might just have to try a few of these, and I won’t wait until the next April 1st comes around. 🙂
You can add this to the list. My daughter Caroline joined the fun this year and replaced the remote control batteries with baby carrots.
My husband would tie a string to a wallet, put it on the sidewalk, run and hide in the bushes, and watch people as they bent down to pick up the wallet.
I’ve heard of folks doing that, but I’ve never seen it. I bet it’s hilarious.
I don’t like April Fool’s Day. I try to avoid being around people who might do or try something until the day is over.
Oh, Linda, I promise to be good around you.
I tell tales and try to get people to believe them, then say April Fools. But as far as pranks, I’ve never done that. When I worked in an office, my co-workers filled my desk drawer with shredded paper. They thought it was quite funny.
I’m sure you can get folks to believe all sorts of things, Shannon.
I can’t think of any April fools pranks my family has played (though we’re always joking around, lol.)
Elly -Indiana-
There’s always next year. 😉
I’ve never really been able to pull off an April Fool’s joke. These are hilarious!
Glad you enjoyed my little antics.
This year, being around more family than normal, I was surprised that none of my grandkids played any April Fool’s jokes/tricks on us.
wfnren at aol dot com
I think Easter took precidence this year in most homes–as it should.
I not much for April Fools jokes, but one time somebody put puppy dog tails in my desk when I worked at the vets office. It was gross!
Ugh! That sounds awful.
I don’t remember any pranks but yours are hilarious! Im anxious to read this collection. I lived in St. Louis for twenty years. Now we live in the Ozarks! So I hope I will be learning something new about these places. Thanks!
I and a co-worker saran wrapped everything in another co-worker ‘s cubicle, his chair, phone, computer, keyboard, desk, etc. He was a prankster so he deserved it. He did get a kick out of it even though it took a while to unwrap everything and took several days before he found out who did it.
No outstanding April Fool’s jokes come to mind, though I have to say, your jokes were outstanding! I put them into a folder to save for future years 🙂
I have been looking forward to this ‘First Love Forever Romance Collection’ since I first heard about it! I really enjoy reading collections. They are a great way to get to know new authors and experience a variety of stories 🙂
Thanks for the chance to win a copy!!!
The kids and I use to tie a rubber band around the hose on the sink and spray dad with it. the kids started doing it all the time or I would forget and I would be the one getting sprayed lol