It is a GLORIOUSLY beautiful day in these parts, and I am glad for that, and for the pretty sunshine. I saw my first fall colored tree last night at Kroger, and I was ridiculously excited about it. Jonah was wanting to make a milkshake and we were out of ice cream, so he drove us up to Kroger while I talked to my mom on the phone the whole time. It was on our way out of the parking lot that I saw the pretty fall tree. It seems that at least where I live, the trees change later each day.
I'm hoping to see some more pretty ones at my dad's house today when I drive out there.
Things have been pretty mundane around here, so I've not had a lot to write about. A few things stuck out to me in the last few days, though, and I thought I'd share about them.
This verse LITERALLY jumped off the page of my bible to me, friends. I don't even remember why I was reading there last Friday (Thursday?), but it stood out to me so I made this image on the YouVersion bible app I have on my phone. I love Psalm 34! I love it so much, it may be one of my very favorite Psalms. Also, it's a song that I have on repeat every single day at my house.
Here it is, if you'd like to listen for yourself.
https://youtu.be/hoDi7HupAus
We sing this at church a lot, and I always love it so much.
Speaking of church.....I took this Sunday night, on my way out. I'm so grateful for my church family! We made the decision to start attending faithfully when our boys were as young as two, before that we had been hit or miss, but I am so thankful to God for bringing us to that decision point in our lives. I cannot imagine life without attending a church faithfully every week. It is very wise for us to put ourselves under godly preaching and teaching as much as we can, which means weekly or even multiple times each week. I cannot say this enough about attending.
Well, I was going to say a little more on this, but I just realized the time, and I have got to get ready for the day. I have to be at bible study in 45 minutes, so maybe I'll finish this tomorrow...then again, maybe not. Maybe I'll just keep it short and sweet. ;)
Love to all, and thanks for always reading!
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Friday, October 19, 2018
Friday Favorites
Happy Friday! I love them, and this one is particularly exciting, because I'll be seeing my dad for the first time in two weeks. He was on vacation, and they left on a Thursday and came back on a Monday. It seems like it's been forever since we last had lunch and solved all the world's problems. I'm so glad he's home safely and that their vacation was so wonderful. I can't wait to hear him tell me about his favorite parts.
It's been a good week, but I'm glad it's the weekend, because most of the people in my house have been sick with sinus infections. They all seem to finally be feeling better now, though.
Here are some of my favorite moments from this week gone by.
I have had some really good quiet times with the Lord this week, and this picture above represents one such day. I've been reading in the Gospels, but on this particular day, the Lord led me to this Psalm. I'd been praying and He recalled to mind this verse that says His name is holy and awe-inspiring. He is! I love to talk about Him, about His goodness, His kindness. He is my favorite subject.
This weather all week has made me feel like Lorelai feels when it snows for the first time. I feel like magic is in the air when it's cold outside. Words cannot describe my love for this kind of weather, and sleeping in my bed with no heat, but under a huge and heavy blanket is my absolute FAVORITE. We pulled out our heavy blankets one night this week when it dipped down to the lower forties. It was divine.
And I think I want a weighted blanket. Thoughts?
Tuesday was a night I will not soon forget. I had the privilege of going to hear a Holocaust survivor speak on this night, and I went with my best friend. Her name is Eva Schloss, and she is eighty-nine years young. Hearing what happened during the Holocaust is so much different that just reading about what happened. She wouldn't even speak of such things, but just urged everyone to buy her book to read.
My friend bought it and said she'd share, so I look forward to reading it.
On a MUCH lighter note, I have so enjoyed reliving some of my favorite moments from the trip my hubby and I took to NYC two years ago to celebrate our twentieth anniversary and fortieth birthdays. It was the trip of a lifetime, I feel like, and getting to attend church services at Brooklyn Tabernacle was the icing on the cake. I want to go back!
In going through the scripture writing plan for this month, this was my favorite verse from the week. Nothing is too difficult for God, and for that I am so thankful. Whether it is a huge need or a small need that we have, I have learned to just take it all to Him. He is the One in control, and even when He doesn't answer in the way I want Him to, I recognize His will and that His plans are far better than mine. I am so glad I can take all my needs to Him.
My church is having a dinner theater production this week, and I got to go last night. It was so much fun! I laughed so hard at a few of the scenes, and I am blown away by some of the talent I saw. These type nights are my favorite, and it's fun to be among friends that are like family. I met a new friend last night, speaking of, we ended up sitting together for the play, and I was glad we introduced ourselves. It's hard to believe we're in our eighth year of attending CFBC. It doesn't seem that long, but then again, it seems like we've been here forever. I love my church family so much and I love serving alongside them and being in fellowship with them.
Thanks for reading my blog! Have a great day and enjoy your weekend. Love to all!
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
quiet time habits and helps
Time with God is so important to me. It always comes first in my life, and I prefer for that to happen before I carry on with my day. I don't always jump out of bed and have this time like I used to, because I started feeling like I wasn't "awake" enough to let it absorb. There is no time schedule for me with this, because I do not work outside of my home. I have my cups of coffee, I make breakfast and lunches for the people leaving each morning, and once they're out the door is when it usually happens.
Some days I have to leave my house early, though, and on those days I will have this time later on in the day. I can always make time to pray, though, and I will do that while I'm getting dressed or if I'm driving in my car alone. It's the reading part that will sometimes have to take place later in the day. And then sometimes I'll get caught up in the events of the day, and I will very occasionally miss it altogether. I'm okay if it's just one day or two, but if I get three or more days behind in my bible reading plan, it's hard for me to catch back up.
Speaking of plans, it is good to have a bible reading plan. I know of some people that can play Russian roulette with their bible, and open it up and pick a spot and read there just for the day, but that is not me. I need to always have a plan. Currently, I am reading through the bible in a year, in chronological order. I've done this several times with the women in my church, and it's one of my favorite ways to read the bible. We are in the Gospels right now, in the New Testament, and the reading is so good.
When I'm not doing the chronological reading, I will pick books to read through at a time. I like consistency, and because I'm a reader (I think), I prefer to go book by book. It seems more complete to me, to do it that way, but I know it could just be different for me. Earlier in the year when I was reading through a portion of the bible that was particularly difficult, I added some reading plans to the one I was already doing, because I needed to read the word and GET it. This was when we were going through all those good and bad kings in the Old Testament.
One of my favorite things to do in my quiet time is to write out scripture. I started this three or four years ago, in November, when I saw a plan on social media, and I continued for two or three years in a row. This year I stopped, because I knew just reading the bible in a year would prove to be challenging for me again. For some reason, though, this month, I started doing scripture writing again. I am LOVING it, and I honestly think the Lord just had me do this because He knew what a blessing it would be for me right now.
I don't just turn to the passage and write it out and then be done. I open my bible and read it first. Sometimes I read it again, out loud. If it's not already underlined in my bible, I will underline it, and then I will write it out. I also love to pray what I read. You just take whatever scripture you're reading and personalize it for your prayer. I know I did that on this day, when I was writing scripture from Ecclesiastes. I used to do this on notebook paper and I have it all in a big binder, but now I just use my journal for this. If this is something you are interested in, just go swtblessings.com for a plan for each month. She no longer does them by the month names, but she has been doing them by themes. For instance, the theme for this month is purpose. You can just pick a theme, print it out or get the wallpaper for your phone, and then start.
Speaking of journals, I do this a lot. There is no rhyme or reason for what all I write. I got out of this habit over the summer, for some reason, and I really missed it. I had my summer journal that was all cute, but it ended up being mostly church notes. When school started back, I called it a day with that journal and shelved it, and then began fresh with a new one. You read that right. I don't always finish journals, and I am totally okay with that. I get a lot of journals for Christmas, because everyone knows how much I love them, and I love receiving them as gifts. Last year, though, I hit the journal jackpot, and I am STILL using all the ones I got for my birthday or for Christmas.
Here are all the things I put inside my journals. (I already mentioned church notes and scripture writing.) I always write down all the prayer requests I have, either for me or for someone else. I have to do this, or I would be unable to keep up with what I tell people I'll pray for. If I tell someone I will pray for them, I almost always stop right there and pray, either with them in person or over the phone, or for them while I'm at home and I've commented that on social media. Occasionally I will forget to do that, but the Lord is always so faithful to remind me of what I said, and then I will pray immediately, when He brings it to my mind.
I write down my days. Call it a bullet journal style format, or a to-do list, but some days are really busy, and I will have so much to remember that if I don't write it all down, I will forget it all. I have to do this to keep me sane. Not everyday is like that, like yesterday. I stayed home all day, but I did have some things I wanted to accomplish, so I wrote it all down and got most of it done. (I didn't clean or vacuum, like I said I would, but I sure did finish my third book for the month.) I like checking things off a list. It makes me feel so productive.
So often, I write out my prayers, especially when I'm so frustrated that all I want to do is cry. I really hate crying when people are around, so I just write down whatever is on my heart, in a letter form to the Lord. He is omniscient (meaning, He knows EVERYTHING) and He knows my heart and what is going on inside of it, so I know that type of prayer "counts". Sometimes these type of prayers are angry or frustrated, and sometimes they're just heart wrenching, like when I pray every single day for TWO people in my life right now. (I pray for many more, but these two people are in heartbreaking situations right now, and families have been destroyed and torn apart because of the sin they're walking in.)
I keep track of all the good things that happen. God is the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17), and I love to reflect on all that He has done. Nothing helps me do that more than writing it all down. I love to see how He answered prayers I prayed. I also just love to write down all the things I want to remember. When Drew got his first A on his college A & P class, I wrote it down, and then I wrote out a prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God, for hearing my plea on Drew's behalf and helping him to do his very best. I remember when Jonah was seven, he taught himself how to ride a bike without holding on. I found that journal recently, and I reread the entry for that day. I had forgotten it, but it was something so little that made Jonah so happy that I wanted to remember it forever.
I also write down ideas for things like blog posts, new recipes I want to try, a bible study I want to write, books I want to read, and people I need to reach out to that I haven't spoken with in a while.
One last thing, and that is that I use my bible. By "use", I mean I write in it, I write out prayers, I write people's names the Lord may bring to mind while I'm reading a passage, I write some of my pastor's sermon in the margins, I underline, highlight, and use colored pens. I have a closet full of bibles that I've marked all up, and I want my boys to have them someday when I'm no longer here. If I want to teach or show them one thing, it is that I love Jesus, and I love the word of God. I want them to know why I prayed certain things for them, and I will write it all out in the pages of my bible, next to the passage. I have my grandmother's bible, and that means the world to me, seeing all that she wrote in the pages of her bible. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
One thing I know: life is hard. Without Jesus, it is completely hopeless. Even WITH Him, it is still hard, but we have His word to read, study, meditate on, and teach to our children. I cannot imagine even ONE SECOND of walking this life without Him by my side. I pray I never experience that...while He will never leave us or forsake us, we can certainly turn our backs on Him. I know one person who is walking that right now, and she is one of the people I pray for every single day. I pray that the Lord always helps me to cling to Him like no one or nothing else.
If you want to talk more about that, or any of this above, reach out to me! Comment or email me at allboys@gmail.com. I pray this inspires someone to get started with their quiet times again, or maybe even for the first time. Thank you for reading my blog! Love to all.
Monday, October 15, 2018
the weekend
It was an easy weekend, one with no big plans and nowhere to be. Every once in a while, I love a weekend like that.
I started it off by going out with my mom during the day. We ran a couple of errands, both of us, and we ate lunch at a delicious new-to-us Greek place we found in Germantown.
I took a picture to send to my sisters in Denver, because it reminds me of a little place there that I like to eat when I'm in town. LOOK at how yummy this all looked! I had a Greek salad, and we split an order of tzatziki and pita bread. And we MIGHT have had baklava for dessert. We ended our day at Hobby Lobby looking for inspiration for Christmas decor for me, because I'm hosting a table at our upcoming women's event at our church, Tablescapes. I still don't totally know what I'm doing yet, but I'm sure I'll figure it out, maybe not even until the day of, but I'll get there.
On Friday night, we were all scattered all over the place. My husband was at our church, working in an area they're trying to get into this coming week, the boys were out in the country at a friend's house, so I went to dinner with my best friend. We were both so hungry, and we may have been sitting at the table by five forty-five. #oldpeople
After dinner, we went to the new Kirkland's in our area and had fun looking at all the Christmas decor. (See a trend, here? I love Christmas!)
I was back home, in my pajamas at seven thirty, friends. That is a perfect night.
I caught up watching This Is Us. And after this, I think I switched back to Gilmore Girls.
On Saturday, I got up and put on fresh pajamas and proceeded to stay home all day long. It was GLORIOUS.
I was hungry for breakfast, so I made some chocolate gravy and biscuits, and then was the only one who ate it.
It was so good. I haven't made it in forever.
I was alone most of the day, which I was fine with, so I took a nap (I had been up at FOUR a.m.), ate lunch, watched all my favorite Saturday cooking shows, and when Todd finally got home that afternoon and after we ate dinner, I sat down to read and then finished the book I'd been reading.
I was at church bright and early Sunday morning for praise team practice, then home for lunch after church, then back at church at three for choir practice. Sunday's are crazy for me.
I came home right after choir practice, to my sick hubby and son, and ate dinner, then settled in for the night with a new book. (Number three so far this month.) I have been having great success at the library lately, and I'm on a major reading kick right now. I hope it sticks, since it seems to come and go.
Today we have a microwave repairman coming to our house. (Praise hands!) I am going to send two of my kids to Kroger for some ingredients for dinner tonight, and then I'm making a yummy dinner that I haven't made in a long time. The other things on my to-do list are laundry, cleaning the downstairs again, vacuuming, catching up on bible study homework, and finishing my book. It's a perfectly dreary, rainy, cool Monday, which is totally my kind of day.
Thanks for reading! Love to all.
I started it off by going out with my mom during the day. We ran a couple of errands, both of us, and we ate lunch at a delicious new-to-us Greek place we found in Germantown.
I took a picture to send to my sisters in Denver, because it reminds me of a little place there that I like to eat when I'm in town. LOOK at how yummy this all looked! I had a Greek salad, and we split an order of tzatziki and pita bread. And we MIGHT have had baklava for dessert. We ended our day at Hobby Lobby looking for inspiration for Christmas decor for me, because I'm hosting a table at our upcoming women's event at our church, Tablescapes. I still don't totally know what I'm doing yet, but I'm sure I'll figure it out, maybe not even until the day of, but I'll get there.
On Friday night, we were all scattered all over the place. My husband was at our church, working in an area they're trying to get into this coming week, the boys were out in the country at a friend's house, so I went to dinner with my best friend. We were both so hungry, and we may have been sitting at the table by five forty-five. #oldpeople
After dinner, we went to the new Kirkland's in our area and had fun looking at all the Christmas decor. (See a trend, here? I love Christmas!)
I was back home, in my pajamas at seven thirty, friends. That is a perfect night.
I caught up watching This Is Us. And after this, I think I switched back to Gilmore Girls.
On Saturday, I got up and put on fresh pajamas and proceeded to stay home all day long. It was GLORIOUS.
I was hungry for breakfast, so I made some chocolate gravy and biscuits, and then was the only one who ate it.
It was so good. I haven't made it in forever.
I was alone most of the day, which I was fine with, so I took a nap (I had been up at FOUR a.m.), ate lunch, watched all my favorite Saturday cooking shows, and when Todd finally got home that afternoon and after we ate dinner, I sat down to read and then finished the book I'd been reading.
I was at church bright and early Sunday morning for praise team practice, then home for lunch after church, then back at church at three for choir practice. Sunday's are crazy for me.
I came home right after choir practice, to my sick hubby and son, and ate dinner, then settled in for the night with a new book. (Number three so far this month.) I have been having great success at the library lately, and I'm on a major reading kick right now. I hope it sticks, since it seems to come and go.
Today we have a microwave repairman coming to our house. (Praise hands!) I am going to send two of my kids to Kroger for some ingredients for dinner tonight, and then I'm making a yummy dinner that I haven't made in a long time. The other things on my to-do list are laundry, cleaning the downstairs again, vacuuming, catching up on bible study homework, and finishing my book. It's a perfectly dreary, rainy, cool Monday, which is totally my kind of day.
Thanks for reading! Love to all.
Thursday, October 11, 2018
life lately
Jonah told me on Friday of last week, that this week would be their fall break. I'm laughing, because I used to keep up with that stuff, and now I don't. I do count on them to always tell me these things, though. So, they have been enjoying a break from school work. Drew's break starts today. (He is off every Friday, though.) He gets Monday and Tuesday off, and I know he's glad. He's been hard at work at college, and is doing really well. I am SO proud of him.
Here's a little of what we've been up to this week, mixed in with some random things.
Have you had this stuff?
I pulled this out of the pantry the other night, and I was looking forward to being the first one to use it. (Anyone else love making the first marks in things like this? No? Okay.) Someone has already been using it! I am fairly certain it's Jonah, and he puts it into his milkshakes.
I put it on top of ice cream. You could just eat it by the spoonful, and it would be fantabulous. It's similar to peanut butter, the consistency of it, but it's made with cookies instead. Who wouldn't love that?
I got to babysit my best friend's little girl this week! This was us on Tuesday, just hanging out on her little playmat. Everly is the SWEETEST baby to ever have lived. She is precious and so easy to calm down when she's fussy, but she's not really ever fussy. We had fun together.
I love getting my nails done with gel manicures. There is this little place nearby, that I love, and I love all the sweet people that work in there, and I love that it's not much money and the polish lasts for almost two full weeks. I love doing that, and I've been getting my nails done there pretty consistently for a couple of years. I have taken small breaks in between, to let my nails "breathe" without gel polish, and I'm taking a break right now.
That being said, I also had to throw away a bunch of old polishes recently, so I've been slowly adding more and new colors to my collection of OPI and Essie polishes. This one above is on my nails right now, and it's a really pretty fall shade of teal. It's called Amazon Amazoff. I was trying to match Teal Me More, Teal Me More (from OPI'S Grease collection), but it's already been discontinued and is hard to find in shops.
I love polishing my nails, and I'm pretty good at it. The key is to always have a part of your hand touching your other hand as you polish. It steadies the brush, and then you make long, smooth strokes with the brush. The other key is to have some of this stuff. (Used as a topcoat.)
https://www.amazon.com/Seche-Vite-Fast-Coat-Pack/dp/B006K3NUBC/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1539267039&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=seche%2Bvite%2Bdry%2Bfast%2Btop%2Bcoat&smid=ASEVS99O6FS73&th=1
I also love this stuff from OPI. You apply one or two drops of it at the cuticle of your nail after you're done polishing. Here's the link:
https://www.amazon.com/OPI-Nail-Lacquer-Drying-Drops/dp/B000TBXWNW/ref=sr_1_2_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1539267110&sr=1-2&keywords=rapid%2Bdry%2Bnail%2Bspray&th=1
Moving along, now.
This dog has been a PUNK for the last several weeks. I spend most of my time being really irritated with him. I don't know where my sweet little puppy went!
Have you ever read a book that you started out liking, and then it just went ON AND ON? I had that happen this week. I finally finished the book, though, so I returned some to the library the other night and went and got some more. I read FIVE books in September, and I've already read one so far in October. I read a good portion of the day yesterday, while I was at an appointment, so I'm halfway through my first one from that stack you see on the table. I also am still keeping track of what I read. My reading journal is underneath that white book you see, and I have one page per month. I love lists. And I love keeping track of how much I read. It definitely fluctuates at different times during the year.
LOOK AT THIS GLORIOUS FORECAST.
I am so excited at the upcoming weather! It finally seems to be fall in these parts.
And all my Denver family just rolled their eyes, as they shovel their snow. Ha!
My plans for today include grocery shopping and making something yummy for dinner, something requested by them last weekend. I will also do laundry and vacuum the downstairs (it's a never ending task), and I'll read my book. Tomorrow I plan on seeing my mom, since it's been a while since we've done anything. And then the weekend will be here! I have no idea what our plans are, though, but I think they'll be gone a lot.
Thanks for reading! Love to all.
Here's a little of what we've been up to this week, mixed in with some random things.
Have you had this stuff?
I pulled this out of the pantry the other night, and I was looking forward to being the first one to use it. (Anyone else love making the first marks in things like this? No? Okay.) Someone has already been using it! I am fairly certain it's Jonah, and he puts it into his milkshakes.
I put it on top of ice cream. You could just eat it by the spoonful, and it would be fantabulous. It's similar to peanut butter, the consistency of it, but it's made with cookies instead. Who wouldn't love that?
I got to babysit my best friend's little girl this week! This was us on Tuesday, just hanging out on her little playmat. Everly is the SWEETEST baby to ever have lived. She is precious and so easy to calm down when she's fussy, but she's not really ever fussy. We had fun together.
I love getting my nails done with gel manicures. There is this little place nearby, that I love, and I love all the sweet people that work in there, and I love that it's not much money and the polish lasts for almost two full weeks. I love doing that, and I've been getting my nails done there pretty consistently for a couple of years. I have taken small breaks in between, to let my nails "breathe" without gel polish, and I'm taking a break right now.
That being said, I also had to throw away a bunch of old polishes recently, so I've been slowly adding more and new colors to my collection of OPI and Essie polishes. This one above is on my nails right now, and it's a really pretty fall shade of teal. It's called Amazon Amazoff. I was trying to match Teal Me More, Teal Me More (from OPI'S Grease collection), but it's already been discontinued and is hard to find in shops.
I love polishing my nails, and I'm pretty good at it. The key is to always have a part of your hand touching your other hand as you polish. It steadies the brush, and then you make long, smooth strokes with the brush. The other key is to have some of this stuff. (Used as a topcoat.)
https://www.amazon.com/Seche-Vite-Fast-Coat-Pack/dp/B006K3NUBC/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1539267039&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=seche%2Bvite%2Bdry%2Bfast%2Btop%2Bcoat&smid=ASEVS99O6FS73&th=1
I also love this stuff from OPI. You apply one or two drops of it at the cuticle of your nail after you're done polishing. Here's the link:
https://www.amazon.com/OPI-Nail-Lacquer-Drying-Drops/dp/B000TBXWNW/ref=sr_1_2_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1539267110&sr=1-2&keywords=rapid%2Bdry%2Bnail%2Bspray&th=1
Moving along, now.
This dog has been a PUNK for the last several weeks. I spend most of my time being really irritated with him. I don't know where my sweet little puppy went!
Have you ever read a book that you started out liking, and then it just went ON AND ON? I had that happen this week. I finally finished the book, though, so I returned some to the library the other night and went and got some more. I read FIVE books in September, and I've already read one so far in October. I read a good portion of the day yesterday, while I was at an appointment, so I'm halfway through my first one from that stack you see on the table. I also am still keeping track of what I read. My reading journal is underneath that white book you see, and I have one page per month. I love lists. And I love keeping track of how much I read. It definitely fluctuates at different times during the year.
LOOK AT THIS GLORIOUS FORECAST.
I am so excited at the upcoming weather! It finally seems to be fall in these parts.
And all my Denver family just rolled their eyes, as they shovel their snow. Ha!
My plans for today include grocery shopping and making something yummy for dinner, something requested by them last weekend. I will also do laundry and vacuum the downstairs (it's a never ending task), and I'll read my book. Tomorrow I plan on seeing my mom, since it's been a while since we've done anything. And then the weekend will be here! I have no idea what our plans are, though, but I think they'll be gone a lot.
Thanks for reading! Love to all.
Thursday, October 4, 2018
a few things the Lord has taught me through twenty two years of marriage
In my quiet time this morning, and then later on as I was dressing (Jesus and I have really good time together when I'm getting ready for the day), the good Lord brought to mind some things I've learned these past twenty two years. I thought I'd share.
The first is that marriage is about so much more than the husband and the wife. Each marriage should represent the love of Jesus. It's not about us being happy or unhappy, it is about us loving one another like the bible tells us to. The husband must love his wife as the Lord loves the church, and we must be submissive to our husbands. (Those two portions of scripture are from Ephesians 5 and 1 Peter 3.) Marriage exists to bring glory to God.
Did you catch that? Marriage exists to bring glory to God.
I also think marriages should be about serving each other. We are nowhere near being perfect, I assure you, but we have found little ways to do this in the years God has given us. We have each found our little areas that we serve each other, and we do it willingly and joyfully. I'll give one teeny tiny example: Todd is so sweet about noticing little things. One such thing he will notice is when he's driving my car; if it needs gas, he will put gas in it for me. One small way that I serve him is in getting him out the door each morning. Lately I've been making him breakfast when he wants it, or sometimes it'll just be packing his lunch and getting his to go cups of coffee and water ready for him to grab on the way out.
Serving and loving go hand in hand, and it's always good to put each other's needs before our own. We don't always succeed at this, but we give it our best.
A good, strong marriage is something we can consider a gift to our kids. In this day and age of the world being full of turmoil and hate, it's good for the boys to see how we love one another. (We aren't always great at this, either.) We may joke and mess around, we may get in arguments or disagreements from time to time, but when it comes down to it, they know that we have each other's backs. We loved each other first, long before they came, and we will love each other long after they're out of the house. A solid marriage is rare nowadays, ask about five different strangers, and you can see for yourself. They either won't be married anymore, or they would consider their marriage as one being in trouble. (This is a guess on my part, but I would be willing to bet, if I were a gambler, that it's true.)
The more we cling to God, the closer we are. I'll write that again and word it a little differently. The closer each of us are in our relationship to God, the closer we are to one another. Think of a triangle with God being at the top point, and each spouse being the two bottom points. If just one spouse moves up his or her side of the triangle getting closer to God, the further they get from the other spouse. If you move up the triangle together, becoming closer to God, you'll become closer to each other.
We have tested this, and found it to be true.
Also, about having that closeness with God,someone I respect and admire said recently that in a split second, we have to make a decision, if given an opportunity. In that split second's time, we can either go with temptation, or we can fight it and move firmly away from temptation. If we are walking very closely with the Lord, we will be able to fight whatever comes our way. On the other hand, if we give the enemy even one small foothold in an area of our lives, it's going to be easier to become overcome by that temptation. I promise you that this is a very true statement.
I just read this verse this morning, and it kind of goes along with what I'm saying.
"His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness." 2 Peter 1:3.
His divine power has given us everything required for life! And godliness, through the knowledge of Him. How do we get that knowledge, you may wonder? Through the reading of His word! Through prayer. He will always provide us with a way out, should the temptation become unbearable. If you read further down in that same chapter, Peter writes that through His word (His very great and precious promises, verse 4 calls them), we can escape the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire. He goes on to write in the verses after, that we should supplement our faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
Another thing I've learned in our marriage is that we need to laugh and we need to laugh often. Sometimes life is hard and it just plain sucks. There is no other way to more accurately describe how hard it can be. Finances can stress us out like nothing else can, and so can health problems, car troubles, and teenage problems. I honestly think that if we didn't laugh, we would cry all the time. I will say this for anyone young and not yet married: find you someone to make you laugh. Nobody cracks me up like my husband.
Well, my best friend cracks me up too, but I'm not married to her.
The good part of marriage comes after all the hard parts in marriage. We don't know what our future holds. The point of this one is that in the sticking with it, God refines us through all that testing and those trials. I love the picture of a refiner molding metal by sticking it into a fire. That is exactly what God does for us, if we are believers in and followers of Him. He is making us into who He means for us to be, molding us more and more into His beautiful image. But we have to let Him and we definitely have to trust Him and in His plan for our lives.
This older version of me would tell the younger me to pray more, about every little thing, and do that with my husband and make it into a daily habit. (We miserably fail at this most days.) I can honestly remember kind of laughing at someone I used to know when she would answer each question with, "I don't know yet, let me pray about it, and I'll get back with you." I'm sorry, Leslie, if you're reading this. (She's not, we're not even Facebook friends.) I am like that now, but I sure wasn't way back when. I need to be even MORE like that now, than I already am.
Note to self: talk less, pray more.
And on that note, sometimes we really do just need to stop talking about it, and pray instead. Marriage is hard, I think I've already said that, and there will be good days and bad days. On those bad days, we would be so much better off if we would just take to God all our worries and concerns. In a social media crazed world (preaching to myself), we need to just be more social with God.
Toddley, if you're reading this (and you will, because I am going to tag you on Facebook), I love this crinkly eyed, slightly less hair, fluffier version of you so much more than the younger, fitter version of you. I wouldn't trade even one second of our time being married for anything in all of the world. Thanks for putting up with my uniqueness. (I'm laughing.) I love you so much and am so glad to have spent the last twenty four (twenty five?) years of my life with you. You are my lobster.
Happy anniversary to us. Now, let's go eat. I'm hungry!
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
pictures from my phone that never made it to any form of social media
With that kind of title, no other words are needed to describe this type of post.
(I am at a loss at lately, about thinking up blog post ideas, and it's why I've been writing less frequently. Suggestions and ideas are always welcome and wanted.)
This was me on Sunday morning in my car, finishing off that cup of coffee before I walked into church. I loved a lot of things about the picture (the cup, my nail polish and new shirt) and took a picture for my Instagram story. If only that glorious Fall weather would come back...
My nail polish is a numbered one from the place I get my nails done, but I'm about to stop getting them done again, because they're thin and bendy. I found this exact shade of OPI polish at Marshall's last week, and it's called Miami Beet. It's a great fall berry color and went perfectly with my top, not that I did that on purpose. The cup is by Swig. It's insulated and a beautiful copper color.
This was last night after dinner. I made an old fashioned roast for dinner, with good gravy and potatoes, along with green beans and cornbread. Drew and Noah were having a staring competition, and Jonah and Todd got in on it to try to mess one of them up. Right after this, Drew burst into laughter, as did Jonah and me. I love family shenanigans around the dinner table. Graham had been there, but had just left to go meet Rachel.
This was also yesterday, as I read the passage of scripture I wrote out for the day. I love this verse from 1 Corinthians 10:31.
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.
I used to say that to the boys when they were little over and over and over again as they did whatever task I'd told them to do. (Cleaning, homework...)
Chip was living his best life in my bed that night. Nobody was home except for me, and I was going to bed. That means he got to lay in my bed with me until someone came home to watch him for a couple of more hours before putting him in his kennel for the night. I love that side eye he was giving me.
It's like he was saying, "Mom, is tonight the night I get to sleep in your bed all night?"
The answer to that would be negative.
This candle smells divine. I got it from Home Goods a couple of weeks ago, when I went for a new Fall candle and some soap for my bathrooms. Both are excellent from Home Goods, by the way. And very inexpensive.
Sometimes I take pictures like this to make sure I look presentable before leaving. I had just bought a new shirt, and some new necklaces from my favorite little shopping spot here in The Ville, all of which were on the clearance racks.
All the dogs like to lay in this spot and look out the front door. Well, Callie lays here when that door is closed and keeps her back to it as she stands guard over us all. This was Chip's turn, and Crash accidentally gave up the good spot.
This is my best friend's precious little girl. I have spent several days with them in the last couple of weeks, and I love getting to snuggle her and talk to her. We sing, I tell her about Jesus, I pray for her, and then she usually falls asleep on me.
This was us with me in the backseat a couple of weeks ago going to visit my dad-in-love who had surgery. Noah was driving us. Also, that is a huge answer to prayer, because for months, he's been afraid to drive. He drives us all over the place, nowadays, whenever we're together.
Sometimes I still can't believe that my "littles" are now fifteen and a half and will be driving on their own in a handful of months from now.
I mean... this was just a few days ago, right?
Well, I need to get this day going. Thanks for reading! Love to all.
(I am at a loss at lately, about thinking up blog post ideas, and it's why I've been writing less frequently. Suggestions and ideas are always welcome and wanted.)
This was me on Sunday morning in my car, finishing off that cup of coffee before I walked into church. I loved a lot of things about the picture (the cup, my nail polish and new shirt) and took a picture for my Instagram story. If only that glorious Fall weather would come back...
My nail polish is a numbered one from the place I get my nails done, but I'm about to stop getting them done again, because they're thin and bendy. I found this exact shade of OPI polish at Marshall's last week, and it's called Miami Beet. It's a great fall berry color and went perfectly with my top, not that I did that on purpose. The cup is by Swig. It's insulated and a beautiful copper color.
This was last night after dinner. I made an old fashioned roast for dinner, with good gravy and potatoes, along with green beans and cornbread. Drew and Noah were having a staring competition, and Jonah and Todd got in on it to try to mess one of them up. Right after this, Drew burst into laughter, as did Jonah and me. I love family shenanigans around the dinner table. Graham had been there, but had just left to go meet Rachel.
This was also yesterday, as I read the passage of scripture I wrote out for the day. I love this verse from 1 Corinthians 10:31.
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.
I used to say that to the boys when they were little over and over and over again as they did whatever task I'd told them to do. (Cleaning, homework...)
Chip was living his best life in my bed that night. Nobody was home except for me, and I was going to bed. That means he got to lay in my bed with me until someone came home to watch him for a couple of more hours before putting him in his kennel for the night. I love that side eye he was giving me.
It's like he was saying, "Mom, is tonight the night I get to sleep in your bed all night?"
The answer to that would be negative.
This candle smells divine. I got it from Home Goods a couple of weeks ago, when I went for a new Fall candle and some soap for my bathrooms. Both are excellent from Home Goods, by the way. And very inexpensive.
Sometimes I take pictures like this to make sure I look presentable before leaving. I had just bought a new shirt, and some new necklaces from my favorite little shopping spot here in The Ville, all of which were on the clearance racks.
All the dogs like to lay in this spot and look out the front door. Well, Callie lays here when that door is closed and keeps her back to it as she stands guard over us all. This was Chip's turn, and Crash accidentally gave up the good spot.
This is my best friend's precious little girl. I have spent several days with them in the last couple of weeks, and I love getting to snuggle her and talk to her. We sing, I tell her about Jesus, I pray for her, and then she usually falls asleep on me.
This was us with me in the backseat a couple of weeks ago going to visit my dad-in-love who had surgery. Noah was driving us. Also, that is a huge answer to prayer, because for months, he's been afraid to drive. He drives us all over the place, nowadays, whenever we're together.
Sometimes I still can't believe that my "littles" are now fifteen and a half and will be driving on their own in a handful of months from now.
I mean... this was just a few days ago, right?
Well, I need to get this day going. Thanks for reading! Love to all.
Monday, October 1, 2018
weekending
Happy Monday, and happy October! I love this month, too, especially because it's the month that my husband and I got married almost twenty-two years ago. Our anniversary is this Thursday, the fourth.
It was a great weekend, and I thought I'd share some of what made it fun.
On Friday, my friend Missy and I had a conversation about doing a few errands together that night, so that is what we did. Graham did something with Rachel, Noah went to his friend's house for the night, and Drew, Jonah, and Alex all went and grabbed something to eat. Missy and I went to Costco first, and ate dinner after we had shopped. (Todd was working that night.)
After that we went to Lifeway, and I feel like I should let it be known that I didn't spend even one dime while I was in there. We went for our new Bible study books, but they only had two copies. I'll be ordering mine on Amazon, I suppose. Lastly, we went to this new place.
I know we were kinda late to the game, but we went together for the first time last October when we were in the Dallas area. It seemed appropriate that we went to this new location for the first time together, too. We both got some things, but the one thing I wanted most, they were out of. (Dark chocolate peanut butter cups.) The thing about Trader Joe's is that you need to know what to buy. I follow a couple of people on Instagram that always talk about their purchases, so I know from them that what I got would be good. You need to do your homework first, and then go shop.
After this, I proceeded to drop Missy off at the door of THREE different grocery stores so she could buy a cookie cake for her son's birthday, and she hit the jackpot at the third and final stop of the night. The other two stores were out!
On Saturday I stayed home until later in the afternoon. I read a new library book and finished it, did some laundry, and that was about it. That afternoon, we had a choir family get together with food and (huge) fireworks. Our worship pastor said he had fireworks, and that they were big, but he wasn't kidding! There were a few he set off that were HUGE! I went to this alone, because Todd had a wedding he worked at with a friend, and none of the boys would go with me. If you know me at all and hear that I went to this alone, that is a huge deal. I almost talked myself out of going several times, but I'm so glad I didn't. (Introvert problems.)
Yesterday was church, and then choir practice, and right after that I went and grocery shopped for the week.
Last week, four people in this house went through almost thirty-six eggs. It was mostly Drew, though. He likes an omelette every morning and I use either three or four to make him one. Plus I made some for Graham and Todd a couple of mornings. So this was me shopping last night, trying to just get enough to make it through Thursday.
I haven't done scripture writing all year, but I'm thinking I'm going to start back because I miss it. So here is the plan for October, in case any of you feel the same way.
Well, laundry is calling my name. Thanks for reading! Love to all.
It was a great weekend, and I thought I'd share some of what made it fun.
On Friday, my friend Missy and I had a conversation about doing a few errands together that night, so that is what we did. Graham did something with Rachel, Noah went to his friend's house for the night, and Drew, Jonah, and Alex all went and grabbed something to eat. Missy and I went to Costco first, and ate dinner after we had shopped. (Todd was working that night.)
After that we went to Lifeway, and I feel like I should let it be known that I didn't spend even one dime while I was in there. We went for our new Bible study books, but they only had two copies. I'll be ordering mine on Amazon, I suppose. Lastly, we went to this new place.
I know we were kinda late to the game, but we went together for the first time last October when we were in the Dallas area. It seemed appropriate that we went to this new location for the first time together, too. We both got some things, but the one thing I wanted most, they were out of. (Dark chocolate peanut butter cups.) The thing about Trader Joe's is that you need to know what to buy. I follow a couple of people on Instagram that always talk about their purchases, so I know from them that what I got would be good. You need to do your homework first, and then go shop.
After this, I proceeded to drop Missy off at the door of THREE different grocery stores so she could buy a cookie cake for her son's birthday, and she hit the jackpot at the third and final stop of the night. The other two stores were out!
On Saturday I stayed home until later in the afternoon. I read a new library book and finished it, did some laundry, and that was about it. That afternoon, we had a choir family get together with food and (huge) fireworks. Our worship pastor said he had fireworks, and that they were big, but he wasn't kidding! There were a few he set off that were HUGE! I went to this alone, because Todd had a wedding he worked at with a friend, and none of the boys would go with me. If you know me at all and hear that I went to this alone, that is a huge deal. I almost talked myself out of going several times, but I'm so glad I didn't. (Introvert problems.)
Yesterday was church, and then choir practice, and right after that I went and grocery shopped for the week.
Last week, four people in this house went through almost thirty-six eggs. It was mostly Drew, though. He likes an omelette every morning and I use either three or four to make him one. Plus I made some for Graham and Todd a couple of mornings. So this was me shopping last night, trying to just get enough to make it through Thursday.
I haven't done scripture writing all year, but I'm thinking I'm going to start back because I miss it. So here is the plan for October, in case any of you feel the same way.
Well, laundry is calling my name. Thanks for reading! Love to all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Friday Favorites, 10.4.2024.
Happy Friday, friends! I'm linking up with Andrea and Erika for today's blog post. How has your week been? Mine has been good,...
-
Happy Friday, friends! I'm linking up with Andrea and Erika for today's blog post. How has your week been? I have lots of favori...
-
Happy Tuesday, friends! I hope your week is off to a great start! Why do I love this saying so much? I want it be said of me when I look bac...
-
Happy Friday, friends, and Happy March! I'm linking up with Andrea and Erika for today's favorite blog post of the week. How w...