25 days of praise

Funny story.  Week 4 of 25 days of praise and I ask my husband what he wants for Valentines. Day  Here's how the conversation went:

Me:  What do you want for Valentines Day?
Hubby:  A card
Me:  Huh??  A card?? Will a card make you feel loved and appreciated??
Hubby:  I already do

Awwww!  Isn't he amazing??  A card was NOT the answer I was expecting.  I was expecting something I would never write on here!!

Man I love this guy!! 

Here's what Courtney says about week 4, the final week:

This Monday is Valentine's Day. In a lot of marriages, this day comes and goes without a whole lot of acknowledgement. We women see it on the calendar - we know it's there, we've helped our children write out all their little Valentine's Day cards...and we cross our fingers that our husband NOTICES it is Valentine's Day.

If you are a lucky one - you will get a card, flowers, dinner out, maybe some chocolates and some romance. And well - the rest of us...it might not happen and we'll just have an annoying day lol!

But rather than waiting around for something that might not happen - how about we use this day to show our husbands appreciation for the blessing that they are in our lives. This day gives us a reason to shower our husbands with some extra Tender Loving Care!!!

Remember - there are no exceptions in the Bible where it says on Birthdays, Mother's Day and Valentine's Day we have permission to get selfish and self-centered.

Philippians 2:3,4 says "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."

My husband is thoughtful. It is not uncommon for him to show up with my favorite drink from Starbucks, a late night run to fill my car up with gas, or a timely back rub. But he's not Mr. Romance. I am 100% secure in his love for me by the way he works so hard to provide, listens to my long detailed stories lol!, protects me and the children and does a whole slew of other things 365 days a year! I don't want to despise him on February 14th for not coming up with a soap opera type romantic extravaganza. I know it's not gonna happen and it probably won't happen for about 90% of us!

So why not have some fun planning something special for our husbands and making a memory! Do you know what your husband wants? There's still quite a few days left - so ask him!

Let me make a suggestion as to what a majority of men want even if they aren't willing to say it:

1. A great tasting, looking, smelling home cooked meal and home cooked dessert (I plan to make an all red dinner - red drink - red spaghetti - red dessert)

2. You pursuing him for a night of passion (remember you are married - HAVE fun! God created passion for us married folk! lol!) Don't be afraid to flirt again - wink at him across the table - suggest what is for dessert after the kids are in bed *wink*. Loosen' up and have fun! Make a memory that neither of you will forget!

3. Write a letter expressing all the things you admire about him. Consider reading it out loud to him at dinner in front of your children. Or if you are going out to dinner - put your list in your purse and then pull it out in the middle of dinner and read it to him. Trust me - he will LOVE it!

Which of the three does your husband need from you right now?
Me speaking again -

I have to say something.  My husband is truly an amazing man.  As we close up this challenge - let me acknowledge something.  I AM ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES!  How have I gotten to be so blessed??  I am not bragging or trying to put that in anyone's face - merely shaking my head at how much God has blessed this undeserving girl.

Thank you JESUS for giving us this awesome thing called marriage.  I love this man more than I ever thought possible. 

25 Days of Praise

So it's been a while since I've done any posting on this subject!  Rest assured - I have not forgotten.  This week the focus was on intimacy.  With the blizzard last week and my untimely sickness - this week was honestly a struggle for me.  Kids home every day is not conducive to intimacy!  It was not a complete fail however - but that's all I'm gonna say about THAT!!

ANYWAY!  Tomorrow we start week 4 and the final week!  I will actually miss this challenge.  The crazy thing is I've been focusing so much on this challenge that it never dawned on me that at the end was Valentines Day!  I think I've used up all great ideas I could possibly ever come up with - so maybe I'll leave the planning of that special day to the man :)

Tonight my son rolled his eyes after I read a status update I had put on Facebook - and said "you two act like a couple of high schoolers!" to which my husband replied "well I do believe that's the best compliment you could have paid us" - and - of course - my being the more serious one - said "and I think you should be thankful because it's not something a lot of your friends have."

I am thankful, as always for this amazing guy God has blessed me with.  We have a quote up on our bedroom wall and it says "The Lord Blessed the Broken Road that led me to you".  It's true - the Lord DID bless my broken road and I am so glad He led me to my hubby.

Here's what Courtney says about week 4:


Week 4 February 9th - Women love romance, chocolate and flowers on Valentines Day. Do you know what your husband wants? Ask him! Let me make a suggestion as to what a majority of men want even if they aren't willing to say it: a great tasting, looking, smelling home cooked meal and home cooked dessert, you pursuing him for a night of passion (remember you are married - HAVE fun! God created passion for us married folk! lol!) or a letter expressing all the things you admire about him. One of these things he would surely enjoy. Which of the three does your husband need from you right now?


I don't have to ask, I already know!  I will ask, however, to make sure I'm not just making an assumption.  And in case that man is reading this post - I do love romance and flowers - and I especially like away time and dinner out.  I'm not a big chocolate fan - don't hate it - but it's not something I "love" like most women!

Either way - I just love to be with HIM!  

How has this challenge gone for you?  Have you learned anything about yourself?  About your spouse?  What have you found difficult?  What have you found easy?  What needs work in the future and what do you think your pretty good at?

Keep it up my friends - marriage IS hard work - but the reward is great.   

To close this one out - here are some quotes I found on marriage.  Enjoy!

Success in marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate, but through being the right mate.  ~Barnett R. Brickner

More marriages might survive if the partners realized that sometimes the better comes after the worse.  ~Doug Larson

The more you invest in a marriage, the more valuable it becomes.
Amy Grant

Any fool can have a trophy wife.
It takes a real man to have a trophy marriage.
Diane Sollee

I have no way of knowing whether or not you married the wrong person, but I do know that many people have a lot of wrong ideas about marriage and what it takes to make that marriage happy and successful. I'll be the first to admit that it's possible that you did marry the wrong person. However, if you treat the wrong person like the right person, you could well end up having married the right person after all. On the other hand, if you marry the right person, and treat that person wrong, you certainly will have ended up marrying the wrong person. I also know that it is far more important to be the right kind of person than it is to marry the right person. In short, whether you married the right or wrong person is primarily up to you.
Zig Ziglar      

25 Days of Praise

I shared previously that I would let 'ya know if Courtney @ Women Living Well had anything further to say about Week 3 of 25 days of praise.  Well - she did!!  How are things going for you??  We had a blizzard yesterday and ain't no one goin' no where for a few days - week 3 has now been seriously challenged - lol!!  Fortunately I was a wise woman and planned something special for this Monday night while the kids were at youth group.  And that's all your going to hear about THAT!

Here's a copy of Courtney's post about week 3!

There is something about the sparkle in our eye, the smile that says I adore you, the curves of our body, the sweet smell of our perfume, the way we move in the dark...that draws a man to a woman.

Proverbs 30:18,19 says"There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand; the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a maiden."

For men the physical need for intimacy is more than just physical - it is emotional. Just as we long to remain desirable to our husband's, our husband's long to know that they are still desirable to us. Their big ol' egos might not let them admit it - but it's there.

Within our God given femininity, we have the power to make our men feel stronger, more capable, more confident and loved in all areas - simply by responding to his initiatives with desire.

So this week's challenge is:

Pursue intimacy and place the intimate needs of your spouse above your own. Give him a foot or back massage, shower together, be creative!

Seek to "kiss him like you mean it" every single day this week! Solomon 5:16 says "His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely." Look at your husband through the eyes of his fiance...do you remember those butterflies and your longing for him. Renew that passion.

Paula Rinehart says that for many men, "S*x is like a silent cheer."

Our men feel stronger, more capable, and built up when we respond to their advances with a smile.

"Be available, agreeable and interested.(~Linda Dillow, Intimate Issues)

"When you touch your husband's deepest need something good almost always happens!"~ Dr. Emerson Eggerich

So I challenge you today to not just show your husband you love him but show him that you LIKE him!

The Bold and the Beautiful Blog Hop

 Well this is one brave (or stupid - lol!) move for me!  I'm entering a blog hop.  This type of thing is so far out of my comfort zone, it's not even funny!  Not out of the comfort zone as far as blog hopping goes - but ASKING for criticism out of the comfort zone.  The reality is, so few people can give constructive criticism that I am absolutely terrified of doing this.  However, I do love my blogging and I do love someone who can tell you like it is without hurting your feelings - so I shall do my best not to take it personally!!  I already know a few things I'll hear like "uh dude - your posts are like 12 pages long - can 'ya shorten 'em up a bit??"  lol.  I KNOW that one's coming.  I'm a woman of far too many words!  Anywho - here's the description of what this is all about from the creators of the blog hop:


"I am so excited to be part of a very unique blog hop. Gail @My Repurposed Life and MeganDVD @ Beauty in the Attempt are hosting “The Bold and the Beautiful-your blog reviewed”.

Please take a look around my blog, check out the layout, pages, buttons, sidebar and gadgets. I would love for you to gently critique my blog. I’m hoping you will leave me some positive feedback about my blog. It would be great if you could give me constructive criticism but be sure to tell me what you like about my blog too! Do you like my pictures? Does my blog load quickly for you? How about the font? All tips and tidbits welcome!

You are welcome to join the party, it starts Thursday night and is open for a week."

Finally - please be gentle?  Please??

25 Days of Praise

Some things are best side by pictures - so below - here was something I did for 25 days of praising my man.

1.  Wrote out 55 ways I love him and what he means to me

2.  Purchased some sweetart hearts

3.  Blew up 55 balloons, put one note and one sweettart into each balloon (sorry, forgot to take a picture of that) and stuffed them in garbage bags for transport.  My head was spinning by the time I finished.

4.  Stuffed the car with them

He was surprised!  It took a while for him to pop all of those balloons and read those messages - but I think he loved it!!  It was perfect timing as well as he had had a really bad day at work.

So my friends - that was a creative way to praise my man :-)  What about you - what have you come up with this week??

25 Days of Praise - Week 2!!

Oh boy - I typed this once already - and it was good - and then I deleted it accidentally :(  Let's try again!!

Here we are - week 2 of 25 days of praising your man!!  I must say Courtney @ Women Living Well had a terrific idea with this little challenge!!  We have a pretty incredible marriage - but after week one of truly focusing in on my husband and building him up has made our marriage even stronger!   In fact - this week - we have heard "Would you two STOP making out!" more than once from our teens as they have caught us catching kisses in the kitchen a few times!  We keep telling them "Just be HAPPY that your Mom & Dad love each other enough to show it!"  Their response "GROSS!".  Lol.  Sometimes we kiss just to annoy them ;-)

Here's what I figure.  Our marriage is a set up for them.  What they learn at home about marriage is what shapes what they want and expect and how to act themselves in a marriage.  Lavish each other with love, affection, grace, mercy, laughter - and they will learn what a happy and healthy marriage is.  Do the opposite - and they will grow up to expect a miserable and messy marriage.  It's your choice.  Set them up for a marriage God intended by keeping your own strong.

Here's what Courtney says for week 2:

Week 2 January 26th - This week we will be a little more creative with our praise. I will give you many ideas of fun things you can do to praise your husband such as surprising him with a love message on the mirror, a message packed in his lunch, using sidewalk chalk to write on the driveway, write a poem, making a toast to him at dinner with friends etc. Get creative with your selflessness!

Fun stuff coming up this week!!  I love to be creative!   I've already got some ideas floating around my head :)  I'll share them after I actually do them since my man reads my blog and I'd rather everything was a surprise.  I can't wait to see what Courtney suggests to expand my creativity a bit!

So - share with me - how did it go for you this week?  Are you making sure to praise your man every single day?  I hope so - 'cause this is lots of fun!!  

If you haven't jumped in yet - please do so now and make sure you let me know :)

25 Days of Praise

On my last week of the first week of praising your man - here's a story I want to share.

This week, Elyse & Marty were headed over to Kroger.  I think Marty had just picked E up from work.  There was a homeless man sitting there.  As homeless situations go - E was crying.  I love that about my kids - they can't stand to see a homeless person - it rips them up.  They really hate it.

Marty saw him, and began to drive on when he felt the nudge of the Holy Spirit.  He turned around, rolled down his window and asked the man if he would like something to eat.  The man eagerly replied yes!  Marty and E headed over to Wendy's and bought him some hot food and delivered it to the gentleman.  E could hardly contain herself.

I share this carefully - not wanting the recognition to be here on earth for Marty.  Yet - this is something I love about him.  He is always - always - always - eager - and ready - and willing - to stop and help.  I, on the other hand, can be controlled by my fears and drive on by - missing the blessing God may have for me.

On Facebook, a friend shared this:   A pessimist, they say, sees a glass of water as being half empty.  An optimist sees the same glass as half full - but a giving person sees a glass of water and starts looking for someone who might be thirsty.

Today, I want to say thank you to the man who looks, who sees, and then who gives.  You make me more proud than you know babe.  You have taught our kids well.  The compassion they hold for others often comes from you.  Thank you for teaching me as well.  I love you.

25 dias de alabanza

Tee hee.  Do any of my readers know what that title says?  Well from the picture below - you've probably guessed it!  It's time for 25 days of praise!!

In honor of our bilingual (sorta) title today - let me share another terrific tidbit about my tremendous man.  If not for Marty - I would have never fallen in love with everything foreign.  I'm serious.  It was Marty who introduced me to foreign foods, beautiful people and extraordinary cultures.  His love became mine.  I grew up in a home where racism was taught and lack of education and experience as well as fear of the unknown left me weary of anything un-American.  Oh how far I have come.  I love my man for showing me what it's like to fall in love with all of God's beautiful creation.  Now - I'm more comfortable sitting in a room full of culture, languages and color than I am sitting in a room full of people like me.

SO :-)  Shout out to my tall, dark and incredibly handsome man for making my life far more interesting than it would have been had I stuck to the antique stupidity in which I was raised :-)

PS - Here's a picture of us for my new readers.  He's just so blasted cute :-)  ESPECIALLY in a tux.  This was on a trip to the Bahamas, courtesy of my in-laws a couple of years back.  The hairdo I'm sporting was awesome - and one of the most painful things physically I think I've ever endured - lol!!  And my hair fell out by handfuls when I pulled it out... :)

Praise Singing

Day 2 of 25 days of Praise!

Let's see!!  The post said to think of something specific.  I posted on Facebook that I'm thankful my man runs out in the middle of the freezing cold night to get all the junk I manage to leave in the car and end up needing in the night -  lol.  But I think I'll have to post something a little different here!

I'm thankful he puts up with me!  Seriously - I know I'm all nice, sweet, gentle, meek, mild, lacking in strong opinions, calm, cool AND collected on my blog ( l.o.l. ) but in "real" life - I can be - uh - difficult.  I'm working on it but just be thankful YOU don't have to put up with my mood swings, strong options and quick to anger/quick to speak ways in YOUR home :)  Kidding but I can be a selfish person and I can be moody and short tempered.  My husband - anything but.  He truly is patient and kind and super de duper tolerant :)

I love you babe!  Thanks for putting up with me for all these years.  I couldn't do life without you :)

25 days of praise

I found this challenge here and thought it was pretty worth following!  Basically - there are 25 days until Valentines Day (actually began yesterday).  The point is to spend the next 25 days praising your man :)  I love doing that so I think I'll follow this challenge.

Copied from Courtney's site about week 1:  "Week 1 starts TODAY! Look for ways to praise your husband verbally. Praise him in front of the kids, friends, family, co-workers, on facebook, tweet it - get praise out anyway you can! Try to mention something noteworthy he has done - in his role as provider, father, husband, lover, or friend. If the thought of trying to come up with one terrifies you, then pray right now that God will give you new eyes to see your husband as God does. Then open your mouth and say something kind and uplifting to your husband today and tomorrow and the next day until Valentine's Day arrives!"

I can't imagine being "terrified" about praising the man God gave me.  I love, appreciate, respect, build up my guy as often as possible.  There is, however, always room for improvement!  It leaves me shaking my head at how so many women seem to find enjoyment in tearing their spouse down.  Maybe I'm just extremely blessed to have the man I do - but part of what makes our marriage work is this very thing - building each other up instead of tearing the other down - ESPECIALLY in front of other people.

Anywho - so - on the first day of the challenge for me - I'd like to give a shout out to the man I married.  He is my best friend.  I love him more now than I did the day we got married.  He is a hard worker, insanely honest, loves the Lord, an incredible husband & father, the light and laughter of my life.  I just plain can't get enough of him!!  I love having him around and he is, by far, my most favorite person to spend time with!  I praise God every day for the marriage He has blessed me with.

So who's with me?  Anyone want to jump in and praise your man today??

A photo of you taken recently

Photo taken of you from over 10 years ago

 

This is one of my senior pics!  Taken - just a few short years ago.  Lol.  Yeah Right!  I was 17 in this picture and it was taken in 1987.

 

In my mind, there is nothing more beautiful to photograph than Lake Michigan and Lake Superior.  This is a piece of driftwood off of Lake Superior.  The coldest - and deepest - Great Lake.  Even in the heat of summer, you can't last but a few minutes in Lake Superior.  I love the look of driftwood and the rocks.  The sand at Lake Superior is darker than the sand of Lake Michigan.  There is a lot of nothing in the UP - and the Lake - is grand.   I love it on the west side of the state.  You can hardly take a bad photograph.  God's creation amazes me.

A photo that makes you angry/sad

This image makes me both - angry and sad.  Angry at Satan for twisting what God intended for His children.  Angry at the men and women who are so sick in the head that they would even consider hurting a child.  Angry for the pain and suffering inflicted on hundreds of thousands of children every single day.  Sad because I know the pain.  Sad because the reality is - most will continue to go nameless, faceless, without someone to fight for them - every single day - for the rest of their lives.
Sex trafficking is alive and well here in the USA.  Toledo, our home town, is the 3rd highest place it occurs in the USA - falling only behind Atlanta and Vegas.  It makes me sick to my stomach even thinking that right now - there are little boys and girls in so much pain - crying out for someone to help.
Marty and I are helping with something called The Daughter Project.  You can find their link to the right of this blog.  Consider joining us in helping victims of sex trafficking right here in Northwest Ohio.
The question becomes - how angry/sad does this photo make YOU?  Angry enough to do something?  Angry enough to take action instead of just shaking your head at the injustice of it all?  Angry enough to invest your time, your money - into rescuing one of these children?  If so - let me know - and I can help show you the many ways you can get involved.
It makes me angry.  It makes me sad.  God doesn't want us to sit back and do nothing.  He is a God of justice and this photo - makes Him angry and sad as well.

Photo that makes you HaPpY!!

It's probably pretty obvious why this photo makes me happy :-)  I love my "babies"!  This was taken a few years ago - when Jon still was my little sidekick and snuggly :-)  He's not so snuggly anymore!  He does still hug me a couple of times a day though!  I sure do love these two!  They are the light of my life.

Whatever Tickles your Fancy!!

I'm going to take this day quite literally!  Let me start by saying my husband makes fun of me in this area.  If I'm laughing out loud - well something must be HILARIOUS.  I am a chuckler.  I need to work on joy in my life.  I mean that.  I am faaaaaarrrr tooooo serious!

So - what does tickle my fancy?

My husband.  He is stinking hilarious.  To me.  I love our private jokes.  I love when he says something goofy or off the wall.  He can get me laughing so hard, no sound is coming out!!

The kids.  They are funny too.  Elyse is goofy/strange/random funny (has her mother's sense of humor) and Jon is off the wall/funny voice funny.  Both of them make me laugh.  I need to laugh more - because they both are perfectly capable of making me cry as well!

Movies.  Not all - but some.  I love a great move full of good laughs!

Other people.  When they fall.  I'm sorry - but this is something I find amusing.   One time, to poke fun at myself,  I fell in church, in a skirt, and took out the youth pastor Rick.  I'll bet he doesn't remember that - but I do!  I was dying, and everyone was trying not to laugh - but it IS funny when someone else falls!!
Once, I flew off the trampoline at the Y.  I was laying on the ground having a grand ole' time laughing - and I was the only one.  Everyone else stared at me dumbfounded - no one else laughed, which made me laugh all the harder.  Seriously people - WHERE is your sense of humor??  It's FUNNY when other people embarass themselves!!

What makes you double over in laughter??

Your Favorite Quote

 Favorite Quotes

Again - who can pick just one??  I love quotes!  My walls are covered in them!  Here's some great ones!!

Some yearn to live within the sound of a church bell.  I’d rather run a rescue mission within a yard of hell. ~C.T. Studd

I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light.  ~John Keith Falconer

In the vast plain to the north I have sometimes seen, in the morning sun, the smoke of a thousand villages where no missionary has ever been.  ~Robert Moffatt

If God calls you to be a missionary, don't stoop to be a King. ~Jordan Groom

Tell the students to give up their small ambitions and come eastward to preach the gospel of Christ.  ~Francis Xaviar

What's your dream, and to what corner of the missionary world will it take you?  ~Elanor Roat

The will of God - nothing less, nothing more - nothing else.  ~F.E. Marsh

The Lord blessed the broken road that led me to you (my quote to Marty - author unknown)

To stay here and disobey God - I can't afford to take that consequence.  I would rather go and obey God than to stay here and know I disobeyed. ~Amanda Berry Smith (reminds me of Elyse)

I have decided to stick with love.  Hate is too big of a burden to bear. ~Martin Luther King

Life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.  ~John Maxwell

Greater Love has no man than this, that he lay his life down for his friends. ~Bible

Live your life to be a story worth telling.  ~Author unknown

Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.  ~Bible

I know there are plenty more, but this is a good start.  What about you?  Comment and leave one of your most favorite quotes!!  I would love to hear them!

What's Your Favorite Book?

Favorite Book

Do you have ANY idea how difficult this is for me?  I have literally read hundreds, if not thousands, of books.  Of course, there is THE book - and that's a give - my BIBLE!!  But outside of that? Goodness - I don't know!!  Here's some goodies I've read along the way.  Warning - this is a heavy reading list - none of these are easy to read (except Crazy Love).  In other words, grab a box of Kleenex or two!  In fact, making this list,  I realize I need to order some lighthearted stuff from the library!!

\

Crazy Love - Francis Chen

Heavenly Man - Brother Yun

Safely Home - Randy Alcorn

Terrify No More - Gary A. Haugen

What about YOU?  What's YOUR favorite book?  Is it something funny, heavy, serious?  Is it a mystery, an autobiography?  Tell Me :-) 

Favorite Article of Clothing

Originally this was your favorite movie - already covered in previous challenge.  So - I'm changing it up to my favorite article of clothing.  Oh this one is so easy - it's not even funny.  What do YOU think my favorite article of clothing is??

PS - I wish I actually OWNED this pink survivor sweatshirt!!  I love me a big ol' comfy sweatshirt - and in PINK - well - that would be JUST AMAZING!

What about you?  What's your favorite article of clothing??