Tuesday, June 29, 2010

A Little Red, White and Blue....

I pulled out a few red, white and blue decorations for the upcoming 4th of July holiday and thought I'd share them with ya real quick....

Nothing says summer like 4th of July decorations in my opinion!

We used have a guest bedroom and bathroom decorated in red, white and blue so when we moved into a smaller home, I chose my favorite things to keep. This Uncle Sam is probably my favorite out of everything I have.

And the last one....

Have a good afternoon!

Many Blessings,
M.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Praying Daily.....

Good morning!

I hope you all had a good weekend. We did but it sure seemed to go by way too fast!

This weeks challenge on Women Living Well is to commit to pray for your husband every day. I know in our home, prayer is important. In fact, it has been for most of our marriage. You see, I'm an introvert by nature so praying in large groups of people makes me almost have an anxiety attack! But my personal daily prayer time not only draws me closer to God, it helps me keep things in perspective when I'm faced with daunting circumstances. I'm honored to pray for Chris and printed off the list that Courtney listed from Stormie Omartian's book. Here are a few of the things listed.....

1. His Wife :-)
2. His Work
3. His Temptations
4. His Fears
5. His Health

Courtney also suggested to use your wedding ring as a reminder to pray for him throughout your day. I love this idea! I'm rarely without mine on so it's a perfect suggestion to send up a sentence prayer on his behalf.

Consider joining our summer challenge today!

Many Blessings,
M.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Until Death Do Us Part.....

As promised, here are the photos from our wedding 16 years ago.....I apologize ahead of time for the quality of the scans. We had a house fire in late 2008 and all of my scrapbooks need to be re done so they are in protective sleeves....

It was a sleepless night on June 3, 1994 because I was too excited to sleep! I could think of nothing else but becoming Chris' wife the next day. I woke up early because our wedding was scheduled to start at noon. I had to meet my girls to get our hair done and to my horror realized that when I had moved all of my stuff over to our new home earlier in the week, I had forgotten to bring back a pair of underwear for my special day. Yes, ladies, I had to wear my mother's underwear on my wedding day. I can chuckle about it now, but I was horrified that day!

In my nervousness I had also forgotten how to get to my stylist's salon.....I had been there many times before but for some reason that morning, I couldn't find it so we were late arriving. After we were done at the salon, we headed over to the church and got ready to go. I was blessed to have fantastic family and friends all around me as I prepared for the rest of my life. Once I was in the dress with my hair done and makeup on, a peace come over me like I'd never felt before. I was ready and nothing would have stopped me from getting up in front of all of our friends and family to say I do.

I believe that marriage vows are sacred and permanent just as Courtney said. We celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary a few weeks ago and I'm looking forward to the next 16!

Many Blessings,
M.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Captivate Your Husband....Our Dating Story.....

July 1993

I'm terribly behind on this post, so I apologize upfront! With all of the changes going on, I've gotten a little out of sorts but I think I'm back on the straight and narrow...

In keeping with the Completing Him Challenge, I'm sharing our dating story today!

I had just graduated high school after a very long year. My high school sweetheart had broken my heart by deciding we no longer fit each other. To say that I was a mess is a HUGE understatement! There's a reason that God designed us to love only one person as intimately as you do your spouse but not being a Christ Follower, I had no idea why that was.

Chris and I were matched up to walk down the isle together in a mutual friend's wedding. We met for the first time a few weeks before the actual ceremony and the attraction was instantaneous. I remember leaving the rehearsal smiling from ear to ear because he was so charming!

The day of the wedding we walked down the isle together and have not parted since! I knew there was a God, but I had not asked Him to be my Savior. Chris led me to Christ in late 1993 and we were engaged by early 1994. I suspect it probably took our friends and family by surprise when we announced our plans, but I knew he was the one. I went into that day wanting nothing more than to be his wife and 16 years later, I still get the butterflies in my stomach when he pulls into the driveway after a long day away from home.

I'd like to catch up on the challenge before Monday so that I'm completely back on track so I'll be posting some of our wedding photos over the weekend.

Thanks for the visit!

Many Blessings,
M.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Changes......

Good morning everyone!

We've officially entered our job loss phase and having Chris home during the day has thrown my routines all off.....I apologize for the unexpected blog break!

I'm not quite sure how much to share here but think it's important to be honest....and since it's my blog, I guess I can do that! I promise that my posts won't be all doom and gloom as I believe that we will be well taken care of and God will be glorified through it. One of the blogs I follow has recently gone through something similar and she referred to it as their "God Watch" time. I love the thought of that and plan to call mine the same thing. As I've said many times before, our attitudes determine our perspective on a lot of things and this is one of those time when I must live out what I say I believe. I hope you'll join me as I update you on all the things that we learn and to see just how well God provides!

In other news, we decided to go ahead and purchase the dishwasher and fit it in. It's been in for a couple of weeks now and I LOVE it!! Here's what it looks like....


Chris also cut down the drawers that were in the spot we installed the dishwasher and fit them behind another existing door. While it's not a perfect arrangement, it's a whole lot better than having the drawers sit on the living room floor which is where they were for a week! :-)

I'll be back tomorrow to share some cards I made last week. Have a fantastic Thursday!

Many Blessings,
M.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Taking a Break.....

Photo from bhg.com
I'll be back next week!

Many Blessings,
M.

Friday, June 11, 2010

June Stamp Club and New Catty CASE....

Good morning!

Last night was Stamp Club night and after a long week, I decided to keep it simple. I wanted to show case the new In Colors from Stampin' Up! and just spend some time chatting with each other. It's so easy to get caught up in the business side of things! As we wind down from this round of the club, I'm thankful that I've had the opportunity to share a part of my passion with them and I look forward to the next six month period!

Enjoy the sneak peek from page 165!

Many Blessings,
M.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Watermelon and Fireflies.....


Celebrate summertime with the brand new release of Aunt Ruthie's E-book!

I love any ideas that make my home more enjoyable for all who enter. We get a lot of drop in company so I like to have some kind of beverage and/or snacks on hand just in case. Don't you want a large one of these?

The entire E-book is filled with ideas and images that take me back to a simpler time. One where friends and family gathered often and loved just spending time together. A few of the chapters include....

-Breakfast in a Bucket

-Farm Girl Treasure Hunt

-Jingle Bells in July

-Fresh as a Daisy

Head on over to Sugar Pie Farmhouse today and get 25% off your order! I'm sure you'll be glad you did!

Many Blessings,
M.

Monday, June 7, 2010

A Summer Challenge.....


Good morning everyone!

I'm excited to announce that I will be participating in a summer challenge from today until August 9th dedicated to being the kind of wife that my husband needs. Courtney from Women Living Well posted the schedule on her blog this morning and it looks like this....

June 7 - announce to your readers you are participating by posting the button on your site and leaving your link below. Optional: Embed the HTML from this video in your blog post!

June 14 – Post Pictures from your dating days (or tell us all about it!). Think about one thing you used to do or have as a couple that you have lost in the shuffle of life. How can you regain it?

June 21 - Remember Your Vows - post pictures of your wedding day. We will review the sacredness of this day.

June 28 - Ask your husband every morning how you can pray for him that day. Bonus: Fast and pray for him one day this week.

July 5 - Admire Your Husband. Write this post and then show it to him! He will smile!

July 12 - Make a list of 5 things you currently do and ask him to prioritize them for you of what is important to him. For example - a clean home, home cooked dinner, coupon clipping, service at church, having friends over for dinner, watching/doing sports with him, etc.

July 19 - Make him a priority. Ask him what his favorite dinner, dessert and drink are. Be sure to serve him all three one night this week. Bonus: cook his favorite dishes all week long!

July 26 - Support his vision. Discuss his vision for your family. Where does he see your family in 1 year, 5 years, and 10 years. Share with us how you let your husband lead.

August 2 - R-E-S-P-E-C-T! No complaining, criticizing, rolling your eyes, nagging, or giving him any friction this week. Enjoy a week of peace in your home!

August 9 - Kiss Him Like You Mean It (and be sure the door is locked!)

The beauty of this kind of challenge is that all of the things on the schedule above are universal. Courtney points out that all marriages look different because we are different people and I've found that to be true after 16 years of marriage. I encourage you to take on the challenge of being the kind of wife that your husband needs and would love to hear if you decide to join in as well!

Many Blessings,
Melissa

Friday, June 4, 2010

16 Years......

It's our special day today....has it really been 16 years?

I never could have imagined the all changes we've seen both in each other and in the world around us since that day. And I'd do it all over again. I'll leave you with our wedding song....

Many Blessings,
M.

I Swear
By: John Michael Montgomery

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Happy Birthday Chris!

Thank you guys for all of the positive comments on the garage yesterday....I laughed out loud when I read the one from Vera about the before photos looking like crime scene photos! I assure you, it smelled like a crime scene when we were cleaning it up but I'll spare you the rest of the details! LOL!

Today's my love's birthday. While he turned 39, he insists on telling everyone that he's 28. I just smile and shake my head because I know that he's just gotten better as he's aged. In celebration I thought I'd share a few photos....



And the card I made him.....

I can't take credit for it though because it was based on this card from Nancy. Thank you for the inspiration my stamping friend!

Many Blessings,
M.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Garage Before and After......

I've said many times that I love before and after shots of houses. I find them extremely motivating and hope that you do too! While the garage isn't my "domain", the before and afters speak for themselves. Be warned, the before shots are not for the faint of heart!

We were required to clean up the garage before financing would go through. Yes, you read that right.....we had to clean out garbage that didn't belong to us. I assure you that it was one of my least favorite aspects of buying the house!


And now.....



Isn't it amazing what a little clean up and paint can do?

Have a good afternoon!

Many Blessings,
M.

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