Simple.....

Good morning everyone!

Today's card is a quick and simple one that can easily be mass produced and used for many occasions. I'm making several more with different sentiments to stash in my card box so that I'm prepared just in case something pops up without notice....

Have a good day!

Completing Him Challenge.....Following Your Husband's Vision!

I must admit that when I first read this week's challenge on Women Living Well, I got a little nervous! Not because I don't think that it's God's will for wives to submit to their husband's but because it's such a sensitive subject in general. I know there's going to be people who are not going to agree with my stand on this issue and that's okay.....I just ask that we respectfully agree to disagree.

"For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church." Ephesians 5:23

We live by this standard every day. Am I saying that I don't have any say on what goes on around our home? Absolutely not! But I've learned when to stand on my convictions and when to just let it go.....that's a tough lesson to learn, but once you learn it it completely changes your marriage.

This week's challenge is to "Follow Your Husband's Vision". I was surprised by Chris' answers to the questions I asked, but that seems to be happening every week! :) Here is his answer....

"Because I'm a task driven individual, I can get so wrapped up in finishing what I want to do that I push God off to the side. The truth is that if I keep my eyes and heart on what God wants, I get the things done that He wants me to do...not what I want to do. And we've been blessed over and over by trusting Him."

Amen to that! Chris is one of a kind....and anyone who knows him personally is probably saying amen to that too! :) But all kidding aside, I'm reminded this week of just how blessed I am with having a husband who has finally learned to seek God's will before his own. What peace it brings to my heart!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Melissa's Secret Family Recipe PB Cookies....

Are you ready for a treat? These are by far one of the best things I've ever put into my mouth! :)

Melissa's Secret Family Recipe Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar packed
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Combine the first four ingredients until smooth. Beat in eggs.
Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Chill dough.
Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Cool and enjoy!

Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich.....

As part of this week's WLW Challenge, I pulled out my Pioneer Woman cookbook and made Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich for dinner last night. Mercy, it was good, good good! I must warn you though that it's NOT a low fat meal so if you plan to make it, just be well aware of that!

Step by step instructions can be found here. Enjoy!

Sliding Card Box.....

A few weeks ago, I came across the instructions to make this card box and I fell in love with it! Gift items are some of my favorite things to make and the box fit right into that category....so I immediately sat down and made one....


I love how it turned out! This is just one example of the things I'll be listing under my "For Sale" tab on the top of my blog. I promise to update it soon!

Completing Him Challenge....Make Him a Priority!

It's hard to believe that it's the 6th week of our Completing Him Challenge already! There's still time to join if you haven't already....it's been eye opening and a whole lot of fun for me!

This week's challenge is to make your husband a priority and to prepare his favorite meal(s), drink(s) and dessert(s). I'm fortunate in that Chris will pretty much eat anything I put in front of him, but he's always quick to point out his favorites! I'll be sure to photograph and list the recipe of some of his favorite meals this week and post them here. For now, here are a few of his favorites in no particular order....

1. BBQ Chicken Pizza
2. Peanut Butter Cookies
3. PW/MM Favorite Sandwiches
4. Rocky Road Ice Cream

The funny thing about this Completing Him Challenge is that he's not the only one blessed by paying a little more attention to our marriage....I have been too. Care to join?

Have a good week!

My Best?

Photo from Susan Rios

I don't know if it's because I turned 35 on the 4th of July, or if it's this particular season of my life, but I've been thinking a lot about a statement I read on a blogging friend's site about a month ago. I'm not going to repeat everything Michele said, but here's a paraphrased version...

What would my life look like if I gave my best each day?
What if I really focused and regardless of how tired or overwhelmed I felt, I gave it my all?

These words have been running through my head over and over ever since I read them and I can't help but wonder how they pertain to my faith and the rest of my life. I know when I'm tired or overwhelmed, the first thing I do is cut back on the duties I have set out before me and only do the minimum that's required. But how does that glorify God? And how different would my life look if I were to do my best each day? For a whole month? For a whole year? Or for the rest of my life?

Am I the only one that has these kinds of thoughts? Please tell me I'm not crazy and that some of you have pondered similar things!

Many Blessings,
M.

PS - Thank you Michele!

An Update....

It's been about 4 1/2 weeks since we officially entered our "God Watch" period and I'm happy to report that we are still going strong. God continues to provide in ways we never see coming and He does it all without the help of unemployment. I'm constantly reminded of just how blessed we really are....

If there is anyone out there that is going through their own job loss period, I would love to pray for you! Please feel free to email me at princess1211@hotmail.com and I'll add you to my list.

I hope you are having a safe and happy summer!

Many Blessings,
M.

Completing Him Challenge....Time Management

Good morning!

As promised, I'm back today with the 5th Week Challenge in the Completing Him Challenge on Women Living Well!

I have to be honest here and say that I momentarily thought that I could go ahead and post Chris' priorities for me because I know him so well. I'm SO glad I didn't! It turns out that what I thought was most important to him, isn't as high on the list as I originally expected it to be. If you can only do one of the challenges all summer long, I would recommend this one! I was surprised by the results and actually look forward to making some changes in my routine. Here are the top five things on my husband's list....

1. Daily bible and prayer time for me.
2. Shopping wisely and being a good steward of what God has provided.
3. A clean house.
4. Laundry done and put away.
5. Spending time together.

I'd like to note that I'm not saying that what is important to you is no longer valuable. It is. But just as most things in marriage take some compromise on both parts, adjusting your responsibilities to reflect your husband's desires will without a doubt have far reaching effects in your home. Give it a shot! What have you got to lose?

Many Blessings,
M.

Misc. Cards....

Hi everyone!

If you've stopped by to check out this week's challenge from Women Living Well, you'll have to come back tomorrow because I don't have it done! I didn't get a chance to read the challenge until this morning and since it involves my husband's participation, I'll have to wait for him to get home. I promise to have it up tomorrow though so please feel free to stop by again if you'd like to see my list. I don't think I'm alone when I say that I'm thoroughly enjoying this summer challenge! Have you thought about joining?

And because I can't have a post without photos, here are a few things that I've made for my card box recently....

Card One

Card Two

Card Three

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a good day!

Many Blessings,
M.

Completing Him Challenge....Admire Your Husband!

Good morning ladies! I hope you had a great 4th of July...I know I did! Let's get right into this week's challenge since I didn't get to post yesterday!

I had to ask myself Courtney's question from yesterday's pop quiz.....Is it easier to list all of Chris' faults or the things I admire about him? My very first thought when I read that sentence was scripture....and I'm glad too because that's a very good tool to use when the enemy wants to try and fill your head and heart with doubts! It comes from the very popular scripture often spoken at weddings and such.....

".....it keeps no record of wrongs." 1 Cor. 13:5. If you have never read 1 Cor. 13:4-7, I would highly recommend it as it is a sure fire way to learn to love. Here are the things I admire about Chris:

1. He is a follower of Christ. He's not ashamed of his beliefs and will go toe to toe with anyone who would like to debate the issue.

2. He saw enough worth in me to lead me to Christ.

3. He makes me laugh like no one else!

4. He is the hardest working man I know and an excellent provider because of his ability to do many things.

5. He's trustworthy because he's a man of his word.

6. He's loyal to those he loves and will go to great lengths to protect them.

7. He's intelligent and is patient with me when explaining something I don't understand.

8. He's disciplined in finances and makes good choices for us as a family.

9. He's creative and can often make whatever I ask him to.

10. He loves me and tells me every single day.

What's not to admire?

Many Blessings,
M.

Thank You.....

I couldn't let the holiday pass without making at least one red, white and blue card!

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!

Many Blessings,
M.