Tuesday, April 24, 2012

April Photo A Day Catch Up

WOW!  I tell ya, time is flying by.  I am getting my pictures taken, I just can't seem to get them upload.  So this post will have several photos.  

Day 14:  How you feel today   #photoADayApril
Peace and Hearts--A Happy Combination Don't ya think?

Day 15:  Sunset   #photoADayApril
Not much of a picture, this was the best I could do on this day.  :(

Day 16:  Flower     #PhotoADayApril
This is my favorite photo!

Day 17:  Something you don't like    #PhotoADayApril
I don't like the green in my pool!

Day 18:  Hair     #PhotoADayApril
My oldest daughter
Day 19:  Orange   #PhotoADayApril
an envelope  :(   (Not very creative)

Day 20:  Something You Drew    #PhotoADayApril

Day 21:  Bottle    #photoadayapril

I hope you all had a great day.  I will be back tomorrow with the rest of the photos!  Maybe I can catch up! The May Photo Challenge is already out.


Monday, April 23, 2012

BBS 2012 {week 1}

Hey All!  I'm linking up with Monica over at Blessed Mama.

Let me say that reading the first two chapters of the book "What's It Like Being Married To Me" gives you a swift kick in the behind!  Most, if not all the topics hit home with me.

By Design, Not Default starts the book asking why women get married, she discusses how men and women marry for different reasons.  Men marry for simpler reasons than women.  Linda Dillow writes "I refuse to settle for mediocrity.  I refuse to live out scripts handed to me by the media, by mothers, by anyone other than God."  This is so true!  I want to be the wife God wants me to be.  I want God to lead me in that direction.  Is mediocrity or the lack of continually working on your marriage the reason so many people are divorcing after many years of marriage?  Or is because life changes and we no longer work with our spouse?   Our relationship has evolved over the years to what is it today.  It will change in the future as we age.   I want to grow old with J. in a happy, loving, devoted marriage.

What Is Really Important To Me?
If you asked me that question before I started reading this book, I would say "God, My hubby, My girls, My extended/church family.  PERIOD! 
Now ask me how I spend my time?  God (including worship/bible study/prayer), work, girls extra-curricular activities, extended family, J.  WHAT!!!  How did that happen?!?  How did and J. end up last?  This is the last thing I wanted to happen.  But it has, now, we have to fix it.  So what does Linda Dillow suggest we do: 

Set A Goal:  Dillow defines goal as "a purpose to which a woman in unalterably committed."  Goals are often confused with desires, defined as "something wanted that can't be obtained without the cooperation of another person"
My goal:  I will strive to be a Christian wife to J.  I will strive to put J. before others. 

Write a Marriage Purpose Statement:  According to Dillow this is a "conscious creation of who you want to become".

I will be faithful.
I will be loving.
I will be forgiving.
I will be truthful.
I will be caring.
I will be loyal.


 

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Sunday Blessings

Happy Sunday Everyone!  Today is the day we give thanks to God for all he has provided.  I am blessed and given much more than I deserve.  This post is just a sample of all the things I have been given.

My Faith

I have a strong faith and I am so thankful that God is always near.  It is that simple.  He listens to all my problems. 

My Marriage

As I am reading "What's It Like Being Married To Me?" I am finding out out how truly blessed I am to be married to a wonderful Christian man.  I hope that together we can be a postivie example of what marriage should be to our daughters.  As with all relationships we have our "ups and downs", however, it is always easier when you have the same goals in mind.

My Home

I am so thankful I have place to come home to everyday.   This is the one place that you can be relaxed and have no worries if you choose.  I am thankful that I have my children and husband to share it with.  I am thankful for my family, extended family, and church family that has help make memories on our home.


 


Saturday, April 21, 2012

Something to think about...

If you have been reading "What's It Like Being Married To Me" it has been eye opening, I tell ya!  You will have to wait until Monday to see my thoughts on Chapter 1.

However, I saw this on facbook and wanted to share. I believe it orginated from Khyrie D. Flowers.  I have no idea if it is true/false.  This was just one of those things that was shared time and time again.  The message just spoke to me after starting to read the Blog Bible Study Book.

Married or not you should read this...

“When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I’ve got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.

Suddenly I didn’t know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. She didn’t seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why?

I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn’t talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn’t love her anymore. I just pitied her!

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn’t have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.

In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn’t want anything from me, but needed a month’s notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month’s time and she didn’t want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that every day for the month’s duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.

I told Jane about my wife’s divorce conditions. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.

My wife and I hadn’t had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don’t tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn’t looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn’t tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily.

Suddenly it hit me… she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.

Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it’s time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day.

But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn’t noticed that our life lacked intimacy. I drove to office…. jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind…I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore.

She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I said, I won’t divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn’t value the details of our lives, not because we didn’t love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart. Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away. At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I’ll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.

That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed -dead. My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case we push through with the divorce.— At least, in the eyes of our son—- I’m a loving husband….

The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves.

So find time to be your spouse’s friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

If you don’t share this, nothing will happen to you.

If you do, you just might save a marriage. Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up



Don't ya love it?

Do you not just love the new look of my blog?

Barbara over at Ruby Slippers Blog Design did everything that I asked and more!  She was wonderful to work with. If you are considering a new blog design please check out Ruby Slippers Blog Design.



I will be back tomorrow with Counting My Blessings, and next week look for the Blog Bible Book Study Post and a couple of posts with me catching up on my April photo challenge.

Today looks like it is going to be a wonderful day!  I am planning on putting the house in order this morning, getting things ready for next week and then heading outside.
Happy Saturday!


Friday, April 20, 2012

Need Ideas...

Hello All!

I need some ideas.  I have been chosen as the fundraising chairperson for the Band Boosters.  My oldest daughter is in the band, which consists of about 50 people.  We need to raise about $5,000 to help cover the costs for the fall.  These costs include travel and scholorships for additional training for the students (I love this one!, I wish we could offer more)

Do you have a great fundraising idea that you would like to share?  I would like to raise this at one time and be done with it.  If you know what I mean.

Please help me! 


Until Next Time...

Saturday, April 14, 2012

A Blog Bible Study

OK--Here is the scoop

Monica at Blessed Mama is co-hosting a Blog Bible Study with Rebekah from Life With The Edwards.

This is the book:

Kindle Version:  $9.99
Paperback Copy:  $11.43

I have already purchased this for my Kindle.  I am also taking Monica's advice and getting a cute notebook to keep all my notes in.

The start date is Monday, April 23, 2012.

I hope you will join in!


Until Next Time...