Marriage Mondays - Divorce is not an option

I was saddened today to read that Kim Kardashian is filing for divorce from her husband Kris Humphries after only 72 days of marriage.



Do you remember your wedding vows? It probably went something like this:

I, Kristen, take you Kerry for my lawfully wedded husband.

.................................

For better, for worse.
For richer, for poorer.
In sickness and in health.

...................................

Until death us do part.

What God hath joined together let no man seperate.

Forever and ever.

Amen.

Today I'm reflecting on the meaning of my wedding vows and the seriousness with which I undertook them.
After the fairy tale wedding, and the magical honeymoon, there is everyday life.
Ordinary and plain.
With two imperfect people.
There will be many good times and celebrations, but there will also be hard times. And when they come we need to remember what we have committed to and who we have committed to. Not only to each other, but to God.

This post is linked to Marriage Mondays at Come Have a Peace! For more posts about marriage click the button below!

Marriage Mondays - Be Interested

My husband loves cars. Like loooves. When we first started dating in college, my car knowledge, let alone my interest in them, was pretty minimal. Then I met my husband and in getting to know him it was obvious that this was his "thing." Naturally, in our dating days, I wanted to impress him and so I tried to be interested in the things he was interested in. I listened intently to his stories and tried to learn as much as I could. It was so easy back then. And it was actually fun to learn about something that I had never really had a lot of exposure to and I even came to like it!

But as the years go on in a relationship and then in a marriage, there are times when my husband is discussing the styling of the lamborghini gallardo vs. the Ferrari 458 Italia when I definitely find myself "tuning out."

I recently re-committed myself to praying every day for my husband and in doing so this is one are where God has been convicting me lately. Amazing how when we pray for others, the Holy Spirit first reveals areas where WE need to change!

I realized that even if my husband stops talking to me about cars, he's not going to stop talking about them. He loves them and this is something that he has a passion for! No, he will simply find others to talk to about it. And indeed it is good to have other friends who share your hobbies, but I don't want to be left out of such an important part of his life! I'm happy and thankful that he considers me friend enough to want to share his passions with me!

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not saying that you should be fake with your husband! But we can listen genuinely, we can give our full attention, we can ask questions and encourage. We can be all there.

Have a blessed Monday!

This post is linked to Marriage Mondays at Come Have a Peace! For more posts on marriage click the button below!



Thought for the Day

Overheard in an Orchard

 

 

Said the Robin to the Sparrow:

  "I should really like to know

Why these anxious human beings

   Rush about and worry so."

 

Said the Sparrow to the Robin:

  "Friend, I think that it must be

That they have no Heavenly Father

  Such as cares for you and me."

 

                                - Elizabeth Cheney

Passing it on: Tips for busy cooks!

One of my favorite bloggers, Sabrina, at RhodeyGirlTests.com, recently did a blog post on Tips for Cooks on the Run. Since my husband and I both work full time outside of our home I definitely feel like a cook on the run most weeknights!

I do menu plan, but I tend to get waaaay over-ambitious in my meals for the week, which consequently leaves me feeling exhausted and burned out by the end of the week. Not to mention there are more than a few times that I am just so spent when I get home from work that I cave in and we go out to dinner. I'm not against going out to dinner occasionally, but when we go out because I failed to plan properly, it just makes me feel like a failure. Going out to dinner should feel like a treat!

Sabrina shares some wonderful tips for planning a week of meals that I think all cooks could benefit from. I'm definitely going to be implementing some of these this week! Click here for Sabrina's tips!

Have a great weekend!

Delicious and easy Pumpkin Bread

I decided to officially welcome in the fall by making some homemade pumpkin bread!

I love pretty much all things pumpkin! The taste…the smell….mmm…it’s all good! In fact, while baking this, I fired up my scentsy warmer which is currently rocking the scent "pumpkin roll" whilst I made said pumpkin bread. Is that weird?

I have used various recipes over the years to make pumpkin bread, but last night I decided to just pull out my tried and true Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook!



This cookbook (The bridal edition) was a wedding gift to me from a sweet friend and I just love it and refer to it constantly! Most of the recipes are can’t go wrong classics and it also has a lot handy reference guides. Like how long to cook certain cuts of meat and things like that. Things that our mothers and grandmothers probably just “know” but I certainly didn’t when I first got married and started trying to cook dinner on the regular!

Anyways, I kind of went off on a side tangent there, but the point is, it’s a great cookbook and makes a great wedding gift!

Now, back to the matter at hand, pumpkin bread. I’m going to include a few “Notes to the Novice Baker” (NTNB) in pink in case there are any of you who are new to baking. These are just things that I didn’t know when I was first cooking. I tried to make pumpkin bread from scratch when I was very first married and it was a total flop. My husband called it pumpkin mush! haha

Pumpkin Bread (makes 2 loaves)

NTNB: This recipe makes 2 loaves of bread, so you may want to half it or you can always enjoy one and share one! Most recipes will make a lot so you can utilize an entire can of pumpkin.

Ingredients

3 cups sugar

1 cup cooking oil

4 eggs

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 ½ tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

2/3 cup water

1 15 ounce can pumpkin (NTNB: Make sure and get pure pumpkin puree and not “pumpkin pie filling”)

Directions

1.      Grease the bottom and ½ inch up sides of two 9x5x3 inch, three 8x4x2 inch, or four 7-1/2x3 1/2x2 inch loaf pans; set aside. In a very large mixing bowl beat sugar and oil with an electric mixer on medium speed.  Add eggs and beat well; set aside.

NTNB: I don’t have a big fancy stand mixer! I have a little handheld one and it works just fine, so don’t ever think that you can’t make a recipe because you don’t have one of those! It’s a great workout for those arms!

2.      In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add flour mixture and water alternately to sugar mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Beat in pumpkin.  Spook batter in prepared pans.

3.      Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 55-65 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean.  Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes.  Remove from pans.  Cool completely on wire racks.  Wrap and store overnight before slicing. 

Enjoy!

Making Your Home a Haven Fall Challenge!



One of my favorite bloggers, Courtney from Women Living Well, is hosting a fall challenge called the Making Your Home a Haven Challenge! What a perfect challenge for the fall right?

I love the fall season! The weather is beautiful and usually a welcome relief from a scorching summer, and I always feel the need to kind of cozy up my home before winter comes!

I am especially feeling the need to get things in order this year since we are expecting our first baby this winter and I want to have everything ready when he gets here!

Today, Courtney blogs about what it really means to make your home a haven. Does it mean having a beautifully decorated home with lots of crafty decorations or does it mean something more?
Click here to read the entire post.

As women, we have a tremendous opportunity to influence the atmosphere in our homes. Not just the way it looks, but the way it feels.

I want my home to be a place of peace for my husband and I. A sanctuary from the pressures of our jobs and everyday life. I want to create a space where all who enter feel welcomed with the warmth and love of Christ.

I feel that in order to create a peaceful atmosphere in our home we must first look inward at our own attitude. Life is stressful and every day brings new pressures, responsibilities and worries.  We need to create a strong defense to help us battle these things every day.

For me, this begins with prayer. I know that I cannot fight these stressors all by myself. Well, I could, but I definitely wouldn't win! I need God every day to help me through.

The first part of Courtney's challenge was to buy a candle and light it everyday and say a prayer for peace in your home every time the flame catches your eye. Since I work during the day, I'll be lighting my candle which I put on my dining room table, at dinnertime.

If you've never visited Courtney's blog, Women Living Well, I highly recommend it! I always come away encouraged!

13 weeks

Another week has passed by! I wish I could say that the time is flying, but it actually feels like time is crawling! I attribute that primarily to the fact that my nausea refuses to leave me alone and that the heat here has been so insane and I am just over it. Fall, pretty please?


How far along?: 13 weeks
Total weight gain: The scale still says about 3-4 pounds. It fluctuates so it's hard to tell.
How big is baby?: Baby is the size of a peach.
Maternity clothes?: Still rocking my one pair of maternity pants for work and every skirt and dress I own. I also purchased two pairs of maternity shorts this weekend on sale and I'm so glad I did. I literally had no shorts I could button that didn't have elastic in the waist!
Stretch marks?: Not yet! I hope not ever!
Sleep?: Still sleeping ok aside from twice nightly bathroom interruptions
Best moment this week?: Wearing the fake belly at Motherhood!
Movement?: Not yet, I can't wait until I can feel the baby move!
Food cravings?:Still on the pickles and chocolate milk kick.
Labor signs?: Nope
Belly button in or out?: In
What I miss: Large Dr. Pepper's from Sonic and McAlesters sweet tea!
What I'm looking forward to: I'm ready to look pregnant to strangers. While my husband and I can certainly tell a difference to most people I probably don't look pregnant at all and it makes them less understanding when I have to sit down in the lawn furniture display in Wal-Mart because I feel like I might get sick if I don't.
Milestone: Every day is a milestone! :-)

I've also been having the most bizarre dreams. Some of them about babies, most not. Sadly, some really scary miscarriage dreams. :-( I have a whole lotta thoughts rolling around in my head about being pregnant after a loss and what that's like. However, a lot of the thoughts in my head seem to go right back out again before I have a chance to do something about them. Pregnancy brain is for real friend.  But I definitely want to share those at some point.

Hope everyone has a fantastic Tuesday!