Reading challenge Week 3

What the kids and I read for week 3!

Anyone interested in completing a 14 day Love Dare?

http://ordinaryinspirations.blogspot.com/
Beginning Feburary 1st (concidentally Ben's birthday!) through the 14th, I am going to attempt to complete a Love Dare Challenge with some other bloggy friends at Ordinary Inspirations. Interested? Go check it out!

Schedule:


Day 1 (Feb 1) "Love is patient" Eph. 4:2

Patience helps you give your spouse permission to be human. Love is built on two pillars that best define what it is. Those pillars are patience and kindness. Choose to respond with patience towards your husband in all things.

Day 2 (Feb 2) "Love is kind" Eph. 4:32

Kindness inspires you to be agreeable. Instead of being obstinate, reluctant, or stubborn, you cooperate, you stay flexible. Rather than complaining and making excuses, you look for reasons to compromise and accommodate. A kind wife ends thousands of potential arguments by her willingness to listen first rather than demand her way.

Day 3 (Feb 3) "Love is not selfish" Rom. 12:10

One ironic aspect of selfishness is that even generous actions can be selfish if the motive is to gain bragging rights or receive a reward. If you do even a good thing to deceitfully manipulate your husband, you are still being selfish. The bottom line is that you either make decisions out of love for others or love for yourself.

Day 4 (Feb 4) "Love is thoughtful" Psalm 139:17-18

When was the last time you spent a few minutes thinking about how you could better understand and demonstrate love to your spouse? What immediate need can you meet? What's the next even you could be preparing for? Great marriages come from great thinking.

Day 5 (Feb 5) "Love is not rude" Proverbs 27:14

How does your husband feel about the way you speak and act around him? How does your behavior affect your mate's sense of worth and self-esteem? Would your husband say you're a blessing or that you're condescending and embarrassing?

Day 6 (Feb 6) "Love is not irritable" Proverbs 16:32

A loving wife is not overly sensitive or cranky but exercises emotional self-control. She chooses to be a flower among the thorns and respond pleasantly during prickly situations.

Day 7 (Feb 7) "Love believes the best" 1 Cor. 13:7

Your husband is a living, breathing, endless book to be read. Dreams and hopes have yet to be realized. Talents and abilities may be discovered like hidden treasure. But the choice to explore them starts with a decision by you. Develop a habit of reining in your negative thoughts and focusing on the positive attributes of your husband.

Day 8 (Feb 8) "Love is not jealous" Song of Sol. 8:6

If you're not careful, jealousy slithers like a viper into your heart and strikes your motivations and relationships. It can poison you from living the life of love God intended.

Day 9 (Feb 9) "Love makes good impressions" 1 Pet. 5:14

You can tell a lot about the state of a couple's relationship from the way they greet one another. You can see it in their expression and countenance, as well as how they speak to each other. It is even more obvious by their physical contact. Work on greeting your husband "special" when he arrives home from work!

Day 10 (Feb 10) "Love is unconditional" Rom. 5:8

When you rebuild your marriage with agape love as its foundation, then the friendship and romantic aspects of your love become more endearing than ever before. When your enjoyment of each other as best friends and lovers is based on unwavering commitment, you will experience an intimacy that cannot be achieved any other way.

Day 11 (Feb 11) "Love cherishes" Eph. 5:28

Don't let the culture around you determine the worth of your marriage. To compare it with something that can be discarded or replaced is to dishonor god's purpose for it. That would be like amputating a limb. Instead, it should be a picture of love between two imperfect people who choose to love each other regardless.

Day 12 (Feb 12) "Love lets others win" Phil. 2:4

Are you willing to bend to demonstrate love to your husband? Or are you refusing to give in because of pride? If it doesn't matter in the long run--especially in eternity--then give up your rights and choose to honor the one you love. It will be good for you and good for your marriage.

Day 13 (Feb 13) "Love fights fair" Mark 3:25

The deepest, most heartbreaking damage you'll ever do (or ever have done) to your marriage will most likely occur in the thick of conflict. But love reminds you that your marriage is too valuable to allow it to self-destruct, and that your love for your husband is more important than whatever you're fighting about. Married couples who learn to work through conflict tend to be closer, more trusting, more intimate, and enjoy a much deeper connection afterwards.

Day 14 (Feb 14) "Love takes delight" Eccles. 9:9

In your marriage relationship, you won't always feel like loving. It is unrealistic for your heart to constantly thrill at the thought of spending every moment with your husband. Nobody can maintain a burning desire for togetherness just on feelings along. However, there is something very powerful about the decision to delight in your husband and to love him no matter how long you've been married, or what "feelings" may or may not be there at the moment. 

Scripture Sunday

Sunset off of our front porch two days ago

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

Be my valentine marriage challenge

 

This week's challenge is: be a little more creative with your praise. Surprise your husband with:

1. A love message on the mirror
2. A love message packed in his lunch
3. Use sidewalk chalk and write a love message on the driveway
4. Write a list of ten things you admire about him and then read them out loud to him.
5. Make a toast to him at dinner with friends. Or raise your glass at dinner and list the things you admire about your husband for your children to hear!
6. Buy or make your husband a trophy and engrave it with the words "The Best Husband in the World." (I found a cheap trophy at a party supplies store - the kids loved presenting it to daddy)
7. Write a poem - even if you can't write - it can be goofy. Include in it references to your favorite movies, restaurants, places to go and memories. He will enjoy the trip down memory lane and the laugh!
8- Blow up balloons and put a loving message in each one. Fill your bedroom with balloons as a surprise.
9- Take a roll of receipt tape and write a long message with the things you admire and respect about your husband - then roll it up and put it in a bottle for your husband to open and read. (I made many of these for my husband in college when we were dating long distance. I mailed them in packages.)
10. Get creative with your selflessness!

"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!

Marriage Monday

Julie over at http://comehaveapeace.blogspot.com/

really touched me with her Marriage Monday post this week as well! (I often times get irritated with Ben when he is doing something to try and help so this article hit way close to home!)I just wanted to share a bit of it for y'all as well. You should go check out the whole article though too!

I was not appreciating his work or his help or his kind way of doing it. I was not blessing him for serving me with his gifts or joining him in caring for our home together. This really wasn't about having a polished pantry, categorized cans, or beautifully lined boxes. Lurking somewhere in the dark recesses of the snack shelf, beside the expired cracker packs and can of beets, was my pride, and it needed to be tossed out. I lost the opportunity of thanking my husband for offering me his help to lift a load in my life. It was an opportunity lost, similar to the potatoes that went bad while hiding on the floor behind the extra bread flour.

When the Psalmist wrote about the wicked, he addressed pride, how it can stir up ugly words against someone who is behaving righteously. Pride can actually rob us of blessings we are mean to enjoy .... even in the marriage pantry.


Psalm 31:18-19


Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous. How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you.
Better ...
There is no room for pride in the pantry of marriage. It has a short shelf life and stinks when we keep it around. Like I wouldn't keep a bag of rotten potatoes in a pantry full of fresh food, I can't let my pride remain and contaminate my relationships, especially my marriage.
When ugliness rears up in our marriage, we can be thankful God's mercies are new each day, and asking for forgiveness is a bridge to extend to our loved one. Restoration with our lover is sweet, but requires humility to get there, letting someone "get in our pantry." The alternative would be to let it stay hidden and ignored, but then it just expires and rots. Who wants rotten potatoes (pride?) in a marriage, when "abundant are the good things" that God has for us to experience?
I'm praying our marriage pantries are in order today and that nothing is "rotting" in there ;) It might be time to clean it out and do a little organizing together.

And I also wanted to share this excerpt from the Proverbs 31 ministry on marriage from yesterday. (All of these wonderful, godly women writing about marriage this week....I feel that Ben and I are in a very good spot in our marriage right now but it doesn't ever hurt to be reminded about loving and caring for our spouses!)

http://www.proverbs31.org/

How can dwelling on the past damage our marriage? When we dwell on the past, we're robbed of the treasures of the present. We don't see the gifts God's given us right now in our husbands and marriage. Maybe he doesn't bring you flowers anymore, but he works hard every day to provide. He doesn't thank you for the clean laundry because he's busy with a house project he hopes will make you smile. He knows he made mistakes in the past, but he's trying hard to change.

God has a better answer for what to do when we find ourselves dwelling on the past in a detrimental way. He says, "See, I am doing a new thing!" (Isaiah 43:19) In other words, God asks us to redirect our focus to the good things He can and will do in our marriages. As we continue in Isaiah we come to a question we need to ask ourselves, "Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" (43:19).

God's is asking, Do you see the good things I'm doing right now... in your life or marriage? Pay attention or you're going to miss out!

To redirect our focus on the new things God is doing in our marriages, we can pray about our marriage mindset, asking God to help us see the blessings, not the drawbacks. We can choose to think about how our marriage has gotten better, and look forward to the future we have together.


Dear Lord, You make all things new. Will You give me new eyes to see the good things I sometimes miss? Help me not to dwell on the past but to focus on the present and future. You are making a way, Lord, and I trust You with my heart, my husband and my marriage. Help us deal with any issues that are damaging our relationship, so we can appreciate the new things You're doing. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Random Monday

Weeks 1 and 2 of reading for the kiddos

for my challenge this year.

Week 1

Week 2

Kendall's class on their pj day

Snack time on pj day

Are you ready for some football?!?!?

Marriage Monday

Julie over at http://comehaveapeace.blogspot.com/ never ceases to amaze me with her godly wisdom on marriage. She hosts Marriage Monday and I wanted to include a clip from today....You should really go on over and read the WHOLE things though!

There are sweet times in married life when we are well stocked, at ease, feeling secure, and trusting one another, but other people on the road of life may hurl past us and leave our marriage spinning on the edge of disaster. It might be a family member, a co-worker, an old relationship, or an internet contact. We have to be on guard at all times and be ready to stand firm.

How can you avoid your marriage being a roadside wreck? Take a lesson from driving in snow ...

1.Prepare ahead of time ... not a shovel and flares, but prayer, intimacy, and a church family.
2.Don't think being in a beautiful place means you aren't vulnerable to evil around you.
3.If you feel yourself starting to slide one way, turn the other direction! Get out of there.
4.Sliding? Honk loud and let people know you need help.
5.Don't let your kids stand in the danger zone while you work things out ... they can get hurt.
6.A calamity is not the time to separate, abandon each other, or blame.
7.In a dangerous position? Get dirty and work hard; do everything possible to save your marriage.
8.Stand firm. You're driving together; don't let anyone push you off course.
9.Listen to people who have been stuck, but are now safe & sound ... they probably have good advice.
10.Pray. It works with snow and marriage. :)
1 Cor. 10:11-13

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 

Monday Mugs (Winter Wonderland)

Today's theme is Winter Wonderland.....

so I haven't shared the pictures from our snow in North Carolina last week, so guess what you are going to see today?!

Sweet Kendall

Mischievious Isaac

Isaac getting Ms. Kelly as soon as she got out of the car!

The fort!



My final Christmas present of 2010

Finally got here yesterday!!!

Ben and the kids had this made for me. I like it well because it is cute and it suits me. Plus, you can add to it if you have more family members come along. Here are a few pictures of it for you to see. The local artist did a great job!

Ben sent her pictures of our 4-leggers and she even painted them!

The human factor!

Before the cotton bowl.....

Even though we didn't win the bowl game.....I thought I would share some pics of the kids and I in our gear!

Wordless Wednesday

Nothing like a picture of your husband in a tacky Christmas sweater with a crazy moustache playing with a Wii guitar for a Wordless Wednesday right?!

Cousin love from afar!

The UH-1Y Venom (Huey)

Pictures of the new Huey......

Official Word

HMLA 567 Here we come!
We heard yesterday that it is official, Ben will be going to HMLA 567 this summer.

So this wasn't our first choice (for what to do next in Ben's career)but it seemed like the job kept turning back up in Ben's lap. It seems surreal that he was just starting at HMLA 467 and standing up it as a new squadron & now to have the opportunity to be in another brand new squadron from the beginning.

He will be leaving soon to go back to "school" to learn the newest advances to the Huey and then will return back to Cherry Point to instruct other huey pilots so they can transition over to the new aircraft.

Ben really wanted to fly the new huey before we retire (in another 11 to 12 years) so it is really great in that aspect! Not so much that it is still at Cherry Point which is quite a commute. We are so grateful for great friends that have offered up their house for Ben to stay at 2 or so nights a week to cut down on fuel costs, wear & tear on the car, and most importantly decrease Ben's fatigue.

We appreciate your continued prayers for us as of course additional training means more time apart plus more studying for Ben!
I attached really the only thing that I could google about 567 at this point. Obviously, it will be starting in 2011 instead of 2012 but I am not sure if they meant the real calendar year or their fiscal year. Stay tuned for more news!
Congratulations babers!!

Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 567


HMLA-567

According to the Marine Corps Department of Aviation's FY10 Aviation Plan, HMLA-567 is scheduled to activate at Cherry Point during FY 2012, and then relocate to New River at a later date. HMLA-567 will initially serve as the East Coast Training Transition Unit for the UH-1Y/AH-1Z.
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10 Things to Smile about (December)



10 Things to Smile About (December)

Ok so I couldn't narrow it down to 10 things so here are a few of the highlights for us.

So thankful that we have more than 10 things to smile about!

Celebrating my 7 year wedding anniversary with a super thoughtful husband

A night out with the girls to celebrate Beth's birthday

Tacky sweater parties

My sweet baby girl learning more and more about Jesus

Little man and his love of animals

Playing with Christmas gifts

Our own Christmas traditions (Opening presents before we leave for Pennsylvania!)

Never getting lost again!

Skyping with family that we cannot be with

My mom and dad's out of control Christmas

Family time

Being goofy

MUSCLES!!

Being able to celebrate with my grammy and pappy

hugs

kisses

Sledding!

Daddy not breaking the sled this year!

Seeing old friends and their new family

Helping

Soaking up family time

Rining in the New year with friends young and old!

Again 7 beautiful years of marriage

Sweet cheeks!