Tuesday's Tip

Sometimes in a woman's life she must travel apart from her husband. I learned an important tip from a very wise woman. She says that when a woman leaves town and leaves hubby at home, she should leave a piece of sexy lingerie hanging in the bathroom as a little reminder of his sweetie. Another tip is to spray the room or his towel or his pillow with his favorite of your perfumes. Our men need to be reminded of the special love we have for them and what they will have when you return!

When I leave town, I love to leave little love notes all throughout the house. Some are found under his pillow while others are on top of his coffee maker and I usually put one in between his clean t-shirts because I know he'll find it in a few days. I always remind my friends, "Keep the fire in the fire place!" How do you do this in your home?

How we keep the spark

A picture is worth a thousand words!

40 Reasons I love the BIRTHDAY BOY

1. I knew you were special the night I met you.
2. You are persistent.
3. You have wonderful blue eyes.
4. Your relationship with the Lord is most important to you.
5. You had a great relationship with your father; you all were best friends.
6. You are a great friend to other men.
7. You are so funny!!! You always make others laugh.
8. You know how to make others feel comfortable.
9. You have soft feet:).
10. You are very handsome.
11. You are affectionate.
12. You are a man of integrity.
13. You have a great sense of what to wear; I love how you dress.
14. You are patient.
15. You are wise.
16. You are calm.
17. You are strong.
18. You put others before yourself.
19. You are very honest.
20. You are loyal.
21. You are faithful.
22. You are an incredible father.
23. You love to learn.
24. You know all about History.
25. You love to travel.
26. You're a good listener.
27. I love holding hands with you!
28. You take care of me.
29. You protect me.
30. You look for the best in others.
31. You love to teach our children.
32. You enjoy eating at different restaurants.
33. You try new things.
34. You love Mi Cocina as much as I do!
35. You take the time for date nights and trips away for just the two of us.
36. You love having a big family.
37. You rarely tell me, "No."
38. You are a great gift giver.
39. You are so enjoyable that I miss you whenever I'm not with you.
40. You are my best friend and the love of my life. I love you more than anything!! (except the Lord, of course)

Happy 14th Anniversary, SWEET Husband of Mine!!

On July 22, 1995 I became the happiest woman in the world. I married my HOM (husband of mine in lieu of his real initials, which is one of my nicknames for him.) DH (Dear Husband) compliments me in ways I could never have imagined when I was a blushing bride of 23. He is calm and I am fiery. He is funny when I am angry. He is gentle when I am rough. He calms me down, lifts me up, and can always make me laugh. DH is one of the strongest men of faith that I know. He gives to our church and the community in quiet ways for God's glory, not his own. He is trustworthy, a true man of integrity. He is so smart that I can hardly believe he can carry on a conversation with me! :) DH is great at his job, and is a devoted employee.

He is FUNNY. I mean ROCKIN' FUNNY. One of my sis in laws says he's the funniest person she's ever met. I think she's right. His wit is dry and you can miss it if you're not listening, but he can find humor in ANYTHING. He always finds the bright side, even when I'm not ready for it! He loves me and I know it. He is an amazing father to our 5 children. He is giving, kind, loving, handsome, funny, godly, wise, and a hard worker. I am so thankful, and so very blessed.

Happy Anniversary, HOM, to the greatest man I know!!!!
Love,
your sweet

14 years ago tonight...

DH & I at ages 23 & 25 with our MARRIAGE LICENSE just 2 days before our wedding! We couldn't wait to be Mr. & Mrs.!




14 years ago tonight, I sat at a dinner surrounded by all of the people I loved most in the world. It's hard to believe that 2 of those precious people, D's Daddy and my grandmother, are no longer here. 14 years ago tonight was our Rehearsal Dinner. DH's mother outdid herself!!! D's first gift to me was a bear. She had miniature bears dressed in outfits to represent each stage of our lives and they sat on the states in which those events took place!! For example, newborn bears sat on the states of NC & Virginia, where we were born. Then, 2 bears sat on the state of NC in gear for camp. It was so precious. In the middle was a huge state of Texas, where we spent our first 3 years of marriage. A teacher and a preacher were there. It was too cute!



We were toasted by D's hilarious father and all of our friends and family. The toasts evoked laughter and tears. I'll never forget how nervous DH was when he stood up to toast me. You can hear D's father on our video saying, "D's a little nervous," and the crowd laughed. At the end of the meal, the pianist played, "When the Saints Go Marching In", a Louisiana favorite. Everyone got out of their chairs and we danced around the room. It was so much fun!!



Following the wonderful dinner, friends of my parents gave a dance by the pool. One of the hostesses owned a party design business, and she decorated in a full Texas theme with longhorns and everything!! We all danced and laughed and had a great time. Just before midnight, I told my handsome groom goodnight. I could not wait to see him on OUR WEDDING DAY, July 22nd!!! What a night THAT would be! It's off to bed for tomorrow is my wedding day... 14 years later!


Our last dance before our wedding day!! I love that you can see the clock and that it shows it was 11:30pm. I left right after this dance!

Keeping the spark

If you are married, it is important to find something that you and your husband enjoy doing TOGETHER. When DH & I were newlyweds, I became great friends with a woman named Lucy. Lucy was just a few years older than me and had 2 children. She had a great relationship with her husband that I so admired. Her husband LOVED playing polo. Lucy didn't know a thing about polo when they married, so she ordered books and magazines on the sport. She read them until she was an avid Polo fan. She went to all of B's games and watched him and cheered. This became an experience that they shared together. It was a bond that no one else shared with B other than Lucy. She was a smart woman who knew her husband and marriage were worth the investment of her time and energy. I learned a lot from Lucy!



During this same time in our marriage, we met J & G. They were our age and had been married just a year more than us. Though distance separates us, we have remained friends. I just wish we were able to see them more than once every few years! J & G share a love of fly fishing. She is the woman!! They have taken vacations alone together to go fly fishing. The Lord knew I would not have been a good match for a man who loves the outdoors to the extreme. I consider camping a bunk with a bathroom in a cabin at camp without air conditioning. But J loves her man, and now adores her 3 sons, and she is quite the fly fisherwoman!! In fact, J & G recently returned from another great fly fishing trip. They share this love of the outdoors, and it binds them so that they face daily life and trials TOGETHER.



Another friend and her husband love to fix up houses. They have moved so many times I have lost count!! Every few years, they take on a new home project, and most of the time it involves an entirely different home. She decorates every home so beautifully and he can fix almost anything. My brothers and their wives also share this same love. They laugh over memories of projects they worked on TOGETHER.



Marriage is a gift from the Lord. It is our job to protect it through prayer, dedication to the Lord, and time spent together. If you don't have a shared interest with your spouse, find one. DH & I love to do everything together. When he's not working, we spend time together and as a family. Sometimes we play cards or watch a movie or go out to eat. Sometimes we embark on a family adventure in this new area. We work on the house together and we play together. I believe that all of these activities weave us closer to one another, thus protecting our marriage and showing our children that our relationship with each other comes before our relationship with them (our children). This does not mean we do not love our children, but we are called to love God first, then our spouse, and then our children. I can't wait to hear what you and your spouse enjoy doing together! (besides that! :))

Time away is so important

I have the sweetest hubby!  For my birthday, he gave me a night at our favorite inn.  It is a PERFECT place.  They know how to do everything just perfect from parking your car, to sending you on your merry way with cold bottled water.  PERFECTION.  

We were only gone for 24 hours, but we feel completely revitalized.  The time to just be a couple and not Mama & Daddy was MUCH needed.  Now we can face the storms... TOGETHER. UNITED.

If you are married and haven't been away together, you need to make it a priority.  Time to focus on one another & your marriage is so important!!

"Just as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another".

Your role

John Rosemond is a gifted writer, though he sometimes steps on your toes.  I like him because he is direct and to the point about his opinions.  There is no grey area!!

Yesterday he wrote an article about our roles in the family.  You can read the article here.  This article illustrated a great point on the problem facing marriages today.  We don't know our roles!!!  If we are married with children, our first role or job is to be a WIFE and a HUSBAND.  Today's families have confused the roles and most of us live as mothers first and wives second.  This leads to the deterioration of the family!!!  If you don't believe me, please read the article!

Take time this week to be a WIFE first.  Put your husband's needs before your children's needs.  In Sunday School someone said that the wife would always iron her husband's clothes first so that even in that small thing, the children would see that Daddy comes first.  Make time to be ALONE together this week, even if it's after the children are in bed.  I'm preaching to the choir here, but turn off the computer and the debates, pour yourself a glass of wine or some water, and sit down on the sofa, snuggle up, and TALK!  You'll be so glad you did.