Haircut, Stitches, Chicken Enchiladas, and Moving Out

Well, last week was an interesting one, to say the least!

I'm still trying to get full use of my knee, after having arthroscopic surgery over 3 weeks ago. I'm now going to physical therapy 3 times a week.  
Oh, joy!!!

My 20 year-old son has also decided that he wants to go to college. He had taken a few years off to work and enjoy playing locally with his band. He would like to go to Indiana University, but their music program has a waiting list. We discussed options and it looks like he wants to get his basic courses started, apply for the program next year, and hope he gets in. The thing is, our baby chick wants to fly the coop! So he is in the process of job and apartment hunting down near the college (4 hours away). It's going to be a big change for all of us, but I think a good one. He also decided it was time to get a more mature look by getting his LONG hair cut short.  He came home on Tuesday and I didn't recognize him. But, he looks great!!! 

Then, there was Friday's mishap. He currently works in a factory, where he does a lot of loading and unloading heavy materials. Sometimes, there are sharp objects he deals with. Well, one of them got him good in the palm of his hand and he ended up having 7 stitches. (Not good for someone who wants to be a musician). That was when I decided to encourage him to find a different job as soon as possible.  Looks like he may be getting a new job and moving out very soon!

My hubby and I were home alone this past weekend, something we are going to have to get used to. (Not that that will be a bad thing.) I decided that, since I will be working on Valentines Day and we had the weekend to ourselves, we should celebrate ♥-day a little early. Twice a year, I try to make my hubby's favorite special meal, Chicken Enchiladas. This delectable Mexican dish is packed-full of calories and cholesterol, so I only make it for  ♥-day and his birthday.  I also made his favorite cake, Red Velvet with cream cheese frosting. Needless to say, we got enough calories, sugar, and fat for the whole week! On Sunday morning, my hubs let me sleep in, made me breakfast, and did all the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Gotta love that man!!!

Do you have any traditions or special plans for Valentines Day? I've been shocked, when my hubby comes home from work and tells me some guys at his job don't do anything for/with their wives on this day. I think that would be so hurtful for most any woman. We all want to be treated special on this day.(Or close to the day)
 Hopefully your special Valentine will make an effort to celebrate with you.  

Continuing to add to my list of  'gifts', as I continue in the Joy Dare. 

1,222 - A new haircut! (I will share a photo in a future post)

1,223 - Goodwill shopping; finding some awesome deals!(Check a few of them HERE.)

1,224 - Lunch with an old friend

1,225 - Specially trained therapists who help me get back the full use of my knee.

1,226 - A sign of life on our lake...Coots stopping in our yard to eat some grass and socialize.

1,227 - God's protection over my son, that his accident didn't injure him worse or take his life!

1,228 - A special "pre-Valentines Day" weekend with my hubby.

1,229 - Chicken Enchiladas to die for!!!(They probably will shorten our life span. Check out all that cheese!!!)

1,230 -  Yummy red velvet cake.

 I love those conversation hearts!!

1,231 -  Watching a great romantic, historical fiction mini-series with the hubs! (World Without End) Awesome movie, if you like historical fiction!! Maybe a little graphic for some people, but very realistic for the time period.

    

Linking over at these blog parties: 
Multitude on Mondays (A Holy Experience)  

  Sharing His Beauty (Beauty In His Grip)

Gratituesday (Heavenly Homemakers)
The soli deo gloria party (Finding Heaven)
Titus 2sday Link-Up (The Time-Warp Wife) 
Winsome Wednesday(My Daily Walk in His Grace) 
Marriage Moment(Great Peace Academy)
UNITE (Rich Faith Rising) 
Homemaking Link-Up Party(Consider the Lilies) 

Ten Ways To Love - #3 & 4: Give and Pray

This is the second post in a series I'm writing, called Ten Ways to Love. 
To read part one, go HERE

Some people are always greedy for more,
    but the godly love to give!

Proverbs 21:26

 #3 on the list above is to "give, without sparing". What does that mean? I think it means to be willing to share the best of what you have with others who are in need. Whether it is money, time, material things, or a service/skill, when we give to others, without sparing(or holding back) we are showing the pure love of God. For, through Christ, He showed His ultimate love for us by sending His Son to die on the cross for our sins. He gave to us what was precious to Him. What a great example of love!! Are we willing to do the same?

 What is precious to you that you know would bless someone else?

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Colossians 1:9

Do you pray for your husband? For his well-being, for his spiritual walk, for his role as a husband and father? According to #4 on the list above, one way we can show love for others is to pray for them. As a parent, I find myself continually praying for my child's salvation, health, and safety. For those family members, co-workers, or even someone you have just met that has a need, prayer can show them what truly loving others is about. Don't you feel loved and considered important when someone tells you that they have been praying for you? (Or better yet, when they ask to pray with you.) I know I do.

 Today, I am listing some more reasons that I love my husband and linking over at the Happy Wives Club  blog hop!

Last week I listed 26 reasons I love my husband, for each year that we have been married.
Since today is February 7, I am going to list 7 more reasons:

27) He calls me every day when he is on his break at work, most of the time just to say 'hi' and see how I'm doing.

28) He is patient with me, when I get in a bad mood or am feeling grouchy.

29) He will change the channel on the TV, if there is a gory or scary show on that I don't like.(Even though that doesn't bother him)

30) He will surprise me now and then, by doing the dishes, when I get busy and fall behind.

31) He may be slow, but will eventually complete any home project.

32) He usually is brutally honest with me, sometimes telling me what I don't want to hear.

33) He will let me have the last slice of pizza, dessert, or anything we are eating for dinner.(Even though I usually don't want it, he always offers.)

Ten Ways To Love - #1 & 2: Listen and Speak

One could say that February is considered the month of "love".

Smack dab in the middle of the month is Valentine's Day....the day couples celebrate love.

For some, love is a mushy sentiment, which includes sending love letters and poetry, flowers and candy. Some believe that the evidence of love should be butterflies in your stomach, holding hands, cuddling, and kissing. And unfortunately, many believe sex equals love. 

The Bible talks a lot about love. Interestingly enough, none of the above is ever mentioned as defining love. That's because love is much more than the temporary emotions, physical pleasure, or outward appearances. 

1 Corinthians 13 is considered the 'love chapter' of the Bible.

Most Christians are familiar with this chapter and it's definition of love.

But, we can find the subject of love and what characteristics are evidence of "real" love throughout the Bible. 

 Here is a list of just a few ways to 'really' love others:

Today, I am going to discuss the tongue and listening(the first 2 on the list above), instead of speaking. 

You may ask, "What does that have to do with love?"

Well lets check it out.

If you read through all of Proverbs 18, wisdom and unselfishness are achieved only by listening to others.

Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.

 Proverbs 18:2

Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.
Proverbs 18:13

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 18:21

We also read in the New Testament that a wise and loving person listens first and speaks second.

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 

 James 1:19

Loving others means being willing to listen to them and speaking words of love and kindness, not with accusations and anger. How many times have we ever interrupted others who are talking because we had something more 'important' to say?   I know I'm guilty! I could learn to show love towards others more by listening. 

In my next post, I will cover, yet another characteristic of love from the list of "Ten Ways To Love". So, stop on back. 

I am also continuing to add to my list of  'gifts', as I continue in the Joy Dare.

A song heard, a soft word, a light seen

1,210 - In song: What a beautiful, uplifting song!

1,211 - A soft word: 

 "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger." Proverbs 15:1

1,212 - A light seen: "The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes." Psalm 19:8

A gift on paper, in a person, in beauty

1,213 - on paper:The anniversary card my hubby gave me.

1,214 - in person: My hubby, taking me out to a fancy restaurant; he's truly a gift from God!!

1,215 - in beauty: flowers from my hubby

3 gifts red: (my 3 favorite shades of red)

1,216 - Maroon: described as half way between bright red and black, Maroon is the only color variant here which is a true shade of pure red; deep and true, not flashy; example: Chocolate Cosmos(the great part, too, is that they smell like chocolate!)

source

1,217 -  Coral-Red: Increasing amounts of blue light are added, and this makes the end tone much more pinkish; a little playful and summery; example: aptly named, it's is the color found in coral reefs.

 

 source

1,218 - Claret: A dark or grayish purplish red to dark purplish pink; because I've always loved the color purple, this deep red color has been a favorite; example: the color of boysenberry jam.

 

 source

Great info. on the color red - (Shades and Tones of Red), (The Power of Red)

3 gifts in writing:

1,219 - Loved this post from Ann Voskamp, written a few years ago.    "How to Really Write a Love Letter"

1,220 - Reading old entries from my journals; good memories, thoughtful reminders of His provision in my life!

1,221 -The written Word...the ultimate gift in writing!!

    

Linking over at these blog parties: 
Multitude on Mondays (A Holy Experience)  

  Sharing His Beauty (Beauty In His Grip)

Gratituesday (Heavenly Homemakers)
Winsome Wednesday(My Daily Walk in His Grace) 
UNITE (Rich Faith Rising) 

26 Reasons Why I Love My Husband

26 years ago, on January 31st, 1987 at 6:00 p.m., I married the man of my dreams! The events of that day are still pretty clear to my heart and in my memory for many reasons. 

First, the setbacks. Yes, just about every wedding day has them and ours was no exception. He was an extremely nervous groom. In the stress of remembering what to bring to the church, he forgot my wedding band and there wasn't time to go back to his house, 40 minutes away, and get it before the ceremony. So we ended up borrowing his friends' wife's ring until after the ceremony. I wasn't a happy camper. On top of that, his brother, who was a groomsman did not show up for the wedding, and could not be reached anywhere. Thank goodness, a friend of Ken's who was at the wedding was the same size and fit into the tux and was able to stand up in place of his brother. Thank goodness, both of the issues we were able to resolve without a lot of hoop-la and chaos.

There were also some amazing moments that were totally unforgettable. Like when the minister was saying a blessing and the caged doves up on stage began to coo ominously, yet beautifully. The fact that I actually played handbells at my own wedding, without royally messing up, still amazes me. The moment Ken and I shoved cake into each others faces (we weren't too mean) that made everyone laugh. The fact that we almost bought our first dog (a big slobber-y Great Dane) on our honeymoon. Whew! Glad we didn't do that! 

To complete my post today, I decided to hop on over to the "Why I Love My Husband" Link-up at the Happy Wives Club. For every year that I have been married to my wonderful man, I am writing down a reason I love him so much! Enjoy!

26 reasons I love my husband:

1. He is a faithful husband and father.
2. He is a Christ-follower and does his best to live a godly life.
3. He puts his wife and family first.
4. He is a hard worker and provides for the family.
5. He tries hard to be romantic and sometimes he actually surprises me.
6. He is such an optimist.(Always looks at the positive side of things)
7. He took me to South Carolina to renew our wedding vows.
8. He took time off work, cooked, and cleaned while I recovered from surgery, without being asked.
9. He is an amazing fisherman.
10. He genuinely gets excited for me when "I" catch a big fish.
11. He doesn't complain when I get behind on the house work.
12. He isn't annoyed by my obsession with picture-taking, especially of us together.                                                                                          Renewing our wedding vows; Folly Beach, South Carolina,
    December 24th, 2012.  (Our son officiated.)
            
13. He doesn't care that I've gained weight over the years.
14. He still thinks I'm attractive and is always calling me "beautiful" and his "lovely", and at the appropriate time, says that I'm "sexy".
15. He's understanding when I get emotional, which is alot of the time!
16. He's a great kisser.(Among other things!)
17. He rarely gets angry.
18. He's very forgiving.
19. He often will go with me places, even places that are just for me - ie. the mall, craft store, clothing store, etc.
20. He does some of the shopping to save money at our local discount grocery (Aldi's).
21. He notices when I get a new outfit and will compliment how nice I look in it, never asking how much it cost me.
22. He gives great back rubs!
23. He has an awesome laugh!
24. He asks for and respects my opinion/discusses with me all important decisions in the household.
25. He's good at inventing, creating, and building things that would be costly to buy or that would help improve our lives.
26. He thinks I'm a great mom and wife and tells me so.

Morris Island lighthouse in the background.

Throwing flowers into the ocean...

  My prince charming, sweeping me off my feet.

 A very romantic day!

Getting silly!

Linking over at these blog parties:

Why I Love My Husband (Happy Wives Club) 
"Almost Friday" Thursday blog hop ("Quite" the blog) 
Thursday Favorite Things (Katherine's Corner) 
 Hearts 4 Home Thursday (Our Simple Country Life)
Domestically Divine Homemaking (Far Above Rubies) 
Proverbs 31 Thursday (Raising Mighty Arrows) 
 Thumping Thursdays(Life's Beautiful Moments)