9.29.2015

4 TIPS FOR HUSBANDS and 5 TIPS FOR WIVES ...



Husbands, your wives need you to ...

1. GIVE UNEXPECTED SURPRISES. Your wife loves unexpected surprises you give them. An occasional unexpected small gift, her favorite candy bar, flowers, come home from work early for some quality time or surprise her with a romantic night out. Consider some weekend morning greeting her with breakfast in bed when she wakes up or fix her favorite meal and clean up after yourself. Unexpected surprises aren't just for Valentine's Day ... do them all the time.

2. ARRANGE THINGS WELL. If you take your wife out (and you should do this regularly), you make all the plans. Get reservations at a restaurant she likes, you line out the babysitter and then tell her what time to be ready.

3. DO THE LITTLE THINGS. Women love it when their husbands take time to do the little things. Like giving her your full attention when she's talking about work, the kids or anything else going on in her life. Make her, and what she's got to say, more important than your phone, a ballgame or anything else. Give her quality time.

4. TAKE AN INTEREST IN HER INTERESTS. Try to find out the thing that your wife always loves to do and agree to do it together on a weekend. AND IF YOU DO, try to honestly enjoy it without complaining.


Wives, your husband needs you to ...

1. PRAISE HIM … both privately and publicly. Your husband LOVES to be bragged on, and if you can’t find something to brag on him about, you’re not looking hard enough. You should be your husband’s biggest fan … and let him know it. Lea is my biggest cheerleader. I love it when she tells me I look nice, that I’m a good dad or after 26 years I still turn her on. Husbands are motivated by your praise. While we’re on the subject, NEVER belittle or criticize your husband in public or to your girlfriends.

2.MOST LIKELY YOUR HUSBANDS NUMBER ONE NEED IS SEXUAL FULLFILLMENT- Fulfilling his needs should never come across as a chore, but as a priority. A healthy sex life in a marriage is characteristic of a strong healthy marriage. Married sex should be the best sex, because it includes commitment and intimacy. We laugh when we hear of people calling recipes, “Better than Sex Cake,” and “Better than Sex Brownies,” obviously people who keep describing things as “better than sex” are having the wrong kind of sex. Make your love life sizzle. If you need to try something new in order to fulfil this, why not discuss looking online together at something to entertain you both. Cam sites can be a bit of harmless fun if you're both looking into it, to make sure you have a healthy experience finding a legitimate site by reading a cam soda full review is the best way to go.

3. TAKE AN INTEREST IN SOMETIME HE LIKES TO DO - Educate yourself on your husband’s hobbies so you can talk about things he likes to talk about. If your husband likes to fish, hunt, golf, work on cars, etc. … learn to take interest in those things. Be your husband’s best friend and spend time doing things he likes to do. Lea has learned to love baseball, talk running and take interest in things that I find interesting. Some of the best memories you can make together are when you’re spending time together doing things he loves to do.

4. DON’T BEAT AROUND THE BUSH – Don’t expect your husband to read your mind or to know what’s wrong with you or what you want. Ladies, I’ve said it once and I’ll say it a million more times, you CANNOT connect the dots close enough for your husband to catch on to what you are thinking. Just spell it out. Dropping hints or just expecting your husband to know what your thinking will only lead to MORE frustration. Simply tell him what’s on your mind.


MARRIAGE CHALLENGE ... ask your spouse to pick two that they'd like you to improve on.

9.27.2015

Weekend Recap


Worked all day til 5 pm, we are planning a going away party for our supervisor, so we have been slacking in the work dept;) 
His last day is Wednesday, the company I am doing a special project for has been bought by another company, so all of the supervisors have lost their jobs, it is a crazy time there right now, some of them have got new jobs already so that is good, but 400 people lost their jobs. 
I met a friend for dinner, in fact her and her family, we went for a buffet dinner, her little guy was so adorable, 

I went to bed at 7:30 pm and sleep the night thru, my body has been hating me for lack of sleep. 

Saturday: 

Slept in a little bit, Brooke had to go work on a project with a classmate, I got to feeling sick again, I think it was from my lack of sleep, I thought I would go in town and perhaps it would make me feel better, but it didn't, in fact I sat in the car while Andrew went to Walmart for me, he got me gravol and I felt a little better, once I got home I went to sleep and I felt better when I woke up. 
I made wings and spicy buffalo dip, it tasted so good. 
I fell back to sleep before hockey was even done. 

Sunday: 
Was feeling much better when I woke up. 
Went to both services, hang out with friends after PM serrvice. 
We then watched the eclipse taking place,what  a gorgeous sight. 





9.25.2015

Confessional Friday


Another week to Confess and to share those with you lovelies. 

1) I love that Grey's Anatomy is back, although it isn't the same without Derek, but I am excited none the less. 


2) I have had two very nice Norwex parties this week, it has been a lot of fun. 


3) I got some troublesome news at my Dr this week, I may share at some time but just not right now. 



9.24.2015

Date Night Idea Week 3




Idea: 
Play board games either at home or out at a game cafe- we have them here, you go in and pay $5 for the day, stay as long as you want and hang out with your best friend and make it a great date night while you play games that you both like, or try one that the other spouse enjoys- for example: my hubby loves Settlers of Catan but I really don't care for it, but I would play with him and I would enjoy it because I love to spend time with him. 


9.23.2015

5 Simple Rules To Marriage Bliss...


5 Simple Rules To Marriage Bliss...

1 ... If you want to keep your marriage harmonious ... never say things like, "I told you so." Whenever you're wrong, admit it. Whenever you're right, simply shut up. smile emoticon

2 ... You do not have to show up to every fight you're invited to. Pick your battles. Overlook some things. Your pride isn't as important as your relationship.

3 ... Your marriage is not only important to you, but also for your children. What they learn from your marriage will have an enormous impact on the rest of their lives. Train them well by your example.
 
4 ... Pride is a killer ... a marriage killer, a relationship killer and a faith killer. Don't let pride destroy your relationships.
 
5 ... Your spouse deserves better than an average effort from you today. Bring it!



9.22.2015

What does "For worst" look like






What does "For worst" look like

I, (name), take you (name), to be my lawfully wedded (wife/husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part. - 

It can happen with a phone call at 4 a.m. It can happen when your doctor says, "I have some bad news...." It can happen a week after your honeymoon, or in the middle of a deadline crunch at work, or on your way to your child's yellow-belt ceremony. Tragedy can hit, hard, anytime. And though it's romantic to think that couples can cling together and weather the storm, the reality is, many twosomes in trouble find themselves being pulled apart instead.

In my mind, ‘better’ could mean that finances are plentiful, kids are healthy and intelligent, loving feelings continue years into the marriage, and life goals are being fulfilled left and right. When I consider what worse may look like, I think of financial disappointments, difficulty with childbearing/infertility, loss of affection, and unfulfilled goals and dreams. These are just a few examples; but, regardless of what ‘better’ or ‘worse’ will look like in your life, you will go through both – the better and the worse. Wedding days are filled with blissfully happy expectations of better things. Being together will, obviously, be better than being apart! Most couples talk about plans for the future and dream together about what great things lay ahead for them. It is a rare couple, at least among young couples, that spend time talking about the difficult days to come as they do the exciting ones. While we should not go into a marriage with the expectation that it is going to be terrible, it’s wise to enter into a lifelong covenant with a healthy and aware understanding that some days will be worse rather than better. 

What would you consider a "for better" and a "for worse" 



9.20.2015

Weekend Recap

Friday: 

I was so distracted and tired at work, I could barely function, the 4 of us who work in the office, all felt the same way, we all sat around and talked, and barely worked, oh well we got thru the day.  
Hubby and Brooke picked me up from work and hubby and got me a cupcake, he knew I was dragging all day and he wanted to give me something to cheer me up, it was so good. 

We then went to the mall, I wanted some Thai food but settled for this soup, it was so delicious. 


I wanted to go buy my new phone, but I have no idea what I want, I think I may be done with Apple, I have had so many issues with this phone but the new iPhone 6 is so pretty, who knows what I may do. 

We came home and tidied the kitchen- my house has been so neglected. I think I need to take a day of soon and do a deep clean, wanna come help ;) 

I went to bed early, I have been exhausted. 

Saturday: 

We hung around home for most of the day, then I went in town to take the car to the garage so they could re-torked the tires from last week’s tire replacement ($600 later, ugg).  Then we went in town and got some lunch food, I also needed some new tupperware so once i got home I organized that and then I felt sick, I was so tired, I think its because of the crazy busy week and not sleeping. Brooke had a friend over to hang out, they had a great time. 


We had a corn boil at church in the evening, it was a lot of fun. So much corn and fun. 


Sunday: 
had morning service, after service Moses came over for a chicken dinner, which was super late because I forgot to turn the oven on higher, it was worth the wait though. 
After evening service we went to Wendy's for chilli cheese fries. 
Tomorrow begins a new work week and it is already crazy busy by the looks of it. 
Brooke had a mini photo shoot, here are a couple from the day



9.17.2015

Confessional friday



Confessional Friday 

1) This week has been so busy yet so long, it dragged but we had so much that we needed to get done. 


2) My poor house is in need of some major cleaning, I have just been so busy that my house has taken a back burner, I really need to find a way to get it cleaned this weekend. 


3) I am not sleeping well again, I have to see my dr on Tuesday so I am hoping for some answers as to why. 


4) Had a fun time at a bridal shower for a friend, it was a small shower but it was a lot of fun and yummy food. 


5) Last night a skunk chased me, I came home from the bridal shower hand here he is ready to attack, I ran like you would not believe, I am not sure what he sprayed but I hope the smell is gone by morning ;) 


9.15.2015

Date Idea 2






Idea: 
Go get a ice cream and go for a walk down town ( if it is safe where you live, if not then walk somewhere else), It really gives you time to reconnect, we love to eat ice cream, try new ones, then explore your town. 


9.14.2015

Pumpkin Bliss Tea Giveaway

Hey Friends, Today I am sharing a great giveaway with you. I love Tea, any type of tea any time of the day or night, and who does not love Pumpkin flavoured anything, check it out below. Pumpkin Bliss Tea
  pumpkin tea giveaway 
Pumpkin Bliss Tea is made with premium black tea from Sri Lanka flavored with pumpkin and exotic spices. Autumn just wouldn’t be the same without the warm, smooth sweetness of spiced pumpkin – and neither would your tea time. Comforting and rich flavor, with lingering cozy aromatics. Add some steamed milk and you have a pumpkin spice latte but with all natural ingredients! Ingredients: Black Tea, Natural Pumpkin Spice Flavor, Cinnamon Bark, Ginger Root, Cloves, Marigold Flowers and       

Cardamom Caffeine Level: High pumpkin bliss tea 


  Pumpkin Bliss Tea come is two varieties.
  • Compact: The cutest way to get your Pumpkin Bliss Tea is in our 2oz tin. Make your Pumpkin Bliss Tea by the cup or gift it to a friend. I use my infuser set to brew a couple of cups daily.
  • Economical Sack: The most economical way to get your Pumpkin Bliss Tea is the 6oz sack. It can be easily brewed in your iced tea machine.
This raffle is for a $6.99 coupon to my Blooming With Joy Tea Shop. You can use it towards a tin of Pumpkin Bliss or get $6.99 off any of my products. Sound good?! a Rafflecopter giveaway

9.13.2015

Weekend Recap

Friday: 
I worked and was so tired by 5 pm, but we went to dinner with a friend,she was struggling today, was very homesick so we hung out with her and had a good time, did some shopping as well 

watched some Netflix and just chilled, relaxing friday night. 

Saturday: 
We went to a birthday party for a guy that is like a grandpa to Brooke- he turned 80 today. It was a great time with some delicious food and to see family that we have not saw in a while.



Hubby and I went on a grocery date.. I need to stop buying groceries so much, i can barely fit anything in my fridge, and I feel guilty that we have so  much food and there are so people hungry int his world.. I go every week mainly to get fresh fruit and veggies, but I always end up spending like $90-120 each week. How often do you grocery shop?  on top of that we still go out to eat once or twice, I know right, it is nuts. 

We went our of town around 7:30 pm and went to a youth bonfire, i know we are not youth but we needed to drive some youth, it was super nice evening with some pretty awesome youth. 
We played guitar, had smores, hot dogs, soda, chips etc.. it was so nice. 



Once we got home I remembered I needed to make a dish for the Leadership pot luck tomorrow,so I made Leslie’s famous pasta salad, and I thought about her while I was making it, I miss that girl so much. Last night grief sucker punched me so hard when I was thinking about her.  

Today also marked 20 years since our first date, yes I was only 13, him 14, but I knew that first day I met him a month or so previous to our first date, I was going to marry him and right I was. It gets sweeter and sweeter every day.

Sunday:
We had morning service, then a leadership pot luck, came home to nap and then back to church for 5 pm for music practice.
After service we went to mcd's with Rachel, I am so glad she is back for the new school year.

Have a great week friends

9.11.2015

For the Love


This is a little bit different from the types of books I normally review, I'm going to structure my review a little differently and skip my formal list of reasons why you should read this book and tell you a little bit about my experience reading it.

The first thing you need to know about Jen Hatmaker is that she's hilarious, and it comes across so well in her writing. I giggled my way through many chapters in this book! The second thing you need to know is that Jen is a Christian and loves Jesus. So yes, this could be classified as a Christian book but it doesn't feel like many that I've read. It is so much more than that!

And she explores this idea in For the Love by talking about everyday things we encounter in life, with her own heavily sarcastic perspective on them. Whether she's talking about fashion, marriage, children, or just sharing some of her favourite recipes - it's all something we can relate to.

Most importantly, I love that For the Love is not a book that simply talks at you. Jen wants to see people change, she wants to see the world change for the better. I mean, what good is a book like this if it doesn't impact my life?

The love for God and the love for others is stamped all throughout this book - if that's not addressing real Grace, then I don't know what is.

5 minutes with Jesus

Life is hectic, juggling family time, working full time jobs, taking kids to soccer, baseball etc, then we still have to find time to cook and clean, do laundry and the likes… where do we find time to do a devotion. 


That is why when I saw this book, I grabbed it, I have seen it on social media and it is all so true, I love it so far. 


Sheila Walsh is an amazing Christian writer. You can tell from her heartfelt words she is a true believer. Her words provide such motivation to let Jesus in and follow your heart to him. Here new book "5 Minutes with Jesus" is a great devotional that gives us advice for the real world on how to grow closer to God

I was gifted this book for my honest review. 

Confessional friday

It is time for some confess'n

1) Thank goodness it is Friday- It has been a crazy week and I am exhausted and ready for a weekend


2) That being said this weekend is crazy busy we have birthday parties, pot lucks, and a leadership meeting.

3) I have not slept in about 4 days- I have been getting an hour or two a night.. I am not sure why, I have been checked for sleep issues but nothing gives us answers, it happens every now and then, but I am so tired.. last night at church I was so tired- I fell asleep and fell right of my chair... hahahah, go ahead and laugh, I don't mind



4) Pumpkin spice latte is back, I am so so happy- in fact I went and got one and I wept so  much when I thought of Leslie, she is in heaven drinking them as much as she wants.


4) Brooke is doing great with back to school and getting a routine back in our lives.




Ok friends, your turn

9.09.2015

When I grow up



Do you remember in school when you were younger and teachers would have you tell them what you wanted to be when you grew up- 

I started out as wanting to be a teacher, then grade 9 I wanted to be a truck driver with the big 18 wheels rolling me down the road.. 
Grade 10-12- I had my heart set on a mortician, it was my dream job I thought, then for some odd reason in College I decided to do Business Administration, but I got homesick and dropped out and moved home… was home for a couple weeks and then went to a new college and Office Administration. 

Yeah I finished that course, I got a job right away with the police office, I loved the job so much, it was a 1 year term and I Loved it . 
Then I got pregnant and stayed home for 2 years… and since then I not know what I want to do with my life.. 

I would love to work in a Law office and be the receptionist, but I want it to be a busy office where I have lots of work to do. 

There are many things I would love to do… nurse, paramedic, dentist- but am I told old now?


I was never one who did super well in school, it just do not come easy to me, and now that I’m older, I think it will be much harder or maybe it will be easier. 


My teacher friends, any advice?

I have had a lot of jobs in my short working life, a lot of those are because they are temp jobs and or contracts, I am now ready for a career.


4 EMOTIONS THAT WILL KILL YOUR MARRIAGE...


4 EMOTIONS THAT WILL KILL YOUR MARRIAGE...
1. ANGER - Uncontrolled anger, intimidation and bullying have NO place in marriage. Watch your tone. Anger does NO good, only harm. Remove it.

2. CRITICISM - Listen to me, treat your spouse with kindness and respect. Your job is to build them up, NOT to tear them down. NO ONE wants to live with a critic.

3. BITTERNESS: Or you can call it blame. It can be summed up in once simple line, "It's not me. It's you." Don't be the victim in your arguments, remember that you're on the same team. It's not about who wins or loses an argument.

4. UNFORGIVENESS: It doesn't take a very big person to carry a grudge ... but it DOES take a big person to forgive someone. Marriage is made up of two imperfect people and a healthy marriage is made up of two great forgivers. Don't let your marriage be held back by not forgiving your spouse for something they have done.

9.08.2015

Grade 7

Brooke, 
Today you begin grade 7, I cannot believe you are old enough to be a seventh grader, I am so proud of you, you are the best daughter any mom could ever ask for, 
I wanted to share some advice with you 
  • Be kind to everyone

    Smile in the hallways, make friends with new classmates and seek out those who seem to be alone. You are by nature a friendly and kind person. Your love will help those who are sad and struggling. Being kind to everyone will save you from disagreements and drama, which you definitely want to avoid.
  • Don't worry about what others think

    It's natural to want to feel accepted. True friends will always accept you, so don't waste emotional energy worrying about what other people think of you. Chances are, they are feeling just as insecure about themselves and want acceptance, too.
  • Find yourself, then be yourself

    You have so much potential, and I'm not just saying that because you're my daughter. You have varied talents and abilities, and you can learn anything you desire. Spend some time during these years trying new things. Don't expect to be perfect at everything. Learn from your failures and use mistakes as chances to grow and become better.
    Once you know who you are, be true to yourself. You have strong values and a good sense of right and wrong. Don't let others sway you from what you know. Your family will always be close to help you and love you, and your home is always a safe place to be.
  • You are not "too cool for school"

    High school is a time of socialization, activities and fun, but it's also a time to learn. You have ambitions and goals for your future, and developing good study habits and learning as much as you can now will help you be successful in college and in your future career. Some kids skip class, ignore homework assignments and procrastinate on projects 99 percent of the time — don't be those kids.
    As you take hard classes and face deadlines, you'll feel stressed. With help from us your parents and determination, you will do well. Take advantage of clubs and service opportunities too.
    It's hard to believe you'll be leaving home in 5 short years. You have blessed my life since the day I first held you in my arms (after a very long delivery, I might add). Your dad and I are a little nervous but mostly excited for you to start this new phase of life. We love you and believe in you. Have a great first day of school, and don't eat your dessert first.
    Love, Mom

9.07.2015

Weekend Recap


Friday: 

I worked from 8 am to 7 pm, I missed one day this week so I wanted to get caught up and get ahead for the start of the week. 

My sister had her surgery at 1:00 pm, she had some wonky issues going on ( which for her privacy, i won’t go into details here), the surgery was successful and she is going to be ok. Thanks for your well wishes and prayers. 




After work hubby picked me up and then we went to get Brooke- she was hanging out with the youth leader from church getting things ready for a new youth group year. 

We went to Pizza Delight for some yummy pizza, I have been craving it for a while so we finally went and got some, we got the BBQ chicken pizza and oh my, it was so delicious. 


After dinner, I facetime’d my sister , she was very tired but it was so good to talk to her. 
I then started watching “The Fosters”- I really like it so far. 

I am so excited for tomorrow… 


Saturday 
We got up early to get some groceries before my company arrived. 13 years ago when we got married I was friends with a probation officer, she was my maid of honour.. I had dinner with her last Summer as we now live much closer- she called me up on Wednesday and said she wanted to come visit for this long weekend. 
KAREN came to visit me…. Here are some pictures.. 

Karen in front her University where she graduated 


In front of the University again 

Our Tradiitonal once a year picture 

except we took a couple 

Jess, Karen and I 


Karen was one of the first people that knew I was pregnant, last summer she got to meet Brooke for the first time. 
We had such a great day together, we went shopping, went to her the University that she graduated from, she has lived so far away that this was the first time she got to go back, it was my first time to be there as well.

We had dinner here at home, we grilled.. then she went downtown to get some drinks with a friend... My heart feels so rich after seeing her, we have so many wonderful memories together.

Sunday
It was the normal Sunday around here with church, nap in between and then the evening service. We went to Harvey's after service for burgers and to close out summer time.
Tomorrow is a holiday and Brooke goes to grade 7 on Tuesday, eeekkkkk.

Have a great week 
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