My sweet man is on an adventure of a lifetime with a group of 12 men from our church, including our pastor who kind of spear-headed this entire adventure. Several months ago, our pastor threw down a challenge to various guys to go to the Grand Canyon and hike from rim to rim in a day. It is said it can't be done, but they know it can. They have a plan and are prepared to conquer the beast tomorrow. Yesterday and today they are hiking in Bryce Canyon to prepare for the big adventure tomorrow. The pictures he has sent have been gorgeous and the sound of his voice is full of excitment...like a little boy seeing presents around the tree on Christmas!
With this journey I have found it amazing how many people, women especially, immediately comment on my husband's trip as "ridiculous, irresponsible, childish, selfish, immature,crazy", to name a few. I think I have probably thought some of those words myself throughout the planning process, yet God has been good to me to never allow me to speak those words to my man as he prepared to leave. That is one thing I have learned over 19 years of marriage....even when I think what my man is doing is the silliest thing on earth, if he is passionate about it, keep silent, take my concerns to God and wait. Sometimes, those passions dwindle and I see that God took care of that one. Other times, like this trip, I see God softening my heart and letting me know He is in control. Regardless, at least there was no belittling of my man to where he feels disrespected in his own home.
The comments other women have given to me makes me wonder if they or I fully understand what it means to be a man of God? I fully believe these testosterone trips are good for my man. I see a change in him when he returns. Whether it be hammering a roof on with a friend, dirt bike riding, scuba diving or trekking through the Grand Canyon, he needs times to put off the worries of the world, which for a guy is a lot, and just grunt, scratch, play. Ha! When he returns, I get the joy of seeing God's work in his life/heart and the fruit of that is I get a better husband/dad. So it is a win/win for all of us. When we, as wives, belittle what God has put in their hearts....to get out in nature, build things, hunt, hike, go fast, etc, we take away a part of their manhood. I don't want to be married to a girly man. I LOVE that my guy is all guy and needs these outings. I challenge all of us wives to hold our tongues when our guys are doing something we feel is just crazy....unless we are willing to be called the same as we head to the crafting corner. As much as we need to do our own thing from time to time in order to feel refreshed, we need to honor how God created our men to be just that...MEN!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Oops! Forgot One!
In our family, when it is your birthday you get breakfast in bed, no chores and you can pick what you want for dinner. Doodle was sick on her birthday so she did not get her birthday dinner which I told her I had chosen for her this year since she was turning 13. I wanted to take her to somewhere she would love but it be a bit more grown up. So once she was feeling better, we made reservations and got dressed up to go to The Melting Pot, a restaurant that specializes in fondue. Yum!
Doodle and Daddy
Beanie and Mommy
We knew she would love the chocolate fondue.....and by the look on her face, we were correct!
Doodle and Daddy
Beanie and Mommy
We knew she would love the chocolate fondue.....and by the look on her face, we were correct!
Doodle's Birthday Celebrations Galore!!!
As you all know, Doodle turned 13 at the end of August. Sadly, she got sick on her birthday so we were not able to have her family celebration nor her friend sleepover that weekend. On her actual birthday, she did wake up to surprise us for her breakfast in bed....
She was already completely dressed and had put on my make up just to shock us when we pulled back the covers! That girl makes me laugh. Again, her gift from us did not come in until a few days later. Talk about bad timing!!! Anyway, we were all very excited to see the expression on her face as she opened the gift.....
Doodle opens our gift....and is thrilled to be the owner of an Ipod Touch
She also celebrated at the lake house with Matt's family....notice that cake.
And we celebrated all August birthdays with my family....notice that cake...hmm...which one did I have a friend make who bakes cakes as a business...can't tell. :)
Finally, we ended the parties with her slumber party at the lake house with her friends from our co-op. It was a sweet night of giggles and lots of nail polish. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed these girls. What a blessing to say I enjoyed hanging out with a group of teenagers!
The girls from co-op
Nail salon silliness
Getting ready to tube...
and cake time
What a blessing it is to have sweet girls surrounding my girl. :)
She was already completely dressed and had put on my make up just to shock us when we pulled back the covers! That girl makes me laugh. Again, her gift from us did not come in until a few days later. Talk about bad timing!!! Anyway, we were all very excited to see the expression on her face as she opened the gift.....
Doodle opens our gift....and is thrilled to be the owner of an Ipod Touch
She also celebrated at the lake house with Matt's family....notice that cake.
And we celebrated all August birthdays with my family....notice that cake...hmm...which one did I have a friend make who bakes cakes as a business...can't tell. :)
Finally, we ended the parties with her slumber party at the lake house with her friends from our co-op. It was a sweet night of giggles and lots of nail polish. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed these girls. What a blessing to say I enjoyed hanging out with a group of teenagers!
The girls from co-op
Nail salon silliness
Getting ready to tube...and cake time
What a blessing it is to have sweet girls surrounding my girl. :)Monday, October 4, 2010
Menu Plan Monday!
What a precious weekend we had together! I will post more about that topic later this week. For now, I need to focus on the week at hand. Matt will be heading out on his big trip to the Grand Canyon on Sunday after church. So this week will be preparing him for that trip as well as spending much needed time together before he heads out. With that in mind we are keeping things simple with meals:
Monday: (BSF) Matt and girls eat on road, I eat leftovers at home
Tuesday: (dance) White bean chicken chili, chips and salsa
Wednesday: Cheesy Italian chicken, noodles, veggies
Thursday: (dance) turkey burgers, baked beans, salad
Friday: Chicken and noodles, mashed potato, steamed veggies
Saturday: pork chops, rice pilaf, veggies
Sunday: left overs
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Purity Pressure
It is that time in our house to have mother/daughter weekend getaway and go through the Passport to Purity package. As I have been going through the kit, I realize I may be under prepared for this task. I have been excited for years at the thought of taking time with each of my girls, one on one, to truly dig into scripture as we discuss just how God created their bodies as well as how He intended their bodies to be one with their husbands.
I feel a lot of pressure, which I put on myself, that if I don't "do" this right they will not realize what a joy it is to wait and be blessed in this area with their spouse or they will never truly be able to allow themselves to enjoy sex as a husband and wife should! It's a good thing...within marriage! Then I realize this is not the first time I have struggled with pressure to share my heart with them about his topic. This time, I am just telling more details and peeling off one more layer to the onion topic.
My husband and I have started praying about this weekend and I know Doodle is going to be overwhelmed as she really has no desire to learn about any of it as of yet. Boys still are just her friends and kissing on any movie or between her Dad and me grosses her out! Thank you, Jesus! :) She likes being protected. She does not want to look like the other teens around and I am thankful for that. However, I also don't want to give her the idea that sex is bad and only for making babies!
Let's face it, God gave us a beautiful gift to ENJOY with in the boundaries of marriage. So, when we talk about this topic this weekend, I need to find the words to explain that it is a beautiful gift that is worth the wait. It is meant to enjoy, within marriage and that keeping that part of your heart and body pure for your husband will bless your marriage. Yeah, I know...no pressure!!! First of all, I am struggling to look at my little girl and realize she will one day be sexually involved with anyone! That is just the momma and I am sure my mom would say she still feels that way, but we move past that and prepare our girl.
One decision we have made for this time, we are not going to ask her to sign the purity contract at age 13. We are going to get her a little ring and present her with that but to sign something when you don't fully understand what you are saying is really setting her up to fail in our opinion. So what we want to do is continue these talks and maybe do the signing ceremony when she is 16 with then a much nicer ring as well. We'll see how it all goes. Pray for me if you think of it and for Doodle! :)
I feel a lot of pressure, which I put on myself, that if I don't "do" this right they will not realize what a joy it is to wait and be blessed in this area with their spouse or they will never truly be able to allow themselves to enjoy sex as a husband and wife should! It's a good thing...within marriage! Then I realize this is not the first time I have struggled with pressure to share my heart with them about his topic. This time, I am just telling more details and peeling off one more layer to the onion topic.
My husband and I have started praying about this weekend and I know Doodle is going to be overwhelmed as she really has no desire to learn about any of it as of yet. Boys still are just her friends and kissing on any movie or between her Dad and me grosses her out! Thank you, Jesus! :) She likes being protected. She does not want to look like the other teens around and I am thankful for that. However, I also don't want to give her the idea that sex is bad and only for making babies!
Let's face it, God gave us a beautiful gift to ENJOY with in the boundaries of marriage. So, when we talk about this topic this weekend, I need to find the words to explain that it is a beautiful gift that is worth the wait. It is meant to enjoy, within marriage and that keeping that part of your heart and body pure for your husband will bless your marriage. Yeah, I know...no pressure!!! First of all, I am struggling to look at my little girl and realize she will one day be sexually involved with anyone! That is just the momma and I am sure my mom would say she still feels that way, but we move past that and prepare our girl.
One decision we have made for this time, we are not going to ask her to sign the purity contract at age 13. We are going to get her a little ring and present her with that but to sign something when you don't fully understand what you are saying is really setting her up to fail in our opinion. So what we want to do is continue these talks and maybe do the signing ceremony when she is 16 with then a much nicer ring as well. We'll see how it all goes. Pray for me if you think of it and for Doodle! :)
Monday, September 27, 2010
Menu Plan Monday!
We are definitely trying to get back into the swing of things around here. It feels like it is taking longer than normal to figure out our weekly schedule since school started back up as well as the activities! I feel very scattered still and am finding schedules bring the peace back into my life....see, I am more like Doodle than I realized! That girl is a scheduling queen in the making!
So, I am planning our week ahead with great excitement as Doodle and I will be heading out for our first Mom/Daughter weekend. This is going to be an extremely special time together and it all starts with us getting to see Mary Poppins on stage! So exciting!!!! Here is the plan:
Monday: (BSF for Matt and girls) sandwiches on road
Tuesday: (History Club, Dance) Stove Top Chicken Casserole
Wednesday: (Nothing!!!) Crouton Chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans
Thursday: (Dance, Mary Poppins for Doodle and me) doodle and I eat on way, Matt and Bean eat at home
Friday: veggie soup, cottage cheese and bread
Saturday: leftovers
Sunday: Baked Potato Soup, hot sandwiches
Sunday, September 19, 2010
OK God, I'm listening. :)
Do you ever have times in your life where you have heard God's whisper and chose not to reply only to be greeted with His ever present 2x4 upon the head?! I am really hearing God's calling me into an area of service with girls and it scares me to death!!! I have felt this for years and chose to ignore it. Now, God is screaming at me. I can't ignore it any longer and I need to be obedient...no matter how petrified I truly feel. I will keep you posted!
