Marriage is...

" A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers."

~Ruth Bell Graham

Join me on my journey

I'm about to embark on a journey.  It will be a difficult journey, one filled with many challenges and obstacles.  It will be a journey that I'm sure at some point and time I will question my judgement and want to give up before I reach the end (I hope I can endure).  It is also a journey that once I complete it, I will be a better person for having taken "...the one less traveled by."

It is  journey to try to take my weaknesses and improve them and perhaps turn them into strengths.  It is a journey of self-discovery.

I am taking the 'Complaint-Free Challenge.'  I will try (along with others) to go 31 days without complaining.  I am trying to replace my baditude with God's word and gratitude.  Cheri Gregory has this wonderful idea and I am really excited and a little nervous about this, but I think it will be pleasing to God.  Anytime we try to better ourselves and try to be Christ like, it pleases God.

Go to Cheri's blog and find out why she is Challenging us, get some freebies, listen to some great audios about parenting pre-schoolers, marriage, and the differences in PURSE-onalities and take the challenge too!

Lasting Impression - A Book Review

I chose this book because the setting was in Nashville, Tennessee (my home state) at the Belmont Mansion.  The Author, Tamera Alexander, did an excellent job in setting the scenery.  I felt as if I were back in time and I wanted to go to the Belmont Mansion.  (I think I'll plan a family day trip there this summer.)

Claire Laurent overcame what seemed like near-impossible obstacles and she even won the heart of an up-and-coming lawyer, Sutton Monroe.  Claire's background and the past she left behind was coming back to haunt her.  If things were to get out, she could loose her job, her home and Sutton.  Could she tell Sutton before he found out and he still love her?  Sutton had a few hidden secrets of his own.  Would Claire still want him knowing he could be destitute and not able to provide for her future?  What would he have to offer her?

The book is an historical fiction novel.  I checked out some of the history and the author was accurate in her facts.  Tamara Alexander is very knowledgeable about art and it shows throughout the book.  The story starts out strong and ends well, but the climax left me a little disappointed.  I was expecting more and I was left wanting more.  While I was at the climax of the story - I was very disappointed and wasn't sure I wanted to finish the book.  I did finish the book and the ending was done so well, that it partially made up for the climax.   I am glad that I stuck with it and read through to the end.

The book is worth the read.  You will come away more with more knowledge about the history of the Belmont Mansion, art and Nashville's history as well.

I received this book for free from Bethany House for this review, but the review and opinions are my own.

Project 5

Project #5
E-flirt.com

Text or E-mail Some Sweet Nothings

“I turn on my computer. I wait patiently as it connects. I go online. My breath catches in my chest until I hear three little words, “You’ve got Mail.” I hear nothing, not a sound on the streets of New York. Just the beat of my own heart… I have mail, from you.”
Meg Ryan as Kathleen Kennedy in “You’ve Got Mail”
Your Project
Send a flirty text or e-mail to your husband.

Getting Creative

• Use an e-card service (hallmark.com or americangreetings.com) to send a cute and flirty note.
• Don’t know how to text? Ask any teenager in the general vicinity.
• Most phones have a camera feature where you can send a photo message. Be sure to keep it G rated so that he doesn’t get in trouble at work.

Project 4

Project #4
Heart vs. Stomach

A Treat Just for Him

 “You can tell a lot about a fellow’s character by his way of eating jellybeans.”
Ronald Reagan

Your Project:
Get a food treat for your husband that he’s not required to share with you or any other family member.

Getting Creative
Stumped for ideas? Here are some thoughts:

• Get his favorite pint of Ben & Jerry’s and hide it behind the frozen chicken. Even if you buy it on Tuesday, you’ll have it ready and waiting for his special night later in the week.
• Is there a certain cut of meat that your husband loves? How about having the butcher cut something just for him? Most supermarkets will even do the marinade for you – one less thing to think about.
• Is there a certain candy that your husband loves from his childhood? Check out www.candywarehouse.com. They have all the nostalgic candy you could want (Black Jack Gum, anyone?) while also carrying any modern favorite you could be looking for.
• My husband’s family loves something called “noodles and mashed potatoes” (we lovingly refer to it as “The Starch Fest”). I learned how to make this special dish just for him.
• My guy loves the smell of baking almost as much as he enjoys eating the treat. Have some brownies in the oven when he gets home from work or working out. (I know, it negates the workout, but isn’t chocolate always worth it?)
• Our friend Scott mentioned that he loves cranberry sauce, but eats it only at Thanksgiving. His wife intentionally made the holiday treat for him this past July.
• Are you a wife who is an expert at low-cal salads and other forms of chick-food? Check out The Ultimate Guide to Man Food at www.kathilipp.com for ideas

My Reason for Wanting to be a Better Wife...

When we first got married, I just thought what happens happens. A few years ago I began to reflect on things...my life, my marriage, me.

I'm not sure who said "The only person you can change, is you." I don't know when I first heard it, but I really began to think about that quote.

If you have a bad marriage, it's possible that you can make it a good marriage. If you have a good marriage, don't you think you can make it a better marriage? Can't things always get better (just like they can always get worse)?

I have read several books trying to help me be a better wife...

The Husband Project by Kathi Lipp
Created to be His Help Meet by Debi Pearl
The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie O'Martian
His Needs, Her Needs by Willard F. Harley Jr.
Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs

I feel like I have come a long way from where I started as a wife, but I know that I still have a long way to go. What happens, doesn't just happen. It's what we make of it. I have gained something from each of the books that I have read and I try to continue to gain more knowledge of being a great wife. The book that I have gotten the most help from though is the Bible. There are countless verses on how to be the wife that God created me to be.

I think that if I become a better wife, in turn I will be a better Christian. If I become a better Christian, in turn I will be a better wife. I will continue to try to do both and with God's help, I will continue to grow as a wife and Christian.

One thing that really opened my eyes concerning my skills as a wife and really made me want to try harder to be the best wife I could possibly be was a quote from the second wife/marriage book I read (Created to be His Help Meet by Debi Pearl). I cannot remember the exact quote and I am having trouble finding it, but it goes something like this..."Would you want your son to marry someone like you?"

I need to be a good wife (1) because that's what God wants me to do and that's what he created me to do, (2) because my husband deserves it and (3) to model to my sons what kind of wife they should look for. If I am disrespectful to my husband, my sons will think that they should marry someone that is disrespectful to them, etc. (You can change the word disrespectful for any number of words.)

I have been praying since I knew I was pregnant with my first child, for each of them to have a good spouse. One that loves and respects them, one that they can truly become one with, one that will make the rest of their lives beautiful and not miserable.

Well, I hope you are doing the 5 Day Challenge (The Husband Project) with me. I also, subscribe to i-MOM's Espresso Minute (daily e-mail) and I found some things that go right along with Kathi's Husband Project. Check them out...

The 30 Day Marriage Challenge
The 15 Minute Marriage Boost (which has other links to help improve your marriage)

I encourage every wife (young and old, newly wedded or married for years) to try to be a better wife to your husband.  Wouldn't you like him to do the same for you?

"Do to others as you would have them do to you."  Luke 6:31 NIV


See that big smile above?  That's my reward.  I want to know that he smiles because of me (not frowns because of me), I want to know that he is happier for marrying me and that he doesn't regret the decision he made to spend the rest of his life with ME!

Project 3

Project #3
You da’ Man

Spreading Great Gossip About Your Guy

Your Project:
Say something nice about your husband to someone else. Make sure you tell him what you said, and to whom.

 Getting Creative
Who are the important people in your husband’s life? Your kids, his parents, his friends? Be intentional about who you chat with when you brag on him – it’s almost as important as actually doing it.
Having a hard time coming up with something? I still brag on my guy for things he did years ago. He loves when I tell the story of how brilliantly he proposed (there were waterfalls and stuffed portabella mushrooms involved…).

Here are some other areas to think about when crafting your brag:

• His parenting skills
• His patience level
• The way he treats your mom
• His culinary ability
• His job
• His loyalty to you