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What a Week! {7 Quick Takes (#9)}

15 Mar

7 quick takes sm1 7 Quick Takes Friday (vol. 210)

Another 7 Quick Takes with Jennifer at Conversion Diary this Friday!  Be sure to check out everyone else’s, too!!

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Of course, #1 has to be about how awesome it was on Wednesday afternoon to be united with all the Catholics around the world as we celebrated newly chosen Pope Francis! Twitter was so full of #HabemusPapam tweets and excitement! What a fun day for Catholics on social media!

pope francis

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Another exciting thing that happened this week, was  I discovered that the little Reece’s Rainbow angel that I have been praying for, Sunny, was adopted a few months ago! I really felt an attachment to her because she had a hemangioma on her nose, just like my oldest daughter had when she was a baby. I’m so happy that she has found a forever home!

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Today is the last day to enter to win my GIVEAWAY of Eric Metaxas’ new book, 7 MEN: And the Secret of their Greatness! And last Saturday I was delighted when I found out that the author himself shared this on Twitter:

 

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Earlier this week, I was a little bummed to find out that Dignitas Magazine will be on hold for now due to various circumstances. I featured the founders as one of my Dreamers in the Spotlight back in August. I know that there are good things ahead for them, though! I can’t wait to hear more in the future!

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Speaking of my Dreamer in the Spotlight series, be sure to check back next Friday to see who this month’s featured dreamer is! And you’ll get to find out what “fwisty” means!  Here’s a teaser:

fwisty clutches

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And speaking of series, I will be starting a new one next week called Keep Your Change! It will be full of money saving tips covering all sorts of areas. I can’t wait, because saving money is good and more people saving money is even better! 🙂

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I’m loving how the segues have been working out, but I don’t really have one for this! Here’s the pic of the Toy Story cupcakes I want to make for my 2-year-old’s birthday in a couple weeks! I think I’ll be able to pull them off – maybe?!?!

toy story cupcakes

Have a great weekend, everyone! Don’t forget that the book giveaway ends tonight at 8 PM EST!!

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Five Favorites (vol. 2)

13 Mar

I’m excited to participate in the Five Favorites link-up again this week with Hallie at MoxieWife! If you haven’t joined in the fun yet, you should! It’s so much fun to read everyone’s favorites and discover new things and common interests!

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My brand-new CND Shellac kit!

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I’m definitely considering this my splurge purchase of 2013! I sold some of my Silpada jewelry from when I was an independent representative, so I could invest in this kit to do my own Shellac nails at home! Even though it is pretty expensive (at least I scored it at the lowest price I had ever seen two weeks ago), I know it will last awhile and it is sooo worth it to not worry about chipped nails for 2 weeks straight!  When I did this for the first time the other night, it was weird to not have to wait for my nails to dry!  LOVE IT!

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My Life with the Saints

I’m almost finished with this insightful book by Fr. James Martin. It has been very interesting to read how specific saints have had an effect on his life and vocation as a priest! It has motivated me to read more biographies on the saints.

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My little pomeranian’s latest pet bed!

This entire dog bed is machine washable! What’s not to love?!

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Spaghetti Carbonara

Spaghetti Carbonara II

First of all, I love Allrecipes.com! I recently made this Spaghetti Carbonara dish for the first time and it was delicious and easy! AND both of my girls ate it up mixed with some peas!

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90-Day Bible Reading Challenge

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I’ve always struggled with consistently spending time in scripture. I was happy when I found out about the 90-Day Bible Reading Challenge put together by Sarah Christmyer to celeberate The Year of Faith in the Catholic Church. This daily e-newsletter started in January, but all of the posts are available in the archives on the website. I may not get to each reading every day, but I manage to catch up and hang with the timeline for the most part. After this, I hope to consistently keep up with daily readings on the Laudate app.

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Five Favorites (vol. 1)

5 Mar

I’m excited about joining Hallie’s Five Favorites link-up at Moxie Wife tonight! Sometimes there are things I’d love to share, but don’t know quite where they’d fit in, so this allows me to be a little random and have some fun!

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My latest DIY rosette wreath!

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I found this tutorial online at The Ribbon Retreat and customized it! I’m thinking about actually hanging this one on the backdoor in my kitchen and making another one with black and white flowers for the red front door..

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My comfy Notre Dame sweatshirt!

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This was a Christmas gift from my husband and it is like wearing a soft, cozy blanket! It’s my new go-to item to wear on Saturdays (and maybe Sunday afternoons, too)!

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My Makeup Geek Deluxe Foundation Stippling Brush!

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I am so glad that I started using this MUG brush to apply my liquid foundation! It works very well and I can actually get away with using less product! Marlena, founder of Makeup Geek, posts great makeup tutorials and helpful tips, too!  If you’re interested in learning more about the stippling technique, click on the link above to view the brush and you’ll see her tutorials!

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My girls’ kiddie table!

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We got this Step2 New Traditions table and chairs set for the girls for Christmas! I love how big the table top is and it is very easy to clean! The girls use it all the time!

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My naps with my 3-year-old daughter!

I live for my weekend naps with “C”. It’s so nice to get a few hours of extra sleep on the weekends. I’m going to miss when she gets older and I can’t cuddle up with her (and three of her favorite stuffed animals) anymore!

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A Little More About Me {7 Quick Takes (#8)}

1 Mar

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I know, right? Two 7 Quick Takes posts in a row! So… I’ve been thinking lately that I spend so much time talking about my husband’s career, books, and other reflections, that it’s probably time to write a little bit more about myself, so I’m taking a cue from last week’s post by Momma in Flip Flops and sharing 7 tidbits about me…

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The most rebellious thing about me is that I have a tattoo of three pink roses on my lower-back. (Well, they were pink! I just noticed that they’re kind of starting to fade now that it has been 10 years!) It’s kind of funny to me that this is known as a “tramp stamp” since I was a virgin when I got married! Oh, and I have three piercings in one ear and only two in the other! I know, try not to fall out of your chair! Seriously, ask my parents – aside from my sassy mouth at 12-years-old, I was a pretty low maintenance child. I’m hoping that karma works in my favor, but I have a feeling that my second daughter isn’t going to make life easy on me!

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When I’m not working, taking care of my two young girls, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc., I’m usually checking out coupon match-ups and organizing shopping trips. I’m not even close to being “extreme,” although I have had some moments of majorly stocking up on some great deals. I consider myself to be more of a “strategic” coupon-user. More to come on this in the future. Stay tuned!

coupon binder

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When I’m not doing any of the steps in #2, I’m probably watching Notre Dame Football or Basketball or catching up on a favorite TV series with my husband! We really need to get out of the house more often on some dates, but we’re totally happy reclining side-by-side on our black leather love seat in our Notre Dame-decorated basement! Yes, we are a little obsessed!

Yes, even our dog, Princess, has a jersey!

Even our dog, Princess, has a jersey!

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You can take the girl out of Indiana, but you can’t take Indiana out of the girl!

Northern Indiana will always feel like home to me, even though I have lived in Tennessee for nearly eight years now. When I talk, I never know what accent is going to come out of my mouth! I have a lot of family in Michigan, I went to college with a bunch of people from Chicago, and now I’m surrounded by southern drawls! I’m some kind of a Midwest meets the mid-south hybrid!

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Speaking of college, I really regret that I did not minor in Spanish! I took 4 1/2 years of Spanish in junior high and high school and wanted to continue to advance, but my advisor told me that the Spanish professor wasn’t that good, so I didn’t take any courses! Shortly after, a new professor took over, but by that time I had already decided to major in Human Services and Social Work and minor in Psychology and Criminal Justice. There was no room in my schedule to squeeze in any Spanish when I was on track to graduate in three years, so I could get married and move to Nashville! I need to break out the Rosetta Stone again! It is definitely on my bucket list to become more proficient in Spanish!

Trip to Mexico in 2001 with some other high school students

Trip to Mexico in 2001 with some other high school students

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When I actually get some rare nuggets of time, I like to read. I usually use my long commute back and forth from work to listen to books (gotta love the text-to-speech feature on the Kindle)! The automated voice isn’t anything to be excited about, but I have gotten through like 95% more books than I would have if I just read them with my own two eyes! (Yes, I know there are audiobooks, but they are usually more expensive and not all books are available in that format!)

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I’m planning to expand the focus of my blog a little bit. Since pursuing dreams usually requires money, I’m planning to start some kind of series that includes cheap, easy recipes, money-saving tips, inexpensive activities, etc. I’m thinking about calling it, Keep Your Change! I come across so many useful ideas that I should probably share them! I guess I have put this off a little bit because there are so… many great blogs out there that focus on all of these topics in depth on a regular basis, but, oh well! I’m going for it!

I’m also going to dive back into a project that I started at the end of last year! I can’t wait to share it, because it’s going to take what I love to talk about – dreams and doing God’s will – to a whole different level!

Read more 7 Quick Takes posts over at Conversion Diary! Have a great weekend, everyone!

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The Shick Family Christmas {7 Quick Takes (#6)}

2 Jan

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I hope everyone had a blessed holiday season! We had a great time with our family and friends over the past two weeks, but it was a rather eventful Christmas! In order to help me step back and laugh at the situation, I thought I’d put together a little multiple choice quiz of our crazy vacation!

Here are the choices for the questions below:
A. Adam
B. Stefanie
C. Big Sister “C”
D. Little “A”
E. All of the Above

1. After being on the road for only 2 minutes and stopping to get gas, who spotted a tire low on air that ended up having a nail in it?

2. Who had intestinal issues for most of the weekend that caused horrible, painful diaper rash?

3. Which family member spent all Christmas Day in bed due to lower back pain?

4. Who had to be taken to urgent care due to a scratched cornea caused by a pink headband?

5. Which person did all the driving and most of the loading/unloading of luggage (included 20 total hours and stops at four different family members’ houses)?

6. Who got delayed one day of traveling back to Tennessee due to winter weather in Indiana?

7. Which one had a major meltdown once we finally arrived back home that included locking her bedroom door and refusing to open it for several minutes?

Answers 1. A; 2. D; 3. B; 4. D; 5. A; 6. E; 7. C

Even though we faced some challenges, there were many blessings mixed in! First of all, Adam was able to catch the flat tire prior to us getting very far and all tires were replaced due to worn treads. Secondly, I was able to rest my back an extra day due to the blizzard that caused us to delay our drive back. Thirdly, Little A’s eye healed 99% in less than 24 hours despite a bad scratch that was visible without dye. She left the patch on an entire day without much fuss! Finally, we arrived home safely!

Be sure to check out the other 7 Quick Takes posts at Moxie Wife this week!  Thanks, Hallie!  My prayers are with you, Jen!

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5 Ways to Encourage Your Husband to Dream (And Why)

9 Nov

Having dreams is what makes life tolerable. – ‘Pete’ on Rudy

Spouses often balance each other out.  One is a spender and the other is a saver.  One is a planner and the other is more of a free-spirit.  One is a dreamer and the other is a realist.  These differences can be good for providing an alternative perspective and they can also be challenging when making decisions.  One is not always right and the other is not always wrong.  Being able to acknowledge and submit to each others’ strengths can be powerful, and dreaming together can make your marriage unshakeable.

Here are my 5 ways to encourage your husband’s dreams and the benefits it will have on your marriage:

1. Listen.  This is simple and vital. It can be very discouraging when someone discounts what you have to say or acts like they don’t even want to hear it.  Imagine if you excitedly started telling your best friend a great idea, only to have her act with indifference or doubt – it would probably put you in a pretty bad mood and maybe deter you from sharing things in the future.  Our opinion means a lot to our husbands whether they say so or not.  Don’t give your husband a reason to shut down.  Giving him time to share his ideas and goals can inspire hope, and show that you truly care about what is important to him.

2. Pray.  This is obviously a very important step when discussing future plans.  A key part of determining whether or not dreams are worth pursuing is to evaluate if it is part of God’s will.  Lysa TerKeurst, founder of Proverbs 31 Ministries, offers a great 5-question reference to use to figure out if God is prompting us to action.  Often times God will ask us to do things that may not make logical sense or are uncomfortable for us, but when both spouses seek to do what He asks, it builds a solid marriage and foundation for whatever lies ahead.

3. Support.  A wife’s encouragement (or lack of) can be powerful.  I once read in a book something like this, “Be your husband’s number one cheerleader or someone else will.”  When our husbands feel supported by us, they feel valued and have more confidence.  Also, when men can spend time and energy doing what they love, they are happier.  And *bonus* this translates into a more gratitude-filled home environment.  Your husband will probably return the favor to help make things a little easier on you!

4. Participate.  Personally, I never had much trouble with being supportive, but once I showed an interest in actually helping my husband achieve his dreams our relationship grew even stronger.  I guess this is an example that “actions speak louder than words.”  This teamwork mentality has carried over to helping each other out more around the house and with our daughters.  We don’t spend time comparing who did more or who is working harder, but strive to find ways to make life better for the other person (most of the time)!

5. Pursue your own dreams.  What would you like to accomplish or, rather, what is God putting on your heart?  When we discuss and pursue our own goals, we also motivate our husbands to do the same and we will be more open to encouraging their pursuits.  If a couple is looking to God to direct their steps then these dreams will be compatible.  (I discuss this idea more here.)  What’s more inspiring than two people hoping, praying, and working together?!  Your husband will thank you, your relationship with God will be deeper, and your marriage will grow stronger than ever!

I know that I’m in my late-twenties and I’ve only been married seven years, but the above points are just a little bit of what I have discovered, especially in the past year.  Our marriage is far from perfect and we are constantly learning and growing, but as long as we are evolving together and focused on God, then I know we will be alright!

Do you have a story to share about how you have seen the benefits of dreaming together in your own marriage?  Any challenges?


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7 Quick Takes (#3)

12 Oct

Below is a list of highlights from the past few weeks and some other fun stuff to come…

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The latest thing that I’m really excited about is learning more about website design! I signed up for the very first month of courses offered by Ro Little of Mommy Blog Designs! The courses include Photoshop, HTML/CSS, and WordPress, and I have learned a lot so far! (She also offers courses on Blogger and other topics). I have been experiencing some frustration, though, because one of our computers refuses to download the trial version of Adobe Photoshop (or any comparable free photo editing software) and the other does not have enough free space for me to do anything productive! I have spent all week trying to fix our desktop but it looks like we are close to having to wipe the whole thing clean and start over if I ever want to be able to download anything from the internet ever again! Anyway, my husband bought another hard drive and removed tons of files from the laptop, so now I can get back to some hands-on learning… hopefully!

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Another thing that I’m excited about is the fall wreath that I made (and hung on the door with an hour left to spare on the first day of autumn)! I ran across instructions for this DIY fall wreath on Blissfully Domestic. It was pretty simple to make, but did seem to take a lot of leaves. I think I used about 8 stems worth of leaves for an 18-inch wire wreath. Good thing they were half off at Michaels!

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The biggest news for Catholics this week is the start of the Year of Faith. I know a lot of bloggers have been spreading the word about this newsletter from Flocknote, but if you haven’t done so yet, be sure to sign-up to get daily emails so you can Read the Catechism in a Year! It’s encouraging to know that so many others are reading the same thing at the same time!

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In addition to making it through the Catechism and trying to keep up with reading Scripture daily, I have several books that I plan to read in the next year. I’m sure I will add others to this list, but here are some that I can’t wait to get started:

  • Style, Sex, & Substance by Hallie Lord
  • Surrender! by Fr. Larry Richards
  • Finding God’s Will for You by St. Francis de Sales
  • Choosing Joy by Dan Lord
  • Extreme Makeover by Teresa Tomeo

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I heard about a great prayer from somebody on Twitter this week and thought I’d share it here on A Dreamer’s Wife. Check out Praying for My Husband from Head to Toe available from Renee Swope.

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COMING SOON! One of the regular 7 Quick Takes participants will be featured in my Dreamer in the Spotlight series for October! Be sure to check back on the last Friday of the month to see who!

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And, lastly, an inspirational verse about faith to end on…

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. -Hebrews 11:6

As usual, please check out Jen’s and other 7 Quick Takes posts at Conversion Diary!

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‘Tis the Season

14 Sep

No, this is not a holiday post! Keep reading and you’ll see the reason for the title!

The past month or two, I have had so many new ideas and inspirations that I’ve been trying to keep up with in addition to working, caring for my girls, cleaning the house, grocery shopping, getting enough sleep, etc., that I find myself wondering where I’m going to find the time that I need to devote to all of these different areas. I know nobody else knows what I’m talking about, right?! Ha! I know we all wish we could scrounge up a little more time each day! I’m preaching to the choir!

Anyway, there is a chapter in the book What’s Submission Got to Do With It? by Cindy Easley that addresses how womens’ lives tend to consist of different stages. In this chapter, titled “The Power Broker,” Easley uses her interview with family advocate Janet Parshall, of Janet Parshall’s America, a nationally syndicated radio program. On page 102, Parshall states, “Women do lead lives different than men. We lead lives in seasons, and something is rich and precious and enduring in each one. In each season, God would inevitably teach me something that would be used in the following season. I don’t think God would have called me to a pro-family organization if I hadn’t had those years at home raising four kids. It would have been a hollow apologetic. I had to know the nitty-gritty of raising kids before I’d be allowed to work in public policy that would facilitate our raising kids.”

And on page 109, she also says:

Feminists say, ‘You can have it all.’ But they practice the sin of omission. You should say, ‘You can have it all-but you can’t have it all at the same time.’

I’ve been thinking about these two quotes often lately as I try to prioritize what I give my time to the best that I can. I’m trying to not get discouraged about the things I can’t get to quite yet and take things day-by-day. I know that God is teaching me things and planting seeds for his future plans for me. I love being a mother and a wife and these roles are the most important to me-they are my calling! Whatever I do needs to support these vocations. One more thing that Parshall noted in her interview with Easley regarded how she respected her husband and trusted the Lord regarding career plans and other decisions.

Everytime the path has made another turn, it has absolutely been in harmony and parallel to what God is calling [my husband] to do.

I really, really love this, because it makes me feel like what I’m doing now and the future goals that I have are even more meaningful because they are tied to Adam’s dreams and what we believe to be God’s will. When I know that what my husband and I are doing is compatible, it gives me more confidence and motivation to continue taking steps in faith!

Right now, I’m embracing the crazy/wonderful/tired-most-of-the-time/blink-and-you’ll-miss-it season of raising two young children and building dreams for our family!

What season are you in? If you’re married, how are your dreams compatible with your spouse’s?

Photo Credit: freedigitalphotos.net

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Marking the Milestones

10 Aug

The spring and summer of 2012 has been full of anniversaries, milestones, and new adventures for a variety of different things in our family.  Here is the rundown:

1. It has been 10 years since my high school graduation and 7  years since I graduated college.

College Graduation Day 2005

2. It has been 10 years since Adam moved to Nashville.

3. Adam and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary!  

Our 1st Anniversary 2006

4. Our oldest daughter, “C,” turned three and is potty trained!

5. Our youngest daughter turned 1-year-old and finally sprouted a mouthful of teeth (after 13 months without any)!

6. It has been a little over a year since I started A Dreamer’s Wife.   Two weeks ago, I made a plan to devote more time to this blog.  My goal is to post each weekend and get more involved in the blogging community.  It has been fun adding more websites to my Google Reader and WordPress Reader – so many great bloggers to follow!  I also officially registered my domain name this week, so now it is adreamerswife.com!

7.  We started the journey of Adam’s career as an independent artist! 

8. I just stopped the bedtime feeding that I had been continuing for the past couple months with “little A.” One of the “girls” became a casualty to the teeth I mentioned in #5 and I decided it was finally time to put an end to this phase of mommy-hood.

9.  It has been three weeks since we discontinued cable – and I don’t mean downgraded to a lower package, I mean we don’t even have the basic channels.  (Boo to missing the Olympics!)  We do have a Netflix subscription right now, so I can’t be too dramatic about this!  It has definitely been a change, but I’ve been way more productive and focused.  I thought I was good at multitasking with the TV on, but maybe I wasn’t as good at it as I thought!  We’ll see how long this “no TV” lasts, though, because football season is about here and I don’t know if Adam will be able to cope.  (He’s already found a possible deal on a cable package…)

10. I recently started a Catholic ABC’s preschool program with “C.” Each Saturday morning we discuss the designated letter of the week, spend time singing songs, making a craft, and learning about the Bible.

“A” for Angel Craft

All of this is exciting stuff to acknowledge and celebrate.  It also causes me to think about making the most of whatever time I have left on this earth. In the past few months, I’ve become more passionate, fearless, and trusting in regards to God’s will, my talents, and my goals.  I feel that nothing is impossible.  I have no idea what the next 10 years (and beyond) holds, but I know that I’m going to be living with purpose each day!  I’m looking forward to my continued growth as a bold, joy-filled, and faith-filled individual!

What is everybody else out there celebrating?

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Perfect Timing

25 Jul

After my last blog post, my cousin Cynthia emailed me a passage from the book, The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian.  It fit in exactly with where I’m at in life right now and what I hope to be and do.   Ironically, this book was given to me by a friend (Thanks, Laurie!) about a year or so ago and is sitting on my shelf unread still… I think it’s about time to dust it off and get reading!  All in God’s timing, right?

Here it is:

“Whatever God has called your husband to be or do, He has also called you to support it and be a part of it, if in no other way than to pray, encourage, and help in whatever way possible.  For some women that means creating a good home, raising the children, being there for him, and offering prayer support.  Other women may take an active role by becoming a partner or helper.  In either case, God does not ask you to deny your own personhood in the process.  God has called you to something, too.  But it will fit in with whatever your husband’s calling is, it will not be in conflict with it.  God is not the author of confusion, strife, or unworkable situations.  He is a God of perfect timing.  There is a time for everything, the Bible says.  The timing to do what God has called each of you to do will work out perfectly, if it’s submitted to God.  
If your husband is already moving in the purpose for which God has called him, you can count on the enemy of his soul coming to cast doubt – especially if he hasn’t yet seen anything close to the finished picture or realized the success he had envisioned.  Your prayers can help cast away discouragement and keep if from taking hold.  It can help your husband to hear and cling to God’s revelation.  It can cause him to live his life on purpose.” 

I love this whole paragraph, but what really struck me were the last few sentences.  Adam is so jaded after failed projects that I think he’s a little hesitant.  He’s been trusting in me and God to start this new journey.  I know he’s excited about it, but I think he’s waiting for some more things to get going before he’ll feel like it’s real and what he’s supposed to do.  In the meantime, I’ll keep working, planning, praying and believing!

Have a great rest of the week, everyone!

above image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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