dessert · Home decor · Husband · Marriage

All Things Sweet

This week seemed to have a theme…it’s called sweet. Come take a peek from my porch to see why I say that…

A couple of friends shared delicious, peaches from their peach trees. Wasn’t that sweet of them? And oh my! They were sweet and yummy!

wpid-wp-1438000262835They were delicious in our morning yogurt, and on ice cream, but my favorite way to use them was to put them IN ice cream! I found a recipe on Cooking Light for Homemade Peach Ice Cream just before the peaches were brought to our door. As Rachel Lynde from Anne of Green Gables would say, it was “Simply providential!” So after a little bit of mixing and freezing this was the result…

wpid-wp-1438000246301This made for a sweet treat on a hot July day!

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Then, on Thursday, it was Free Tea Day at McAlister’s Deli. They have really good Sweet Tea, and we had to indulge! We went to Sonic Drive-in (because it was also national Hot Dog Day) and had our lunch for a whopping $2! Gotta love cheap dates!

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While I was praying one morning, Liza Jane came and pushed her way between my arm and the chair and then put her paw up on my face!
How sweet is that?!

wpid-wp-1438000286995I have to wonder sometimes if she isn’t an tool of the devil rather than a little angel; she can be very demanding while I’m trying to pray!

I got to spend Monday early afternoon at the beautiful spa in Johnson City, thanks to a bunch of sweet friends who gave me a gift card! The massage was so wonderful! The pedicure afterwards was a lovely indulgence as well!

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Before I went to the spa my husband sent me to have lunch at Wellington’s so that “this day could be all mine.” Again, his love and sweet gestures are over the top and I know I am spoiled far more than my furry feline friend!

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The restaurant is so beautiful and the food was great!  It got me all ready for a couple hours of spa treatment!

On Friday Alli and I worked on painting her kitchen chairs. They were old library chairs that needed a little spritzing up, and she chose a pretty yellow that will add lots of warmth to her kitchen. Thankfully we got more paint on the chairs than we did ourselves, but we were pretty covered in white primer and yellow paint!

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Time with my girls is always a sweet blessing! We laughed, talked, ate lunch and got lots of paint on those chairs (and everywhere else!)!

So that was a good bit of the sweetness I enjoyed since last Wednesday! How would you describe your week in one word?

With love from my country porch,

Marriage · Motherhood

Freshen Up Friday – Love Notes

Keeping any relationship fresh requires thought, effort and communication.  Writing a note to let your spouse or a child know you love them is a great way to deepen the bond you share.  It says more than what’s on that paper, doesn’t it?  It says, “I cared enough to stop in my busy day and let you know I am thinking about you!”

When was the last time you left a note for someone you love?  I am grateful when I find something that helps me be thoughtful.  I found these at Hobby Lobby in the card and stationery department…

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These are pads with love notes printed on them.  The back of each card is blank so you can add more to what is already there, if you want.   It makes it easy to pull an appropriate one off and leave it in a place where your husband, child, grandchild or even a Sunday school student or neighborhood child will find it.You could mail it to someone outside your home or leave it for a family member to find.   Some places to leave them would be..

  • Next to their toothbrush
  • In a dresser drawer
  • At their dinner plate
  • In their lunch box
  • On the steering wheel or taped to the rear view mirror
  • At the computer
  • In a shirt pocket
  • In a suitcase
  • In their Bible

Freshen and brighten up someone’s day by leaving  a love note like this one, or one you’ve created.

 Heaviness in the heart of man makes it stoop, but a good word makes it glad!  Proverbs 12:25

The best Word you can hear and share is God’s Word!  Be in a Bible-preaching church Sunday!

Stay refreshed,

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Marriage

Every Day Kind of Love

There are 364 days that are not Valentine’s Day   But I love the way the Valentine’s Day kind of love shows up around my house nearly every day (we’re far from perfect, nor is our marriage!). So yeah, sometimes ugly things creep in our door, but it’s our goal to make our marriage a priority every day.  It’s done because of the little things.  Let me show you what I mean.

See this little pink teddy bear?  He shows up (as does his counterpart who happens to be purple) in all sorts of places.

20150214_112743_resized When either my husband or I find this little guy tucked away, it’s an unwritten note that says, “I love you!”  No words have to be spoken, no note jotted.  It was purposefully hidden in a place that the other would find it so they might know they were being thought of.  I’ve found this little bear in my measuring cups, beside my toothbrush, inside my suitcase, in a dresser drawer, and here on my make up brush… and all kinds of other fun places.  A package of those little fuzzy bears is minuscule.  I got ours at Hobby Lobby years ago.  It’s been an investment in our marriage that costs little, but has paid un-measurable dividends!

Another thing we do is laugh.  It’s easy to take life and yourself so seriously that you spoil the joy of the little things. The Lord says that Laughter is good medicine (Proverbs 17:22)!  So, we laugh…

IMG_20150213_173959_resizedNow you can laugh, too!  Cute, aren’t we?  These make for hilarious stops at red lights!  We laugh, and the people in the car beside us can smile with us!

We also do what my chalkboard says, we try to enjoy the little things.

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This was lunch this week on one of our snow-days.  We moved the table next to the fire, turned on Andy Griffith and laughed our way through lunch while we enjoyed the comfort of the fire, a simple meal, and one another’s company.

We were given a gift certificate at Christmastime for a great restaurant in our area.  We had tucked it away for a date night, then we learned that Monday nights in February was “Buy a meal, get one free!”  Our date nights often consist of great things that cost little – or in this case nothing!  It wasn’t Valentine’s night, but when you celebrate Valentine’s all through the year, it really doesn’t matter what night you go out!

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It’s all the day-to-day expressions of love that make a marriage more than average.  Even when you do have one of those occasional “not-so-good” days, you’re still in love, and can overcome evil with good and keep rolling on towards the “Happily Ever After” kind of relationship that the Lord intended – even when it’s NOT Valentine’s Day!

What do you and your spouse do to keep laughing and having fun?  Maybe you need a pair of those cute glasses or a little fuzzy bear to perk things up!

With love,

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Marriage

Extraodinary Acts on the Ordinary Days of Marriage

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Wow, my Pinterest feed is full of Valentine ideas! While I love a heart-shaped box of candy, a cake or cookie as much as the next sweet tooth, I think it would serve our marriages well if we’d be lots more intentional about the other 364 days of our marriage.

One love-filled day may be romantic and fun, but it’s not what makes a great marriage.  The best marriages are made up of all the little things on the ordinary days.  It’s all the small stuff we did before and in the early years of marriage that keeps the romance in the relationship.  Consider…

  • Iron his handkerchief and spray it with a little of your cologne.
  • The wink from across the room
  • The message (text or Facebook) sent to say why you’re thankful for him
  • The intentional stopping to listen when he is speaking
  • Sitting shoulder to shoulder while he watches that game you could care less about
  • His favorite snack or treat left with a little card beside it ~ just because
  • Warming his towel in the dryer while he was in the shower on a cold winter morning
  • Turning the sheets and bedspread down before he goes to bed
  • Setting the table with candles for even a simple winter breakfast before he leaves for work
  • Meeting him at the door when he gets home
  • Buying a book you can read together before you go to sleep
  • Arranging an evening alone with him
  • Holding his hand in the car

Your marriage is God’s gift to you every day, not just on Valentine’s. You knew that when you met that guy you fell in love with!  So, what will you do today to keep the romance going?

Keep your marriage refreshed!

8E63C63AC0BC189BF1C68B03C74DBB5F P.S. Don’t forget to enter the Target gift card giveaway.  Be sure to:          1. Hit “Follow” this blog   2. “Like the “RefreshHer” Facebook page