Dates · memories · Refreshment in marriage

Family Friday – Simplifying Anniversary Celebrations

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Anniversary

One day last week I stumbled across my journal entry from our anniversary last June.  How thankful I was that I had entered a memory from that day, even though it wasn’t one of the “Big” anniversaries, ending in a 0 or a 5!  It was number 36 (how can that be possible?!).  It was a blessing to be reminded of the sweet day we shared together and the fun we had celebrating another year the Lord had given us as husband and wife.

I had been sick with a nasty cough and body aches the week of our anniversary.  I had gone to the doctor and had a shot and a prescription, but when our special day rolled around, I still wasn’t feeling well enough to want to go anywhere…totally unlike me!  We had plans to go to a beautiful bed and breakfast, but had to cancel our reservation.  My sweet husband was sympathetic, understanding and very caring for my needs.  On the day of our celebration, he insisted I rest.  I did, taking a nap in the morning and another in the afternoon.  He kindly got take out for both lunch and supper meals, and though I didn’t have an incredible appetite, we enjoyed the food and ate outside on our patio.

When he left to go get supper, I set the patio table with framed pictures from our wedding and up through the years.  I got out our wedding album and also my diary from the time when we were dating.  Those things “decorated” the table, along with votive candles and the flowers he had brought me earlier in the day.  After we ate our supper, we sat and looked through the albums and read my diary entries.  We laughed.  We cried.  We reminisced over our early years of marriage, through the births of our three daughters, Ashley’s death, our years in ministry, our girls’ weddings and the countless blessings of the Lord that have made us so rich.

Our 36th anniversary was spent entirely at home.  We had no fancy restaurant setting, no luxury hotel, not even a colossal dessert.  It was just us and our memories and it was every bit as special as our time away would have been – maybe even more so because there was little cost, no stress from traffic or other people, and it allowed us to simplify the day and focus on one another and just reflect on the joy of being married to your best friend.  After all, that’s what anniversaries are for!

There are lots of summer anniversaries (any other June brides?).  If you have a year or two – (or ten!) that for one reason or another requires simplifying, enjoy it!  Oh, and be sure to journal about it somewhere so you can look back on it in years to come and smile at its memory.

Here are some suggestions for a simple celebration:

  • Take breakfast to a park and celebrate early in the day with muffins, yogurt, fruit and coffee. Bring your wedding album with you and look through the photos.
  • Pick up lunch at a favorite place and eat at a beautiful spot – a lake, the Blue Ridge Parkway or a mountain view. Play the music you enjoyed while you were dating.
  • Eat dinner at home with your children, lighting candles and using the best dishes.  Let everyone dress up!  After they go to bed, enjoy a special dessert in a quiet place, just for the two of you.
  • Skip buying presents for one another and decide on one gift you could buy that you would both enjoy –
    • a new coffee maker or espresso machine
    • a hammock
    • a picnic basket or cooler for dates
    • passes to Biltmore or amusement park
    • patio furniture
    • a chair for your bedroom
    • wedding photos that you haven’t purchased yet!
    • enlargements of photos of your family from your phone that you could frame and hang
    • a couples’ devotional book

Simplifying your anniversary celebrations can still be special and memorable.  Make the most of every day the Lord gives you together!

Refresh your marriage,

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The Why and the How-To of Stockpiling

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Stockpiling – To accumulate a large stock of goods or materials. Unlike hoarding, when a person fills their pantry and freezer with goods, it has a goal and purpose. The two reasons I stockpile are:

  1. To be prepared ahead of time for certain meals or needs.
  2. To Save both money and time!

The method of stockpiling is simply done when grocery items are at their lowest price.  Continue reading “The Why and the How-To of Stockpiling” →

Biblical Womanhood · femininity · womanhood

Be More Than Just Modest

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One morning I listened to Revive our Hearts broadcast on the subject matter of modesty. As I picked up my grocery list and purse and headed out the door to the store later that day, the thoughts from the program were still on my mind.

Not long after I entered the store I looked up an aisle and saw an employee, but I wasn’t sure – “was it a woman?” My thoughts bantered: “No, it’s a man. No. It’s a woman. Yes. That’s right – I think.”

About 15 minutes later I was in another part of the store when I came upon a customer pushing a young child in the cart. “Is that the mother or the father?” I truly could not tell until I passed them in the aisle and could see her skin, and then heard the child say “mommy.”

As I walked away from these women, I thought about the things I’d heard addressed from the broadcast. Modesty issues need to be addressed in our society today – it’s sorely lacking, even among Christian women. However, I began to think about the need to also be sure that along with dressing modestly, that we are also characterizing femininity.

What thoughts come to your mind when you read that? Lace? High heels? Dresses? Ruffles? Of course those things are indeed all feminine, but I believe we can have on a pair of jeans and a blouse and still be feminine. Wearing jewelry that is distinctively for a woman, having hair that is soft and cut in a woman’s style, and wearing clothes and shoes that are unquestionably feminine are all ways we can be sure we are dressing in a way that would set us apart as a woman.

We can also display femininity in our actions, speech, and walk. I’ll never forget a habit I picked up when I was a 5Th grader. I had a male teacher who, as he walked, would bounce off the balls of his feet. One day I was at home and my mom said, “Denise, you’re walking like Mr. Heft! Don’t do that!” I’m sure it must have been hilarious, but it was also not ladylike! The fact that we are women should be evident in all aspects of our lives. I’m not suggesting that we go overboard and walk with a swing in our hips that would rate a 5.0 on the Richterscale, but there is a difference between walking like a man or walking like a woman!

“What’s the big deal?” you might ask. In Genesis 2 we read that in the Garden of Eden, God made man, then He made woman. They were distinctly different, made with different purposes and they were even made with different substances; Adam was formed from the dust of the ground and Eve was made from the rib of Adam. I believe it honors the Lord, our Creator, to celebrate our femininity by being feminine, dressing femininely, and acting feminine. That’s how He made us and it is good.

My challenge is for us to look carefully at ourselves and be sure that we’re characteristic of a godly, feminine woman.

baking · dessert · Fast dessert

Peach Cobbler Dump Cake

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Peach Cobbler dump cake a

Recently I mentioned that I try to keep my pantry and freezer “stock-piled” so I have things on hand and can make a meal or dessert quickly.  Sometimes even the best laid plans fail!  I went to make a recipe for a get-together a couple weeks ago, and realized I had run out of sugar!  But…I had a cake mix and several jars of my home canned peaches in the pantry!  Then I knew what I would make! Peach Cobbler Dump Cake.  It only requires three or four ingredients (if you count the cinnamon), it is really fast to pull together, it tastes incredible, and it makes your house smell like your grandmother’s!   Continue reading “Peach Cobbler Dump Cake” →