I know everyone is worried about all the malls closing down all over the world thanks to online shopping, but I got to say I do love me some online shopping. Amazon may be taking over the world, and I may be OK with it. I can buy almost anything I could ever want with the click of a button and it will be delivered to my house in two days -- sometimes one! How could I not love that? I'm so thankful we got Amazon Prime and got these Amazon finds! I was recently thinking about some of my favorite things I've bought from Amazon. I love reading posts about great products or hearing recommendations Continue Reading
A Game to Spice Up Your Marriage
As you may know, I'm a big believer in marriage. I think it's important to strengthen our marriages in any way we can. There are tons of ways to do that, but today I want to share one that is extra fun. This idea doesn't just strengthen your marriage, it is also a way to spice up your relationship. Yes, this post is all about spicing things up in the intimacy department. (Caution: To all family members reading this, you may not want to continue. Sorry Grandma, Grandpa, mother-in-law, etc.) I saw this idea on another blog while Travis was away in Korea, and I saved it to keep in mind for Continue Reading
A Game to Strengthen Your Marriage
I'm teaming up with DaySpring to talk about strengthening marriages. They are offering a giveaway to my readers because they value marriage as much as I do. Be sure to read all the way to the end because we've got a giveaway and a promo code just for you guys! If there's one thing I learned last year while Travis was stationed in Korea it's how important it is to strengthen your marriage in any way you can. Being long distance put an incredible strain on our marriage, and I'm so thankful that God got us through and we survived. Today, Travis and I are celebrating our three-year wedding Continue Reading
Ways to Bless a Woman Who Lost a Baby
Do you have a friend who has suffered a miscarriage or infant loss? Studies have shown that the grief one experiences after losing a wanted baby at any number of weeks is equivalent to the grief of losing a close friend or family member. So what can you do to help? How can you bless your friend during her loss? Ways to Help a Friend Who Lost a Baby Send a card. Finding a sympathy card and writing a short note inside doesn't take much work, but it does mean a ton. For me, I love receiving mail and every single card we received after my miscarriage I cherished. I kept all of them. Continue Reading
When You Don’t Feel Loved
I'm a woman. In case you didn't know. I've been learning a lot about myself as a woman lately. Things that I knew deep down about myself, but I didn't realize I am that way because of the very fact that I am woman. While reading The Language of Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs I learned that I need love. I've always longed for love, for the feeling of being loved. But now I realize it's a part of the nature of woman. We all want to feel loved. When reading The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman I learned that we all (men and women) have love tanks in a sense. Sometimes, our Continue Reading
Ways to Bless a Military Spouse
Looking for ideas on how to show kindness to a military spouse? Well, you've come to the right place. As a military spouse myself, I have always been so thankful to those friends, family, and even strangers who have blessed me, especially when my husband is away. It means so much to know we are supported and cared for. Some of these ideas are my own, and I've asked other military spouses to chime in with their ideas too. Here are 10 ways to bless a military spouse. 1. Invite me over. It can be for dinner or just to watch TV and hang out -- I just want some company. Especially Continue Reading
The Ultimate List of Country Wedding Songs
Our wedding was almost two years ago. Since then, we've been to several weddings and danced at several receptions. We've heard a lot of wedding music, and often times I find myself thinking, "We should have played this at our wedding!" I loved our wedding and our reception. One of the things I would change, though, is adding more awesome music to the list I gave our DJ to play. With all the planning that goes into a wedding, sometimes you just might forget a really good song! To help those who are in the midst of the busy, fun, and sometimes stressful stage of planning the day they will Continue Reading
Loving Your Husband When Your Own Love Tank is Low
I just wasn't feeling the love. If everyone has a love tank, mine was low. And it was making me cranky. I have read about loving your husband, but love was the last thing I was feeling. It wasn't my husband's fault really. Due to military life, I hadn't seen him in a month and didn't get to talk to him as much as when he's home. I wasn't getting my quality time. Or my words of affirmation. Or my acts of service. Or physical touch. Or gifts. None of the five love languages, and I was feeling it. The lies began in my mind. "He doesn't really want to come home." "He would be texting you Continue Reading
50 Ways to Show Love to Your Spouse
Marriage takes work. Everybody knows that. A loving, healthy marriage doesn't come easy. A husband and wife both have to be intentional about showing love to one another. You have to be willing to serve one another. The best marriages include spouses who both have a desire to make the other person feel special, important, respected, and loved. So what are some ways to show love? Depending on each person's love language, different acts can have more meaning to certain people. Some spouses really appreciate when the other person helps with chores. Others just want to spend some quality time Continue Reading
Books to Help You Grow as a Couple
Travis and I have been married for eight months this February. I think we are definitely still in the newlywed stage. We haven't had any big arguments yet -- nothing we couldn't solve within an hour. We are so in love, and we both enjoy finding ways to show our love to one another. But no matter how happy or healthy our marriage is, I believe there is always room for growth and improvement. Why not work on our relationship now while it's great rather than wait until we have problems? I believe it's important to work on your relationship from the very beginning to prevent future problems. Continue Reading
Word of the Year: 2014
I know most people posted their one word for 2014 last week, but I needed a little more time to decide what my word should be. The new year came in a rush! I was busy spending time with my family in Indiana -- focusing on quality time rather than blogging. I did post a recap of the year, and let me tell you my word for 2013 fit perfectly. We were so blessed with so much love. Yes, my word for 2013 was love. My year of 2013 was definitely filled with love from friends, family and my husband. Travis and I started reading The Five Love Languages, so I've been working on showing love in Continue Reading
When God Doesn’t Answer
Heartbreak. Prison. Job interview. Travel. Safety. Future. Homework. Stress. Health. Forgiveness. Salvation. Healing. Comfort. Peace. All of these things have been in my prayers lately. I feel like my prayer list has been full to the brim recently. Do you ever feel like that? I've been praying for friends, family, acquaintances, and even strangers. I keep a prayer request list in my head. Sometimes, when it gets extra full I journal my prayers. Sometimes I pray with my husband. Sometimes I pray alone. I pray in the shower, in the car, while I work out, before bed, or in the Continue Reading