My Husband Rocks Friday

I love my husband. He's the most adorable guy a girl could ask for.

And I know lots of women think that they have the best husband ever, but it's not true.

I have the best husband.

Or, maybe we all do. Our husbands are the best for each of us.

What an awesome God I have! To make a perfect spouse for so many people and to foster love in the hearts of countless people! Amazing!

Anyway, Mike rocks because I can't pull the trees from the nuts that squirrels bury in my yard but forget to dig up during the winter, so he pulls them for me. He pulled 2 this week!

Spring Cleaning/Nesting: Bedroom

Today was the bedroom day.
Mike was a sweetheart and helped me out!

Today, we accomplished:

• Cleaning out the closet
• Cleaning out dressers
• Sort the clothes
• Donate stuff to Goodwill
• Dusting
• Cleaning the floors
• Rearranging the furniture
  

You should have seen the amount of dog hair that we vacuumed up! The carpet in my bedroom attracts it like nothing else! I could fill the canister on my vacuum daily with my dogs.

All that's left is:

• Washing the sheers
• Shampooing the carpets
• Finding something to hang on the wall
• Finding new window scarves to hang or making my own Roman shades to replace the sheers altogether.

And, I only have to do the closet in the hallway and wipe down the walls (since repainting isn't an option right now) and shampoo the carpets. And then it's on the bigger and messier things (like the basement)!

Gonna Get My Craft On

Mother's Day is quickly approaching.
And the bestest gifts are from the heart.
And the funnest gifts are homemade!

Did someone say "homemade?"
Be still my heart!

In honor of all things homemade...
I've decided to write a post about some fun ideas for Mother's Day.
Things I want to try...

Here they are:

1. Emily made these washer necklaces over at Not So Idle Hands. They are Ca-ute!
2. Missy made some cute seeded flowers at How Does She?... So, they can be planted so that your garden can grow.
3. Taylor has a great idea with this pencil puzzle at MaryJanes and Golashes.
4. This homemade stationary box is found on Little Birdie Secrets.

And there you have my 2010 Mother's Day homemade gift ideas. Let's hope I can find the time to pull one of these off! Between Mike's family and mine, we have 6 mothers and grandmothers to give gifts to.

So, Happy Crafting!

My Husband Rocks!!!

There's not really one particular thing this week that makes Mike rock.
Sometimes I just like to compliment his personality.

So, Mike rocks because he just has a way.
He has a way of providing for me in areas where no one else could.
Like making me feel safe.
Or making me feel beautiful.
Or building up my self-esteem.
Or bringing some sunshine to my day.
Or fostering our love for each other.

My husband rocks. He's simply the best.

Mantel Make-Over

I have been obsessed with making over my mantel. I can't seem to get it out of my mind!

I see all these beautiful pictures of beautiful mantels.
Like this one that Chris put together (that was my first link, did it work?).
Or this one at Beth's house.
It makes me wonder how in the world these women do this?
And, more importantly, why can't I?

So, I decided to start brainstorming.
How could I turn this......into something beautiful?

And those wires from the TV just drive me BoNkErS! I HATE, HATE, HATE them!
And, Mike doesn't quite know how to put them through the wall without messing up the horsehair plaster. Our house is 90+ years old. But I say, "Where there's a will, there's a way!"

The first thing I did was look at all kinds of mantels online. I wanted to know what other people did.
And then I started to shop the house.
I looked around my house for things I already have that could make my mantel beautiful.
(I found a candle lamp, a frame, a bird house, and a statue that all had potential.)
Then, I looked at yard sales and found another frame for 25 cents and some candle holders for $2 for the pair. (I ended up running to Marshall's and T J Maxx for more mantel finds but only found the candles to go in the holders for $5/pair.)

And this is what I ended up with...
But I'll break down what I did with each item.

• First, the candle holders. They were a yard sale find at $2 for the pair. The woman wanted $3 but I talked her down! I got the candles from Marshall's for $5. I don't like spending lots of money on candles, so I buy them at T J Maxx (or a like store) or on sale.
• Next, the statue was a 2nd anniversary gift from my wonderful husband. We spent our anniversary at Rehoboth Beach, DE and I had wanted a Willow Tree figurine for a while, so he picked one up for me at this neat little shop. This was already on my mantel.
• The bird house came from a cute little shop called Sheldon's on Main out on Main St. in Ephrata. My grandma fell in love with it (we were shopping together), and so did I. She just insisted that I HAD to have it, and so, she bought it for my home. Thanks, Grandma!

• Next, this picture frame is my quarter yard sale find. I don't have a picture of my own printed that I would like to go on the mantel and I was in no mood to run out and pick one up after having it printed. I wanted the mantel done! So I found this card that we had. My husband's aunt took this photo and had it turned into a card. If you look closely, she even signed her work. I like the picture, but I want my own in there in the near future.
• This big frame was a wedding gift. It had a cheesy paper in there that you were to put your own photo on top of, but neither Mike, nor I, ever really liked it. Even though the frame was nice. I sat down, tore all of that cheesy stuff off, and got out my scrapbooking supplies. This took 4 pieced of paper and some ribbon. It houses scripture from Isaiah 40. Here's a better look:
• Lastly, the lamp is another yard sale find. I got it a year or two ago and it's been sitting nicely in my bedroom ever since. But it called to me about wanting a new home! So, down to the living room it came!

And there you have the finished mantel! A major improvement! And while the wires are still hanging down the wall, you can't even see them!

Hanging Mobile How-To

JUST A WARNING: I'M TERRIBLE AT BEFORE PICTURES, SO YOU'LL ONLY GET THE AFTERS!

My wonderful husband also has wonderful parents.
4 of them.
His dad and step-mom got us a crib.
We bought the bedding.
But, the mobile hanger would not fit on the crib rails.
Which frustrated me to no end.

Finally, I thought, "What if we hang it from the ceiling?"
Mike added, "What if you made something to hang it from the ceiling?"

So, I took the hanger cover and made a way to hang it.
First, I figured out where above the crib it should go. We agreed on centered.
Then, I bought those hooks that come off the walls cleanly when you want to remove them and hung it above the crib.
Next, I measured how far down it should go. Then, I cut a piece of elastic that length.
After that, I sewed a button hole into each end of the hanger cover (to attach to the hook and the mobile) and then tacked the elastic to each end.
I stretched the elastic out to the length of the cover to give it a nice ruffle.
Then, I hung it up!

Here's the finished look!

The close view.
The over-all look.

My Husband Rocks on a Sunday...

This week has been a little heavy on the busy with a touch of crazy thrown in there. And a touch of rest and rejuvenation.

MHRF is a few days late because my husband rocks so much.

He rocks because he took me to the beach this weekend for some time away. We went fishing, we slept in, we ate at great restaurants. And we just got to be together. He also rocks because he has rubbed my back every night for the past several nights because it's been so sore due to a knotted muscle between my shoulders.

So, that's how much my husband rocks! And, we even made a new friend at the beach! Check it out!

My Husband Rocks Friday!!!

By now, it should be no secret that Mike rocks!

He's started to share his latest hobby with me.
It's fishing.
We spend that time just chatting and enjoying the company of each other. Even if we aren't speaking the entire time, we're growing closer together.

I used to go fishing with my dad when I was a little girl.
Now, I fish with with my husband.
We go almost every night that we have free time.

Since trout season only opened this past weekend, we only started this week.
Since I haven't fished since I was under 10, I had a lot of remembering to do.

Mike rocks because he was patient with me all week.
He helped me untangle my line, he helped me get the hook out of the fish when I gauged him pretty deep, and he helped me put the worm on the hook when the worm was wiggling around too much. He also complimented me on what he thought I did well (like casting and not being squeamish about taking the fish off of the hook).

MIKE IS THE BESTEST EVER!!!

Anyway, here's a picture that Mike took of my first catch since my girlhood.

Thanks Mike! Love you!

OH, and I want to encourage everyone to find a hobby that you and your husband or wife can do that will allow some one-on-one time and some open communication. It will help to draw you closer together (even if you are already pretty close) and to learn something new about the other person.

Just for today...

I read a short book yesterday on how to be a good mother-in-law. I am far from being a mother-in-law, but I thought that I could still use the book to freshen my mind's idea of how to be generous.

One thought in there came from al-anon's serenity prayer. I'll paraphrase.

Just for today, I will not criticize.

That got me thinking. I like to thing that I'm an encouraging person, and then I realized how often I criticize people. Not to their faces, but at least to myself. And usually to my husband.

Gulp!

I don't like finding faults with myself. No one does.

So, I then started to think about what the Bible says about criticizing others. I don't know that it uses that word. But I know what it does say about building others up...or edifying others...or encouraging others.

Here's a few...

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
I Thessalonians 5:11

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
Hebrews 10:24

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
I Peter 5b

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
Romans 12:10

So, if this is what Scripture says, I should probably take it to heart.

So, just for today...I will not criticize. And I'll take it one day at a time.

Lord,
Please help me to be more kind to others, to be more patient with others, and to be more understanding of others. Help me not to judge them since I don't know their situations. Lord, teach me your ways and help me to grow.
Amen.

My Husband Rocks Friday!!!

So far, I've really enjoyed posting MHRF posts. It makes me look at the small things that happen throughout the week and really think about the things that make my husband awesome.

This week, Mike rocks because he had dinner ready for me last night when I got home from work and was pressed for time. Then, he went with me to child-birthing class and spent time massaging my neck and shoulders while I learned a relaxation technique.

I am truly blessed with a husband who loves me and places my needs above his own.

Thank you, God, for giving me such a wonderful man who cares for me, supports me and loves me. I could not have chosen better for myself! Amen!

I want to encourage everyone to let their spouses know what they do that makes them rock! How is your spouse special to you? It is extremely important to hear and helps build a foundation of trust and communication.