Serving my Husband

I had a unique opportunity to show love to my husband by serving him this week. He had a supervisor at work that was being promoted and moved to a different shift. My husband really liked this guy, they got along great. So, all the fellas on the shift decided to give a "promotion, going to a new shift" lunch. The day before said lunch, my husband asks me to make a broccoli braid for them. My broccoli braid is just about my husband's favorite meal that I fix for him. It's an old Pampered Chef recipe that I've tweaked over the years. We don't have it often, because it contains ingredients that we don't usually have on hand and it's a bit more than our budget allows for everyday dinner.

***Insert honesty***

At first I was a little peeved at the last minute request, knowing this meant a trip into town, spending money we really didn't have, lots of chopping veggies, and did a mention the trip into town. I'm a home body at heart, what can I say. :) Then I remembered our little challenge...you know, loving our husbands! Remember, love meant also meant preeminent kindness. Ouch!! I couldn't really ask you all to love your men if I wasn't doing this with a right attitude. Luckily my face wasn't visible to him when he asked, he has no idea of the inner turmoil!

So, off I went to the store. The new Wal-Mart! Yep, that's right folks, I went to the brand spankin' new Wally World at night, by myself. It was nice. Very quiet, clean, and peaceful. Okay, the trip into town wasn't bad after all. ;) When I got home, the kids were already tucked into bed and the house was pleasantly peaceful as well...not so bad, I tell ya', not so bad.

The next day, I get the kids off to school and begin my chopping. I had Ty at the table coloring, and again...it wasn't so bad. I decided to make two braids and go ahead and knock dinner out of the way, too. Around 11:30, in walks a very hungry man ready for his broccoli braid...I know, it doesn't sound like a very manly meal...but man, oh man, it's good! Fresh out of the oven, off went my labor to his "manly" luncheon. He was happy, I was happy I was able to help (and take care dinner), and all the guys on the shift had happy, full bellies. (With my girly broccoli braid!)

Now, if I had continued my initial reaction, this would have turned out completely different. I really need to work hard on being kind. It doesn't come naturally, I'm not really a sympathetic person. The Lord has a big job with me, I'm tellin' you. I won't even get into the wet socks on my computer room floor right now, not gonna go there!!!

Loving our Husbands

Loving our Husbands Through Prayer

Along with our list of 31 ways to show love to our husbands, I found this list of 31 prayers for them as well. I challenge you to join me and commit to praying daily for your husband. You could print this list out and place it in your home binder as a reminder. (During months with 30 days, double bless your husband on the last day!)

1st: That he would become a holy man, a man of prayer, mature in the Lord, growing in his knowledge of the Lord. I Thes 5:23, Col 4:12, Eph 1:18-19, 3:16-19, 6:18.

2nd: That he would grow into a man of integrity, who works righteousness, speaks truth in his heart, does not slander, does no evil, does not take up reproach against friends, honors those who fear the Lord, swears to his own hurt, is unchanging in these things, does not charge interest on loans, and does not take bribes. Ps 15

3rd: That he would be a man of contentment. Prov 15:16, Phil 4:11, I Tim 6:6-8, and Heb 13:5.

4th: That he would learn to take every thought captive, to not be conformed to the world's thinking, and to think scripturally. Rom 12:2, II Cor 10:5.

5th: That he would daily seek God with all his heart, walking in the Spirit moment by moment, growing in his dependence on Him. Psalm 119:1-2, Prov 3:5-6.

6th: That he would ever be captivated by my love. Prov 5:18-19.

7th: That he would be a man of courage. Deut 31:6, II Chron 19:11.

8th: That the Lord would give him wisdom to lead his family physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Eph 1:17-19

9th: That he would always look at the plank in his own eye before seeing others' sawdust. Matt 7:3

10th: That he would become a called man, not driven, with well thought through and prayed through goals in life. I Cor 9:24-27

11th: That he would be a man of prayer, guarding his heart and mind, puting into practice what he has heard, seen, and learned. Phil 4:4-9

12th: That he would stand firm against the schemes of the devil and resist Satan in all circumstances. Eph 6:10-18, James 4:7

13th: That he would grow in spiritual maturity by putting away childish things, cultivating, understanding, striving after the Christ ideal, partaking of the deeper truths of the gospel and overcoming temptation. I Cor 13:11, 14:20, Eph 4:13, Heb 5:14, I John 2:14

14th: That he would be cleansed by the word. Eph 5:26

15th: That he would learn to not depend on his circumstances for happiness but on God alone. Heb 3:17-19

16th: That he would be a man prepared for spiritual warfare. Eph 6:11-12, I Thes 5:8

17th: That he would have new strength in the midst of his busy schedule, and that the Lord might infuse him with His strength. Is 40:31, Eph 3:14-19

18th: That he would have a burden to see lost people come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Matt 28:12-20

19th: That he would be kept from strange women and evil men, and that his friends would be men and women who walk with God. Prov 13:20

20th: That his self-image would be a reflection of the Lord's thoughts toward him. Eph 1:17-19, Rom 12:3, Psalm 139

21st: That he would be a man responsible for family spiritual growth. Prov 4:1-14

22nd: That he would not be deceived into unbelief, sin, or bitterness. Matt 13:8-10

23rd: That he would learn to love as God has commanded. I Cor 13:4-7, Rom 12:8-10, Eph 5:25

24th: That the fruit of the Spirit would be exhibited more and more in his life. Gal 5:22-23, John 15:8

25th: That he would grow in humility and in being a shepherd. I Pet 5:2-6

26th: That he might grow daily in character. II Pet 1:5-8

27th: That he might keep a clear conscience. I Pet 3:16-18

28th: That the Lord would protect him, guarding his course. Prov 2:8

29th: That he would manage his time well. Eph 5:15

30th: That the Lord would put a song in his heart. Psalm 33:3, 40:3, Job 35:10

31st: That he would have a holy fear of God. Psalm 34:11, 111:10, Prov 9:10

Loving our Husbands

So, how did you do, ladies? Did you love your husband yesterday? My husband and I have been married for 11 1/2 years and we dated for 4 years prior. We're heading towards 16 years with each other and sometimes I feel like we get in a rut, know what I mean? Even in the little things, it seems there are times where I'm missing blessings I could be giving my husband. Therefore, I'm making it a priority this week to do some little acts of kindness to show my affection for that man of mine! Here is a list I've got going:

1. Fill his water bottles for work, so he doesn't have to.
2. Sneak some snack money in his uniform pocket.
3. Leave a note on his computer or send him a cute email.
4. Take up an interest of his and spend time doing something he loves.
5. Make his favorite supper.
6. Scratch his back without being asked.
7. Tell him to go take a nap! (That will knock his socks off!!)
8. Put a love letter in his car.
9. Remember to touch him, lovingly, as he walks by. (I had to include lovingly, 'cause sometimes I end up smacking him on the arm...it's love tap!) :)
10. Lay out his uniform before he gets up.
11. Go for a walk together after dinner.
12. Have a date night in after the kids go to bed.
13. Remember to pray for him daily.

That's what I've got so far, but I'm still thinking. :) How about you? What little things can you do for your man that show him your love for him? Could you imagine what would be going on in our husbands minds if we did something intentional each day to remind him how great we think they are. Here's my challenge. Sit down and make a list of 31 things that you can do for your husband that cost nothing or very little. Begin blessing him as soon as you can. Even if you only come up with a few, start right away.

Before blessing our husbands, let's check our motives. We're blessing them because we love them and we want to express that to them. We are not blessing them to get something in return or manipulate them in any way. This is a complete selfless act of love for the men in our lives. So, go now....bless.....love....make happy husbands!!!! (What did you think I was going to tell you to make....wink, wink!)

"...To love their husbands..."

The next section I want to focus on from Titus 2:4-5 is this, "...to love their husbands." Reading that upon first glance, I'm probably quick to give it a big 'ole "DUH", but I think there is so much more to this little phrase than the credit we give.

The word "love" in this passage is translated from the Greek word "philandros" which means "to be husband loving." Again, because I want to know the real meaning of words not our distorted conception, let's go to the Websters 1828 dictionary to find a deeper meaning of the word "love".

Love

1. A feeling of strong attachment induced by that which delights or commands admiration; preëminent kindness or devotion to another; affection; tenderness.

2. Especially, devoted attachment to, or tender or passionate affection for, one of the opposite sex.

(There were other entries, but none that pertained to the union between husband and wife.)

Do you love your husband? Do I really love my husband? Is it such a strong attachment that induces feelings of admiration from others? Do I show kindness and devotion to him? Do I have a tender and passionate affection for him? These are hard questions to answer sometimes. Like when he's left his dirty socks in the bathroom for the trillionth time, or when he goes to a softball game and leaves me home with 4 sick kids, am I addressing him with kindness and devotion? (These situations never happen, they're hypothetical events...really they are.)

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the majority of us weren't taught how to really love our husbands. We weren't taught how to be completely devoted to them. In fact, I would venture to say that most of us even had a "back up" plan at one point. "Well, if this doesn't work out at least I could always _______." Look around you, how are our men being portrayed in the media? Show me one instance where a man is the head of the home, he's successful, and he has a devoted, loving wife with obedient children. It doesn't happen. Instead, we're filling our minds with dopey men and overbearing, controlling wives, with kids who are out of control. What message are we sending our daughters? What hope of a biblical marriage will they ever have with examples such as these?

Well, we can't control the media; but we can control our hearts and our actions. This is going to call for a total mind overhaul. To truly love our husbands, we must put his needs above our own. Yep, there it is, did you put your steel-toed boots back on? I said it....We've got to put our husbands needs before our own. Ouch!! Lord, help me here...this won't be easy! Seriously, this week let's explore ways to really love our husbands...don't blush, I won't be going there...this is a family blog! ;)

Sober-minded in the Home

Well, I intended to post much more on being sober-minded, but life got the best of me this week. Between the first day of school and a hurricane scare, I wasn't on the computer much at all. I'm going to wrap up being sober-minded and move right into loving our children and husbands tomorrow.

Remember, we are referring to being "sober" as "sober-minded", having a plan, not addressing things wildly but calmly with efficiency. One item in my home that has helped me is my binder. This is a very common item among stay at home moms. Some call it a home management binder, or a household binder. Whatever one calls it, it has the potential of becoming a very essential tool for organizing a home.

The contents:

My binder includes menu plans, emergency low cost grocery shopping lists, daily schedules, children's routines, recipes, cleaning plans, scripture reminders pertaining to being a keeper at home, emergency contacts, budgets, and birthday and Christmas lists. Whew! Now, it's not much to look at...I always had the intention of making it really pretty and super organized. In fact, at one time I had a relatively nice binder, but then I went to work and forgot all about how useful it was. I ended up redoing it recently and just haven't found the time to fancy it up. (I don't know why???)

Instead of showing you my ugly, plain jane binder, I'll give you some links that might spark your interest so you may begin your own.

Susan Godfrey at Simply Susan
Catherine at Making It Home
Flylady
Keeping the Home

Maybe during my copious free time this week, I'll make my binder look pretty and show you pictures. Yeah, right! ;)

Sober-minded in the Kitchen

So this week we're looking at being sober-minded. I was going to title this entry "Sobriety in the Kitchen", but I thought that kind of sounded like an AA meeting. Hehe!

Planning is going to be the key to "sobriety in the kitchen"...couldn't resist. This can range from an elaborate detailed monthly menu to simply doubling a recipe for a freezer meal. Here are some tips that I've learned along the way.

1. Menu planning - I like to plan my meals out in a 2 week cycle. I'm a very simple cook. I cook what my family likes and they like what I cook. I rarely try new recipes, I like the tried and true. (I realize that may bore some people to death, but it works for me.) With that in mind, I can sit down and plan out 2 different weeks of meals and rotate them. This also alows me to have a standard shopping list that I keep. I don't usually shop sale items unless I find something I know I'll use and stock up. Having a menu plan (and sticking to it) completely solves the 5 o'clock "what's for dinner" stares.

2. Freezer meals - I recently wrote a post about a more extensive freezer meal preparation, but you can easily build up a stock of your favs by doubling a recipe and freezing the extras.

3. Prepare ahead - Alot of the breakfasts I like to make can be started the night before, like baked oatmeal or baked french toast. Sometimes I will fill my bread machine with ingredients for a cinnamon bread and set it to start a couple of hours before we wake up. Then we get to enjoy waking up to fresh baked bread. Yum!! I get to look like a star to my family and sleep in..it's a win - win for everyone. :) Preparing ahead can be as easy as throwing in a couple of extra eggs to boil in the morning to use at lunch time for tuna salad.

4. Crock pot meals - My crock pot is probably the one small appliance that I couldn't live without. I love my crock pot. I use it for any meal of the day. I've used it for oatmeal for breakfast, pork roast for Sunday lunch, or beans for dinner. It's very versatile and the best part is that it doesn't heat up my kitchen during a hot Florida summer.

5. Wear an apron - Okay, this one might surprise you. I wear aprons. Yes, there it is...bring on the snickers!! I love wearing an apron. I put one on as soon as I can, which is usually first thing in the morning after I get ready. I can remember my first apron. A dear friend of mine gave me her recipe for chicken pot pie and crust. I had been using the recipe for awhile and mentioned that I got flour all over me whenever I made the crust...she was like "duh...put on an apron!". I'm sure she about fell over when I told her I didn't own one. Days later, she brought me a gift...my very first apron with my name embroidered at the top. I still have it, and wear it often...Thanks, Margaret!!! Anyway, I've been hooked on them since. I love the way I feel when I wear an apron, the way all of my kids have played hide and seek under it...I feel ready for the job at hand, sober if you will!

So there you have it, just a few of the ways we can have a plan and be ready and "sober" in the kitchen. Now, don't go thinking I've got it all together and it's like this all the time. My back up plan is Pizza Hut on speed dial. Just keeping it real, ya'll!