Weekly Wishes- Girlfriend needs some walks edition

Happy Monday! I know, I know, it's the worst day ever for some of you. I'm sorry about that, but- you are awake and breathing! That's a plus, right? Right!

Today, I'm sharing with you some of my wishes for the week, and linking up with The Nectar Collective, go check her out, she's awesome.

1. Finish my sewing stack. I have knocked it down a bit, but with the Frozen inspired capes flying off my shelf, I needed more supplies and so I have a whole new stack to do! I don't mind though, little girls are going to be thrilled when they put these capes on! Now, their parents, might be getting a little bit aggravated at the singing of the songs that these capes will inspire, but hey- the girls are happy! This is what my garbage can looks like after a couple of capes... fairy barf.

2. Still working on taking more pictures to share with you guys! I haven't come up with a plan on a post for this yet. I would like to do the picture a day, but how to share it and on what days hasn't focused in my mind so far. I know there are other link parties to do this, but I don't know if I want to join them or what. We will see what I come up with next week!

3. Haven't emailed my church yet about being baptized. No excuse, just haven't done it yet! Hopefully this week.

4. Carve out some reading time. I watched The Mortal Instruments movie a month ago, and immediately reserved book 2 from the library. I've read maybe 30 pages into it. Sad, I know. I'm letting down my fellow bookworms! So this week, I plan on finishing that thang!

5. WALK GINNY. I don't know if you've noticed, but girlfriend has gotten quite the little belly on her lately! She's been on the same food for 6 months now, but it's just catching up with her! Maybe it's the fish-based food she has to have because of her itchy skin. Whatever the reason, I need to walk her more and see if she can drop some lbs!

All in all, not a terribly busy week. Fingers crossed that I can accomplish all of them and have a clean slate next week!

How are you guys doing with your Weekly Wishes or goals? Tell me in the comments below!

Sponsor Shout Out, Meet Julie!

*This little lady has been such a sweetheart to me by being patient while I switched my Sponsorships over to paid, that I wanted to showcase her on a Saturday! I know you guys will welcome her on my blog just as you've welcomed and encouraged me over the last year! -Jessy

Hi Artsy Cajun readers! I'm Julie, and I'm the Kentucky gal behind the Homegrown State of Mind blog. I'm new to the blog world and absolutely love it! I'm a sucker for an easy, delicious drink recipe, so today I'm sharing one of my favorites, and just in time for Fourth of July celebrations - Fourth of July Wine Slushies! I hope you'll love them as much as I do!

Last week while perusing Pinterest, I came across a pin about making wine slushies in an ice cream maker. Shut the front door! How did I not know this was possible?? I love wine slushies, as mentioned here.

While the recipe I found sounded awesome, and easy, it has refined sugar added, which I try to avoid. So, I decided to try making this recipe more "clean." The result is unbelievably tasty - like, you would NEVER know there wasn't a bunch of sugar added. I present to you my Fourth of July Wine Slushie recipe - no added refined sugar, and topped with coconut whipped cream and blueberries. This is perfect for any upcoming Fourth of July celebrations!

Of course, the main ingredient is WINE. I chose a red Moscato for this. I love any Moscato, but I didn't want to make this recipe too sweet, so I added red instead of regular. Any wine would work here.

This recipe has 3 other ingredients, besides the wine - organic strawberries, local honey and organic lemon juice. That's it. If you desire toppings, you'll need blueberries, or any other fruit really (I'm thinking peaches would be delicious as well), and coconut whipped cream, or any regular/low-fat/sugar-free whipped cream. I made thiscoconut whipped cream from Oh She Glows. It's easy and the texture is exactly like regular whipped cream.

I used a food processor to turn the strawberries, honey, and lemon juice into a puree. A blender/juicer would work fine too. Do NOT add all of the wine to your food processor, unless it's a large-capacity model. It should all fit in a blender, however. Once strawberries, honey and lemon juice are pureed, pour it in the ice cream maker, add all of the wine, and let it churn for 25 to 30 minutes. Done. Then top it with whipped cream and fruit and enjoy!

Fourth of July Wine Slushies

Modified from Full Fork Ahead Strawberry Wine Slushies

Ingredients:

• 1 750 mL bottle of wine (I used red Moscato)
• 16 ounces organic strawberries, hulled
• 2 tablespoons local honey
• 1 tablespoon organic lemon juice (I used juice from 1/2 lemon)
• blueberries (for topping)
• coconut whipped cream, excellent recipe here, or regular whipped cream (for topping)

Directions:

• Place strawberries, honey, and lemon juice in a food processor (or blender) and blend until pureed.
• Add puree to ice cream maker, as well as whole bottle of wine.
• Let ice cream maker churn for 25 to 30 minutes, or until desired slushiness is obtained.
• Pour into glasses and top with coconut whipped cream (or regular whipped cream) and blueberries, or store in freezer until party time.

Fair warning: This drink is delicious. You may consume more than you intend, so be prepared, and make plenty. :-)

Find Beauty Friday, Is that noses up in the air?

Happy Aloha Friday! That's one phrase from the island that's stuck with me. The people of Oahu LOVEEEEE their Fridays and celebrate the weekend any chance they get!

Today, I'm linking up with Aimee from This Darling Day for Find Beauty Friday!

For my Find Beauty Friday, I want to share with you a photo from when we visited the downtown area. They have a river walk that is just so nice! This bridge is darling and I always have to stop and take 50 pictures!

If I ever find a photographer, (that's decent price in this town) I'll want to go to this bridge and the river walk for the photo shoot! I say decent price because it seemed like this area was a little more expensive than surrounding areas, and I was right! We were voted the #4 snobbiest places! I think that if I walked around town in my camo, I may get spat upon! Just kidding, maybe! :)


Our weekend plans are to get pool time in as much as possible! It's been weird weather here, with dry conditions, and thunderstorms/rain everyday! I just need a 3 hour window, and I'll be taking advantage of the outdoors!


BONUS**** I've created an instagram account just for the purpose of selling items that I can't list on Etsy! Right now, this includes all of my extra Vera Bradley items! Go add me and snag you some amazing deals! 
TACshopmyhome on Instagram



What are your plans for the weekend? Comment below!

Capes, Sushi, and Hot Pink!

Y'all, I have been running non-stop for a week now! This is craziness! So many things going on that I have to update ya, bullet style-

• 4 week check up with my doctor was great! He said I was healing nicely, and to attempt "harder" foods as tolerable! I'm happy to report that I can eat small bites of chicken! Waahooo! Not eating real food is pretty crappy, but on the plus side, I did loose 17 pounds in a month! And I'm sure some of you out there are going to want to know how, so here's what I ate. For the first 2 weeks, it was strictly liquids. I bought a ton of those Bolthouse farm juices, and the Naked juices. Then, I used Plant Fusion protein powder since I am allergic to soy, I had to use this one. Not too bad, but things did taste like the chalky powder. Week 3, I introduced pastas in to my diet. I did lots of the Alfredo sauce and it was delicious! Still did the juice for 2 of 3 meals of the day. Now, I'm eating small bites of chicken and I even smashed a mozzarella stick up and tried that! Not too shabby pain wise!
• Last Friday, one of the Mr.'s dearest high school buddies was getting married to the sweetest gal! So we got all dolled up and had the best time! Delicious food, there was hot pink everywhere, and I loved it! We caught up with his other best friends and their wives and it was just a great night full of laughs and dancing! 

• Saturday was recoup day as I was exhausted from my sleep schedule being off and the Mr. was recovering from the fire water. 
• Sunday we had the Mr's family over for a little celebration of sorts. It was fun and the Mr. did an amazing job BBQing! I also sewed up capes for the nieces and snagged a few pictures. They were so adorable holding hands and singing Let It Go at the top of their lungs! (find the capes here)

• Monday was spend cleaning, blogging, and sewing more capes. It was pretty much a blur. Except I put the finishing touches on my Quiet & Journaling Time space! I love it! It's been getting a LOT of use! Notice my little frame in the flowers? That's courtesy of Kristin from One Inspired Life! We did a little gift swap in our Prayerful Bloggers group and I got that! So blessed!

• Tuesday the Mr. had the day off! I was so excited to spend the day with him! We got up, went to the gym, then came home to shower and cool off. After a quick sandwich, we grabbed our books and headed to the pool. It was so nice just to sit and do nothing! But, it was too hot to do nothing, so we got in the pool where I acted like a crazed mermaid coming up with different, off-the-wall swim styles and the "I-swam-all-through-high-school" Mr. laughed at me! It was all in good fun. After this lil mermaid was tired and bored of that, we came home, showered again, and dressed for a sushi dinner. That was an awesome way to end the day!

• Wednesday, I sewed even more Frozen capes, (they flyin off the shelves!) then packaged all orders up and took off for the post office, a little shopping at Joann's for supplies, a quick trip to the library, and dropped off lunch for the Mr. at work. And then it was cleaning house again, (Ginny's shedding and did I mention I'm allergic to dogs?) and some blogging.

And there you have it! To some, it may not seem like a lot. For me, it put my body through the ringer! I can't complain though, because God has blessed me with an awesome life, and I want to live it up every day He gives me on this Earth!  I tried to get some pictures, but I can't show all of them right now as some are still needing to be kept secret (shhh...the newlyweds are still on their honeymoon, and I don't know if they've opened their gift yet) but as soon as I can, I'll show them all to you guys! But I can show you a picture the Mr. grabbed of me working on it, mouth open and everything! 

OH! And sponsorships, I want to thank you guys for bearing with me through the change up. I know that it's confusing, but basically I will do the guest posting for free, and the ads are paid now. All money goes to a charity, and this month, it's the Wounded Warrior Project. 

Tell me, what do you do when your body can't keep up with your schedule?

Weekly Wishes- the one where I'm totally late

Sorry, I'm about 2 days late with this one! It was a really busy weekend, and I'll recap it all for you tomorrow. Today, let us get down to business with the weekly wishes!

If you remember last week-

1. Finish up a secret project for a secret couple. That is all I can say. Well, actually, I can say that once it's all over and done with, I will post it on the blog and it's going to be gorgeous! Done! This came out lovely & I can't wait to share it with you tomorrow! Their wedding was absolutely gorgeous as well! 

2. Wake up every morning at 6am for an hour of bible study, journaling, and at least 30 mins Yoga BEFORE doing any house work or Etsy orders. Yeah, this one is pretty tough, but I have been doing this for the last couple of mornings and I have to admit, my day goes so much better when I have some "Me & Jesus Meetings" in the morning!  Semi-done! I can manage the bible and journal study in, but time seems to go by so much faster and I rarely have time for yoga before it's time to wake up the Mr.! We are going to start heading to the gym in the mornings again, so maybe I'll save yoga for late afternoon. Hopefully it will signal to my body that the day is over, and I'll be able to relax more in the afternoons!

3. Get in a much snuggles and silly laughter with the Mr. as I can! He will have most of the week off due to some great events happening, (which of course I will recap next week for y'all) and I plan on taking advantage of every second I have with that precious man! We laughed, we snuggled, we danced... it was a great week & weekend! However, all the action did take a toil on my body and I was exhausted.... well, still am exhausted! Today, we're pushing ourselves to the gym and then relaxing pool side all day! 

4. TAKE PHOTOS! It has been said, multiple times, that I do not post enough photos of me, or the Mr. or anything on here! I thought about it, and y'all were right! I am a bad blogger when it comes to this. I promise that this week, I will take at least one photo a day. AND- at least 4 of those will be selfies. Deal? I thought it would be nice to include the photos either on Friday's Find Beauty post, or Monday's Weekly Wishes post. Either one will work, so be on the look out for those!

5. Email my church to find out when the next Baptism is. Y'all, let's get deep for a minute. I was raised Catholic, and my family doesn't necessarily like the fact that I'm not going to a Catholic Church. There are many reasons for this, and I won't get into them now, maybe someday. The fact of the matter is, a part of me will always be Catholic. However, I do not feel the connection with God as I should being a practicing Catholic. I've found a huge non-denominational church here, and it's filling my soul with so much knowledge and inspiration to learn more that I just feel like God is telling me to stay here. I'll write another post about the God moment of how I found this church in the future.  So, I know that I've been baptized when I was an infant, as do all Catholic children. In my heart, I just feel like I need another refreshing of the commitment to Jesus.  I've felt this tugging at my heart for the past 4 years, and have battled back and forth over it. If it's been 4 years, and I still feel God tugging at me this strong, I figured I better get it done! Again, the whole point of the Weekly Wishes, (for me anyway) is to be held accountable for the items I put on here. So this one is definitely going to get done! Not another 4 years for me!


As you can see, I didn't complete 4 & 5 this week. I did take photos, but not enough of me and the Mr. to complete the challenge! As for 5, I want to give you some lame excuse about being so busy, but I just didn't make the time for it! THIS WEEK, y'all! 

So I will take the last two wishes on for this week and add this one, 

*Finish all Etsy and personal projects. Yes, it's a big stack! 

Also, don't forget, enter to win my Dictionary scarf over at Robyn's Nest! 

Do you have a huge "To Do" pile always waiting for you too? Comment below!

You'll want to know this tidbit of info!

Hey there! Today, I'm going this awesome giveaway/guest post over at Robyn's Nest! 

You'll have to go check it out, because there may or may not be an awesome dictionary scarf up for grabs!!! 

Ok, I can't keep a secret, there is one up for grabs! I'm so excited to give one away! If your luck fails you, never fear.... you can always pick one up at my Etsy Shop! 

Click here to go to the shop! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Finding Beauty in a measuring cup

Happy Friday! I'm so happy it's the weekend, and we have lots of fun events coming up this weekend! I just hope the thunderstorms of yesterday stay away today... fingers crossed.

 Today, I am co-hosting with the ever so lovely Aimee from This Darling Day! for Find Beauty Friday. If you have a snapshot of something you found beautiful this week, please link up with us! The link up normally stays open for almost a week, so don't stress too much, you have a few days to find a spot of beauty to share!

 My beauty moment was when I made lavender and rose eye masks or eye pillows. These things are amazing! They help me drift off to sleep and I love using them at the end of my yoga practice! (find them here) Not only are they heavenly scented, they are also pretty to make! This is the cup of "filling" that goes into each pillow, it's just beautiful! It's so nice to just slow down during the week or during your work day and take a moment to enjoy a little bit of beauty! Have you ever used any sort of aromatherapy to relax? Comment below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Well....

I had a huge announcement for you yesterday. But, the Mr. and I had a all day marathon, deep hearted, emotionally draining, discussion about every possible aspect and detail, and have decided that right now is not the time to start the adoption process.

Maybe one day, God will bless us with a tiny human to care for and raise as our own, but now isn't the right time. There are so many moving parts in our lives right now, that I think we wouldn't be able to fully enjoy everything a child would bring. I know that most folks that can have their children naturally sometimes don't get the luxury of choosing when it's the right time for a child. I understand that. The way I see it, God took away my choice of that, for reasons I'll never understand. So, now that I do have all the time in the world to really position ourselves correctly before getting a child, why not take advantage of that?

So, that's why I switched my sponsorship to paid only, because the money from the sponsorship was going into an adoption fund. Now, I feel like the money needs to go straight to charity. Why not give back something if at all possible, right?

I will offer a guest post, or highlight of someone for a day on my page, in exchange for putting my button on your blog, for those who want a free option of sponsorship from me. Otherwise, it will be the paid option.

OR, if you have any ideas, please email me! I love meeting and working with new people! Check out my Sponsor tab at the top!

Don't look now, but there is a guy on my blog...

I saw this cute idea From : Cats Cuddling and Carrot Cake, and new I had to do it! My Mr. isn't a talkative one, so any chance I can to grab content for the blog off of him, I jump on it!

(falling off a huge wooden shoe... in case you were wondering)

I've asked him a list of questions, and these are the answers-

Me: 1. Want to do an interview?

Mr.: Ya, or I wouldn't be writing this.... 
Me again: Smarty pants. 

Me: 2. What is the name of my blog?  
Mr.: The Artsy Cajun

Me: 3. Do you even read it?
Mr.: Yep! Sometimes there's stuff that she mentions she did there that she doesn't tell me about - gotta keep on top of it!
Me again: I think you tune me out most of the time. 

Me: 4. What is your overall opinion of blogging?
Mr.: It's a great way to get your thoughts and opinions out to those that want to see/know them. Plus a good business-getter  =)
Me again: Agreed

Me: 5. what is the best place to shop for women? 
Mr.: Candy/Jewelry stores - or at least for Jess!
Me again: BINGO!

Me: 6. What is your opinion of Pinterest? 
Mr.: Don't look at it, don't want to.
Me again: You are sadly missing out.

Me: 7. Do you even know what Pinterest is?
Mr.: Ya its a photo/meme depository for the bored and crafty
Me again: Ding Ding Ding! 

 Me: 8. What's your favorite thing for us to do together? 
 Mr.: Aside from the obvious? ;-) I would say just the lazy days on the couch when we act silly
Me again: Keep it PG, Mister! 

Me: 9. What is MY favorite thing for us to do together? 
Mr.: Cuddles
Me again: Guy is on a roll! 

Me: 10. What do girls keep in their purses? 
Mr.: Any amount of extra crap they don't really need but "may" at some point. And lip gloss/carmex
Me again: Yes, I am a "lip stuff" addict. 

Me: 11. What is an acceptable amount of money to spend on a makeup item? 
 Mr.: The least amount you can
Me again: Umm, OK, moving on... lol

Me: 12. Is there anything else that you think everyone who reads my blog needs to know?
Mr.: You've picked a good one to get to know - she's the best!
Me again: Awww! Isn't he the best?

Who's your celebrity best friend?

You know the celebrities that you just like? Not their work, per-say, but how you always seem to be glued to the TV to watch an interview with them. You just like their "personality", if that is their real personality. You like to see what movie projects they've taken on. Especially the new or younger actors, I like to watch them grow in the celebrity spotlight. See if they have what it takes to navigate Hollywood.

A few of them I am adoring right now, and I have to say that they could take the coveted position of my Hollywood BFF. Only one wins it though....  I know, y'all are dying to know who it is, drum roll please.....


My Hollywood BFF is....

Jennifer Lawrence!!!!!

Check out the awesomeness Buzzfeed.com does with her!

This girl is awesome! Seems like she has a good head on her shoulders, she's hilarious in interviews, and she isn't conforming to the skeletor like body types that Hollywood demands. She's fantastic... for now! I may or may not have thought the same thing about other Hollywood ladies and they turned out to be not so great. Ahemmm... Taylor Swift... Achhhewwww Amanda Bynes.

Please do yourself a favor and Google "Jennifer Lawrence interviews". ANY interview is funny! It's so worth a Google!

So here's to JLaw hanging in there and not letting Hollywood mess her up!

Who would you pick to be your Hollywood BFF?

Time to jump back in the saddle...

Of my Weekly Wishes with The Nectar Collective on Mondays! This is a marvelous way to keep up with my goals for the week. A sort of "I'm-putting-it-on-the-blog-so-I'm-held-accountable-thing" and it actually works!!! Y'all should try it!

Since I do not even remember the last time I linked up, I'm starting with a clean slate.  This week we have a lot of moving parts going on and I'm hopeful everything will go off without a hitch! By the slight chance there are no hitches, it will be one unbelievable week!

This week's goals

1. Finish up a secret project for a secret couple. That is all I can say. Well, actually, I can say that once it's all over and done with, I will post it on the blog and it's going to be gorgeous!

2. Wake up every morning at 6am for an hour of bible study, journaling, and at least 30 mins Yoga BEFORE doing any house work or Etsy orders. Yeah, this one is pretty tough, but I have been doing this for the last couple of mornings and I have to admit, my day goes so much better when I have some "Me & Jesus Meetings" in the morning!

3. Get in a much snuggles and silly laughter with the Mr. as I can! He will have most of the week off due to some great events happening, (which of course I will recap next week for y'all) and I plan on taking advantage of every second I have with that precious man!

4. TAKE PHOTOS! It has been said, multiple times, that I do not post enough photos of me, or the Mr. or anything on here! I thought about it, and y'all were right! I am a bad blogger when it comes to this. I promise that this week, I will take at least one photo a day. AND- at least 4 of those will be selfies. Deal? I thought it would be nice to include the photos either on Friday's Find Beauty post, or Monday's Weekly Wishes post. Either one will work, so be on the look out for those!

5. Email my church to find out when the next Baptism is. Y'all, let's get deep for a minute. I was raised Catholic, and my family doesn't necessarily like the fact that I'm not going to a Catholic Church. There are many reasons for this, and I won't get into them now, maybe someday. The fact of the matter is, a part of me will always be Catholic. However, I do not feel the connection with God as I should being a practicing Catholic. I've found a huge non-denominational church here, and it's filling my soul with so much knowledge and inspiration to learn more that I just feel like God is telling me to stay here. I'll write another post about the God moment of how I found this church in the future.  So, I know that I've been baptized when I was an infant, as do all Catholic children. In my heart, I just feel like I need another refreshing of the commitment to Jesus.  I've felt this tugging at my heart for the past 4 years, and have battled back and forth over it. If it's been 4 years, and I still feel God tugging at me this strong, I figured I better get it done! Again, the whole point of the Weekly Wishes, (for me anyway) is to be held accountable for the items I put on here. So this one is definitely going to get done! Not another 4 years for me!

Whew! That's it! Trust me, this is a lot to accomplish for the week ahead, but I'm going to live up every second of it!

What are some of your thoughts about getting baptized a second time? I'd love to know, comment down below!

Find Beauty Friday

Flowers, flowers everywhere! I LOVEEEE how all of the flowers are in bloom right now! We recently went walking around and when I spotted these gorgeous pink pretties, I couldn't resist snapping photos! I don't know what kind they are, but they brighten up my Friday!

I link up with Aimee for Find Beauty Friday, well, I try to link up every Friday. Sometimes I don't get it done, but hey, at least I try! You should link up some of your photos from the week with us!

Charlene is taking over!

Charlene is taking over my blog today! She's an awesome gal, you NEED to go over to her blog and check out all the cool posts she does! Love her! -Jessy

*This is a guest post by Charlene @ From Bisons to Buckeyes Hey readers of The Artsy Cajun! I wanted to share some tips for a successful marriage with you guys. Because I'm an expert after being married for almost 2 years, right? Not really, but I have some experience and I can share what I've learned.

So, here goes.

1. Don't stop dating after you get married. Just because you're married now doesn't mean you can stop trying to impress your spouse. Even though you spend a lot of time together now that you are married and you live together, you still need to set aside special time to spend together. Get dressed up and feel pretty. Do things you don't normally do. Spend quality time and conversation together away from the TV. My husband and I try to make sure we go on at least one date per week, and watching TV at home doesn't count.
2. Try to have dinner as a family every night. This is in addition to a weekly date night. We try to have dinner together whenever possible. If my husband comes home after work in time for dinner, but he still has a lot of homework to do, we at least make time for dinner at the table before he gets started.
3. Put away technology as much as possible. When I am spending time with my husband, I try to not even have my phone on me, but it's tough. I know some people have "no technology in the bedroom" rules. I at least don't have it with me at the dinner table.
4. Don't stop flirting after you get married. Both you and your spouse still need to feel loved, wanted, and attractive. Be the type of parents that make your kids sick. Kiss goodbye in the morning, greet each other with a kiss and hug at the end of the day. Send texts in the middle of the day just to say you're thinking about them.
   
5. Go to bed angry. If you are having an argument, sometimes you need sleep on it and you will be more rational in the morning.
6. When you argue, don't bring up past arguments. Pearson and I attended a weekend marriage seminar when we were engaged and this was one of the big points. The couple presenting this point said that after they have a fight, they flush the argument down the toilet. Literally. They write the problem down on a piece of paper throw it in the toilet and flush. This somewhat ridiculous gesture helps them remember that the issue is over and will not affect future conflicts. You see, when you unnecessarily bring up old arguments, it only fuels the fire and doesn't help anything. Everybody makes mistakes, but we learn from them and move on.
7. Don't try to change your spouse. If you don't like something, try to change your own perspective and your attitude and see where that gets you. You didn't get married to change your spouse, you got married because you love the person he is!
8. Hold hands everywhere you go.
9. Listen to each other. Sometimes your spouse isn't looking for a solution. They just want you to listen and sympathize. 
10. Tell each other how you feel. Even if it seems trivial. Your spouse wants (or should want) to know about you. I learned this one from reading The 5 Love Languages. Sharing is as much a part of quality conversation as listening is. If your spouse's primary love language is Quality Time/Conversation like my husband, then their love tank will never be full if you don't share what you are feeling.
    
11. Never stop "studying" your spouse. Get that PhD in your wife or husband. A lot of people told us this before we got married. It goes along with some things I said earlier. Don't stop paying attention to your spouse after you get married. You do NOT know everything there is to know about them. And besides, people change as they get older so there is always something new to learn.
12. Be intentional about loving your spouse. Once you are out of the "in love" and "infatuation" stage and reality sets it, it might not be so easy to love your spouse on a daily basis. If you choose to love them no matter what, it will eventually become a habit again.
13. Encourage your spouse with your words. This means to speak kindly even if something negative needs to be said. It means to encourage him or her to do things that they want to do (not that you want them to do). And it means making requests of them as an equal, not demands as an authority. This one is hard for me because it is my natural tendency to nag, but there is always a way to get across what needs to be said in a kind way.
14. Don't compare your marriage to other people's marriages. You are two individual and unique people so your marriage is unique as well. What works for other people might not work for you and vice versa. Comparing only brings negative things to light and nothing good can come of it.
15. And last but not least, keep God first. What does this look like? Pray with your spouse. Pray for your spouse. Study the Bible with your spouse. Go to God with conflicts in your marriage. Make the Church and the Bible a priority. Find other Christian couple friends to fellowship with.

This certainly is not an exhaustive list, and I know I have a lot more to learn but I hope this post has been an inspiration to you. What would you add to my list?

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out my monthly marriage goals, my post about The 5 Love Languages, and my tips for arguing with your spouse.

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Ever heard of Wilton?

Wilton, as in Wilton items, as in the company that has any and everything for cooking and baking. Heard of them? Well, every year they have a tent sale with serious discounts. My Mother in Law told me about it last year and we went. I loved it so much, we planned to go this year as well! It's a cake maker/decorator's dream. Too bad we don't make cakes! There were plenty of other things for us, like pure vanilla extract, cool spoons that don't melt while you're stirring your food, this awesome non-stick spray, I mean everything you can think of!

Last year, I loaded up on Copco pots, mixing bowls, just everything to outfit my kitchen properly. Hawaii's prices of even the cheapy house wear stuff is outrageous, so I had nothing but cheapy kitchen items! It was time for an upgrade!

This year, I had plans, only utensils, only vanilla, I didn't want to spend a fortune, and I didn't need a ton of things. Wilton had other ideas, and I walked out needed $55 worth of items! I mean, they even had scrap booking items and Swarovski crystals there! Random, I know, but they were all half off!

I did manage to snap a couple pictures for you to see, and go to Wilton's website to check out this sale! Those are my favorite sprinkles to jazz up any and everything! Also, no, this is not a sponsored post. It's just me wanting to share a really cool sale with you guys! They have this sale about the same time each year, so let me know next year if you're going!

And now, I'm off to sew my little heart out. I'm so thankful God has blessed me with so many orders lately, but I just wish my sewing "To Do" pile would shrink a little! :)

Y'all have a great Wednesday!

Please tell me you guys have a large "TO DO" pile of some sort?!

ABC's of Thankfulness

Good Tuesday Morning! I totally spaced and forgot Monday's post, but I'm sure you won't mind too much! Today should be a great day! My Love and I have a day planned to just enjoy each other's company without dinners, or movies or activities getting in the way. Just to hang around and just be us! I've been working on not focusing so much on the romantic side of our marriage, but more on the friendship side, (see this post) and it's so therapeutic to just laugh and be silly with your Mr.!

So today, I thought I'd change up the blog a bit by posting different topics (as much as possible). When I found this little gem from Simply Clarke, I just knew it was perfect for this point in my life! And Marquis had such a lovely picture, I couldn't bear not sharing it with you guys! 

A

Anything- and everything! God has given me an amazing life, after a couple of rough patches, I'm blooming where He's planted me!

B
Bubble tea! I've missed this drink since leaving Hawaii and have yet to find a good place here! I guess I'll have to make my own!

C
COFFEEEEEE---- Lately it's been more "Coffee Milk" than regular coffee, but I love it prepared all ways! 

D
Driving- I'm thankful that I have the ability to drive on a nice day with the windows down and KLove playing! I rarely do this drive during the Winter, so it makes it a treat in the Spring and Summer! 

E
Electricity. You don't realize how much you depend on it till its out for a few hours.- AMEN! 

F
Friends! I'm so thankful for the handful of friends that are in my inner circle, See this post about that! 

G
Glasses, I am blind as a bat without them! 

H
Home, it's not about how grand it is, it's home wherever you make it and who ever you share it with.

I
Ink to create art with, to write letters of encouragement with, and ice because I like my drinks cold! 

J
Journaling, I don't do it as often as I should, but I do love buying journals faster than I can fill them up!

K
Klove! I'm so thankful that I can turn on that station while I'm doing chores or work, and my mood lifts!

L
LOVEEEEEEE! I'm so thankful for the ability to love people, and to accept love! 

M
My Man! I love the Mr. more than I ever thought possible! 

N
Nieces and Nachos! 

O
Obedience, It's hard to do, but so worth it once achieved! 

P
Prayer, praying friends, patience, all of the above!

Q
Quietness so I can fully submerse in the word! 

R
Rainbows, it reminds me of God's promise. Gen. 9:12-17

S
Savior. He is everything to me.

T
Trust, that God will take care of me no matter what!

U
Ukulele, Every time I hear one being played, it reminds me of Hawaii.

V
Vacation, I love to just get away with my love or family and friends. Just unplug from the world for a while.

W
WATER! I love the stuff! Drinking, swimming, baths.... love it!

X
X-Rays? Wow, the letter "X" is pretty hard

Y
YOU! So thankful to my readers who keep coming to my blog and commenting! Love you guys!

Z

Zumba? I've tried it a few times, and love to dance around!


You know, I thought I could fill this out in 3 minutes flat. I was wrong. It's hard to start thinking about the things that you are REALLY thankful for that start with the hard letters!

How about you guys? I'd love for you to do this and put a link to your post in the comments below!

Double Trouble!

I am just in love with these capes, and I wish it was socially acceptable for adults to wear them in public!

Ah well, I'll just have to gush over how adorable they will be on all of our nieces! Check them out, and order yours today for the special little girl(s) in your life! Order them separate, or together!

Click on the ETSY SHOP for details!

Just stop!

 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Luke 6:37-38

I think a lot of us judge more than we'd like to admit. Part of me says it's human nature. The other part says regardless of what brings us to do this, we should rise above and control our thoughts and tongue. 

There may be many reasons why you are quick to judge someone, like you wouldn't act that way, so why are they? Or you WERE guilty of acting that way, and being that type of person before, and now you've grown/been saved/learned better and how dare they remind you of your past. Right? Sadly, this is the most common reason for us to judge someone else, friend or stranger. 

Whatever the reason for judging, we need to be reminded that, yes, "Only God can judge me" but the bible calls for us to be examples of Him and His love, Eph. 2:10 says, "Or we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."  So while it is only God that will judge you, are you really living as a child of God? Showing others how amazing God is working through you to shine His love out? 

Basically, I'm asking you if, by judging people, even a quick snap judgement about a passing stranger, are you a true representation of God's love? 

Also, I'm linking up with Aimee today for Find Beauty Friday! Link up with us and share some of your photography skills!