Proverbs 31:12

Two not so great days in a row...hmmm, wonder what that's about?  And yet, I press onward!

Proverbs 31:12

She does him good not evil

All the days of her life

Do I do good?  

A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones. Proverbs 17:22

I do have a merry heart, most of the time.  I have also been on the broken spirit side before.  And it does dry your bones.  When I feel down, like really down, nothing good can come from me.  I don't cook or clean.  I'm grumpy and can offer no nice words to anyone.  But life will do that to you at times.  There have been circumstances that are beyond my control that have left me feeling really low in the past.  I guess the key is to not stay low.  I need to reach out to God when I feel that way.  I may not be able to control everything, but I can give my burden over to him.  He can ease the troubles of my heart and make it merrier.

Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad. Proverbs 12:25

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.  Colossians 1:9,10

How can I take this and apply it to being a good wife?  I can honor my husband with my words and my works.  I can turn loose of the reins when it comes to the big decisions.  I can keep his happiness and interests in my mind.  I can serve him with a gentle and loving spirit.  

Serve him?  I was brought up by a very independent woman.  My husband has, at times, called me a FemNazi.  I have learned and lived the 'no man is going to tell me what to do' mentality for a long time.  It really did our marriage a great injustice.  So how do I 'serve' my husband?  

The first thing is to keep Christ the focus of my life.  I need to commit God's word to my heart and apply it to my life.  

And here comes the hardest thing for me...submit to my husband.  (Darn those feminist influences when I was growing up!)

So how do I submit without being resentful?  That is going to take some prayer and a whole lot of attitude changing.  I know that as wives we are to submit to our husbands, but that has been one of the hardest things for me during my marriage. 

Hmmm, what else does a good wife do?  A neat house, nice meals, a genuine interest in her husband and his activities...thriftiness, kindness, a great helper.

Am I those things?  Some days.  Can I be a lot better?  Definitely. 

God, help me to step aside and let my husband lead.  Change my heart and my head when it comes to  having a submissive spirit.  Give me the energy and strength to do what I am called to do.  Help me to be a helper and a blessing to my husband.

Southwest Style

I love feminine southwest style.

The intricate beading and detailed leather working are gorgeous.  Not to mention the texture that the woven textiles add.  It is simple and fresh.  And with some wild, loose curls - the look is extremely romantic.

Proverbs 31:11

Bit of a rough day today...the marriage road can be oh so bumpy!  But here were are wrapping it up the right way.

Proverbs 31:11

The heart of her husband safely trusts her

So he will have no lack of gain

Am I trustworthy?

On certain things, yes.  Am I trusted to be faithful, most assuredly.  Am I trusted to be loyal, yep.  Am I trusted enough that he can confide in me?  Ummm...most of the time.  Sometimes I have been accused of using things against him.  I believe that where I can use the most improvement is being trusted not to use words to hurt him. I must admit, I can have a very sharp tongue.  I come by it quite honestly.  I am patient, but not meek and in the heat of a discussion I can be blatant with my thoughts and they just come spilling out of my mouth.  Most of the time it doesn't go very well...

Proverbs 18:21 states that the tongue can bring life or death.  That is probably the biggest struggle for me - holding my tongue or at least figuring out how to be uplifting in a functional way.  My husband gets upset when the uplifting words are vague ("It will all work out"  "Just pray about it").  So how do I build trust with words?  First, I know I need to validate his feelings, communication 101.  Do I always do that?  No.  Next I need to carefully and kindly respond.  Most of the time I react to his statement.  I take the defensive and things escalate from there.  Not very trust building.  Another thing I need to do is bless him with my words, not tear him down.     I need to put words of honor and devotion into his heart. 

Truthful, uplifting and positive.

So he will have no lack of gain...that means finances to me.  Am I completely trustworthy with money? No.  Do I overspend?  Sometimes.  Have we seen much gain in savings?  Not a bit.  There is much needed work to be done there.  

How can I help him gain?  I can speak kindly to help him gain more trust.  I can speak more affirmatively to help him gain more confidence.  I can be a bit more thrifty to help our household gain more financially.  

God - help me to be a more trustworthy wife.  To be uplifting.  To be a blessing.  And to help my family be more prosperous with our time and finances.

Proverbs 31

I am going to delve into Proverbs 31.  Really delve.  It is about being a wife, a good wife.  I have had many examples of wife-iness from lots of great women in my family, but in this Lent season I want to really discover what God calls me to be.  So, here we go...

Proverbs 31 is really two parts, the wise leader and the excellent wife.  Some believe that King Lemuel is really Solomon, which would make Bathsheba the wise mother.  No one is sure if that is true or not, but it kind of makes sense.  Anyways, it is her wise words and teachings that we learn about in this chapter.  In the wise leader part (1-9) she warns King Lemuel not to give his strength to women.  She instructs him to not be promiscuous or waste his strength and attentions on women.  She also instructs him to not overindulge in alcohol.  It is a reminder to him that he is the king and must focus primarily on preserving justice for his people and helping the poor and needy.  Truer words were never spoken.  Whether a man is a king of a nation or the "king" of the family, if he is drinking to excess and chasing women he is obviously not taking care of his real business.  Really, in today's society, that can be good advice for anything that we tend to do in excess from sports to the internet to being a workaholic.  Listen to the woman, fellas, your wife and your kids are the citizens of your kingdom.  You've gotta take care of them.  Now, enough on that...on to the main subject!

Proverbs 31:10
Who can find a virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.

Okay, so a virtuous wife...I suppose a virtuous wife is a woman of moral character.  She would have a healthy fear of God and a great love for Him.  She would strive to do her best and really live her life so that everything she did was pleasing to God.  Do I fear God and love Him?  You betcha!  Do I strive to do my best?  Eh...sometimes.  Do I always please God?  Yeah, right...I mess up a lot.  So there's lots to work on there...

Now the worth part...a virtuous woman is priceless.  She is a rare treasure that is hard to find.  That is as true today as it must have been back in King Lemuel's day.  A woman of moral strength and character is indeed rare.  I know my morality gets tested.  There are tons of ways that our character can get tempted everyday.  I really need to get better about calling on God when that happens.  We can't rely on ourselves alone.  I hope that I can improve myself and strengthen my character as I go through this chapter!

St. Patrick's Day

Going Green!

As much as I love eco awareness, today is not about recycling.  It's about getting out the St. Patrick's Day decorations!  

I love the wooden lucky letters.  I found them at Marshalls.  (I'm addicted to the discount stores!)  Mr. Squared isn't so crazy about the word from a spiritual stand point.  I think it is how you see it.  Having good luck is being blessed by God.  

The little leprechauns and shamrocks were 50 % off at Joann's Fabrics.

Another discount store find.  I love the table runner with the embroidered shamrocks!  The shamrock bowl is just missing some green candy like apple Jolly Ranchers!

Saved the book from a giveaway pile.  I had given it to my daughter with her birthday presents one year.  She's a St. Patty's day baby.  Now it comes out with the green decorations!

Happy St. Patrick's Day Decorating!

Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes

Another night, another dinner to cook.  What's on the menu?  Rosemary chicken with red potatoes, a basic salad and iced tea.

Mr. Squared made the salad.  Basic, but decorative.  He knows me well.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp rosemary leaves, crushed

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

6 chicken breast, thin cut

1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes, halved

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Mix oil and spices in a large bowl.  Add the chicken and potatoes.  Toss to coat really well.  Arrange the potatoes in a single layer in a 13x9 casserole pan.  Place in oven for 15 minutes.  Add the chicken and return to oven for an additional 30 to 35 minutes more.  It is done when chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender.

 (Its another McCormick recipe!)  

So Yummy!

The Steer Show!

Took a trip out to watch my nephew show his steer this morning.

 This is Cletus the Cow.    

My sister and our whole family are so proud of him!  And of my nephew, too ;)

Ash Wednesday

Happy Ash Wednesday!

This is the first year I am participating in the season of Lent.  All of my life I have attended nondenominational churches.  Lent was an option and most of the time I never really gave it much consideration beyond 'no chocolate for 40 days? Maybe next year'.  This year I am going for it.  Not just the fasting part, but the focusing on myself spiritually part as well.  My whole family is getting involved.  I have encouraged the girls to pick one thing to give up and an area of their spiritual life to focus on.  

I'm really excited about growing more in my relationship with God and appreciating all the great things He does for me!

Mardi Gras

Happy Mardi Gras!  Even though I have to work tonight (and was up until 4:30 this morning...) I decorated for Mardi Gras.  Ah, good ole Fat Tuesday!  

Thank goodness for the Dollar Tree!  And yes, that is a Sponge Bob balloon floating over the breakfast table...and yes, those are VHS tapes...we roll old school (and it helps keep the kids at the table instead of trying to eat after school snacks in the den).

Nothing says Mardi Gras like beads!

And tiaras for the five girls present for dinner.

On the menu:

Sausage Jambalaya

Tuna Cakes

Okra

and 

King Cake

(cream cheese and strawberry!)

Lots of Posts a little Late

late, late, late - that's what happens when I work so many days in a row...no postings for days and then I have to squeeze them in.  

So what's the haps?  

Well, there was the Valentine's Dance that was post Valentine's Day.

The girls had a good time, lots of junior high drama and even a dance with a BOY!

Work, work, work...babies being born...

Tonight I am off doing laundry and mixing essential oil ear drops for my dog which I am not sure he liked...Oh, and a trip to my favorite place - the Dollar Tree.  Picked up some Mardi Gras decorations for 'Fat Tuesday' dinner.  Now what am I going to give up???

Three Years...

Just a quick photo of my daughter and her boyfriend.  They have been dating for three years and in teenage years that is, like, forever!

It was big anniversary date night.  They have a funny relationship, not like other teen romances.  Just like me and her father - they started out friends first.  It is always a bit better that way, I think.  I think it makes it easier to get over things and get through things.  Life's hurdles are always easier to overcome with your best friend.

Ody

I just started a second blog called Dog Nabit!  It is, you guessed it, about my dogs.  And then the same day I started it Ody passed away.  I am so sad.  He just had a major seizure and then died.  It was really quick and unexpected.  We'll miss you, Ody!

(nothing like a good roll in the grass, Ody last spring <3)

Mediterranean Herb Crusted Tilapia

So, I'm not much of a fish eater.  Mostly because when I was little I didn't want to eat some fish that was served for dinner, but parents want you to try new things.  I was a stubborn child and sat with a piece of flounder in my mouth for what felt like an eternity.  I also did that with a piece of okra which I eventually spit into a nearby plant...needless to say, I don't eat okra either.  I know it is healthy and good for me so I have been attempting.  McCormick has those great little seasoning packets that have the recipe on the back and they had one for fish so I picked one up.

Pretty delicious.  I would totally make this recipe again. 

You don't need to pick up the spice packet if you have everything on hand. 

Ingredients:

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp marjoram leaves

3/4 tsp ground mustard

3/4 tsp basil leaves

3/4 tsp oregano leaves

1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper

6 tilapia fillets (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh spinach

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

3 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese

Place fish on foil-lined shallow baking pan.  (Spray with non-stick cooking spray first)  Sprinkle fish with salt.  Mix olive oil and the first six spices together in a bowl.  Brush fish with 1 tbsp of the seasoned oil mix.  Stir spinach, bread crumbs, bell pepper and Parmesan cheese into remaining seasoned oil.  Divide mixture evenly among fish fillets, pressing lightly so mixture adheres to top of fish.  Bake in preheated oven (400 degrees) for 15 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork.

I served my yummy (yes, I said yummy when describing fish) tilapia with a quickly tossed together Greek salad.  Oh, and a lemon bundt cake.  Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm...

Strange Bedfellows

Fun character prints should not just be for the kiddos!  I sewed some pillowcases for my inner child and Mr. Squared's too!  I bought the fabric thinking they would be fun camping trip pillow cases, but they are just too darn cute.  Right now they are front and center on the bed.  Eventually, after the novelty wears off, they will get tucked under the pillows that actually match the comforter.  

The Mr. thinks his Yogi Bear is great; he just doesn't want me teasing him if he accidentally snuggles up to Strawberry Shortcake while he's sleeping :)

Color Guard

My daughters are in color guard and had their first competition for this year.  Yeah, they won first...



No flash photography in a dark gym while girls are twirling flags and tossing rifles = interesting photos.

Vintage Green

I love vintage.  Classic movies, classic cars, classic looks.  I'm not over the top about it, but there is just something so glamorous about the looks from the bygone days.

Feminine and beautiful.



Sometimes I feel like women have lost something.  Clothes have gotten tighter, shorter and more revealing.  I miss the soft lines, the flowing fabric.  I miss the days when women were ladies and men did not dare curse in front of them.  I know the "bra burners" thought they were doing a great thing, but isn't it funny how the feminist movement made women less feminine...