what kind of wife would I be...if...?

what kind of wife would I be if... (fill in the blank as you wish.) not cook dinner for my husband every night?, if I didn't iron his shirts? or pants? or support him in every way I can?

WELL, what about....what kind of wife would I be if....I didn't pray for my husband?? not praying for our husbands on a regular basis is a big disservice to them AND to God. now, I am most definitely "preaching to the choir" on this one. do not think I do this nearly as often as I should... but, I find when I do...it is beneficial for both myself AND my hubby. It brings us closer to each other AND to God at the same time!

now, I can hardly talk about my husband and how amazing he is for too long without getting emotional...I know for most of you that know me, that comes as no surprise.  I tend to be a TAD emotional. BUT when it comes to my husband I think I have every right to be. He is a true Man of God, and I consider him to be one of the biggest blessing of my life. I think most of you married women would agree (with your own husbands, of course)... so why not pray for them???

The Power of a Praying Wife, and the Power of a Praying husband, the books given to my husband and me during our engagement time, are incredible. I usually find myself trying to pray every single prayer in the book almost every day for my hubby. they are just SO good!

and when you love someone so much, naturally, your mind and actions become preoccupied with that person. but SOMETIMES I go too far and I find myself putting him before Him (God). and then I refer back to this lovely diagram/picture (which also just happens to be pink :) ....

whenever I hear this, I think back to the scripture that was read during our wedding ceremony:

'Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. 
For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. 
Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? 
And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.'  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 

there is something very settling knowing that God is along for the ride in your marriage (as well as in your life) IF you allow Him to be. So pray for your husband, pray together as a couple. It is powerful and you will feel more "united as one" with your husband than ever before. For this is what God intended marriage to be like!!

DO try this at home and share how it goes! :)

happy monday!


Scripture of the day:
'He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.'   Deuteronomy 10:21

charleston- #1

there's a reason Charleston was voted #1 city....again... for the 2nd year in a row :)

see for yourself! :
http://www.cntraveler.com/readers-choice-awards/top-cities-in-the-world-charleston-cape-town-bangkok-vancouver-photos#slide=1

I have personally been captivated by this charming little port city. there are lots of friendly folk and so many architectural beauties around every corner!! my husband and I recently traveled to Europe this past spring and this city reminds me SO much of many European cities we visited. Charleston is like our own little "piece of Europe" right here in SC :)

and with all the "tearing down and starting new" these days...it is so refreshing to be surrounded by so much alluring history and art. I have always loved "old" things...things with character and antiquity. and It amazes me to think of all the different events that could have taken place there, or all the millions of people that have stopped and looked, toured, etc. I especially enjoy imagining certain scenarios that could have occurred at these old venues, such as heroes returning from war, taking the steps two at a time to their old Charleston homes to finally be reunited with their families, or folks of the colonial period bustling in and out of the buildings on Rainbow Row running their errands (Rainbow Row was at that time the commercial center of town) .

It is incredible how well they have been able to restore and maintain these centuries-old buildings and homes! The beauty of them just never gets old! (pun intended)

and don't even get me started on the restaurants...

Bon Appetit magazine named Husk, located on Queen Street, the Best New Restaurant in America! 

some other favorites: Whisk Bakery, 82 Queen, Andolini's (GREAT hole in the wall pizza joint right around the corner from us!) , Sermet's Downtown, Five Loaves Cafe, Fuel, Hank's, Circa 1886, Mac's Place (more of a fun bar),   II Cortile Del Re (very hidden, but authentic Italian restaurant off King St.), then there's Amen St. Fish and Raw Bar,   S.N.O. B. ( slightly North of Broad), and the list goes on and on...

I bet your mouths are watering...and I didn't even post pictures of these fabulous eatery's :) seriously though, I have never been in a place with so many nationally ranked, amazing restaurants all in one spot! come check them out!

here are some little tid bits of the lovely Holy City:

...come visit!!! 

happy friday!


Scripture of the day:
'If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.'   1 John 4:15

beauty in small/all things

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.  ~John Muir

I tend to be a positive person (usually). but sometimes it's easy for life to wear me down once in a while. It happens to all of us, we can be constantly surrounded by negative attitudes and emotions and it can be exhausting to try and remain positive.  life truly is about attitude (I know, I know we have all heard this a million times) but it is so true. 

lately, I have begun working "nights" again in the hospital (being the newbie) ... and from previous experience, I know how "I get". I realize most of it is mental, but it is still hard for me to overcome the negative attitude . I came to the realization that I spend more time and energy complaining about being exhausted, never being able to sleep, being on the opposite schedule as the rest of the world,  the dread of going in, feeling like a recluse, hermit, etc. that I have no energy left for my beautiful life that God has given me. 

I am tired of living life like that so I have now made a pact with myself that I vow to find the beauty in all things...even the small things. no matter the circumstance. 

....and I will share them with all of you along the way.  God provides us with little bits of beauty all the time...we just have to open our eyes to it!  when working one of my first nights in a while, I was caring for a mother with twin 3 day old infants that were admitted. I offered to help feed one of the babies at the 3 am feeding so they could eat at the same time...so I sat in her room for half an hour and talked to her while we fed both of them. she really opened up to me about her difficult delivery and life in general. she was so grateful, and it was such a sweet time and conversation in the middle of the night. I left her room that night with my heart full. :)  ...slowly but surely I am opening my eyes to little things that have been there all along. I am just now choosing to embrace them!

I am sharing some little/small/simple beautiful things below...enjoy! 

aww!

simple.

picnic on the beach with pretty china

the sweetest thing.

LOVE. even my wedding dress:)

baby owl-too cute. 

gardenia's-my favorite. 

dancing in the rain!

truck-full of fresh flowers!

snow-covered cottage

Optimism is an expectation of the future, but hope is a way of experiencing the present. Optimism argues with the predictions of cynicism and bitterness, and is often proved wrong. Hope rejects cynicism and bitterness as unhelpful, and is perennially proved right.  - Doug Muder

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.   -Rachel Carson

have a wonderful wednesday!

Scripture of the day:
The Lord answered, "If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'May you be uprooted and thrown into the sea,' and it would obey you! Luke 17:6

prayer

 

everyone has their own way of praying. I often ask myself, is there a right or wrong way to pray? I don't believe so. I think praying at all vs. not is better than nothing!

until a couple years ago, I never actually thought about HOW I prayed. I just patted myself on the back for praying at all. NOT the right attitude. so, during one of our Sunday school classes we had a long discussion about HOW to pray.

now, hear me out. I am not trying to change anyone's prayer routines (because I know it is a very personal subject), I just thought I would share my own thoughts and where it has brought me :)

I'm going to start by honestly admitting that majority of my prayers prior to this discussion consisted of "please let me get this" or "just get me through this"  or "if you just give me this, I promise to..." not too short of quick demands...from God. (as if He deserves that). After we discussed the method of praying, I was quite intimidated. however, this little reminder helped me not get overwhelmed about how much/how many people I had to pray for but instead, made my prayers more fulfilling overall.


...back to the Sunday school class.

they presented us with this method that I TRY to keep in mind when praying. it goes like this:

~CHAT~

C- Confess-confess your sins FIRST, so that your heart is clean and pure before you pray. VERY refreshing.
H- Honor- simply...Honor Him. Obey Him, trust Him, involve Him in every aspect of your life. From the little piddly things to the REALLY big ones. He wants to be a part of it all!
A- Ask- ahhh, i'm pretty good at this one! i tend to ask, ask, ask. (mainly petty things). BUT instead, Ask Him for the desires of your heart, and hopefully those desires align with His that He has for your life (I pray for this often...that my own desires are the same as His or pray for Him to change my heart so that they do align.)
T- Thank- thank Him for who He IS, not JUST what he has DONE for YOU. let's not make it all about US. much easier said than done, i realize, but it's worth a try!
side note: **GREAT advice from great-grandmother ('Mamaw')- SELF is a crummy subject!!**
agreed. now, that's a WHOLE another subject. but something to think about.

try this out during your own prayer time and see how it goes! when I am going through something difficult (or what I consider difficult) my mom always sweetly reminds me...Go to the THRONE, not the PHONE! calling all your closest friends/family during a time of trial is not always the best solution. try "chatting" (praying) with God instead and see how peaceful you feel as a result. wonderful advice mom :)

maybe this little reminder will help your "chats" with God become more meaningful! let me know how it goes, good luck!

Scripture of the day:

To stick to the promised theme, I believe praying gives us HOPE. one of my favorite scriptures:  'Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my HOPE comes from him.' Psalm 62:5 

AND...    

'Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my HOPE is in you all day long.' Psalm 25:4-5

what better way to gain HOPE than through prayer to God?? 

happy monday!

fall favorites this friday!

just a little light post....thought I would share some of my favorite fall things!

God's creation! beautiful!

good 'ole starbucks

leave it to me to find a cute pastel fall outfit, i love my pastels-esp. this whole look!

and these two snuggle-y sweaters



                

to make the home smell cozy :)

precious!

MINI fall treats!how fun!(i love "mini" things)

stole this from my sister's pinterest...how cute would this be with a pair of great boots?!

 


and CUTE camo (hard to find!) for when I go deer hunting with the hubs!

ham delights-the most scrumptious tailgate treat-perfect for all those fall football games!

had to put a good "crock-pot" mac n' cheese on here! comfort food :)

crisp, clean fall look!

incredibly adorable!!!

and of course..pumpkin cupcakes, fall staple!

mustard is so in! (i think) well, either way i love it!

perfect pumpkins!

people that know me well know that i have a little "pillow problem" meaning i kind of LOVE them and use any excuse to get some new ones...well then of course you would need some fresh "fall" colored pillows! and I would choose these! :)

feel free to share some of YOUR fall favorites as well!! :)

happy weekend folks!

Scripture of the day:

Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,

which cannot be moved, but abides forever.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

so the LORD surrounds his people,

from this time forth and forevermore.'   Psalm 125:1-2