Celebrating Valentine's Day without Breaking the Bank.

Valentine's Day is quickly coming upon us as is the pressure to mark it in some fantabulous way for our dear ones.  Yes, I want to build memories of special celebrations but sometimes it is so hard to make a plan due to a lack of energy or finances but this year I think we have a winner.  I was able to get all the children something special at a consignment store or on amazon.  Bob the Builder for Brady, American Girl  books for Emry, Boz for Kensley and The Boys Doodle Book for Ayden.  I even bought candy at the dollar store but I put it in a really good spot and cannot find it.  I remember my mom doing this when I was young so I guess it is official,  I am turning into my mother.  I am still trying to think of some fun breakfast ideas, I'm leaning on trying these rolls by one of my favorite authors, Sally Clarkson.

So that is for the children but what about you and Jay?  Well, I am glad you asked.  We have some friends, who also have 4 children, volunteer to watch our four for the evening and we are going to take them up on the offer.

The Lopez Family from The Happenings of Jason and Jenn

So then we had to decide what to do, well stay home of course.  I don't think it is always necessary to feel like we have to eat out or leave the house to be on a date and honestly hubs and I are frequently disappointed when we eat dinner out because of the lack of quality meals.  On more than one occasion we have gone out to eat and left the restaurant disappointed because we spent our hard earned money on a bad meal.  So we are staying home on this date.  Jay and I discussed the menu and threw around filet and scallops, which we decided was not budget friendly for the pauper days we are in at the moment.  So chicken it is  but we will be splurging on mushrooms and marsala wine to make Grilled Marsala Chicken.  For dessert we will  be having French Silk Chocolate Pie.

Jay and I hiking Glacier Point @ Yosemite National Park--August 2011. Ignore the hair we were camping, sweating and not bathing.

So there you have it, our fantabulous Valentine's Day celebration on the cheap.

P.S. Pray I find the candy before Valentine's Day.

Favorite Foods

Today is the Completing Him Challenge #6 and it is about making one's husband a priority by making him his favorite foods.  I remember giving a client the advice to fix her husbands favorite dessert and share it with him after the children had gone to bed, hoping to show him that she really does care about him and desire to engage with him.  I remember our next session she came in grinning from ear to ear because her husband had loved the German Chocolate Cake, she was so proud that she had made him feel happy.

Jay's favorite dinner meal is Chicken and Dumplings.  I won't get to this, this week because it is so warm and the chicken is not thawed but we do eat it frequently when the weather is cold and he is always very appreciative..  I have tried from scratch dumplings and we CANNOT STAND THEM, so it is the one of 2 times that I turn to the trusty box of Bisquick.  Bisquick makes very yummy dumplings, you won't be disappointed.

Jay's favorite desserts are many, so I will share his first response.  Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake!  Well, this is a hard order to fill since the nearest Cheesecake Factory is 2 hours away but we will be stopping there next month on our trip to Napa.  He also likes anything custard, like Creme Brulee.

Now his favorite drink, I can serve him any old time and it is a big glass of milk.  EASY--one milk coming right up!

Join in--make your hubby;s favorite dinner, I'd love to hear about it.

Priorities

Today is post number 5 in the Completing Him Summer Challenge and it is about priorities.  Courtney suggests lising 5 priorities that I currently do and asking Jay to prioritize them according to what is important to him.  So I showed Jay my list this morning and he thought all of the things on my list were good but he had something else for me.  He was not able to prioritize my list but rather stated that his priority for me was to mentor and be mentored.  He feels that I should make a weekly date to get together with a friend for fellowship (and yes he acknowledged that he would have to watch the children).  Now this is not the answer I expected.  Here is my priority  list: working out, morning quiet time, Me time for reading and projects, the house and all that its running and maintenance entails, homeschool prep, children and of course Jay.  Now, this is being completely honest, the way I listed my priorities is also the way I tend to accomplish them--not good in some situations.  So the answer I was expecting from dear husband was something along the lines of "look I'm at the bottom" and here is how you can move me up a few bars.  In further discussion with Jay he said that he could not think of one thing I was currently doing that I should not be doing, so kudos for me.

So what do I do with his priority but pray because meeting one on one with a friend each week feels like a heavy burden, so I will be praying on how to accomplish this.  I know Jay's main motivation in this priority is that I would be refreshed by sweet fellowship and time away from home.  So what can I say, not many husbands say "ya, ya" to all the usual priorities and say "you need friend time."

I did ask Jay what he thought the priorities should be between he and I, so we looked at what we currently do together and what we use to do together and decided that we are tired and don't want to have to think once the children are in bed, so I don't know but we are having a getaway in August, just us.  Clearly, more discussion is needed in this area.

This was a great activity because it spurred us both to thinking about our lives and relationships.  I am definitly able to state my priorities and live them out, where as Jay, true to his personality can't clearly state his priorites but is very good at taking care of issues at hand.

It was also a great exercise because I think I need to re-prioritize a few items and define a few priorities more clearly.  For example, I think children should be higher on the list, even above homeschooling and I would like to spend more time enjoying them, playing with them and discipling/trainning them in all aspects of life.

What are your priorities?

How I Admire Thee, Let Me Count The Ways!

Today is Challenge #5 in the Completing Him Series at Women Living Well. Today I hope to make Jay smile by listing the things I admire most about him, thereby showing, that after almost 11 years I really still do like him. Liking him has always been our joke because when we talk about what initially drew us to one another he always says "you liked me." In the throws of raising young children we forget to show that "like" for one another, so honey let me count the ways:

You can fix anything, and I mean anything. If something breaks I know you will and can fix it, like our deck umbrella, thanks for not giving up.

You have stuck with consistently working out for the last 3 and1/2 years since finding P90x.

You frequently stop what you are doing to attend to my need for something to be fixed, like the vacuum or computer.

You are loyal.

You are reading books to the children and have taught them to pay attention to details.

Your the primary "bathman."

I've never clipped a child's toenail or cleaned a child's ear.

You like to cook.

You will walk, hike, bike or play with your family.

You bring home the "bacon." You do it faithfully and have never let us down.

You are a believer and walker in Jesus Christ.

You are responsible and make things happen.

You watch the children when I need to be alone.

You admire and find value in the Love and Respect Series.

You are married to me and all my moods, sighing and unpleasantness--thanks.

I am sure when I walk away I will think of many more things, so this is just a start--Are you smiling?

Praying For Your Husband

Today's Making Him Challenge is to ask your husband how you can pray for him on a daily basis--this is a daunting task if I do say so myself--everyday? I think we would both be worn out after one week of me asking that question. However, I do think it is important to ask and it lets your man know that you care about him and will be supporting him in prayer. Plus, prayer changes hearts. As we pray for someone our heart, thoughts and actions change toward them in a positive direction. I always ask the Lord to endear my heart toward the little and big people in this home because in the day to day life sometimes our sweet ones are not so dear. Come on, you know what I'm talking about. You know they are not so dear to your heart when they are stressed and don't know it, they make a water mess all over the kitchen floor for the little one to slip on and knock his head, when they are covered in Nutella or when they ask you the same thing for the who knows what number time. I pray that my heart would be softened and moved to serve with a heart guided by the Lord's spirit.



So I haven't yet asked Jay how I can pray for him today but I will. Back in January I came across this very useful tool in praying for Jay. It is a 31 day challenge to pray for your guy. I have prayed the verses several times in the past 6 months and it has helped me cover many overlooked areas in his life and mine. Give it a try. Don't be legalistic about it but use it as a jumping off point for prayers. I printed the list out and it is in my basket but I have carried it on walks and packed it for trips.

Now I am off to investigate a few more treasures on that same sight.

Happy Day!

Our wedding story

I am taking part in the Completing Him Summer Challenge. Today's challenge is to tell about our wedding day as I remember the importance of the vows we took.

Jay and I were married on August 6th, 1999, it was a Friday afternoon. On the morning of our wedding I was awakened by booming thunder and pouring rain--unbelievable. We typically get thunder showers in the afternoons but not early in the morning, it was 6A.M. We had planned an outdoor wedding at a private residence surrounded by towering pines and a peekaboo view of Lake Tahoe but it was not to be. We had to turn on the beautiful fireplace and move the ceremony indoors--it was more cozy and intimate than I could have imagined, a true blessing from the Lord. And oh goodness, the smell from all the flowers was amazing. Had we of had the wedding outdoors, amongst the pines and lake views, we would have missed the beautiful fragrance of the flowers. Jay still buys me Stargazer Lillies because the fragrance reminds us of the day we committed our lives to one another and I always think of him during summer thunder storms.

Our Wedding had 90 guests and we personally knew everyone in attendance. Jay sang, or shall I say attempted to sing, " I Will Be Here" by Steven Curtis Chapman but he could hardly choke it out through his tearful emotion. I forgot my self and as I hugged him,I kissed him through my vail which got quite a laugh from our friends and family. As I stood at the front I was sure to look around and savor the flowers and moments of this special day, as they were so quickly passing by. It was a beautiful ceremony and we could not have been happier.

At our reception we had an open mic for everyone to share bits or advice or memories of us and we treasure that in our hearts. My dad made the favors, chocolate chip cookies, with his "secret ingredient," my mom made the ivy topiary center pieces and we cut our cake with the same knife my parents used to cut their wedding cake. After a time of worship we were off to our honey moon in Grand Cayman.




It has been almost 11 years since we said I Do--4 children later, 1 lost baby, family discord, a year of fighting and not understanding, dishes in the sink, struggles to communicate, financial hardship, an unknown future I'd still pick you. I'd still pick you until death do us part because I love you, God purposed it in my heart, I said I would, 4 children later, trips to Grand Cayman, tea with honey, games, Food Network, the Amazing Race, The Biggest Loser, working out, hiking, walks, bike rides, thunderstorms, your protection and your loyal heart. Thanks sweetie, it will always be worth it "until death do us part."

Completing Him Summer Challenge #1

I am going to participate in the Completing Him Summer Challenge hosted by the blog Women Living Well. It is a challenge anyone can participate in whether you have a blog or not. I would love to see all of your thoughts, photos or stories on Facebook as well. So join in and invest in your marriage this summer.

This is my first post and it is our "how it all began" story.

Jay and I met in the Summer of 1998 at Calvary Chapel of Truckee. One June evening a friend and I went to the movies and on the way home I asked her about Jay. I had seen him at church many times and he seemed to be the only eligible bachelor around. He seemed stable, good job, he had a house, was handsome and loved the Lord. The following Sunday I was introduced to him 2 times by 2 different people. After that Jay started coming to the young adult bible study I was having at my house. We could talk about anything and he often brought a cake or blonde brownies to share with the group. The summer went by and we did group activities and went mountain biking a few times. On one of the rides no one else came so it was just he and I. We got lost and got stuck in a horrible rain storm. When we got back to my apartment we were soak and full of mud. I lent him some dry clothes and we had dinner. The next week I am was sitting in church and in walks Jay wearing my clothes again--STRANGE. He still says he wore them because they weren't dirty yet. A few week later over Chi tea He asked so "what do you say when people ask what is going on with us?" I said I don't know what do you say?" I think " I like you a lot" was the response.



One of our first dates was to Safeway to buy boneless skinless chicken breasts. He saw they were on sale and picked me up to go buy me some in exchange for the full bottle of ketchup in my cupboard. I know such romance.

Another date was to Dairy Queen 2 minutes before they closed.

After 2 weeks I knew we were going to get married so 3 months later, in December we got engaged--now that is a story, but maybe next week.



It is strange to look at old pictures--Jay had what I friendly call "helmet" hair and I just had a lot more of it than I do after babies