Getting Prepared ~ Showing my OCD tendencies {Giveaway}

***  Edited ~ The giveaway has been extended until June 26th at midnight ****
I am not married and I do not know the first thing about being a wife. I am hoping to get married soon. Well as soon as Dan pops the question that is. So while I am waiting I like to read about marriages and how to be a good wife. You know be prepared for the otherwise un-preparable.
The first time I heard about Marla Taviano was when I was reading another blog {The Simple Wife} and Joanne was talking about a friend who just wrote a book called From Blushing Bride to Wedded Wife. I thought that the book sounded interesting so I clicked on the link and found Marla’s blog.
I immediately became hooked on Marla due to her very personal super funny style of writing.
I ordered her book and read it cover to cover in just a few days.

I loved her perspective on being a wife, the hardships newlyweds face, and her honesty about her flaws as a new wife. She also discussed the dreaded topic of being a subservient wife. She changed my mind … completely!
So when Marla was talking about a new book she was writing I was intrigued!!
Then she started talking about what she was writing about … sex … from a husband’s perspective. I felt like I could not really relate but I wanted to help promote it.
She already wrote a book about sex from the wife’s perspective! I guess the guys didn’t want to be left out of the discussion.

In order to write her new e-book she surveyed real husbands … over a hundred of them … and received their honest answers about what they love about their wives, what they wish their wives knew about them, and their relationship with porn. Seriously, she asked the hard hitting questions.
I interviewed Marla about her new book and this is what she had to say about her new book The Husband’s Guide to Getting Lucky: Six Simple Steps to Great Sex with Your Wife.

Me: Why did you feel it was important to write this book?
Marla: Actually, I didn't really think it was important at first. I had no intention of writing a book for guys about sex. In my experience, guys aren't big readers, so I thought it would be a waste of time. And then I got several e-mails in a row from husbands almost begging me to write it, so I decided to give it a whirl. And I'm so glad I did.

Me: What was the most surprising responses you received? Did you feel like you knew what the responses would have been before the husbands even answered the survey?
Marla: I've been reading and writing and speaking about sex for quite awhile now, so sure, I had a pretty good idea what guys were going to say. But one question completely caught me off guard. #8--What is your relationship with pornography and how has this affected your marriage? I knew Christian guys weren't immune to porn, but I really had no idea how many wonderful, loving husbands have a real problem with it. The majority of them hate that they struggle with it and would give anything to get out of that trap. Hopefully I was able to offer a lot of hope to both husbands and wives in the book.

Me: What are you hoping that the wives take away from reading this book?
Marla: Well, technically, wives aren't supposed to be reading it. :) But I know they will be. I even wrote a little foreword for them in the book. A wife who reads this book is going to walk away knowing more about how her husband is wired and that sex for him is an important way for him to connect emotionally with the woman he loves (and is married to). She might even walk away feeling a little convicted of her own selfishness. But trust me, I didn't point any fingers at wives that I'm not pointing at my own little self too!

Me: What are you hoping that husbands take away from this book?
Marla: More than anything, I want them to know that there is hope for their marriage. That they and their wives really can bridge the glaring disconnect that's so common when it comes to sex. Knowing how your wife wants to be loved can go a loooooooong way toward making your marriage bed a rockin' place to be.

Don’t you just love her?! She really has a heart for God, marriages, and women.
So would you like to read her new e-book? Do you want to know more?
Head on over to the e-books website www.husbandsgetlucky.com.
You can go here to purchase your own copy for $4.99 which can then be downloaded to your IPad, Nook, Kindle, or even in PDF format for your computer.
OR …..
You can win a copy by leaving me a comment answering the following question …

What is your own personal definition of love?


So come on just leave a comment and enter to win. The comments will be open until midnight on June 26th.

Meet our Compassion Child and Summer Vacation ~ Day 5

I signed up to be a Compassion letter writer at the end of May. When I signed up I was told that it could take weeks and months to be assigned a child. I was hoping that it wouldn’t take months but I knew God would select a child for our family.
Then yesterday I went to the mailbox and inside was my Compassion packet. We got our child.
Meet Iradukunda Diane our Compassion child.

She is almost exactly one year older than Jacob.
We read through the packet getting to know Iradukunda. Jacob loved learning about her.

He loved hearing about how she had to get water and firewood for her family.
He said we just need to send her water so she doesn’t have to walk for miles to get dirty water. (I love his heart!!)
We both sat down and decided to write her our first letter.
Jacob found a school picture of himself to include with his letter.

I am sending along a card reminding her that we love her and that so does God.

We are going to mail them out today!!
God heard my prayers and gave us this wonderful little girl.
Words cannot describe how happy I am.

Getting Crafty!!

Ok so I try to be crafty. I am teaching myself to sew and also teaching myself some crafts that seem easy that I find from reading other blogs. So want to see what I have done?

I knew you would!!

I made this super huge, hold everything, and more bag. I found the tutorial here. It was so easy to follow and I think I did a fantastic job (if I do say so myself)!

The buttonholes were the hardest part but otherwise it was pretty easy.

Then I bought white metal stars but they matched the wall too much. So I had Dan spray paint them.

What do you think?

Then I had this great idea for a new memo board. A old frame, aqua paint, and yarn did the trick!

I am actually going to redo it because the yarn is not sturdy enough. But I love it for holding all of my wedding invitations (5 more until the end of the year).

Then we had this old coffee table and side table that I was not that happy with but they did the job. But then I got an idea and put Dan to work. I do not have a before picture but here is the after …

From this picture my house looks empty. Trust me it isn’t.

So that is how crafty I have been lately.

Does anyone else know an easy craft that I could do to spruce up my house or just one that is fun? Leave a comment I need more ideas!

Summer Vacation ~ Day 3 & 4

Isn’t summer supposed to be hot? Well in the Chicago area it is certainly not hot. It is barely warm so we have just been hanging out. So we have done Spin Art …

Beautiful right?!?!

Then today we decorated cupcakes.

We have also run to the grocery store … oh the fun. Actually today the grocery store was the least fun event ever. Jacob hit his chin and then whined the whole time about how he thinks it is broken and then Edie threw up 3 times on the floor. Gross!!

So here’s to hoping tomorrow is warmer, nicer, and involves no throw up!

Summer Vacation ~ Day 2

Oh boy was I cranky today. Last night there was a loud storm and no one seemed to get any sleep. When I woke up at 7 I expected Jacob to sleep for awhile but no he was up at 7:30. This is weird because when I would try and wake him up at 8 for school he would moan and cry.

As soon as I woke up I saw my patio table all tipped over and on the verge of crashing to the floor. So needless to say while it was lightning and raining buckets I was outside in my pajamas trying to straighten everything out.

I picked up my brother in the afternoon and we all went to the library.

Jacob got his new library card and then we looked at books. Jacob ended up getting the first book in the Boxcar Children series, James and the Giant Peach, and another book about vampires. (All I know is that when he starts reading it I am sure he will be sleeping in my bed. The very thought of vampires gives Jacob nightmares.)

Look how happy he is to get books … ha ha … not really.

Then when we got to the adult section I checked out some of my own books.

I checked out …

* Getting Your Kid on a Gluten-Free Casein-Free Diet by Susan Lord

*The G-Free Diet by Elizabeth Hasselbeck

*Gluten Free Girl by Shauna James Ahern

* Gluten-Free Baking by Rebecca Reilly

*The Kid-Friendly ADHD & Autism Cookbook by Compart and Laake

After the library we went to Whole Foods to see if I could find a mix for Gluten free bread. I ended up finding this …

I am planning on making it today.

After Whole Foods we came home. Matthew and Jacob watched Yes Man the movie starring Jim Carey.

I then cleaned up the house a little. Still cranky. No real reason why.

When Dan got home I decided I should probably make dinner.

I ended up making alfredo risotto with peas and chicken. It was so good and so easy to make. (It was even gluten-free!)

So day 2 wasn’t as good as day 1 but it was because I was cranky.

Here’s hoping that I snap out of my cranky mood for tomorrow.

Summer Vacation ~ Day 1

As a way of remembering each and every day during summer vacation I am going to hold myself accountable to posting something awe inspiring something every single day.

I cannot believe that the first day has already come and gone but boy did we sure make the most of it.

To be honest, we slept in. Jacob got scared in the middle of the night, from what I remember in my half awakened state, was that it had something to do with vampires. He made me sleep so restlessly that I had to move him back to his bed at 4:30 this morning. So needless to say we didn’t sleep well at night but we made up for it this morning.

We lazed around until noon and then we went to the pool.

Of course I forgot my camera but it was so nice. Jacob thought he was just going to hang out with me but when we got there a whole gaggle of his friends were already there. He was so excited. He dove, jumped, slided, and threw a ball until 4:30 when we had to leave.

I read the whole time well that was until I got too hot and had to jump in the pool myself.

Do you want to know what I was reading?? Of course you do!! Well I am currently reading On That Day Everybody Ate: One Woman’s Story of Hope and Possibility in Haiti by Margaret Trost. Let me tell you it is amazing and it is really pulling on my heart strings.

You can buy this book from the website by clicking here.

Oh how I long to be apart of something like this.

I will give a review once I have completed it.

Tonight was his last soccer practice of the season. Jacob’s dad is the coach and he organized a parents vs. kids game. It was so much fun even though it was so hot. The kids received their medals for participation. Jacob’s dad even dumped the entire water jug on Jacob.

This is the Tornadoes.

And this was after Jacob got soaked!

When we got back Jacob and I went on a bike ride.

I haven’t ridden a bike in more years than I can count. My butt hurts a little but I am sure I will get over it. It was so nice.

After the bike ride Jacob and I made cranberry & orange muffins for breakfast tomorrow. He read the instructions and pretty much made it himself.

Now we are eating Dairy Queen blizzards.

Seriously this was a fabulous day! I cannot wait for tomorrow.

What is Love?

I am pretty sure that love is one of the most "googled" words. And if you do happen to "google" it then you will see a plethora of definitions.

Why do people seem so confused about the meaning of love?

Here are just a few definitions I found when I "googled" ...

*Someone you would give your life for

*The perfect union of two souls

*The home you find in someone

*Finding someone who completes your puzzle

According to dictionary.com the definition of love is "a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person, a feeling of warm personal attraction".

The Bible also has specific criteria on what love is ...

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7.

Rick Warren says that " Love is making your problem my problem. Love is giving yourself to someone without any guarantee of getting anything back. Love is giving. You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. And love is giving a person what they need, not what they deserve."

I think that Rick Warren's definition is the best. I feel that it is accurate and truly describes what love is. Love is a choice.

Today I am choosing to love those around me that may not deserve it because I want to do what God does.

Know that you are loved!!

My 30th Birthday!!

Yesterday was my 30th birthday. To be honest I was not really excited to turn 30.

It really wasn’t about the number but it was more about the things I had yet to accomplish in my life. You know things that I felt like I should have done by 30 like get married, graduate college, and have more kids.

I do remember specifically thinking when Jacob was still a baby that I would meet a wonderful man, get married, and have more kids before I turned 30. Well that hasn’t happened.

Well some of it has happened. I have met a wonderful man but we are not engaged and there are no babies on the horizon until I say “I Do”.

Anyway, I am now 30 and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would have been. Actually, it was the best day I have had in a long time.

I woke up that morning and got Jacob ready for school. After I dropped him off I went to my Mom’s house. There waiting for me was a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

See …

Crazy beautiful!!!!

Thank you Mom!!

Then we headed into downtown Geneva to look around the Little Traveler and then eat lunch there.

The Little Traveler was wonderful! There were so many great things to see. All we ended up buying was different jams. My grandma got Lemon Curd. My Mom got orange marmalade and I got Apricot. I cannot wait for a slice of toast and apricot jam. {Don’t forget the butter!}

While we were walking back to the car we saw a super cute cupcake shop. So we went in. We all ended up sharing a vanilla cupcake with chocolate frosting. I typically do not like cupcakes but these were great. It was funny when we walked in a little girl {probably about 10 years old} told us that they were already sold out of the red velvet cupcakes. Then an extremely pregnant woman walked in and asked for red velvet and was sad when they said they were out. Obviously they must be that good if they are coming specifically for that kind of cupcake.

My Mom even bought me one to go, Raspberry Truffle.

She had to include a 30 candle. {Fyi, the cupcake looked way better than this but it survived this well after to hot car rides}

The cupcake shop is called The Latest Crave. So good and I highly recommend.

I picked Jacob up from school and then we had to rush home to get ready for a soccer game.

His team won which Jacob was very happy about.

Once we got home Dan was ready to take us out to dinner to continue my birthday celebration. We went to my favorite place, Olive Garden! Soup, salad, and Ravioli di portobella … Yum Yum Yum.

All in all it was an amazing day. I really felt loved and did not feel remotely old.

*** On a side note I read this blog post and I signed up.. So maybe I can fulfill some of the things I put of until later.