One Fabulous Year of Marriage

It was one year ago today that Nathan and I stood before our family, friends, and most importantly God to promise to love one another in the way that God commands. It was an amazing day that I believe I will never forget! Throughout our first year of marriage, it has been evident that we are two imperfect people, but as we continue to seek God for guidance and strength to love one another as He commands, His grace abounds and we continue to fully enjoy our marriage! If someone would have asked me a year ago where we would would be now, I doubt that my answer would have even come close to describing where we are in our relationship with one another and with God today. The more that we seek His purpose for our lives and seek to fulfill the marital roles He has laid before us, the more we are blessed with His grace and mercy.

It has been an honor to be Nathans help meet. I am so thankful for his daily love, support, patience, grace, and guidance. As I have said before, in his very nature, he builds me up. This year has been greater than I could have ever imagined and I am eager to see what our future holds.

I had to include a few of my favorite memories from our wedding day...

A quick picture before our celebration dinner.

Works for Me Wednesday: Asking Myself Tough Questions

Sometimes growth requires that I ask myself tough questions. Asking tough questions works for me!There have been so many times in my life when I have discovered God's Truth and I was left with tough questions.

Questions like...

• Am I willing to die to self (my desires, recognition, plans, etc.) and live for His purpose?
• Am I willing to live according to his word even if it is completely contrary to what society sees as normal?
• Are worldly concerns (money, pride, acceptance, etc.) keeping me from doing what I know God is calling me to do?
• Do I trust that God will work through my husband if I step out of the way, pray for him, and let him lead me?
• Do I believe that my role as a wife and mother is a high calling, worthy of my time and energy?
• Does it matter to me if those around me know Jesus as their personal savior?
• Do I love God more than anything else?

I continue to ask myself these tough questions (and many others- I think I could fill a whole page with "tough" questions) over and over again. Some of them I must ask myself daily, while others I have answered and simply struggle to live out. I like to ask these tough questions because they require me to search my heart, search scripture, determine what I believe, and take action.

A few weekends ago, I had the opportunity to listen to a series of messages on biblical womanhood by Voddie Baucham. God's call to women is truly amazing! I am always baffled as I study His call for me as a wife and mother. I encourage you all to take the time to listen to this series. It is both challenging and encouraging. The question below comes from this series. I am continuing to learn the beauty of biblical femininity and I think this is a great practical question that we can ask ourselves on a regular basis.

"To what aspect of my person am I drawing attention by the way I act and dress and does it bring honor to God?"

Learning...

"Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:30

"...but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God." 1 Peter 3: 4

"For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." 2 Corinthians 2:13

"Your adornment must not be merely external--braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands; just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear." 1 Peter 3: 3-6

Recipe Share: Cresent Roll Chicken Pockets

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! We had a busy but fun-filled weekend. On Friday night we discovered our new favorite "date night" activity. We went to a local coffee shop and played Yahtzee while we sipped on some delicious coffee. Playing games with your love makes for an excellent night :). On Saturday, I went to a children's consignment sale with a good friend and found some great buys to include a "used once" Snuggi (a back-pack like holder for children) for $10. Saturday night, some dear friends helped me sew Judah's crib skirt and bumper. It took us from around 7pm to 2:30am, but it looks awesome! I am so thankful that they helped me with this project because it was a bit more difficult than I thought it was going to be.

I had to show you all this cute picture of the boys on the way to church. I love how children lighten the mood. How can you not smile and thank God when the laughter of children fills your home because your husband is chasing them around the house like a mad man or when these precious boys are sitting in your backseat counting to 200 in perfect harmony? They bring us so much joy!
And now the recipe....

My sister-in-law introduced me to these tasty chicken pockets! The recipe is very simple and the chicken mixture can be made in advance and refrigerated until you are ready to bake these delicious pockets.

CRESCENT ROLL CHICKEN POCKETS

• 6 oz. cream cheese, softened
  
• 4 T. milk
• 2 T. butter, softened
• 4 cups cooked diced chicken
• 2 T. minced onion
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• dash of black pepper
• 2 cans (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
  
• Optional- Italian Bread Crumbs

* I use low-fat cream cheese and crescent rolls and it still tastes great!

Preparation -
Mix the softened cream cheese, milk, and softened butter together and beat until smooth. Add the cooked diced chicken, finely chopped celery, minced onion, salt, and pepper. Mix well, then set aside. Separate each can of the crescent dough into 4 rectangles. (Do not separate it into 8 triangles as directed on the can for dinner rolls. Press the extra perforations together to seal.) Spoon about one half cup of the cream cheese/chicken mixture on to the center of each piece of dough. Fold the dough in half over the chicken. Pinch the edges of the dough together to seal. Place the filled pockets on an ungreased cookie sheet. Brush the top of the dough with the melted butter. *Optional- sprinkle with italian breadcrumbs. Bake in a preheated oven at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. This recipe makes 8 chicken pockets.

Enjoy cooking for your loved ones this week!

Early Anniversary Cruise

Nathan and I just returned from our Early Anniversary Cruise! We spent 5 wonderful days on a Carnival cruise that traveled to Cozumel and Calica. It was such a fun and relaxing trip. We are so thankful that we were able to go on this awesome cruise. Here are a few picture highlights from our trip. Enjoy!

I was able to enjoy a couple good books during the trip. I can't wait to tell you all about them. Have any of you all read "Family Driven Faith"? GREAT READ!

Our first stop was in Cozumel, Mexico. We spent most of the day browsing the shops. We didn't buy a single thing, but we had fun checking out the sites.
While in Cozumel, the shops would do almost anything to get you to enter. This particular shop offered pictures with a giant snake. I ran from the scary thing, but Nathan had to hold it ;).
Our next stop was Calica, Mexico. We took a one hour bus ride to the Mayan Ruins at Tulum. It was absolutely beautiful! The ruins actually backed up to the Caribbean, so we were able to enjoy the ruins and the refreshing water. The tour guide warned us that it was hot in Tulum and he was absolutely right. We were both soaking wet after hiking up and down the hills of the ruins. I had Nathan take plenty of pictures of me hiking so that I had proof that I enjoyed the Mayan Ruins at almost 24 weeks!


On the "formal" dinner night, I wore my wedding day necklace to celebrate our anniversary. We will celebrate one fabulous year in just a couple weeks!!!

I had to show you all this picture of Nathan on stage at one of the large entertainment events. Nathan was quite a ship stud. He was called onto the stage to play this cheesy game on our first night and was picked out of the audience to dance on another night (just for the record, he didn't volunteer on either night)! He also won several ship medals for his awesome ping-pong skills and charm. I was one proud wife.

His Name...

And his name will be....

Judah Benjamin

The hold up was certainly on the selection of his middle name. After much thought and consideration, we decided to give Judah Nathans granddaddy's middle name, Benjamin. There is something so special about giving your child a family name. We both admire granddaddy and we hope that Judah will know how special it is to carry on this family name.

Doctor's Visit Update...

We had a doctors appointment this past Thursday. During the ultrasound, they took lots of measurements and looked at all of Judah's organs. They said that he appears to be growing normally and all of his organs are working properly, including his heart which sounded awesome. We are both very thankful for this GREAT NEWS! They also confirmed once again that Judah is definitely a boy. We couldn't seem to get a good picture of his face, but he was constantly showing us that he is indeed a boy!

Nursery Sneak Peak...

As I mentioned previously, I plan to have a vintage theme in Judah's nursery. Vintage seems to fit perfect for us because we enjoy finding old things at thrift/antique stores and in our parent's attics, and we love a good deal. So, here's the plan thus far...

Furniture: We are using our nephew's crib (thank you, thank you). I purchased a tall vintage looking bookshelf from a thrift store last week. The bookshelf will probably be painted and distressed. Nathan's parents gave us their old glider (it is in great condition, thank you!). The only furniture item we still need to purchase is a dresser. I plan to find a used long dresser that is a good height to place a changing pad on. The dresser will be painted and distressed as well. Colors TBD (I am thinking red, baby blue, white with brown glaze, black, etc.)

Bedding: I plan to make Judah's bedding (I am only making the crib skirt and bumper). I was able to get some great deals at our local fabric store and I ordered two other fabrics online (ebay and fabric.com).

Here is the vintage fabric that will be patch-worked in with a red ticking tripe, two shades of blue cotton (baby blue and a brighter blue), and white chenille to create the bumper. The crib skirt will most likely be the red ticking stripe. You can see the red ticking stripe and blue fabrics in the picture below.

Other decor: We have simply been collecting vintage or vintage looking items from different antique, thrift, and discount stores. In fact, we started collecting these items before we even knew I was pregnant. Nathan's mom also gave us some of Nathan's old nursery decor which will work perfectly in baby Judah's vintage style nursery (apparently 30 year old items look vintage). Needless to say, I haven't spent much at all and I feel like I have several great items.

Here are all of the small decor items we have collected thus far (minus the cute little outfit I received as a gift). I am proud to say that I got the globe for free! Long story, but I love a free item.

Nathan's mother cross-stitched this for Nathan when he was a baby. Isn't this poem adorable!

I painted this with some friends last week. Painting parties with friends are so much fun! I love this verse. I can't wait to explain it to Judah. Even before you were formed in my womb, God knew you and he has big plans for you!

Works for Me Wednesday: TP Snob No More

My name is Stephanie and I am a recovering Toilet Paper (TP) snob. I have always been the thrifty type (okay, I am cheap), but I have never been willing to sacrifice my TP quality to save a penny. For years, I have purchased either Charmin or Quilted Northern. When I thought of cheap TP, I visualized trying to wipe with a rough piece of paper that you could virtually see through (I know, a little too visual) . So, I continued in my TP snob ways and refused to even consider purchasing one of the much cheaper off-brands.

Well, a few weeks ago, I decided to take a risk by at least checking out cheaper TP options. Frankly, I was sick of paying $14 to $17 for TP (gasp), so I carefully looked at the off-brand toilet paper in the store and tried to convince myself that it looked just as soft and thick as my usual Charmin which costs almost double. After carefully considering what I was risking (the visuals were hard to overcome), I took the plunge and purchased a 12 pack of the Great Value (Walmart brand) Ultra Strong Bathroom Tissue for only $6.45.

I am happy to report that I have not been disappointed with my purchase. So far, I haven't noticed a significant difference in the quality between my trusty Charmin and my new GV brand TP. I am kicking myself for not trying one of these off brands sooner! Now, I would caution you all not to purchase the cheapest TP at the grocery store. All off-brand TP's are not created equal. If I would have continued to go down the aisle, I could have found TP for even cheaper, but I don't think it would be worth my savings. So, for now, I will plan to continue to purchase the GV Ultra Strong Bathroom Tissue until a cheaper brand proves itself to me. If you are TP snob, I encourage you to break the chains by trying this brand of TP or another similar off-brand. It works for me!
* I do not receive any compensation for recomening this brand or anything else on my blog. I am just sharing what works for me.

Enjoy being thrifty for your family this week :)!