Think about such things

For more Word Filled Wednesday visit Internet Cafe Devotions!

Growing in Love

I’ve been married for a little over 6 months and I definitely have learned many new things about marriage and my husband. I have a feeling that I will never stop learning and working to have the best marriage we possibly can.

Here are 5 things I have learned over the course of the “newlywed” stage of our marriage:

1. Becoming “We” takes a long timeNot that I assumed that we would just be “one” the second we took our vows, but I didn’t realize how hard it is to change my mindset from me and you to we. I still am selfish and think about myself first a lot more than I should. I have really tried to put Paul into the head of our household role, but sometimes I can play a nasty game of tug and pull. I heard a study once that marriage takes about 7 years to change from a “you and me” mentality to a “we” mentality.

2. Never keep score I learned this all important lesson right away. Paul and I attended a marriage conference about a week after getting married. This “rule” from the conference really stuck with me. I can’t except him to do the dishes since I did last time. If I kept score of every time I did the chores, paid the bills, went home to visit his family, but threw it in his face when things didn’t go my way, then EVERYTHING would be a fight. Not keeping score helps lessen the “battles” that really aren’t even necessary or important.

3. Compromise I love hanging out with my husband, with people in general. I am used to have a gaggle of girls and guys around all the time. In college our apartment was always a-buzz with activity. People playing games, coming over for pizza, chilling and watching movies. I got really used to barely ever being alone.My husband is VERY independent. I think he would be alone for a week and be perfectly fine. We have compromised quite well on this, but sometimes it is still a struggle. I want more attention, he needs some space. Sometimes we just have to give in and give each other more time together or more space, but if we both constantly fought about this, we would not be happy.

4. Learn each others Love Languages I read the 5 Languages of Love book when Paul and I started dating. I immediately knew what my love language was, quality time, but it took me until we got married and moved in together to figure out what Paul was. Paul is acts of service, which, frankly, sucks. I hate cleaning. Lol…sometimes I get a “bug in my pants” and clean the whole house, but I can’t help feeling that cleaning is the biggest chore EVER. I am tired after work and don’t want to spend hours doing laundry, washing dishes, vacuuming, and dusting. BUT, Paul feels more love from me when I keep his “castle” clean. So, I clean, I make his dinner and make sure he is well taken care of. Even though it is not always my favorite, Paul is my favorite. But man, some days I really wish he love language was gifts or affirmation, that would be a whole lot more fun!

5. Grace This I got from Mommy on Fire’s list, but I totally agreed with it. Holding grudges is only going to make for a short, unhappy marriage. Paul and I are learning to forgive. He likes to be more stubborn about mistakes, but he is learning that it isn’t good at all for our marriage. We are also learning not to bring up the past mistakes. No one is perfect, but love is. We need to love each other, fill each other with forgiveness and love even when we don’t feel like it.

101 in 1001 project

This is in my 101 in 1001 project. I started it a while ago and have about a year left. It is awesome to put a date on things on your "bucket list" so they change from I will...to I have to :)

Check out my list, hope it inspires you to do some of the things you have always wanted to but put on the back-burner!

My 101 in 1001 List
 -completion July 6, 2011

 Inspiring my Cooking

1. Bake a "Martha Stewart-style" cake for scratch

2. Take a cooking class

3. Learn to bake at least three desserts from scratch (3/3)  

4. Host and make Thanksgiving dinner all by myself for my family

5. Host a dinner party

6. Make homemade ice cream

7. Learn to cut veggies like a chef

8. Make a bottle of wine

9. Make homemade granola bars

10. Eat five things I have never tried before (5/5)

Enriching my mind

1. Read at least one new book every month

2. Visit a winery

3. Make a list of 25 things I like about myself and keep it somewhere I can see it

4. Plant a tree

5. Learn to tie a tie

6. See 10 plays/productions (3/10) (phantom of the opera, rent, Mystere)

7. Participate in the 26 things project

8. Put together a photography portfolio

9. Create and stick to a budget for at least 6 months (0/6)

10. Join Weight Watchers and go to meeting for at least a month

11. Vote knowledgably in the 2008 general election

12. Invent something

13. Save enough money to afford a vacation

14. Make one day a month totally TV free 

15. Make one day a month totally internet free (other than at work) 

16. Have more patience

17. Stop cursing – go at least a week  (7/7)

18. Pay off credit card - Getting so close

19. Pay off loan

20. Renew passport

21. Have a herb/veggie garden

22. Visit 5 new major cities (3/5)

23. Send someone flowers

24. Go scuba diving

25. Finish all 101 of my goals in 1001 days 

26. Go to the library at least once a month

Stimulating my creativity

1. Publish something (letter to the editor, poem, article, story)

2. Make a quilt 

3. Take a dance class

4. Learn how to embroider
5. Make a piece of jewelry that I’ll actually wear

6. Buy an original piece of local artwork 

7. Make a quote book with all my favorite sayings

8. Watch Casablanca

9. Document as many of my 101 goals with a photograph as possible

10. Have my photos in a gallery show

11. Write a novel

12. Write a children’s story

13. See all of Johnny Depp’s movies

14. Learn how to play the guitar

15.Create and sew an outfit

16. Watch all the Star Wars movies in one sitting

17. Send at least 3 secrets to Postsecret (0/3)

18. Go to an art gallery or exhibit at least once per year

19. Finish a intermediate jigsaw puzzle

20. Make a list of 50 things that make me happy

21. Write a blog entry every week on the status of my 101 experience

22. Level my mage to 70 on World of Warcraft

23. Participate in NoJoMo again

24. Make a bracelet to remind me of my 101 list

25. Make a duvet cover for my down comforter

26. Take a photography or Photoshop class

Stimulating my social life

1. Make new friends

2. Throw a surprise party

3. Host a game night

4. Attend a pro-football game

5. Kiss someone under the mistletoe

6. Compile and organize holiday card list

7. Call a friend at least once per week 

8. Write at least 10 “snail mail” letters 

9. Plan a girl’s weekend

10. Contact my step-brother s at least once a month 

11. Go on vacation with Paul

12. Go camping

13. Go to a pumpkin patch

14. Get back in touch with three old friends

Awakening my spiritual life

1. Read through the entire bible (New Testament down!)

2. Volunteer

3. Pay for someone behind me in the drive-thru

4. Get involved at a church in the area or ministry God leads me to

5. Pray every day

Motivating my being
 1. Don’t drink pop for thirty days straight

2. Find a better skin care routine that works

3. Read a healthy eating book

4. Clean my car really well before winter

5. Do a deep cleaning of my living space

6. Organize closet by colors

7. Organize recipes into recipe card box

8. Use reusable grocery bag every time

9. Start recycling at home

10. Don’t buy anything I don’t really need

11. Get my teeth whitened

12. Get to a healthy weight (140-150) 

13. Get another tattoo

14. Get a massage

15. Work out at least once a week, increase to more

16. Do not eat out for 30 days in a row (0/30)

17. Drive the speed limit for one day (all day long)

18. Use WiiFit every day for a week (0/7)

19. Get a manicure

20. Get a pedicure

Product Sample Saturdays

Welcome to a brand new Saturday event! Product Sample Saturday!

I am one of those people who HAS to make sure that what I am buying is worthwhile, especially when it is more expensive. I am an avid researcher, I check out review on Target, Amazon and Google. I don't want to be disappointed.
So I figure who better to share information on products than people who I trust, who I know are "set up" to give us information to entice us to buy.
Please join me every Saturday and share the products you really enjoy, whatever they be. Cooking, beauty, entertainment, religious good, ect. Whatever your heart desires!

And here comes the products reviews:

This is the Gillette Fushion ProGlide Razor. Made for Men, but great for corse girly legs. I have HUGE issues with razor burn so when I saw the commerical for this razor I knew I needed to try it. I loved it! It didn't even feel like I was shaving. And the biggest plus, NO razor burn!

bareMinerals! I can't tell you how much I love this makeup! The best part is that it is all-natural and doesn't give me acne! I tried other mineral makeup, but they were full of fillers that caused zits. Yucky, yucky zits. Since I started using bareMinerals my face has been amazing! Only the occasional zit during my menstrual cycle. It is quick, easy and looks like my face, not caked on. I bought mine at Sephora, but you can get it on the bareMineral site or the Home Shopping Network has great deals too!

This is one of those products I researched a lot before I went to buy it. This is the Zeno Hot Spot. It uses heat right on the zit to dissolve it. I was super impressed, I get these deep down zits that finally surface, but with the Zeno Hot Spot I can zap them a couple times and they disappear and never turn into an actual zit! Love it! It is super portable and cute too!

Fishy fishy

This morning I woke up with a pounding migraine. I swallowed some pills, downed a Diet Coke and waiting for the pain to subside. I decided to go have rest against the fish tank while I let the medicine seep into my blood stream.

On of our beautiful fish swam up really close and eyeballed me. All I could think is how amazing of Creator is! I mean, look at all the detail in this one little fish. AMAZING! We are blessed!  

No matter how much pain I was in at that moment, and even though the light hurt my eyes, there is no denying God is real, God is good, God is super creative!

I'll just go pout

I am so horribly cranky right now. I don’t really have a distinct reason, although any of these reasons could make the situation a little less joyful:

• Construction at work – hammering, sawing, screwing, pounding, ALL DAY LONG for the last SEVEN months
• Stress with the files to get done at work, end of the month, co-workers going on vacation in a very busy time
• My “friend” is in town for the week
• I didn’t get a ton of sleep last night
• The phone won’t stop ringing, the emails keep coming

And yet, I know better. I constantly preach that “attitude is a choice.” I fully believe this. I can easily wipe this scowl off my face, but for some reason sulking in my crappy pants seems like a better idea right now.

My couch is calling, a movie, meatloaf sandwich and maybe some puzzle games on the Internet will make life better. I am ready for the weekend, let the rain come because I won’t have any outside duties calling. I think I need some extra lazy time, extra sleep and time to read my bible.

Awe…venting seems to help a little. People, I think I will make it J Only a few, ok like 40 minutes, but then I can go home, take off my heels and rest this tootsies on my cushy couch.

Theme Thursday - Triangle

Last night I sat on the deck with my friends, every Wednesday night 5 sets of couples rotate houses, grill, play games outdoors and chat. We laugh till we cry, enjoy spending time outdoors and try not to get eaten alive by the mosquitoes.

So for today’s Theme Thursday I couldn’t think of anything more fitting than a wedge of fresh, juicy watermelon! Enjoy!

Speak

For more Word Filled Wednesday visit the Internet Cafe Devotions

Scars and Stilettos book tour

Blog Tour Post 

Scars and Stilettos was an amazing book, but in a sad way. The pain and heartache that Harmony Dust had to go through before she met the Lord was heart wrenching to read.

Harmony Dust wrote this book about her life, her entry into the world of stripping, and finally, the happy ending of finding the hope and forgiveness the Lord gives.

I have never myself understood why girls would want to choose stripping for a profession. Harmony’s stories made me realize how the girls who end up stripping are desperate for something, whether it is money, attention or believing that is the best they can do. Almost all of the girls Harmony worked with came from some sort of horrible childhood.

I spent the weekend in Vegas last weekend. As you walk down the streets there are advertisements for girls for hire. People stand out on the street and try to force cards with half naked women on them, saying to “call for a good time.” It is easy to just look the other way, to head onto our destination, ignoring all the advertisements. But, after reading this book I couldn’t help but want to scream from the rooftops about how awful the life of a stripper is. How these girls are gifts from God, treasures. They are more than sex symbols that guys should sit and watch and throw money at. They have mothers, families and sometimes children. They are people, they are souls, and they are much more than bodies.

The front of the book has a quote from Holly Wagner that states, “You will want to get a copy for every person you know.” It is SO true. I want everyone that I know what Harmony went through. But more importantly, I want everyone to know about the grace and forgiveness Harmony found. She found the amazing grace, the salvation we all are given, but need to choose.

Read this book, share this book, and if you can, help Harmony’s non-profit called Treasures. This girl is making a huge effort to gain for the kingdom, starting in just the place she found herself at the bottom. 

(This is a repost from earlier this month, the book was great I wanted to make sure no one missed the review)

Walking by Faith

“One of Eve’s biggest mistakes was she stopped and started to think about what Satan was saying and it made sense to her. Not everything God tells us makes sense but that’s where faith comes in. We need to learn to be lead by our hearts and not our heads.”

by Joyce Meyers

I pre-started reading the 90 Challenge (I just couldn’t wait lol). So I am about all the way through Genesis. I read through Genesis earlier this year, but when I was re-reading it for the challenge I couldn’t help but wonder why Eve would want to even eat the apple.

Further on in Genesis the people are building a tower to reach to the Heavens so they could “be like God.” This blows my mind. I have no desire to be God, none at all. He has a BIG job and I don’t see how that much fame and fortune would benefit me.

I know that I often don’t understand things in the Bible, and in life, but I have to know that everything happens for a reason. To me it seems horrible that our existence needs to start with such a huge sin, the first sin that became sin in all of us. I don’t get it at all. Wouldn’t it have been easier if Eve just never knew about the tree or if there was no tree at all?

I digress…but God works in ways I could never imagine. Further on still in Genesis Abraham is asked to sacrifice his son Isaac. My thoughts are that God is crazy and Abraham is too! I don’t understand why God needed to test Abraham this way, there must have been a more tactful way right? I mean seriously, can you imagine being Isaac, wondering where the ram is for the sacrifice and then realizing that your own Father is going to murder you? Uff-da.

But, Abraham was lead with his heart. He trusted God and probably in the back of his mind knew that God would protect Isaac. That is faith.

I have no desire to be God, because there is just way more to God than I will ever understand. I am daily being reminded that I won’t understand what is going on and why. I have to just “walk by faith” and know that I will understand later, that God is guiding us and will always be there.

For more "In Other Words" please visit today's host The Writing Canvas

Contest Winner!

The Fruit of the Spirit bracelet winner is Hannah at Life as We know it!! Comment number 13!






Random Number Generator
Min: Max: Result:13Powered by RANDOM.ORGThanks so much everyone for participating! There will be another contest soon!

Standing out

One of my favorite fellow bloggers wrote this on her site this past weekend.  

“It's easy to feel super-spiritual when we are by ourselves; however, once we are around people for a while, it becomes painfully obvious that we still have a lot of growing to do.”

Her post was more about how we need to learn from others, but this sentence hit me in an entirely different way.

I feel Christian at home, I feel like I am close to God, modeling Christ, learning.

But, I get around people who do not have the same relationship with God that I do, and the significance of that relationship can easily pass away.

I definitely don’t do anything that I find morally offensive, but I tend to be in the group when things are happening. I can get caught up in the gossip, start the complaining.

I want to be different than those around me. I want to stand out from the crowd, to let the light I have been given shine through.

But, it is easy to blend into the background. To be the same as everyone around me.

It is hard to not go along with the crowd because I would be left out, left behind. But we were not called to be the same as everyone else.

I am not going to give up my friends, but I am going to be an example when I am around those who do not have the same relationship as I do.

It is easy to write this on my blog, but it is going to be SUPER hard to do this in my “real” life when a lot of my friends don’t have a personal relationship with God. I have a lot of friends who believe in God, but aren’t really striving to deepen their relationship.

I need to be the light; my relationship needs to make those around me want what I have.

Man, this is going to be hard, because for so long I have just blended, I haven’t really caused a stir, but I don’t want to feel guilty for just hanging out in the background.

I need to separate myself from situations I know are not right, not pleasing. I need to stand up for those around me and let them know that I am a Christian, because, sadly, some of my friends do not know that.

Please pray for me. I am really convicted to make a change, and I know it is going to be hard. I need to walk the walk and talk the talk. Because just simply being, but not participating, is not going to make a difference in anyone’s lives, including my own.

⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

Twister

It is amazing how life can change in an instant. Wednesday night I was awoken by loud thunder. I laid in bed for the rest of the early morning, unable to fall back asleep, watching the strobe-light lightening, listening to the pounding rain and boastful thunder. But, when I crawled from my bed the rest of the day was just like the day before. There were a lot of extra leaves on the ground, but nothing too amazing.

During work one of the radios went off with that high-pitched whistle that alerts listening that something is very wrong. The monotone weather man reported tornado cells ranging all over northern North Dakota and Minnesota. It was sunny, yet very windy, in Fargo.

I was watching the news when I got home and realized how close the storm was to both my parents. I called my mom. She was in her basement, the storm raging above her. She was about 7 miles from disaster. Safe, but barely.

Mom ran into work to check on the store once the storm had passed. She was blown away by what she saw. Houses were demolished. The high school was in the line of the tornado. The community center was completely destroyed, large parts of metal twisted like they were a candy wrapper.

All this happened while I was sitting at Green Mill, eating dinner and laughing with an old friend. Our lives were exactly the same, but for people in Wadena, MN, theirs were completely different. There were a few tragic losses in the major storm cells and many injuries. There will be a lot of rebuilding.

Storms so close to home have to remind you that we are just a mist here. We don’t know when it is our time to die. We need to be living each day for the right reasons, sharing the love and grace of God, and making sure we don’t waste the precious time we are given.

Please keep Minnesota and North Dakota in your prayers and they recover. There were 35 sighted tornado touch downs in the state.

All photos are from the Wadena Pioneer Journal.

Hungry

I would like to introduce you to my sister! She is new to blogging and is working on a blog called Hungry. She is a godly woman who is very passionate about God, reading the bible and other adventures. She loves hiking up mountains and cooking too!

Stop on over today, tell her Hi and welcome her into the blog world!

Fruit of the Spirit Giveaway

Today is a SUPER special day here on Thirsty! It is my first GIVEAWAY!

The prize is a Fruit of the Spirit bracelet!

I wear one on my wrist to constantly help remind me to grow daily in the Fruit of the Spirit. Good days and bad I can look down at my wrist and be reminded of the gentle molding from our Savior. He is with us and working in us to make us the human beings we were created to be!

There are 4 (FOUR!!!) ways to get entered to win this beautiful bracelet!

1-       Leave a comment on this post!

2-       Follow my blog, and then leave a comment that you are a follower (If you already are a follower leave a second comment right away that you are a blog follower!)

3-       Follow me on Twitter, then come back and leave a comment letting me know you follow me on Twitter!

Last but not least:

4-       Enter a post on your blog about the giveaway! Then come back and comment with the link to your blog! I will make sure to mention your post when I announce the winner!

The winner will be announced on Sunday at 8pm Central time! I am so super excited for one of you lucky readers to get this bracelet! It is dainty enough to wear every day, but the message it brings means more than the jewelry ever could!

For more WFW visit Internet Cafe Devotions

Exposure

Yesterday I sat outside, looking at the nature around me, the God created nature. It is perfect, He made everything work so well together, fit together, consistently grow and live.

I couldn’t help but wonder why I wasn’t made perfect. I feel like I constantly struggle against my sinful nature. I want to embody Jesus’ spirit, his lifestyle. I want to live a “Jesus Manifestation” life. But yet, it is a struggle daily. Thoughts creep in, words pop out, and bad choices get made. I get lazy, I skip church, and I get annoyed with my husband. Sometimes I just wish I would have a perfect disposition. I want to always be happy, always be encouraging, and always be compassionate. I want to never be annoyed with others, impatient, unkind, lacking self-control and many other bad traits I possess.

I want the fruit of the Spirit to be my first instinct.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Yet, often times I feel like I embody Galatians 5:19-21 more often.

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

I can honestly say there is a lot on that list that I detest, but there is also a lot on that list I am guilty of. Discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, envy, yup – those can describe me in more than one moment of my life.

“Sin crouches at our doors, looking for fault lines, searching for a point of entry into our hearts and souls. Which is why it’s so important to allow God to expose and confront the cracks in our characters.”

by Joanna Weaver

But I have to remember that the reason I am imperfect is so that I realize how I cannot become Christ-like on my own. I need His strength, His guidance. God is molding me. I am his clay. He has to show me my cracks, my impurities, my faults, so I realize that I am faulted.

Knowing that sin is there, knowing there is temptation is the only way to protect ourselves. As much as I want to be perfect, I know that I would be lacking knowledge necessary to survive in this evil world. It took me a long time to realize this, but I do now. God really knows what He is doing!

For more In Other Words visit today's host Chocolate and Coffee

A girls guide to life

Mothers of pre-teens and teens, you need to get our daughters this book. A Girls Guide to Life by Katie Meier is jam-packed full of good information that girls need to know.

Meier goes through the Mind, Soul and Body, narrowing down the categories into self-esteem, romance, beauty, family, religion and many more.

Meier writes in such a relatable way and it is a quick and easy read. I think this book would be a great discussion starter between daughter’s and their parents. Intermixed with all the issues of growing up as a young woman in this world is the most important thing for girls, their relationship with God.

This book helps girls recognize who they really are and reach to be the best they could be. There is even a section about protecting themselves in the digital world.

I wish that I would have had such wholesome, relatable words when I was growing up. Being a teenage girl is tough; this book helps keep their feet on the right path. 

Correction

I hate making mistakes, but even more than making mistakes, I hate being reprimanded. I always have such a hard time being told I made a mistake and then having to talk about the mistake. I don’t have an issue taking ownership of the mistake, because I know it is my fault and it makes no sense to blame someone else.

But, still…I hate being reprimanded, especially if said mistake was really an accident. At work yesterday I came back from vacation and found there was an issue on two of my files. I looked through them and could not figure out how I actually make the mistake. I missed the mistake by not reviewing my documents before printing, but it still made no sense.

I felt so yucky when I was told about the mistake and I just was angry. I didn’t feel like I needed to be reprimanded because of the mistake, it was my fault, but technology was involved as well.

So I decided to take lunch and while my Lean Cuisine pizza was in the microwave I prayed that the Lord would take away the angry and the burden I felt from this mistake.

I clicked on my You Version bible app on my Blackberry and started to read where I left out in my bible.

This is the first verse I read – once again the Lord spoke straight to me through his word.

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. Proverbs 12:1

Oh boy, whoever hates correction is stupid. The Bible just called me stupid. If that isn’t a slap in the face, I don’t know what is.

I am being stupid. I have always hated being corrected, but sometimes it takes a strongly worded bible verse to make me realize how important all the times I have been corrected in my life really helped shape who I am today.

Lord, thank you for showing me that you are there, guiding me to be a better person, daily growing fruit of the Spirit in my life. Please help me to heed correction and see it as a benefit instead of feeling bitter and resentful for being corrected.
                                                                                                            Amen!

My worship

This song completely sums up how I feel when I worship!




I worship You by Mercy Me


I`ve been walking with a big grin
singing with my eyes closed
liftin` up my hands
I`ve been lost in the moment 
sendin` up praises
now I think I understand

When I open up and let it flow
I feel your touch and then I know..

CHORUS
I can never live without it
and I`m never gonna doubt it
everyday is new.. yeah
there`s nothing any better 
I`ll be singing it forever
I worship You

I`m standing on the edge now
looking to a new place
goin` deeper still
the feeling is electric
the Power and the Glory
just move me where You will

cuz you take this song and make it fly
into my soul and that is why

CHORUS

I just wanna dive into your grace
I wanna feel your presence, seek your face
I just wanna be where you are

I can never live without it 
and I`m never gonna doubt it 
everyday is new yea



For more Then Sings my Soul Saturdays check out Signs, Miracles and Wonders