• You Make Everything Better

    It’s the simple and thoughtful gestures that can make the biggest impact in our lives. The other day I opened up my lunch bag and found this sweet note from my handsome man. It was a special surprise and made me smile.

    Sometimes it is the little acts of kindness that make you feel the most loved and appreciated. Life is crazy busy but taking a few minutes to show someone you care can make a huge difference in their days.

    I am very blessed and sometimes I forget how truly lucky I am. Thankful for this little note because it was a great reminder that I am loved and do matter to someone.

    If you are looking for ways to show your spouse or someone you love that you care, I would encourage you to take a few minutes to leave a surprise note in their lunch bag or on their mirror or in their car. It’s a simple yet effective way to brighten up their day and let them know that they are special to you.

    Everyone wants to be noticed, loved, and valued. These little expressions of love really do matter!

  • Counting My Blessings: Week In Review

    It was a fun week with my family.  While Jake and I were working this week the girls were busy on the farm at Horse Camp.  They were riding horses in the mornings, had a picnic lunch, helped with animal chores, and did a Bible Study at camp.  It was a busy and tiring day for them, but they loved it and several times I think they would have preferred to stay at camp instead of coming home.  They were able to experience a wide variety of tasks – trimming goat hooves, playing with soft baby lambs, washing horses & goats, hunting for chickens eggs, and more good activities.  They had a blast and loved it!

    I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.

    Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:

    Monday –Thankful that the kids have the opportunity to go to Horse / Farm / Bible Study camp while Jake and I were working.  They loved it!  Also, it is conveniently located only a few minutes away from my work which is a great bonus too!

    Tuesday – Thankful for Jake and his thoughtfulness.  He went out of his way to stop by the store and pick up some items as a surprise for me.  I had been missing an ingredient in my smoothie drink this week (he picked up the chocolate flavor for me as a surprise), he got a couple non-dairy Mac-N-Cheese mixes for Brina, and bath salts to help me loosen up and relax a little bit more.  Love it when he surprises me with special items that are perfect for that day, moment, or time.  I am richly blessed to have him as my partner.  Love this man dearly more and more all the time!!!  XOXOXO

    Wednesday – Thankful for my acupuncture doctor.  My back and shoulder were really tender and they made time to see me today which was a huge help in loosening me back up.

    Thursday – Thankful for my work and that they are willing to allow me to work around the girls camp schedule.  The kids have been coming into work with me in the morning, I have been stopping to take them to camp and returning to work until they are out of camp.  They have been a big help in getting little tasks done for me at work too.

    Friday – Thankful for an opportunity to get some errands run and chores done at home so we can head into the weekend a little more prepared and ready.

    Saturday – Thankful for my weekend with family.  We had a lot to get done with everything going on and a busy week ahead, but we worked together, had fun, and was able to get some items done that needed attention.

    Sunday – Thankful our church, the message, and a place where our girls can learn and grow with other kids their age.

    What are you thankful for today?  I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today.  It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day.

  • Beautiful Plants & Basket from My Thoughtful Husband

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    Love it when he surprises me with something special!

    My husband brought home these plants as a surprise for me a couple weeks ago.  He is sweet and I love it when he does the random thoughtful gifts.  My only regret is that it was such a busy weekend I did not take a picture of the beautiful basket with both plants green and blooming.

    At this time only one plant is still alive.  Yes, I have already killed the miniature rose bush.  I love the mini roses, but have a horrible time keeping them alive for very long.  You can see pieces of my sorry looking rose plant beside the one that is pretty and still green.

    I love plants and flowers, however, I am not the best person to grow them.  Usually I either over or under water them.  I like the ones that are easy to maintain and can handle wet or dry soil and withstand lots of sun or no sun.  In other words a very strong and durable plant that handles extremes well.  Grateful for a thoughtful and caring husband.  Love my plants and basket!!!

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    I love the basket the flowers came in and have already used it a couple of times since he gave it to me!

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    It has been fun using this basket for surprises and goodies!  Thankful for my husband and everything he does for me.

  • Lunch Box – Special Snack

    Lunch Box - Special Snack

    Every once in awhile I will pack a special surprise snack in the girls lunch bags.  Since they have the last lunch of the day their teachers allow them to have a snack mid-morning.   I love hearing their comments after school about their surprise snack.  Most of the time I am able to “sneak” the treat into their lunches so it is a surprise when they open up their bag at snack time!  I picked up these goodie bags on clearance and filled them with homemade trail mix.  Some of the items in the trail mix were cheerios, pretzels, dried bananas, cranberries, raisins, and nuts.  They loved the beautiful bags and the delicious snack.

  • Love It – Purple Heart Necklace

    My Purple Heart Necklace, beautiful reminder of the blessings in my life! Thanks Handsome!

    My husband has known for years the impact the Little Purple Flower had on my life.  We were dating at the time the incident occurred and he was delighted to see God use such a beautiful reminder to encourage me.  Since that time Jake has on numerous occasions surprised me with a gift that had a purple flower or something similar on it as a reminder of how much He loves me.  The gift is also a visual reminder that God daily gives me the many blessings I have in my life.

    On Valentine’s Day my husband and I celebrated together at Winter Jam 2011.  When I got up to go to the restroom before the concert started I came back to a small package on my chair.  He gave me a beautiful purple heart necklace (totally surprised me) as a way to remind me of His love and the many blessings in our lives as a couple.  I had no idea that he was even saving his money to get me such a sweet surprise.

    He had been looking for the perfect necklace for awhile until he found the purple heart which he thought it would be a perfect fit for me.  For those of you who know me personally I am not a glamour and glittery type of person.  I grew up with three brothers on a farm and was more of a tomboy than a princess. I can count on one hand the pieces of jewelry I wear regularly.  Every single piece I wear daily Jake picked out on his own for me (most of them were surprises too).  I wear my watch, engagement & wedding rings, and my heart necklace he gave me for our 7th anniversary every day.  The only other time I wear different or more jewelry is for a special event or Date Night when I an extra necklace, ring, or bracelet.  So needless to say I was shocked to receive a necklace on Valentine’s Day and my heart about burst with love for him when I realized it was a purple heart meant to remind me of the little purple flowers in my life.

    I am surrounded by many blessings in my life.  Some days I have to look harder to find those blessings but they exist no matter how big or small.  I am thankful for a God who extends love and grace to me every day.  A husband whom I adore and kids that bring so much joy and laughter into my life.  The best part is they all love me despite my imperfections and crazy days.  Thank you babe for reminding me of the MANY blessing in my life.  I am thankful for the amazing gifts God has given me!

    “Love It” is a series of posts on items that I use regularly in my household that I love!  There are some items in our daily lives that make life more enjoyable, efficient, or just plain fun.  I will be sharing with you some of the products that have been given to us (or to me) that have made it to the top of my list.  It’s my way of giving a huge thumbs up!

  • Finding a Warm Spot!

    Our little feather friend found a warm spot between our storm door and back door! She was surprised to see us heading out to play in the snow!

    Recently we had a good 6 plus inches of snow in South Carolina which is pretty rare.  The whole family was out for a little bits throughout the day.  Brina and I lasted the longest the first round of snow playing.  I ended up carrying her up the hill to the house after sledding.  We got inside had hot chocolate, read books, ate lunch, had Snow Ball Ice Cream, did some laundry and relaxed before heading back out.

    The next time when the girls were all bundled up ready to head outside Jake opened the back door to let them out and we were startled to find a “friend” that must have tried to follow Brina and I inside to find some warmth!  We weren’t too excited about having a small bird flying around our house so we sent the girls out the garage then Brina came around to the back of the house to free the bird who was caught between the storm door and the back door of our house.  I think the bird was happy to find such a warm spot until she encountered us.  I am sure she was very glad find another warm spot away from the house!  Even the birds are looking for warmth on the snowy days.  I am thankful for a warm home especially during these cold days.