7 Hoorays!

1.) Hooray for my hubby coming home! Definitely number one on the list. My husband comes home for 10 days starting on Tuesday. Hopefully we will fit in lots of snuggling, laughing, time with family, kisses, and a birthday celebration for a particular (almost) 21 year old lady. (Me! Me!) 

2.) Hooray for my job! This new job challenges me so much. I have to talk to a lot of people that I don’t know, most of whom are looking to me for answers, which is not a natural comfort zone for me. However, I have faith in the fact that God is teaching me lots of lessons (especially in patience) that I will need later on in my life. That is what makes me look forward to going to work every day, because I know God is molding me into the woman He sees me as. Also, the senior volunteers I work with are hilarious. On Friday, one described to me how she was "jet propelled" after eating a bran muffin the day before, if you catch my drift. 

3.) Hooray for coffee dates with friends! Claire and I have been friends for over 15 years and nothing ever changes. It was so great to catch up since I haven’t seen her since right after my wedding!

4.) Hooray for chocolate covered coconut nuggets! These little beauties are the perfect treat at the end of the day. I just keep telling myself that the dark chocolate is full of anti-oxidants as I pop my 1,000th one of the day into my mouth…

5.) Hooray for fresh fruits and veggies! I seriously went off the healthy eating wagon on Saturday night, accompanied with lots of red wine. This morning I woke up with a serious food hangover, but a nice smoothie and big salad and lots of water made me feel much better!

6.) Hooray for new babies! So many friends and family are having new babies soon. So along with belly pictures and bumpdates online, I got to listen to the grunts and coos of a beautiful 2 month old baby girl (with so much hair) behind me at church this morning. Talk about baby fever!!

7.) Hooray for a grateful heart! I am in such a great place right now and am so grateful for all the blessings God has showered me with. Things are not perfect, nor will they ever be, but things are pretty darn good. And I know it’s God! 

Love my Bloggy Bloggers!

Okay so confession time: I love blogs. I am not the best at keeping up with my own blog, but I love reading other people’s blogs. I especially love Bloglovin because it puts all my favorite blogs in the same place. My husband may or may not make fun of me for how much I love reading blogs. 

I have this fantasy where all my favorite blog writers and I would have lunch together and talk about life and our husbands and babies (if we have them. Not I... yet) . Really, that’s what I feel like is going on as I scroll through my Bloglovin. I feel like I’m getting an update on all my friends, even though 99% of us have never met in real life! 

Here’s the point to this little ranty rant. I want to meet you! I want to have a real friendship with my blog friends! Any of you ladies down? Email me! emilysuewalrath@gmail.com Be my friend! Let’s share our lives! Hey, maybe sometime in this crazy life, we’ll really meet :) I hope so! 

Love always,

Em

What would I do without my God...

Today I give thanks.

I work in a job where people come in, step up to my desk, tell me their problems and ask for help fixing them. I have to know or figure out the answers to their questions. Some of these people’s problems are so devastating and the sadness in their face just hurts my heart sometimes. 

But every person’s problems remind me of one thing. No problem I have is really that bad because people around me are experiencing things that are so much harder. Furthermore, nothing I face is impossible because I have a loving, omnipotent, omnipresent God who is with me every step of the way. 

Sometimes I sit there and think about how much of a dark, black hole I would be in if I were in those situations without God. But then again, I would be that same black hole without my God, even in the best of times. 

Seeing these problems that other people have, first hand, makes me so thankful for what I have and helps me send up a quick prayer absolutely anytime I have a moment of difficulty.

There is always a way, through God. You can always find a way with His help and I truly believe He has a plan for us all. Be His light, not matter if you’re helping other people solve their problems, or trying to solve their own. 

That’s all for now my friends.

Happy Wednesday!

Em

10 things (I think) should be done the old fashioned way

1. Homecooked meals vs. microwave fare or eating out. Some of my favorite times at home with my husband were shared after a meal I or we had prepared. Home cooking just tastes so much better and is so much better for you. There’s nothing like a great meal to bring people together. Why do you think my blog is called Love Around my Table for Lord’s sake?!

2. Expressing your love. Most of my husband’s and my dating life was long distance, which gave plenty of opportunity for words to be shared because we didn’t get the opportunity to say them in person. And while it was nice to get them in an email, there was nothing else like getting a piece of paper that my husband had written his words down on and sent to me.

3. Pie crust. I can’t reiterate this enough. Never. Buy. Pre-made. Pie. Crust.

4. Courting the one you love. Courting is definitely an old fashioned word, but I think it’s just as relevant today. Courting is a term, typically attributed to the actions of a man in order to win a woman’s heart. But I don’t think it should be limited to just men, or to pre-marriage. I don’t think you should ever stop courting each other either. You should always be trying to win the heart of your spouse, even after you know you have it. It’s the effort that matters. 

5. Smiling at strangers. I don’t know if this is something old-fashioned necessarily but it seems to be lost. Maybe it’s just because I work with the general public who comes to me, wanting assistance, and sometimes they are disgruntled, but it seems like no one smiles at each other anymore. Or even says “good morning.” Wouldn’t the world be a little better if we just smiled at each other every once in a while?

6. Waiting in line. This is just a metaphor really. Seems like our generation has no patience for lines, waiting their turn, or anything less than getting something “right now.” 

6.5 Public service announcement: I think we should all quit pulling our phones our while we’re waiting in line or waiting for an appointment or waiting to meet someone. Carry a book in your purse, write scripture on index cards and carry those around, or just appreciate whatever’s around you. Ps... I’m totally guilty of this.

7. Baking your own bread. Yes, it’s a hassle and it takes a long time but it feels like such an accomplishment, plus (*bonus*) makes your house smell fabulous! 

8. We should speak more eloquently. Especially when it comes to ladies and swearing! I have tried to be better about this, but I feel like people take others more seriously when they speak clearly, make eye contact, use vocabulary from a level higher than a kindergartener, and avoid the words that would better accompany the saltiest sailor.

9. Taking care of ourselves. Ladies, that means good hygiene, and clean, put together appearance. You don’t have to spend hours on your hair and make up, and I am in no way a proponent of vanity, but I just feel better and more confident when I feel like I look put together.

10. Love fearlessly! I’m not saying to fall in love with everyone you meet, but when you find that one person, love them with everything you have and show it! It seems like today, people play coy, hard to get, or try to drop subtle hints that just don’t work. If you love, love with your whole heart.

Here's to the past! 

XOXO

Em

A lesson in significance from the anointed king.

Anointing with oil is representative of God’s favor and power to carry out significant responsibility. Before Christ came and died for us, specific, very special people were chosen to be anointed by God. One of those people was King David. 

We can learn so much from the time that God sent Samuel to find the king that would be Saul’s successor. God sent Samuel to visit Jesse and his sons, for one of his sons would be the anointed king. What a beautiful example of obedience to God we have in Samuel. 

Lesson #1: Anointing is initiated by God. God sent Samuel to find the new king. 

Samuel looked over each of Jesse’s sons, including Eliab who looked like the typical figure that would become a king, but God said none of them were to be king.

Lesson #2: Favor from God is not just for those with the right looks, talents or gifts. God looks, not at our outward appearance, but at our heart. 

Since God told Samuel that none of these men were going to be king, Samuel asks Jesse if he had any more sons. He says that there was only the youngest (David), but he was in the fields, tending to the sheep. 

Lesson #3: Anointing can be found in the fields. Translation: it doesn’t matter whether you work in a cubicle, if you are a fire fighter, in the military, are a stay at home mom, are a starving college student, or if you feel stuck, not knowing what you want to do with your life. God sees us! God knows our hearts and he sees us, no matter if we have the proper age, experience, or occupation that society deems favorable. God sees each and every one of us and loves us beyond measure whether we are a CEO or changing our babies’ dirty diapers. 

Lesson #4: We must go back to the fields, even after being anointed. Translation: David could’ve been haughty and entitled after he was anointed by Samuel, but instead he was marked with great humility. We must do that same. As long as we have accepted Christ, we are anointed in God’s kingdom. But we must go forth, back into whatever we do every day and spread His light. We must be faithful and let God work on us right now, for whatever He has in store for us later. 

God sees you wherever you are. You are significant to Him and His kingdom. He will use you and He has great plans and promise for your life because you are anointed. Christ is in you. Be His light. 

XOXO

Em.

Some rainy day love. And a recipe!

Hello my loves! It is a cold and rainy night here in San Diego (unusual, I know), perfect for snuggling, movies, and soup. Unfortunately, my favorite snuggle buddy isn’t here (although I did get him for 27 glorious hours last week and get him for another 24 this week), but I am watching The Help and having some wonderful, hot soup! 

I keep checking and rechecking every time I type soup making sure I don’t write soap... 

Anywho, I finished out this week after seeing my hubby with lots of work. we are doing so well saving money and paying things off which is so encouraging. Getting ready for some very exciting things! I am loving being back at work and am switching between different departments wherever they need me. This morning I got to lift and workout with some lovely ladies I missed so much while I was in Mississippi and we planned a church date for tomorrow morning! I always love watching my Mississippi church online, but the church I went to here in SD before I moved left me wanting more after I visited again. So I am joining my wonderful friends Lizzie and Lauren at Lizzie’s church. Delighting in the Lord is even better with friends!  

Back to this being the perfect night for soup... What goes better with soup than cornbread?! Plus, I’m waging a constant battle with my will power to cut bread, and grains for that matter, out of my diet. This is a good happy medium!

Gluten Free Cornbread

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 Cup cornmeal

1/2 cup almond flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 Cup almond or coconut milk

1 egg

1/4 cup coconut oil or grassfed butter

1/4 cup honey (I like a little less since I put honey on top)

1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees

-Mix all ingredients in a large bowl just until combined. Be careful not to over mix.

-Pour batter into small cast iron skillet or 8x8 baking pan. Whichever you choose, be sure to grease with coconut oil.

-Bake for approximately 30 minutes. This is a rough guideline because all ovens cook differently and cooking time will vary depending on which pan you use. I just checked every 10 minutes.

Enjoy with a slab of butter and drizzle of honey of course! Isn’t everything better with butter and honey? Or how about honey butter for that matter! Enjoy my friends and stay warm and dry! 

XOXO 

Em.