Beautiful Words

I had to share this with y'all. This post by Sweet Country Roots is just so profound, yet simple and truly spoke to my soul. This is how I want to live. My husband and I don't have the luxury of choosing where we want to live, so we will choose to make this our mindset, no matter where we are.  I am joining the movement towards a slower paced lifestyle and a more old-fashioned way of thinking and living. Enjoy!

I am intrigued by simplicity and the days of old. I love the thoughts of aprons around a mammas waist. The warmth of a kitchen with the enticing smells of  bread in the oven. I can see bare feet and mud pies lined in the driveway. To see feet dangling from a tree limb they just learned to climb. I can hear the static of a  radio playing in the background. It was a time when daddies walked in the door to a houseful and aromas of a homemade supper. A time when laughter was shared around the supper table and stories were told. Where kids learned their manners, how to eat what was given, and how to clean the plate. Where the food was real. It was mixed, stirred, and tasted. It was soaked, baked, and seasoned with love.

A time when you could spank your wild child then hug them after. A time when hard physical labor was a sought after character trait and the Gospel was the best story ever told. A time when they used their hands, sweat, and common sense.  Neighbors knew each other by first and last name. They were the first person you called when needing help. I love the thoughts of recipes being swapped and encouragement given. The days when being married to one person your whole life was just how it was. Back to the time when a swollen belly with life meant the marriage was content and blessed. Go back to the day when an animal was used for the good of the family, protection, not as an accessory. To go back when little boys could carry pocket knives. A time when the sports you played were all teams you formed in the backyard. When kids were called inside for supper and were filthy from a full day of play.

This is my mission.

To get back to family values and true quality of life. To live beautifully and simply and work hard to keep it that way. To slow down the pace and make something from nothing. To grow food and cook it with your own hands. To give the sweet gift of childhood to a generation that has lost it and to restore marriages back to what they are meant to be…forever.

Who wants to join me in this journey of reclaiming the best days of the past as we move forward in the future? Let us join together and show the world how to love on their husbands, children, and home. It has been placed on my  heart to reach more women in encouragement. If you feel led please share my page with others whom could benefit, like my Facebook page, and subscribe. My vision is to cut loose of unnecessary distractions and focus on all the God-given things that matter on the short time we all have.

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.

A Grateful Heart and Self-Control

Life, especially this military life my husband and I live, throws us curveballs constantly. God likes to keep us on our toes and sometimes plans don't go our way. 

For example, my husband's phone got turned off by the cell phone company, leaving me with no way to contact him because his computer was dead and the charger was in my car. We went in before deployment, setting a date for them to hold his number. We realized we needed a little more time to get our ducks in a row and tried several times to stop his phone being turned off, but nonetheless, it happened. When we tried to get his phone turned back on, the company's whole system was down. Did I get frustrated at first? Yes. Do I realize this is a spoiled problem to have during a deployment? Yes. A lot of spouses get to talk to their service member very very sparingly during a deployment.

It would be so easy to get angry about these inconvenient little plan changes. You know that angry, bitter feeling where all your insides just seem to be in knots? We have to fight that. I know I do. and I feel so much better when I let those things go. 

1 Thessalonians 5:18 teaches us to "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Keeping a grateful heart is so important. It allows us to see more clearly and hold on to that self-control that God instructs us to have. 

I love watching 19 Kids and Counting and I think Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's example of self-control is something everyone can learn from. In an old episode I caught the other day, their area in Arkansas was hit by a devastating ice storm. When Jim Bob was outside assessing the damage, he acknowledged that the children were watching to see what his reaction was going to be. His display of self-control was crucial in keeping his family calm and secure, but also thinking through a solution for the problem. Michelle's patience and self-control in raising so many little ones always inspires me. It is something I hope to come close to (even remotely on the same spectrum would be glorious) when I have our own little one. 

Displaying these characteristics takes a lifetime of learning and adjusting, but our God is a loving and merciful God. He knows we make mistakes, and is waiting with open arms to grant us forgiveness. The sooner we learn that fact, the more at peace we will be. 

Have a blessed week! 

Lots of love,

Em

What's your {Un}Word?

I’ve never been big on New Year’s resolutions, but I read a blog post today about an {un}word. This is a word that ideally, you would want to remove from your vocabulary. What is weighing you down? What is keeping you from having a closer relationship to God? To your spouse? To your family? How about with yourself? 

Mine is 

{un}worry

I have a tendency to let little things weigh me down with worry. I know these things will not matter the next day, week, month, or year but nonetheless, I worry about them. This causes stress within my mind and body (hmmm, wonder where that terrible sickness I had came from?) and spreads to the people around me. 

God’s word says “Do not be anxious about anything, but in any situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7. I wonder why I have so much trouble with this? 

The only remedy, as the verse above says, is prayer and investing time in learning what God has to say to you. God’s word has an answer for any question or problem, whether it is direct or indirect. Everything we need is in there. We essentially have an instruction manual for how to live life, so where is the need for worry? That is what I am trying to tell myself. 

I am going to try to achieve this goal through more prayer, both in quality and quantity. I will make it a habit to pray about the most simple things, like what my weekend plans should be. You can learn more about this beautiful process in Walking With God. Talk to Him. Hear from Him. Really. by John Eldredge. 

{Un}worrying will be a process. But it is one that I am willing to take head on. Today I will get done what I need to get done. Today I will be nice to myself. Today I will be the wife I need to be for my family. Today I will learn as much as possible for what I have coming soon. Today I will react appropriately to challenges and take care of business. Let’s do it friends!

I'm choosing...

Life is full of choices. It seems like if you just pay attention, every second you are making a choice, and those choices dictate your mood and how your whole day goes. Furthermore, that dictates how your whole week can go. We only get 52 weeks of 2014 so each we have to make each one count. I am really trying to focus on enjoying every moment this year and trying to make the best out of each one.  

So I am Choosing:

God

Fun

Kisses and hugs

Cuddling with my hubby as much as possible.

Less worry

Laughter

Automatically looking for the best in people and situations instead of the worst

Long, drawn out lunches with lovely friends

More prayer

Being silly

Cups of tea and good books

Enjoying every single morsel of food

Dressing to feel my best

Being me

Joy. Always choose joy.