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Observations in 30 Years of Marriage
30 Years of Marriage. To some this might sound daunting, and others might just chuckle, and call us "babies". It's all about perspective, I guess. Robert and I sometimes wonder where the time has gone... It seems just like yesterday that we were these people: But...
5 Ways Patience Will Encourage Your Spouse
Patience. It's one of the Fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22) It's also a necessary virtue in every marriage - in every season of marriage - and a way to encourage your spouse. We usually subscribe to the idea that patience is necessary in the more negative seasons,...
Marriage is Priceless
Marriage is more than the white dress, the fancy party, the sparkling ring... Marriage is NOT one day. It's two people making a decision to live life - together. Always. Marriage is sacrifice. Marriage is a million moments of letting go. Marriage is effort expended...
Answers to Questions – Ongoing Learning on Making a HOME
No matter how old we are - or how many children, or years married, we all still have room to grow. (There are lots of areas in which I'm still learning... how about you?) Do you have questions on ... how to manage your time... ... how to make more healthy choices......
Encouraging Your Spouse in a Time of Disappointment
Things don't always work out the way we'd like. Life is not fair. We might not like it, but it's a fact. Life is not fair. (And who said it was supposed to be fair, anyway? That's just a new-age myth. Give it up.) God writes our story, and sometimes we'd like to...
Saying I Love You – What does your spouse need to do?
Does saying I Love You show - Unconditional love? What does your spouse need to do, before you say, "I love you"? Prerequisite to saying I Love You... Does your spouse need to say those words first as? Before you say, "I love you." Does your spouse need to clean up?...
Tag! You’re it! Making the Most of the Moments
Some seasons in life are difficult. No question. No rebuttal. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to...
Serving Together to Encourage
It's easy to be complacent. But, complacency leads to inertia. It's easy to be self-focused. But, focusing only on yourself leads to selfishness. It's easy to be agenda driven. But, letting the agenda control your life leads to stagnation. Being complacent,...
If your spouse were part of a sandwich…
We all need to feel important, and validated. Wouldn't it be wonderful if, as husbands and wives, we behaved in a way which demonstrated how important our spouse is to us? Time & priority demonstrates what level of importance your spouse holds. An encouraged...
Forget making lemonade out of lemons – Make Souffle!
One of Robert's favorite desserts is pudding. He doesn't discriminate between flavors or styles - banana, tapioca, vanilla, flan, chocolate, rice pudding or caramel or butterscotch - they're all good. However, he does have a favorite. Lemon Souffle Pudding Lemon...
51 Ways to Be the Reason Your Spouse Smiles Today
Yes. We're headed toward Valentines. But that's NOT what this post is about. Really! This post is about making your spouse smile. Anytime. All the time. Every day. Here are 51 ways to be the reason your spouse smiles... today! (You can also check out the Pinterest...
The Value of Encouragement
What is the value of encouragement? How do you measure it? I read a thought provoking post from Ngina Otiende on how to respond when your hubby is grappling with unemployment. She has 8 things to do instead of feeling envious of others, frustrated or mad at God. The...
The Gift of Encouragement in Marriage
Encouragement in marriage is a priority. If you aren't encouraging your spouse - your wife, your husband - who will? With encouragement in marriage - whether through a word - an attitude - of hope for the future, the knowledge of being prayed for and the interaction...
Discovering an Adventure {a Husband & Wife Perspective}
This post is written in tandem by Robert and me - kind of a "he said" and "she said" deal. (the bluish italicized is Lori and thebold green is Robert.) It just seemed right that we share this post on adventure - you'll learn why by the end of this post. When you hear...
Words to Encourage
Words play a part in Robert and my life... How about you & your spouse? Which words - or phrases - do you have displayed in your environment? Surround yourself with words that encourage! This is a 3-block set I have on my fireplace mantle. I keep turning...
2014 Equals 365 Days to Encourage Your Spouse
Wishing you and your spouse a wonderful 2014 filled with Encouragement!
The Secret to Our Happy Marriage
This post is part of the Happy Wives Club Blog Tour which I am delighted to be a part of along with hundreds of inspiring bloggers. If you're a blogger and want to join in, click here! What makes a happy marriage? What would you say? Not easy to answer, is it? When...
Stop for 60 Seconds – Memories are Made in the Moments
You're busy right now. I get it. There's lots to get done and the clock is ticking. There are only so many hours in a day. I'm not trying add to your "to-do" list. Truly. But. Stop! Just for a moment. You can. Really. Stop for 60 seconds. And look around. See. Notice...
Your Spouse. A Gift from God.
Your spouse is a gift. Not perfect but immensely valuable. How will you encourage her or him today? Offer hope, faith, love, prayer, and support.
Encouragement is like a Muscle
Think of encouragement like a muscle in your marriage. If you encourage often it becomes a strength in your marriage. Encourage Your Spouse with: HOPE for the future. FAITH in God's promises. LOVE without condition. PRAYER to cover the little and big stuff. Taking...
4 Questions You Need To Ask Yourself Before You Encourage
Encouragement definitely is more than "rah-rah" cheer-leading... but it isn't magic. Ever wonder why your encouragement isn't making the impact you hoped? Here are four questions to ask yourself before you open your mouth, or take some action to encourage: 1. Am I...
Adventures in Marriage {5 benefits when you get out of your comfort zone}
These days we're babysitting. Correction. Puppy-sitting. Our son and daughter-in-love have adopted a puppy. And by default, so have Robert and I. Our son has a business, and this dog is going to be his business' mascot. (Once it learns to do its business outside!)...
Praying for Each Other: Start Small
I'm somewhat active on Twitter... however, not as faithful and persevering as my hubby. I do enjoy reading tweets. Why twitter? Because Tweets provide bite-size bits of thoughts to ponder. Start Small Sometimes... Sometimes an entire post - 600 words - is too much,...
Adding Some Grace into Your Marriage: Book Review
I've been carrying this book with me for a while It's been: in the truck as we did errands in my bag as we went to Canada sitting on the table at my Mom's diningroom in my lap-top case at a conference in Detroit beside the bed in the most comfortable hotel room I've...
The Tangy Taste of Encouragement – Take Action!
Cooking is not my favorite thing to do. Like most married people, responsible for feeding the mouths in the house, I've perfected a few favorites. And when all else fails, there's always sauce from a jar dumped over spaghetti. Yes - I can hear all you chefs, and...
5 Ways to Encourage Your Spouse
... be encouraged in heart and united in love... 1. A Special Breakfast to Look Forward Plan a special breakfast with your spouse. In the next week - just the two of you - take a leisurely walk through the holidays. Decide how you'd like to celebrate. When, where, how...
What we learned after 12 dates in 12 days…
To celebrate the days between our birthdays, Robert and I decided to take on a dare from over at The Happy Wives Club. Fawn's post included 12 ideas, and we used those as a starting point and then improvised. (We marriage bloggers often write about ideas, and read...
Grabbing the Moments
Sharing what we learn and read is important. And even though Robert and I work from home, one room away from each other, we can spend an entire day on separate computers only meeting in passing with a kiss in the hall. So sometimes we go on errands together. We grab...
Lighting up the Night
Dating for 12 days in a row was a lot more time consuming than I thought it would be. Fortunately our 12 Date Dare between our birthdays had a long weekend smack dab in the middle. On the holiday Monday we visited a local icon, The Angus Barn on our soup tour......
Have a little cheese with that whine?
Sorry. Not whine... Wine. And Cheese. Our 5th date. On the 12 days between our birthdays, Robert and I did a "Date Dare" - 12 Dates in 12 Days. Some wine with our cheese! And lentil soup. One reason we decided to become connoisseurs of soup instead of salsa is because...
Happy Marriages DO Still Exist!
Lovely video from The Happy Wives Club - Have you joined the Happy Wives Club?
Crossing it Off – A Date from the Bucket List
Sometimes we have goals in life. Big and small. Other times we have dreams which may not be realized, however just pondering the possibility provides a thrill. At times we make a point to go after our goals - to cross them off the list. How about you and your spouse?...
A Toast to Durham – 12 Dates in 12 Days
Part of our experience having a date 12 days in a row. We discovered a lovely little bistro owned by a husband and wife team, and visited the main library in Durham, North Carolina.
On the second day… 12 Date Dare
Dating shouldn't just happen before you're married... This is our 12 dates in 12 days DARE! We're celebrating the 12 days between Robert and my birthdays. On the second day between birthdays my true love gave to me... SOUP! As part of our 12 Dates in 12 Days DARE...
Dare to Celebrate – Build a Strong Marriage
It doesn't matter the circumstances of life - celebrating with your spouse builds a healthy marriage. Birthdays are an ideal excuse to celebrate that special person God created just for us. August 27th is my birthday. September 7th is Robert's birthday. There are 11...
Cues to Your Treasures
We give our spouse (and everyone else) visual cues about what's important to us. Sometimes those cues translate to what we wear. Have you thought about the cues you provide? 3 Things - When this initial post began it had 3 points – and was much too long. So I divided...
Be Connected and Encourage
Being connected. That would be good, right? What happens when you're feeling a connection to your spouse? Lots of benefits: A close connection with your spouse will make encouraging him or her much easier... You'll go the extra mile when with a close connection to...
Who are you trying to attract?
What you wear will either encourage or discourage …your spouse. And influence those around you. I’m suggesting we all need to be deliberate in some areas of our appearance. 3 Things When this initial post began it had 3 points – and was much too long. So I divided it...
An Outward Sign You Are Married
Our 1st-world culture is image obsessed. We see evidence in kids going back to school, in advertisements in magazines and on television. I'm sure you're not shocked - it's not like adorning our bodies is something new... How about you? Are you a stylish person? Do...
What’s your language of apology?
One of my favorite go-to books has had a re-write and a new title. It's a book about how to say "I'm sorry" - to apologize effectively so our spouse (and others) can feel we're sincere. Jennifer Thomas and Gary Chapman spent 2 years doing research on the topic of an...
24 Hour Challenge – Turn off the complaining.
I'm a fan of blog posts that make me think - ones which challenge, inspire, and nudge me into (re)addressing my attitude, or thought processes. One blog post I read today provided a challenge: Go 24 hours without complaining. Can I do that? 24 waking hours without...
Is your encouragement a balloon or an orchard?
Inflate a balloon or grow an orchard.... What's the result of your encouragement? Maybe there's a reason your encouragement isn't making a difference... If your encouragement is "rah-rah" with no action or helping hand, with an edge of envy, pride or impatience, with...
Love Does Not Envy – Give Generosity a Try Instead – Encourage Your Spouse!
Love does not envy. ~ 1Corinthians 13:3 Oh, of course - (you're telling me) - "I don't envy my spouse..." Maybe not. What is envy? Don't confuse the concept of envy with jealousy. Jealousy is fearing you'll lose something precious. Envy is wanting something someone...
Be a Friend – Encourage Your Spouse
As a husband or wife you do more than have an intimate, sexual life with your spouse, raise your children, pay the bills, and live and worship together, don't you? Your spouse is also your friend. A real friend. But what does that mean? What does it mean to be a real...
Will You Dance?
I'd like to introduce you to my fellow marriage blogger, Dawn. The vision of her ministry, Marriage Dance, is to enhance unity and partnership in Christian marriages so couples experience more of God’s good intentions for marriage, reflect the Biblical principles of...
