Wife of Noble Character: Part II

So quite awhile ago I told you that I was starting a bible study called “A Wife of Noble Character.”  I told you that I would try to tell you how it was going throughout… so here’s an update.  Yesterday at the study, I was yet again convicted of something I do as a wife that I need to change.  It’s seems like a small thing… but it’s an important thing!  It all came down to this: never refuse a hug.  I know it sounds silly, but VERY often (because I have an affectionate husband) Matt will come up to hug me, and I REFUSE!  I know… it’s stupid.  What wife in her right mind would refuse a warm embrace from the man she loves?

The answer to this question is easy… a woman who is more focused on the day to day chores in life than loving her husband.  It struck me profoundly because sometimes the tasks required to keep a home become my number one priority instead of the things that should be i.e.) Being in the Word and spending time with my family.  Sometimes I think that because the task I’m completing is a “good thing,” the hug can wait!  Enough of this.

I asked myself the question: Has Matt ever refused to hug me when I approach him?  I can honestly NOT think of a time when I have truly desired a sweet embrace from Matt and had him refuse… never! If he did, I know my feelings would be  hurt.

I am learning time and time again that it’s the little things in marriage like never refusing a hug that mean the most.  Somehow, these little things are the hardest.  Satan likes to work at them first.  Once you stop the little acts of love, the snowball starts rolling… and I’m not going to let that happen.  BRING ON THE HUGGING!

I’ll Eat ALMOST Anything

Let me start off by saying that I love tying all different sorts of food, and I like the taste of ALMOST all food.  Anyone who knows me well understands that I am easily pleased with any food put before me.  But there are exceptions…

So the other night I decided that Matt and I would have “make your own pizza” night.  We don’t do this often, but it’s a fun meal to mix things up a little bit.  When it comes to pizza, I’ll eat almost any combination of toppings… even anchovies.  My typical pizza would have green olives, pineapple, pepperoni, and onions.  This may seem like an odd combination of toppings for some, but let me tell you about Matt’s pizza that he created the other night.  I’ve got one word to describe it: disgusting.

The following ingredients were used in the making of his creation: Spanish sausage, ground chicken (pre-cooked and yucky to begin with), yellow peppers, a pesto-tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and to top it all off… a balsamic vinegar reduction sprinkled all over the top.  MMMMmmmmm!  All of these ingredients are not bad in and of themselves, but the mixture of them grossed me out… especially the vinegar reduction.  Who the heck puts vinegar on pizza!

Because I am who I am, I needed to try a bite.  It was not good… but it didn’t make me gag either.  Even Matt admitted that the taste he envisioned in his mind was not the taste he ended up with.  He was a good sport and ate it anyway.  I still love “make your own pizza night.”  Better luck next time Matty!

Happy Belated Halloween

My apologies for not posting this little event sooner.  If this isn’t the cutest little giraffe you ever did see then you must be crazy… unless your child was a giraffe for Halloween of course.  Miss Stella dressed up and had quite an uneventful Halloween experience.  She went to two houses with her Daddy until she absolutely couldn’t take it in the costume anymore. Maybe she was upset because the costume made it look like the giraffe had eaten our little Stella… or maybe she was just too hot.  She came home with a bag of plain chips.  Who really likes chips anyways?  I thought it was so cute how her feet were slippery so her legs spread apart on the wood floor.  It was clear that she did not enjoy being in the costume, but we didn’t let her win so easily.  Matt and I thought that our little whimpering giraffe was too cute so we kept her in it and played with her until the screaming started.  Then we decided that Stella was probably right and it was time to take the costume off.  She was VERY grateful to be free.  Oh how much we love our little girl!

Fun With the Fish Tank

Quite a few months ago, we got Stella this fish tank that goes in her crib to help her fall asleep.  It plays music for 18 minutes, lights up, and has bubbling water.  What a great investment (it wasn’t that expensive).  While we were in Ottawa, Stella was in a smaller crib in the hotel than her one at home.  Our clever little girl was then able to reach her fish tank, and thus learned how to play with it.  She would shut in on and off repeatedly, while cooing and sometimes squealing at it with glee.

Upon returning home she is now in her bigger crib, so I thought this fun may be over, but I was wrong.  During one of her nap times, I heard her cooing away for quite sometime… about 20 minutes or so.  By the end of her nap time she was still cooing away, and I was excited to go in and see what she was so happy about.  This is what I found.

Stella was able to wiggle out of her foam thing that keeps her from rolling over and get to her fish tank.  She was having the time of her life in there kicking the button of her fish tank on and off.  She couldn’t stop giggling when I kept asking her how she managed to get herself in such a position.

What a smart, cute little girl I have!  She makes me laugh everyday!  Love you Stella!

Adventures in Ottawa

Matt, Stella, and I recently went on a trip together to Ottawa.  We picked Ottawa because we thought it would be a great city to explore, and we wanted to stay inside Canada because I don’t have Stella’s passport in order yet.  We had an amazing time together.  We went for a walk along the Rideau Canal  which was so beautiful.  It was a little chilly so we had to dress cozy.

I promised myself that as a mother I would NEVER put my child in something that made them look ridiculous.  I broke that rule by putting Stella in the ONLY warm and cheap outfit I could find for a little girly her size.  She was too embarrassed to look at the camera directly.

Take a look at the scenery below. God’s creation is absolutely beautiful.

Even this fury rodent was beautiful as it scurried around the crunchy colourful leaves.

At one moment on our walk, Matty decided that it would be a good time to teach Stella about leaves and the colour green.  She seemed interested, but really I just think she likes to hear him talk to her.  She loves her Daddy so much.

Along the canal there was this really old looking set of stairs that I thought were neat.  Matty kindly took a photo of me resting on the stairs.

Another fun (sort of) thing we did was go and visit parlimant.  Matt is the political one… I don’t care for politics… he says that I should because it is an important part of my civic duty… whatever that means.  Despite my lack of interest in politics, the buildings were beautiful, and we got some sweet shots.

After this trip, I am praising the Lord for family, and the beauty of His creation.  There is little more precious to me than spending time with Matty and Stella, and coming to cherish them more as a result.

Stella Rolled Over!

I knew this day was drawing near.  For some time now, Stella has begun to do sit ups about every 2 minutes while laying on the floor.  The sit-ups turned into her jerking her body to the side, and then it happened.  It actually occurred on October 11th, but I haven’t had the chance to blog about it till now.

I was in the kitchen while Stella was on her play mat.  All of a sudden I hear a grunt and a squeal that was not like her normal grunts and squeals.  I went into the living room to find her on her stomach yelling, “I’m stuck, I’m stuck!” (Not really)  She is 4.5 months old, and although I know this is about the average time of rolling over, I am SO PROUD OF HER!

She did it 3 more times that day.  Of course she was never satisfied to stay on her stomach as most people know she HATES tummy time.  Sorry I don’t have a picture to document this wonderful occasion, but I was simply to excited to think of the camera.  I bet she thinks her mommy and daddy are crazy as we practically threw a party for her because of it.  I clapped and said “good girl honey… you are so amazing,” about 50 times.  Well… if I’m being honest it was really more me going over the top with celebration… not Matty.  He was thrilled, but in a quieter and more subtle way.

Chuddleigh’s Apple Farm

On thanksgiving Sunday, Matt and I decided that we would take Stella to Chudleigh’s Apple Farm for a family outing.  We wanted to get apples for baking, and really thought that Stella would enjoy the experience because she LOVES looking at new things.  She absolutely adored it.  We didn’t hear one squawk out of her the whole time.  This is amazing because it was FREEZING out (only 10 degrees) and windy.

We waited in a big line to get a tractor ride over to the apples we wanted to pick.  We picked Empire and Golden Delicious.  Stella loved the tractor ride!  I had her in my front pack (see picture below) and she just hung out there while we drove around the orchard.  It was actually quite amazing to see all the different kinds of apples there are.  I can’t even count how many we saw… but there was definitely some I had never even hear of before.  Matt and I picked our little hearts out while Stella watched the world at work.

Not only did we get to spend time together as a family in a beautiful apple orchard, but the near by forests were changing colour… what a wonderful sight!  Normally for thanksgiving, we are at the cottage where the trees are magnificent.  Missing that this year was sad, but it was great that we got to see them at the apple orchard this day.

This thanksgiving I thank God for family, the beauty of his creation, the delicious apples he created for us to eat, and for warmth!  P.S. I made apple crisp with the golden delicious apples and it was yummy!

Maplewood Adventure

While Matt was in Dallas, I spent 3 nights at my parents house in a tiny little “village” called Maplewood.  As usual, I had a wonderful time with my family.  I got to visit my Grandma Reta whom I love SO much, see my mom and dad, my younger bro Keaton, my older brother Jordan and his girlfriend Yana, and a new friend to our family named Bez.  Old family friends Gail and Jackie also stopped in and brought home-made cookies as a treat!  Whenever I visit my parents house, I always know that I’m going to laugh a lot and be blessed.  Below are some of the highlights of our adventure in Maplewood.

My brother Keaton adores Stella and loves to play with her and get her smiling.  As you can see by this picture, Keaton is one of her favorite buddies.  Somehow, Keaton just has to say hello and Stella will giggle and smile. Love this!

I don’t remember this picture being taken, but I just thought is was so cute.  Me with my brothers and my little girl.  So sweet.

Stella was quite pleased to snuggle up with my dad on his leather rocking chair.  It’s so neat to see my dad interact with her and make her smile.  It gives me a little picture of what he was likely like with me when I was a baby.

One of my mom’s favorite things to do with Stella is take her on house tours.  She goes around the house with her and shows her new and fantastic things like plants, the fridge, the kitty, and any moving object.  What a learning experience!  Stella loves this.

Thank you God for family and the blessing that they bring to our lives.  You are good!

There’s a First Time for Everything

Above is a picture of the Dallas skyline.

For the first time in our married life, Matt and I will be apart for a week.  Dallas Texas has called him to visit for business, and Stella and I are left here all alone.  I know it’s not that bad… and a little time apart could actually do us some good, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’d much rather be with him than apart.

Have you ever heard of the five love languages?  Quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, physical touch, and words of affirmation.  The language I speak is definitely QUALITY TIME, so when I am deprived of that for a week, it has the potential to send me for a loop.  This is not to say that I would EVER deprive Matt of such an experience by asking him not to go, but knowing I’m not good at this kind of thing, I need to prepare well in advance with a plan to get me through.

Stella and I have a week packed full of fun so that I have very limited chill time.  Chill time is bad when Matt is gone cause it will give me the opportunity to think about how much I love him, and how much I wish he were here, and what would ever happen if he didn’t return safely, and  now that I’m thinking about it how dare he go away for a whole week when he knows I’m not good at that kind of thing, and … you get the picture of the sin that could quickly take over.

Instead of chill time, we are going to my mom and dad’s for a few days.  This is exciting for Stella and I because since my parent live 1.5 hours away, we don’t get to see them as often as we’d like.  A few full days with them will be great, and make the time without Matt a little easier… and maybe even exciting.  Maybe next time he has to go away I will look forward to the departure and getting him out the door… but probably not.  That is just me trying to be optimistic.

This is my first time being away from him so long.  It’s only been 1 day, and I miss him already.  Can’t wait till you get home and I can hug you again Matty.  Love you so much, and have fun!

A Wife of Noble Character

Proverbs 12:4  “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.”

Proverbs 31:10  “A wife of noble character who can find?  She is worth far more than rubies.”

I started doing an amazing women’s bible study at my church (Harvest Bible Chapel Oakville) called “A Wife of Noble Character.”  So far, it has been extremely convicting and  challenging.  Let me start off with saying that Matt and I have a wonderful marriage and are happier than we could have ever imagined.  However, I am quickly discovering through this study that I am in fact in need of a lot more changing than I ever thought. This realization is a good thing… and no, I am not being too hard on myself.

It is my desire to be the godliest wife that I can be, first and foremost to honour the Lord, and secondly to honour and bless Matt.  I love and cherish Matt over all other people, so why shouldn’t I strive to be the best partner I can be to him.  But even more importantly, because I’m seeking to grow in my role as a wife to honour the Lord first, it doesn’t even matter what Matt’s reactions are to my efforts.  It’s in obedience to Christ that I desire to be the best I can be for Matt.  Love this!

2 areas I’ve been convicted so far:

1) I have not been seeking the Lord’s instruction through the reading of his Word on this major important subject!  I’ve been floating through my marriage thinking I need little to no instruction at all.  Matt and I are crazy about each other, so there’s nothing I need to change.  WRONG!

2) I Sometimes I have unrealistic expectations of my husband, and when they are not met… I brew up a big pot of bitterness in my heart.

So I am seriously so excited to see how God is going to use this study to change me!  I’m super pumped.  Without divulging too much personal information, I plan to keep you up to date of the progress made through this amazing adventure of trusting the Lord for change!

P.S. An amazing book I read at the beginning of Matt and I’s marriage was called “Love and Respect”… it’s for men and women to read.  This book is a great place to begin if you want to simply strengthen your marriage, or save it from it’s desperate state.  This book clarifies scripture, hilighting the role and responsibilities of the man and the woman within marriage.  Highly reccomend it!

Yeah for MARRIAGE!  God is good!