Marriage

I've had this post about marriage bouncing around in my head for a few weeks now.

I wanted to post it around Valentine's Day, but, well... time just got away from me this month.

It is almost March. Amazing...

Anyway, can we all just agree with each other that marriage is hard?

The joining of two lives is not an easy task. Even after 10 years, marriage is still something that Jeremy and I must work on daily.

Every. single. day. we need to intentionally work on our marriage to each other.

If we don't, it is way too easy to drift into living separate lives in the same house.

I'm not writing this post because Jeremy and I are having problems or anything like that.

I'm writing this post because we are normal. I can be annoying, Jeremy can be annoying. I can get hurt, Jeremy can get hurt. I can be insensitive, Jeremy can be insensitive.

We still have misunderstandings and forget to communicate. We act before we think. We speak before we think.

We are two sinful, human people creating a home together.

In being married, we've learned that even just one day of miscommunication or insensitivity or disagreement often leads to one more day. Which leads to one more day... not a fun cycle to be on.

Being disconnected in marriage takes just one hurtful word or one mean action. Even the smallest things can work against your desire to stay connected.

Sometimes, you cause disconnect and you don't even know you've done it.

And, once you feel disconnected, it can be hard to reconnect. One of you has to decide to take the uncomfortable step toward the other.

Reconnecting in marriage takes heart-felt conversation, humbleness, honesty, brokenness, forgiveness and time.

I remember one particular time... I was really upset with Jeremy. I don't even remember what it was about. But, I was upset and hurt. I looked at him and thought, "Oh, I really just want to stomp off to bed and ignore him." I knew that was the wrong approach even though it would have been the easier thing to do.

Instead, I looked at him and said, "I'm really upset with you right now so we need to spend some time together and talk it out."

Not what I wanted to do, but what I needed to do.

You see, marriage has this "cleaning up your character" aspect to it. If you let it, being married will make you a better person. It will cause you to grow in your relationship with God. It will be a tool that God uses to purify your character from the inside out. Gary Thomas says that your spouse is like a mirror for your sin. God will use that mirror to show you areas in your own life that need to be worked on. Marriage will show you areas and bring out flaws that no one else sees.

How true is that?

Marriage challenges you to work hard everyday, allow yourself to grow and change, allow God to dictate your actions and encourage you to become the kind of spouse that He wants you to be.

Staying connected in marriage is an every day job. It is the most rewarding job. It is a blessing to your family and well worth every hard conversation, every humble confession and every step of forgiveness.

Connect with your spouse. Take the step towards them in some way.

Make an effort to stay connected every. single. day.


 

My Birthday

I don't think that I can remember the last time my mom was with me on my birthday. I think maybe when Annalise was a baby?

It was a treat to have her here. She made me gluten free birthday cake and let the girls help. Well, I think the girls just licked the spoons and the bowl, but they said they helped...

They carried the cake in to me with the candles lit, singing happy birthday.

I blew them all out at the same time... and the cake was super yummy.

My mom gave me some money for K-cups... love.

And, Jeremy gave me an Amazon box.

This is my "oh, what did he buy?" face.

Yeah! A leather cover for my tablet.

It fit perfectly and I love it! It works as a cover and a stand.

"Mommy, now it will be even easier to play Angry Birds!" Annalise said. To the girls, the tablet = games.

"Well, Baby, now it will be even easier for Mommy to read!"

Turning a year older...

Entering a new decade...

Blessed by facebook messages, cards, phone calls, voicemail songs (Thanks, Monica :) and texts.

Thankful for the wonderful support of friends.

(don't forget to enter my current Sew Fun Design giveaway!)

 

Sewing with Grandma

My mom has been here since last Thursday night and it has been wonderful!

She came to babysit the girls, take care of me while I've been sick and get her Etsy shop/blog up and running.

Aren't her sites cute? Hannah from Hannah Nicole Designs created them for her and she did a great job!

We got started first thing on Friday by running to the fabric store, getting lunch at Olive Garden (yum!) and then coming home. The girls were going to design their own Crazy Creature, a present from Grandma and one of the items to be sold in the Etsy shop.

Elayna and Annalise were excited about the process of designing... Abby was infatuated with my mom's pin cushion. Each pin had a place. It was so fun to watch Abby with that pin cushion because it is the same pin cushion my mom had when I was a little girl and I remember doing the same thing with it.

After cutting out the design, they moved to the sewing machine. Our schoolroom became a sewing room for the weekend. (Yes, this activity made my homeschool planner!)

The girls watched with deep, serious faces while my mom showed them how the machine works and how you put together the pieces to make something with fabric. From ironing, to sewing, to filling with stuffing... the girls got a wonderful sewing class that day!

Here are their Crazy Creature creations!

On Sunday, Elayna got her first lesson in sewing. She made a pillow, which I didn't get a picture of because as soon as it was done, she was off playing with it!

The Crazy Creatures played dress up... we learned that Build-A-Bear clothes fit them perfectly...

And, we modeled the aprons and doll clothes for my mom's new Etsy shop.

Seriously adorable stuff!

I know I would cook better and look cuter wearing this apron in the kitchen, right?

Well, maybe not cook better but I would save my clothes from getting dirty anyway!

Because I love Sew Fun Design and what my mom is trying to do by sharing her love of sewing, I am pleased to offer a giveaway to her shop!

She is giving one of you a $25.00 gift certificate!

Just in time for Easter gifts, Mother's Day presents and bright summer colors, you can find something new in her Etsy shop.

How can you win?

Just hop over to her shop and come back to comment how you would use your gift certificate.

Other ways to win (leave a comment for each):

Like Sew Fun Design on facebook
Follow Sew Fun Design on twitter
Favorite Sew Fun Design on Etsy
Like Our Goodwin Journey on facebook
Tweet the giveaway "Sewing with Grandma... a #giveaway for a GC to @SewFunDesign #etsy shop on @jenilee220 's blog! http://tinyurl.com/7nwqnol come enter! RT"

I will choose a winner on Sunday, February 26th! Please make sure I have an email for you for contacting purposes.

Enjoy looking around the Sew Fun Design Etsy shop... I'm sure you will find something you love!

Family Night

Last Thursday, we had a family night.

Jeremy wanted to make some elaborate recipe that I didn't have the ingredients for so we settled on omelets. Well, we can't have eggs in this house without fried potatoes of some kind.

A year or so ago, Jeremy bought a mandolin slicer. He has been wanting to figure out how to make good hash browns. The last few times that he has made them, well... they've been gross!

He decided to give it a try again and he did a great job!

Abby was so interested in the slicer. She sat right with him the whole time, scaring me that she would stick her tiny fingers where they weren't supposed to be!

(Do you see Abby's sweet apron? Well, my mom's Etsy shop is OPEN and I'll be hosting a Sew Fun Design giveaway right here on my blog Monday morning!!)

After we ate omelets and yummy hash browns, the girls had set up a family party for us.

Abby put together a spa section.

And a bear's den...

They had a bunch of other stuffed animal areas set up... birds were on the spa table.

I took advantage of the spa with a hand massage by Elayna.

*linking these sweet pictures up with Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious

Annalise was having a blast at the family party.

Abby took Daddy around to see all the other animals.

The quilt was set up like a tent with a reading area underneath complete with a small flashlight to read by!

The party ended with a tea party.

and fruit snacks. Daddy and Abby were sharing their snacks.

I snapped this last picture of Abby's tiny feet standing on one of Jeremy's hands.

I think I'm desperately in love with this picture.

Actually, I think I'm desperately in love with my precious family!

 

Sweet Valentine's for Daddy

For Valentine's this year, we by-passed the whole "grilling in the kitchen" thing and decided to take the girls to Build-A-Bear.

Jeremy had found an incredible deal online so he had the bears shipped to the house back in December. We saved them, gave them to the girls on Monday and then went to Build-A-Bear to use a gift card. The girls got to pick out something small for their new friends. So much fun!

Then, we went to the food court and had Chick-Fil-A (another gift card). Abby's messy hair was cracking me up! She holds her eyes closed like this when she prays.

Annalise doesn't like french fries. I know... really. So, she was super excited to find out that Chick-Fil-A now has APPLESAUCE!

Elayna was a little bit leery about these "baby" applesauce things. But, Abby and Annalise didn't mind at all. They drank that stuff down! Totally wishing they had that when my girls were babies!

After we ate, I grabbed a Starbucks (another gift card)...

While the girls played in the play place.

Then, on Tuesday, the girls started their Valentine's Day at the dentist. Goodwin girls passed with flying colors... woo hoo!

So we went home to eat candy. Literally. 

I stopped at the store on our way home to get candy hearts. I had a little Valentine craft idea for Daddy.

Annalise was having such a good time... and her toothy grin just makes me laugh!

The girls wrote short Valentine sentences using the words on the candy hearts as part of their sentences.

Things like "Daddy is my SOUL MATE" and "Call me BABY DOLL" and "I love when ME AND YOU talk" and "You WINK WINK at me" were some of their cute sentences.

This is Abby's (she had some Mommy help)

And, Annalise's Valentine for Daddy...

And, Elayna's... she did such a great job!

I think Daddy was pleasantly surprised by the girls' cute cards.

He laughed and played right along as he read them.

I think we will have to do that again next year!

 

A Valentine for You!

 

If you have been following the blog lately, you know that I've been sick. I have a nasty cold and an ear infection and I can't hear out of my left ear.

So frustrating.

I'm on two antibiotics (drops and oral) and neither are working. 

The other night, my throat was hurting and I sent a tweet out about I wanted ice cream to help my throat feel better.

Within a few minutes, a sweet homeschooling mom, September, sent me a tweet back.

She asked me if I'd tried Kefir yet

Well, I didn't know what that was...

So, last night, I made an evening run (not literally... I'm in no condition to actually run. unfortunately.) to Aldi. We needed milk, cheese, bread... the basics.

I was walking down the last isle and saw this on the shelf!

Right there in the store, I thought, "I think this is what September was asking me about! And, it is probiotics! I need some of that because of the antibiotics I'm on."

So, I snapped a pic with my phone and tweeted it out to September, asking her if that was what she mentioned.

She tweeted me back and I was good to go!

That right there, friends, is just one single, simple example of how you all are a blessing to me!

From your sweet comments on facebook, to connecting through blogs or twitter... I am continually blessed by the women I have met here.

You all post ideas, crafts, printables... you share your heart and your vision.

I see your daily tweets about the real in's and out's of being with your kids all day long...

I am encouraged by your shared verses and quotes and comments.

For all of that, for the sweet connection we have and the opportunity we have to help one another in this online community...

I say, "Happy Valentine's Day!"

I wish I could give you these in real life...

"Thus nature has no love for solitude, and always leans, as it were, on some support; and the sweetest support is found in the most intimate friendship." - Cicero 

"No lapse of time or distance of place can lessen the friendship of those who are truly persuaded of each other's worth." - Unknown 

   

Have a very blessed day!

With Much Love,