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Thanks, Money Saving Mom

We Do

I promised Pictures................

Rich, in taking the woman whom you hold by your hands, do you promise to continue to pledge to her your complete loyalty, devotion, love & affection; and do you pledge to give special honor to her as unto the weaker vessel; to dwell with her according to knowledge and understanding; and forsaking all others, to keep only to her lest you sin against God and blaspheme His Holy name?

Michelle, in taking this man who holds you by his hands, do you promise to continue to pledge to him your complete loyalty, devotion, love, and affection; will you strive to be a crown to his life and acknowledge him gladly as the head of your home, and forsaking all others, to keep only to him lest you sin against God and blaspheme His Holy name?

And do you both solemnly swear that you will never seek to end this marriage in a Court of Law by divorce?

WE DO!

The Making Of A Heavenly Marriage Part II

Wanda, a dear friend of mine, is married to her husband Mike, of Seventeen

Years. She is also Mama to 3 boys. She home schools their 2 oldest children. Mike and Wanda's youngest son in autistic. Wanda has been a woman in my life, God has used to

teach me about faith. Wanda is a constant encourager to those around her,

and truly has a servants heart. She serves is many ministries of our church and is

always seeking to be a blessing to those around her. I hope you are

blessed by this post.

Hello Ladies. I would like to tell you how honored I am that Michelle has asked me to post on her blog, regarding this very important subject of marriage. I first and foremost would like to give all the praise and glory to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for anything that I may say that may be a help to anyone in their marriage. For it is by His grace and mercy that I am able to do anything.

My husband is an aircraft mechanic. His job takes him away from his family four days out of the week. He works out of state and travels by car and plane to get to his job. If there is a need or an emergency at home, he cannot immediately get home. Sometimes I can not even reach him. He does this to provide for our family.

Is it difficult to have to be separated?

Most Definitely!

We have 3 sons. Two Teens and One Pre-teen. I home school our Teen boys and our Pre-teen is Autistic. Our Autistic son is non-verbal, (he does like to babble a lot) and requires a great deal of his needs met in many areas. It can be quite draining and challenging at times. However he is a tremendous blessing, as are all our children. They are a most precious gift from God.

Is it always easy to care for the needs of our

Autistic son, while also meeting the needs of

my other children?

No it is not!

Would my husband prefer to be at home more?

You Betcha!

But (big but here), we don't do any of it in our own strength. We would fail every time. We are nothing more than two sinners, saved by grace. We struggle with our flesh daily.

II Corinthians 12:9 says, "My grace is sufficient forthee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness".

The source of our strength, and center of our marriage, is Christ!

He guides, protects and shows us the way within our lives and marriage.We all have circumstances in our marriage that can destroy our marriages, if we chose to let them. We have chosen to trust God for our marriage.Let me just say our marriage is far from perfect. We do have our moments of "intense fellowship", but when we took our vows of marriage, before God and man, we meant them. Not for just when things were going good, or when everything was fun and exciting, but until death do us part.

I was made for my husband. That is my role- my husband's helpmeet. Genesis 2:18 says,"And the Lord God said it is not good that the man should be alone, I will make him an helpmeet for him". That's me!!!!

Whether my husband is at home or not, I am doing my God ordained job and loving it and my man! The caring and nurturing for my boys falls largely on me-as it should.That is my role, Keeper of the Home. (Titus 2:15) I must remember I was made for him, not him for me.II Corinthians 11:9

Because of my husbands schedule, the time we do have together is precious and we try to make the most of it. Here are just a few of the things that we try and do together:

We go on dates

Attend Church couple activities

We play together(Wii bowling for example)

We laugh You must be able to laugh together

Most important we worship together. Our church and church family are very important to us. my husband teaches junior Church and I assist him in this area. He is a wonderful teacher and I enjoy spending time helping him in this vital ministry. He is teaching the future Preachers, Teachers, and Missionaries!

You must pray together, and seek Gods will for your marriage

I could choose to be bitter about the circumstances that take my husband away from me, our boys and our home. But I choose to LOVE! love is a choice.Just as accepting Christ as your Saviour is a choice.

The world's view says if your marriage isn't going along as you like, get rid of it. God never forces us to do His will- It is a choice. Joshua24:15

My husband and I have chosen to chose God's way. Matthew 19:6 says,"Wherefore they are no more twain but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder."

I pray that you would first spend time on your knees seeking God's will for whatever situation it may be. Jeremiah 33:3 says, "Call unto me and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."

Don't stop communicating with your husband. You are in this journey of marriage together. I pray that your answer to these difficulties, or whatever situation you may be in, would be......

Forever And Always No Matter What

I'm Loving my God and I'm loving my man! I love you all and I am praying for you and your

Marriages!

Because He Lives

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow

Because He lives, all fear is gone,

Because I know, He holds the future

And life is worth the living

Just because He lives!

Because He Lives............

I have an eternal home in Heaven

when I called upon the name

of the Lord Jesus Christ

Because He lives...........

You too, can also have a home in Heaven when you die

Have you ever trusted Jesus?

"He is not here:for he has risen, as he said. Come, see

the place where the Lord lay."

Matthew 28:6

I

Romantic Getaway Pics

We had a wonderful time on our getaway! This
is a rear view of the castle. From the balcony you
had a breathtaking view of Lake George.

A gorgeous view:-) The lake was nice too!
I love you sweetie!!

This is an outside stone fireplace. This is lit around
dusk. Very romantic.



A family of ducks swimming by. You can't see it
in this photo, but there was still ice on the lake.


A picture of a chandelier in the bathroom. Can you
imagine having a chandelier in your bathroom at
home?



We were relaxing a bit in our room after dinner,
when I noticed this. For those of you who know
my husband, this is so in step with him. When I
mentioned the fact to him that his socks didn't match,
His reply? "Really these aren't the same color?"
I love sharing my life with this man.



The man of my dreams!

He is my King and I love being His Queen!!

The Makings Of A Heavenly Marriage Monday

Welcome to The Makings of A Heavenly Marriage Monday Series. I am thrilled you have stopped by.


First I want to share that our Series will run every Monday through the month of April. I have asked some dear friends of mine to guest post during this series, so I feel like I will be learning right along with everyone else.



I pray these posts will encourage, strengthen and edify the marriages of those who read this blog. I pray that God's divine plan for marriage would be uplifted. So without further ado let's begin.


Please Note: These are only suggestions that I am sharing that have worked in my own quest to have a heavenly marriage. The Word of God, Your husband and of course your Pastor are the best forms of Godly counsel.



Do Not Compare Your Marriage With Another

Just as we are all individuals in our walks with the Lord, so is our Marriage. God's word states in 2 Corinthians 10:12b " But they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." What works in one marriage, may not work in another. It is easy to look at the perfect couple on Sunday Morning and "imagine" that there is something lacking in your own marriage. You may think they never argue, never struggle and that they live in paradise. You measure your marriage against theirs, and you come up lacking and feeling unsatisfied. It is easy at times to look at another marriage, especially if you are struggling in yours, and feel you don't measure up. Don't be deceived by the Devil in this area. Your marriage is the one your living and your control lies in your reactions. You do not know the struggles another marriage faces. Some people put on a good game face, when in reality the struggles in their marriage may be far greater than your own.



Do Not Become Your Husbands Holy Spirit

When my Husband first got saved, I failed miserably in this area. There were many times I thought my Husband wasn't serving as he ought to, or giving enough, or reading his Bible enough, whatever..you fill in the blank. By God's mercy, I learned that God is more than capable of growing my Husband into the man He created him to be. I had to learn, to lift my Husband to the Lord. When Rich, first got saved He made a mental list of jobs in the Church He would not do. He was never gonna be an usher. "I hope they never ask me to teach a Sunday school class", etc., the list was endless. I thought I knew best and often attempted to influence him to my way of thinking. Ever been there? God started working in my heart. After reading and studying God's Word and reading books on marriage, written by some very wise women, I learned that if I could trust God with my eternal soul, then I could trust Him with my Husband. I started earnestly praying for Rich. I prayed God would burn a desire in His heart for His word. I prayed He would have a burden for lost Souls.I prayed He would desire to serve Him in whatever God did call him to do. And you know what, God did exactly that. My Husband now does all those areas of service that He said He would never do, and then some. He also is now the Youth Director of our Teen group. God did a mighty work,...... when I stepped out of the way. See, God knew all along what He was to have Rich to do. I was hindering the work of the Holy Spirit. He couldn't hear the Lord, because I didn't shut up!! I truly do not try to influence my Husband in the areas God has called him to lead. If He asks my opinion, I give it. If I don't completely agree , I let Him know. But I don't lead, and I strive not to influence His decisions. I do tell him I am praying, and I know God will lead Him to what is right for our family.



Do Become Your Husbands Biggest Encourager

Ladies this area is so important. It has been said that behind every great man there is a great woman. I believe there to be a large amount of truth to that. I believe scripture supports that. Look at Timothy whose Mother Eunice and Grandmother Lois, were a great influence to the young Timothy. Look at Hannah. Look at Ruth. Women have tremendous influence, especially over their man. Do you encourage your husband to be all he can be? Do you tell him often how wonderful you think he really is? Do you tell him you think that he is a great leader? Do you let him know that you believe in him? Really believe in him. I am not suggesting that you give your husbands empty flattery. I am suggesting that you pray specifics for you husbands. Every man has been called to lead. He may not lead a major corporation or become a Pastor of a Church. He may not even ever hold a supervisory position at his work, however your husband has been called to lead...... his family. God Almighty has placed the man as the head of the wife and home. "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church:" Ephesians 5:23a. Your husband desperately needs your encouragement, although he probably will never ask you for it.


Do Date Your Husband

Do you remember when you and your husband were first dating? The excitement you felt when you knew you would be seeing him. Do you remember how he smelled? How he held your hand? How you would spend hours preparing for your dates? Maybe none of those things happened to you. They sure did me, and you know what, I still get excited when I know I get to spend special alone time with my hubby. Plan special time with your husband!! I know times are tough, but there are many things you could do that are special right at home. First, greet your husband when he returns home from work. Be excited to see him. Remember he has been away from you all day. Greet him with kindness and a tender kiss, let him know, through your kiss, that you have been "really missing him" . Can we stop here just for a moment. Some people are uncomfortable discussing physical marital relations. The world has perverted sex. God didn't. He is not shy at all about discussing it, and even dedicated one of the 66 books in the Bible to it. The Song of Solomon is a very literal book on the love relationship between man and wife. Ladies start kissing your husbands like you mean it!

Give him what he can't get anywhere else! A whole series could be written in regards to the marriage bed. Don't let the world steal what God created in the bounds of Holy matrimony. You have a license for that. Wow him with your love, encourage him, kiss him like you mean it, and watch the miracle start unfolding right before your eyes!! And don't forget date your hubby!!

Do Put Your Husband Before All Others

"Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband." 1cor 7:3

My husband usually calls home at lunchtime to check how things are going in our day. He often checks on our home school progress for the day and if we have gotten the mail. We have call waiting as a free option on our phone/computer package. Many times a friend of mine who home schools as well, and I would be talking. It would be break time for both of us and a good time to call one another. I wouldn't always tell my Husband that I was on the other line, but He almost could always tell by the tone of my voice. I didn't really think it to be a big deal, as in my mind He was never really calling for anything specific. However that was not at all how He felt. He felt I was choosing her, over him. Silly? Maybe to you, but it wasn't to Him. I do seek to please my Husband and I immediately apologized and don't do it anymore. I take my Husband's phone calls over any others that I may be engaged in. I tell the other person that my Husband is on the other line and I must go. That does two things: 1. It tells my Husband that I prefer Him over all others and 2. It lets the other caller know that my Husband is important to me. Is there someone or something that your husband thinks you prefer over him? Don't be afraid to ask your husband. If he tells you something, take it seriously and do your best to make sure he knows he is your #1!


My Husband and I have just celebrated 15 years of marriage, and while our marriage is not perfect, we strive to have a God honoring marriage. We both work diligently to become the wife and husband God has called us to be. I pray this series will be a blessing to you. I am praying for you.
Blessings, Michelle

Aldi Colby Cheese on Sale

I was in Aldi yesterday and they had their Happy Farms brand brick Colby cheese on clearance for, are you ready for this, .69cents!! Can you believe that? Cheese has been so expensive as of late.

Milk prices are starting to decline, so it makes sense butter and cheese will follow. They also had their 8oz. sliced Mild Cheddar Cheese on sale for $1.29. I have know idea how long this sale is for, but I purchased 3 blocks of the Colby and placed in my freezer. I have never myself froze cheese before, but have read of many people in blog land that have. I'll keep you posted. Cheese is a hot item in this home and I can't imagine it staying in the freezer for long!!!

I will not be posting for 2 days, as my sweetie and me are taking off tomorrow morning for our romantic getaway. I would love to say I will miss you all, but honestly, I know I will be much to busy:-)

Blessings, Michelle