Book Review: How To Turn Your Marriage Around in 10 Days!

I have to admit when I was first approached by a friend to read and do a review on this book I was hesitant. If you have followed my blog a few years you may have seen some earlier reviews of “marriage” books. And after seeing the title "How To Turn Your Marriage Around in 10 Days" I was even more skeptical. But I love to read, especially books by ministry leaders and I trusted the person who recommended the book to me.  

Now I can usually tell at the beginning of a book whether or not I am going to enjoy it. The writing style of the author was light, sometimes funny and very engaging. That is a must for me because as much as I love to read (and I have been known to read an entire book in a day if I’m really hooked) I don’t always have the time to read as often as I would like so if you capture my attention in the beginning I will read it in its entirety.

After each chapter he has an area for you to note take always, a daily prayer and action questions.

Like I said earlier I was skeptical about the ten day thing, but was pleasantly surprised that upon further inspection I actually appreciated the fact that he asked the reader to take time out each day to read a chapter and really meditate on that particular chapter. And the subjects for each chapter actually held my attention (another good thing…LOL).

The “topics” ranged from priorities, to play to dreams (these three actually captured my attention the most). Especially the quote from George Bernard Shaw “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing”!

After nearly thirty years of marriage I am fairly familiar with the importance of connecting, showing honor, being able to trust your spouse and above all else having an open line of communication. But at this stage in our life I look forward to times of play, keeping our marriage a priority and being able to dream together even thirty years later!

My favorite part about the book is that he kept it simple (K.I.S.S)! This is refreshing after reading many books with so many details that you wonder if any of them will actually aid you in creating a better marriage or send your spouse in the other direction!

The chapter on “Play” resonated with me the most because my family complains all of the time how little I like to “play”. And I am married to the biggest kid around. My husband likes to work hard (and does) but he also likes to play. That can be extremely difficult with me for a wife. I tend to stay in manage mode (I’m a Martha). When the author stated “Life is busy and hard, and well, we forget to make time for fun”…well that is me in a nutshell! And don’t even get me started on the “Dream” section!

I highly recommend this book for couples who have just got married, about to get married, who have been married thirty years like us, or even about to celebrate 60 years (which in today’s time is truly a gift from God and should be celebrated). After all what is ten days out of your life if it will lead to 50 years of happiness and peace in your marriage?  

You can find out more info about the book release and the author Philip Wagner by going here. Stay tuned there may even be a giveaway soon.

Sunday Mind Dump: through the eyes of the Pastors Wife!

Its been a long time since I did a Sunday Best or do any ministry updates for that matter. In all honesty this years highlights have been less about ministry and more about friends and family. Its what I needed after a really rough ministry year in 2011. And I'm glad I stepped back from some things and spent more time concentrating on family stuff. It was especially good when I had a health scare this summer. Right now I'm still taking it easy and I'm good with that but today was a very good day so I thought I would share. Granted its nothing earth shattering but it was just one of those days when life in general is not half bad and you actually spend a little time thinking about how much you really have to be thankful for.

This says it in a nutshell!!! By the way I got this at Ross for $4.00!

I love this picture! Today was youth Sunday at WABC. Marc had a little help in the pulpit...LOL. These cutie pie was the second baby that Marc dedicated at WABC. She is now singing in the choir. And my girl was singing her heart out! When she wasn't checking out what was on Marc's table! LOL

October is Clergy Appreciation month. Next month Marc and I celebrate our 4th year at WABC and the church does a great job of recognizing us so we take this month to recognize our ministry partners and long time friends Diane and Rob. I actually did the presentation this year and Dianne is giving me that look of I'm going to get you later. LOL I don't know why but for some reason it just doesn't click with them that its clergy appreciation month. Which works out for us because we get them every time. LOL

Marc is at Virginia Union University studying for his Masters degree in Theology. He travels 2 1/2 hours away each weekend to class and back so our date days have taken a back seat for now. So Sunday afternoons have turned into date afternoon. This is my dinner at Ruby Tuesdays. I had the ribs and mash potatoes but the cheesecake is Marc's. I ate a small bit but I knew this was waiting for me at home!!!!

This is my son's birthday cake/cupcakes! And yes, I brought my 29 year old son a Batman birthday cake! 

Of course I also brought him Spider Man and Mickey and Friends balloons! That's just how we roll here.

I can't believe its been twenty nine years!!! I also can't believe I use to be so skinny that even in this picture pregnant with my second child I still looked skinny! 

Boy has times changed? LOL

This one just turned 28!

And this one standing here (the one with the attitude at the moment..lol) will soon be 27!!! Again what happened to the time? In a few more years all of my children will be in their thirties!!!! And there poor daddy is still waiting for grandbabies! I on the other hand am perfectly content. HAHA

Well, other then reorganizing, and decorating we really don't have much else going on. We will have our fall fest in a few weeks and of course our 4th Anniversary but mostly we just have some events with the family and preparations for Christmas!!!!!! We may be heading to Ohio in December for our friends installation service. They recently moved their to Pastor a church in Cleveland. There are lots of "possible" trips in 2013 but only time will tell if they actually come true.

Heres to a blessed week for all of you! God's blessings!!!

Almost done! I think! LOL

Minus the front porch (which is in disarray right now and is going to require some extra special care (once the weather lets up a bit) I'm almost done with my fall transition! Of course as soon as I get it looking like I want, it will be time for Christmas! LOL I'm still debating on whether I will do anything to the bathrooms but for the most part I am done inside. Of course if I come across some great finds in the clearance section of my favorite stores all bets are off. But for now I'm pretty much done (I think..lol).

I had decided I wanted to put a wreath on the back of my front door and our Master bedroom downstairs. A long (and I mean a long time ago) Marc brought home these really dinky gold wreaths around Christmas time. I hated them and for years they stayed up in the attic with a bin full of things I had no idea what to do with but they were things my hubby brought home because he thought I might be able to "use" them one day. Recently I started purging stuff and those same gold wreaths were in the pile for "must go" items. But yesterday I took another look at them and figured out they would be perfect for a craft project. Twenty minutes later I had two new fall wreaths for my doors using supplies from the Dollar Tree! I'm hoping to find a few additional wreaths in the clearance section to use upstairs on my laundry and guest bath doors, Or maybe next fall I will make my own. Its not high on the priority list for this year.

What was high on the list was a new wreath for above the mantel and on my front door. I'm hoping to find a wreath in the next few weeks at Michael's on discount for the front door. But I found this lovely wreath at Rite Aid, and it was 50% off so it only cost me about $8.00 and some change. Now I can finally show the completed mantel. I still have not painted the mantel. For years I have been thinking white now I'm not sure so natural it shall stay a bit longer. Any suggestions?

I also picked up a pumpkin candle, and a couple of chickens from Rite Aid, Since I couldn't find the owls I figure the chickens are cute and they have a beautiful fall pattern on their wings. Minus a couple of knickknacks here and there for my end tables and a few "fall" throw pillows I am done in the familyroom area.

The last spot I set my eyes on was the little table in my foyer. I had a "spring" like centerpiece sitting there all summer and I knew I wanted to change it out for something, what that something was I didn't have a clue. But yesterday evening when I did some rearranging I found my vase from my summer table (the one with the seashells in it). I threw a few leaves in, a couple of gourds and pumpkins I had left over and wrapped some garland around the base and there you have it!

So unless I find some really great "deals" this is probably the last update for my Fall decor (of course knowing me I will find something...lol).

Update: And I did find something else! LOL I have been looking for "fall" plates to replace the summer ones I had up. Found these babies at Roses for $3.00 each!

This rack is in my foyer.

I have another set of plate holders in my hallway, so I brought a different style for there. And since I have done about all I can do in these areas its time to move on to organizing our bedroom. So hubby purchased these for us to put all of the extra clothing and stuff that won't fit in our closet. So stay tuned for bedroom updates. 

I made one additional purchase which was a rug for my foyer, but now that I have it in place I'm thinking I should have gotten a darker one. And I'm thinking this one would work out great in my laundry room when it gets its overhaul! 

Well, I think that's finally it! LOL You can see all of my Fall decorations here and here!

Still Tweaking

I'm still tweaking stuff. I don't know where my door wreath is and I recalled having scarecrows on my front porch one year but for the life of me Marc and I can't seem to remember where they could be! 

I decided to put all of the ceramic pumpkins I have collected in my cake stand. Its not like it ever has cake in it! LOL

I went to Rite Aid last night after seeing Liz of Savvy Seasons Owls in her fall mantel video! This is the second Rite Aid I have been to. No owls to be found anywhere but I did pick up a couple of kitchen towels and a candle holder. All of their fall items are 50 % off right now.

I moved the stone I had on the mantel and put the candle holder there instead.

Then I put the stone on the media table where my ceramic pumpkin was that is now in the cake stand with the rest of my pumpkins. I'm almost positive I will be tweaking until after Thanksgivings Day when the Christmas stuff starts to go up! LOL 

Fall Decor Update

This is the tabletop area of our media center. Most of the items came from our local thrift store (table runner, mirror and glass jars) or the Target Dollar spot. The garland and pumpkins came from the dollar store and I have had them for years.

The flowers are from Michael's a few yrs back. I got the sacks from a local thrift store (i brought like 30 of them for like 25 cents each). Marc looked at me like I was crazy when I brought them, but I used them for our family reunion and plan to use them at church with the fall centerpieces.

 



 

The flowers are from a local thrift store and came in a different vase that really wasn't my style. I found the water pitcher also at a local thrift store. The pumpkins are from the Dollar tree. I got the white ones last year and picked up the creme one this year. I also found a orange one that is on our media table.

 

The placemats are from Ollie's, dish towels are from the Dollar Tree, the large charger plates are from the local thrift store and the green plates are from Marshall's (I think). The orange pumpkin bowls are from WalMart. All items I have had at least a few years or more.

 

A couple of days ago I found these green glasses at the Dollar Tree!

 

These pumpkins use to go above my stove but after I brought the owls I placed these on our small table that is in the foyer. I love finding new places to use old things.

I covered my candles with ribbon and raffia and added a few leaves. I still have not found a "fall" runner for the mantel and I still need to make a wreath for the mirror and my front door but I love the garland I added and the leaf candles that I recently purchased from the Dollar Tree.

 



 

The shell necklace that we got from our Hawaii trip years ago stay up on the mantel no matter what season it is.

 

I moved the Harvest and Pumpkin signs from the kitchen table after Marc put up my shelves. I got these shelves from a local thrift store a while ago but we are just now getting them up on the wall.

 



 

This is the same tablecape from last year but I added the garland and the bunnies and placed my turkey salt and pepper shaker on the head of the table plates since I didn't have enough bowls.

 

 

The gold bowls were my grandmothers. I'm still looking for new curtains for my diningroom and because of health reason I did not get to paint the walls this summer! Kind of bummed about that.

 

 

This sign came from the Dollar spot at Target. It was $2.50. They had some other signs but I'm not sure if I will pick any of them up.



Last but not least, I decided to decorate my side table that is in the hallway leading to our bedroom. I'm even considering taking down the photos until after Christmas so I can decorate it even more. I love decorating for the various seasons and changing out the different areas of my home. But I also like to work with a budget so shopping at our local thrift shops and places like the Dollar tree and the Dollar spot at Target really helps. I also like Big Lots, Ollie's and Michael's Craft store. Liz and Savvy Seasons recently shopped at some of the local drug stores for some fall stuff so now I'm itching to go check out their 50% off sales!

Monthly Favorites for September

Adding a new segment to my blog this month called Monthly favorites. If your a YouTube junkie like me you may already know about this.  It may include special products, favorite cosmetic items or hair products. Let's just say it will be a hodge podge of stuff! LOL

My first favorite from September has to be my neutral eye pallet from BHCosmetics. I heard about the pallets from BHCosmetics from Nitraab on YouTube (she is one of my favorites). And since I was looking for a way to get a bunch of quality eye shadows at a great price I thought I would try these out (getting the entire pallet on sale for $14.00 helped. I love, love love the colors in this pallet. And the pigmentation is awesome. I now have my eye on the smokey eye pallet (that's how impressed I was).

While on vacation I picked up the L'OREAL Paris Colour Riche Lip Balm with SPF15 (#819) in Caramel Comfort. OMG, this lip balm feels like butter when you put it on and the color is just enough to stand out without slapping you in the face. LOL

I have been looking for a new mascara for a while. I am blessed to have really long eye lashes but I've never been able to find one that doesn't cake up or make me lashes look like spikes. That is until I tried the Maybeline line. Specifically the Volume Express One by One (waterproof). I'm debating trying the Falsies because I have heard some great reviews on them. Will keep you posted.

Throughout the summer I purchased quite a few products from Elf. I figured for a couple of dollars it was at least worth a shot! Some of have been hits and misses (a blog post on that to come in the near future) but two of my surprise favorites has been the Elf Mineral Eye Shadow primer and the Elf Studio brushes. Specifically the Elf Powder Brush which has become a favorite. These are two products I would definitely purchase again. I like the Elf primer almost (if not as much) as my primer from Urban Decay! And the Elf one is only $3.00!

My final favorites of the month is for my African American "sista's". I don't know of a sista who hasn't stepped foot in Sally's or one who hasn't heard of the Organic Root Stimulator products. I have three favorites from this line but the two I choose to highlight today were The Olive Oil Edge Control and the Olive Oil Moisturizing Hair Lotion. Since the start of the year I have been trying to grow my hair out which has also caused me to start what is called my "hair journey". Not sure I have figured that out yet, but I am learning what seems to work and what doesn't. And for some reason my hair just takes better to the ORF products. When I use them I have less shedding, which we all know is always a good thing! Nothing worse then a sista trying to grow her hair out and having half of it laying in her hand after she has applied product. I'm sure you will here more about this "journey: in upcoming post.

Well there you have it...my Monthly favorites for the month of September. Let me know if you like this little addition to my blog. Have a blessed day y'all!

Mini Fall Haul

Yesterday Nicki and I hit a few stores just to pick up some "necessities". Of course you never end up just picking up the necessities so we came home with a few other nicknack's! LOL Including this cute Alice and Wonderland set from EOS! The "coffee" tin is for hubby's sugar substitute packs at his "coffee" station!

I had to show the back of the lip gloss eggs! Its a Mickey head! 

Nicki has been raving about Trader Joe's for the longest time and was finally able to drag me along for the ride. I didn't really buy anything but she picked up some stuff including fixings for a deep dish pizza that we will probably cook some time today. We have been watching Steve Harvey's new show and he had the top "pizza" guys from Chicago on his show for a pizza throw down. Every since then Nicki and I have been craving a deep dish pizza! But since we are not in Chicago we thought we would try making our own. I will let you know how it goes,

I did get to try a Luna bar after hearing Organizedjen rave about it on her YouTube channel. Did I mention how addicted to YouTube I am right now? Its replaced TV for me! The bar was pretty good. I could see eating another one. I enjoyed my Trader Joe experience but I'm especially excited about trying out Whole Foods when it opens here next year. 

I was kind of late this year with my fall shopping at the Dollar Tree so most of the good stuff is gone (at least in my Dollar Tree). I will have to scout out a few more before I breakdown and head to Micheal's. But I couldn't resist the owls (another influence of Organizedjen). They now hold residence over my stove. I also picked up a word stone and some leaf candles to add to my mantel. I'm still looking for some candles and a runner for the fireplace but nothing has caught my eye yet. The little  pumpkin guy got added to my kitchen tablescape.

I needed some small plastic bags to help with organizing my kitchen (and for snacks, leftovers etc). While browsing the aisles I noticed the Disney sandwich bags and the Disney sandwich container (which Nicki dared me to get..HAHA), and while at the check out counter we saw the Disney PEZ dispenser. Now how do I turn down Disney? Nicki mocked me until she saw the Hello Kitty one! LOL I think I have finally figured out how I want to rework my blog. I have lots of ideas swimming around in my head (I can just hear Marc saying something like "that could be dangerous"). Now I just need to put it down on paper. As soon as I figure it all out I will share. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Nicki and I are headed to the Farmers Market today (hopefully) and then to a celebration for my oldest daughter Quisha for her 28th birthday. Have a blessed day everyone!

Still At It!

I'm still sorting, purging and reorganizing. Even made a few trips to the local Dollar Tree to pick up some containers. I mean they are only a buck people! A few are now holding court in my kitchen as bins for my potatoes, onions, and garlic. But one of the round baskets is now in our car filled with the reusable grocery bags. 

I just have to remember to take them in the store with me! LOL

I'm cleaning out every cabinet in my kitchen and was shocked to learn how many tea boxes we had piled up. I love tea but this is ridiculous! 

I have them all in one big basket now, but I'm not sure that this is the long term solution for my problem. I have banned my hubby from buying any more tea at the moment though! 

Yesterday I started pulling out the fall decor. I still need to find some fall glasses, and maybe some silverware but I love fall decorating and can't wait to add some more things to my collection ( I like to catch knickknacks on sale and at the end of the season...which won't be long considering stores around here already have Christmas stuff out).

I finally found a spot for my thrift store shelves that I brought at the beginning of the summer. Now I want to change out some of my picture frames and maybe add a knickknack or two. Not sure yet. Will probably be tweaking this area for a while.

Speaking of tweaking. How do you like my mantel. I have a list of "must haves" I want to try and find to add to what I have already done so far. Including some candles, a new wreath and a fall themed runner. Sorry for the quality of some of the photos. I have been so busy that its just easier to snap a quick photo with my phone and keep it moving!

I even made a trip to Bath and Bodyworks this past weekend for their 2 for $20 sale. I love the smell of the pumpkin carving sampler they gave out for free with any home scent purchase. I've already burned one of the Autumn ones and in the kitchen I have been burning a pumpkin spice scent from Wally World. The next area I need to tackle is my diningroom and a couple of spots in my hallway and familyroom. Anyone else as excited about the Holiday season as I am?