He Brought Me Flowers

I am loved.

Last evening Daniel went out to mow the yard a bit.  I was giving Susannah a bath and it had been a trying day.  I walked into the kitchen and didn't even notice right away.  But then I saw them.  This beautiful, simple bouquet of blooms from our yard.  He told me this morning that he picked the very first rose-bud for me.  How sweet is that?!

You Can't Measure Love

...but my Daniel can put love in a measuring cup :)

Daniel doesn't often rarely buys me flowers, which is probably ok because they aren't in the budget too much anyway, but I do like getting flowers from time to time.

I'm not sure how, but last week flowers came up in the conversation and the fact that I like flowers. The next day it was well into the day (and he was at work) when I noticed a measuring cup with flowers in it sitting amidst all the dirty dishes and clutter on the kitchen counter. I immediately knew where they were from and it made me feel so special and loved. That is how Daniel frequently brings me flowers in the spring and summer. It might be a couple buttercups, some of these blue flowers, or a rose off our rosebush when it's blooming. They aren't very big, they aren't a beautiful arrangement of different kinds of flowers, and honestly sometimes they are really just a flowering weed, but they sure do get the point across:

He loves me, he thought about me, and he wants me to know.

And for that, they are the most beautiful and you couldn't pay all the money in the world.

Goals for 2010

I am good at making lists and following lists, but I think this is perhaps the first year that I have actually thought about and written out a list of goals that I would like to accomplish throughout the year. I have been thinking about these things for the past several weeks, and reading other people's goals has given me ideas, and reminded me of things that I've thought about or wanted to do, but just never do them. Hopefully by having a written list, I'll do better at actually doing instead of just thinking. These are all subject to change. I have no idea what God has in store for us this year, but I can still at least make a plan and strive to do my best with whatever situation I'm in.

Personal
(Many of these Daniel and I have talked about, since several of them include not just myself, but the both of us.)
*Go to bed, at bedtime, together.
*Spend time together as a couple each day.
*Spend time together as a family each day.
*Regular date nights for just the two of us (monthly or bi-monthly)
*Daily personal quiet time with the Lord.
*Read at least 1 book a month - I love to read, but push it to the back burner so often.
*Exercise 3x a week or more.
*Lose baby weight and then some (after the baby's born, of course!)
*Choose and develop 1 or 2 new habits each month - I really enjoyed FishMama's "Get a Good Habit Going" challenge last year, I want to keep it up.
*Eat breakfast together more often - usually Daniel eats breakfast on the way to his work.
*Don't overschedule our calendar. Keep time free for "us" and know that it's ok to say "no."

Financial
*Cash only for groceries, entertainment/recreation. It is so easy to overspend in these areas, I want us to try the cash only system to keep us on-track.
*Stick to budget! Less impulse buying!
*Put SOME money into savings each week, plus any extra that is possible.

In the kitchen
*Menu plan each week 1 week ahead.
*Serve salads with meals 2x a week - we both like salads, but I don't often plan them into the menu.
*Find or create the happy medium for eating healthier without going overbudget.
*Update the freezer inventory quarterly (basically print off new sheets to correspond with my chicken scratches and changes on the existing one).
*Try new recipes more often.
*Use crockpot 1x a week.
*Reduce food waste - stay on top of leftovers and freezer inventory.

Household
*Donate or throw away more. DO NOT KEEP CLUTTER
*Complete To-Do lists daily.
*Stay on top of filing paperwork (aka - keep the desk clean!).
*Print off, write on and put photos in albums monthly.
*Maintain clean and welcoming bedrooms.
*Put curtains in kitchen windows.
*Continue with weekly or monthly "Monster Projects"

Miscellaneous
*Blog more regularly.
*Clean out coupon file quarterly.

Above all else
*Do all things in a manner that glorifies God and brings honor to my husband.
*Strive to be the best wife and mama I can be.
*Maintain a peaceful and welcoming atmosphere in our home.

It's the Little Things ...

That Daniel does to make me smile :) And to make sure I feel loved :)

Monday is "Daniel's Jeans" day in the laundry department. Anybody who's man does any kind of manual labor is probably well familiar with the NEED to check every pocket in his shirts and pants before putting them into the washing machine. I find all kinds of things. And usually if I miss something it's the time there was an ink pen, but I digress.

Monday I cleaned out his pockets, and the treasures went on top of the dryer for the time being. One of the treasures was a blue, heavy duty, latex glove (I forget what he uses them for... some kind of cleaner or glue or something that you don't want to get on your skin).

Tuesday morning I went to start the washing machine and this is what was waiting for me: He had taken the blue glove and shaped it into the "I Love You" sign where he knew I would find it :)

Yesterday (Wednesday) when I made his lunch I made sure to write something sweet on his sandwich baggie :) It's been a while since I've done that, and it's something I need to do more often. Not that I don't love him, or forget to let him know, but I need to make sure and slow down, to not let the hustle and bustle of getting him out the door keep me from doing the little things that make him feel especially loved :)