sweet // simple // genuine // quiet // love

I was going through some old notebooks of mine when I came across a "journal entry" of mine from Friday September 5, 2014. I don't actually keep a journal but on a random page in this random book I wrote "Today I feel like journaling. I don't know why exactly except that I have thoughts to get out of my head that maybe I'll want to remember some day." Guess what- I was right! I am so glad I wrote theses things down because I do want to remember them. The things I wrote really struck a chord in me as I re-read them tonight so I decided to share them here as another way to look back and remember. So here goes...

Friday September 5, 2014

Today I feel like journaling. I don't know why exactly except that I have thoughts to get out of my head that maybe I'll want to remember some day. 

Tonight Adam and I went to dinner. He suggested we go out which doesn't happen as often. Usually I want to go out (because I don't want to cook or I don't want to be in the house). It was sweet of him to suggest. I didn't even think I'd see him tonight because he has a derby tomorrow. But he came home and we went out. 
He suggested going to the next town. That never happens but I always ask. Tonight it was his idea. After dinner we drove home and he talked on the phone the whole way. I didn't mind but I was a little disappointed we didn't go anywhere else. As we pulled in the driveway and he got off the phone he asked if I wanted to go get ice cream. I've been asking to do that a lot lately but it doesn't usually happen. Tonight it was his idea. After ice cream we drove past a Redbox and I asked if we could get a movie (knowing he doesn't like watching movies). He said yes. A chick flick even! When we got home he did his best to watch for a while but he gets bored in the middle so he turned his computer on. Thirty minutes or so later I looked over and he wasn't looking at his computer- he was watching the movie. 

He did everything I wanted to do tonight. 
He is so sweet to me. 

Sometimes I get so caught up in the fairy tales and the chick flick romances that I start to feel like my marriage is missing something. I tend to get down on myself thinking "If only I were {insert negative thought here} then our marriage would be perfect, it would be a fairy tale, we'd always get along."
I'll admit we have flaws and things to work on but you know what? We aren't doing too bad.

My husband was sweet and kind and thoughtful tonight. That sounds exactly like a marriage should be. Considerate. Patient. Loving. I don't need fancy gifts, expensive vacations, or sweep-you-off-your-feet declarations of love. My husband loves me. The kind of love that forgives fights and hurtful words. That withstands rough patches, boredom, or ruts. He loves me no matter what I look like or how messy our house gets. He appreciates when I make him dinner, do his laundry, or rub his back.

When we went out tonight I didn't stop to think about the fact that we were doing all the things I like to do. I was happy and having a good time but I didn't stop to think about how my husband was doing all the things I love to do without making a "scene" or trying to get recognition by saying "See! We're doing what you want!!" He just did it and didn't need to point it out. I think that's love. Not declare-your-love-on-the-empire-state-building love but just sweet, simple, genuine, quiet love. And that's just what I want.

P.S. also if further proof of his love should be needed- he just woke up and saved me from a big huge centipede. It was huge and nasty and he woke up and killed it. THAT is true love!

-Me 

dinner at 10pm

some days i come home from work so motivated to clean the house, finish projects, play with ruby, and have a hot dinner waiting for my husband when he walks in the door. yesterday was like that. i really like mondays. i feel so productive on mondays. the work day goes by quickly. i leave in a good mood, and i get things done at home. {i keep these feelings to myself at work. most people i talk to don't share my outlook on mondays}.

yesterday was such a good day. at work i was able to take on new tasks in addition to my usual responsibilities. i left right on time. it was such a beautiful sunny day. i hurried home and ran some errands with the mister and ruby {of course}. after he left for the farm i took ruby out to the hill and let her run around and explore. the hill is one of my favorite places in the county. it is so quiet up there and you can see for miles. i love it there.

when ruby started wandering too far i knew it was time to come home. when i got home i did laundry, i cleaned my kitchen, i worked on an organizational project. i paid bills and did some filing at my newly set up desk in the kitchen. i played fetch with ruby in the backyard. i made my husband's lunch for the next day. i made chicken enchiladas for dinner. i even cooked half a chicken breast and shredded it up to use as treats for ruby this week because i've been wanting to incorporate natural healthy food into her puppy food diet. i was going going going on my feet all night until my husband got home at 9:15 and i gave him his dinner. then i showered and we talked in bed until we fell asleep.

those are my favorite nights. when i finally lay down in bed and i'm exhausted but it feels so good.

then there was today, tuesday.

i know this has all got to be in my head. mondays always go so well for me and i dread tuesdays. work was so slow today. i barely got everything done i needed to and that was with staying 30 minutes extra. i got home and i walked in the door with every intention of completing my to-do list. but i was tired already. and i had no motivation. i fed the animals. and then ruby got into something she shouldn't have and the cats were hissing at her and i just couldn't take it so out she went and with chips and salsa in hand i got in bed, turned on youtube videos and laid in bed until i fell asleep around 7.

i woke up at about 8:15 with the computer still on my lap. and i felt groggy and discouraged. i let the puppy in and tried to find the motivation to do something. instead i got back in bed, turned on hulu and watched last week's parenthood while cuddling with ruby. here i am at 10pm and i feel like i didn't accomplish anything tonight. nothing from my to-do list. i didn't make dinner. i didn't make adam's lunch. and i feel frustrated.

he still isn't home from the farm yet. i know if he comes home to a wife who spent the whole evening in bed while he was out working hard it will be discouraging for him too. so here's my game plan!

i'm going to post this, get up, make dinner {he'd gotta be home soon...}. while dinner is cooking i'm going to make his lunch. then i will have a happy husband with a full belly and tonight will not be a total loss!


and this is why i'm so glad i have him. he's my motivation. it might be a little late, but never too late!
ooo motivational thought for the day!

you might be running a little late but it is never too late.

see things are looking up already!


plus, i don't think i have any preconceived notions about wednesday so perhaps i'll decide to love them and tomorrow can be as good as monday. who's with me!?

ms. ruby sleeping next to me right now.

xoxo

our weekend

sunday night, again. another weekend come to an end.
i got to spend this whole weekend with my mister. this hasn't happened in while with the temps warming up and the farming season in full force. but i was blessed with some cold weather this weekend that encouraged my husband to stay home and i couldn't have been happier.

on friday i got off work a half hour early. i drove home in such a good mood {as fridays tend to do}. ruby was waiting for me on the lawn which {almost} always brings a smile to my face. once in the house i was feeling motivated to get some work done. i folded laundry, fed the pets, cleaned the kitchen counters, and picked up our bedroom.
as i was defrosting chicken for dinner adam got home and announced he'd be staying home for the night. we decided to go for a drive {one of our favorite past times in the country}. we loaded up ruby in the car, got drinks and snacks from the gas station, and begin our meandering adventure around the county. we ended up driving for almost two hours. ruby made it through hour one before falling asleep on the back seat.

when we got home i decided to make chicken parmesan over angel hair pasta for dinner while my husband took a shower. i used the recipe on the can of fire roasted tomato progresso recipe starters. i hadn't gone grocery shopping in almost 2 weeks and was running low on just about everything but was able to come up with a very small caesar salad and some garlic cheese bread made from a loaf of white bread. i'm so blessed to have a husband that loves everything i make and treats every meal {even sad excuses for garlic cheese bread} as if it gourmet cuisine. he loved the chicken parmesan. i was even pleasantly surprised with how it turned out and think i'll try it again some time soon. those progresso recipe starters are pretty good!

after dinner we got in bed with the puppy and watched sharktank and some mystery 20/20 kind of show. instead of putting ruby in her crate at nine like we usually do we decided to try leaving her out for the first time. she did so well all night and never got out of bed but she's quite the bed hog. and prefers my side of the bed far more than adam's. i woke up a lot with puppy paws in my side, in my back, or on top of me. she's lucky she is so fluffy and cute or i might have put her in her crate in the middle of the night. i was wishing i had at 6am when she decided it was time to wake up. she got up from the end of the bed, laid down on top of my, and licked my face. oddly enough i didn't go back to sleep. i was wide awake and ready to go so i started making a grocery shopping list on my phone. when my list was done i got ready for the day and with list in hand i headed out to walmart. 

i love grocery shopping in the early morning before the store gets crazy.i had a lot to buy since it'd been so long but i have a few projects in mind and needed to pick up supplies {gold spray paint, clearance picture frames, corkboard tiles, desk organizers...} another task i really enjoy is putting away all of the groceries when i get home. i love stocking the fridge & pantry, throwing out old food, reorganizing the shelves and cupboards, restocking the snack basket on the counter. i just love putting everything away. once that was done my mister and i went out to lunch.

we got calzones with a gift certificate from restaurants.com that were amazing! we can't wait to go back. then afterwards we looked for a new lawn mower for my husband. when we got home my husband had to go to the farm for a few hours so i spent that time listening to conference and working on a new organization system for my desk in the kitchen {i'll post pics soon, it turned out so well}. i decided very last second that two things needed to be spray painted so i gathered up my drop cloth, spray painted, and headed out to the covered patio. within minutes it was hailing so hard and loud i couldn't even hear the cars that drove by or the neighbors dogs barking. i had to take a break from the painting to hold down the tarp from the crazy strong wind. luckily it didn't last long and i was able to finish my project and get back inside before the rain started.

my husband got home just as i finished my project and after showering he decided it was time for bed... at 6pm. so i made him breakfast for dinner in bed {clever, huh}. We had cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon, and sweet rolls and had an ncis marathon starting with season 1. we'd been woken up so early by ruby that we were both out by 9pm. not the most glamorous saturday night but it was out kind of night. we are homebodies. night two of ruby in the bed went much better and i slept through the whole night. 

sunday morning was spent lounging in bed. at noon we went into the city and spent the afternoon with adam's parents. we had an early dinner of ribs and pasta salad {yum} before heading back home. we did dishes, cleaned the bathroom, put felt circles on the feet of our table and chairs, and then i did a little washi tape decorating of some clothespins i've had for a few years {again, pictures coming. it is such an easy craft}. adam decided we should continue the marathon so we turned on ncis and snuggled into bed with each other and the crazy dog. which brings me to right now.

these are my favorite kinds of weekends. when we wake up early but cuddle in bed. make good food at home. make time for each other. play with the animals. see our family. get things done around the house but still find time to relax and enjoy ourselves. i'm almost glad every weekend isn't this good because it makes me that much happier when they happen. 

scene from our drive

have a happy week.

xoxo

the best

perhaps it is the hormones courtesy of mother nature

or maybe it was watching him dance to the music on tv as we got in bed last night

that made me start looking through our wedding photos

but that ^^ was such a good day

& i'm so glad it happened.

xoxo