Marriage Minded Monday: Time Together

Do you spend time with your spouse? Let me rephrase that. Do you MAKE time to spend with your spouse?
Are you one of those couples that lead different lives and only sleep in the same bed (occasionally).

There are couples who have no choice but to be apart - one may be a soldier, or a driver, or work on a pipeline.
But what about those couples that live together all the time?

One of the fundamental foundations of a good relationship is getting to know your spouse. The only way to do that is by spending time together. Watch a movie together, read to each other, or just sit across the table from each other and talk.

You might find out something interesting about your spouse that you never knew before.

Don't think you have anything in common with your partner? Try a compromise - one night a week you do what one of you wants and one night do what the other wants. You might discover a new love of a hobby, a musical or film genre, or art.

For example, before my husband and I were married, you would not have caught me on a small manned watercraft. Especially one without sides and with the potential of going 30 mph + on a lake. Then he introduced me to our Hobie 16' Catamarand:

Isn't it beautiful??

Now, I CRAVE this boat. I LONG to ride for hours! 

And as for my husband, I brought to him a love of different exotic and healthy foods. His whole life had been fried, creamed, cheesed, and fat. I taught him to love quinoa and to TOLERATE (lol) asparagus.

Make some time today to spend with your spouse - just the two of you, together. You may find it makes all the difference in your relationship!

Today I'm linking up with my friend Nan's Making Your Home Sing Monday! 

Run to her blog (Mom's The Word) NOW and check it out!!

Silly Saturday! Brownie Pops!

So last week on Wordless Wednesday I posted this picture of the yummy treat with the promise that there would be a story and recipe that Saturday. Well, as it would happen, life happened and sometimes you just don't get to blog what you intended that day. So, here it is for you today, kids!

I'd been wanting to make these for a long time, I've seen them done with everything from cookies to cake and thought I'd give the brownies a try. My daughter Emily is my budding Chef, so she was my assistant for the day. We had chocolate and sprinkles everywhere, and every once in a while my OCD would kick in and I'd take over, but we still managed to have a blast. We giggled and laughed. Emily ended up with chocolate all over her face and more on the counters! She teased me by pretending to lick it off the floor at one point. And she was the first to sample her creation. It was a great time!

So Yum

Evan playing with Photoshop Settings, they STILL look YUM!

Pretty, to boot!

 

Brownie Pops
(I was unable to take pictures the day of, so I hope you are able to follow my instructions!)

Ingredients:

1 batch brownies, baked according to package directions
2 containers Bakers dipping chocolate
1 container Bakers white dipping chocolate
Sprinkles

Tools:

Lollipop sticks (Can be found on the craft baking aisle at local Super Store such as Wal Mart or Target. Can also be found at hobby and craft stores such as Hobby Lobby and Michael's. Ask for the Wilton aisle).
Small cupcake liners or parchment paper
Plate
Cookie sheet

Cut the edges of the brownies off and eat discard.
Scoop balls out of the middle with a small cookie scoop (this will make about 24 balls).
Place balls on cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.
Put cookie sheet in freezer and freeze for 15 minutes to harden and chill the brownie balls.
Meanwhile, melt the dipping chocolate according to package directions.
Dip the balls into the chocolate using a fork or your fingers (DON'T lick in between dips!) and return to cookie sheet.
Put the lollipop sticks into the balls.
Return to the freezer for another 15 minutes or until chocolate is set.
Melt the white dipping chocolate according to package directions.
Dip each pop 1/2 way up the ball and dip into sprinkles.
Place in small cupcake liners or return to cookie sheet.
Return to freezer 5 minutes to set.
Serve immediately or place into containers/plastic bags. (Freezer up to 3 months, fridge up to 1 week - IF they last that long!)

Enjoy the sweets and the memories!

TMI Friday - PEEESSSTSSS!!

Hey kids! It's time for another edition of: 

Where we're open to discuss anything and everything from the gross to the political.

After last weeks political debauchery . . .

I decided this week to bring back the 

EEEWWWWWW!!!

by revisiting on of my favorite subjects . . .

PESTS!!

Specifically . . .

ANTS

ROACHES

and

MICE!!

First off let's talk about ants.

I know I've mentioned this a time or two but 

I. Hate. Ants.

...!...

They have successfully been seen in every single orface of my kitchen now. 

The plants.

The cabinets.

The sink.

The counters.

I even found them in some food - molasses to be exact. 

Needless to say I've thrown away a LOT of stuff over the last month. 

But after much determined work and effort 

(and some really great ant baits) 

I think we have the situation under control once and for all.

At least I haven't seen an ant in about 48 hours.

ROACHES

Ugh. 

These are the absolute

MOST disgusting things on the planet.

I've learned a few things about them over the years.

First of all, they actually are not drawn to filth.

They're drawn to paper products and industrial glues. 

Which is why so many older houses have infestations.

I also learned that there are two types generally in my area: American and German.

One is, of course, easier to get rid of than the other.

And finally I learned the most important lesson of all this past week.

Roaches really REALLY like electronics.

After talking to my best friend, I found this out.

So I thought I would open up the bottom of my coffee maker . . .

Just to be sure. Since we'd seen them around it so often.

Oh.

My. 

HOLYCOW!!!

It was GROSS in there!!

Little roach carcases plastered all over the workings

On the wires.

On the sides.

Feces . . . egg sacks . . .

I almost threw up.

I decided I was going to throw away my $200 coffee maker right then and there.

Enter the hubby.

"I can clean that" He assured me.

Riiiiiiight, I thought. But I figured the worse that could happen was . . . 

well we'd end up having to throw it away.

I admit when I was wrong.

And I give my husband a LOT of credit. 

He stomached the grossness.

Wiped out every single wire with clorox.

Took the ENTIRE thing apart

Cleaned the entire thing up.

And put it back together.

He is my hero. 

And the reason I write this with a delicious cuppa joe in front of me right now.

I love that man.

So now that their obvious nest has been cleaned out, and we've put gel, baits, and little contraptions that are supposed to sterilize them around the house, 

I have yet to see one.

*happy dance*

And now for my final subject . . .

MICE.

My facebook friends know all about my little mouse-capades.

Jennifer Munson DeMoss

I already have my TMI Friday post for next week, LOL. I swear we must have the smartest mouse (mice?) on the planet! He's managed to evade at least two traps. One, he took the food off of. It tripped, but no mouse. The other he CHEWED ON!! I'll be posting pics here in a bit. It'd be funny if it didn't gross me out so much, LOL!!

Well, I didn't get the pics on Facebook, but I have them for you, kids!!

Peruse:

Here you see the trap: Empty . . . No cheese. No mouse!

This is the one the mouse flipped over. Notice the chewed up stuff around it from the basket here on the left. Also, that long thing to the right of the container is a piece of leather from the basket NOT a mouse tail.

Close-up. Notice the chewing on the upper right hand corner of the trap!

Now the disturbing part . . .

When I picked up the trap, I noticed that it had been tripped, but again, no mouse.

But there WAS a mouse paw!!

Jennifer Munson DeMoss OMG!!! I flip over the chewed mouse trap and there's a paw stuck in the trap!!! GROSS!!! So now we have a three-pawed mouse running around and he's probably PISSED!

Jennifer Munson DeMoss It's a government-engineered uber mouse, I'm sure of it . . .

Jennifer Munson DeMoss The Arnold of mice . . .

That evening as the hubbs and I are watching TV we notice a mouse running behind our entertainment center and curtain in the living room.

Hubby sat out a trap.

The next morning we discovered a (finally) trapped mouse.

He was missing a paw.

Thanks for joining me for this weeks TMI Friday, Kids! 

If you have any suggestions for subjects, let me know in the comments or shoot me an email here.

Thoughtful Thursday - I'm Done With Summer

Once upon I time, I was ready for summer.
I could sleep late, enjoy my kids, didn't have to go anywhere.
But that fairy tale was long over weeks ago.

First of all, let's talk about the heat.
I'm in Texas. It hit 104 yesterday and today it's supposed to hit 105.
I have window units. They're OKAY, but certainly don't have the cooling power of central A/C.
Not to mention the fact that we have a gas stove. The pilot lights stay on. That kitchen gets HOT.

Now let's talk about sleep.
Sleeping late is overrated, to say the very least.
I feel worse and worse every day, and I think it's because I seem to be sleeping later and later.

Enjoying my kids?
Well, since it's too hot to go outside, and there's not much to do right now . . .
They're hot,
Bored,
Cranky,
and Annoying.

And not having to go anywhere? Well, that gets old after the first two weeks.

I have another two months of this?

Dear Summer:

I AM SO OVER YOU!

Love,

Wordless Wednesday - The Lake Misses Us

I miss the lake.

And I think it misses us.

Our Lake Lot is Lonely

See?? See how lonely it is??

It's even pointing us to the lake. It misses us.

*Sigh*

I need a vat of SPF 50,

our Hobie,

my husband,

and a day at the lake.

For more Wordless Wednesdays, visit 5 Minutes For Mom and link up!

Marriage Minded Monday - It's The Little Things . . .

Yes, Kids, I know YESTERDAY was Monday, but yesterday was also the 4th, so I took the morning off from, well, EVERYTHING, and enjoyed my husband while I had him home for one more day. We did nothing but sit in front of the TV and clear our DVR all day, but it was WONDERFUL!! Hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th as well! Now, ON WITH THE BLOG!


What do you do for your husband?
I know that we women sometimes tend to be moody or cranky when our husbands don't do things for us:
"He should have thought to do that"
But oftentimes we forget that our husbands need a little TLC as well.

For example:
I make my husband's dinner plate.
He neither asks nor expects me to do so, but I just do.
I like to make his plate.
And he is always appreciative when I do.

It may seem like nothing - an insignificant motion - but sometimes it's those "nothing" moments that can mean the world to our hubbies.

Like an unexpected love note when you know he's had a bad day.
A saucy text message to let him know he's on your mind.
Letting him have control of the remote.
Fluffing his pillow a little extra.
Making his favorite for dinner even though you hate it.

These are things we can do to "spoil" our hubbies a little bit.
And believe me when I say that the more we "spoil" them, the more they'll want to spoil us.
God bless!

TMI Friday: Dear New York

Happy Friday Kiddies!

You know what Fridays' are for, right?

Alright, so I know that typically, TMI Fridays are reserved for gross or embarassing conversation.

Well, this week, I will be "going there" and discussiong something quite controversial.

If you haven't heard already, New York has passed a same-sex marriage bill over the past week.

The following is a letter that I have composed in my mind over and again about these events.

Dear New York:

Recently you passed a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry and have all the rights and priveleges as any heterosexual married couple. This has been called many things from a step toward progress to a step toward damnation for man kind. It is certainly historical, and has brought the word "equality" to a new and unprecedented level.

But I have a delimma, see . . .

My delimma is this. 

As a Christian, I hold dear to Biblical truths and religions writings. And the bible clearly states that same-sex relationships are an "abomination" in the eyes of God. So from that persepctive, the idea of two men or two women together in the "bonds of holy matrimony" bothers me somewhat. 

But on the other hand, as a human, and as a person with many dear friends in the GLT community, I jump for joy at the thought of some of my good friends finally being able to have happiness like mine in a married relationship.

Gay marriage is nothing light to think about, for sure. 

Despite my misgivings, however, I continue to go back to two things.

1) God doesn't make mistakes.

2) We are all sinners, and no one sin is greater than any other in God's eyes.

Therefore, from that perspective, is it really anyone's right to say that two men or two women cannot be married? Certainly, from God's perspective, they are "living sinfully", but so is the gossip next door, the unwed mother, the pastor with a roving eye, the closet pot-smoker . . . These are no less sinful than homosexuality. And God forgives each of them, even before asked.

It is disturbing to me that people in your community would stand up and say that they refuse to sign a marriage document for same-sex couples. What gives them the right to remove a right from someone else? God certainly did not give his children any rights or commands in that manner.

So, to the people of New York, and the people of the rest of the world that are fighting so hard against same-sex marriage, I respond:

God loves each of his children so much that he gave his son in sacrifice for them. He asked for nothing in return, and demands nothing of His children other than their love and devotion. Each of us has wronged God in our own ways, and not one of our actions was any less or greater than any other. Do we have the right to tell someone they can't gossip? No, that would infringe on their freedom of speech. Do we have the right to tell someone they can't think lustful thoughts or have sex before marriage? No, that would infringe on their personal privacy. If we stand up and say that only some people can have a specific right, what's to stop the world from taking away other rights - even our right as Christians to worship the way we see fit.

Rights belong to all people, even to those whose lifestyle we don't agree with.

Yours Sincerely,
SuperMom Jen