Forever Beloved - Faith, Love & Truth

November 26, 2019

Blogvember Day Twenty-Six | Family Recipe

For a complete list of The Blogvember Challenge prompts, click HERE!

November 26 – Share a family recipe (but make sure to ask Mama first).

When I was growing up I was blessed to grow up in a family of farmers. I not only have a Mama that grew her own food, but canned it as well. Not only my Mama, but all the women in my family. Many family gatherings would include a circle of women chatting about their recent crops and what they were planning on canning with them.

This is the spaghetti sauce recipe that my Grandma, Mama and now myself use. It’s absolutely our favorite. Store bought sauce doesn’t even compare to it.

Spaghetti Sauce

1⁄2 bushel tomatoes
2 bulbs garlic
4 hot peppers
3 lb. onions
1⁄2 cup salt
1 1⁄2 cup sugar
3 tbsp italian seasoning
8 cans tomato paste
2 cups oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

Put everything into a blender and puree. I cut the stem part off the tomatoes, quarter them and put skins and all into the blender. I also leave the seeds in two of the hot peppers to add some heat.

Bring it to a boil and cook until thick. I cook mine for 4-5 hours, stirring occasionally.

To can, pour into jars. Place rings and lids on jars, making it fingertip-tight. Place on a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool.

If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear how you like it! I can’t wait to read all your family recipes today.

November 24, 2019

Blogvember Day Twenty-Four | Marriage

For a complete list of The Blogvember Challenge prompts, click HERE!

November 24 – What is your relationship status? Are you engaged, married or walking through a beautiful season of singleness?

I have been married 23 amazing, hard, exhausting, lovely, fun, exasperating, learning, beautiful, blessed and love filled years to this man.

I am no stranger to storybook romance. Marrying at twenty to the sweetest man, I am blessed to be familiar with this form of love – love as a falling and a pursuit and a passion. We were introduced for the first time on a cold February evening, bundled up as we stood outside while snow gently fell around us. We stood there with our cherry-red noses, enamored with each other.

One month later we were engaged. We were married three months after that, with vows breathed in the little country church I was born into.

We both entered marriage in love with being in love. I adored the romance, comfort and support a spouse offered. I loved waking up beside him each morning and laying down beside him each night. I loved that he was my best friend and knew me better than anyone. We had our own unwritten language and could share a look or a word that no one else would understand but WE knew what it meant. I loved how he could make me laugh more than anyone else.

Throughout the years, I’ve collected every card and love letter my husband has written me. I have them all safely tucked away but on occasion will pull an old one out and pour over the words. It’s in that moment, between the lines, I can see this love of ours has, without a doubt, changed over time.

It isn’t because it’s any less. It isn’t because we’re walking through a valley. It isn’t because the laundry is piled sky high. It is something different. Throughout the past twenty-three years we’ve made a conscious choice to daily say that we still do, even now, especially now.

He has continued to choose me, even on days I wear sweat pants and a messy bun. He has continued to choose me, throughout every sickness and surgery. He has continued to choose me, even when I’m undeserving.

And I’ve chosen him.

This is daily love.

Daily love is strung together choices. The feelings, undoubtedly, will rise and fall. Being in love with love will fade as the toughness of life becomes a reality. But marriage is not meant to be a lifetime commitment to fairy tale love alone. Marriage is designed to be a repetitive I do, a daily commitment of choosing us over me.

Marriage was designed specifically by God to mirror the relationship between Christ and His church. In marriage, we are acting out a living parable to help our children and others around us grasp what God is like in a more concrete way.

Over the years God has softened and shaped my heart. He has shown me that I need to love my husband without unreal, fairy tale expectations. He has shown me that marriage means intentionally looking for love. It’s in those moments, when I pause and reflect, I am flooded with displays of love right in front of me:

It’s in the endless miles he’s driven me to appointments.
It’s in the washing, drying and folding of laundry he does.
It’s in the hug and kiss I get when he walks in the door.
It’s in the time we spend together, from grocery shopping to shooting guns.
It’s in his understanding when somehow 8 backyard chickens suddenly become 43.
It’s in his support of all my crazy ideas.

In these ways and thousands of others, he shows me, he tells me, he loves me.

I am so thankful our love story has so many chapters left to be written in it. As your love story is written by the ultimate Author of love, you might just be surprised at the romance you find. And just how much your husband does, in fact, resemble prince charming. No matter what the situation, or what mess it may hold, he’s still my hero and I’m still his girl.

November 23, 2019

Blogvember Day Twenty-Three | Self-Love

For a complete list of The Blogvember Challenge prompts, click HERE!

November 23 – List 10 things you love about yourself. We’re giving that negative self-talk the boot today!

I am a type A personality and I love lists, so this is right up my alley. But on the other hand, we are our worst and loudest critics. And saying what we like about ourselves feels uncomfortable and self-centered, at least to me. Which is something I have to really fight against. I need to reminded myself that I actually do really like myself. And today we are giving all negative self-talk the boot!

My laugh

I used to hate my laugh. It was loud, like really loud, and awkward. I hated what my face looked like when I laughed. But when I started dating my husband we laughed a lot. And I grew to love this loud obnoxious laugh. It happens so often, we love to laugh in our family! And now I have a daughter that laughs just like Mama.

Compassion

If there is an elderly lady stranded along the road, I’m going to stop. If there is a homeless person, my heart is going to pull me right to them to give them my last $5. I remember the December day I saw a stranger post on Facebook that she couldn’t afford Christmas for her babies, and I sent her money. I had friends messaging me telling me how naive I was and that I shouldn’t do that. But I have always went with the thinking if my heart is in the right place when I give, what they do with it on their end is up to them. God told us to love our neighbor, even ones we don’t know. I grew up watching my Dad live his life by this, and not only giving but pointing people to Jesus during it. I’m hopeful that I can achieve that as well.

My hair

It’s been short and spiked. It’s been long and curly. It’s been big and bold. It’s been red, blonde, black and every other color in between. Throughout every season my hair went through, I’ve loved it. It’s one thing I’ve always worked to make sure it looked nice. It’s an extension of my bold personality.

My adoption story

It’s one of my favorite stories to tell. I’m in love with it from beginning to end. I love to share it and talk to others about it. It’s the most beautiful story of God’s hand being traceable in my life before I was even born.

My handwriting

I can remember going to the book fair at school and buying a book on calligraphy in elementary school. And sitting at my desk every evening practicing my handwriting. It’s big and loopy, cursive combined with printing, capital letters combined with lowercase. It’s unique to me, and I think that’s why I love it so much.

The way I love

When I love, I love hard. I love my family and my friends to no end. I would do anything for someone I love. If they need me, I would drop whatever I’m doing to rush to be at their side. I completely contribute this to my amazing parents and how I was raised.

My cooking ability

Y’all, I love to cook. It’s my stress-relieve and my happy place. I show my family my love through food (and often joke some day they’ll be in therapy because of that). And I’m a good cook. Anything from homemade spaghetti sauce to cinnamon rolls.

Creativity

I’ve always had a creative outlet throughout most of my life. From coloring when I was little to being a published scrapbooker to running a successful photography business for ten years. I adore all things creative!

Organization

Being that my personality is very type A, I crave being organized. I can write a mean list, loving checking things off of it. I love to create folders and color code them. I am obsessed with tablets and post-it-notes. I’m also a people pleaser and want the parties I throw to be perfect and everyone to like me. Which isn’t really a good quality if we’re being honest.

I love Jesus

I feel this one is always going to be a work in progress but throughout the past 15 years I’ve made leaps and bounds in my walk with Jesus. I am so much more confident in my walk, more than I ever have been. I know who I am, a daughter of the King. I’m not perfect, I have flaws, quirks, habits, and talents that are unique to me, and since believing that I am uniquely, fearfully, and wonderfully made it has made life much more enjoyable.