Happy Valentines Giveaway– Times Two!
Sweet cyber sisters–
How I hope this pre-scheduled post finds me happily in Charlotte, NC and ready to appear on Monday evening’s Made to Crave webcast. The webcast is free so log onto www.madetocrave.org at 8:00 pm EST to catch the last installment in Lysa TerKeusrt’s fabulous and motivating series.
Oh, and if ‘ya wanted to whisper a prayer that I don’t cough or sneeze live on the air after a long week with the flu, why that would just be so greatly appreciated!! Your prayers have seen me through and I don’t want them to stop now!!!!
In the mean time, I have two fun Valentines Day giveaways for you–one for you married women and one for the single gals. I guess this is my equivalent of taking treats to school for my friends. :-)
Oh and speaking of treats…..hop on over to my dear friend LeAnn Rice’s site SheCooks.org where I am sharing a favorite treat recipe for Valentines Day–homemade peanut butter cups!
LeAnn is also a guest on this week’s Made to Crave webcast. (Where we will try to encourage you to crave God, not homemade peanut butter cups! But hey…a tiny treat is okay now & then, right?)
Enough chit-chat. Now, for the giveaways:
First, for the married women. A Red Hot monogamy giveaway. It includes:
~ A pack of red hot cinnamon tea light candles
~ Some dark chocolate-covered espresso beans
~ A bright red silicone kitchen hot pad
~ A totally rockin’ retro kitchen apron (Yes…the way to his heart at times is through his stomach. Other times its with a little old fashioned ‘horizontal fellowship’ if ya know what I mean!)
~ A signed copy of my friend (and fabulous speaker & author) Pam Farrel’s marriage book Red Hot Monogamy .
IF YOU ARE MARRIED and want to be entered to win this fun giveaway, simply leave a comment telling us your favorite romantic memory with your hubby.
It can be from yesterday or yesteryear. It doesn’t matter. Just let us know what you consider to be the most romantic thing the two of you have done. (Rated G of course!!!)
And…for now for my single friends. Here is your giveaway:
~ A jumbo milk chocolate bar fit for a Queen (or a prince, as long as he’s charming!)
~ Some P.S. I Love You Spring Fling scented lotion from Bath & Bodyworks
~ A bag of Lindt milk chocolates with white chocolate centers–simply divine!
~ A pretty pair of sterling silver earrings from Kohl’s
~ A copy of LeAnn Rice’s fabulous e-book Sharing Grace. LeAnn is a single, widowed mom with a love for others that is totally contagious!! Her book is full of recipes for blessing your friends & family– both around your table and through your life.
NOW FOR YOU SINGLE GALS: leave us a comment letting us know your favorite way to spend time with your friends. What do you do? Where do you go?
And for those of you who have a suggestion, what are some creative ways married women can make their single friends feel included? That is an area where I’d like some new ideas.
Okay now….leave your comments. I’ll be back on Wednesday to announce the winners.
Speaking of winners….the winner to the weekend’s Sweet Dreams giveaway is:
Ayla; time stamp February 11; 9:44 am
Congratulations!
See you all on Wednesday!
Loved-by-Him Blessings,
Two years ago, for my 40th birthday in February, we went to snowy Door County, WI and had a long weekend without the 4 kids (our first in a long time) and reconnected with each other–quality time!
Not many romantic memories – my husband is wonderful but doesn’t do romance much – so it was a really surprise to receive a ring on our 25th wedding anniversary – more touching, I think, than if he regularly did Valentine’s Day!
The night my husband proposed – ballroom by candle light, steak dinner, Nora Jones playing in the background, totally surprised & a beautiful engagement ring with my man down on one knee.
I guess I am in the second category, being *re-singled* but I really don’t get much of a chance to spend time with friends, being quite busy with three kids. There ARE those wonderful days, in the summertime, when other moms and I can get together and let the kids run and play while I get a chance to connect with grownups.
You are so sweet to give such lovely items away. I was not home tonight to watch MTC webcast but look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Glad you are feeling better.
Hmm favorite romantic memory…hmmm, my hubby is not very romantic. I guess the biggest surprise I ever got was one Valentine Day when I had bought myself a present for him to give me, because I am such a controlling wife and wanted a gift from him….and I bought this heart necklace which he happily gave to me but he had already bought me a present, a lilac bush. Now, this wasn’t just any garden item, for years I always talked about how much I used to love the lilac bushes I would smeel as I walked to and from school on Long Island. My husband loves to garden and his love language is acts of service. I learned a big lesson that day to let him love me in his own way and not try and make him into something that I want. God can surprise us when what we want and what we really need are two different things. The lilac didn’t live long, it really couldn’t grow in our climate but he was willing to try to give me joy.
You are so sweet to give such lovely items away. I was not home tonight to watch MTC webcast but look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Glad you are feeling better.
Favorite memory was of what we now call our “Awesome Weekend”-the weekend before Valentine’s Day. My husband & I have been married for 8 years and have four children. He is always planning all of our dates.
For “Awesome Weekend”, however I took the reigns. I told him we were going out to eat and I’d pick the place. In secret I arranged childcare, made reservations, bought candles, rose petals for the bed and room, and something romantic ~~”;)”~~ for the night, packed his clothes, gassed the van-also one of “his” jobs, the whole ten yards. So, I picked him up from work and drove out of town- after like 20 minutes, I couldn’t stand it and told him my plans- I made reservations for supper and a hotel suite in the town we honeymooned in.
He was floored. I don’t think I ever saw him smile that big (other than our wedding day). He couldn’t believe that I could pull something like that off. Every time he asked did you remember this, or that i said “yes, dear”. It was awesome! The look on his face was so priceless, so precious!
I am a 28 year old single gal.. and I hope you had a fabulous valentines day. I did.. I felt so loved by Jesus today. I just woke up feeling loved.. by HIm.. the king of kings.. glory!
I loove to cook and have friends over. I did not know how much i enjoyed having people over and making them feel welcome and FED in my home until I went to nepal as a missionary. I lived there for 2 years and my favorite way to minister was through my home… so friend or someone i want to get to know.. that’s what makes me come alive.
God bless
Jen Hand
Ohhhh!!! I love entering a contest even if I never win. My most sweet memory….hmmm… I think was the new special bond between us when our 1st child was born post csection it was a sweet special of cherishing and marveling at out 1st born child.
When we were dating, I came home to an apartment full of big cut out construction paper hearts with sweet hand written messages taped all over the walls. My roommates were so jealous : ) I loved it!
Single here…my friends and I get together for “game nights”. Cards, board games,etc. Most of the time we end up laughing and talking and eating; never do get to the game playing. :)
Although this may not be the most romantic, the memory I am going to share spoke the most love a man can offer a wife. My husband very lovingly and gently washed my incisions, held my hands and dried my tears after my double mastectomy for aggressive breast cancer. I can’t imagine how hard it is for a man to watch his bride be cut, poisoned and burned so she can have a chance for life. For us every day together is romantic!
Ps. Karen thank you so much for sharing your story on the MTC webcast tonight! As always you offer us such hope and encouragement!
The most romantic thing my husband has done was give me the ring his father had once given his mother for our first Christmas together. It was their ‘promise’ ring and 25 (ish) years later it became ours as well. We have now ben married almost 11 years!
We had the most romantic times in our marriage when we were our camping. We set up a roaring fire, cooked meals together, cleaned up together and cuddled up together to watch the night!
Even though we have been married for 26 years (!) my husband gave me a book of Love Poems that he is going to read aloud to me.
We had the most romantic times in our marriage when we were our camping. We set up a roaring fire, cooked meals together, cleaned up together and cuddled up together to watch the night!
I’m single… and loving it! For the first time in my entire life I have felt secure in the love of Christ :)
My FAVORITE way to spend time with my friends is baking with them. There is always some silliness that occurs (fighting over who gets to lick the brownie bowl, but there is always great discussion too. AND since my love lanauage is gift-giving, baking as a gift is a way I show my friends love.
26 years ago when we were dating, I had gone to Germany with my best friend and was gone for two weeks. When I got home, he was out on the road trucking and couldn’t be there to meet me. However, he had taped a handwritten note to the steering wheel of my car and left a tape (yes a cassette tape) cued up to our favorite Journey song “Faithfully”. I melted and he’s been mine ever since.
My favorite way to spend time with my friends is just plain talking! But even better is when we hit the trail to walk and talk. That takes some energy but sure does pay dividends, too!
My favorite Valentine is this Valentine’s Day…I have been going through a lot of sickness..and my husband told me through sickness and health…I promise to always be by your side…The Lord blessed me with a Wonderful Husband…I am blessed!
We have been married for 30 1/2 years & together for 32 1/2. I can remember one particular present was a beautiful teddy bear that sings a song. A few years ago we were blessed with 2 beautiful granddaughters and they are now 4 & 2. The 2 year old would not sleep so i would get that bear out & she would push its paw to make it sing,it seemed to always make her sleepy. She ask for it every time she comes to “mimi’s” house.God has blessed me with more than enough! Thanks for your messages! You are a blessing to me in this troubled & mixed up world! God Bless!
My favorite romantic memory with my husband is probably just remembering the times when he stops and picks wildflowers to bring home to me. Of course we have snow on the ground almost six months out of the year, so flowers aren’t that plentiful. Maybe that’s why I appreciate the thought even more when he comes home with a bunch.
The first year we were married the finances were very low for two young people in th military like us. I packed a picnic lunch of homemade fried chicken and potato salad and we drove off to a beautiful botanical park that had free admission and wonderful scenery. Just being outdoors enjoying God’s world with the one I love was so romantic and relaxing. Now 37 years later we still go to the same park (but it is $6.00 admission fee and even though it is more commercialized we still enjoy walking and reminiscing about the “good old days”.
When we started dating some 20 years ago, he sent flowers to where I was working. Then we work was over he picked me up and we went to a local steak house for dinner…it was just so sweet!!
On one of our dates my husband set up, he had us go back and retrace our steps of our first date together. It was very sweet to go back to the days of dating in high school. It was a fun surprise!