by kathilipp | Jun 25, 2016 | Blog, Love Your Husband, Marriage, Proverbs 31 OBS |
For those of you joining me and Proverbs 31 for The Husband Project online bible study, you’ll be coming up with a few ways to date your husband in the coming weeks. And even if you aren’t doing the Bible study, money is one of the most often stated reasons for not dating your husband on a regular basis. I put together 20 date ideas that cost you $20 or less. And in case those of you that live in a big city don’t think it’s possible, Roger and I live in San Jose, CA so we know a thing or two about inflated prices.
Download your copy of 20 Dates for $20>>>
Enjoy your weekend and go plan a date with your man!
by kathilipp | Jun 8, 2016 | Blog, Love Your Husband, Recipe |
If you’re looking for a way to spoil Dad this Father’s Day without spending your entire day in the kitchen, we’ve got you covered! BBQ for Dad, and the ease of the slow cooker for you, make for the perfect celebration. This delicious meal is so simple, you might even have time to make a special dessert or cocktail. Bonus points! (You can thank us later.)
This is a recipe I posted back in 2012 but it’s so good I had to share it with you again (or for all my new friends!).
When Freezers and Slow Cookers Collide
I love when I find other food nerds out there. It is a title I use – and embrace – lovingly. It’s very different than food snobs who want to tell you that you are using the wrong knife or look down their nose at you if your cheese isn’t aged properly. Food snobs can get away with cooking once a week and call themselves a gourmet, but a food nerd is always looking for new ways to make food better and easier – we are the ones who trade recipes at MOPS meetings and steal (with permission) each other’s freezer tips for getting dinner on the table.
Let me introduce you to fellow food nerd Kelly Rankin. Kelly and I met at an event I was speaking at, and we became friends through my blog. Kelly has taken the concept of freezer meals and slow cooking and done a mash up – freezer/slow cooking.
I am also a freezer/slow cooker, but Kelly’s ingenuity of stretching her meals and leaving no leftover left behind is admirable. I asked Kelley to share her plan for using her freezer and slow cooker for maximum savings of time, energy and stress: Some of her favorite slow cooker to freezer recipes are things like soups, stews, and chili. You can double or – in a 6-quart slow cooker – triple a soup-like recipe and, after it cools, bag it up into gallon bags to be re-heated another time.
Slow cooker Smoked Pulled Pork BBQ
By Kelly Rakin
Four Simple ingredients and a day of slow cooking lead to an amazingly simple, economical, and delicious pork BBQ. No smoker needed, and the leftovers freeze beautifully for a later meal. The liquid smoke and beef bouillon are the essential keys to this simple recipe, giving the pork a great flavor with minimal BBQ sauce. Perfect for a large gathering!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 7-9 hours
Yields: 10 servings
Ingredients:
5-lb. pork sirloin tip roast
2 T. liquid smoke (typically found with condiments)
2 T. beef bouillon (not Broth)
1/3 cup water
Serve with your favorite BBQ Sauce, to taste
Directions:
Place pork roast in a large slow cooker. Pour water, liquid smoke, and bouillon on top of pork roast. Cook on high for 7-9 hours, flipping roasts once during cooking, if possible, to allow the juices to simmer all sides of the meat. Meat is finished cooking when it easily pulls apart with a fork. Remove roasts from slow cooker and pull pork apart. Return pork to slow cooker and add BBQ sauce to taste, or serve BBQ sauce on the side. Great on sandwiches or by itself.
To freeze: Place cooked BBQ in 1-quart freezer bags, removing air. Thaw, rewarm, and serve. Keeps in freezer up to 6 months.
by kathilipp | Jun 2, 2016 | Blog, Love Your Husband, Marriage, The Husband Project |
The Day I Stopped Shoe Shopping at Safeway: A Marriage Metaphor
For many years, I did my shoe shopping at Safeway.
This was difficult, because the Safeway near my home doesn’t sell shoes, only groceries. But I’ve never been one to let a challenge stop me! I became all the more determined to do my shoe shopping at Safeway.
Every week, I scoured the aisles: no shoes.
Every week, when the cashier pleasantly asked me, “Did you find everything today?” I responded loudly, “No, I did not. I came here for shoes, like I do every week, and I still haven’t found any shoes.
Every week, I filled out a complaint form at the so-called “Customer Service” counter: Why are there no shoes in this store?
Eventually, I became so focused on shoe shopping at Safeway that I started going daily, just to see if they’d finally set up a shoe aisle.Day in and day out, I experienced nothing but disappointment after disappointment after disappointment.
I grumbled about Safeway to my friends. Soon, complaining about the lack of shoes at Safeway soon became my sole topic of conversation.
It all seemed so unfair.
The Day I Discovered Payless ShoeSource
Then, one day, I happened to drive by a Payless ShoeSource. As I walked in, I could not believe my eyes: shoes! Aisles and stacks and end caps of shoes! I bought two pair on a BOGO sale!
My next stop was Safeway. As I walked in, I could not believe my eyes: so many beautiful groceries! Fruits and vegetables … breads and cakes … cheeses and deli meats … I filled my cart and headed to check out.
The cashier nervously asked, “Did you find everything today?” and when I responded, “Why yes, I did, thank you!” She looked shocked. The manager seemed surprised when I walked by the customer service comment box with a friendly wave.
The day I stopped doing my shoe shopping at Safeway was the day I started enjoying grocery shopping at Safeway.
A Marriage Metaphor
Okay, so I made all of that up.
I would never be silly or downright foolish enough to go shoe shopping at Safeway, would I? Well, in the early years of my marriage, I stubbornly “did my shoe shopping at Safeway” by expecting Daniel to meet some of my needs he was entirely unequipped to meet.
The more I demanded he meet these specific needs, the more hyper-focused I became on his failures. The more I focused on his failures, the more I ignored his myriad strengths. Sadly, for many years I acted as if everything he did bring to our marriage and all the ways he did meet my needs were worthless because I was so fixated on a few failures.
After years of frustration (for both of us!), I was convicted that 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 applies to the gifts our husbands bring to marriage:
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.”
When we continually downplay the gifts our husbands brings to our marriages, we discount the work of the Holy Spirit.
On the flip side, when we take responsibility for the needs we’ve been trying to pawn off on our men, we may be astonished to discover all the ways they truly bless us.
Perhaps it’s time for you to stop shoe shopping at Safeway, too?
Cheri Gregory is a teacher, speaker, author, and Certified Personality Trainer. Her passion is helping women break free from destructive expectations. She writes and speaks from the conviction that “how to” works best in partnership with “heart, too.”
Cheri is the co-author, with Kathi Lipp, of The Cure for the “Perfect” Life and the upcoming Overwhelmed.
Cheri has been “wife of my youth” to Daniel, her opposite personality, for twenty-eight years and is “Mom” to Annemarie (25) and Jonathon (23), also opposite personalities.
Cheri blogs about perfectionism, people-pleasing, highly sensitive people, and hope at www.cherigregory.com.
More about being an HSP!
by kathilipp | Feb 5, 2016 | Friday Favorites, Love Your Husband, Marriage |
Considering something different this Valentine’s Day?
Tired of giving the same old thing?
Here are some ideas on how to show your love, devotion and creativity this February…
For Your Best Friend
- New gloves. If you live where it is cold, a nice pair of gloves is welcomed. You can include a note, “Thank for always ‘giving me a hand’ when I need it.”
- Who can resist hand-dipped chocolate covered pretzels? They are easy to make, just dip in chocolate and add heart shaped pink and red sprinkles. Wrap in a plastic bag with a red ribbon and you have a wonderful gift. Don’t have time to make your own, most grocery stores now offer similar treats.
- If you have a friend that collects things, buy something to add to her collection. My friend collects old dishes. You can often find amazing dishes at a yard sale or thrift store, I add some candy or handmade soap to the dish and tie with a
fabric ribbon.
- Purchase some Chap Stick (my favorite is Burt’s Bees brand in pink grapefruit flavor) tie it with a ribbon and a note
saying, “I’ll always “stick” by you!”
- Put a mini Hershey Bar, two graham-cracker sticks and a marshmallow in a little bag, tie with a ribbon and a note to the top that says, “I need S’more People Like You”.
- Find a picture of the two of you over the years and have it enlarged and framed. (I personally love this type of gift.)
For Your Kids
- Plan a game afternoon or night, prizes for the games involve chocolate or other valentine candy. You could also use Hershey Kisses or Miniatures as the game pieces.
- Spend time together creating a Valentine craft. Instructions for all kinds of fun decorations and skill levels can be found on Pinterest.
- Volunteer your time together at a local animal shelter or other community organization that could use some extra help. Most kids love animals and giving of themselves is a great way to give back and learn about love.
- How about treating the kids to an experience they have been wanting to participate in. Maybe bowling, roller skating, snowboarding, skiing, or other physical activity. Maybe it is going to the ballet, a movie, concert, or a play. Experiences make memories and we all want to give our children great memories.
- Speaking of experiences, how about giving them their own “Tea Party” complete with homemade heart shaped cookies and hot tea. They can invite a friend or two or just include family and the stuffed animals.
- Teenagers love gift cards to their favorite store or how about a new set of ear phones or other tech device. Maybe a new app for their phone.
For Your True Love
- Diamond stud earrings (In case my husband is reading this article….)
- A subscription to audiobooks, Netflix or Spotify.
- A handwritten letter with the reasons you love him or love being married to him.
- Create a work of art for his desk. You can find lots of ideas on Pinterest.
- Tickets to his favorite event, sporting match, or game. Whatever he loves, get tickets and go with him and enjoy.
- Make a home-cooked meal. Spend time making the food he enjoys and set the table for the event. Make it a special occasion.
- Make his favorite snack. Whether it is chocolate chip cookies or homemade fudge, make a batch just for him.
- Cover his mirror with red post it notes with reasons why you love him.
- Plan a special weekend. Valentine’s Day is on a Sunday. If your budget allows include a hotel. If it doesn’t, no big deal just plan events throughout the weekend the two of you can do together. But you make all the plans and reservations. It could include doing something you both love, visiting a place you both have been talking about, eating out, laughing, and just enjoying each other’s company for a whole weekend.
Valentine’s Day is a time to show the people you love a little extra attention. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Just be sure you take the time to celebrate the “day of love” with them.
*Photo credit to Robin O’Neal Smith
Want more ways to build up your marriage?
My newest book just came out this week! I teamed up with my friends (who just happen to be relationship authors and speakers) Fawn Weaver, Shaunti Feldhahn, Sheila Wray Gregoire, Renee Swope, Crystal Paine, Michele Cushatt, and others, to bring you
101 Simple Ways to Show Your Husband You Love Him that will inspire you to nurture your man and foster a lasting, loving, and fun-filled relationship.
