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FAMILY

Counting Gifts/ FAMILY

Our Captured Life–Gifts of Love & Valentine’s Day

Fun red shoes for my Go Big Red Husker date

Sitting by my man & entering his world at a Nebraska basketball game

My Dad & husband attending the game together the week before. 2 of the best men in my life.

A candy store date with my Lil’ One.

A coffee alternative that I have fallen for

Having fun with paid posts, how they help pay the bills

Grandparents who spoil my girl by bringing a very special birthday cake

My sweet Ari Valentine.  I love being her Aunt.  

Silly auto correct texts with my sister.

Digging out my false eyelashes & getting new earrings for a hot date with my birthday man

Ordering several desserts for just the two of us

Ending the date at a cozy coffee shop with each other and our laptops

Our shared love of sushi

Romantic restaurant lighting

Finding ‘throwback Thursdays’ pic on my daughters Instagram
Seeing them all grown up and enjoying each other (?) on a date at the bookstore while I grocery shop
Valentines breakfast table tradition

Her child-like delight in what she woke up to

Very berry smoothies to show I love them very berry much!
(frozen mixed berries, frozen banana, 4 medijool dates, water–blend)
My 4 Valentines, my heart bursting that I am here to celebrate love with them
A handmade valentine from my 10 year old.  
Dippin’ Dot-like snow on Valentines Day. God makes me smile by sending a sweet looking treat.
Perspective.  Oncology appointment on Valentine’s Day.  Thankful I am not in active treatment.

Getting shot, but not by Cupid on V-day.  Thankful for medicine & how it protects.
Brunch quiche at the farm of Krafty Kash.  Getting to see where she creates her amazing jewelry.
Writing this post at Toast.  Eating their amazing Salted Caramel cupcake.

A day to eat sweet treats & celebrate love.
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Happy Valentine’s Day!  
Remember to celebrate the tidbits of life.
Remember to look for the good in the bad.
Remember God promises to work ALL things out for good, for He is Love.

FAMILY/ Love/ Marriage

Ensuring Your Man Knows Your Love Language

From our new Monthly Contributor, Cassie from True Agape:
Over the past few weeks I have been talking with a group of ladies about what their biggest frustrations are in marriage. This helps guide me in what kind of resources I provide on True Agape. Through talking with these women I started seeing a pattern. Ladies often listed their frustrations as either their husbands not helping enough around the house or not spending enough quality time together. 
This automatically made me think about the 5 Love Languages. 
I then asked each of them: 
1) If their Love Language was Acts of Service or Quality Time (whichever one corresponded with their frustration) 
2) If so, did their husband know that was their Love Language. Almost all the women responded that yes indeed their Love Language was the one correlated to their frustration. However, the response was varied on if their husband knew it was their Love Language. 
This got me thinking…

We all want our love tank to be full! When it is not getting filled on a regular basis we can feel down about our relationship, it can cause frustrations and even resentment. That is why we are going to talk about a few important things. Today we will look at how to make sure your husband knows your Love Language. Next week we discuss what you can do about it if he knows your Love Language, yet you feel like he isn’t speaking it. 
First let’s start by making sure your husband knows your Love Language. Here are a few ways to ensure this. 
1) Take The  quiz together- You both will find out each other’s Love Language. (You should know your husband’s as well!) You can tell him you heard about the 5 Love Languages and are interested to see what the quiz comes up with for the both if you. 
2) Create a list- Tell your man you are wanting to be a better wife. You really want to know the things that you do for him that he appreciates the most. Ask him to write the top ten things that make him feel loved. You create a list as well. When he gives you his list, give him yours. Chat about the things on the list and the commonalities you see. If a lot of your things are acts of service sum up the conversation with something like, “When I made my list I noticed I listed many things like you helping around the house and with the kids. I really feel loved when you do those things.” Through this activity you have given your guy prime examples of what fills your love tank, but also the broader area so that he may choose to do other things not on the list. You also find out what fills his love tank! 

3) Plain good ol’ communication- At the end of the day or week when you have your check in time bring up the 5 Love Languages. When he asks how your day/week was tell him you were reading a book/blog about this concept. Tell him about the 5 Love Languages. Ask him what he thinks his is, tell him what yours is. This can even lead to completing number 1 or 2.
I do realize however some couples do not have this open of communication. Therefore, you may want to try something like above that may seem less intrusive.

It is really hard for your husband to speak your Love Language if he does not know anything about the concept and/or he doesn’t know yours. Do you and your man a favor by taking a little bit of time to find out what both of your languages are! This will make a difference in your marriage! 
Next week we will look at what if you are sure your husband knows your Love Language, yet you feel like he doesn’t speak it.
-Cassie {Marriage Contributor}
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“Marriage is Not a Destination, But Rather a Life Long Journey”

You can also find & follow Cassie & True Agape Here:


Cassie has put together an amazing resource on this marriage.  The Secret to Making Your Husband Feel Loved: 75 Ideas Using His Love Language.  She has made this FREE for us and you can download it by clicking HERE.
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Counting Gifts/ FAMILY/ Kids/Family

Our Captured Life – The Gifts Of The Last 3 Months

   So thankful for these moments– these tidbits–that make up life.
Capturing the moments visually is a gift.
It keeps me present, it keeps me thankful, & reminds me to live NEW!
………………..
Gifts #1044-#1075

Owl art made by my 10 year old Avery with metallic sharpie pens.

The first snow
Having Grandma over for fall soup dinner

My nephews’ visits.  Their matching plaid shirts.

Remembering my sweet friend on what would have been her birthday
Having dinner with her daughter & seeing such familiar beauty.
A private photo book of 3 surgeries in 3 months.  Memories of God’s faithfulness.
A beautiful wedding union, attended with my Teagan girl.
Meeting with one of my inspirations, a friend whom I have not seen in years.
 The example he is in his written words, the impression he leaves in person. My Teagan’s smile.
Teenagers who bake & deliver cookies to raise money for a good cause.
Vegetables juiced.  Healing nutrients.
A phone app that changes the structure of my days & keeps me on track.
Handmade Christmas decorations by my Avery.  The pleasure it brings me all winter season.
An outing after being in bed healing for way too long. Handmade knits to keep me warm.
A Christmas ornament that reminds me how very blessed I am to be here.
Provision.  Gifts bought and wrapped in 3 days because of unplanned surgery.
 A friend of a friend blesses us with free Merrry Maids home cleaning right before 3rd surgery.
Truth words when I got weary.
The smile my girls art brings. “That is not poo Mom, that is dirt”
Reminder that objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.  He is near.
Belated extended family Christmas.  Giant minions.
A satisfied smile after a New Year’s Eve countdown kiss!
Celebrating a New Year with family I love.
Sparkly festive New Year nails.  Strength and length reflect my health & how I’m feeling.
Downtown pizza family outing, even though the weather outside was frightful!
Cupcakes with my sweet cuppy-cake.  I love you Zy!
Fun pics & precious memories with my Zy.
Detox baths.  Hot water.  Healing.
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Are you on Instagram?
I’d love to see you there!
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FAMILY/ Marriage/ Sponsored/ Valentine's Day

Datevitation–The Perfect Gift For Any Occasion + Giveaway

We were recently at a family get together, and all the adults were discussing Valentines Day.  I realized in that discussion that I usually plan ahead and have lots of fun ideas for my 3 lovely girls for Valentines Day each year, but have fallen in a rut when it comes to Valentines plans with my sweet husband.  Don’t get me wrong–getting dressed up and going out for dinner and an evening focused on the two of us is pretty close to perfect, but I wanted to think outside the box and get a bit more creative this year.
Usually getting creative means getting crafty, and honestly, that is not too appealing to me right now.  I’m trying to live the simple life, with less mess and more time. After spending the last 3 months laid up while healing from surgeries,  I am in the habit of looking for ways to simplify. Using online services for creating gifts and shopping for gifts certainly is convenient, and when you can customize those gifts, it makes it so much more personal.
This is why Datevitation jumped out at me as something fun to do for my man.  It is the web’s first online platform to create a custom love coupon book. Unlike the pre-packaged coupon books on the market, you get to pick the title, the dates, and the text. Datevitation will then print it out and and ship it to you. 

That alone intrigued me, but when I saw that their library contains over 500 date ideas ranging from skydiving(um, no) to stargazing(maybe) to steamy adult-only(umm…ok!) activities, I knew this was the fun gift I was looking for for my Todd.

I loved all the different & fun date ideas they had to choose from, there is no way I would have been able to think of all of them myself!  I also thought the stick figures and graphics were really cute. The Datevitation website is really well laid out and super easy to use, and I think Todd will love the dates I chose.  Two of them were pretty traditional, but things we both love to do.  The last 3 dates I chose from the steamy adult-only section, which are also things we both love to do {blush} and I think they will make this a Valentine gift he won’t forget!

 I especially loved the new feature that allows you to add your own photos to the faces of the illustrations.  So funny!

The packaging is simple, which of course appealed to me.  I liked that it was not too fru-fru as it IS for my guy.

The thing that appeals to me about a love coupon is that it gives the recipient something to look forward to.  It also gives me, the giver, a way to stay committed to giving to my husband in a creative and purposeful way.  I need this accountability, as life can get busy.  I like that I am the one who chooses what I am committing to, and being this purposeful about a gift makes it happen.  The process of ordering Datevitation coupon love book was so fun that it sure made me look forward to fulfilling those coupons.

Especially THESE coupons!  {wink}
Datevitation is not only for a significant other.  They make great gifts for all ages and all occasions.  All 3 of my girls (age 14, 13 & 10) would love this, and I love that I could customize them according to their personalities and interests.  My middle girl would especially love coupons that includes spending quality time together, as that is her main love language.  My oldest would appreciate getting to go out and shop or get a manicure with me.  My youngest would like just about anything, and would really get a kick out of seeing her own face in a book and on a stick figure!

So how much are these super cute love coupon books?

Well, regular price starts at just $25 so it makes for a super thoughtful yet economical gift.  But, with Valentines Day is coming up, Datevitation wants to spread the love to all of my followers, so by using the code ‘NEWNOSTALGIA’ you can get $10 off you purchase plus FREE shipping. (total values of $13.50)  That means you can order your Valentines a customized gift starting at just $15!

To guarantee delivery by Valentine’s Day, the order cut-off date is February 3, so make sure you get your order in before then!

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Datevitation is also sponsoring a super great giveaway, so be sure to enter via the rafflecopter form below.

Winner will receive a coupon code for a Datevitation coupon book with 5 personalized pages and free general shipping (Additional pages are $1 each.)  Books ship to U.S. only.

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FAMILY/ Marriage

5 Step Secret To Getting It All Done

 
“Marriage is Not a Destination, But Rather a Life Long Journey”
 
From our new Monthly Contributor, Cassie from True Agape:
 
I am a student at heart. I believe reading is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to learn. You can read about anything really and learn a new skill in a matter of days, weeks or months. So not too long ago I was reading Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work that Matters by Jon Acuff. The premise of the book is a lot of people at the age of 50 or 60 (or younger) ask themselves, “How did I get here?” because they never started. They didn’t particularly aim for average or ordinary but they never started doing things to make them above average or extraordinary.
 
When reading I got to the section titled “5 Step Secret to Getting it All Done.” I thought to myself, “Oh this is exactly what I need. Right here. It’s the missing piece!” Then, every area of my life flashed before my eyes: wife, housekeeper, blogger, events coordinator, soon to be mommy, on and on. I pictured me getting it all done in each of these areas of my life.
 
I mean wouldn’t that be nice?! If each of us could get everything done in all areas of our lives all the time? We as woman want that sometime (or often) don’t we? We are the ones that take care of it all! We often stress ourselves out trying to get everything done. I mean if I am being honest I would take getting it all done in one area of my life such as marriage. To be a great wife, support and meet the every need of my husband. I would take even just that!
 
Needless to say, I was ready to read, take notes and learn what these 5 secrets were. I continued to read and learned more than I ever expected to learn. Today, I am sharing these secrets with you so you can hopefully do the same! This is what I read:
 
 
After reading this three times and letting it simmer I realized Acuff was on to something with these steps. We can’t possibly ever get it all done! Yes, we can check things off our to-do list, but typically more is added to it. Daily I can try to check off my mental list of how to be that perfect wife, but it’s just not going to happen. One because I am not perfect. Two there are going to be days that things don’t go as planned, I don’t have enough will power or I am in need. And guess what? That is okay!
 
Accept the fact that “getting it all done” is not realistic. That is the reality. It does not mean you are a failure!
 
Leave a comment: Do you agree or disagree with Acuff’s 5 Steps? 
 
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Cassie has put together an amazing resource on this marriage.  The Secret to Making Your Husband Feel Loved: 75 Ideas Using His Love Language.  She has made this FREE for us and you can download it by clicking HERE.
You can also find & follow Cassie & True Agape Here:
 
 
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FAMILY/ Kids/Family/ Love/ Marriage

5 Love Languages To Create A Successful Marriage

Hello everyone! I am Cassie, a marriage blogger over at  www.TrueAgape.com . After several weeks of linking up to Anti-Procrastination Tuesday Amy asked if I would like to be the monthly marriage contributor! I was so super excited about the idea and it took me about two seconds to respond with a“yes!” Now here I am writing my first contribution for New Nostalgia! I will be here the 3rd Saturday of the month. I hope you find value in each post!
Today, I want to talk a bit about a topic that really can help create a successful marriage! There are so many tips, tricks and advice that you can find now that promises to aid in your relationship. Over the next few months I will be sharing some of the best ones I know. But today I am starting with one resource that truly has made a huge impact on my marriage. It is  “The 5 Love Languages” by Gary Chapman. 
In the book  “The 5 Love Languages”  Chapman explains that each person feels loved in different ways. Ok, that made sense to me! He also says it is important to love our spouse in their “Love Language” so that their “love tank” can be full. That made sense to me too! When I started trying to implement speaking my husband’s Love Language I realized it wasn’t as easy as I thought! 

For two different reasons: 
1. I thought I knew his Love Language- after reading the book I assumed I knew my man’s love language. I soon realize maybe I was wrong.
2. There are  three ways to find out your man’s Love Language. Take the time to do this instead of assuming you know!
It was easiest to speak my Love Language, but that was not his Love Language
We often speak our own Love Language because that is what we enjoy. It comes natural to us. Once I found out my hubby’s Love Language was Words of Affirmations I had to practice and learn how to speak that language. It did take practice. It did take time. 

Here is a very quick overview of the 5 Love Languages:
~Acts of Service- doing something for your spouse that would be helpful to them
~Quality Time- spending time together where your attention is on the two of you
~Receiving Gifts- bought or handmade gifts for your spouse
~Words of Affirmation- verbal or written words that praise/lift up your partner
~Physical Touch- holding hands and making a wide variety of physical contact

I highly encourage you to get your hands on a copy of this book! Chapman goes into detail about each of these Love Languages along with examples. After reading the book my understanding was so much deeper than before. My original thoughts about each of the languages were not complete accurate. 
Over at  www.TrueAgape.com I often blog about The 5 Love Languages. We discuss ideas to implement, what each language really means and how to truly make your man’s love tank be full! 
I put together a 6 page FREE report titled:  “The Secret to Making your Husband Feel Loved: 75 Ideas Using His Love Language.” It has bits and pieces from all the blog post combined into one great resource- so make sure you get it! Enter your email address here and I will send you the download! 
Leave a comment below: Tell us if you currently speak your husband’s Love Language or if you need to learn it.
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You can also find & follow Cassie & True Agape Here:
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Have you met our other monthly Saturday Contributors?
Click here to meet them.
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FAMILY/ Healthy Eating/ HOME/ How-Tos/ Organizing/ Parenting/ RECIPES

How To Establish a Balance Between Healthy Recipes and Non-Healthy Recipes For The Family


A Reader Question:
I can’t help but notice all the healthy things you post about and pin, and yet perusing through your pinterest pages I see that you aren’t shy about ‘non-healthy’ recipes as well.  I am starting to try to eat clean but am wanting to find a balance where I can still go on Pinterest and not have to shy away from everything I see and being able to bake with my kids and actually have them enjoy the finished product, etc.  How do you establish this balance for yourself and your family?


My Answer:
Great question!  We save the fun, unhealthy recipes for our Friday Family nights and for birthdays, holidays and special occasions.  On normal days, we still have some sweets, but they are made with healthy ingredients, like the Apple Pie Bites I just posted.  Most of the time the sweetest thing in the house is frozen or fresh fruit which is great, because then the kids will grab it and eat it!  I work very hard at not having junk in the house during the week, but then always make sure we have a treat on the weekend.

Expanded Answer:
We love food around here, so I make a point of finding a balance between healthy eating and less healthy eating.  I feel good about the fact that we eat very healthy during the week, but then indulge on the weekends or during special occasions.  It is amazing how often special occasions come about, so believe me, my kids are not deprived.  If anything they appreciate food and have a healthy understanding of food that is nourishing and food that is not. They also are aware of how good healthy food makes them feel and how crappy they feel after eating too many sweets….not that it stops them from indulging but it makes them appreciate the necessity of good, nourishing food.

I think key to eating clean and healthy is to know what you are eating.  You are already winning the battle if you are eating from home and making things homemade.  This eliminates fast food & processed foods, artificial flavors and colors, and chemical ingredients that are next to impossible to pronounce.
Another key is finding sweet recipes that have ingredients that are profitable for the body and health.  Below are a few great examples, and my Vegan Desserts board on Pinterest has a bunch more ideas.

Our Favorite Healthy Snacks

Lastly, get your kids involved in the cooking and baking process.  Explain to them why honey is better than processed white sugar, and why whole wheat flour is better than white flour.  Get them used to making recipes with wholesome ingredients and talk about what each of those ingredients will do for the body–i.e. nuts…they have lots of protein that help build strong muscles and give energy!  
My girls are so used to cooking in a mindful manner that this Thanksgiving my 10 year old was appalled at how much sugar we used to make a Cranberry Cake.  It was 1 1/2 cups, and I love that she noticed that it was not the way we usually bake treats.  We also made Potato Casserole and she had NO IDEA what cream of chicken soup was.  I never buy it, and she just couldn’t understand why anyone would want creamed chicken! Then I told her it was really just flavored like chicken, which she very dramatically responded “eww!”  It was a good example to me of how much our eating habits have changed over the years.  A few years ago just about every dinner I made had cream of ‘something’ soup in it…and cheese…and sour cream…and butter.  
Our Not So Healthy Favorite Snacks

Funky Fritos – we make these once a year during football season

I think a balance is important, and I am very comfortable with how we have chosen to eat in our family.  If you are trying to change your family’s eating habits, take it a little at a time, explain why you are making each change as you do, and be patient.  They will eventually adjust and might just start to appreciate mindful, healthy eating.

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