September 10, 2010

  • {a giveaway in the true spirit of pioneer woman}

    But. wait.
    Before you excitedly scroll to the bottom to get a peek at that fancy bright pink Apple computer…
    uh, it’s not there.
    Nor is the million dollar ranch house or the super cute hound dog named, Charlie. ;)

    But. gifts.
    We do have some gifts.
    … and they’re not half chintzy ones either.

    Okay, try to forget I mentioned the whole Apple computer thing.

    We do have apple LOTION though. :)
    Which hey, having pretty hands is way more important than looking all stuck up with a Apple on your computer! ;)

    You could just do what my brother did and put a apple sticker over the little circle that says, Dell.
    Now that’s what the ultra cool with it people do.

    Actually, this was supposed to be a Hello to Summer giveaway!
    … not, a Hello to Fall instead.

    which means one of two things –
    I’m a horrible procrastinator or I’m in denial summer is almost over.
    {the right answer is yes, and yes.}

    The procrastination part I’m working on with a fervor…
    trying to get all those things left undone, done before baby.
    Knowing this was easily going to turn into a Welcome Spring 2011 giveaway before I knew it!

    And, as to not being ready to yield summer to fall quite yet… *sigh*
    truth is, I know I can’t ignore the fact that regardless of my love for the hot, long days of sunshine -
    fall is standing on the edge of summer waving it’s crazy leafy arms in the wind just dying to embrace us.
    and I can’t help but feel it whip around me every now and then, and have a smile pop out on my face.

    there really is something to love about every season, is there not?  

    I’m excited about this giveaway because I’m not really the one doing the giving-awaying…
    a friend asked {back at the beginning of summer} if she could give a gift certificate to her Etsy here.
    some other friends went and wrote a book and gave me a copy to share.
    another friend has some plain awesome products I’ve given away on here before.
    and yet another, said she just wanted to give something to the lovely people here. {she reads alot of yours but doesn’t blog}

    So, because I not only have super talented friends but highly generous ones too this whole thing is happening.
    {now if only one of you would get that corporate job with Apple we’d be set!} ;)
    I added a few of my own little things as well, cause I was inspired too…
    and mainly because I love gifts. buying them. giving them. getting them.
    yes… it’s one of my five love languages!! ;)  

    And… since I feel that I’m blabbering like a sleep deprived, Indian food filled pregnant lady with heartburn….  I’ll move on to the real point of this post and share with you what exactly we’re giving away.

    first place:: {i suddenly feel like a boxing announcer – “in this corner we have… “}





    a basket full of all my favorite things –

    remember the Wen products? -good stuff.
    and the Airbrush Legs? – need that more than ever now that things are going pale with fall.
    something to smell your house up w/out burning it down – fragranced reed diffuser’s are the best.
    a picture frame that says “my favorite place is inside your hug”- designed by my genius friend here. {and available in most Hallmark stores}
    the apple lotion I mentioned at the start – from Bath and Body.
    and… a bit of music of your choosing from itunes.


    this incredible book is included in there also~
    written in such a easy to read, laid back manner…
    leaving you feeling challenged and convicted, and yet not overwhelmed.
    it’s intended audience was to young brides… but I think it applies to brides of all ages! :)
    it helps too that the authors are two sisters who are friends of mine, and I know their hearts match what their pens write. 
    {find out more about them, and this, here.}



    second place::

    a $35.00 gift card to Evie n Lizzie on Etsy.
    a friend of mine who makes some pretty amazingly cute childrens clothes~



    there’s also a great scarf, black flower pin, and peace sign included.
     
     
    third place::

    a bucket with a little bit of entertainment~
    One Night With the King, and 10$ gift card to Borders.

    = = ~ = = ~ = = ~ = =

    To enter, I wasn’t sure which question to ask so I thought I’d make it multiple choice.
    Pick one of the following and answer.
    Or all three if you’re so inclined. {i love hearing the thoughts behind the people} :)

    1. one thing that surprised you about marriage
    2. a memory from your summer that was a highlight
    3. a favorite song, and why

    If you want to be entered more than once link up the site somewhere else {blog, facebook, etc.}

    I’m going to let Emma help me draw the winners since she can count pretty high now ;)
    and since it’s her birthday this weekend!

    We’ll announce the winners next Tuesday.
    … unless this baby decides to announce herself first in the meantime. :)



    ¸.·´¸.·¨) ¸.·¨)
    (¸.·´ (¸.·´ (¸.·¨¯`♥ amber      

    *special thanks to Rachel, Christy, Michelle, Rebecca, and Jodie!

Comments (239)

  • Well, coolness! I love giveaways, whether they be for Spring OR Fall!

    1. one thing that surprised you about marriage: that even when things get really really hairy, I don’t want to quit, ever.

    2. a memory from your summer that was a highlight: More like a “lowlight”, the passing of my Mema. I did get to spend several days with my siblings and I haven’t done that in a long time.

    3. a favorite song, and why: This is too hard to pick just one. Just too hard! I’ll say Take Five by Dave Brubeck for right now.

  • Aww, Amber! This is such a sweet thing to do! I will be “out of the loop” on it, since we have none of those stores here, and postage/shipping is expensive. Blessings to you, and all the other sweet ladies who enter.

  • My favorite memory from the summer is finding out we were having a girl and getting to name her! :)

    favorite song, starry night. My 4 year old loves it too. :)

    Biggest surprise about marriage: all the compromising. :) Don’t know how I missed it…

  • What a sweet and generous thing you are doing! And you have exquisite taste. Each prize, 1st in particular though =), is drool worthy. I have always wanted to try the Wen products since hearing about them recently. If that is what you use on your gorgeous hair, then I am definitely on board!

    Now on to the questions…

    1. I think the one thing that surprised me most about marriage is how much more I would grow to love this man that I was already head over heels for.

    2. A memory from Summer that was a highlight: Finally getting to watch my amazing nephew do what he loves best, play volleyball. Closely followed by simply waking up at my brother’s house with my whole family with me. :)

    3. Favorite song: Home by Chris Daughtry. Simply because it makes me think of my family and how much I love and want to be near them.

    Thanks Amber. You are frequently in my thoughts and prayers for a safe and quick delivery of that precious little girl.

  • What a cool idea! I also can’t believe that summer is pretty much over! It just went so fast! Fall is my favorite season though so I’m not to worried about it.

    1. One thing that surprised me about marriage is that I felt so comfortable with my husband to just be myself. I was also surprised that I could sleep in the same bed as someone else and not be awake all night. Until I got married, if someone was even in the same room, I could not sleep!
    2. One of my favorite memories of the summer was taking my daughter to a water park (Slidewaters) for her birthday. We took the older 2 and left our youngest with my mom and had such a fun afternoon getting to spoil my oldest daughter!
    3. My favorite song at the moment is “Farmer’s Daughter” by Rodney Atkins. It is so close to me and my husbands love story that it’s almost uncanny!

  • I think we jumped right from Summer into Winter here – it’s 45 degrees this am :( where has summer gone – felt like it just started.
    thought for sure we’d hear news of a baby girl this week ;) , but like you said, watch her be overdue now – hehe- don’t you have a long driveway you could run up and down – haha – I did all kinds of things to try and start labor when overdue with one of my boys and it didn’t help a bit -still had to be induced.

    The baskets with gifts look so lovely :)

    #1. One thing that surprised me about marriage was how unprepared I seriously was although I thought I was prepared through pre-marital counseling. But, really I had so many preconceived notions that were totally wrong. It’s NOT at all like the movies and why did I ever think it was gonna be like those scripted fairy tales?? Walked a very difficult road, but learned so much good.
    #2. The highlight of this summer was winning 4 free tickets to a Nascar race – never ever dreamed we’d get to go to a race in our lifetime – what a fun, unexpected blessing for our boys to actually see and walk on the track, the cars upclose, the pit crews and equipment.
    #3 It’s hard to pick a favorite song – I have a couple for different occasions or “moods” :) – one is by Crystal Lewis that I always thought should be played at funerals for some reason – People Get Ready, Jesus is Coming
    I love worship songs though too that take me into the presence of God – Kari Jobe’s Revelation Song is so sweet to me right now.
    Last, I also am encouraged by Natalie Grant’s I will Not Be Moved song – need that one when I’m discouraged or feeling like life is out of control.

    Can’t wait to see which basket I win ;) I’m decreeing a thing and it shall come to pass – am I allowed to claim Job 22:28 :) Not trying to be arrogant or or overconfident ;)

  • Wow Amber!  Thanks for doing the giveaway!  Please count me in.  My favorite highlight of the summer has been enjoying my newborn baby daughter through it all.  She was born on May 30 and gets cuter and more loveable every day. In fact, she’s keeping me company right now, in my bed, as I type.  I’m so happy you will be welcoming your own baby girl very soon! 

  • I put your link on facebook…put my name in the hat again, please!  :)   This is FUN!

  • One of my favorite memories from this summer was watching my children celebrate Lily Kate’s 1st birthday.  They were all so excited.  They all participated in decorating, making her cake, making gifts for her, and did whatever they could to make it a special day for her.  I love to watch my children love each other.

    Praying for you as you await baby girl’s arrival!

  • What lovely gift ideas — it’s cool and rainy here today after a long hot summer and I’m so not ready for snow!

    One thing that surprised me about marriage was discovering how differently we were raised and celebrated family times (birthdays, Christmas, etc.) — we’ve taken the best (what we think is the best!) of both upbringings and have our own style of celebration with our children and grandchildren — laid-back, meaningful, and simple!

    The highlight of my summer happened just yesterday when we drove across the state to see our daughter and granddaughter (daddy was working) who will be two in a few weeks. I stepped into the house and Ruby threw down her puzzle and ran to me with a big smile on her face. She knows who I am!!! I’m still smiling! Ruby is our “miracle” grandbaby born at 24 weeks, 6 days weighing in at 1 lb 8 oz – perfect in every way with no health problems today! — God is good!

    My favorite song — that’s a difficult one — I love the hymns but recently I heard a song by Selah – “The Beautiful, Terrible Cross” and it keeps playing in my head throughout the day.

    Can’t wait to hear about that little girl and see pictures – God bless.

  • What a fun giveaway. Favorite memory from this summer is the birth our baby girl…Ivy. Its just about all we did, besides potty train the 2 year old… :)

  • oooohhh……I’ll take one of each please

    1. Marriage…..how FUN it was, and how much fewer problems we’ve had. I expected way more conflict, you know, about things like toothpaste squeezed the wrong way and toilet paper put on the wrong way, but no. none of that. for which I am grateful

    2. Summer memories….summer?? what was that? That blur that just passed me? I’m to try to rewind and remember something??? um. prly all the discoveries and growing up my baby has done. It has been the most precious season of her life so far.

    3. Song….prly all time favorite is “Summer of 69″, and more currently “Jesus Messiah” by Chris Tomlin, but sang by the little Daves Highway group.

  • posted to facebook.

  • wow! how cool and generous is all of this?!?!?!? i’ll take your giveaway over the pioneer woman any day!;) she’s neat, but, you’re real.

    i’d love to be in the running for any one of these awesome prizes. and to me, a ‘welcome fall’ giveaway is just the ticket to kick off this wonderful season…i just may have to do the same on my little old blog in the next couple..:)

    to answer the questions..

    1. surprise about marriage: how we are so compatible in some areas, and so NOT! in others.
    2. favorite summer memory: FFE. hands down. THE highlight of my summer.
    3. song: ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ by Simon & Garfunkel, but sung by Michael W. Smith. love him, and that song right now.

    now. you take care, and, if you do have that baby before this drawing, i’m pretty sure we will all forgive you. ;o)
    love…
    rb

  • pulsing on xanga for a second entry!

  • Tiana

    Lucia

    Kenzie

    Arianna

  • thanks to Thelma for posting this on facebook  the give away looks great.  

    well,  I guess I’ll go with the easy question, one my favorite memories from this summer is the week that our little family went on a “staycation”we did fun

    local  things like strasburg railroad.   buggyrides at kitchen kettle,  a barnstormers game and such as that.  such fun!  

  • posted to face book for a second entrie

  • Oh my, those baskets are amazing!!  They look gorgeous.

    Marriage:  amazes me how quickly Satan tries to grab those opportune moments to try to get us fighting.  It’s crazy how you can love someone so much and then turn around and be angry at them the next.  I surprises me (and I don’t know why) how much “work” it is to keep on the right path. 

    One highlight of the summer was watching the children learn to swim.  The proud looks on their faces as they said “did you see that?….watch me….”

  • Oh, my word. I love, love your giveaway baskets. And I’m kind of like Thelma, I’ll take one of each please and if I win the first basket you can keep the book and give it to a friend since there are still 375 of them in my basement and another 3,500 coming soon. Deal? Good. Thought so. :) So many pretty things! My favorite summer memory …. there are so many I feel like Adam. Which means I’ll start listing every fun thing I did and you’ll be me going, “No, sweetie, I said “favorite” … that means the very best one. I think though that if I could relive one single day, it would be the day we celebrated our anniversary hiking Old Rag. It feels as though David and I have barely seen each other this summer b/w all my trips and that day was just so fun and special and, well, some other things, too, involving a deck, but I’ll keep that to myself. ;) Oh, and I’m going to try Cindy’s trick. I NeVeR win anything. ;)
    Hope baby girl comes soon. You are so sweet to be thinking of others instead of yourself in these last few days of being oh, so pregnant.

  • i am soooo excited! i just love give-aways because i love prizes and presents even when they aren’t mine! :)

    but. i am trying to remember the magic words. hmmmm. you know, i am the girl who never wins anything. hey! that’s it!
    i am the girl who never wins anything. i am the girl who never wins anything. i am the girl who never wins anything.

    there.

    that should do it!!!

    it’s not even true anymore…but shhhhhh! let’s see if it still works!

    these are AWEsome prizes. wowie-wow-wow!

  • @smilesbymiles - ha! funny! your comment appeared after i clicked submit…hope it works for ya…and me…again! 

  • Linked on xanga! Any other ways to get entries? J/ K Well, maybe ;)

  • What a generous idea! Count me in the running.

    *I know this sounds ridiculous, but what surprised me after we got married was that my husband didn’t do things for me like my dad did for my mom. I really thought I got a guy who was similar to my dad, but I was mistaken. After pouting for a while, I’ve learned that God knew what he was doing by NOT giving me someone just like Dad!

    *Canning was a highlight of this summer. Now when I walk down into the basement and see my shelf with all those good garden veggies just waiting for winter, it just makes me smile.

    *Right now my favorite song from the radio is Sanctus Real’s “Lead Me.” It makes me cry every time I hear it.

  • You do beautiful baskets! A favorite song…. One that comes to mind a lot is a song called, “Be Still” taken from the verse in Psalms that says, “Be still and know that I am God.” It’s constant reminder that I need to rest in God and let him be God and be in full control of my life.

  • What a great give away! I am loving your song on your player I am a gi-huge-ic Tenth Avenue North fan. I am pretty sure they wrote the entire album out of my journal from the past year or so. So a few of my favorites of lately is Empty my hands by Tenth Avenue North and Something Beautiful by NeedtoBreathe. God has really helped me deal with some things and those two songs have been my life songs. I just have this huge desire to be in living in God’s plan not my own self created one. A favorite thing I did this summer was Craig and I’s get away to North Carolina. It was an amazing time. Then the Omaha Zoo with the kids was so much fun also. That is one amazing zoo.

    So excited for the baby girl to arrive!!

  • Amber, no baby yet? I just KNEW she would be here last weekend God’s timing is ALWAYS right!

    love the giveaways!!

    1. surprised about marriage: how much you truly NEED each other….anyone with kids will understand :)
    2. summer memory: having all of my kiddos at home, under one roof….as one gets married this Spring, I realized
    that this was our last summer under one roof!
    3. favorite song: so, so many to choose from…but my all time fav is “to God be the Glory”-my tribute.

    Wishing you a blessed weekend

  • ooops.

    the questions.

    fav summer memory…a girls get-together in ohio

    fav song at the moment…”a better way” by down here

  • i am the girl who never wins anything. :)

    pulsing this give away here on xanga!

  • NEATO!!!  I love giveaways too!!! 

    I will be linking you on Facebook…….put me in there two times!!!  YAY!!

    1. Surprise about marriage: realizing how much I really do love my husband where in the beginning I had issues believing in love in the first place. 
    2. Favorite Summer Memory:  There are a lot of favorite summer memories.  They mostly involve my husband and daughter.                                                                                                3. Favorite Song:  Loaded question there……..I am loving “Concrete Angel” because I love Martina McBride’s voice and the songs are always so vivid and deal with events going on in our society that we need to take special care about and open our eyes.   Also “The Only Exception” by Paramore because I love the flow of the song.  It’s a close your eyes kind of song that can get me swaying back and forth.   Then there is “Hot & Cold” by Katy Perry which just has a fantastic beat that gets my me moving and my spirits up when needed.  : )  Okay, I will halt there.  : P

    Bless you my dear friend.  Hope you don’t have to wait much longer for your precious little girl to meet you and her new family and the world too!  : )

  • By the way—I really like the song here—-By Your Side  

    : )

  • WOW Amber! Totally awesome! I’m in!

    Hey, I would have to say that my summer was the best most special it’s been for years. I got to go to Co. with my all time favorite Man and my Best friend. We made so many crazy, glorious memories. Times we will laugh about for years! It reminded me of all that I am blessed with.

    Have a great day!  and thanks for picking me!!  ;)

  • I’m putting you on facebook….

  • Marriage surprised me because I thought I had it all figured out. I thought for sure we would overcome all our weaknesses early on, and yet 8 years into it, we’re still weak, still in need of Jesus, far from perfect. But our love is strong in Jesus, and we are persevering and growing together.

    The highlight of my summer was discovering I was pregnant with twins. And the second highlight was discovering they are TWO BOYS. :)

    My favorite song (or at least one of my favorites) is How He Loves Us–any version! This song is for this season of my life–discovering and reveling in His love for the first time. I am so grateful.

    I’ve never stopped by before, but I came here because of purpleamethyst76. :) Beautiful blog.

  • One of my many favorite songs is “Amazing Grace, My Chains Are Gone” by Chris Tomlin. I remember the first time I heard and how beautifully it was expressed. My favorite line is,

    “My chains are gone, I’ve been set free. My God, My Savior has ransomed me.”

    It reminds me that I am free from bondage and that through His righteousness He sees us “just as if we’d never sinned.” That’s pretty incredible!:D

    The gifts are beautiful! I’m going to link the giveaway to my blog this afternoon.

    Happy Birthday Emma!

  • Posting to Facebook!

  • Aww!This is so sweet of you!

    #1 I think the greatest thing I learned about marriage is that after 10 years it really is better than it was at first! Really!

    And I hope that baby comes soon, and as painlessly as possible!;)

  • Oh, how fun!!

    1. One thing that surprised you about marriage: That its an ever changing relationship that will never be 100% figured out. It’s the perfect mirror into my relationship with God!! So many times when I run into a difficult spot with my husband, I stop and realized “Oh my, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing to God, too!!” It’s a big eye opener!

    2. My favorite summer memory is all the sweet time we’ve spent with family, because we know this is our last summer before we move away. We’ve packed it full of family get togethers–especially picnics!

    3. My current favorite is “Stars” by David Crowder Band. :)

  • I put up a xanga pulse about it as well. :)

  • Hello Amber, LAUGH   PEACE  HAPPINESS  these  are alraidy gifts enough from you to me through your post today. Thank you. I love the first question and I will answer it after being married for over 33 years now….One thing that surprised me about marriage: is the first thing that comes to mind : how unconditionally each one of us knew: this person will be the father cq mother of my child ….We knew this only after being in the marriage for nine years and “grew” together. Neither one of us will ever leave our marriage because this is, in the order of events ,  for us the right path. We feel so very blessed always !

    Give a good luck kiss to Emma from me in picking a lovely receiver from you gifts..

    All best wishes these days to you, Amber …You are in a lovely mindset alraidy to give birth.

    Lieve groeten

    Godeliva van Ariadone

  • One thing that surprised me about marriage.

    That being married would cause so much spiritual and emotional growth and strength. My conclusion is that if you don’t allow marriage to bring growth, it brings groans. I choose GROWTH! :)

  • Beautiful! Wow! My favorite thing about summer was the night me and hubby went on a date! All by our selves! Call that elementary but I LOVED IT! And I love reading your blog! very inspiring! And if you wonder why I never comment….well….well because sometimes I’m in a rush or I don’t know what to say :) I’m not very good with words! Hope you have a lovely day!

  • Wow would love to win of course..one of my fav songs right now is Thats what Faith Can do..I’m trying really hard at having faith right now…their are some things i’ve been struggling with lately and i know that I need to have more Faith!!

  • you did a beautiful job on the baskets!

    One thing that I learned since I was married is how much works it takes to not only maintain our relationship, but to get past that point and go deeper with my spouse. The rewards are so much more than I ever dreamed!! God is so very faithful!

    Dorcas Miller

  • Ooolaaalaaa….there’s a bunch of goodies going on over here! Let’s see, to enter I’m going to coment on the marriage thing.  I was reading just yesterday on Beth Moore’s Living Proof Blog, and I think it pretty much sums up what I’ve found to be true in marriage too.  Here’s a quote from her… “When you’ve been married as long as Keith and I, you come to expect that you’re going to have on seasons and off seasons and that, unless something’s going haywire, they’re neither one there to stay.”  I don’t know that I’d say it’s a “big surprise”, but it’s something I often think about, maybe more so in the down times, that it seems to go in cycles, so hang on, better days ahead!  And marriage is worth fighting for!
    And one of my favorite songs at the moment, and I heard it on the way home this morning from taking the kids to school, is by Toby Mac “We lose our way, We get back up again. It’s never too late to get back up again…You may be knocked down, But not out forever…”

  • Followed smilesbymiles’ link here. Thanks!
    What surprised me about marriage? How even after 12 1/2 years of marriage, I still can’t wait to spend alone time with my man and how good it feels to know that this wonderful person God brought into my life accepts me now and for always JUST THE WAY I AM!!
    I agree with the rest of the ladies… your gift baskets are awesome and I’d love to win ANY of them!!! Thanks!

  • from a newbie! <3

    1.-marriage ~ I never imagined that loving somebody, that love can become an even deeper hue of emotions and feelings. Like a fine wine. Ages wonderfully and you want to drink up EVERY drop.

    2.-summer highlite ~ my 20 year old son leaving for Army boot camp, knowing he would be living out his dream, something most people are scared to do now a days. And watching it ignite a fire within his younger brother.

    3.- song ~ “Arms Wide Open”, for many different reasons

  • I linked to this giveaway on my pulse.. :)

  • linked you on facebook~ :o )

  • Linked on Xanga..

  • Followed fruitloops link here.

    One favorite part of my summer was visiting my family in Colorado. And a song I am liking right now is Already Home by Thousand Foot Krutch!

  • Linked on Facebook! :)

  • Love this!  A favorite memory from this summer, meeting a Xanga friend after a few years of emailing and reading about her and her 3 kids and Canadian Hubby.  :)  

    Suprised me about marriage :  that is isn’t as hard as I always thought it would be.

    Favorite Song : “Movin On” by Rascal Flats – for personal reasons but I think that song saved me thousands by keeping me out of therapy.

  • 1. Surprise for marriage – that it actually does take some work ( I never was able to believe that before I was married)
    2. Fav. summer memory – Our family vacation to the lake or the birth of our third child ( not the actual birth – I should say his arrival ;)
    3. Favorite song “Amazing Grace”

    What great questions – it will be fun reading the answers!

  • WOW!!! neat gifts there-

    A favorite summer memory—-going camping with my family, spending time doing nothing!!!

  • followed you here from face book.
    marriage: the more years together the better it gets and the stronger,deeper and sweeter!
    Love your gift baskets! I’m trying to make a few for our school benefit auction, thanks for the neat ideas!

  • i had a really sweet summer. one of the things that stuck out to me was this house i went to for a long weekend with a bunch of other blogger ladies. yeah, that was “pretty fun”– :) love this giveaway!!
    crossing the fingers!
    jenny

  • i linked on FB as well…

  • Jenny linked me to you via Facebook. Mind if I become a follower? :)

    1) Was I too old when I got married to be surprised by anything? I was two weeks shy of 29, and I had so many married friends who had filled me in on the nitty-gritties of married life… I reckon what surprised me was how we jumped head-first into the struggles that didn’t seem to hit many of my friends until they were married 7-10 years. The upside of that is that our marriage could get nothing but better!

    2) Favorite summer memory– well, there’s two. A 6-day motorcycle trip to celebrate our 10th anniversary, and a magical afternoon at the river with my son.

    3) A current favorite song, for me and for my son: Beautiful Boy, Celine Dion’s version. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN96-pHFlsM

    I lovelovelove those tantalizing baskets! I won something for the first time in my life two weeks ago. I’m hoping my luck holds!! :)

  • WOW!!!   Ok, this is a REALLY fun giveaway!!!  LOVE the prizes!!!

    1. The biggest suprise about marriage ~ I thought I was in love with Jeff when we first got married. I had no idea how much more in love I’d fall as time went on!

    2. Favorite Summer Memory ~ Hmmm, it was pretty fun meeting The Zac Brown Band and getting to see them perform while standing on their stage with them. 

    3. Favorite Song ~ This is hard, it changes all the time and I have one for every genre!  Ok, to make me sound good….my all time favorite HYMN “Come Thou Fount”! ;)   Otherwise, I tend to listen to a lot of 40′s music in the fall. So right now, I’d say Fly Me to The Moon….Frank’s version of course. =)

    Ok, so there is one entry, I’ll put you on my xanga later, and then my facebook!!! I keep thinking and praying for you, hope baby Elizabeth comes soon! =)

  • Beautiful gifts…

    What surprised me about marriage? How self-centered I discovered myself to be:) I didn’t really realize how I liked to do things just my way ’til then…

  • Just linked on FB! Hope it doesn’t lower my chances too much. ;)

  • 1. We’ve been married 4 years, and it keeps getting better. For real. All the small things that make it so special… taking time to snuggle in the hammock under the stars at the end of the day, the love my Husband has shown to me through sickness (the first two years and most of our dating time I was really sick. He never gave up patience, and showed me over and over again what “through sickness & health” really means.) He’s my hero. I’m amazed I can love him so much more than on the day we got married. GOD is so GOOD!
    2. A beautiful Saturday morning at the Farmer’s Market, Dunkin Doughnuts, and browsing our tiny historic downtown together. Me and my Man. This NEVER happens! So yeah, it was a very special day, just being together and strolling hand in hand.

  • Love the baskets!  * and one thing that keeps suprising me about our marriage is how I can love somone so deeply…and yet it grows deeper!

  • And I linked on FB. 

  • Posted a link on facebook!! :)

  • LOVE LOVE LOVE those baskets!! In answer to your questions

    1. Marriage surprised me by how much fun it is! And it still amazes me how close we are. I thought that after 12 years it would be boring. I had no idea how much more I could love him and how one we would become. It’s not been without tears and pain and resolving conflict, but that is what has drawn us so close!

    2. We had an awesome summer . . . one thing . . . the water battle with the families at Family Week Retreat. The men and children laughed and soaked each other it was so fun and funny!

    3. A favorite song: “Waiting” the one played on fire proof. Our church is having splitting up and I feel like I am waiting on the Lord for hope and strength to face the sadness.

  •  summer memory…… FFE :) and swimming, swimming, swimming with my girls

     song…… Lead Me  Sanctus Real

  • posted on facebook :)

  • Ok, I also linked it to my facebook!

  • I am blogging about this at http://henryschooldayz.blogspot.com/ :)

  • Oh man oh man, you actually make me want ALL OF THE GIFTS! hahaha. I’ve been thinking of you a lot lately, dear… “Is that baby still in there?!” Can’t wait to see her pretty face.

    One thing that’s surprised me about marriage – that I’m not in it yet. Lol. Srsly thought I’d be married by 21… when I was 15… but I am very glad I’m not. Haha.
    Highlight of my summer – getting a job. It really was my lifeline for a while there. I’m bad at getting out of bed without external motivation.
    Favorite song for the moment – Rascal Flatts’s “Stand” was my top-played song in iTunes when I looked just now. Really enjoying the mellow, meaningful musics these days. (But not TOO mellow… gotta have my rebelliousness somewhere!!)

  • VERY cute giveaways….if I can’t win the grand prize, I want the third one! LOL!!:)

    1. I thought after being married 1 year that it just couldn’t get better, but it does….EVERY year!! :) :)

    2. My favorite summer memory this year was spending a week at my parents house in PA with ALL my siblings (all 8 of them and their families) I have been SO blessed!! :)

    3. I have many favorite songs….I especially love songs about heaven. They remind me why I am living the life I am, and give me hope….for that wonderful day!!

  • I’m new here.  The baskets are so fun and lovely I just had to enter:) Um, which question to answere?….guess I’ll go with the song one.  One of my favorite songs is “I hope you dance”.  It just makes me happy inside and it’s my dream for my two little girls.

  • How much fun is this!  Like you, I’m in denial that Summer is over, too.  There are some things I enjoy about Fall, but the main aspect of Fall that I DON’T enjoy is that it is the precursor to WINTER!!  I DO NOT LIKE WINTER!

    1. one thing that surprised you about marriage – I tell Bill that I am surprised that he continues to come home to me everyday!  His amazing love is unfathomable to me – how can he love me so, he who knows me best of all?  I could go on and on, but I won’t!

    2. a memory from your summer that was a highlight – meeting my first Grandson face to face for the first time.  We couldn’t be there for his birth, now that the kids live in Minneapolis, but were able to travel up in June, when he was 6 weeks old.  The trip up was just Bill and I, sort of a meet-the-grandbaby/late-anniversary trip, and it was one of the most refreshing and wonderful times in my memory!  Time alone has definitely become a precious and rare commodity!

    3. a favorite song, and why – Bill says they are all my favorites, but as much as I am amazed by Bill’s love (Baby, I’m Amazed By You!) I am even more amazed that the God of heaven and earth loves me! 

    And can it be that I should gain
    An interest in the Savior’s blood?
    Died He for me, who caused His pain—
    For me, who Him to death pursued?
    Amazing love! How can it be,
    That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
    Amazing love! How can it be,
    That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

  • Oh what fun looking baskets !!!! I’ll go with question 2. A summer highlight for me was spending quality time with friends at a cabin.

  • Linked here from fb. Your baskets look like so much fun -good work! The greatest surprise in marriage…how hard it really can be. In the first 2-3 years we hit more rocks than I think most people normally hit. In our 4th year its getting sweeter and richer – its been worth the struggle and pain.

  • 1..Well maybe since it hasn’t happened…it’s all a surprise and a dream still :)
    2. Getting to make friends, invest in girls lives and make a difference in them for the better at camp.
    3. The love of God b/c it always amazes me how much he really loves us and how we’ll never know even if the clouds were paper and the ocean ink, how much he loves us.

  • 2. Favorite memory of summer:

    My best memory of summer was that I ran my first half marathon! I happened to run it with my older brother (who, by the way is 10 times more athletic then me and he could have ran circles around me! and he pushed me so hard. When I got to the finish line, I collasped and almost had to be put on ivs! Talk about dramatic! It was such a sweet feeling after though and I had such a fun time running it with my older brother that i don’t get to see much!

    PS-I LOVE your blog, your pictures and family! Thanks!

    Elissa~*~

  • Linked you to fb

  • recommended….all the gifts look so fun! :)

  • my highlight of the summer- my daughter was born! love every single prize you have!:)

  • posted on facebook

  • Beautifu, beautiful giveaway!! And I’d be thrilled to pieces with any of these baskets! Not that I ever win, and I stopped even entering giveaway because I never win and it just taks up time. :) But yours. Well, but yours was too good NOT to enter, so here’s to hoping again! :)

    Highlight of the summer: was moving into our hundred-year old cottage.

    Unexpected thing about marriage: how different two people can be, and yet how we can still love each other so much in spite of and because of those differences

    Favorite song: too many to list! I LOVE music!

  • I’ve not been on your site before, but I will definitely be back more! 

    About marriage:  I was amazed at how fun it really was to be married to and just live everyday life with my best friend!                                                        

    About summer:  It’s so hot here in South Georgia that we’ve had to stay indoors ALOT, but we’ve had fun doing little prodjects around the house that most people would do in the winter months.

    About a song: “When God Ran”  It’s an old favorite and always reminds me of God’s unending love for me.

    Thanks for the chance to win such a great giveaway!

  • linked on facebook :)

  • linked on xanga via pulse.

    yeah, i’d really like to win a prize! :)

  • Wow! :) Good idea, and look at all these comments! I’m gonna tell you about the most memorable event of my summer. After being away from my homestate since I was 12 (I am now 24), I was finally able to move back to where I can be a ten minute drive from my only living relatives home. It’s pretty amazing and after a month of being here, I know this is exactly where I am meant be. It is such a relief knowing my stay here is not just a vacation. I don’t have to be sad about leaving because I am here to stay and I can go visit my grandparents on their beautiful farm whenever I would like.

  • I love reading your blog! The gifts you’re giving away are lovely and I’m inspired by your generosity! One of my favorite memories from this summer is creating a special 3rd anniversary dinner for my husband. I decorated the back porch, lit candles, hung lanterns, cooked his favorite foods, played music and asked him to dress up (to go to dinner on our back porch :) It was fun to do and he was a good sport, saying it was really nice & seeming to genuinly appreciate it! :)
    Priscilla C.

  • So many wonderful things!!!
    About marriage..one thing I was surprised by…is the fact that I like to have time away from my husband.I couldn’t have imagined that when we were dating!
    Oh I hope I win!!!

  • My favorite song is In Your Arms by Meredith Andrews.  There are people who are energized by their introspection.  And there are people who feel alive by their relationships with others.  I’m a BIG extrovert.  Through a series of things in my life that were unmistakeably God’s decisions, I’ve been “told by Him” to “take a holiday”.  Not sure I want to take a holiday, but the Lord asked me to retreat with Him.  How can I say no?  My people-craving side says, “please no”.  But an invite from the Lord to go away with Him for a while is simply irresistable.

    “I’m turing the world off~embracing the silence~Walking away from all the voices that are screaming in my ear; I’ve been too caught up~I’ve been so stressed out~All of the noise replaced the whisper that used to be so clear~So I close every door~put my face back on the floor; And I’m in your arms…” ~Meredith Andrews

    Jamie

  • Linked on facebook.

  • I tried commenting twice and when I went back each time, it wasn’t there. So, I apologize if I comment more than once! Anyway, I love reading your blog. The giveaways are lovely and I’m inspired by your creativity & generosity. One of my favorite memories from this summer is making a nice 3rd anniversary dinner for my husband. I decorated the back porch, lit candles, hung lanterns, played soft music, made yummy food and asked him to dress up (for dinner on our back porch ;) . He was a good sport & seemed to genuinely enjoy it!
    Priscilla C.

  • Probably everyone says this but it’s amazing how much better marriage gets.  I had no idea we’d learn so much about each other in 7 years.  Even though that happened it’s hard to fathom how we could get to know each other that much better in another 7 years. 

    Favorite summer highlight – usually when we go on trips we spend most of the time with family.  This summer we spent 2 nights at a motel with a waterpark on the way home from family.  Definitely some good, fun, family time.

  • Quite fun baskets…are there enough for each of us to have one of each? They look super fun, and would be hard to choose between them….glad you’re having Emma do the hard work!

    My dear husband and I have been so amazed at how much we are alike, yet how different we are. We’re different enough to need each other, but yet the same to be on the same wave length most of the time…the rest of the time doesn’t count.

    A favorite song would be Tomorrow in Your Hand…we just moved to Maine with a church plant and there are so many unknowns, but trusting our Abba Father!

    Favorite memory from this past summer….savoring the last days of living in our cozy house in PA, laying in the hammock w/ my honey-man & drinking coffee and talking by the fire. A few of my favorite things….

    Blessings!

  • @down_onthefarm - um, cindy, oh cindy, amber said you have to answer one of the questions if you would like to win. are you trying to bypass the rules AGAIN????  it’s got to be a bit more then the cindy chant ya’know?  (i’m cracking myself up)  :)

  • this is the bomb and i was just thinking the other day about doing something like this.  how kind of you to think of others at this stage of your life. total sweetness.

    favorite summer memories:  meeting YOU  irl and all the ffe girls. being lazy and swimming almost every day with my kiddos.

  • Awesome Baskets! Such neat ideas. :)

    1 thing that has surprised me about marriage is def. how better it gets with time but also how much work it truly takes. We have been married for 5 years and it has been both rewarding and difficult. I think the BIGGEST thing is truly beginning to understand Christ’s love for us. And the marriage relationship we can have with Him. Learning to depend on Jesus first and Husband second. I guess, truly being able to ‘release my man’ from my ‘perfect’ expectations I may have of him/us.

    The BEST thing about Summer… :) seeing my little girl take her first steps. She was born with spina bifida and we did not have much hope before she was born. THE SECOND BEST was seeing her lil’ brother take his first steps! We were told we had a higher chance of having another child with SB, and Thanking Jesus, that he does not.

    My fav. song ~ ‘Now More Than Ever’ by the Gaithers—

    “Now More than Ever I Cherish The Cross, More than ever I sit at his feet. The miles of my journey have proved my Lord true. And HE is so Precious to me.” —Need I say More?  :)

  • My surprise in marriage? One of them is how after more than 40 yrs. of it, I still am learning more about my husband & loving him more deeply. At our age, I consider the ” till death do us part” even more seriously, realizing some of our friends have already lost their spouses to death. Best wishes to you as you “labor” before many days – anxious for your news!

  • Wow, all 3 prizes look amazing!
    1, thing that surprised me about marriage, might sound cheezy but its what I thought of:) how my husband is the one and only person that I can spend hours and hours with and want more time, not less, I love being with other people but after a while I need space..
    2..favorite summer memory, my hubby planned a wkend getaway for July 4th , since we didnt do alot of traveling this summer that was really special!
    3. Favorite song, one would be Josh Groban (you are loved) such a positive message in a world of hurting people!

  • linked to fb

  • Such great prizes!

    1. one thing that surprised you about marriage– The strength that is has when God is behind it. I got married very yound and had lots of people say it would never work but we had both prayed/fasted before God asking for His blessing and His timing. So we knew it was the right move/time for us to make. No matter what people say, if you have God, nothing is impossible!

    2. a memory from your summer that was a highlight– Getting to be in town when my sis had my first neice. She is an angel sent from Heaven and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world!

    3. a favorite song, and why– No Place That Far by Sarah Evans. That is one that we had played at our wedding. My hubby had to travel back and forth to “court” me, once a month, for 3 1/2 years before we got hitched. That proved his love to me and has made it where I would follow him to the ends of the earth.

  • posted on facebook

  • I came here via a xanga pulse. Lovely stuff here! A favorite summer memory was watching my uncle walk around in his yard. Ok, so he had been in a traumatic UTV accident the last of June and was in ICU for awhile and came very close to being paralyzed. Seeing him walking around was a miracle straight from heaven.

    Oh, and I like the apple sticker idea :)

  • How thoughtful and sweet of you! It’s more blessed to give then recieve so no doubt you recieve the greater blessing;) But it sure is nice to be at the recieving end sometimes:)      The biggest surprise in marriage for me was experiencing the difference Christ can make. Being married a number of years as an unbeliever then becoming a christian and only then becoming aware of how rich a marriage can be. It went from self to serve. I still stand in awe of what a marriage can be in Christ!

  • linked this on FB and xanga – yea, you’ll need a huge container to hold all the entries ;)

  • Exciting giveaway!  Thanks so much for hosting this!  :o )

    1. Before Dan and I got married, we had so many people tell us that the first year of marriage is so rough and that once you get past that it’s much easier.  For us, we were both very suprised at how wonderful it was right from the start.  We were just so happy to finally be married and have loved every minute of it right from the start.  I was also surprised at how very real it felt for me to be “leaving and cleaving”.  From the moment we were at the altar I had this overwhelming sense of being “free” from my parent’s and joyfully with Dan from then on.  I guess simply said: just glorying in the “one-ness” that comes with being married. 

    2. Favorite memory from this summer would have to be the days leading up to Dan’s deployment.  Though it was really hard to know he would be going soon, we enjoyed every single day of being together and savored the sweetness.

    3. Fave song right now is Gary Allan’s “I Can Love You”.  Dan and I aren’t together right now.  He can’t be here for the ups and downs of life.  There is so much that this physical distance puts severe and strong limits on.  The song always makes me cry because it reminds me of how much Dan loves me and that all these things right now don’t change that one bit!!  And it makes me so thankful to the Lord for keeping us close and holding us together with His love. 

  • Linked on fb

  • I like your baskets:)) It is great you have such generous friends!!
    #1 The thing that surprises me the most about marriage is that even after 9.5 years I am still learning new things about him & myself!!
    #2 My Favorite Summer memory, Getting to go to a Trace Atkins concert!!! He is my favorite country singer. Thus the answer to #3
    #3 Favorite song is “One Hot Momma” By Trace, This is how I want and hope my man sees me even if I don’t feel so hot!!!

    Thank you for posting this give away!! DOry

  • Casting Crowns

    Until the Whole World Hears the song has a powerful message really enjoy that song..

  • Linked to my blog http://www.amommymadeit.com

  • Linked to AMMI Facebook fan Page!!

  • Linked as a pulse here on Xanga:)

  • Wowee look at all these entries!!! :) ) Count me in to girl! I almost never enter giveaway’s but yours is just too good to pass up!!!

    Question 1. One thing that surprised me about marriage is that I really DO love my husband more now than the day we got married, there is something about years of babies, memories, hard times, good times…it really bonds you together like glue!

    My favorite Summer memory was our family weekend away in the Idaho mountains,and spending the day in those incredible hot springs…aaahhhhh. :)

  • linked to my personal FB page!! I’ll stop!!! This was fun, it took my mind off my Eeyore Day!!

  • I have many “favorite” songs, but one of the ones I love the most right now is, ”What Faith Can Do” by Kutless.

  • Linked on facebook :)

  • Also linked on xanga

  • Awh!! Love this!! My favorite song is: “I’ll praise you in this storm” Its helped me thru many storms in my life by giving me the courage to look to the Maker of these storms.  (I hope I win!) :)

  • linked on fb and xanga.

  • A favorite song of mine- Be Still My Soul

    “Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side. Bear patiently the cross of grief and pain. Leave to thy God to order and provide; in every change He faithful will remain.”

  • I shared on Facebook

  • 1. Marriage: surprised at how easily I could enjoy/not be embarrassed about more levels of undressedness than ever experienced before at home–where modesty around Dad and brothers was important. Surprised by the extreme joy and mystery of the marriage bed. I have a truly cherishing husband. (I knew it would be fun, but you can only imagine so much. It was worth the wait.)

    2. Summer: weekends and vacation with my growing family. Watching Rachel discover things every day and happy that Steve likes to hang out with his girls (v. attend every ballgame). Watching baby daughter wave and dance around in my womb with her expressive arms and legs.

    3. Song: “1,000 miles” by Mark Schultz. Steve played it for me before we married, and I still tear up when I imagine my persevering Lovey walking 1,000 miles with his canes (carrying most of the weight in his strong arms and torso).

    Thanks for the smiles!

    Emily

  • This is so sweet of you- My favorite song this summer, came out of a time of deep soul searching, and in the late evening hrs, God showed me His Love for me and that He has forgiven me, “There is a fountain filled with blood…..where sinner’s plunged beneath the flood- lose all their guilty stains!”

  • i know and or read a bunch of people you read – Emily Petty and Alyssa Welch and Kat Fan… And now I think I need to keep up with your encouraging posts too!

    I’m going with #2: I’ve had an epic summer. I competed in my third triathlon which was my first one post-baby #1! Also, my baby boy turned ONE and my brother returned from Iraq and got married the next day. That all happened in a three week time span. SHEW! It’s been a beautiful summer here in MN. Thanks for the neat giveaway! Blessings on the final days of your pregnancy.

  • GREAT GIVEAWAY!!!:)

    my favorite song is “Testify to Love” and the reason is everytime I hear/sing it I am again amazed by the tremendous love of God! So beautiful and humbling!

  • will also be linking you on my facebook page so please enter me AGAIN!:)

  • WOW what a wonderful thing to do. Thank you in advance, just for even having the chance to win such lovely things.

    1. one thing that surprised you about marriage

    For me I’d have to say that it is that I have never been married. Still hopeful that some day I will meet my special love! :)

    2. a memory from your summer that was a highlight

    A highlight from my summer was being able to have some quality time with a friend of mine who fighting ALS and now doesn’t look like he has much longer here with us.

    3. a favorite song, and why

    Hmmmm that’s a hard one. I love music! Hard to pick a favorite. But today I am going to pick a song from the Sound of Music; My Favorite Things because I still LOVE this movie and this song always makes me smile!

    Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,
    bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens,
    brown paper packages tied up with strings,
    these are a few of my favorite things.

    Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels,
    door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles.
    Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings.
    these are a few of my favorite things.

    Girls in a white dresses with a blue satin sashes,
    snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes,
    silver white winters that melt into springs,
    these are a few of my favorite things.

    When the dog bites, when the bee stings,
    when I’m feeling sad,
    I simply remember my favorite things,
    and then I don’t feel so bad.

    Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,
    bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens,
    brown paper packages tied up with strings,
    these are a few of my favorite things.

    Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels,
    door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles.
    Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings.
    these are a few of my favorite things.

    Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes,
    snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes,
    silver white winters that melt into springs,
    these are a few of my favorite things.

    When the dog bites, when the bee stings,
    when I’m feeling sad,
    I simply remember my favorite things,
    and then I don’t feel so bad.

  • 1. one thing that surprised you about marriage- no brick wall. at least, none in the first five years! everyone told me that we’d wake up one morning and wonder what on earth we’d done, getting married so young, but it never happened.

    2. a memory from your summer that was a highlight- our new tradition of taking a long walk on Nate’s (rare) evenings off! it doesn’t happen often, but the few times we accomplished it gave me wonderful memories. :)

    3. a favorite song, and why- “One of Those Days”, by Chris Rice. it’s such a huge reminder to me that my emotions and the pattern of our days can be all over the place, but that my Jesus is faithful to be near me, no matter how i feel. i love that constancy!

  • Oh, yummy stuff there!! One of the things that suprised me about marriage…I thought i knew and loved the man who became mine.  I did.  But not even close to the level I do after 9 years. :)

  • Linked on facebook. :)

  • We have gone camping six times this summer. With three small children thats quite the adventure, but they love it so it makes it all worth while.

  • Favorite song–Save a Place for Me by Matthew West
    Favorite Summer Memory–taking our children to the Children’s Museum in Pittsburgh. They loved it and so did we.

  • Facebooked it!!

  • I’m new to commenting on your blog. I’ve been reading your blog ever since my aunt, down_onthefarm, suggested it to me quite awhile ago. (She’s a good aunt like that) ;)
    Anyway, to answer the drawing questions…

    1. I never realized until I married my husband how big of a “nothing” box men have in their brain. Usually when I ask my “husband what he is thinking, he replies, “Oh, nothing.” I will never understand that concept!!! My brain is always thinking something. Wish sometimes I could turn my brain off like that! It would be such a blessing sometimes! (I still love and adore him anyway.)

    2. My highlight of the summer was going on a 2 week trip back to Ghana, West Africa where I had met my husband. It was so good to see all of the children from the home I had worked in so long ago. I savored the sights, sounds, and smells of a country that still grips a part of my heart.

    3. Hmm… a favorite song… that’s a hard one! One of my favorite songs right now would be “Beautiful, Beautiful” by Francesca Battistelli.

  • Posted a link on my facebook too! :)

  • wow, wonderful give away Amber.  Doing my best to respond…haha…I am on a laptop in colorado, and I am challenged. 

    1. marriage is even better than I thought it would be.  That is after 33 years.  Just such a blessing from the Lord to love and be loved.

    2. Best part of summer was spent with all my kids, and finding out I will be a grandma!

    3.  I like the workship song ‘oh how He loves us oh,,by?

    OK, will try to post elsewhere too, cuz I would LoVe to win one of those sweet, beautious baskets.

    praying for you and your little bundle~~jENNY

  • seriously Amber, everytime i come to your site i adore the music that you have on here. That is a fabulous song. Those baskets are wonderful. What a gift you have for putting things together and sharing gifts. I’m not so fond of recieving gifts but i adore making and giving them. i think that means that my love language to recieve love is different then my giving but i’m not sure yet.

    Praying that Emma’s birthday is a great one. So awesome to hear she’s getting SOOo big already! hope you have a blessed weekend…and that little miss will come to stay soon ;)

    my favourite summer memory was the beach at the first park that we were at in Guelph. The beach was a nice small size but it wasn’t too crowded, the water was clean and a lake so not icky and it was a beautiful sunny day. my mom read by the water, my dad and i went in and swam for a bit and then i went and suntanned on a table and read in the sun. the setting was idyllic and really a gorgeous camp group. It was our first time camping in the camper and while a bit tiring (since you never really do figure out how to sleep comfortably in a trailer) it was really the relaxing weekend that i needed.

    be blessed.

  • What a exciting giveaway.

    1. Married life is a lot more work then i ever dreamed it would be.

    2. We took a 3 week vacation to the west coast to see my husbands sister and family and then my brother got married in Idaho. Our 3 kids enjoyed it so much. my high light is seeing all 4000 pictures when we got home and reliving the beauty we saw.

    3. Favorite song: hmmmmm, that is hard. I love music so much, i love it all. My husband says i have music on all the time. :) he gets tired of it so fast. He needs his time to think he says.

    Best wishes to your little one, cant wait to see pictures of her.

    I will try to post on FB if i can figure it out.

  • wow, i did figure out how to share it to xanga and facebook. wahoooo!!!

  • Oh, how fun! My marriage surprise; that the in-laws turned out to be so difficult and nearly derailed us. True colors show through over time. Fortunately, hubby and I are survivors!

  •  1.I was surprised about the dried toothpaste in the sink. never expected it. ;)

     2.Our trip to Boston!

     3.Jesus Loves Me…. just because it is one of the first that I knew, and it means more today then ever.

     This is like a super cool give away and so many comments! People REALLY like gifts! ;) Me Me Me !!!

     Love ya Amber, you are so giving.

  • oh, btw…I’ll link ya! ;) Twice. How about that??!

  • One thing that surprised you about marriage – THat after 31 years, it is even more sweet and wonderful than it was when we started.

  • I’ve been a long time lurker on your site.  Lots of mutual friends. :) Love reading your heart and thoughts as a mom with older”ish” kids.  However, I’m a sucker for giveaways! So, I would say my favorite memory from this summer was our trip home to Charleston, SC to the beach! Seeing my 3.5 yr old and 2 yr. old embrace the ocean, sandcastles and shells was amazing. Have fun with your giveaway!

  • When is your baby due? Mine is coming next Thursday! You don’t look nearly big enough to be at the end of pregnancy though! Okay, found this link on one of my friend’s facebook sites, so I thought I’d give a try for those prizes. :)

    ONE THING THAT SURPRISED ME ABOUT MARRIAGE: How much work it is. Everyone tells you how wonderful it is, and it is, indeed wonderful. I have been married eight years. But it does take work. And lots of it. You have to work on communicating, you have to work on common ground (especially after you have kids), you have to work on discipline w/ your kids and how you both want to do it. You have to work on intentional time w/ each other. It’s hard work, but well worth the effort. Too many people just give up when it gets hard and just want to “get out.” It’s sad. How much more precious is something that you had to work hard to get..

    I’ll link to this on my xanga as well. You have a beautiful family! And how sweet that you’re giving such wonderful prizes away. It shows your heart.

    -Jennifer

  • One thing that suprised me about marriage is how little I get to see him. I married him so we could spend our lives together and in reality I get to see him a few hours a day…ok that sounds really morbid! I do love being married! :)

  • Wow, you are so generous!!  Look at all those beautiful prizes!

    On to the questions…..

    1. one thing that surprised you about marriage… I never realized how very wonderful being married could be.  It is my favorite part of life.  Never perfect but oh-so-very amazing.2. a memory from your summer that was a highlight… every.single.morning of sleeping in and waking to sunshine and an open day.   Ah, bliss!3. a favorite song, and why… My favorite songs change with the seasons but right now it is a country song called “The House That Built Me” which rips my heart out and brings on the tears every time I hear it.

    I will post a link to your giveaway on my blog so enter me twice please!  Yay for giveaways and great people like you.

  • One of my favorite memories from this summer was sitting on the back porch with my sister at night, singing and dancing together. Sound’s corny I know, but the corny memories are the best aren’t they? :) I also posted about it on my blog~ http://www.livinglife4jesuschrist.blogspot.com.

    Blessings,

    Lydia

  • I was surprised that I could fall more deeply in love with my husband as time went on.We are married 28 years and I still get butterflies sometimes………Thanks for offering all those wonderful prizes!

  • you are amazing–waiting for baby and giveaways!

    one thing that surprised me about marriage?  maybe that i am not very normal when it comes to wifely needs!!!  a lot of points that they bring out in marriage books about wives leave me going, Huh? and that i would still  be learning so much about weldon after 11 years. it’s great!!

    lovin those giveaways. i’m wishing on a star tonight!!

  • I gave up awhile ago on entering contests because I never win :) but those prize baskets look sooo amazing I had to enter.
    Wow are you nice to put those together.
    1. The surprise about marriage, we each change as the years go by and that you could love someone so much and dislike them some days equally as much.
    2. Favorite summer memory was getting together with all 8 of my siblings
    3. Favorite song J.J Heller “Your Hands”

  • P.S.linked to Facebook.

  • a favorite song, and why :: My favorite song might just be “kiss me” by sixpence and I think I love it so much just for the romance.

  • I posted this to facebook!

  • OOOOHHHH! A wonderful giveaway..
    One surprising thing I learned about marriage is that not everything is the same as I am used to and I need to make allowance for his way of doing things..  

  • Such lovely baskets! My top song right now is  For I’m Persuaded to Believe. The children and I sing it faster three times in a row at the top of our lungs.

  • Posted to my blog.

  • One of the things that amazed me after marriage was, how much my husband offeres to, and helps around the house

    Favorite thing we did this summer was to spend a month back home with both sets of parents after 9 months of language training inpreparation for the mission field

    Favorite song – Im not sure maybe a song called” Peirce my ear ” which refers to the slaves in bible times and how they could have their ear pierced which signified that they would work for their master for the rest of their life and likens this to us and our willingness to serve God for the rest of our life 

  • Best summer memory; Spending several weeks with family!

  • 1. one thing that surprised you about marriage
    That there was so much work to making things go smoothly!!!!
    2. a memory from your summer that was a highlight
    We got a paid vacation back to NC to visit our friends there from where we moved from; by picking up a trailer for our other friends from there! So many memories!
    3. a favorite song, and why
    At The Foot Of The Cross-it’s where I find myself so often!

  • I love this idea! Nice to meet you by the way. I’m Red. Kellie if you prefer :)

    The thing that surprised me about marriage the most, is that it is messy, hard, inconvenient and at times more emotionally exhausting than I’d ever imagined. But…it’s all of those things that make love more secure, more steady and beautifully strong when people choose to love through. You think the best parts are when your new, and high about your significant other who turns into your spouse. It’s only a rouse though. The best parts come much much later after adversity has smoothed out the rough edges of both of you. When that happens, you go from being a seed in bloom to a plant rooted solidly in sweet fertile soil who continues on, no matter what the weather brings.

    Btw, Saintvi was right when she said it, and she’s so right here

    (Hey John..if you ever read this, I love you honey,so much)

  • Wow. Came here on a rec. What a kind thing to do in these hard times! Let’s see…….

    1.) Something that surprised me in marriage was that I was willing to do it again! That I found someone so wonderful that I wish he were the first one. That it turns out it is really so much easier when the other one actually loves you…but that is several things.

    2.)A memory from this past summer that was a highlight was when my four year old stuck her finger in a fish that my husband had just caught and I snapped a pic.

    3.)I have so very many favorite songs, depending on my mood. If I have to just pick one it would have to be “I’ll Take You Back” by Jeremy Camp because God has always been a God of forgiveness and taken me back even when I knew I was going against Him when I left. It always makes me cry and very thankful.

  • Very cool giveaway! :)

    1. one thing that surprised you about marriage

    That I can be loved and liked pretty stinkin unconditionally. My husband has loved me through emotional ugliness, through pregnancy, and breast cancer. He’s loved me when If felt unlovable. I am SO BLESSED by him. Jesus is in him and I know that my hubbie just wants to love me like He does.

    2. a memory from your summer that was a highlight

    Playing at the pool with my children. This was the first summer they were old enough for me not to worry as much about them. We had fun. We enjoyed being together. We enjoyed the cool of the pool because this summer was HOT.

    3. a favorite song, and why

    Right now “Your Love is a Song” by Switchfoot. I think it is a beautiful song but it also speaks so much about His unfailing, all-consuming love for us. I think, too, that I want to keep my eyes wide open to His movement, to His presence, to His power in my life. He’s all around us. What a good reminder!

    I shared this on my blog as well. I don’t do xanga anymore, but my blog is at shanathebana.blogspot.com. I know, I’m a traitor. ;)

  • what beautiful baskets! would love to win one:)  what surprised me about marriage? I thought we would talk about everything. You know, have lots of conversation and sharing! was I ever wrong! That was hard to accept and pretty rough sometimes, but since “marital bliss” is here, there has been some major improvement and I’m lovin it! That is one good book! If I win the first basket the book is going to a friend who moved 700 miles from home to a community that is pretty much a different culture from what she grew up in! I know she would benefit tremendously from it.  High lights from the summer….living in northwestern montana, we barely had summer this year:(  But we did have some really fun family picnics together. Also the fact that my husband and I, for the first time in 12 years of marriage, established a weekly date nite. Simply cuz more and better communication was a must!   Favorite songs…….I love worship songs dont know which is my fave. I enjoy Cris Tomlin.

  • Super Fun Idea. I think I’m going do the same one of these days! Probely because I’m right there with you on gift giving. My # one love language too!! ;) So fav memories this summer~Meeting my new baby girl Julia. Her whole birth for that matter. And my fav song- Still by hillsong. Playing on my blog right now! Can’t wait to meet your little one! And 1300 views~ WOW!!!

  • ambs, these baskets are gorgioso!! :)

    1/  EVERYTHING surprised me about marriage…ok. ironing, washing dishes, babies, cleaning, cooking did NOT surprise me…but everything else did esp. if it was relational. ya. i was in bad shape.

    2/  fave summer memory?? laughing at FFE….loved it.

    3/  right now my fave song is Lead Me by Sanctus Real because it’s where my heart is…but i also love to jam to Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now (*gasp*so not spiritual*) ha. ;)

    emma, pick me. pick me! :)

  • linked on FB :)

  • One thing that surprised me about marriage was two very different people can get along for so well for so long! :D

  • My all time favorite?  I Hope You Dance…..so often I think that truly special moments should be perfect…..but this song is a reminder that each opportunity and day is a chance to dance to the music of life, and to be ready! 

  • I enjoy reading your site from time to time.
    What suprised me about marriage, was that my husband overlooks my many faults and loves me to pieces.
    My favorite summer activity, was spending a day in the mountains hiking and picnicing with my dear hubby and children.
    My favorite song that I sing a lot of right now is a childrens song, Pray little children Pray Pray. ( I spend a lot of time rocking babies and the babies try singing with me.)

  • Favorite Song… “When I get where I’m going”   – I so long for heaven!

  • 1-something that suprised me about marriage…….MAN. How things can change!!!  :)

    2- Highlight of this summer….sadly, and selfishly- I went by myself to Ohio for the 4th of July Holiday and slept for FOUR DAYS straight at my sister in laws house. We only left her house 2x the whole weekend! It was a glorious time of doing NOTHING. With no pressure, responsibilities or work. I crashed. How sad is it that SLEEPING was my summer highlight?? :)

    3- FIND WHAT YOUR LOOKING FOR by Amy Grant is one of my fave songs. The lyrics are compelling- reminding us that if we’re going to throw stones at someone we’d better look in the mirror first….reminding us that you never know what happened in a persons life to get them where they are and to coax them to make the decisions they have. The chorus says, “There’s so much good in the worst of us, and to much bad in the best of us, it never makes sense for any of us- to criticize the rest of us..”  I really like that. You can see the best or worst in any of us and doesn’t it make sense to accentuate the positive? ;) I’ve had to apply that to my life sooooo often over the last few years. :)

    And for good measure- I’m going to try Cyndi’s tactic….”I NEVER WIN ANYTHING!!! I NEVER WIN ANYTHING!!!” :) Maybe that will put some good ju-ju out there for me. LOL.

  • Wow, what lovely gifts!
    A highlight from this summer…. having our wonderful little miracle man! I love being a mom!

  • Amber, this is so exciting! I was in Canada for the first part of the week and am just finding out about all the things I’ve been missing.

    ~I’ll answer #2 all the Sunday afternoons on the beach with my family……….but then there was this special rendezvous with a bunch of terrific women that I’ll never in a million years forget ;) !

    I link on FB and xanga ;) ……and be thinking of any other place I could put in a good word for you~

    Hope that baby decides to come and meet you soon, I can’t wait to hear.

  • 1- One thing that surprised me about marriage: It is the most rewarding experience in life! No matter the hard times, they bring you closer. The love you had for your husband on your wedding day only gets stronger every day until they are as much a part of you as you are yourself.

    2-Summer Highlight- Our trip to Kenya. They people there are amazing! They have so little (compared to us in America) and yet they live and breathe God.

    3- Favorite Song- Currently Chris Tomlin’s new song: Our God Is Greater

    Beautiful Prizes! Whoever wins shall be lucky indeed! :)

  • OH NO!!!!Hoping I’m not too late!  I heard some exciting things were going on here, but haven’t had time to be on-line the last several days. 

    So here’s to hoping it’s not too late!

    I’m going to try to link to FB, although lately my computer hasn’t been allowing me to do that…..we’ll see if it allows me today.

    1. How much I didn’t understand what love really was.  Looking back, I realize I got married for what I could get, not what I could give! 
    2. Are you kidding?!?!?!?
                    ……FFE for sure!!
    3.  It’s hard for me to narrow it down, but I’m going to go with “Lead Me” by Sanctus Real….and no, I didn’t copy and past Becky’s answers.  They really    are mine too!

  • 1. The thing that surprises me most is how love can grow so strong for a person even after 5 years, and the friendship that I’ve continued to be blessed with.

    2.  My favorite memory of the summer was the surprise and joy of finding out that I was pregnant with another precious little one.

    3.  Favorite song is tough I have so many, but my new favorite artists are the Isaacs.  And it has been such a surprise to me because I never thought I would like bluegrass, but their style is so fresh and new without all the whining through the nose stuff.  And their songs touch me at a place deep within.

    posting on facebook.

  • Well, I came on here to see if your baby came yet, but instead I found this giveaway. Wow, 178 comments already! Do I have a chance? Well, it’ll be fun answering the questions anyway. And “Happy Birthday Emma!” September babies rock! I am one myself (the 22nd) and we’re celebrating my daughter’s 1st birthday tomorrow, even though her birthday isn’t until the 21st, but my parents will be moved out of state before then. =(

    Okay, here it goes…

    Amber: One thing that surprised you about marriage.
    Yolanda: How selfish I was!

    Amber: A memory from your summer that was a highlight.
    Yolanda: Going for walks with my husband, pushing my daughter in the stroller, reading through the “City of Ember” books.

    Amber: A favorite song, and why.
    Yolanda: The one playing in my head right now (that won’t get out as I try to think of my favorite song) is “Jesus Saves” by Jeremy Camp: “Raise a shout to let all the world know that Jesus saves.” I think it’s good to remind the world that no one is too far gone for Jesus to save. As long as someone is alive, there is still hope for them. =)

  • a memory from your summer that was a highlight:

    Playing with my 1 1/2 year old daughter in her kiddie pool.  So fun to see how exciting and new everything is for her!

  • Marriage Suprise: How completely different men and women think.

  • My favorite summer memory – 2010

    I live across the field from my folks. Mom is 69, Dad is 71. Mom & I try to daily walk together during the cooler months, but during the summer, we like to “exercise” in their pool. We spend the time walking around & around, and chattering the whole time catching up on the happenings of our daily lives. It is time I treasure. One particularly hot day, my 13 yr. old son & I and my mom were going thru our routine of walking round & round the pool….enjoying the coolness of the water. My dad appeared , hot & sweaty from the garden work he was doing, and announced that it was time for his break. It wasn’t long until he joined us in the pool. Even now tears come to my eyes when I think about that priceless memory to me. I will always remember those moments, when with my son & my parents we spent a casual , ordinary, hot. humid DE. day, we relished in the company of each other in the cool waters. The feelings I had from that moment are a memory I want never to forget!!! (o:

    (I found your site from Izzysgal, who is a fella from my neck of the woods. I was amazed at your pics…and cannot believe your little baby bump..you probably get so tired of folks saying that because when you are pregnant a body feels huge no matter, huh?! Best wishes as you await the arrival of your new little one!!)

  • I was wondering if it was tacky to enter the giveaway if I was a contributor, but I saw Michelle and Rachel did, so it must be okay. :) :)

    Fav summer memory: going to the lake spur of the moment, grilling burgers, splashing in the water, having adult conversation with Steve while the boys played happily for a loooooong time////walking around our charming town, splashing in the fountain, talking///Okay that was two, but it was times like that, I’d have this very strong sense of “I LOVE our family/this stage of my life.”

    Please, tell Emma I think she is VERY pretty. ;) (I do!)

  • I feel bad the first time I comment is to try to win something. I will comment again soon, I promise! A Favorite Song: With Everything by Hillsong. My husband is a youth pastor and this song was sang at youth camp this summer, and it was awesome watching our teens worship their hearts out to this song. So I guess this falls under a summer memory as well. :)

  • I linked up your post to my Facebook profile (www.facebook.com/yolandaevonne)and Xanga blog. I’m also a follower of your blog via the NetWorked Blog application on Facebook. =) ♥

  • and by he way, I was able to link to FB….

    just sayin’!  :)

  • What a wonderful idea this is :)
    1. What has surprised me most about marriage??Hmmm….how long it is taking my hubby and I to get pregnant….we’ve been trying since January…all in God’s time though :)

    2. My favorite song for the moment is “Our God” by Chris Tomlin….I hear it all the time on the radio on my way to work….I crank it up and it makes my day awesome! : )

    3. I have multiple summer memories but they all gravitate around the same thing and that would be my husband and going out on the boat fishing : ) Us spending TRUE quality time with each other : )

  • @singingrachel - 

    hey.hey.hey now. Me? Bypass rules? You must have me confused with some other nice girl! ;)
    my answers are back there. somewhere! love you too!

  • linked to fb.

    thinking.wondering.praying.
    about YOU
    not the cool prizes ;)

  • NICe!! Thank you , Amber for doing a giveaway! :) I’d love to enter!
    My favorite highlight of the summer is going to a christian deaf camp for the first time. it was wonderful and I learned alot.

  • I wish I had your creativity!
    1. one thing that surprised you about marriage
    How utterly comfortable you could become living with a person in just one day…feeling like you had been together forever….also the fact that I never grow tired of being him!

  • 2. I think my favorite part of the summer was visiting my nieces and nephew (and brother and sister-in-law) in Indiana. The rest of the summer I spent doing grad work, so it wasn’t fun…

  • My favorite song is “softly and tenderly” and the favorite part of my summer has been finding nice bargains from yard sales for our first grandbaby that should be here around Christmas. Your give away looks so fun!

  • Marriage surprises me all the time! I never knew I would love my man more now than when standing at the alter. I love how we still need to spend time together even after 17 years. ~amy ecmollymadi@sbcglobal.net

  • 1. one thing that surprised me about marriage – how hard it can be, but the benefits truly outweigh the work involved.
    2. a memory from my summer that was a highlight – my husband going back to work! (thank you God!)
    3. a favorite song, and why – “Mighty to Save” my DIL sings and when I saw her on our praise team for the first time singing this song, with her precious hands raised, my heart felt like it was going to burst! The tears flowed so freely.

  • My favorite summer memory… Jeremy and I going away for a night to celebrate our 5th anniversary. I love that man so much!

  • HOW FUN, Amber!  You’re such a dear to post giveaways.  My favorite song right now is “We Cry Out” by Kari Jobe.  She is amazing!  And the lyrics are so real and gripping.  Kari Jobe is just amazing in general.  I can’t WAIT to see baby Hutchins very soon.  Praying for you and your dear sweet family.  Love, Chanda

  • Also posted on Facebook.  =)

  • What a gorgeous giveaway….you set all the baskets up so beautifully!
    1. Marriage surprise- I was surprised at how every day, every hard thing, every good thing, binds you closer and closer together. Its funny how when you get married you think you know each other so well, and you’re so close, etc etc. But I’ve been so blessed with how much he’s become a part of me, when we spend a few days apart my eyes sting with tears. God wasn’t kidding when He said “Two shall become one.”
    2. Summer Highlight- My brother’s wedding…it was a gorgeous, inspiring reminder of God’s faithfulness to those who seek His face.
    3. Favorite song- hmmm….my favorite love song ever is “Love As Strong As Death” written by Rich Mullins and performed by Kevin Smith. Also love Chris Tomlin’s “Jesus Messiah” right now.

  • Such a neat idea, your giveaway baskets look so fun!

    My favorite part of my summer this year was learning to be able to not spend so much time doing what I thought needed to be done, and instead spend that time doing what I loved and spending more time with the one’s that are special to me in my life! Yes, the work was still there when I came back and with less time to do it, but in the end it was always worth it!

    One of my favorite songs right now is By your side: Tenth Avenue North. I love the reminder it gives us that no matter what mistakes we make, no matter how far we’ve gone from Him, God still is calling us back to Him, because He love’s us with His never ending love!

  • Also posted on Facebook and Xanga! :)

  • Your baskets look amazing! I’m one that hasn’t won anything~ever~YET! But unlike Clarita, I enter, enter, enter as often as I can~just in case today’s my lucky day. (Reminds me of someone getting hooked on gambling . . . but that’s another subject.) I don’t really know you, but just know friends of yours and hear your name mentioned sometimes.

    Anyway, I love music and have many favorites, but just the other day I was singing “Great is Thy Faithfulness” again and thot to myself how this song has got to be one of my very favorite~at least in the hymn catagory.

    I loved this entire summer: several trips, fun times at the pool with my children, getting ready for baby, etc.

    And marriage: I love it and have been surprised many times by how easy it is to get along and enjoy life together. Not saying we’re perfect or never have our differences . . . but, well, I don’t know, we just have a lot of FUN together. :)  

  • I posted a link to your site from my blog. http://www.gratitudejournal.blogspot.com

  • I love the song by Sovereign Grace called, “Surrender All.” It reminds me how my heart should be not just when I walk into church, but every day. The words and music are beautiful!
    Hope your baby comes soon, Amber! We can’t wait to see her!!!

  • WOW, u really outdid yourself with the giveaways. the baskets are beautiful!!! a few highlights of the summer~camping with the family, spending the day at Dutch Wonderland (a local amusement park), watching all 4 kiddos play together out in the fresh cut lawn (oh, what that does to a Mama’s heart)

    ~hope you are hanging in there and can’t wait to hear about baby’s arrivel!!!

  • If you want to get a lot of comments…do a really cool give-a-way. People come out of the woodwork, don’t they??

    And they lessen my chances of winning.

    I almost didn’t even comment because what are the chances I would win…but wow, those baskets are SO cool, I guess I may as well try.

    Hope you’re feeling OK, girlfriend, and that your sweet baby girl will be born soon.

    Ummm…let’s see…I’ll go with the thing that surprised me most about marriage…Probably how you don’t always “feel” in love and marriage can take a lot of hard work. But I have also been surprised to learn that you can have an intimacy that you never imagined in a marriage and that is worth all of the hard work.

  • linked to FB :)

  • Awesome prizes!!!!

    The highlight of my summer…..birthing my 4th child…hands down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope your labor and delivery will soon be behind and you’ll be holding your darling little girl!

  • I just can’t resist! Those delightful baskets……

    Michele is a great friend, and she recommended your blog. Your writing has inspired me so much, all the way over here in Poland.

    Surprise about marriage? After twelve years of marriage, I STILL love to kiss him when we’re stopped at red lights! We started doing that on our honeymoon and still have just as much fun doing it now. :) Highlight of the summer? Meeting Bill and Gloria Gaither at a restaurant in Gatlinburg, talking to them, and receiving a super encouraging pkg. from them after we came back to Poland from furlough. Favorite song? ‘Father’ by Ron Hamilton. “Abba Father, I rest in you. You’re always faithful, You’re always true…”

  • Interestingly enough, what has surprised me the most about marriage is how much freedom I have! Let’s just say that my husband is not like my Dad…I love being married!!!

  • Posted to Facebook

  • What surprised me about marriage? I grew up in a christian home where my parents really loved and respected eachother and didn’t have any major disagreements…and I guess I just expected that my marriage would be the same…so it was a big surprise for me to realize that most people didn’t grow up like I did and that it would take love, understanding, unselfishness and self-sacrifice to repeat that in my own home. I have had to learn to change myself and seen how that changes the attitudes of those around me. I wish someone would have told me that God is the only one who can meet my expectations and that I should not expect my dh to meet all my expectations, especially if I had not expressed them! Knowing that now certainly frees me from being unhappy unnecessarily. I thank God for all He has taught me and for the wonderful marriage that I now have.

    Favorite summer memory: evening walks with my husband and college age children on the campus where we live.

    Favorite song: Your Grace Still Amazes Me, and Word of God Speak is a close second.

    It has been good to stop and think about some of these things…God is so good to us!

  • One thing that surprised me about marriage – is how love grows deeper.  At 20, I thought those that were 70, sure they love… just like we do, just can’t go deeper than we’re feeling.?  ummm wrong,it can!  Now I look at the love birds in their teens/twenties (and their all so cute), and the love we knew back then, emmm… it’s good to be here.  Love and marriage is incredible, can’t wait till we’re 70 – it’ll be amazing.  On the flip side… I thought he’d always pick up his own socks! How is the floor more convinient than the wash? :)

    Favorite summer memories ~ Road trip back “home” to my family for a month that included a trip to Colorado with my brother and SIL…contented sigh some much reconnecting with everyone including my hubby! – just filled me up.

  • put a link on fb!

  • Your basket are so pretty.  I’m going to go with the easy question – our summer highligt-  I actually have two highlights for this summer. Starter on June 7th I gave birth to a beatiful daughter. Which we are enjoying so much.  Second we took a family vacation (with a 4 and 1/2 week old baby) out west it start out see family, going to my husband brothers wedding in Montana, and ended with see my family again.  We had alot of fun but it was great being home again .

  • Just wanting to say ‘hello’ and check in on you. Not entering your delightful contest but I’m thinking it is great. You are such a sweet heart.

  • How Fun!  Something that surprized me about marriage…this is similiar to what one of your other friends put…but it did jog my memory, I’d have to say it was finding out that my Husband did not have the same kind of patience with me that Daddy did! I couln’t push him near as far..I found that out early! LOL!     Highlight of the Summer…there were lots, but I’ll pick this one…going out with my husbands cousin thrift store shopping all day and having lunch at a neat sandwich shop.    A favorite song…When I think about the Lord. (It’s a few years older but I still love it!

  • I was most surprised by how long it was till we argued. See, I can be so stubborn… sad but true. Anyway, We have been married more than 3 1/2 years and just had our first “I think this is an arguement” moment.

    Favorite memory? The day they scraped sod to start our house!!!

    My song right now I just blogged about last night. Come by and check it out.

    Btw, Your baskets look just amazing!

  • thanks for a chance at this giveaway…!  a highlight from this summer for me was when my cousin got to come to MS from VA & spend a few days.  one evening, she, my son & myself went out on the 4-wheeler to look for deer…ended up we got caught in a rain downpour!  that just made the ride 200% more exciting and one we won’t forget for a long time!

  • i posted this to fb

  • i also tweeted this on twitter

  • Such fun and beautiful baskets. :) I stand in awe as I look back on my 5 1/2 years of marriage. It has been so sweet! And it is amazing to see how God has continued to grow us together through the years and give us more and more love for one another. I have learned so much! A highlight of the summer would have to be our week vacation from school, work, chores … lots of togetherness time celebrating our marriage! And a favorite song as of recent is “He Loves Us” by David Crowder. Just a great reminder of a truth I sometimes forget to rejoice in!! Despite the season of life – God will always love his children with an unfailing, unwavering, unconditional kind of love!

  • ~~Amber, thank you for being so generous to all your blog friends.  Praying for you as you all anticipate the arrival of the wee one

    ~~Marraige. . . It’s surprising that we are still content after 21 years together.

    ~~Summer. . . Summer was too short!  My favortie things, camping with my family on our two short camping trips!

    ~~Favorite song. . . This week probably the hymn “Our Great Savior”

  • Hope you enjoyed your Indian food!
    I think I’ll enter too…fun! :)

    1. one thing that surprised you about marriage
    That it would be SO HARD!!! (but fun at times!)

    2. a memory from your summer that was a highlight
    Visiting my adorably pregnant, “bedrested” friend… still waiting!

    3. a favorite song, and why
    Desert Song, Hillsong
    While I was pregnant with our son, I had a lot of anxiety over the pregnancy because of what had happened with our twins. I heard a testimony about this song and it really spoke to me.
    Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QemZQKKJbRU
    Testimony: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLmQsbhxYlY

  • my favorite thing about this summer was getting to know my brand new baby girl, Lilly who was born in May! I also enjoyed being at home and canning, freezing, cooking, homemaking, ect…

  • on facebook! Beth Miller
    http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=1623425627

  • I had some preconceived ideas about marriage that probably aren’t appropiate to say on here, but one was that laying in bed together wasn’t quite as “comfortable” as I had imagined.

  • Ok, so are you even going to get to this comment!!!  You have quite the popular blog, it’s going to take you days just to read through all your comments!!! Lol. Well, I put a link up on my xanga!

  • My favorite summer memory would be when we took the youth in our church on an overnight camping trip. We were able to swim in waterfalls and just be amazed at how awesome God is. We went on a long bike ride right by Lake Superior and it was so beautiful! How awesome is our God!

  • Linked on facebook! :)

  • Love love your giveaways!!! My highlight this summer was finding out #2 baby is on it’s way!! I have been so incredibly BLESSED with my incredibly awesome hubby, who continues to amaze me everyday, even after 5 1/2 years of marriage. We have the sweetest little tiny 22LB, 2 1/2 year old little boy, and we cannot WAIT to meet this new little “movement” who already is making his/her presense known. =)

  • 1~ One thing that surprised me about marriage: Oh how, I could right a book on this one. You know that i have had health problems for awhile. What i didn’t know is how hard it would be on my marriage. As a result of MANY problems I have not been able to have a healthy sex relationship with my husband. Actually the 2 years we have been married it’s been pretty non existant. You can only imagine the trama it has caused our marriage. We were both ready to file divorse papers this past summer. Worst summer of my life. God has worked on us So much over these last few months. Things are still rough but we have learned how to share our hearts in a way that allows us to communicate without arguing. What surprised me ~ That my husband could still love me even without me giving him the love he so desperatly needs…….

    2~ Favorite summer memory : We had a Watkins reunion back in July. That was a chance for Elliot and I to do some major reconnecting. 4 days in a tent in the middle of no where will do wonders. We fell in love again. And i got to spend time with his great grandma of 96 years. How she blessed me! It was so neat to get to know her better ….

    3~ Favorite song: Mercy Me, Bring on the Rain. Because if I could bring honor/glory to God through the pain that my marriage has gone through it will have made it worth it in the end. This trail has definatly grown me…. James 1:2-3

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8HgAVenbUU

  • Wow – you have a ton of comments on here! But no wonder – what a great give-away! I can only hope to won one! ( :

    Love you girl and think of you every day! Can’t wait to meet this little miss online! ( :

    Now for my answer – I’m answering to question number one – one thing that surprised me about marriage….

    I have to say that it keeps surprising me how much ‘new’ things I find out about Patrick after being married 9 years! Love him!!

    Sleep good – Mj

  • Ok – I’m back – I linked this on my Facebook! Sign my up twice baby! ( : Mj

  • Heh – came to see if there was any baby news, but this is almost as good!!!

    Summer has always been, and probably will always be my absolute favorite. I’m solar powered, so the extra long days and plenty of rays keep me so happy and energetic. Through the years, there have been more and more reasons to love summer – our wedding, the birth of our only daughter, family vacation memories, the purchase of each of our homes – seems each year is better than the last!

    Here’s hopin’ you get to add a happy exclamation mark to the end of this summer!!!

  • I was away on vacation and am just now catching up on all these blogs. Wow… I just might be too late, I think the drawing may be tomorrow?? This is crazy, so many people are here. lol

    Surprising thing about marriage… the fact that I do love him more and more as the years go by, that marriage really is work, but fun and amazing too!

    Favorite summer memory… finally getting to see my honey after 3 weeks without him. It felt like an eternity.

    Favorite song… The Sands of Time are Sinking (I have a lot of favorites, but that’s the first I could think of)

    Hope things are well with you and baby. I’ll be praying for you as the time gets closer. Hope you’re not too uncomfortable and able to get some sleep.

  • Just posted to Twitter AND Facebook! Throw my name in the hat again pretty please. =)

    Praying for you and for a safe and quick delivery.

  • I love the Taylor Swift song, “The Best Day,” because I hope to have a relationship with my daughter like that someday.

  • Isn’t it lovely to surprise folks you care about with gifts they will love? How blessed you are to have friends who helped you put together these wonderful gift baskets. But not nearly as blessed as you are about to be with the birth of your little one.

    My sister just turned me onto your blog. Hope I am not too late to enter for your giveaways.
    After 36 years, though my husband and I can finish one another’s sentences, we have not nearly begun to figure one another out! We totally complete one another, one being strong when the other is weak. Isn’t is wonderful how God puts couples together that way?! Marriage is a journey.

    Music was my first love. I have taken lessons of some sort since elementary school. Teaching music after college was a thrill – to share that love with children of all ages, and eventually even reaching and teaching senior citizens. This summer my husband, at age 61, expressed an interest in, and began taking lessons to play the alto saxophone. To have the love of my life sharing my passion for music is a dream realized. The highlight of my summer? Oh yeah, it is his music lessons and listening to him progress and enjoying his sax!

    Andy Williams singing, “More,” has to be my favorite song of all time. I had a crush on him when I was very young. Mom let me stay up past bedtime once a week to watch his TV Show. It was not until I was approaching my fifth decade of life that the opportunity presented to hear him in person. While sitting in our front row seats, my husband had to remind me to breathe! What a voice – what a song.

    Congratulations on your new addition to your family. I look forward to following your blog.

Post a Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hutch5

Recent Posts

Categories