Weekly Marriage Builder

Dear ,
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."Galatians 5:22-23a NKJV
In Galatians chapter five the Apostle Paul lists nine traits that are representative of the Holy Spirit's activity in our lives. These traits are all relational qualities that improve our ability to succeed in our marriage, family and other relationships.
Simply put, these nine relational qualities are the personality of God. When we allow the Lord into our lives, His personality and character are manifest through us by the power of the Holy Spirit. The result is an improved ability to relate to others as well as being a good witness for the Lord.
The way we develop the fruit of the Spirit in our lives begins with a humble admission of weakness and need. Even though God commands all of us to "…love our neighbor as ourselves…" we don't have the inherent ability to do so. On our own, we are all wounded from our pasts, insecure and emotionally frail in the face of relational challenges.
Unless we humbly admit our weaknesses and ask God to fill us with His Spirit, we will try on our own to make up for our relational and emotional deficiencies. This typically means turning to behaviors such as:
A prideful and aggressive exterior to mask our insecurities
Moodiness, self-pity and outburst of anger to protect our emotional wounds
Manipulation and control to try to produce relational results on our own
The problem with all of these types of behaviors is they simply don't work. They all create more problems.
What works is the power of God's personality working through us. I regularly pray at the beginning of each day for God to fill me with His love and to use me to love others beginning with Karen. I openly admit to the Lord that I simply don't have the power to love as I should. I need the Holy Spirit.
This daily prayer has made a dramatic difference in my life and I believe it will help you also. Begin each day and each challenging encounter with another person with a humble prayer for God to fill you with the power of His love. He will and the fruit of the Holy Spirit will work miracles in your marriage, family and other important relationships.
Blessings,Jimmy Evans

Happy Birthday B.A.D.

Happy Birthday My Little Niece!!!

Though you are miles away,

we think of you on this day.

Wishing you a birthday

filled with lots of love.

Evan and Grace send you

their kisses and a hug.

All Our Love,

Uncle Josh, Aunt Jill, Gracie and Evan

Time For a Child

Although I spend most of my days taking care of my children, do I spend enough time with them? I found myself feeling bad that I may not give them all the attention that they deserve. I get so caught up in every day responsibilities that I feel as though I am missing the point. Does it really matter if our house is clean and all our laundry is put away?? Or is more important to get down on the floor and act like a kid yourself? I think the latter.

So this weekend I spent a lot of alone time with my 5 year old daughter Grace. On Saturday we spent the whole day together. We went to see a movie, did makeovers at Dior in Macys (thanks Aunt Nadja), and then went to a garage sale. She said " Mommy this was the best day of my life"!

I almost cried. Really?? Thats all it took??

Kids are such an amazing thing. They make you laugh, cry and get angry all at the same time. I am just so thankful that I have such wonderful children.

So in closing........ Take Time For Your Child!!!

Product Review

First product I would like to review is Dior foaming face wash. Love it! And I can't live without it. My skin is very prone to breaking out and since I have been using this face wash breakouts have been a minimum. It also has an amazing scent, which I also love.

It gets a ***** rating

Next, is Pure Light foundation also by Dior. This stuff is like you are not even wearing foundation. I was one of those people who never wore foundation because it felt like a layer of frosting on your face. But when I got married 2 1/2 years ago I had to wear something and this is what my dear sister put on me. I fell in love. It evens out your skin tone and you can't even tell it is on. It really is the lightest foundation in texture!

I give this product a ***** rating also

Look Closely

No words will suffice, just see the picture. I cant believe I have never seen this before!!!!It might take you a minute-- I think now I can say--'I've seen it all' Redneck tank top...seen recently at a tractor pull.

AGAIN???

I don't know about the rest of you but I am tired of being sick. I have a severe cold. Every time I cough I feel as though glass is shooting out of my lungs and through my throat. IT HURTS. The worst part is that I have two little ones to wait on hand and foot. Mom's can't just shut the bedroom door and stay in bed all day. WE have to SUCK IT UP and go on with our normal day activities. I often wonder if the world would stop if something were to happen to me. Do any of you readers have stories you would like to get off your chest?? I just wonder if you get to lay in bed when your sick?? And whats that like???

Weekly Marriage Builder

Dear ,
This week my parents will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. My dad jokes and says he can't remember if he was born first or married first.
My mom and dad married when they were nineteen years old, just as Karen and I did. They are now 79 years old and in light of their upcoming anniversary, I interviewed them for the next edition of our MarriageToday magazine. I asked both of them what the secret was for their marriage lasting so long.
My father answered first. He said he got married to stay married. Divorce was never an option for him. He came from a culture of commitment and when his parents or other family members had problems they stuck it out and worked it out. From the beginning he was committed until "death do us part".
My mother agreed with my father's response and then added that for her, forgiveness was an important key for a lasting marriage. She said over the years there were many times she had to make the decision to forgive and go on. She emphasized this point several times during the interview as she also noted that it just isn't worth it to hold a grudge or to become bitter. The price is too high.
I'm very proud of my parents. They have gone through some very difficult times in their marriage and in their lives. I have seen my parents experience sickness and health, richer and poorer, better and worse and through it all they stayed committed to each other.
In addition to what my parents said about their marriage and why it has lasted, I would add that they are tough people. My parents aren't whiners and don't expect everything to come easy. They come from a generation that lived during the depression and World War II and their mindset is greatly influenced by those experiences. It is a good reminder to this generation of how to build a lasting marriage and a legacy for our children.
I hope everyone reading this has a long and happy marriage. I also hope that my parent's testimony has inspired you to that end.
Blessings,Jimmy Evans

Bloggers Convention

Hello to all my Blogger friends! I just wanted to say that it was very nice meeting all of you. Although my husband now feels like I live a secret double life, it was truly a blast!!! Now I have a face for all of you. What cracks me up the most is that you all are really a representation of you blogs. IRIS TOOK- I knew it was you when you walked in the door... hehehe

Thanks to Kylee for bringing us all together!!

A Face Lift

I thought that 2 Peas needed a face lift. What do you think?? I may even consider to change it monthly just to keep it interesting.

Happy Easter!

Aren't they beautiful! My Sis and I took the kids to get their Easter pictures done. Boy did we love how they turned out. So I decided to share them with all of you.

This weekend is going to be crazy busy. We have an Easter egg hunt on Saturday morning and then we are off to my dads for dinner. Then on Sunday we have breakfast at church in the morning, brunch at my moms, then dinner at my in-laws. whew, I got tired just typing it. So blogging this weekend is probably going to be slim to none. But I do hope all of you enjoy this joyous holiday! God Bless all of you!!! HE HAS RISEN!!!!

I'm Normal, But I Can tell if your NOT!

You Are 20% Sociopath

You're empathetic, loyal, and introspective.In other words, there's no way you're a sociopath... but you can spot one pretty easily!

You can also take this quiz at Athena Bee's.

Link HEREhttp://www.athenabees.blogspot.com

Weekly Marriage Builder

Dear ,
When Karen and I first met and for the first several years of our marriage it was very difficult for me to be emotionally expressive and vulnerable. There were two main reasons for this. First, I was insecure and feared being rejected or shamed if I opened up. Some of that was based on emotional scars from my past.
Second, I had a wrong concept of what being a man was about. I had a "John Wayne" complex and thought real men didn't show their emotions. The result of my problem was a lot of dysfunction and frustration in our relationship.
For example, here were some of the things that I didn't do because of my emotional inhibitions:
I rarely showed Karen affection such as holding her hand or embracing her in a soft, non-sexual manner -- even though she asked for it regularly.
I never admitted I was wrong or revealed weakness.
I wouldn't pray with Karen and was mortified at the thought of discussing deeply personal or spiritual issues.
I didn't properly comfort her when she was upset or was hurting. I would just emotionally freeze and hope she would get over it.
The problem I had with lack of emotional freedom is common for men and even for some women. Regardless of who is experiencing the problem, it is a serious impediment to a marriage relationship. Let me offer these suggestions from my own experience in how to overcome this problem and its related issues:
Don't justify your problem or defend it. Admit to yourself and your spouse that you have an emotional weakness. Commit to your spouse that you will deal with it in a serious manner until it is resolved.
Pray for God to help you overcome the fear and shame of expressing your emotions.
Take emotional "baby steps" every day in the right direction. Showing a little more affection, revealing a little more emotion and doing little things here and there will result in important progress that will allow you to keep moving forward.
Get outside help and counseling if you need it.
Emotional freedom is important for a couple to enjoy a free flow of communication, affection and intimacy. If anything is affecting your ability to express yourselves as you should, take it seriously and consider the steps I have suggested.
Blessings,Jimmy Evans

Happy St. Patricks Day!

I hope you all enjoy your day. Please be safe and make sure you brush your teeth before work tomorrow, no one wants to see the result of all the green beer you drank.

Working Out

Do you feel that the age of 28 should be such an issue with weight loss?? I have been going to the gym 3 to 4 times a week for the last 2 months. I have been doing at least 35-45min of cardio and I am up to 3 miles each visit. I also rotate legs and arms with weights, and do abs every time. I SEE NO RESULTS. I mean I feel good and have more energy, but NO weight loss. Well maybe 3 little pounds. Whoopee. When I was younger I could eat the whole Taco Bell menu at 2:00am and wake up in the morning with a FLAT stomach. NOW I live on lettuce, grapes and water (total exaggeration) and workout and I am still overweight. What gives???? Any suggestions on a fool proof way to lose 10 to 15 pounds???

SO SORRY

I am truly sorry to all my family and readers. I just have not been faithful to my blog. I have some computer issues, also lack of time. I do promise to try to work on it more often and make it interesting. Please don't forget about me.

Al My Love,

2 Peas

What Your Dreams Mean...

Your dreams seem to show that you're a bit disturbed... but nothing serious. You may have a problem you're trying to work out in your sleep. Your dreams tend to reflect your insecurities. Your dreams indicate that you have very conflicted feelings. You have a very vivid imagination and a rich creative mind.

Last day on the job‏

Too funny not to share. Some people just have bad tempers.

Have any on the job temper tantrums you would like to share???

Love Story

A man and a woman who had never met before, and were both married to
other people,
found themselves Assigned to the same sleeping room on a
Trans-continental train.
Though initially embarrassed and uneasy over sharing a room, they
were both very tired and fell asleep quickly, he in the upper bunk and she in the
lower.

At 1:00 AM, the man leaned down and gently woke the woman saying,
"Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you be willing to reach
into the closet to get me a second blanket? I'm awfully cold.
"I have a better idea," she replied. "Just for tonight, let's pretend
that we're married."
"Wow! That's a great idea!" he exclaimed.
"Good," she replied. "Get your own damn blanket."
After a moment of silence, he farted.
> >
The End

Hyphenated Names

You shouldn't hyphenate your name if .. ....

(click to enlarge)