Oven Liner Shout-Out

I want to give a shout out to my oven liner. It performed over and above last night and deserves recognition. The evening started with making an apple pie. You know where I'm going with this...

It was delicious. (Thanks, Mom!)

The crust was the flakiest in the land.

 

But, I'm not Mom.

 

  It happens. I'm learning to wife.

It was pretty much the most disgusting pile
of burnt apple pie insides a new wife ever saw.
But when new wife shoved said pile,

it slid right on over and looked like this. True story. 

And with a wipe here and a wipe there ...okay it was like one wipe...

I know, right?!

I could hardly believe it myself.

Ask new husband and brother,
I was leaping all over the apartment with joy.

(No, oven liner makers did not pay me. 

They should, cuz I'm going to tell you where I got it. Where else?)

Protective-Restrictive Difference

We hit 10 months of marriage, and we've been learning more about our differences. For one, he's a Honda guy and I like Toyota. Another difference that seems a little more significant for our marriage right now is our Protective-Restrictive Difference. We can look at the exact same situation and think totally different things.

Some Small-scale Examples
Josh always wears shoes outside, and I would endure much pain if I can remain barefooted as long as possible. Shoes to Josh are protective, to me, restrictive. He would carefully take out a cutting board, and I'd dice the tomato from my hand. He would turn on lights, and I would run through the dark... while thinking, How far can I make it without running into or stepping on something? I totally used to do this as a kid through a yard with dog mines. True, the chance of injury (or stepping in poop) is greater for me, but time saved somehow seems worth it to me.
I'm time-oriented, and Josh is quality-oriented. We're grateful for this.

For me, I get some sort of thrill with the challenge. Josh is a little more practical, I think. He doesn't care so much if I swim across the pool faster, because in the end, he won't be the one who lost a contact, got a charley horse, and swallowed a bunch of chlorine.

How does this Protective-Restrictive Difference apply to life on a larger scale? I haven't quite figured that one out.

So when it comes time to buying a mini-van (cuz everyone's doin' it), which do we get? Honda or Toyota?

Spoil Him - Pack a Lunch & Write a Note

I pack Josh a lunch everyday, unless work provides lunch. Okay, there have been a few times that I just plain forgot! Yes, I felt so bad. Men need their lunches. Here are some things that I think about to make this easy.

PACKING LUNCH FOR MY HONEY

1. Cook enough for leftovers the night before. I'm lucky he likes leftovers.
2. Keep emergency foods in supply... like peanut butter. He loves it. I use it sparingly, so it's like a treat more than a oh-no-I-forgot-your-lunch food. I also send soup cans with him occasionally for a stash for the really forgetful/busy days.
3. Keep a fruit basket of favorites by the door. He grabs 1-2 everyday if I don't include it in his lunch. 
4. Make easy snacks. I try to keep foods that last several days in portions, like yogurt and boiled eggs. It's super easy when I have this. So worth it! 
5. Have salad toppings on hand. It's amazing how some almonds, craisins, and boiled eggs can make spinach and lettuce so happy, especially with a favorite dressing (and grilled chicken if I think ahead). 
6. Include a note. This turns any lunch good or bad into one of the best parts of his day. Easy!

MY MOTIVATION

The other day I saw a guy quietly loading frozen meal after frozen meal on the belt. I was tempted to say, "You poor thing. You need a wife." I didn't, of course. But I decided that my man isn't going to be ashamed of his meals. My probably motivation is found in his response. Here's a text I got from him today: 

Josh: "my wife spoils me" - to coworker as I prepare an amazing gourmet burrito. "looks good" he said as he put water into his ramen noodles.

 *swoon*

Settlers Helps Me Be a Better Wife - 3 Reasons

Image by readmckay via Flickr

Our favorite board game these days is Settlers of Catan... Cities & Knights, Seafarers, Traders & Barbarians. My family bought them for me when I was planning on moving to Nigeria. What does this have to do with learning to wife? Actually it does, no really, I'm not just putting this up because we L-O-V-E this game. It teaches me a lot about being a wife... uh. Here you go:

1. Giving Directions: I'm learning that it doesn't work when we try to teach people the game at the same time. It just confuses people. I think this lesson will be valuable in child training and maybe even telling people about Jesus!
2. Explaining Myself: I play Settlers a lot like how I live life. I just do it. My Love is wonderful at processing and producing well-thought-out results in both Settlers and life (not to be confused with the game). I'm not. When he asks, "How did you win?" or "Why did you build there?" I am challenged to think about the reason for my move and to explain it with clarity. Yes, this is quite applicable. Being married to a quality-oriented man, this lesson is priceless.
3. Having Fun: This is probably the most common of the reasons. We often use Settlers to bring life to a conversation and find common ground with others. It's true, we use it to manipulate others to come visit us. I'm learning that it's good for our relationship with each other and with others to be able to take off my apron, leave the dishes, and cream everyone in a game of Settlers! :) Love it.

It's not just a game.

P.S. Does anyone know where to find replacement pieces?