"Be My Valentine" Marriage Challenge

Do you ever just get in a rut in your marriage relationship?  I sometimes do.  Not in a bad place but just kinda blah!  When Courtney from Women Living Well posted she was issuing a "Be My Valentine" Marriage Challenge I  thought fought with myself about whether or not I wanted to participate.  Now I've learned that if I fight within myself about doing something it almost always means I NEED to do it.   

I think I need to do this challenge.  Deep down I don't want to work on #1 from my post 35 Things I Learned in 35 Yrs of Marriage post. Not because I don't love my husband but because  I can sometimes get resentful that I'm the one who puts the creativity and energy into our marriage.  Most times it feels really one sided.  It feels like a LOT of work at times, know what I mean?  

So I decided to ask God why I have to be the one to do this and He gently reminded me of two things.

1.  I am the creative person in the relationship.  
2.  As Gary Smalley teaches, the woman has a built in marriage manual and can almost always tell where things are off and how to fix them. 

When I do this for our marriage I am using the gifts and talents God gave me plus I'm learning how to quiet the selfish part of me. So, I am going to be participating and wondered if you would like to join in with me.  

 Here's how it will work, since Valentine's Day is 4 weeks a way each week Courtney will post a theme  and then that week we will work on that one theme.  Each week the challenge will be the same – to praise, encourage, inspire, admire, build up, thank and appreciate your husband. But each week she will give you different ways to express your praise. Feel free to tweak it for what you think is best for your husband.

Week 1 our focus will be looking for ways to praise our husband verbally. Here are some suggestions from Courtney:

Praise him in front of the kids, friends, family, co-workers, on Facebook  tweet it – get praise out anyway you can! Try to mention something noteworthy he has done – in his role as provider, father, husband, lover, or friend. If the thought of trying to come up with one terrifies you, then pray right now that God will give you new eyes to see your husband as God does. Then open your mouth and say something kind and uplifting to your husband today and tomorrow and the next day until Valentine’s Day arrives!

OK, ready or not here we go!  Let's praise our husbands.

We're working on #31 from my 35 things list:

31. Be your spouse's publicist!  Brag about your spouse whenever you can. Especially when they can hear you. They will secretly eat it up!

Will you be joining me in this challenge??

I link up to the following Link Parities:

Sunday:

Positively Splendid, My Life's a Treasure,  I Heart Naptime,Raising Memories, Mommy's Sweet Confessions,  Navy Wife Peters, A Lived in House,The Foley Family, DIY Showoff, Flamingo Toes, One Project Closer,  DIY Home Sweet Home

Monday:

Under the Table and Dreaming, Skip to my Lou, Craft O Maniac,   Keeping it Simple, Creating Really Awesome Free Things, Between Naps on the Porch ,The Girl Creative, Mad in Crafts, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Serendipity and Spice, Booggieboard Cottage,  Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, Eye Heart, I Gotta Try That, Making the World Cuter, The Dedicated House, Pinkopotamus,, Ninth Street Notions, The Gunny Sack,, Sew Chatty, Marvelous Messy, What Joy is Mine, A Mama's Story,The Alabaster Jar, A Proverbs 31 Wife,The Better Mom, Covered in Grace

Tuesday:

Sugar Bee Crafts , Not Just a Housewife, Claiming our Space, Reasons to Skip the Housework, Tip Junkie, Today's Creative Blog , Crafty Confessions,  A Bowlful of Lemons, Funky Polkadot Giraffe , Coastal Charm, Krafty Kat, Cornerstone Confessions, Growing Home Blog, Carolyn's Homework Blog, MercyInk, Timewarp Wife, House on the Way,Blackberry Vine, Adventures of a DIY Mom,  New Nostalgia, Hope Studios, Tell Me Tuesday, My Girlish Whims ,Ladybug Blessings, A to Z Celebrations, 

Wednesday:

Lil'Luna, Southern Lovely, Full Circle Creations, New House New Home New Life, In the Old Road, Nutmeg Place,  The DIY Dreamer, Gingersnap Crafts , Seven Thirty Three, Creations by Kara,  Raising Homemakers , Women Living Well  NY Melrose Family, Cheap Crafty Mama, JAQ Studio, Someday Crafts, Practically Functional, Adorned From Above, Cute Everything, White Lights on Wednesday , Family Home and Life, DIY Crafty Projects, Simply Kierste, Fine Craft Guild, Sew Much Ado, The Trendy Treehouse, Semi Homemade Mom, Upward Not Inward, Internet Cafe Devotions, Deep Roots at Home, My Daily Walk in His Grace,  The Real Housewives of Rivertown, The Well Crafted Home, Wallis Farms Daily Walk, Fluster Buster

Thursday:

The Thirty Sixth Avenue, House of Hepworths, 52 Mantels, Somewhat Simple, Delightful Order ,Shabby Creek Cottage, Yesterday on Tuesday,  A Glimpse Inside, Live, Laugh, Rowe, Christina's Adventures, Imparting Grace, Artsy Girl Connection, Saving 4 Six, Embracing Change,, Artsy Fartsy Mama, Easy Living Mom, Succulent Sisters

Friday:

Craft Junkie Too, Little Becky Homecky, 30 Handmade Days ,The Shabby Nest, Chic on a Shoestring, While He was Napping, Tatertots and Jello, Craftionary, What About Co, One Artsy Mama, Miss Information, Blissful Bucket List, A Night Owl,  See Vanessa Craft, A Delicate Construction,  My Turn for Us

Saturday:

Six Sister's Stuff,Bowdabra Blog, Cheerios and Lattes, Funky Junk Interiors, Young and Crafty, Be Different, Act Normal,  Serenity You, Too Much Time On My Hands , One Creative Mommy, Fingerprints on the Fridge, It's Overflowing, Or So She Says, Pinteresting Party, Sew-Licious, Polkadot Pretties