I’ve been talking a lot about pregnancy in my corner of the internet for a while now because that is the stage of life I am in. It is important to me that I also focus on my marriage, no matter what else is happening in my life. When it comes to priorities, my husband is second only to God. Our relationship is extremely important not only for our health and happiness but also for our children’s well-being.

I recently started a devotional by Kay Arthur called A Marriage Without Regrets. It was recommended to me by another Alabama blogger, Kalyn. I am so grateful for her because this is a study I needed to be doing right now. Please visit Kalyn’s blog. She is so inspirational and encouraging.

In the 5th chapter, we discussed love in marriage and Kay reads from Ephesians 5:25-33 which says:

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her26 to make her holy, cleansing[b] her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”[c] 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

This talks a lot about love and the commands that God gives to husbands on how to love their wives. As wives, we are also called to love and respect our husbands in this way. Kay talks about the fact that love is not just an emotion, it is a choice. You hear all the time about how people are divorcing because they “just don’t love each other anymore.” Can I just say that that’s bull? If love were just an emotion, it would not be a command. Love is so much more. Kay lists out:

Love requires action.
Love demands deeds.
Love wills.
Love acts.
Love moves on behalf of it’s object.

I believe we can apply this not only in our marriages but also in our relationships with our families and friends.

If you are interested in doing a devotional on marriage, I highly recommend this book. It has caused me to refocus my attention and actions on my husband in a very positive way. It is very encouraging and the prayers at the end of each chapter are beautiful. I’m so blessed to have a wonderful marriage with God in the center of it, but we could all use time to refocus on our marriage, daily.

Welcome to the thirtieth week of Monday Mingling! Please take the time to introduce yourselves to our co-hosts! If you are new to this blog hop, please leave us a comment letting us know you are following and we would be happy to follow you back. Thank you for joining us this week, and don’t forget to link back to us by grabbing our button. Happy Mingling!

Jiawun  @ Beauty Nerd By Night

For those of you who weren’t around last year, fall is my favorite time of year. I am a little obsessed with the lovely leaves changing, pumpkin spice lattes, scarecrows, pumpkins and pumpkin patches, sunflowers, the cool nip in the air, and most importantly, Football. You have to be if you live in the south. After all, the SEC is the dominant conference. Sorry y’all, but it’s true. In our house, we are War Eagle fans, but I’m also a Gator fan. Blame it on my dad. Every college football day is a big deal in our household. You will find us eating an excessive amount of junk food and yelling at the T.V (when we aren’t tailgating) every Saturday. Chances are, we are sitting on the couch, I’m trying to squeeze into my Florida jersey and sipping a pumpkin spice latte while watching gameday. Happy game day! Oh, and War Eagle / Go Gators!

How far along? 32 weeks

Baby Size: 4lbs. 19 inches (What to Expect app)


Weight Gain: 30 lbs. (yikes)


Button: Still in but only slightly. 

Feeling: Excited and nervous. I’m so ready to meet baby H but getting anxious about the delivery. 


Maternity Clothes: YES! Moms-to-be, give in to the maternity jeans. They have been a life saver. I also bought some black and white pants for work and they are great!

Sleep: I’m sleeping okay. I still wake up multiple times a night, but I’m getting used to it and maybe it will help me be prepared for those first few months.

Miss Anything? Being able to tie my own shoes without using extreme acrobatics.

Movement: All the time! He is getting stronger every day.

Looking forward to: My baby shower next week!


Bump: If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably seen pictures of my growing belly. It’s definitely out there now!

Exercise: Still walking and swimming. I’ve also tried this prenatal Pilates series thanks to another blogger’s suggestion. That has been a nice change.  

Anything making you sick: Unfortunately, my morning sickness has come back. I’m hoping it will go away soon but I’m not holding my breath. It has mostly been in the mornings, but has hit me at night a couple of times. 


Nursery: Still waiting on our furniture to come in. I’m starting to get a little antsy, but they assured me it would be here within the week. We will see…

Welcome to the thirtieth week of Monday Mingling! Please take the time to introduce yourselves to our co-hosts! If you are new to this blog hop, please leave us a comment letting us know you are following and we would be happy to follow you back. If you are interested in co-hosting please fill out this form. Thank you for joining us this week, and don’t forget to link back to us by grabbing our button. Happy Mingling!

Amanda  @ Sew Much To Say

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
Penguin Group Inc., 2009

First Line: She was floating, arms outspread, water overlapping her body, breathing in a summery fragrance of salt and coconut.

Synopsis from Goodreads: Alice Love is twenty-nine years old, madly in love with her husband, and pregnant with their first child. So imagine her surprise when, after a fall, she comes to on the floor of a gym (a gym! she HATES the gym!) and discovers that she’s actually thirty-nine, has three children, and is in the midst of an acrimonious divorce.


A knock on the head has misplaced ten years of her life, and Alice isn’t sure she likes who she’s become. It turns out, though, that forgetting might be the most memorable thing that has ever happened to Alice.

1. What are you currently reading? Tell us about it!

Having grown up in an apartment above her Grandpa Joe’s little bakery, Issy Randal has always known how to make something sweet. She’s much better at baking than she is at filing, so when she’s laid off from her desk job, Issy decides to open up her own little caf . But she soon learns that her piece-of-cake plan will take all her courage and confectionary talent to avert disaster. Funny and sharp, Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe is about how life might not always taste like what you expect, but there’s always room for dessert

2. What is one book you think every person should read at least once in their life? Why?

Via

4. Do you listen to audiobooks?  Do you look for the same things in an audiobook that you do in one you’ll read? 


-I have never listened to an audiobook, but I would love to give it a try. It would be nice for long car rides.

5. Can you suggest a book of each type for others to try:
Fantasy – I don’t read fantasy.
Nonfiction – The only nonfiction books I’ve read are presidential books. The most recent was Decision Points.
Fiction – Anything by Nora Roberts, Adriana Trigiani or Kate Morton. I also really enjoyed What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty.
Romance – I really enjoyed The Inn Boonsboro trilogy and The Bide Quartet by Nora Roberts.
Classics – The Secret Garden and Pride and Prejudice are my favorites.
Young Adult – I don’t typically read YA, but I really enjoyed The Hunger Games trilogy and of course Harry Potter.


You can check out my Bookself for book reviews I have written. 

Welcome to the twenty-ninth week of Monday Mingling! Please take the time to introduce yourselves to our co-hosts! If you are new to this blog hop, please leave us a comment letting us know you are following and we would be happy to follow you back. If you are interested in co-hosting please fill out this form. Thank you for joining us this week, and don’t forget to link back to us by grabbing our button. Happy Mingling!

Jenn  @ Endlessly Inspired