bathroom chandelier

On the way home from our honeymoon my husband drove us a couple of hours out of the way to show me what an IKEA looked like in person. My eyes got big and my words started running together. It was beautiful. The store was three stories high and every section was set up like different, functional rooms. It was like The Children's Museum back home, only catering to taller people. Matt was pleased that I was excited, but quickly set a price limit on the day's spending. In the end we only bought three things and stayed well under the limit.

1. A shaggy bright green carpet for our living room.

2. A glorious flowering globe pendant light for our dining room.

3. A glistening silver chandelier for the bathroom.

Maybe you are the exception to the rule, but every person who I've told we bought a chandelier for our bathroom has looked at my like I was growing a third eye on my forehead. I will end with my defense of this decision. 

Your bathroom is the first room you see when you wake up, and the last room you see before you go to sleep again. It is the beginning and end of your every day routine and it should be fabulous enough to make you smile. 

basil buds

Our Basil Buds

I love basil. You can ask my husband. I think basil makes chicken, pasta, fish, eggs and salad taste remarkably better. Last night we had kedgeree, which calls for everything but basil, and I put basil on it. Because I chose basil over a flower, for Easter my brother Chris bought me a basil plant. I expected it to flourish outside while I was back in Virginia for a month, but instead it quite literally shriveled up and died. Less than a week ago, my husband and I decided to try our hand at basil growing {inside}. The little green sprouts have barely poked through the surface and I'm already cheering them on. Before that, we had planted lettuce and {one of my husband's favorite flowering vines} morning glories. Here is their two week progress.

Lettuce

Morning Glories

tim hawkins

Tonight my husband and I are going to hear our favorite Christian comedian perform live. The Bible says that a merry heart doeth good, and we believe our marriage could use an extra dose of laughter. Here he is doing one of our favorite songs called "Chick-fil-A". Tonight, we are going to laugh. 

laundry mat

Being a helpmeet to a landscaper means many different things.
1. It means I wake up at 5:20 to make him breakfast before he goes to work
2. It means if it's raining I get to see more of him.
3. It means that his socks, pants, and shirts get dirtier than normal.

This week I experienced something for the first time. I can't tell you if it was a positive or negative experience, but I can tell you that I took it all in and learned some new things.
1. It takes two and a half hours to do one load of clothes at the laundry mat.
2. If you put in more laundry detergent than "recommended" the washer doesn't spew bubbles until the whole room is covered. {disappointment}
3. Small friendly children entertain themselves at laundry mats by doing "magic tricks" with their happy meal toys for strangers.
4. The drink machine does not take coins, and gives hobbit sized water bottles for seventy-five cents.


All in all, I'd say the trip was a good one. I accomplished what I came to accomplish and my little red piggy is a little less full.

china cabinet

I am a sucker for antiques. Sure, I love modern shapes and patterns, but I'd rather live in a house built one hundred years ago and trade the granite countertops for a fireplace that has actually warmed someone in its lifetime. Having said that, my husband and I do enjoy the occasional modern indulgence. We made a decision before we got married to not bring a television into our house. That decision isn't for everyone, but in lieu of it we purchased a projector and a Clearplay. Basically, no tv, only clean movies. Now, where should the projector sit? You might not see it through the awesome woodwork around the top shelf, but it's in there. It was my husband's genius idea, and a good solid investment. I'll probably rearrange the contents a dozen more times before I am content to leave them alone, but here it is. This is our treasure chest. It already contains items from Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Richmond, Chattanooga, Knoxville, England, France, and Scotland. Our relationship, and its collecting, has just begun. I'm looking forward to all of the future additions.

chattanooga

I love to travel. Taylor Swift sounds best when you're on the road, and you find the best hole-in-the-wall places when you aren't home. We just got back from spending the weekend with our friend Amelia Mendonsa in Chattanooga. Chattanooga is a pretty cool city. It has all the urban style you can handle with enough whimsy to keep things interesting. We were serenaded by an impromptu jazz session while playing a competitive game of Settlers of Catan in a coffee shop, rode the carousel that was built in the 1800s, and found the best donut shop. I try not to leave a new place without some sort of un-souvenir-like souvenir. This trip's find was a pair of hippie suitcases. The color orange has been growing on me lately. Must be a TN thing.

reupholstery

Matthew and I both had been collecting things for years before we met each other. Our tastes reflect a sense of eclectic old world mixed with lively colors and patterns. One of the chairs that traveled from Norfolk to Knoxville was a very dull sort of beige and was tearing. I decided to try my hand at making its life significantly better. This is the outcome. I'm considering it to be a success.

a helpmeet for him

So many women today believe that they are equal to men. I believe that the Bible teaches clearly that God made the woman for the man, to help him. It is my God given gift and greatest accomplishment to stand beside my husband and support him with all of my being. I've named this blog "A helpmeet for him" to remind me of that.

 I want to greet him at the door with only a smile and cook him the best dinners in the world. I want to go to bed every night for the rest of my life at the same time as him and commit my life to the raising of our children someday. It's what God has given me to do. It is my highest aspiration to help my husband.

One of my favorite verses clearly defines what a woman {Biblically} is supposed to be.

1 Timothy 5:14 "I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully."

Here's the summary.

1. Get married {check}

2. Bear children {trying to get through college first}

3. Take care of the house {here's the stage I'm in}

4. Ignore everyone who thinks these are stupid goals

My biggest job right now {aside from helping my husband, which is what I was created for} is to guide my household. That's an assignment from God, and I love it! :)

Laundry, dish washing, decorating, vacuuming, plant watering, sewing, meal making, and bathroom cleaning are my goals until I'm in the bearing children stage. It's ok if you don't agree, but for me, it's the highest calling a woman can have.