5 Yummy Fudge Recipes!

Fudge is one of those treats that seems to go hand-in-hand with the Christmas season. Just like trees, lights, and nativity scenes - fudge makes its appearance on cute little red and green colored plates around the end of November and all through December.

This year, my wife has been experimenting with some fudge recipes that have been in the family for years and some others that she found online. If you haven't already guessed, my wife is big into Pinterest. I used to think that Pinterest was destroying my life and our relationship, but I got over it, and shocker - our relationship is just fine! Honestly, if that was going to bring our marriage down, then we probably had larger relational fish to fry.

Anyways, back to fudge (always a good segue). This year, she is reprising some tried and true recipes and trying out new ones. In total, she has made 5 different types of fudge. Feel free to eat your heart out - I'll be eating fudge.
But don't worry! I've typed out or included links to all of the recipes that my wife has made so you can stop eating your heart out and try a bit of fudge, too.

1. 4 Minute Microwave Fudge
This first recipe I'll share is an easy one that originated with my mother. I'm sure she didn't make it up, but I attribute its existence to her.

Interesting side story about my mother. She decided over a decade ago that she would give up eating candy. You might be thinking "what would ever inspire someone to make such a rash decision?" No, she's not diabetic nor suffering from any serious medical problems. Here's the reason. She was helping an elderly gentleman who had been smoking practically all of his life to stop smoking. She made a deal with him that if he would stop smoking she would give up something that she really liked - candy. He accepted the deal. He quit smoking and she quit eating candy (she allows herself to eat desserts only on Sundays, per the arrangement). He has since passed away, but she remains faithful to her commitment. Yes, my mom is that kind of amazing. She still makes the fudge for her family to eat. I know, it sounds like torture, but she does it anyway.

This recipe is perfect for kids to help with - then you can praise them for their delicious creation. Our 6 year old was so proud of the fudge she made!

Here is the recipe:

• 2 Cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup butter/margarine
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (added later)

Combine all ingredients (except vanilla) in a bowl, microwave and cook on high for 4 minutes. Remove, stir until smooth. Add vanilla. You can also add 1 cup of chopped walnuts if you want. Pour into a 9x9 pan and cool 1 hour.

2. Peppermint Oreo Fudge
My wife copied this recipe down and made it for the first time last year. It was a huge hit and she decided to make it again this year. We took it to a church party and there were no left overs. Not sure how I felt about that (glad that others enjoyed it, but sad there was none left... you can probably identify). In the top picture, it's the fudge that has chocolate on bottom and pink in the middle with cookie crumbles on top. My wife said she probably got the recipe from Pinterest, but couldn't find the link anymore. So, we're not trying to take credit for coming up with this - just sharing the deliciousness with all of you.

• 1 bag milk chocolate Hershey Kisses
• 1 cup chocolate chips or chocolate candy melts
• 1 bag peppermint candy cane Hershey Kisses
• 1 cup white chocolate chips or candy melts
• 2 cups crushed Oreo cookies
• 2 cans (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

- Prep a 9x13 baking dish by lining it with parchment paper and lightly spraying with non-stick spray.
- Combine milk chocolate Kisses, milk chocolate chips or melts, and 1 can sweetened condensed milk.
- Stir over low heat until melted and smooth. It should pull away from the pan. Fold 1 cup of crushed Oreo cookies into the mixture.
- Pour chocolate mixture into the prepared dish
- Combine candy cane Kisses, white chocolate chips or melts, and 1 can sweetened condensed milk.
- Stir over low heat until smooth and completely melted. It should pull away from the pan.
- Pour the white chocolate mixture over the chocolate Oreo mixture and spread evenly.
- Sprinkle the remaining Oreo crumbs over the top and press lightly into the fudge.
- Let cool ~5 hours

3. Mint Truffle Oreo Fudge
This recipe is one that my wife came up with. In the second picture, it is the all chocolate one with cookies on top. She made it for the first time this year. It's a bit gooey, but definitely yummy. It is a spin off of the Peppermint Oreo Fudge.
There are three main differences.
First, instead of using peppermint candy cane Hershey Kisses, use a bag of mint truffle Hershey Kisses.
Second, instead of using white chocolate chips, use regular milk chocolate chips.
Third, instead of using regular Oreos, use cool mint Oreos.
Everything else is the same as the Peppermint Oreo Fudge.

4. No Bake Reese's Fudge Bars
This recipe was also gleaned from Pinterest, which linked to the Six Sister Stuff website. Don't know anything about them, but they have some great fudge recipes! My wife made this one just the other day and it is probably one of my favorites.
I highly recommend clicking the link and trying it out.

5. 4 Ingredient Rocky Road Fudge
This recipe was another grab from the same website above. Here is the link.
It's been a tough job, but someone had to taste test and decide which of these 5 recipes are the best. Honestly, I can't tell, but this one is also amazing - especially if you like marshmallows and nuts.

Now, you might be wondering if we are a family of gluttons. I promise we aren't - at least not too extreme. My wife's affinity for fudge making serves a number of purposes. First and most obvious, she likes chocolate and she knows that the kids and I do, too. She also likes to try new recipes and gets a great deal of enjoyment out of cooking. She says its a stress reliever. In addition to these reasons, my wife loves to make gift plates for the neighbors and other friends. She has a very giving heart. It's just one of her ways to show love and spread some Christmas cheer.

Hopefully you will enjoy these recipes as much as we have!

Wife's Wisdom: How our Flood didn't Steal Christmas

With the Christmas season upon us, there has been an increased level of activity in our home - particularly in the area of Christmas decorating. During our first Christmas as a married couple, we decided to continue my wife's family's tradition of decorating the tree and home as a family while listening to Christmas music and then enjoy a cup of hot chocolate together. We continued that tradition this year with both of our children joining in. Our older daughter was actually helpful and did a great job getting the ornaments on the tree (albeit mainly bunched in one area). Our two year old mostly ran around the room, but at least he didn't destroy anything.

My wife has an amazing eye for what looks good. She picked out a beautiful Christmas tree, and after the lights and decorations were on, she thought that adding some gold mesh glittery garnish (I really don't know what it's called) would make the tree look just right. She made the garland by getting some gold mesh (which you can probably get at any craft store like Hobby Lobby), bunching it up and creating bulges by tying gold and green pipe cleaners around it. Quite inventive, if you ask me. You can see what I mean below. She spent a great deal of time putting the finishing touches on this tree.

Here is the result:

About a week or so ago, she decided to put some presents under the tree, hoping that our 2 year old wouldn't grab, unwrap, scatter, or otherwise destroy the presents. He has done amazing and hasn't opened a single one.

It was shaping up to be a picture-perfect Christmas in our household.

Then last Saturday happened.

While at a scout activity, I got a text from my wife asking if I knew anyone who had a shop vac that could suck up water. This is not the text you want to get - ever. Then, later, I got a phone call from her, frantically asking if I'd come home early from the activity.

I discovered that the discharge from our washing machine had somehow pulled out of the wall and leaked gallons of water onto the floor and had seaped into our bedroom and the family room carpets. Then, just to make it more interesting, the Christmas tree fell over, spilling water all over the presents and drenching that part of the floor as well.

Here are some pictures of the fallout:

 

After most of the water was wiped up with all of the towels in our house, we used fans and shirts to try and dry out the carpets.

 



 Here I am trying to dry up the carpet with the shop vac where the tree had fallen over.

 We had to pull up the carpet and get the wet padding out to avoid mold. Which put our bedroom in quite a bit of a mess.

Talk about a stressful morning for my wife! To add a bit of perspective to the situation, my wife is in her 3rd trimester of pregnancy, I had been away for the previous 2 days, and she was at home with two young children and her father-in-law who was visiting that morning.

Yet, in the midst of floods and a toppled tree, my wife's wisdom does not disappoint. When the tree fell over (for the second time) my daughter was, naturally, very upset and exclaimed, "Christmas is ruined!" Noticing a teaching moment, my wife stated:

"Christmas is not ruined. Christmas is not about trees or presents, it's about Jesus."

I've thought about my wife's statement quite a bit since our Christmas flood of 2013 (hopefully it won't be an annual thing). We spent a lot of time, energy, and money on the tree, the decorations, and the presents. My wife certainly put a great deal of her soul into making sure the tree was lovely, the presents precisely wrapped, and the decorations on the tree trimmed just right. She loves to make sure things look beautiful and is a natural homemaker. As I've said before, her ability as a homemaker is a beautiful gift that she gives to me and our children each day. And yet she recognized that the tree, the decorations, the beautifully wrapped presents, and even a dry carpet are non-essential Christmas items. She knew that there is truly only one essential Christmas emblem - Christ Himself.

Most presents are likely to be forgotten or broken as time passes; trees will be mulched, trashed, or gather dust in an attic; most decorations eventually break; but God's gift of his Son to each of us is as timeless as eternity.  I believe John put the essence of Christmas best when he wrote:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). 

I'm grateful for my wife who, right in the midst of what seemed like a Christmas season-ending disaster, had the insight to teach all of us in our family what Christmas is really about.

Since the flood and tree falling incident, we have fixed the carpet (after a couple of late nights) and put the tree back in place. We have yet to redecorate the tree or put the angel on top - it's a combination of fear that it will fall again, not wanting to replace broken lights, and simple laziness since Christmas is so close anyways. So, the tree looks much more plain than it did before. But, each time I look at that tree, I remember our little experience last week. Some of the frustration comes back, as does some sadness for all of the hard work that my wife put into such a beautiful tree which she doesn't get to enjoy, but my wife's wise words also come back to mind each time I see our relatively bare tree. It might be odd to say, but we were given an early gift this Christmas season - a reminder that no matter what happens, the real gift of Christmas is always given, waiting to be received.

Creative introspection: Am I a hypocrite?

This blog and some life events have inadvertently forced me to do some introspection. Someone I am working with mentioned how acts of service should be done secretly, without cameras or fanfare. He mentioned how bothered he was by people doing service and then videorecording it so others could see it because it felt disingenuous to him.

His comment was quite serendipitous because I had been trying to evaluate my own motivations for writing this blog, and truth be told I was wondering whether my true intentions were actually noble. For example:
Am I trying to create a false image of what my home is really like?
Am I trying to win favor with the online community for the sake of vanity and popularity?
Am I being a hypocrite because I may appear to be a supportive husband online, but sometimes struggle with living up to that ideal in the real world?

These and other thoughts have wandered through my mind since the inception of this blog. I remember having similar thoughts while I was in graduate school and had gotten very much into working out for about a year. I gained about 15-20 lbs of muscle and looked great. I told myself I was doing it to be healthy and to gain some weight (I've always been a super skinny guy). But, at the same time there were definitley some pride stroking reasons as well. I looked more appealing to women, people gave me more compliments about my appearance. I began to wonder if I was actually working out for me or for the way I appeared to others.

These same questions, I think, could apply to any of our actions. I'm not here to write a sermon or to tell you how you should live or think or anything. That's not my place. I simply am taking this space to discuss some of my motivations for doing this blog.
I would be a complete liar if I stated there was no self-serving aspect to this blog. There is a natural tendency for people to accentuate the positive and downplay the negative when others' judgments might be imposed. Obviously, I hope that people read the blog - why else would I write it? Yes, I would think it great if I had a huge number of followers, and that would most likely boost the self-esteem, at least in the short-term.

Now, the real question: am I a hypocrite? Am I creating a false image of myself as a supportive husband when in reality I'm not all that supportive, loving, or caring?
Hard question!!
But, it deserves an honest answer. Yes, I more than likely am a hypocrite. There have been numerous occassions during our short marriage when I have been a jerk, unsupportive, doubtful of my wife's abilities, and demeaning. On one recent occassion, my wife mentioned that she was grateful that I was writing this blog, but also wished that I would be more supportive in real life just as often. That cut pretty deep.

Does this mean that I'm engaging in character fraud? No. I am also a caring, loving, and supportive husband at times as well. My wife recently posted a link on her facebook page (and mine, too) that I found exceptional. It is entitled I Didn't Marry my Soulmate. At first I thought, 'Gee, thanks honey.' But, the article basically states that marriage is a choice which requires continually choosing and working to be happy with that person - problems and all. After reading the article, I was genuinely touched.

Knowing that on occassion I struggle to be the caring, supportive, loving husband that my wife deserves, I also realize that I need to work at being caring, supportive, and loving. Now, I could stop writing this blog because my motivations are not perfect. But, couldn't anyone stop doing anything for that reason? For example, I could choose not to wash dishes anymore because I don't like washing them and when I do wash them I secretly hope that my wife notices how clean the kitchen looks and praises me for it. Can you imagine if I told my wife I couldn't wash the dishes anymore until my motivations for washing the dishes were pure? She would likely say, "Get over it and do them anyway."

I think that a quote by Dieter F. Uchtdorf sums it up best when he said,

If you define hypocrite as someone who fails to live up perfectly to what he or she believes, then we are all hypocrites. None of us is quite as Christlike as we know we should be. But we earnestly desire to overcome our faults and the tendency to sin. With our heart and soul we yearn to become better with the help of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Even though I may be a hypocrite, this blog is an exercise to increase my capacity for love, kindness, and support for my wife, while at the same time sharing with the world some of the amazing things my wife has done. Despite some of my human instinctual self-interested reasons for writing, I do believe that my wife is an incredible woman and that her awesomeness should be shared and praised, both online and in person. Not sharing with you or telling her that she is special because of my own personal shortcomings would not, in my opinion, be a more noble alternative.

So, honey, if you're reading, and I haven't told you already yet in person, I love you and think you're amazing!

Now If I could just get back into working out.....

Crochet stories: Working in the home, being a nurturer, and a car pattern blanket

As I mentioned in my first post, my wife just recently finished this blanket for our son. It literally took about 1 year for her to complete.

 

 

 I know, it's amazing!

Don't tell him yet, but he's getting this for Christmas. 

Here are some pictures of the blanket in various stages of completion.

 

 

It is basically a patchwork of many small multicolored squares with some edging. Yes, we had little squares all over the place at one point.

My wife decided to make this blanket for our son because he loves cars. When he was just learning to walk he would carry around a cheap metal car from one of those Sonic kids meals. He took it everywhere.

Here is some evidence:

 

 

So, my wife looked through one of her pattern books, found this one and went for it. When she started, I don't think she realized how time intensive it would be. I think she also chose this particular pattern because the stitch (is that a crochet term?) was fairly easy. As with her other crochet items, she has been asked to replicate this for pay. But, how do you put a price tag on that much time? If you count love in time and effort, this blanket will be a monument to my son of his mother's love for him for many years to come. 

A blanket can be such a special gift (yes, I spent some time making fun of blankets in my last post, but only the hideously colored ones). Inspired by her love for our children and a desire to nurture them, my wife wanted to make a nice blanket for each of our kids. Blankets provide warmth, comfort, and a sense of being secure - all things that a mother can provide for her children. I know, I know, dads can too, but I'm not talking about dads right now. When my son falls or gets hurt, he cries, "Mommy, my ____ (fill in the ailing body part)." He is usually all better after a cuddle or a kiss from my wife. Then he can run around like a maniac again and get another bump or bruise. But, he knows that he can be comforted by his mommy. As I think about that, I am so grateful that my wife has cultivated this type of trust in our children. She truly cares about our kids' hurts and ouchies. And they happen a lot, especially to our son - he is 2 after all. I'm not going to say that there aren't times when she gets frazzled, rolls her eyes, or scolds our children. She is human after all. But, the bond that she is creating with our kids is so important in their development because it will provide fertile soil in which they can grow and blossom as individuals and hopefully productive members of society.

David O. McKay stated:

“No other success can compensate for failure in the home.”

What a powerful statement! I'm not going to try to define failure or success in the home because that certainly looks different for each individual. But, for me, I know when I'm too focused on work or my own wants to consider the needs of my wife or kids - that is a problem. I know from multiple experiences that selfish mindset generally doesn't pan out well for me or anyone else in my family.

But, we aren't talking about me, we are talking about my wife...

In addition to being amazing, my wife struggles with what I'm sure many women struggle with - whether to work inside of the home, outside of the home, or both. When we were first dating, she was in school for nursing, then switched a couple times. Most recently, she was doing a real estate program. I often wondered why she so often switched programs - I just figured she hadn't found her niche yet. Recently, in a very candid conversation that I am so grateful for, she confided that each time she was out studying, she felt a strong urge that her place was in the home with her children. She stated that she would often fight the urge because she is such an independent woman (I can totally vouch for that!) and wanted to use her talents in the workforce. Then one day she simply relinquished control over the issue and decided she needed to be at home with her children when they were young. I never really knew what a difficult struggle that was (and sometimes still is) for her and am kind of ashamed in my own failings to be there.

I realize that I'm treading on sacred ground here and that this issue is something with which many women struggle. There are certainly no canned, one-size-fits-all answers for any woman when it comes to the juggling act that is childrearing and earning a living. I only know what my wife told me about her own answer that came in moments of quiet reflection, after a great deal of difficulty, frustration, and in some cases pain.

Let me just say, I am thankful for a wife who realizes that her children are a treasure and that her work inside the home during their early years is of much greater importance than anything I could ever accomplish outside of the home. Again, yes, I also realize that a man's work inside the home is also very important and needed, but again - I'm not talking about me or other men right now.

As I think about my wife, the woman she is, and how much time she is putting into these projects for our children, it seems to me that crochet (or other projects in the home) is a way that she gives of herself and nurtures our children. She was willing to work one year on this blanket just to show our son, who probably won't fully understand until much later, that she loves him very much. 

Yes, she is awesome!

The pattern for this blanket can be found in:
The Big Book of Baby Afghans by Leisure Arts. You can order the book on their website.

It is also available on Amazon at this link

Crochet stories: Cute flower beany

My wife is pretty great at crocheting. She would likely shy away from that statement and say she is just a beginner or some other expression of humility. She doesn't enjoy the limelight very much. In fact, she found out about this little blog recently and, in addition to thinking it was sweet (hooray for good husband points!), she seemed a bit uncomfortable that I was making a big deal out of her projects. So, not only is my wife awesome, she isn't prideful about it. Great combination!

Back to crochet. I really can't remember the first thing she made with crochet, but she has made quite a few impressive items over the past 2 years.

When she told me that she wanted to start crocheting, I was supportive, of course. But, my initial impression of crochet was not very favorable. Picture fairly old ladies in rocking chairs making presents for grandchildren in colors that are not very aesthetically pleasing. You know, burnt orange blankets, the bad kind of multicolored scarfs, or socks that are too big to put your shoes over... that kind of stuff.

Then my wife made this hat:

I thought, Geez, I could see something like that sold in one of those trendy little kid clothing stores that seem to have become so popular recently. I'm not sure if the trendy little kid clothing stores are really a new phenomenon or if I'm just a dad now and have been... we'll say invited... into these stores by my well-intentioned and loving wife. "Yes, the little pink tutus for newborn babies are VERY cute, honey." Moving on...

Speaking of cute, here is my daughter in her hat:

I told you she was cute!

My initial thought about the hats marketability actually came to fruition a bit later. When we moved to Texas from Oklahoma, we first lived in a 2-bedroom apartment. On occasion I would go to the office and chat with the workers who do the billing and show the apartments. My daughter loved going because they had treats and movies to rent. During one of these visits, my daughter was wearing her hat. One of the workers took notice (how could you not?) and asked about it. Of course I bragged about how my wife made it and how she is amazing (kind of like I'm doing now). Turns out this worker had a daughter the same age as my own and wondered if my wife would make another hat for payment. I was very impressed. Wow, someone is actually willing to pay my wife for something she made! I talked to her about it and she agreed.

So, yeah, she doesn't exactly have a small business going. Not at all, actually. But, I think that was another instance that opened my eyes into the talent and incredible abilities that my wife possesses.

I asked my wife about this hat and she said it was a good beginner hat and is pretty easy. So, if you're flirting with the idea of crochet, or want to make a cute hat for yourself or a special little lady in your life, this might be a good one for you to try out.

The pattern for this hat can be found in the Bernat pattern book Accessory Crazy at this link. It is also available on Amazon at this link.

Pregnancy Nesting - A mental & physical health boost

I think I have incontrovertible evidence that nesting during pregnancy not only occurs (already well known), but that it can be healthy - both physically and mentally, which has not been as amply documented.

Here's the story:
My wife and I woke up Wednesday morning pretty early because our son seems to think that 6 am is a great time for being awake and playing. We're trying to train him to sleep in until 7, but it hasn't taken yet. My wife was feeling yucky the entire day. Sick, tired, just blah. Those of you who have been pregnant will probably understand. I haven't been, so I can only imagine. Later in the day I get a text from my wife about how sick she feels and how she wishes I didn't have to be at work that day. When I got home, she was still feeling sick and tired. You're getting the picture - this was an all day affair of pregnancy-induced illness.

On Wednesdays, I teach the 11-year old scouts at church in the evening.  To make it easier on my wife, I brought our daughter to scouts - she had been wanting to go for a long time.

When we get back and get our daughter to bed, my wife is still feeling a bit tired and down. After a TV program together, my wife gets up and decides to work on her current project - refinishing a bedside table and a chest of drawers.

This 'little' project has taken up my car's side of the garage. So, I'm parking in the driveway until this project is completed. The winter is starting to settle in. Getting into a freezing car is something I figured I wouldn't have to deal with once we bought a home. I feel like I'm back in college or living in an apartment still each morning. Basically, we are BOTH motivated for this project to be complete, but probably for different reasons.

Since I just started this little blog project, I tried to sneak a picture or two of my wife hard at work with the electric sander and her surgical mask to keep the dust and varnish particles out of her lungs. Interestingly, she didn't seem as sick at that moment as she adamantly refused for me to snap a picture, claiming that she looked terrible (don't believe it!). So, I didn't get a picture of my beautiful wife working on the project - but I did get some of the results from the evening.

Yes, she does wear pink gloves. Cute, right?

 

 

 

I mentioned at the beginning that I had incontrovertible evidence that nesting was mentally and physically beneficial - that may be somewhat of an overstatement. In fact, my wife's behavior may not even be nesting since much of what I have been reading states that nesting typically occurs during the 3rd trimester, which my wife has not yet entered. It could just be that she really likes doing this - which is also true. I think it is a little of both.

Back to "science". This little experience is clearly not on par with a clinical trial for a medicine or other treatment. At best it is a retrospective n=1 design - and really not a strong one at that. But, I tell you what, after working in the garage for an hour or so, my wife looked better, seemed to be in a better mood, and appeared to feel better physically. Was this actually the same woman who was feeling so down the majority of the day and just moments earlier? That's proof enough for me and I'll take those results any day of the week.

So, I submit to you that pregnancy nesting not only yields positive results in terms of homemaking and preparations for a new baby, but it leads to happier and healthier mothers-to-be. Note of caution, pregnant women should not do heavy lifting, climb ladders, or work with harsh chemicals (especially without ventilation). Those activities would most likely not yield positive benefits. See this article or this article from the American Pregnancy Association for info that is a bit more science-based than the current blog I'm writing.

For any guys who may be reading this (or women who have men in their life - you can pass this advice along), if your wife catches the nesting itch during her pregnancy - don't fight it! And if she requires some help in terms of heavy lifting or ladder climbing, take the opportunity to look macho! You may have to sacrifice some cold mornings in a car that was parked outside all night, some loud noises from an electric sander late into the evening (it's not that loud, anyways), or a few bucks for supplies, or whatever - the sacrifice will be worth the reward. During pregnancy, which is very likely to be filled with stress, strain, and blurred family roles as you pick up more of the slack, you want your wife to be healthier and happier. It'll make your life much happier, too. I know mine is!

You can thank me later.

My wife is awesome: Apologies from a semi-obsessive husband

First, let me just say, my wife is awesome. Her awesomeness is the true inspiration behind this blog. For a short introduction, we got married a bit over 3 years ago. We have 2.5 kids – a beautiful 6 year old little girl, a rascally (but equally adorable) 2 year old boy, and a baby boy coming soon. I hope and pray the second boy is a little more toned down than the first. We'll see, I guess.

Anyways, when my wife and I got married we developed some social roles that probably tend to happen in most marriages. She became more of a spender and I became more of a saver. I'm sure that many a marriage therapist has dealt with this issue. Come to think of it, as a psychologist myself, I've dealt with this issue in some of my own clients.

It's funny what money problems will do to a marriage, and we have certainly had our share of money problems. I guess that tends to happen if you marry in graduate school, make little to nothing, and have a kid at “I do.” Some of the ways that we have tried to deal with the money problems have come in the form of  just trying to spend less, putting up the credit card (actually very effective), going to cash, reading the Dave Ramsey Money Makeover book (we only got through a chapter or two together), having a good number of fights about money, making a budget and subsequently blowing the budget, trying over to made a better budget, doing some extreme couponing (minus the hoarding), etc. Yeah, it's been a bit of a rocky ride and we are still not out of the woods. But, we have finally developed a system that works for us.

This is starting to sound like a finance blog, which it isn't, but finances are a big part of the back story. See, as the self-anointed money saver in the family I have taken it upon myself to try and save or pay down debt as much as I can. My wife, on the other hand, has made a concerted effort to not spend as much as she used to, but occassionally has some... we'll call them lapses. But, it just so happens that she has an amazing gift for doing crafts, decorating, remodeling, revamping furniture, trying awesome new recipes, etc. She is pretty much amazing at the whole homemaking thing.

In actuality, this blog is part confession on my end and part tribute to my wife by showcasing some of the fabulous things that she has created during our married life so far. Why is it a confession? Well, this goes back to the money thing. See, my wife often wants to go to Hobby Lobby or some other craft/home improvement store that carries what she needs for her latest project. I, as the semi-obsessive saver, often tell her no, or say "I don't think we have that in our budget" or something else to dissuade her from her design. It has happened that she gets the stuff anyways outside of the budget, and I have a tendency to get upset at her. This usually starts a fight. Or, it used to. We've come a long way.

I recently realized that my wife has this amazing gift. I should have figured it out earlier. When we first got married, I knew that she was an avid scrapbooker. She had a few books that she had put together already of her daughter and she was eagerly putting together a scrapbook of our wedding.

When we were setting up our first duplex as a married couple, she was the one banging nails into the walls and putting up the family photos, pictures of Jesus, the temple, and other wall décor. Stupidly, I felt like I had to hammer the nails cause I'm the man and, well, since prehistoric times we've been swinging heavy objects. So... it just made evolutionary sense to me. Turns out my wife really didn't want me to put the pictures up and she has been the one primarily doing the decorating – hammer swinging and all. I help sometimes if she lets me.

She has always wanted to try new and interesting recipes to feed the family. I was basically fine eating spaghetti or something easy and cheap each night. Most of these new recipes have turned out great. There was only one misfire. It has become something of legend in our home. My wife says that she's so lucky because I like everything she fixes, then she'll add – except that one thing. Neither of us can remember what it was. I hope we don't accidentally make it again. Here we are enjoying our first homemade Christmas dinner (2012) - actually staying at home instead of staying with parents or in-laws for the holidays.

The only thing out of the box or bag was the stuffing...

Then, about 2 years ago she decided she wanted to pick up crocheting. She asked a friend from church to teach her how. My wife had a couple craft nights with the ladies from the ward and Voila! - a masterful crocheter (is that a word?) was born.

 

Here is a blanket that she just completed:

 

This blanket for our son took her over a year to complete. During that time  we moved twice and other projects came along in the interim.

Sadly and somewhat shamefully throughout most of the 3.5 years of our marrige, I have put up a stink about her buying materials for many of her projects. We recently moved into a house and almost immediately started talking about ways she wants to paint and redecorate some of the rooms. My eyes started rolling – actually, they were seeing dollar signs go up in smoke. How much is all that going to cost? We need to pay off debt. If I had it my way, we would live in a tin can until all of our debt was paid off.

I think I started to get a hint of an idea about the depth of my wife's gift by talking to my mom. She's awesome too, by the way. I was telling her about some recipe or craft or something or other that my wife was doing and my mom says, “You really have a special one there! She is really something. She just puts her mind to something and does it. And it turns out great.”

“Yeah, mom, you're right,” I would say, genuinely, but also realizing that all of these things that she was putting her mind to were taking money out of our pockets.

But my mom's opinion stuck somewhere in my mind. I gave it some more thought. Then, I found myself bragging about my wife to my friends, and showing them pictures of some of the blankets she has made or other things she has done. I'm sure that some of my co-workers are a bit jealous because of the leftovers that I always bring for lunch. Just a couple weeks or so ago I realized that my wife is awesome at homemaking!

She has been trying to develop her talents and make a home that our children and family will cherish. As a couple, we really value the home and try to make it a place of peace, fun, comfort, and learning for our kids and for ourselves. We try to make it a refuge from the world. All this time I have been a hinderance to her goal of homemaking. I always loved the quote by Gordon B. Hinckley that he said about his wife:

 

The women in our lives are creatures endowed with particular qualities, divine qualities, which cause them to reach out in kindness and with love to those about them. We can encourage that outreach if we will give them opportunity to give expression to the talents and impulses that lie within them. In our old age my beloved companion said to me quietly one evening, 'You have always given me wings to fly, and I have loved you for it.'

The first time I heard this, I thought to myself, "Now, that's the kind of husband I want to be." Up until now, ultimate fail! So, in the spirit of turning that around, I am doing this. In addition to actually supporting my wife in her talents, I want to share with others how amazing she is.

Hence this blog.

I actually suggested to my wife a couple weeks ago that she should start a blog about all the crafts that she makes, but she pushed it off and said, “Yeah, cause I keep up with that kind of thing so well.” So, I took it upon myself to start one about her. She doesn't know yet. I started to take pictures of the things that she has made and was working on at the time.

The following posts will show things that she has done so far - foods, furniture projects, crafts, decorations, you name it. It will also be an honor sharing some of our family with you all as well.

Enjoy!