The New Year....New things!

So this winter I'm looking over the blog and I want to see if there's anything that you, the readers, would like for me to change or add in? 

Would you like giveaways? 

Would you like videos? 

Would you like guest contributors?

Would you like book/bible studies?

My aim is to glorify God and edify you every time you read a post.

I appreciate any comment or suggestion.

~Kris

My Birthday!!!

I guess you can tell when you've grown up right?! 

You are no longer concerned with the gifts you receive but the thought behind the gifts and the love felt in the gift.

LOL! My 26th birthday just passed (yes my actual age) and I am overwhelmed with the Love I received. 

My husband gave me exactly what I wanted. Literally. I asked to eat at The Cheesecake Factory at Millenia Mall and he gave me the bonus of going to see Madea's Christmas! 

My mommy sent me a dozen of chocolate covered daisy shaped pineapples. Anyone who knows me during this pregnancy I LOVE FRUIT. It's a must that I eat fruit daily.

Then in the mail after my birthday I receive the sweetest birthday cards. One from my mommy in Chicago, IL and one from my mommy-in-law in Austin, TX. They are the SWEETEST cards EVER. I love the words and they mean so much to me. 

If you come to my house right now you will see them proudly display with the Christmas cards we have received this week.

So what was your best birthday? And what made it so special?

My new Bible!!!!

So I enjoy reading the Bible and I'll be honest I tend to review bibles quite a bit because I've been looking for that right fit. Well I think I found it. 

I've been looking for a bible with decent sized font because sometimes I want to be able to read without my glasses yet I still want it to contain the Bible study notes. Well this bible does just that. It has elements from the NIV Study Bible, NIV Archaeological Study Bible, NIV Quest Study Bible, NIV Student Bible, The Great Rescue, NIV, and the Essential Bible Companion. So its full of facts and little take away nuggets. I love the Q & A sections throughout the Bible. They ask questions that I have asked at some point in my life and give an answer for it. I love that it has the footnotes with extremely useful information. 

I recommend this bible for anyone who wants a bit more in the terms of what is broken down for you to learn. I think any one who intends to study the bible or are in seminary school would absolutely enjoy the features of this bible.

The last week I have spent reading and enjoying this bible. My daily study time I have done with this bible and must say it has replaced the original NIV Study Bible as my everyday study bible.

{FYI: I received this book as a member of the Booksneeze program in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

So what bible do you use? NIV, NLT, KJV?

Don't ever get too comfortable

In life we get comfortable and its bound to happen especially when we get used to a person or situation.

I recently realized that usually we tend to get comfortable with our relationships and as such we will unknowingly take advantage of our loved ones. I think this is especially true in marriage as we see our spouse day in and day out so its VERY easy to get comfortable. We get into a rhythm of life and we just expect for things to happen without realizing that everything our spouses do for us (and vice versa) is a CHOICE. They don't have to do a thing yet many make it their obligation to take care of us and provide for us.

Recently I was out to eat with my husband and children, while we were waiting for our food I realized that I seriously take for granted what he does. Here's the stickler sometimes looking at others is not good but sometimes its just what we need to pull us out of our comfort zone.

I looked around me, at different relationships I saw and what I saw made me heavily appreciate my husband. Now mind you, I'm not saying he's perfect or he always gets it right. But what I am saying is that I appreciate his hard work and work ethic because I see women who MUST work to provide for their families because their husbands don't. I appreciate his faithfulness because I can say without any doubt, Chris Bush will NOT EVER cheat on me (His fear of God outweighs any and every thing). I'm fairly certain that he's often met with temptation however I trust that God dwells within him and will steer him away from it. I appreciate the fact that my husband doesn't hang in the streets and is a man of his word. 

I realize that he does not have to work hard to provide for us and ensure that I can stay home with our children. He does not have to remain faithful to me as I am well aware of society and the generation we were born in. I look at how he pushes me and how he strives for greatness. I look at how giving he is of his time to me and our children. I adore the fact that he prays with our children, something I don't see from a lot of men I know. It's not rag on them but I see it as something else to appreciate from the man I married.

( Sketch by Alexandra Vo, you can check her out here)

So the point of this whole post is to say don't get too comfortable that you miss out on all the greatness that you have in your loved ones, especially your husband!

~Kris

Update & A book review!

Oooohhh the goodness!!!!

So here's the latest update: We are currently expecting our third child, due in May (literally days before Caleb's 3rd birthday)! This is such awesome news for our family because we have been trying for over a year for our third child and we miscarried last summer. So we are completely ecstatic about the impending birth of baby #3.

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Which brings me to the book review....well sorta. 

So the latest item to hit the Bush household for review is the Adventure Bible Handbook! This book is absolutely awesome. It's not exactly a bible but is set up like a guide to the bible using comic strips. It goes from beginning to end of the bible. It reads like a guide to the different books of the bible. The great thing is that while it goes into detail on certain stories and people in the bible, it also lists the exact passage in the bible that correlates with it.

So far the kiddos love it. They love the comic strip part the most and Caleb loves that its small enough for him to pick up on his own, lol.

Since I like the Adventure Bible Handbook so much. I now want to try the Adventure Bible with the kids.


So have any of you read the Adventure Bible to your children? And are you interested in the Adventure Bible Handbook?

Love greatly, love freely.
~Kris

What happens when it feels like you've hit rock bottom?

Recently it felt like I hit rock bottom in my marriage. While we have been thriving in many areas of life, our marriage had hit a point in which it was do or die. 

What I mean by that was, I'm sure at some point most relationships hit that flight or fight point. We had ours and I must say it was scary and painful and relieving. It scary because no person gets married thinking it could end. It was painful because you have to face yourself, the good, the bad, and the ugly. But it was relieving because we were able to talk about quite a few things and recommit ourselves to the vows we took.

Marriage can be so beautiful if we move out the way and do it God's way. Another thing we have to remember, and I had to realize, is that marriage is a place of servitude. Especially as a wife. As we are called to be helpers. Our husbands are not our helpers and I think that's where many of us go wrong, thinking he's supposed to consistently do whatever to help us. NO. It's the other way around! We are to shift around him, doing whatever is necessary to help him to realize the vision he has for the family.

I will admit, I did NOT always get this. There were many days in which I would expect my husband to work a 12-hour shift then come home to help out with the kids. Talk about selfish! Mind you I did not work. And now? I have a new perspective, on days that he works I do not expect him to come home from work to help with the kids. I expect him to come home to relax and enjoy his evening before going to bed. I expect to serve him in any way I can.

I am not the perfect wife, as much as I wish I were. LOL. I will admit however that I strive to be the Proverbs 31 wife. And I implore every wife reading this to stop thinking of herself first, put God first then your husband. Think of his needs, his likes and dislikes. Think of how you can help him and if you don't know on your own, GO ASK. And when he answers actually do it. Regardless to if it requires to wake up extra early, get it done. Your marriage will thank you later.

So tell me how are you a helper to your husband? Or how do you intend to become a helper to your husband?

Let's Grow in Christ together!!

~Kris

Women Living Well

Ever have that one blog you enjoy? Well I happen to enjoy Women Living Well and Good Morning Girls, the founder of both blogs, Courtney Joesph has written a BOOK! And it launched YESTERDAY!!!! You can order it on Thomas Nelson website or find it at your favorite bookstore!

 

The book is entitled Women Living Well and its about just THAT. It's geared towards women who want to live, who may need direction in different areas in their lives. I personally have enjoyed this book as a member of the book launch team. 

One of the things that I have gleaned from reading this book has been that it is more than important to take time for self because if I burn out how can I be of help to my husband. Another thing that I have gleaned is how important it is to respect my husband but also the ways that disrespect comes across. I also love that Courtney addresses motherhood in such a way that it does not make mothers feel guilty for their own specific way in raising their children but she gently encourages us to manage our homes without becoming an iron fist and to customize our homes to our specific family members. What may work for my home may not work for the next person. For example, it works best for my family that I don't work although to help out with our current savings plan I do work part-time and only on days that my husband does not work because our children are fully homeschooled.

I like that much of what Courtney blogs about is in her book. Its not as if she deviated from her fan base and what we regularly read on her blog. A great extra that is in Women Living Well is the Completing Him Marriage Challenge, it is a 2 week challenge (5 days per week). It's goal is to help us wives gain a better relationship with our husbands.
The book is sectioned off into four different parts (Your walk with the King, Your marriage, Your parenting, and Your Homemaking) with each section having about 3 chapters within it. I don't really have a favorite portion of the book as each section has very applicable information and I guess its even more so applicable because my home life is set up very similar as Courtney does not work outside of the home, I've only done it for the last 3 months and I will soon stop working outside of the home. I have also enjoyed the companion study guide that Courtney created to go along with the book as the questions reenforces what I've read.

I recommend this book to EVERY wife. It should be apart of your arsenal of books that help you as a wife, mom, and woman to personally grow.

I personally do not have a giveaway going HOWEVER here are a list of blogs who does:
http://www.irisparr.com/2013/09/women-living-well-review-and-giveaway.html 
http://www.sara.rrusselljr.com/women-living-well-a-review-and-a-giveaway 
http://www.jenifermetzger.org/2013/10/women-living-well-giveaway.html 
http://cacinance.blogspot.com/2013/10/giveaway-part-1-your-walk-with-king.html 
http://beechembrightspots.blogspot.com/2013/10/women-living-well-giveaway.html 
http://www.destinationproverbs22six.blogspot.com/2013/10/women-living-well-review-and-giveaway.html 
 

{FYI: I received this book for being a member of the Women Living Well Book Launch Team and as a member of the Booksneeze prgram through Thomas Nelson (the publisher)!}