I have the bad habit of being a perfectionist. I want everything I do to come out just right and ... let's be honest ... that can't always happen.
Well, when my children start planning their birthday parties, they plan big. And my newly-turned eight-year-old has also discovered the joy of pinterest and loves to search through ideas with me to make his party even better. So, when we started talking about his party, we agreed to go Nerf or nothing. In other words, a party full of dart guns and oranges and blues and boyish fun.
His first option for cake was a cupcake cake. I've always been intrigued by these, but never made one. The thought of trying to smooth the icing over all of the cupcakes to make it look like one cake was intimidating to me--especially since I don't prefer a ton of icing. But for him, I'd try it.

When you think of romance, normally you think of it ending in marriage. But that's not always the case. Sometimes, it can end as something just as sweet, though. Guest author, Mary Pat Johns is here to tell the story of her mom and her mom's Special Friend. See if you think this is as romantic as I do. ;)

​Mom was nineteen-years-old when she married Dad. He was the older man at twenty-three. They were married for over sixty years when Daddy passed. A year or so later, Mom packed the belongings she wanted to keep, had an estate sale for the rest, and moved into a retirement village.
As her only daughter, I had her all to myself for five years. I loved it, but it wasn’t enough for her, especially since I still worked. She had no desire to get married again but missed the daily companionship.  

Don't get too excited by that blog title. I haven't run any crazy distances (or any at all) or baked the world's largest scone or even held my breath for more than a few seconds. I'm not talking about that kind of a record.
I'm talking about a personal one. One that really doesn't matter in the long scheme of things, but dawned on me the other day.
Before my husband and I moved to Tennessee in 2017, I had never lived anywhere longer than six years. Ever. And most places I had lived less than that. So, last year, when I realized we'd been here for six years, I told my husband, "We have to stay here at least one more year."

If you're a parent, I'm sure you've probably had the conversation during communion where a little body next to you leans in and whispers, "I want a cracker too." It's only happened a few times with us. We quickly explain it's for grown-up Christians, knowing they're not ready for all the details yet, though we're getting closer. And they yearn to grow older so they can participate.
Lately, my son also wants to help pass the trays. The cracker one isn't quite as nerve-wrecking to allow him to handle as the juice. But often, it just takes longer for him to be allowed to hold it for that extra second or two than for my husband to hand it over him to me. And I have to remind myself to allow him those extra seconds. Because he's yearning to serve.

Have you ever grown sunflowers? I plant them every year. I've loved them since high school, when they were all the rage as patterns and accessories (I still wish I could fit into that denim and sunflower skirt I had as a teenager). They're just such happy pretty flowers.
This year, we have two giant sunflowers that have blooms at the top and then scattered all the way down their stems. And we have several sunflowers of a variety that blooms browns and oranges instead of just yellow.
Have you ever watched sunflowers through the day?

Do you ever do things because they're good for you? Exercise? Eating less junk food? Going to bed instead of reading one more chapter? 
Yeah, okay. Just because it's good for us doesn't mean it's always fun. Though there are things that are good for us that are fun too. Like attending worship services. Or going on dates with our spouse. ;)
Well, I made my son do something that was good for him, though he didn't expect to love it. He rather dreaded it, honestly.

How far would you go to impress your future father-in-law? That's right, I said FUTURE. Well, guest author Meghann Whistler is here today to talk about her real-life romance when she did just that. Read on.

​I met my husband on a blind date in Boston in September 2003, during my last semester of grad school.
 
I’d been single for about a year and half before I met him, and I’d been on my fair share of bad blind dates during that time, so I didn’t have high hopes.
 
That all changed, however, when I met him. Paul was tall and handsome, and he was Canadian, like me! He was also kind and polite, and after dinner, we stayed out talking until two o’clock in the morning.
 
It wasn’t long before we fell in love. 💕

My husband is about to stop letting me go to the store. Not really, but there has been a trend lately. This time of year, many stores are getting rid of plants in order to make room for fall items. Yes, it's only July, but it's after the fourth. That means school supplies and fall decorations will soon take over the aisles.
And I am taking advantage of the marked down flowers. Pots of daisies and on clearance for under $2? Yes, please!
​Are they in the best shape? No. But they're not dead yet.

The last few years, by this time, I've had quite a few zinnias popping up in my front flower bed where I transplanted them a few years ago. They reseed themselves so I don't even have to worry about spreading more seeds each year.
This year, I have one.
One.
From half a flower bed full of zinnias to ... one.
And it's breaking my heart a bit. But it's my own fault.

In our relationship, my husband and I get along fairly well, but that doesn't mean we aren't complete opposites in the way we do certain things. For instance, I love being around people. He does not. I love watching old musicals. He tolerates them. I love being outside. He can handle it a little while, but don't ask him to camp. And it's okay. Because we balance each other out.
But we're different in other ways too. Like, I am a planner and he is not. I love to know weeks in advance what we're doing when, how much things cost, when they open, what might be on the way from here to there that we could add to our trip, etc. He is more of a wing-it man.
I said, "Do you want to take a trip, just the two of us, for our anniversary?"
He replied, "Sure."
"Where would you like to go?"
​And he shrugged.