Hello, Reader.

Today is my best friend's birthday, and tomorrow marks the 40th anniversary of the day we met. It was the day after he turned 19 and two days after I turned 21. We married the following year, but in many ways feel as if we are still honeymooning. ❤️

We haven't taken many trips without children in all those intervening years, but we're heading to New Orleans later this morning, just the two of us. He'll spend mornings attending continuing medical education lectures for the rest of the week, then we'll pass afternoon and evening hours exploring the city and enjoying one another's company.

In honor of the occasion, I'm sharing some fun resources devoted to nurturing your marriage, whether you plan regular weekends away or prefer to stick closer to home. 🏡

Free resources for you this week:

• ​Learn to Speak Your Spouse’s Love Language - communicate in a way that's meaningful to him
• ​Is Date Night Essential? - what if kids and finances make it impossible to get away?
• ​What if My Husband Won’t Plan Date Nights? - the situation isn't as hopeless as you may think
• ​How to Date a Husband Who’d Rather Stay Home - there's no place like home, so enjoy it!
• ​50 Great Date Ideas - break out of the dinner-out and a movie rut
• ​Dating through the Alphabet Challenge - a fun way to add variety to your dating life
• ​Do Not Disturb Signs - these were a hit with my women's group at co-op on Monday (they're especially helpful for parents of teens!)

What I'm reading this week:

​The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli A friend of mine gave our family a copy of The Door in the Wall for Christmas, and I finished reading it aloud to my homeschoolers this week. Set in the Middle Ages, it tells the story of a young boy who is struck ill and consequently loses the use of his legs. Through his many trials, the main character remains hopeful and willing to adapt. He rejects self-pity in favor of grit. Rather than focusing on all the things he can no longer do, he applies himself to learning new skills he can develop despite his need for crutches. As his mind and body grow stronger, he finds himself in a position to help his countrymen in their darkest hour in a way few boys his age would dare attempt, lame or not. His story is both heartwarming and inspiring.

On the podcast this week:

Loving Life at Home: Episode 110 ​ON JOYFUL MOTHERHOOD​ The Bible tells us children are a blessing, but we can lose sight of that fact amid diaper changes, temper tantrums, and bedtime struggles. Our joy dries up faster than baby’s drool on the shoulder of mama’s T-shirt. Can anything be done to regain it? That's the topic of this week's podcast. I hope you'll listen in and be encouraged. Listen Now

Progress on last week's goals:

By God's grace, I was able to mark every last item off last week's to-do list! Namely, I ✅ watched inspiring interviews with Eric Metaxas and Mike Farris's ​and ✅ downloaded free swag from last week's Under God Summit, ✅ reviewed Nomadic Professor World History, ✅ posted Episode 110 of my podcast, ✅ hosted my daughter's sweet 16 party, ✅ helped her practice parallel parking before her road test (she passed!), ✅ taught last co-op classes for the semester (& also turned in all my grades and expenses), and ✅ emptied another 2-3 boxes in my garage.

Personal goals for this week:

• enjoy time in NOLA with hubby
• finish navy crocheted cardigan
• finish another felted Christmas stocking
• finish Spanish curriculum for the year
• empty 2 more boxes in my garage
• record a new podcast
• memorize Luke 6:27-36

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Thanks so much for all your help! I'll be back next week with more links, reviews, and resources. If you have any special requests, please let me know. 😊