Merry, Merry Christmas

 'The Shepherds Adoration of the New-Born Baby Jesus' by Bartolome Murillo

 

Hello Dear Readers,

 I'm sorry it's been so long since I've written.  Life has been so busy & so full.  When you're a mom of many, it seems the responsibilities are never-ending.  But it's a blessing.

 I just wanted to quickly wish you all a merry Christmas.  Today is a very special day indeed, when we remember the incarnation of our dear Lord and Saviour.  Where would we be without His miraculous birth and later on, resurrection?  We would be without hope in this dark world.

 I hope your Christmas is joyous, as long as it lies in this hope, this hope that no one and no thing can take away from you.  If you have time, please let me know how you're doing in the comments or let me know how you're celebrating.

 With love...

 

 

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Blessings Abound-- Happy New Year

 

painting by Renoir(?)

Dear Readers,

I hope this New Year's Day finds you well.  I love fresh starts--new weeks, new years, new planners...I don't know what it is about them, but a fresh start always seems motivating.

Last night our family stayed up and did some puzzles together after Bible study.  (We also ate homemade cookies, of course, which is a family tradition of ours over the holidays).  We've taken three weeks off from school, for which I had so many plans of playing catch up!  But, alas, it was not to be, as we all came down with the flu.  It was a bad one, but not as bad as it could have been.  I'm very thankful that over the past several years I've been learning homeopathy which has enabled me to provide a means of health and healing to my family in many areas--including the effects of the flu!

 We're all back to health now, thankfully, and tomorrow we will go back to our studies.  Today I have so much I want to get done because school days don't allow for much time to do much else.  I'll plan school for the upcoming week, as well as hopefully take advantage of our warranty for our vacuum, which has stopped working.  We very much need a working vacuum!

 This morning, with a late start for everyone due to staying up late, I am grateful for the beautiful sound of two of my daughters playing Christmas songs together--one on piano and one on violin.  It's just lovely that they all want to go on celebrating Jesus' coming down to earth for us.

I hope you all are doing well and have a blessed new year 💜

 

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Happy Mother's Day + Homeschool Help

Dearest Mothers,

Oh, do you love or loathe this day?  Does it remind of you of your failures, or of your blessings?  Though I have many failings and of course have not always done things "right" or perfectly, my children always bless me on Mother's Day, and my husband.  I just can't believe how blessed I am, and can only thank God that He took me from being a person who never wanted children to a blessed mother of many, plus several more in Heaven.  Oh, the sadness and joys that motherhood brings.  Oh, the trials and the blessings both.  How can I thank God enough that He has given me motherhood and continues to sanctify me through it, (and how can my children write cards to me of how I am the Proverbs 31 woman?!)  I think they think too much of me!  My children are wonderful, and I thank God for each one of them.  Motherhood has not been, and is not easy.  It takes almost everything I have, every day, but Lord willing, what I have given into it will live on long after I am gone from the earth.

I pray for you that even if today you have not been so blessed, if you are in sorrow over bits and pieces of motherhood, that you may remember that we cannot do it alone; we cannot be godly alone.  We must seek Christ's help every day to lead and guide and provide for us.  And where things are broken, God can heal.  And God sees your toils and your labor of love, and He cares for you very much.

If you are a homeschooling mother like me, can you relate to wanting to change things up?  Though we school year round and still have many weeks to go until we are done with this year, I am completely caught up in my thoughts of next year.  Though I have used some Charlotte Mason Inspired curricula over the years, I am wanting to give my children a different kind of education next year entirely...One filled with living books and things to learn and see and do.  I have been giving myself a "mother's education" in how to do this, and my learning continues almost daily as I try to prepare.  A Charlotte Mason education includes learning through living books (not textbooks or workbooks, which we have often used), nature study, picture study, composers, and so much more.  Learning is demonstrated by narration instead of filling in blanks ono worksheets.

If you don't know much about a Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling and want to learn more, there is a conference on this very topic starting tomorrow.  I'm sorry to say that the early bird pricing (which is $30) ends on May 14th, but perhaps you can still get in before the time is up (you can still purchase after the early bird pricing ends)!  In the conference, you will learn how to incorporate Charlotte Mason’s methods in your home alongside real moms who have embraced the Charlotte Mason philosophy in their own homes.  I love how the producers of the conference say that 

"We believe that children should be educated in a way that instills a love of learning and a love of God."

And Charlotte Mason herself said

“Of the three sorts of knowledge proper to a child,—the knowledge of God, of man, and of the universe,—the knowledge of God ranks first in importance, is indispensable, and most happy-making”

– Charlotte Mason (Vol. 6, p. 158)

 

You can check out the schedule and speakers below.  I hope you find this helpful.  God bless you all today.

 

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclosure: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please note, I only endorse products that are in alignment with Blessed Homemaking's ideals and I believe would be of value to my readers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Merry Christmas, Dears

 

Many of you are probably busy with your families today, but I just wanted to wish you all a very blessed Christmas!  What a wonderful occasion to remember the Lord Jesus come down to be with us.  May your Christmas be very joyous ❤️

“This is what we are celebrating today: the Coming of God to man, that we might go forth, or rather that we might go back to God, that putting off the old man we might put on the new; and that we have died in Adam, so we might live in Christ. Therefore, let us keep the feast, not after the manner of a pagan festival, but in a godly way...
But let us, who are worshipers of the true God, if we must in some way have luxury, let us seek it in God’s Word and the Law and the Scriptures.”


~Gregory of Nazianzus (329-390)

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Happy Mother's Day 2021 ❤️

Dear Christian Mothers at Home,

I hope you all have a blessed Mother's Day.  It is such a blessing to be a mother, isn't it?  Some days and seasons are hard, but we do our work for the Lord.  Just remember that even if your husband doesn't give you special honor on this day, or if your children forget, the Lord sees your toil day after day.  Our work at home taking care of home, husband, and children, is so important!  Just remember it is pleasing to the Lord.

Below is one of my favorite quotes:

"I work for a King. He has put me in charge of his home. When He comes to see how I have managed His possessions and His children, I do not want to be found wanting. I want to do my best. Everything I have is on loan from Him. I have room and board and a job to do, but it is all for Him. Therefore I want to dress my best and do my best in all my work. I also want to be creative, for this is a sincere attempt to glorify Him and His beautiful creation. How I manage my home is a form of worship to Him." 

--Lydia Sherman

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A Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving 2020

Dear Ladies at Home,

I just wanted to take a few minutes to tell you how thankful I am for you.  It is a blessing to be able to share about homemaking online.  Many of us do not have ladies nearby who attend faithfully to their homes and families, so what a blessing it is to meet each other online!  Let us be thankful to the Lord for all things today, and especially that blessing of being able to be at home, nurturing and caring for our families, no matter how big or how small.  We are unable to have guests with us this year, so it will be just our family gathered together around the Thanksgiving table.  But my husband picked up a large boneless turkey for me to cook!  That is a new one for me, so I hope it goes well.

Here are a few links you might enjoy:

• 16 Traditional Thanksgiving Recipe Favorites Made Healthy
• 4 Thanksgiving Read-Aloud Stories From American History
• Some cute coloring pages for your children here
• Past Thanksgiving posts from Blessed Homemaking

Hoping you all have a blessed day...

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Happy Mother's Day 2020

Dear Christian Mothers,

I hope you may have a blessed Mother's Day. How sweet that someone some time ago came up with a day to honor their dear mother. The Proverbs 31 woman's children arose and called her blessed, and so did her husband.

I wanted to share something with you below that I came across the other day. I know we are not truly angels, for we need our dear Saviour Jesus to save us from our sins. But the below little article had me in tears--it was a reminder for me of the great duty the Lord gives us when He gives us a new child--OH! What a blessing! It is such an amazing blessing--a great duty and a privilege. Every day we should be asking the Lord for His help to be a sweet and wise mother for our children, and every day we should be thankful for this great privilege and gift to be called "Mother".
~*~NEWBORN'S CONVERSATION WITH GOD~*~

A baby asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow,
but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"

God said, "Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you."

The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have
to do anything but sing and smile to be happy."

God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you.
and you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."

Again the small child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand
when people talk to me if I don't know the language?"

God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words
you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will
teach you how to speak."

"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"

God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach
you how to pray."

"Who will protect me?"

God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life."

"But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore."

God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach
you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you."

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth
could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave
now, please tell me my angel's name."

God said, You will simply call her, "Mom."

Author Unknown


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When Mommy's Unwell, and How to End 2018

I had the best plans for this little holiday break, from Christmas to New Year's.  My husband was going to have time off from work, so we would firstly have some lovely time together as a family.  We were finally going to have a nice break from homeschooling, which I really don't mind doing--school is part of our daily routine, and it makes the day seem "normal" and put together.  But, I was looking forward to this short break to spend with the family.  We would spend quality time together as a family, probably playing some games, reading, having Bible studies, and other things.  I was going to spend some time catching up on checking the children's school work.  I was hoping to take the little ones aside to the kitchen with me at different times to make some sweet goodies that I have been meaning to make for some time for the family.  We normally have dessert only once or twice a week, but this was to be a special time of celebrating!

I had spent lots of time shopping for special gifts for the children and my husband this year.  I was anticipating everyone opening their presents, hoping they would like what they received.  Everything went well on Christmas Day, with the family opening their lovely gifts from each other.  But in the evening, I started feeling unusually tired and had a funny feeling in my throat.  I fell asleep while we were watching a creation video and felt even worse when I woke up.  It was during this night of sleep that I knew something was very wrong!

I woke up feeling just horrible, after a restless night of sleep.  I soon determined that I had come down with the flu.  There went my plans!  I have stayed in my room most of this time, not wanting to spread my sickness to the rest of the family.  When part of me feels better, I will have another symptom worsen or a new one crop up, so I stay longer in my room.  When I've been feeling a little bit better, and no one else has been at home, I have had to go down to the kitchen to get myself a cup of tea or some water.  Then I have seen the state of our kitchen--it is just not the same when Mommy is not around!  Everyone has their own chores to do and set chore times during the day, but it is quite different when the "head housekeeper" is not around to check on what sort of job everyone has been doing.  I have older daughters, but they don't always do the very best job they could do.  I have been training them up in order to help out at home and to be prepared when they, Lord willing, have their own homes and families.  But they are not fully grown yet, and some are better than others at cleaning thoroughly and taking care of extra messes.  I long to be down with my family, back into routine, the busyness of keeping the home and looking after the children, but the Lord has other plans for me.

As mothers, there's not much we can do when we fall ill.  The home will not be in as good of shape as when we are around and feeling well.  Some times, it seems as if these interruptions just keep coming, and that we will never catch up on our work.  Each time we make a little headway, it seems that something else comes along to take us backwards and get us more behind.  So it is with life on this earth, isn't it?  We are working against the tide of decay and of sin, that forever gives us work to do.  This is how it will be as long as we are here on this earth.  Each day is a gift from Him, and we never know which day will be our last.  Instead of fretting, we must remember to ask the Lord every day to help us with what each day brings.  Even when we tire, and feel weak, He never does, and He is always ready to hear our cries for help.

I am thankful and hopeful that my sickness will soon be over.  My time here in bed and in my room has not been wasted, because the Lord has ordained it.  I hope you all are doing well and feeling better than I am (smiles).

Now, How to End 2018
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following is an excerpt from the diary of James Smith: December 31, 1855.  The last day of the year 1855--a year characterized by . . . many severe trials, many sore temptations, and innumerable mercies. In some things, it closes differently to what I expected--but how differently it may have closed! I might have been in Hell! O terrible thought! I might have been on a sick bed, tormented with excruciating pain, or reduced to a state of infantile weakness. I might have been in great and sore troubles, tossed with tempests, and not comforted. I might have been without a pastorate--and without a loving people. Or I might have been guilty of some heinous sin, lost my character, and been a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth! Blessed, forever blessed be the Lord--that such is not my case! My health is good, my hope in Christ is steady, my congregation good, and I trust the Lord will yet work a great work by me. And now, Lord, I desire to confess before you the sins of this past year: I have sinned with my tongue--and with my temper. I have sinned in my heart--and in my life. I have omitted duties. I have committed sins. My motives have often been impure. My aims have not been sufficiently high and holy. I have been impatient, fretful, irritable, rash, jealous, envious, discontented and ungrateful. O may the blood of Jesus wash out every stain! I renounce all hope--but what centers in Jesus! I have no refuge, no hiding-place, no strong tower, no place of safety--but Jesus. Christ in His person, Christ in His finished work, Christ in His glorious intercession-- is all my hope, all my confidence, all my joy! I am His servant--and wish to serve Him alone. I am His subject--and wish to be ruled by Him alone. I am His purchased property--and wish to be consecrated entirely, eternally, and altogether to Him! ~ ~ ~ ~ from Grace Gems 2nd painting by James Clark Smith

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Keeping Celebrations Christ-Centered

Thanksgiving is now over and the Christmas rush has begun.... 

Whatever the holiday, whatever the celebration, as Christian mothers, we have a great duty and privilege of keeping our families' thoughts Christ-centered.  Please join me today at Raising Homemakers for my thoughts on keeping our celebrations Christ-centered.

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2018 Thanksgiving and New Thankful Box

This year, we celebrated Thanksgiving a couple of days late.  We had some company over again to join us.  When all the food was prepared, I was only focused on letting everyone know the meal was ready, so as to not let the food get cold.  I therefore completely forgot to take pictures.  It really is too bad because we went to the effort of labeling all of our dishes with pretty signs so that everyone would know what each dish was at first glance.  Thankfully, our guests thoroughly enjoyed the traditional Thanksgiving meal, and one of them took some pictures which I will share if they send them to us.  Our menu was:

• turkey
• goose
• cranberry sauce
• mashed potatoes
• loaded fauxtato casserole
• cornbread
• bacon garlic green beans
• dinner rolls
• gravy
• apple, lemon meringue, and pumpkin pies
• pumpkin cream cake

All of these were homemade from scratch.  I split up the meal preparation with our three eldest daughters, who happily prepared their dishes and got the house ready.

On a different day, as a family we opened up our Thankful Box to see what everyone had written down to be thankful for.  We needed a new box this year, and I finally got around to decorating it, or at least some of it.  I painted on Scripture verses, and a Pilgrim and Indian couple.  I began drawing on some leaves but didn't have the time to paint them yet.  It's not a very pretty box, but hopefully made prettier by a bit of decoration.  Lord willing, I will finish it before the next Thanksgiving comes around!

Below are some pictures of the (unfinished Thankful Box).  To see what this is and why we do it, click on the post above.  My wonderful husband read through our large stack of papers this year, commenting on each one of the Lord's goodness to us.  How thankful I am for a Godly husband!

I hope you all are doing well and enjoyed a day of giving thanks to the Lord for His goodness.

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3 Christmas Gift Ideas That You Can Make By Hand

Today we have a freelance contribution post by Sally.

Christmas is almost here, and it’s a time of giving, being with family, and remembering the reason why we’re celebrating this occasion—Jesus Christ. Sadly, too many people get caught up in the gift-buying frenzy and are forgetting why we acknowledge Christmas in the first place. While the Bible reminds us to be generous as it reminds us that “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), we should never forget the true meaning of this special holiday, that the Son of God, was born on Christmas day. As Christians, it is important to celebrate our Savior’s life and the way that He lived by giving meaningful gifts to family and friends, and what can be more meaningful than a present that was made by your own two hands? Here are 3 Christmas gift ideas that you can make by hand.

Quickbread mix in a bottle

It is tradition to give food as a gift to loved ones, and even some of the most notable people in the Bible have been known to give wine, bread, grain, or meat on special occasions. This Christmas, you can give a cake that you baked by yourself, or assemble quickbread mix in a bottle. Just layer 2 cups of flour, a cup of rolled oats, half a cup of sugar, some sugar, baking powder, baking soda, chocolate chips, and chopped walnuts in a bottle or a 1-quart mason jar. Add a label to the bottle for the recipe instructions so the recipient will know how to make the quickbread.

A hand sewn pencil case

This would make a good gift for children and teens. You can make a simple felt pencil case with a button closure or make a Japanese-style patchwork pouch. The latter, which takes a little more time and effort, can also work as a makeup bag which would make a great gift for women. All you need is some fabric squares, ecru cotton lace, and some grosgrain ribbon to make the pouch.

Personalized mugs

This is a gift that you can make with your children to give to grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Get a few white ceramic mugs and some Sharpie markers in different colors. Let your kids draw or write messages on the mugs. Place the mugs in the oven for 30 minutes at 350°F. Leave the mugs inside until the oven cools completely to prevent cracks.

Giving a gift that we made with our own hands this Christmas reminds us of the true meaning of the holiday as we create things for the ones we love. As we give, let us not forget to celebrate Jesus Christ, who is the reason for this holiday season.

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A Blessed Thanksgiving to You All

Dear Readers,

I just wanted to write and wish you all a happy Thanksgiving.  I hope it is blessed and can be a special time of remembering the Lord's goodness to you and your family, even during trials.  The Lord is good always, and worthy of our praise.

We will be celebrating Thanksgiving this week and have invited a few people to join our family.  The children very much want to dress up as pilgrims and indians, so they've been deciding what to wear and making special pilgrim hats and indian headdresses for the occasion.  Today we will be busy in the kitchen preparing food.  The older girls will be preparing many dishes, which is so different from when I had to make everything!   We will be having turkey, stuffing, gravy, homemade dinner rolls & popovers, garlicky bacon green beans, loaded fauxtato casserole, sauteed brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, apple crisp, and pumpkin cream cake.  Everything will be homemade from scratch, as that's the only way I do things (smiles).  My husband was surprised to see all the cream cheese in the refrigerator.

Here are some neat ideas that you may find useful for celebrating Thanksgiving.  I hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving, and thank you to all of you who take the time to leave comments here, as it is a great encouragement to me.

O Lord, who clothes the lilies
And feeds the birds of the sky,
Who leads the lambs to pasture
And the deer to the waterside,
Who has multiplied loaves and fishes
And converted water to wine,
O Lord, come to our table,
As guest and giver, to dine.

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Happy Christmas

Now a happy Christmas to you all; and it will be a happy Christmas if you have God with you. I shall say nothing to day against festivities on this great birthday of Christ. We will to-morrow think of Christ's birthday; we shall be obliged to do it, I am sure, however sturdily we may hold to our rough Puritanism. And so, 'let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavend bread of sincerity and truth.' Do not feast as if you wished to keep the festival of Bacchus; do not live to-morrow as if you adored some heathen divinity. Feast, Christians, feast; you have a right to feast. Go to the house of feasting to-morrow, celebrate your Saviour's birth; do not be ashamed to be glad; you have a right to be happy. Solomon says, "Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment."

"Religion never was designed
To make your pleasures less."

Recollect that your Master ate butter and honey. Go your way, rejoice tomorrow, but in your feasting, think of the Man in Bethlehem; let him have a place in your hearts, give him the glory, think of the virgin who conceived him, but think most of all of the Man born, the Child given. I finish by again saying,

A HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!
CHARLES SPURGEON
THE BIRTH OF CHRIST, NO. 2392
A SERMON INTENDED FOR READING ON LORD’S DAY,
DECEMBER 23, 1891.
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE NEW PARK STREET CHAPEL, SOUTHWARK,
ON LORD’S-DAY MORNING, DECEMBER 24, 1854.

“Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall He eat, that He may know to refuse the evil, and choose the Good.” Isaiah 7:14, 15

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclosure: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please note, I only endorse products that are in alignment with Blessed Homemaking's ideals and I believe would be of value to my readers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Memory Making in the Summer

Our country's Independence Day will soon be here, so how will you celebrate with your family?  We hope to go to a couple of parades this coming week, and we also plan to watch some fireworks displays that we can see from our neighborhood.  We have watched the fireworks like this for many years!  No driving and no paying for entertainment--my favorite!

Besides the fun though, I also want my children to understand what this holiday is about. Please join me at Raising Homemakers today to see how we can make this holiday truly meaningful for our families!

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclosure: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please note, I only endorse products that are in alignment with Blessed Homemaking's ideals and I believe would be of value to my readers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Brand New Year

"The new year on which we are about to enter is unopened, and we know not what shall befall us; but if we follow Christ we need have no fear. So let us leave the old year with gratitude to God for its mercies, and with penitence for its failures and sins; and let us enter the new year with earnest resolve in Christ's name to make it the holiest and most beautiful year we have ever lived."
~J. R. Miller


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclosure: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please note, I only endorse products that are in alignment with Blessed Homemaking's ideals and I believe would be of value to my readers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blessed Christmas Home Décor

Guest post by Ella
 
Christmas time is almost here – just around the corner, in fact, already in wait of the houses in the world to shine up with their joyous decorations and summon the holiday spirit to bring bliss and elation to the homes. You should take this as a cue and start with your Christmas decorations. Time to bring some holiday colours to the home and enjoy the liveliness of the atmosphere while in wait for the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. And here is how to do this most properly:

The Blank Sheet

Of course, before the decorating comes, make sure it all goes on a clean sheet. Set up the white blank page for your creativity with a thorough home cleaning. You should also supply yourself with an all-purpose cleaner and clean out any old ornaments you will use – if you are going to decorate the house, then use clean and shiny decorations. Have a run with the vacuum cleaner at all corners, take out the feather duster and get rid of the layers of dust. Get the home clean to get it ready.




The Christmas Tree

Of course, you should start with the Christmas tree. Pick a tree that fits your house. If you want a rich Christmas spirit, then don’t go too big or too small, pick one that is just right. And don’t go all mushy when you get to the tree shop. The trees have already been cut down, so at least make their sacrifice meaningful by giving them a purpose. Yes, there will be some more need of home cleaning and carpet cleaning after Christmas is done, but it’s too early to worry about that.

The Lights and Hanging Ornaments

Christmas lights have long since become traditional to show your delight toward the holiday. The brighter the lights are, the more they shine, then the happier you are that Christmas is here. At least that is the mainstream view. You can choose however much lights you want and hang them wherever you want – on the windows, around the walls, around the tree, it does not matter. All it matters is that when you turn them on, you feel the invasion of cheer. Same goes for the position and number of snow angels and cherubs that should glide above your head.




The Fancy Wreath

You can’t have a wholesome Christmas without a creative wreath. Either make one of nature, with leaves and fir cones and acorns and a beatific ribbon attached, or make one with a certain shape to display your creativity. Examples are a snowman, a reindeer, a bag of presents, et cetera. Have the wreath be a symbol of the peace and serenity with which you will be welcoming the birth of Christ.

And these are the essentials of your Christmas décor. With them you can openly state that you are ready to face the year’s best celebration with happiness. You can add more, of course, but you should always be mindful of the home cleaning that will follow. Then again, there are always cleaning companies for that, right? So go wild and make it a Christmas décor of a lifetime.

Read more helpful tips and advises on: http://cleanerdocklands.org.uk/

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclosure: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please note, I only endorse products that are in alignment with Blessed Homemaking's ideals and I believe would be of value to my readers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A New Advent Celebration

The days leading up to when we celebrate the incarnation of our Savior are very busy. Ours have been especially busy this year--to the point that I just want them to slow down. I just want less--less outings (though they are enjoyable), less things, just...less. Not that I am not grateful, but sometimes it feels like all the "stuff" robs our true joy in what this season is all about. God is incredibly good and gracious to provide for us, giving us friends and family to share our time with, and to give us a season of celebration and joy.  Next Christmas, I just hope to be more organized and have more of our life settled.

Join me at Raising Homemakers today to see how we are celebrating the Advent season this year.


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclosure: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please note, I only endorse products that are in alignment with Blessed Homemaking's ideals and I believe would be of value to my readers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Blessed Thanksgiving ♥

I meant to get this out earlier, but I just want to wish all of my readers a happy Thanksgiving.  I am so thankful for your readership, your prayers, and the kind words you leave here.  I hope you all have  a blessed day.

This year we will have company, will read what we are thankful for from our Thankful Box, and will also have a lot of different food dishes, which I will try to share with you later.

We should be thankful to our Creator every day, but this is a special time of thanks set aside to do just that--to set us back on the right path of thanksgiving to the One Who has given us everything that we have.  Praise his Holy Name.  We would have nothing without His providence.

The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we rejoice. ~Psalm 126:3

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclosure: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please note, I only endorse products that are in alignment with Blessed Homemaking's ideals and I believe would be of value to my readers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Happy Mother's Day, Freebie, & Special Offer

 

There is, somehow, a wonderful power about a mother’s voice, when she talks to her children about Jesus and his love, which stamps itself upon the heart, and the heart is a far better place for the custody of truth than ever the brain can become.

~Spurgeon

Happy Mother's Day, dear mothers. May you have a blessed day enjoying the sweet Child-Blessings God has given you. What a gift it is from the Lord to be a mother of children, to raise them for His glory and His purposes. To teach them about Jesus.

I wanted to tell you about a couple of things of interest.

This weekend only, you can watch Children are a Blessing for free! We have this DVD and really enjoy watching it. I think it will bless you. It is available to watch for free until Monday at 10pm EST. The DVD is on sale right now for only $10.

Also, Motivated Moms is having a Mother's Day weekend sale that ends Monday, May 11th. In case you didn't know, Motivated Moms provides a wonderful daily to-do list all set up for you, so you don't even have to think about what chores you need to do!

• All 2015 ebooks are $5 (regularly $8) - no coupon needed! 
• Apps are 99¢ (regularly $1.99)
• Year subscriptions for the apps are $4.99 (regularly $7.99)

I hope these things will bless you.  Remember, even if you feel all your time and sacrifice is invisible, God sees all that you do.  And He loves you and Your precious children. ♥

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclosure: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please note, I only endorse products that are in alignment with Blessed Homemaking's ideals and I believe would be of value to my readers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Christmas Home Decorations

Guest Post by Ella

When things come down to Christmas decorations, there is always room to make this an aesthetically pleasing and fun time you can enjoy. Christmas decorations will be a part of the whole ritualistic aspect of the holiday season, but you will need to be properly prepared if you want to make it happen without too much hassle. Nothing will give you a better sense of a job well done than seeing your decorations come together to create the perfect look for your home during the holiday season. Sometimes we have far too many things lying around, so it may be a good time to do some junk disposal or if you plan on moving out of a home around the holiday season – house clearance. Even without that however, you will still need to have some things moved around or out of your home to make room for holiday decorations. The following article will give you a couple of ideas for decorations you can use during that time to create the perfect look:

• Paper Snowflakes 

These are fairly easy to make, as they require fairly little work
to do and not much in terms of preparations. You can easily hang them from your windows, the Christmas tree itself or from the lights you may have around your home. All you really need for this one is some white paper and some scissors to make it happen. Take a square piece of paper and fold it in half twice diagonally to produce the base shape of what you’re looking for. The next step will require cutting some jagged shapes on the sides of the triangle you just made to create the amazing shapes you will have once you unfold the paper. It is a simple, yet easy and elegant solution to holiday decorations that works well.
 

• White Sock Snowmen 

These are some excellent and downright easy Christmas decorations you can make around your well-cleared home without too much hassle involved. All you need to do is get some tube socks and filling in the form of dry beans or rice, making sure they are about ¾ full. Then you can tie a rubber band around the waist of your brand new snowman and another one around its neck. Once that is done you may need to do some adjustments to get the right shape going, but in the end you will have it done in no time. Fill the head of the snowman with cotton, and then fold it toward the outside so it will look like he has a hat on. Next you will need a hot glue gun to put on some eyes with buttons. You can also draw a mouth on the snowman or gluing one made from felt. Alternately, if you don’t want to use a hot glue gun, then you can use superglue to do the same job, but be careful with it, as it will take a lot more work than it would with the hot glue. You can also sew the buttons on if you feel like doing so. Next come the arms, using sticks you can create them with ease. You can always add a bit more to it if you need to in the face of other, smaller details. Sugar cubes wrapped in cloth can make excellent small presents for example.
 
You may have to clean some items out before you move on with the actual decorations, so look ahead for opportunities to do so before the holiday season. A junk clearance company can give you a hand if you need it.

Read more tips: http://www.rubbishwaste.co.uk/wimbledon-rubbish-removal-SW20/waste-collection-wimbledon.html

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclosure: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please note, I only endorse products that are in alignment with Blessed Homemaking's ideals and I believe would be of value to my readers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------