A Family Prayer

Father, let Your face shine upon our home today. We thank You for it. May it be . . .
a shelter to us from the world's storms,
a nest of love,
a school where we may learn love's lessons, and
where we may grow into the beauty of Christlikeness.
We pray continually that our home may become more and more like Heaven. Teach all of us how to live, so as to add to its sweetness.

Come and be a guest in our home. Then its love will become sweeter, and more and more holy. For Your presence gives light, blessing, and joy. Make our home, Your home. Dwell with us. Then we shall be happy. Then we shall live beautifully together.

We thank You for Your goodness to us this past week. You have showered Your blessings upon us with a most bountiful hand. You have given us favors of many kinds. Some of Your gifts have come to us in strange form--in trials, in burdens, in disappointments, in losses. Still we know that they are Your gifts, and as such, have in them good and blessing for our lives. Give us grace to accept whatever You send to us, knowing that Your love can never give us anything but kindness. Even if the cup is bitter--may we be enabled to accept it. We would get near to Your heart, we would creep into Jesus' bosom, into His everlasting arms, and be still.

The Whole...

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~J.R. Miller

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Wise Words from My Father

Yesterday I was going for a drive with my father.  I was about to face something that I feared, and something where the results were yet unknown.  I knew the Lord was on my side, but I still did not know what would happen.

As my dad followed the road, he related something to me he had been discussing with my mother:

"It really doesn't matter what happens in this life.  This life is really nothing.  What matters is where we spend eternity.  And what happens in this life is really to bring God glory.  We know from Romans 8:28 that He is working things out for our good because we love Him.  It may not be for what we see as good, but it is for our ultimate good."

I looked around at God's beautiful creation still tainted by sin as we passed by on the road.  And I knew he was right.  And I had peace.

God did show Himself glorious yesterday, and He did work for my good.  I know that.  I am so thankful for His power, love, and protection.

Watching Father...
Albert Jan...
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Where to Find Good Deals On Clothing and Shoes

 
As a homemaker you are probably interested in stretching your family's dollar.  I certainly am.  We have to buy clothes and shoes for ourselves and our family.  One thing I did a few years ago is signed up for 6pm.com's daily emails.  If you sign up, they will send you an email for their daily sales.  It's almost like having somebody stop by your house and show you their wares they have for sale at a discount (except you don't have to acknowledge their presence or be polite if you don't want to that day.)  6pm.com sells clothing and shoes from all different brands, and they sell expensive brand names for very low prices (often 50, 60, or 70% off!)  I have gotten a pair of shoes this way.  If you go to their clearance tab you will find clothing items for under $10 and shoes for under $25.  They sell things for men, women, and children.  They also give you free shipping, no matter what the cost of your order.  This makes it very convenient to order your items and have them shipped straight to your home for free!

Also, don't forget to check the clearance racks at Walmart.  I have been able to find my girls a few dresses very cheaply by checking these--and some very long dresses are in style right now.

Going Shopping:...
Peter Jackson
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Something For Homemakers To Remember

"What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and work flow.”

~Martin Luther

Book Illustration...

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A Great Time to Join Lilla Rose--Free Shipping!

Blessed Homemaking has recently partnered with Lilla Rose because easy, beautiful hairstyles just go well with busy homemakers who still want to look pretty and feminine.  If you've also thought about joining Lilla Rose as a consultant, now is the perfect time to do so because they are offering free shipping on all enrollment orders placed between Monday July 22nd through Wednesday July 31st.  This is a business you can even do with your children, especially if you have daughters.  My daughters love to wear their "hair jewelry".  When you become a consultant, you can also purchase your flexis and other hair accessories from Lilla Rose at a discount.  You can join Lilla Rose as a consultant for only $49.95.

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Review of For Women Only/For Men Only

In June I was given two books to review for The Gabby Moms.  For Women Only and For Men Only by Shaunti Feldhahn.  As you can see from the titles, one is for men, and one is for women.  These books are designed to help men and women understand the workings and mentality of the opposite sex.  They are based on survey questions given to men (for the women's book), and to women (for the men's book), and interviews with men and women.  Also, the latest editions include "insights from the latest brain research" in men and women.

Unlike some of my fellow reviewers, I am not gushing with praise for these books.  For one thing, Shaunti's interviews and surveys for For Women Only were answered by men, all types of men.  Christian and non-Christian alike.  I think that is a huge flaw.  This type of statistical information is not something to base Christian women's understanding of men on, if you ask me.  Of course worldly men are going to be tempted to gaze at every "attractive" woman in their vicinity (there is a whole chapter devoted to explaining this).  But the Lord is refining, sanctifying Christian men.  While I know the temptations in our culture are great, I don't think putting this information out there that every man is looking and playing pictures back in his mind of women he's seen is helpful to women and will only make them paranoid and distrustful.  If a man has a problem with repeatedly lusting after other women, he is sinning, plain and simple and needs to get help and needs to get accountable.  Jesus called these lustful thoughts sin. Shaunti seems to dismiss wandering eyes too easily as an issue that men "can't help" because they are wired that way.

Here is one of the explanations from For Women Only :

"The first fact is that a whopping 98% of men put their response to an eye-catching woman in 'can't not notice' categories (only 2 percent were unaffected by a woman with a great body).  And the results were essentially the same among happily married and devoted Christian men--since they still had male brains."

Another thing I dislike about the books is that in the For Women Only book, women are given the responsibility to change so as to not step on the male ego, based only on these surveys and interviews with Christian and non-Christian men alike.  I do not believe we should be prompted to change based on the opinions of thousands of men unknown to us, who are not even all believers, but that we, as Christian women, should base our behavior and thought processes on the word of God and pleasing Him.  While we can possibly become more appealing and helpful to our husbands, we cannot change their hearts.  Only God can do that.  Yes, we, as wives, will need to change and grow sometimes, but I don't believe that change should be based merely on statistics that include a vast number of people with different values than we have.



That is not to say that there is no useful information in these books.  You may find it helpful to learn some things about men.  Men do thrive on respect and most have a need to provide (which is good).  But I do not believe all of the information applies to all men, and certainly not all Christian men.  If you decide to get the For Women Only book, I suggest you discuss it with your husband and see if it applies to him.  For Men Only does have some helpful insights for men, but again, I don't agree that everything applies to all women, especially Christian women.

I received these books in exchange for my honest review, which I hope I have portrayed here.

Did you know you can receive a free quarterly magazine from Eternal Encouragement?


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Free Shipping for Planners TODAY ONLY!

Do you need a planner for next year (or right now), either for your homeschool or homemaking?

(This post contains affiliate links.)

For several years I have used Home Educating Family's Well Planned Day planner for keeping records and planning for our homeschooling.  Not only are they pretty, but they are full of places to write down different things to plan for your homeschooling year.  I will be doing a full review soon.

Today only, though you can get free shipping!  So if you've been thinking about ordering, today would be a good day to do it to save with free shipping.


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Sunflower Paintings

It has been about 15 years since I painted a picture.  And even then I have only painted about three pictures--one in watercolor (a still life), and two acrylic paintings based on photographs.  But placing color down on paper with paint and brush just comes easily to me, for which I'm thankful to God.

I was recently asked to paint a mural of sunflowers.  Not only has it been many years since I've painted, but I've also never painted flowers, nor painted on a wall.  I had to practice a little bit before I took on this task.  I stayed up too late the night before attempting sunflowers and leaves.  I had bought a couple of Donna Dewberry books awhile ago to see if that could speed up the process of painting for me, but I have to say I like painting in my own way much better.  Her process just makes it harder for me, but maybe for someone who doesn't know how to paint, it would make it easier.

So here is my first attempt at painting a picture after 15 years. 

Camera flash went off here

No camera flash

I painted these freehand (without drawing first), and tried to do the petals using Donna Dewberry's technique.  They turned out okay but not great.  I did a couple of other practice paintings, but haven't uploaded the pictures yet.

In the morning when my children saw the pictures, they clamored over who could have one.

I have started the mural but am taking a break now to get back to my homemaking, child training, and teaching (we are doing school through the summer).  Those things can't be neglected.


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Home Again, Home Again

When Mother is out too much...
There is just enough time to be home for the children to make messes, but not enough to clean up.
She gets tired and worn out from too many gatherings, too much running around...
She wants to come home...
Come home to the quiet, the sweet peacefulness of the familiar walls.
The cozy chairs and the ability to lie down a bit to rest.
To sit and be quiet.
To bring a calm over her children and herself...

Too much running around and the children start to believe that home is boring, no fun.
There is no time for family worship and togetherness because the home has been neglected.
And if Mother and children are kept up too late, they don't wake up rested.

God gave us a need of rest and a time to be able to relax.
God placed mothers in the home to keep it a sanctuary and a shelter from the world.
I am so glad when I can be home!

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After My Computer Break

I am done with my computer break.  I really enjoyed it.  It was wonderful to get away from all the things I need to do on the computer every day.  There was no computer around me, so I did not have the option of getting on it.

We stayed in a cabin.  I got a break from laundry (except for washing diapers).  I did not have to cook dinner for a few days because someone else did it.  I had an even smaller space than our house to clean up.  I enjoyed opening the curtains every morning to let in the sunshine and then closing them at dark.  I thought it would be nice if our house had curtains.  Maybe one day I will learn how to make some.

My children enjoyed the porch swings and having water gun fights with each other to cool off.  I enjoyed many moments of quiet reflection and reading.  We all enjoyed the baby bunny that stayed by us, nibbling on the plants.  We ate dinner way too late and the children stayed up past their bedtime.  But we had fun.  I will not soon forget the lessons I learned there, and I will keep screen time to a minimum.

And then it was good to come home.  And wash laundry.  And cook dinner.

Log Cabin Covered...
Sung Kim
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Happy Independence Day!

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