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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Blessed at Home #16: On My Mind

Thank you for stopping by our 16th week of Blessed At Home.  We sure appreciate everyone who has visited and shared our articles on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Please visit the Contributor Page to read more about this excellent ministry from some of your favorite homemaking bloggers.

Today's featured contributor is Judith, WholeHearted Home:


Hi!! I'm Judith Kowles, and I am so blessed to 'meet' you!! I was saved as a young girl and have been learning to daily abide in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ as I draw closer to Him. I have been married to my sweet husband, Tim, for 34 years, raised and homeschooled seven children from 1988 through 2012, and now caring for twin grandbabies keeps my nest from emptying too fast.

I am an ordinary gal, born at home in Japan, raised in the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong (now China), lived in Hawaii during high school, went to college in California, and since then have been enjoying an extraordinary life at home with my family. I love homemaking, and having a clean kitchen floor under my bare feet is ultimate satisfaction. I have found the whole purpose of having children was for me to see my own sin and learn to walk in an increasing amount of grace and love. I have learned it isn't me but God who changes attitudes and hearts, mine first!! Now that my children are raised, (youngest is 18) I am ready to be a mother. I have learned, through the anvil of motherhood, the trials and victories that have molded me into the woman I am becoming for God's glory.

Some of my favorite things are: baking from scratch (especially with chocolate), cooking up a storm of yummy meals, hot chocolate in the winter and a glass of ice tea in the summer, exercising, walks along the river, biking, hymns, the trombone; but my passion is the Lord Jesus Christ and learning to live a holy and godly lifestyle because He lives within my heart.


Today's topic is, What's On My Mind.


Christy

I have had a situation this week which has put a lot on my mind. I am so thankful to God for answering my prayers and for holding me while I sort things out. 
  
We probably all have things in our beliefs that God will tell us that we were wrong about...but I believe he will accept us in Heaven if we love and trust him and try to be the best we can be here on Earth. 

My faith has been tested. I prayed, he answered, and now I will trust and give praise.

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: For he that cometh to God must believe that he IS, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." ~Hebrews 11:6



Jennifer, Mama Economics


Life is never dull in our home, there is always something exciting happening. People may find this fact odd once they discover we only leave our property twice a week (except my husband who does go to work six days a week). We run errands as a family once a week and attend church on Sundays. There’s no need for us to burn up the highways, as we have nowhere to go; we do not participate in extracurricular activities. To put it simply, there’s plenty of enriching life skills and experiences to be had without ever stepping off our land. For this week’s Blessed at Home we have been asked to share our thoughts. My current state of mind is working in overdrive as we prepare for the next season of our lives, and I can assure you there is no time for boredom.

I received a phone call the other day and was asked, “What are you doing?” I had to laugh because I was literally doing six things at once: canning apples, preparing breakfast, facilitating daily lessons, cooking bread, putting dinner in the slow cooker, and baking my husband's weekly batch of breakfast. (I make his breakfasts for the whole week, once a week). And of course, I still had time for a social phone call; so is the life of a wife, mother, and homemaker. We must be ready and available to meet the needs of our family and to be of service to all who cross our path.

I thought this week’s Blessed at Home topic would be a perfect opportunity to share the transition this time of year brings to our family. We are wrapping up our main summer harvest and preparing our soil for fall planting. There is winter sewing to be done which includes essentially all new skirts/dresses for my daughter. I have my Christmas sewing projects well underway for our simple homemade Christmas. I begin my fall cleaning this time of year, as opposed to spring cleaning. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to do a thorough cleaning in spring, since our home gets filthy from the summer harvest and preserving. And of course, we remain diligent with our daily lessons.

In addition to our already full schedule, we have decided to do some much-needed home improvements and repairs. We are doing the work ourselves, (with the help of some wonderful volunteers) to save money and learn new skills. With this endeavor has come lots of research and preparation. Many nights have been spent combing the internet for the right technique and resources we'll need for each project. We’re excited at how simple and inexpensive changes have already drastically improved the appearance of our home. We look forward to seeing the final outcome of all our hard work as we seek to be faithful with the home we have been given.

"He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much." ~Luke 16:10 (KJV)

As you can see our days are busy, there is no time for boredom. We rejoice in our abilities to be active participating members of a family. We seek to honor God in our actions and service towards others. Our family prays daily that we would surrender our hearts, thoughts, words, and deeds over to the Lord and that He would guide our days. Without God we can accomplish nothing, but with Him we can do all things. So friends, what is on your docket these days? Are you busy at home too?

With Love,
Jennifer



Mrs. Smith, Just a Country Girl

What a loaded topic.  heh.  My mind travels to the strangest places sometimes, making my husband look at me strangely.  :)  
There is always something on my mind.

Lately, one thing that is on my mind is the whole "back to school" thing.  I'm finding a trend that saddens me.  In my house, we homeschool.  So while the boys are in school, I, too, am in school.
And when they go on summer break in May, that is also when my break from school begins.  I couldn't imagine it any other way.  I couldn't imagine sending my kids off on a school bus every day, wondering what they will hear, learn, encounter...scary thoughts!

I realize homeschooling is not for everyone and that is fine by me. :)  What makes me sad, though, are the parents who I hear everywhere I go saying, "I can't wait for school to start back up!  These kids are
driving me crazy!  All they do is fight!"  I know you know what I mean.  We ALL hear it.  It's like this new, sad trend; to wish your children away.  How horrible.

To those parents I would like to say so many things. Won't you regret not getting to know your children better someday?  Won't you miss out on so many things with them?  And about that fighting--who is raising them?  If you don't like the way your children are turning out, please look in the mirror.  And then spend more time with them. PARENT them. Love them by your actions, not just your words.  Yes, my boys get into little spats here and there.  But they don't FIGHT with each other. And it's quickly dealt with by Mom or Dad.

What a sad world to hear parents say they can't wait to be away from their children.  This is not the way God intended it!  It weighs heavy on my heart lately. We need to take time with our children every chance we get.  They will only be what we allow them to be.

Mark 10: 14 (NIV)
"When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them " Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of
God belongs to such as these. "



Misty, Simply Helping Him

Lately I've been striving to figure out how to balance my time. 

Between all the things I must do, the things God has laid on my heart and the things I like to do, there is very little time for error. 

I have to sit down and figure out a schedule that allows for everything on my to do list. I must prioritize so I do not miss the important every day things. 

How do you balance your time?


I'm open to tips! :)



Judith, WholeHearted Home

What is on my mind? At any given moment as I go through my day, all sorts of things are on my mind. 

Thinking thoughts that are honoring to God is my desire. Lately, I have been thinking back over the years of homeschooling. I was up in the attic where all the binders of seven who once diligently (or not so diligently) wrote out their schoolwork. Looking through these binders was like going down memory lane.

There were binders full of Bible verses that each child once wrote out, binders of Nature Studies with pressed leaves, beautifully colored (or not so beautifully colored) maps in the History binders. All sorts of binders. Lots of binders sat quiet now that school days are over.

Each day we started with a Bible lesson. Each child, now an adult is making choices. That is on my mind. Instead of just thinking, I turn my heart to praying for each individual who was once a child in our home.

Many of you still have homes filled with noise as you gather around the table each day to homeschool. Don't leave off teaching your children about the Lord because you are in a hurry to get school going and done. These school days are more fleeting than they seem as each day turns into months than years.

That's what's on my mind today.

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1 comment:

  1. a wonderful post. I enjoyed getting to know all of the lovely ladies featured here today. Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop xo

    ReplyDelete

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Mrs. Sarah Coller

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