Submission vs. Obedience -- Guest Post from Misty at Simply Helping Him

Thanks so much to Misty from Simply Helping Him for guest posting today while I'm in England. I love this thoughtful article she's blessed us with today, and fully endorse everything she's written here. Thanks for being a blessing, Misty!

Obedience and submission; did you know they are different? Do you know what they both mean? K.P. Yohannan describes these words in his book, "Touching Godliness", as this.

"Submission is a heart attitude toward authority, whereas obedience is an action."

As help meets we are called to obey our husbands, and we are also called to submit to their authority. Choosing to fall under my husband's authority because I'm "supposed to" does not mean I am submitting. That is a choice, and is obedience not submission. 

In order to submit to our husband's authority, our hearts must be changed. We must allow God to work on our hearts, to bring them to the place where we submit to our husbands. 

Submitting to our husbands does not mean we are going to allow them to walk over us. We are still part of a relationship, in which we both are a picture of Christ and the church. It takes more than one person to create that picture. We are accepting that our husbands are in authority by submitting to them. They are responsible for themselves, their wives and family. God will hold them accountable for how they handled their families. 

Our husbands are a measure of protection over us. As women, we tend to be more emotional and make decisions based on feelings. A marriage relationship functions through communication together. It is this relationship that we can be protected when our husband senses our emotions and feelings are affecting our decisions. Our marriages will be off-balance and never reach the place God intended, should our hearts not be aligned with God's will for us as help meets. 

Submission requires selflessness and humility. Our wants and wishes must be given up, should our husband's blessing not be given. Choosing to listen to him and give up these things, demands humility. Without humility, our hearts aren't truly submitting. We must remember that our husbands are human, just as we are. 

Should you believe that God's hand is in a decision you brought to your husband, then there are 3 things you should do.  

1. Pray.

Ask God to guide you in how to re-address the topic with your husband.

2. Humbly talk to your husband (in God's timing).

Sharing your heart and how God has brought this to your heart.

3. Wait.

God's timing is perfect. Ours is not. He will work on your husband's heart.

 

Remember, obedience is the action and submission is the humble, selfless heart behind the action.

We have an amazing opportunity in marriage! To watch God's plan for marriage unfold before our eyes, as the beautiful masterpiece He created!

May we all become part of this beautiful marriage picture that God planned from the beginning of time!

Misty @ Simply Helping Him

I am living life unfulfilled with my hubby (and our lil blessings).  He is a self-employed fisherman, and a Mainah through and through.  Thus, we live in Maine.

I love to write!  I love to talk, though for some reason, when I do about things of importance, something gets lost when I speak.  Thus, I blog at Simply Helping Him!

I thrive on music, coffee, sweet tea, hot tea, reading, and gardening in my "spare" time!
     

Country Yarn Vase: Guest Post by Tauna at Proverbial Homemaker

Thanks so much to Tauna at Proverbial Homemaker for guest posting today while I'm in England! Isn't this an adorable little craft? Make sure and pin it---then stop by Proverbial Homemaker to check out her excellent blog!

While we were on vacation last month, a sweet neighbor watered my gardens for me. I wanted to get her something nice but simple, so I thought I'd try an idea I saw on Pinterest and make her a vase with some flowers from the garden. 

This project is just right for my attention span and my level of skill, which is nothing to speak of. I love projects that look fancy but can be done in 15 minutes! I'm not sure where I saw the idea to begin with, but here is another example. 

Fortunately, I had all I needed on hand, including an empty bottle of coffee syrup and that giant skein of white yarn I bought years ago with the funny idea of knitting something. 

What you need:

• Yarn
• White school glue
• Tape
• Empty, clean bottle
• Scissors

My first attempt was a lazy one where I tried to skip removing the labels. Bad idea. They show through! Remove them.

Any yarn will do. Some people say the flat, thicker kind is better, but generic worked for me. Any tape is fine. I had packing tape available. Some people recommend hot glue but I found plain old white was fine. 

 

1. Tape the end of the yarn up toward toward the opening. 

2. Start by drawing a line of glue where you want the yarn to go and adhering it, pausing to set when needed. Proceed around the bottle.

 

  3. Soon you can lay down blocks of glue like this and wind the yarn around quicker. 

 

  4.When you finish a block, press the strands down to close the gaps. The yarn is very forgiving, so you can fix the straightness as you go or at the end.

5. Wind to the end, close all gaps and straighten strands, and let dry!

 

  See where I got a little eager to take a picture and didn't close the gaps correctly on the neck of the bottle? Don't do that! ;)

I may try a couple more in different colors to make a set of three. It would look pretty on a mantle or as a centerpiece. 

This might be a fun project for you or your kids to do with some scrap yarn and empty bottles! 

Tauna @ Proverbial Homemaker

Tauna loves her family and loves God.  She has been married for 7 years and has 4 young children.  She writes at Proverbial Homemaker, so named because, as she says, "me becoming a wife, mom, and homemaker proves that anything is possible with God."

Follow Hope In Every Season's board Craft Ideas on Pinterest.

The Homemaking Party

Nope, you're not seeing things!  That really is baby Brenna there on the left sitting up!!!  Where does the time go? She and big sister Kynthia are best friends!

I'm headed to England bright and early Thursday morning! To say I'm excited is totally an understatement! If you haven't already, make sure and check out my dresses and accessories for the Jane Austen Festival on yesterday's Make Bake Create party!

Also, stay tuned for some very special guest bloggers.  Some of my friends have agreed to keep my blog alive while I'm gone---thanks so much friends!

Now it's time for the party!

Make Bake Create #24: Regency Dresses & Accessories for My Trip to England!

  

Welcome to this week's Make Bake Create Party! 5 hosts...5 blogs---SWEET! Meet your hosts:

We would love for you to follow us on Google+!

Bubbly Nature Creations
Hope In Every Season

Mommy Hates Cooking

The Creative Princess

The Rookie Seamstress

Many of my readers know I am headed off to England early Thursday morning!  I'm so excited!  I'll be attending the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, touring historical "Austenish" sites in Bath, Winchester, and Chawton, and spending four days in London to study historical costume design and tour awesome places like the Victoria & Albert Museum and Kensington and Buckingham Palaces!  Stay tuned for lots of pictures!

I've finished up some of my sewing for the trip and thought you all would enjoy seeing what I made!

 I wish I had a mannequin to display these better but you get the general idea.  Here is the dress I'll be wearing during the Jane Austen Festival Costumed Promenade in Bath.  

 I made a very simple day dress using Mrs. Jennie Chancey's Regency Dress Pattern from Sense & Sensibility Patterns.  It was very easy for me to adjust to my own size.

I actually made the dress to fit as a maternity dress since I am in my maternity clothes way more than my regular clothes!

My husband made me these gorgeous crocheted fingerless gloves from the Sense & Sensibility Patterns' Queen Anne's Lace pattern.  Aren't they sweet?  He also made me this necklace to wear with my dress.

I made this reticule to use at both the promenade and the Regency Ball.  You can read more about how I made this on today's earlier post.  I used an antique mob cap that I found at a recent yard sale!

 Here is the ball gown I made for the Regency Ball. 

The overlay is made from my Mom's curtain panels!

She wanted to do the Gone With the Wind thing---so I indulged her!  I think it turned out awesome!

Oh, I almost forgot!  

I also made this pretty headband to wear with my ball gown.  

The jewels are from my Grammy's collection of early 1900s costume jewelry.

It's going to be a blast!  

Now for the link up.  I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone's got to share. I won't have features up until after my England trip! Busy, busy!!

Follow our Make Bake Create Party Pin Board where we will be pinning the projects linked up here!  

* Be sure to include The Make Bake Create button or text link to in your linked post; this is recommended in order to be featured!




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American Pickers Contest with Capri Sun Big Pouch #CapriSunPickers #CAMPAIGN #shop #cbias

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.  All opinions are honest and are my own.

One of my very favorite hobbies is to go "thrifting". I love to scour yard sales, estate sales, thrift stores, and church-owned shops for vintage treasures to either use in my own home or sell in my Etsy shop online. A few weeks ago, I came across this great collection of 19th century mob caps, removable collars, and lengths of crocheted lace.  I was so thrilled by the beauty of the find.  To top it off, I got the whole lot for only 50 cents!  Keep reading to find out what I did with them and how you can turn your own great finds into some awesome prizes---including a messenger bag made with empty Capri Sun Big Pouches.

Some call it "thrifting", others call it "junking".  Mike Wolfe, creator and star of American Pickers on History, calls it "picking".  He's created a contest where you can show off your own great "pick" and win some fabulous prizes!

Besides the grand prize, a trip to Nashville to go on a pick with him and visit his store, you could also win a great picking kit that includes a messenger bag, magnifying glass, journal, and more---as well as some Capri Sun Big Pouch drinks to enjoy.  Our family likes to take Capri Sun to the park when we meet for our weekly homeschool sports day.  It's a refreshing drink to include in a sack lunch and definitely quenches a big thirst.  Some of our favorite flavors are Capri Sun Big Pouch Fruit Punch and Capri Sun Big Pouch Maui Cooler.

One of the reasons why I'm successful at my thrifting adventures is because I know what essentials I'll need to get the job done.  Here's my own idea of a picking kit:

• a list of addresses that I've procured online the night before (I always put a star next to the estate sales so I can hit them first)
• a watch to make sure I'm not showing up early at a sale (I consider this rude to the ones trying to set up)
• a phone for taking pictures of my finds and for navigating my way around an unfamiliar neighborhood
• sunglasses and a cool drink for hot days
• and, of course, cash in small bills and coins.

Want to see what I did with my awesome crocheted finds?  

I'm headed to England this Thursday and am putting together a costume for the Jane Austen Festival in Bath.  I laced a long crocheted ribbon through the edging of one mob cap to make a handle, added a gold ribbon, and made myself a little reticule to carry my camera and cash in during the Regency Ball!

It's easy to enter the Capri Sun Pickers contest.  Just provide some contact information, upload a picture of your "pick", and write a short (150 words max.) essay about your find.  I have outlined the process in a little more detail on my Google+ album.

I'd love to hear about the neat things you've found while out picking---let me know!

Pumpkin Banana Bread for the Homemaking Party

(Whoa! You're not hallucinating...this picture is blurry!  Well...I can't be wonderful all of the time!  You get the general idea, right?)

There is never a shortage of bananas in our house! Some of the kids love to eat them with breakfast, and I always buy extra for baking.  Our two favorite breakfast breads are banana and pumpkin---so I thought, why not mix them!

This bread turned out so moist and soft---and everyone loved it!

Blessed at Home #17: When to Let Go

Thank you for stopping by our 17th week of Blessed At Home.  Please visit the Contributor Page to read more about this excellent ministry from some of your favorite homemaking bloggers.

Today's featured contributor is Meghan from First Comes Love. 

Meghan @ First Comes Love


Meghan is an English major undergrad – law school graduate turned homeschooling stay-at-home mother of six. She considers herself blessed to have given up what could have been a lucrative law career for the only opportunity she will ever have to guide, nurture, and love the precious blessings the Lord has given her and her husband. She’s living the dream she didn’t know she had. 
Meghan and her husband have been married over twenty years, and their three boys and three girls range in age from thirteen years to two years. Blessed that her husband loves to cook for his family J, she strives every day to create a loving and peaceful environment for her family with her words, attitudes, and actions.
The Lord has also given her a passion for writing uplifting and inspirational fiction, and she scribbles out her stories of hope (praying for eventual publication) during the quiet moments of naptime. In addition to reading classics and contemporary Christian fiction, she sews for her girls, laughs and plays with the children, endeavors to grow closer to the Lord so as to see His will more clearly, homeschools alongside her students, and helps her husband as he tackles the challenges of raising a family for the Lord.

Named from the Biblical command to love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds, her blog First Comes Love, focuses on homeschooling, homemaking, big families, and pleasing the Lord in all we do.

Today's topic is, When to Let Go.

Jennifer, Mama Economics

As our family continues to grow closer to the Lord, the more we realize that God's word is perfect. His word applies to us just as much today as it did when Jesus walked the earth. Sad to say, we often get caught up in the legalities of how our family should live for the Lord, that we often lose sight of actually living for the Lord. This weeks Blessed at Home topic couldn't be more timely for our family as we are learning just what it means to know 'when to let things go'. How true God's word is when He tells us 'to everything there is a season'.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. ~Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV)

Our family is in the throes of learning when and how to let go. This does not come easy for us, especially as we have lived a relatively structured and sheltered life for the past 10 years. We have immersed ourselves in God's word, seeking to honor and obey all of God's laws and commands, only to come up short. You see, it is impossible to live up to God's standards. There was only one perfect being to walk the face of this earth and it was Jesus. With Christ interceding for us, we do not have to live in bondage to the 'laws'. Yes, we should obey God and continue to read His word, but our focus should be living a life of service with joy and peace in our hearts.

There are so many areas in our life where opportunities may arise for us to respectfully 'let go'. Sometimes God allows us to go through certain seasons to teach us humility, long-suffering, and a plethora of other godly characteristics. When there is angst and discord in our lives, we should pray, read the Bible, and do a personal evaluation of our current circumstances to see if there are situations or environments that we may need to separate ourselves from. As followers of the One True God, we are not destined to live a life of bondage. God set us free by giving us His Son as our Precious Redeemer.

Removing yourself from certain lifestyle choices or circumstances does not mean you are giving up or foregoing your convictions, it simply means you have chosen to take a different path. I am guilty of worrying about what others will think or say about me if I choose an alternative path than the one I'm currently walking; but I have to look towards Christ and trust that He is leading me no matter what it may look like to an outsider. So I encourage you today, if you find yourself at a crossroad, do not fear the change-- for God has made it perfectly clear, to everything there is a season.

With Love,

Jennifer

Christy

As mothers, our goal is to raise healthy, intelligent, responsible, independent, God-loving children who grow into adults with these same qualities. 

After years of training and nurturing our children, it is hard to know when to let go.

I think it is easier on everyone if we let go a little at a time, starting from early on. We should not make every decision for them, but instead help guide them and teach them how the choices we all make affect our lives.

I always say, "choose your battles, mom!" Let them start with small decisions when they are young and gradually give them the freedom to decide more important things as they mature. We need to trust them and give them some opportunities to make good choices. They will learn and get stronger from their choices.


The hardest part of being a mother with grown children is knowing when to let go.

Misty, Simply Helping Him

Knowing when to let go has never been easy for me. Don't get me wrong I've walked away from many things, but I don't think I knew for all of them that it was time for me to let go. 

The few times I knew 100% that it was time to let go were after much time in prayer seeking the Lord. 

If your spirit is not at peace or you're wondering if a particular venture is God's will for you, then start right and seek Him. He will guide you when you seek Him with your whole heart. 

Meghan, First Comes Love

When to Let Go

When worry wiggles its way into life, consuming thoughts, attitudes, and decisions…let it go.

When past hurts haunt the nights and fill the days with difficulty…let it go.

When prayers return with the continued refrain of “no”…let it go.

When habit becomes distracting or harmful…let it go.

When thinking leads astray of whatever is true, noble, and pure…let it go.

When any activity or practice distracts from the glory of God…let it go.

Linking with:
Wisdom Wednesdays @Simply Helping Him
Winsome Wednesday @ My Daily Walk in His Grace
Whole-Hearted Home Wednesdays 
Encourage One Another @ Deep Roots at Home
A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Homemaking Link Up @ Raising Homemakers
Wednesday Link up at Adorned from Above
Home Link Up at Raising Arrows
Fit & Frugal Family Friday
Faithful Fridays

Pumpkin Pie Fudge: Make Bake Create #23

I am so ready for summer to be over and fall to begin!  A few years ago, Mom and I went to a Holiday bazaar and sampled some wonderful pumpkin fudge.  I've been wanting to recreate it and finally did this past weekend!  

Pumpkin Pie Fudge

3/4 c. butter

3 c. sugar

2/3 c. evaporated milk
1/2 c. pumpkin puree

2 T. corn syrup

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. each of cloves, nutmeg, ginger

12 oz. white chocolate chips

7 oz. marshmallow creme

1 tsp. vanilla

Line a 9x9 pan with foil and then butter it or spray with oil. Melt butter over medium heat.  Remove from heat and stir in sugar, milk, corn syrup, pumpkin, and spices.  Return to heat and stir constantly until mixture reaches 234 degrees on a candy thermometer.  (It is very important that it reaches this temp.)  Remove from heat and quickly stir in white chocolate chips, marshmallow creme, and vanilla.  Stir until all ingredients are completely melted and combined.  Pour into pan and let cool for several hours.

There were lots of great ideas and yummy food featured last week.  Here are a few of my favorites.  If you're featured, make sure to grab a "featured button" for your blog!

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Artsy VaVa is a regular featured blogger here but she just SO inspires me!  I love this cute memo board she made---and really love her cute story of all that went into it.  Want to know her secret? Check it out at Artsy VaVa!

I love fall and I'm so inspired and impressed by this awesome Burlap Leaf Table Runner from Purple Hues and Me.  You will be too when you see how simple it is to make!

As soon as I saw these Oreo Frogs from Made to Be a Momma, I knew I had to pin them!  How awesome---can't wait to make these for my kids!

Follow our Make Bake Create Party Pin Board where we will be pinning the projects linked up here!  

* Be sure to include The Make Bake Create button or text link to in your linked post; this is recommended in order to be featured!




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