Confessions of an Organized Homemaker by Deniece Schofield, is a homemaker’s dream. Whether or not you are naturally organized, this book will give you great tips and ideas for transforming any space in your house–no matter what the obstacles. Even better, Deniece outlines steps to train your mind to think more orderly and provides simple habits to teach even the most disorganized homemaker. Read the rest of this entry »
Every morning, I roll out of bed with this prayer surfacing in my foggy brain: “Lord, give me grace and strength for this day.” As I stir the cream and sugar into my coffee and look over the day’s agenda, I pray again, “Lord, I need your sufficient grace and daily mercies.” But, lately, it seems I’ve needed an extra shot of strength and grace and mercy.
Yesterday, as I began my routine–rolling out of bed with a fragmented prayer, stirring my coffee, looking over my day, opening my Bible for my morning devotions–I decided to turn to the concordance and find a few verses about strength. Isaiah 26:4 was among the verses listed. I drowsily turned to that passage and read the chapter, a song of Isaiah.
“Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.” Isaiah 26:4
I paused, meditated, absorbed the thoughts and meaning packed into that small verse: “I AM everlasting strength.” His is a strength I can depend on to fight my battles for me, to come to my defense, to meet my needs when no one else observes them. His is a strength I can count on to always be there, even before I am aware that I need it; to never run out or reach its limit; to sustain when nothing else can. He is more strength than I will ever need–strength enough to create life, to sustain life, to be life. And his strength, rather than being depleted by my need, is made more perfect, more complete, in my weakness. Truly, that is everlasting.
Perhaps, instead of rolling out of bed muttering anxiously, “Lord, I need…”, I should begin my day with the peaceful recognition, “Lord, YOU are…”
Intriguing as the Notebook sounds, its difficult at first to grasp just what the Notebook can do for you, and slightly overwhelming discovering where to start. To help you out, here is a list of possibilities. Check it out regularly, because I’ll keep adding to it as I hear your great ideas. Read the rest of this entry »
A great book, the author Stephanie Nelson had me by the title. Who doesn’t want to cut their grocery bill in half? New to the couponing realm, I was interested in any techniques that would help me trim our expenses. What I found in the pages of this book was inspiring as well as revolutionary. Read the rest of this entry »
“She looketh well to the ways of her household.” Proverbs 31:27
I have been blessed with the most organized husband, but the challenge in our marriage has been to keep an organized home for him (especially since my nature does not tend to organization). Because of this, I am always on a quest for the best, most efficient, most orderly methods of running a home. My most recent discovery has gotten me very behind on my blogging schedule but has made a significant difference in managing my home. It’s called the “household notebook.” I discovered the concept quite by accident as I perused different organization blogs on the internet. Now, it’s taken our world by storm and helped me to assemble, piece-by-piece, an orderly home. Read the rest of this entry »
It seems that no matter what our responsibilities are, getting the daily household chores done is always a challenge. Thankfully, depending on a person’s personality, there are a number of different methods to help us face the challenges of keeping house.
The following are some methods that may make your life easier. See if you can find the routine that is the perfect match for you.
Scrubbing bathtubs is my household nemesis. How I dread scrubbing a tub, and some lingering tendonitis always makes the chore more bothersome. That is, until a friend reminded me of the “magic” in my closet.
I have used the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for a number of tough chores through the house (and with great results I might add)–from gelatin stains on my kitchen counters to crayon and scuff marks on the walls. But I had never thought of taking the magic to my bathrooms! Whoila! The bathtub nearly wiped clean, no hard scrubbing. Even the grout between my floor tiles took on a new color!
The sponge can be used multiple times, as well. Either cut off the ragged part; or rinse, dry, and reuse. I was able to do both my bathrooms twice with one sponge. Try it out, and see if it doesn’t convince you to don a black cape and tall hat.
- For special offers, visit http://www.mrclean.com/en_US/special-offers.do.
- For more quick tips, check out the Quick Tips category link or click here.
Those front teeth are the hardest to brush. To get your toddler to cooperate, have him sing a song with lots of sounds that get his mouth in the right position (“oo” and “ee” sounds). “Hey, Diddle-Diddle” works great for us.
There’s no doubt. Throughout Proverbs 31, the virtuous woman has been an encourager. You can sense that she is enjoyable to be around, a delight. Her husband safely trusts in her, the needy are helped by her, her husband is known in the gates because of her, and her speech is kind and wise. She is a pleasure to be around because of her encouraging spirit, her desire to “lift up” others around her, no matter who they are or what they’re state may be.
Though we all enjoy being around people who are happy and uplifting, it is often difficult to be that person. After all, surrounded by sin and its gruesome consequences, even a Christian with the hope of Christ has to work hard at focusing on that hope. When everyday seems more hopeless than the last in this spiral toward Tribulation, it is often much easier to point to the sin and destruction than it is to point to the Savior. But the secret to this uplifting focus is not in what we do nor even in what we focus on. The secret lies in the One who dwells within us. Read the rest of this entry »
