Friday Five - June 1st

It's time for the Friday Five, and here are five of my favorites from around the web:

1.This is Lennon 12 and Maisy 8 singing their version of Jason Mraz's I Won't Give Up. These girls are truly amazing. The Stella sisters :) When I saw their talent, I knew it was something that I had to share!




2. $2.99 or Less - 299orLess.net
I hope you don't mind if I share a link of my own? I just opened a second website called $2.99 or Less that offers affordable Christian eBooks. I thought it would be a great place to showcase authors while offering readers a great deal. All eBooks are $2.99 or less, and I'll be adding as many freebies as I can! 
If you want to receive regular updates, sign up to have them delivered to your inbox. There's a subscriber's form in the right-hand sidebar. 

3. Strawberry Jell-o Poke Hole Cake - Allergy Free
Doesn't this look like a delicious treat for summer? Yum!

4. Joy Sings "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." 
Grace Full Mama encourages women to give up on trying to do what everyone else is doing and embrace your God given talents. It's a good read for women who tend to compare. What's your thing?

5. Raspberry-Coconut Popsicles

With real fruit accompanied by naturally sweet coconut milk and honey, this is a homemade treat you can feel great about serving your kids. Or yourself. And you don't need popsicle molds to make them either, since these ones are made in dixie cups. Brilliant!




You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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Printable Calendar for June

The printable calendar is ready for June! The page has the month at a glance, plus the following sections to write in:

• To Do's - Things you need to do today
• Hope To Do's - Additional things you'd like to do if time permits
• Prayer Requests 
• Reminders 
• Bible Reading - What you plan to read in the Bible or a verse that comes to mind
• Groceries
• Thinking Ahead - Goals or future commitments
• People to Call

Each page is intended for daily use, therefore I'd recommend printing off several at a time.

And if you haven't checked it out yet, take a look at my weekly housekeeping schedule. It's a great way to get the house clean and keep it looking that way!

If you would like to view or download the printable,
just click the link below the image. (Original is a full-sized page).

Printable Calendar for June 2012

If you are an email subscriber, and have trouble viewing the links, click through to the website at: Time-Warp Wife.

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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Check out The Good Wife's Guide, now available in paperback.

The Heart of Simplicity - Book Review

The Heart of Simplicity:

Foundations For Christian Homemaking

From the hearts of over a dozen Christian women…to yours

I was handed a copy of this eBook a few weeks ago when one of the contributing authors asked me if I'd be willing to review it. Knowing that Jennifer Ross was involved I was interested enough to at least check it out. I already enjoy her blog and I loved her homemaking DVD, which is why this book intrigued me, and besides that I recognized a few of the other writers as well.

First off, I have to say that whoever chose the writing team for this project is brilliant. She knows talent when she sees it and after reading through the book, so do I. In every chapter I found myself clicking through links to see who the author was.

I started highlighting some of my favorite parts, and when all was said and done I was left with little more than a yellow manuscript. I couldn't possibly share them all with you, but I will share a few of my favorite lines:

When we realize that we must come to the end of ourselves to gain through Him, our vision is clear, our strength is renewed, and our joy is made full. Homemaking truly is a beautiful calling that brings joy beyond words.


Men tend to have a great need to be respected and the Scriptures are very clear that wives must respect their husbands. The way we behave from day to day with our husbands says a lot about our love for them.

The issue here is not “his role vs. my role.” It’s forgetting that even though we fill different roles within the marriage, we need to fill those roles in such a way that our lives are intertwined with each other, instead of running next to each other, like parallel lines.


Our homes should be places of rest and security. In a hostile and busy world, marriage should be a sanctuary. The culture we live in has abandoned the sanctity of marriage, largely because we have abandoned God and His heart for marriage.

As mothers, our hope is to be clothed in strength for the coming days. As I age and the influence of my life continues on into my children and their children and their children’s children, my hope is that they will know their grandmother trusted in the Lord and had a heart towards heaven. 


Instead of just raising “good little kids,” I pray that we will raise dangerous men and daring daughters who will expand the kingdom of God. Our kids are like arrows . . . but they need to be sharpened and aimed and released . . . so they can hit God’s bulls-eye mark.

From the Website...

Today’s typical lifestyle is marked by busyness, consumerism, and stress. We, as women, often complain that there’s not enough time to “do it all.”

Do we suffer from a lack of time? No. We suffer from a lack of eternal perspective.

How we invest our time on earth will impact eternity in a million ways. Join over a dozen Christian women as we learn how to simplify our lives from the inside out and build homemaking foundations focused on Christ.

When we are faithful to focus on what is truly essential in our homemaking, we can build an eternal legacy... one simple day at a time.

Find out more about the book and meet the writers at, The Heart of Simplicity:

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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God Equips Those He Calls

"God Doesn't Call the Equipped

He Equips Those He Calls."

~ Author Unknown

If you saw Women Living Well's post the other day you might have read that a few bloggers, including myself were approached by a production company who is interested in the possibility of doing a TV show or a documentary. At this point we're only in the "talking/thinking" stages. Whether anything will actually come of it is for God to decide. Where He leads I'll follow.

When the letter came in asking whether I'd consider the possibility, I brushed it off the same way I brushed off an interview from a New York magazine the week before until they approached me again. My first reaction was that it couldn't possibly be serious, and the second was that I'm inadequate to take on a task of this magnitude. About a week and a half ago the phone rang--it was them. They were indeed serious. After an hour long conversation they wanted to proceed to a Skype interview.

At this point I was impressed to leave the door open, but at the same time I had resolved that I didn't have it in me to do this, after all, I'm an average, middle-aged mom from the prairie. What could they possibly want with me? I'm not skinny enough, I'm not young enough, I'm not pretty enough, I'm not confident enough, I'm not experienced enough, I'm not eloquent enough... and the list goes on...

Friday afternoon I felt compelled to open my daily devotion. The feeling was stronger than it is most days--much stronger--I couldn't help but wonder if God was trying to tell me something. After reading it through I knew that He was.

God Calling May 25th

There will be no limit to what you can accomplish. Realize that. Never relinquish any task or give up the thought of any task because it seems beyond your power, only if you see it is not My Will for you. This I command you.

Think of the tiny snowdrop-shoot in the hard ground. No certainty even that when it has forced its weary way up, sunlight and warmth will greet it.

What a task beyond its power that must seem. But the inner urge of Life within the seed compelling it, it carries out that task. The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto this.

The bottom line in all of this is that I've learned an important life lesson: my strength doesn't lie in human wisdom, but in God's power alone. This life isn't about me it's about Him. It doesn't matter whether I'm skinny enough, young enough, pretty enough, confident enough, experienced enough, or eloquent enough, all that matters is that I'm ready and willing to be used as He desires to lead. Whether that means He calls me to further consider this or He leads me in a brand new direction tomorrow I must learn that's it's no longer I that liveth, but Christ that liveth in me.

You know what girl? That same message is here for you too. Don't ever let this world get you down. If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, you are a vessel of an almighty God who is able to bring you to and through any situation that you come across. Whether a task is big or small, be ready and willing to answer His call.

Since Paul says it so much better than I ever could, I'd love to close with his words:

And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. ~ 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, NIV

Today and every Tuesday, I want to invite bloggers to link-up any blog posts that will encourage women to joyfully live out their roles as wives and keepers of their homes I'm looking for posts on marriage, parenting, housekeeping, recipes, etc.

All you have to do is enter the direct link from your post into the linky tool below!

I'd also like to ask you to link back here with the Titus 2sday code (below) so that other bloggers can join in too!

<a href="http://www.time-warp-wife.blogspot.com" ><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ij6epohaF0o/T4OB2ZqKG_I/AAAAAAAADN0/g8S45WNKTb8/s1600/TuesdaysButton.jpg" /></a>

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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Author of The Good Wife's Guide, available as an eBook or paperback.

Quick 'N Easy Pasta Salad

Blessed is the home
of a woman who joyfully serves,
offering gifts
by the work of her hands.

When I'm asked to bring a salad to dinner, my first choice is usually my "Quick 'N Easy Pasta Salad." I have to say that it's one of my family's top five when it comes to the dishes I make, and the best thing is that it's probably the easiest dish to make too.

With a little help from my kids who enjoy washing veggies, chopping tomatoes and crumbling cheese, we can have this salad made in the time it takes to boil the pasta!

Ingredients:  

4 C dry fusili noodles (more if you want a larger salad)
1 C red pepper
1 green pepper
½ C red onion
2 cups of broccoli florets
3 tomatoes
500 ml feta cheese (because we like lots)
1 Bottle of Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing

Procedure:

Boil the pasta.

While the pasta is cooking, wash and chop your vegetables and put them into a large bowl.

Once the pasta is done, rinse with cool water and add to the vegetables. If pasta isn't completely cool, refrigerate for about 20 minutes before adding the feta.

Drain the feta, and crumble into the salad.

Toss all ingredients together.

Add salad dressing to taste just before serving.

Note: Some people prefer to add the dressing and let it sit n the fridge for a while. I prefer to add it just before or while serving.

Hope you and your family enjoy!

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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In participation with: 

Friday Five! May 25th

It's a new week, and here are five of my favorites from around the web:

1. Knot No-Hem Shorts - Crafty Critique

Add some style to Bermuda shorts with Crafty Critique's Knot-No Hem tutorial. I love how cute these are!

These are SO EASY to make. Right after posting the blog I grabbed a pair of Madison's jeans and I was done in 30 minutes from start to finish.

2. The Unveiled Wife - How Facebook Almost Destroyed My Marriage

I started having this strange feeling that something wasn’t right. I had my husband’s password to his account (because we trust each other and wanted to be accountable) on Facebook. So about 11:30am during the weekday(with a strong feeling), I logged on his account and looked at his messages. What I didn’t realize was he was chatting with her right then! I stopped breathing for a second, I felt my whole world spin out of control. Read more...

3. Mini Cherry Pies - How Adorable are These?

After taking a look at these mini cherry pies, my mind started to wander... apple pie, pumpkin pie, coconut cream pie... the possibilities are endless. I definitely want to try making mini coconut cream! 

Visit What You Giveaway You Keep for a recipe and tutorial on these babies!

4. Father's Day Cookies - Somewhat Simple

Somewhat Simple offers a few creative ideas for making Father's Day Cookies. So cute!

5. Humbling the Grumbling - Cross Moms

I am realizing that when I do clean up the house and cook dinner, etc… and I don’t receive the “praises,” I tend to exude a tit-for-tat attitude, and I take on a selfish tone when someone asks me to do something for them. I then justify my response by thinking that I’m not going to raise any lazy children who won’t do for themselves! If they’re not going to help me—huh! I’m not going to help them.

But here is where the frying pan recently whacked me over the head: Read more...

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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