Time-Warp Wife - Empowering Wives to Joyfully Serve

Friday Five!

2012-03-02T00:25:00.002-06:00

Sharing five favorites from around the web!!

1. Turn a closet into a reading nook.

This is one of the coolest projects that I've seen. I absolutely love this one! Pretty Handy Girl offers a full tutorial with great photos. Love it!

2. Rock it. Work it. Love it. - Fridays at Peak313

Rock it: Things you can wear, stuff with hair, fashion etc

Work it: Things you can cook, create, make or do!!

Love it: Articles, blogs, music etc that she loves!

Clare shares all three every Friday at Peak313!

3. At Home With Kim:

At Home With Kim is about sharing all of the lessons,
recipes, tips and tricks to being our best and managing our homes.

One of my favorite features on Kim's blog is a weekly series she hosts called, "Behind the Blog."

And guess who she's featuring this week? Me!! I'll tell you right now that it's one of most enjoyable interviews that I've ever had.

So if you want to find out more about this woman behind Time-Warp Wife, visit me over at Kim's site for "Behind the Blog!"

4. DIY Pallet Reading Bed

When I came accross this reading bed, I was blown away by the creativity. And after checking out the tutorial I was amazed at how simple it was to put together.

I would love to see this sitting in a cabin, if only I had a cabin! ;)

Easy to follow instructions at:
Under The Sycamore

5. JJ Heller Boat Song

Unbelievable voice! Wow, this girl has talent, and the video is so cute. I love her! This was filmed in her dining room, and was directed and edited by her husband, David Heller, who evidently is also loaded with talent!

Visit her website at: www.jjheller.com

Note: I won't be having Friday Five for a couple of weeks while we're doing the Esther study, but I will bring it back again. Hope you enjoyed this weeks pics!

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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Esther - A Three-Week Study

2012-03-01T14:58:00.001-06:00

Starting this Monday, March 5th, 2012, I'll be presenting a three-week study on the book of Esther!

The book of Esther is a beautiful story of one woman who courageously gave of herself for the will of God and His people. Women like you and I can glean inspiration from her strength, wisdom and her dignity as we face our fears and boldly stand before the throne of our God.

You don't need to purchase a book as our study comes straight from the Bible. We'll be looking at the ten chapters of Esther over a period of three weeks. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I will give you my notes on a chapter along with thought-provoking questions. You can copy and print off each post if you like, or jot down the questions into a notebook along with your own study notes.

The study is scheduled as follows:

Week One:
March 12 - Chapter 1
March 14 - Chapter 2
March 16 - Chapter 3

Week Two:
March 19 - Chapter 4
March 21 - Chapter 5
March 23 - Chapter 6

Week Three:
March 26 - Chapter 7
March 28 - Chapter 8
March 30 - Chapter 9

Last Chapter:
April 2 - Chapter 10

If you don't have a Bible, you can use one online at BibleGateway.com.

I'm very excited to get into this chapter with you. Get your pencils sharpened for Monday!

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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How to Prepare for Sickness

2012-02-29T22:16:00.003-06:00

Weekly Contributor, Kim Brenneman

When a family is sick the house can quickly turn into a mess. It can be overwhelming and discouraging. When we get sick too it is hard to have the energy to deal with it all. It is very nice to know how to have a house prepared for illness. If the messes that can happen are prevented by our preparation ahead of time then we are able to rest and heal ourselves.

It’s easier to plan for sickness when you know what’s coming. For instance, the first trimester of pregnancy or post partum or if you know you’re prone to be put on bed rest. Some things you can see coming and try to prepare for. If you know you’ve been exposed to a bad bug, you can prepare for the worst. Best is to always have a plan to act on whether you know sickness might come or for when it blindsides you.

It helps to always have a well-stocked medicine cabinet, a variety of herbal teas, and essential oils for various illnesses. We love Gypsy Cold Care by Traditional Medicines. Throat Coat by Traditional Medicines is great for a sore throat. Peppermint essential oil is good for headaches, clearing the sinuses, and a drop in water or tea feels good on a sick tummy.
Keep your old towels tucked away for when the stomach flu hits, use them to protect the mattress, floor, layer the crib with, and to put over pillows. Many times over the years I have had multiple children lying on towels in the living room with a trash can beside each one. We listened to audio books and they slept on and off through the days. Audio seems to better than television, I think because the moving images upset the sick tummy. When a person is sick the noise of the TV is also more annoying than listening to an audio book.
For a child with a very upset tummy I make a “nest” in the bathroom beside the toilet. I will lay down an old comforter for softness and cover it with towels.
Always keep frozen homemade chicken broth in the freezer. That’s one of the big reasons I make chicken and broth every Kitchen Day. Chicken broth feels so good when you are sick. Serve it plain with sea salt for the stomach flu. Spice it up with pepper flakes for the head cold. Add lemon juice and coconut milk for a sore throat.
How to keep the house from getting trashed? Keep everything as restricted as possible. Keep yourself and all your sick trash, Kleenex, trash can, books, towels, tea cups, etc. in one place. Don’t move your “sick bed” around. Stay put. Assign other people to one spot also for their sickness. The well people must do the work and do no messy activities that would require lots of clean up. The basics are keeping the dishes up, the bathrooms clean, and the “sick laundry” caught up.
When people start to recover, they must start doing their chores as usual. Do them slow but at least do them. (This is where I went wrong last time we were sick. The people that were getting better started to get out all their messy activities and not pick them up. Legos, stuffed animals, art supplies, toy farm animals, magazines and books were spread everywhere.)
Your family also needs to be prepared, “When we get sick, this is proper protocol…” and then keep your list of “proper protocol” in your Home Management Book or posted inside a cupboard door for a reference point.
Simply having a Home Management Book with your routines and every little detail of what you should do next during your days is helpful. When your brain is in a fog you can simply look at the book and it will tell you what the next thing is. It helps you know what to do without thinking. Even with low energy and frequent breaks, keep doing the next thing. If you don’t have a Home Management Book to tell you what to do then you can have a lot of real mental anxiety looking around at all the mess.
Your daily schedule should be posted big and bold. When your children are off their routine you can take them to the chart and tell them where they should be and what they should be doing. If you don’t have one up then they will continue to flounder about until they get caught up in a project which may or may not be helpful to life under control.
You may need to take a day of extra housecleaning to get things back up to snuff or an extra laundry day. Cancel or shorten your Town Day or Office Day to make room for extra cleaning and laundry.

The best preparation for being sick is to simply have your household systems running smoothly so that things don’t completely fall off the track and are easy to get up and running again. Being sick is messy business but with some forethought you can be prepared.

Blessings,

Kim Brenneman

Kim is the joyful wife of Matt and the blessed mother of nine children.

When not busy homeschooling and farmschooling, she enjoys writing, gardening, cooking, reading, sewing, and crafting.

Kim lives on a farm in Iowa where her family grows beef cattle, corn and beans, and operates a micro-dairy selling cheese at farmer’s markets. She loves to write and speak about her passion for home and family. She is the author of Large Family Logistics: The Art and Science of Managing the Large Family. She blogs about the same subject at:
http://largefamilylogistics.blogspot.com.

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Loads of Laundry Inspiration

2012-02-28T23:05:00.000-06:00

Since we all have differing personalities, it only makes sense that the decor we choose for our home will vary one from another. We often see this in the kitchen as couples tend to put a lot of thought into what they want this room to look like. I know that I enjoy having a window above my sink for when I'm washing dishes. And anyone who walks into the room can't help but notice the deep red wall, and the hand-painted table that reflect my love for rich colors.

But what do our laundry rooms say about us? Most of them probably say, "I don't want to be in this room a minute longer than I have to!" To be honest, mine's kind of screaming that right now. I did get to the point a week ago where it was tidied up nicely and the laundry was well under way, but it's yet to have that splash of TLC that draws me in and gives me a feeling of comfort.

One of the first things I noticed when I joined Pinterest were the photos of creative and cheerful laundry rooms. It was so breathtaking that I dug a bit further to seek out a few more. Wow--was I surprised at some of the amazing work spaces that I found--and inspired!! Who knew that laundry could be so luxurious? Not me!

The space we have doesn't have to be cramped, crowded, dingy, and dusty. Even if we only have a corner of the basement, there are so many ways that we can spruce it up with a little organization and creativity. Here are a few breath-taking photos to get you inspired and hopefully give you an idea or two. Let's face it, ladies. Laundry doesn't have to be dull, it can be loads of fun!

Laundry Rooms:

Decor Ideas:

Vital Inspiration:

All Images from Pinterest.com

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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Visit me over at "The Better Mom" today where I'm sharing an article called, "A Time to Plant ~ A Time to Pluck Up"...

We finally dealt with “it” this past year. My oldest son Brendan moved out and got his own apartment. While this was an exciting time for him, it brought my husband and me to a place of unfamiliar ground.

You always know the day will come, but you don’t expect it to arrive as quickly as it does.
All I can do is trust God that this season of his life will be every bit as exciting as the last, and each one before that. In fact there has never been a chapter in his life that I haven’t enjoyed as much that first moment I held his newborn flesh next to mine. Read more...

How to Teach Our Daughters ~ And a Titus 2sday Linkup!

2012-02-27T19:57:00.000-06:00

We need to teach our daughters
to distinguish between:

A man who flatters her
and a man who compliments her.

A man who spends money on her
and a man who invests in her.

A man who views her as property
and a man who views her properly.

A man who lusts after her
and a man who loves her.

A man who believes he is God’s gift to women
and a man who remembers a woman was God’s gift to man.

And then teach our boys to be that kind of man.

~ Author Unknown

Note: I have just added FOUR extra chapters (56 pages) to "The Good Wife's Guide!" And the paperback version is coming out in a couple of weeks!

P.S. If you have purchased the eBook and would like an updated copy, please email me. This is only for readers who have previously purchased the eBook.

If you'd like to leave a comment, visit Time-Warp Wife on facebook. It's a great source of fun and fellowship!!

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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, or recipes.

1. Enter the direct link from your post into the linky tool below!

2. Please link back here with the {TITUS 2}SDAYS code (below) so that other bloggers can join in too!

3. Enjoy each other's fellowship, and have fun!

FAQ:
Can I use an old post, or do I need to use a current one?You can absolutely use an older post if you feel that the post is a great fit for this meme. Have fun!

If Life Gets Too Hard to Stand, Kneel

2012-02-26T17:45:00.000-06:00

(Quote by Gordon B. Hinckley, Image Source Unknown)

It was God's way of whispering, "I want to spend this moment with you."

I knew exactly what that whisper meant as my mind traveled back a few weeks to an evening of loneliness when all I could do was drive, and pray, and wipe the tears from my cheeks.

Not a wound waiting to be healed. Not a space needing to be filled. A gift. A gift of alone time spent with my Lord. The gift itself wasn't the answer to prayer that came in the morning, confirming that He heard my hearts cry. No--it was that moment when my spirit of weakness was laid in His hands.

As Christians, we are called to convert our loneliness into solitude. We are called to experience our aloneness not as a wound but as a gift--as God's gift--so that in our aloneness we might discover how deeply we are loved by God. ~ Henri Nouwen

Every once in a while we find ourselves emotionally stripped, as all that life holds is swept away. We find ourselves kneeling at the feet of our Lord, grateful that He's there--His spirit a balm to our weary soul.

There have been times that I've felt this throughout my life, and like this time, each one has brought me a little closer to my Lord.

I pulled up in the driveway, and just before I stepped out of the car, the same feelings of loneliness crept up for a second--just a wee second--before a smile spread over my face.

"Your grace is sufficient for me Lord," I whispered to Him, "Thanks for this moment with You."

But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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Shout Outs:

Thank you to "The Cozy Nook" for blessing me with a great review of The Good Wife's Guide eBook!

Also thank you to "Blessed Beyond Measure" for another awesome review.
Visit Blessed Beyond Measure and enter to win a copy!

Friday Five: Featuring Five Favorites from Around the Web

2012-02-23T19:23:00.000-06:00

Here are my pics for this week from around the web:

1. A Biblical Portrait of Womanhood

This is a beautiful article from Raising Mighty Arrows, written by Kristi Howard:

What is "real" womanhood?

I find our culture in a sad state of confusion over the role and duty and demeanor of Womankind.

Is clothing meant to cover- or cajole?

Are men protectors- or predators?

Is home life a burden- or a blessing?

Rachel Lee Carter teaches women that real beauty radiates from within and that you don't have to dress drab to be modest. I have read several of her articles and love her heart for Jesus!

Here is a link to her site: Modeling Christ

On a similar note, one of my new sponsors (found in the left-hand sidebar) is:

"The Modest Mom: Combining Femininity with Fashion." If you like modest fashion, you might want to click through and see what products they have!

3. Love this Image from Pinterest!

Image Source Unknown

4. Karen Ehman: Live Your Priorities. Love Your Life.

Karen Ehman is the Director of the Proverbs 31 Ministries national speaking team and is a contributor to Focus on the Family's magazine Thriving Family. She has been described as profoundly practical, engagingly funny and downright real. Her passion is to provide women, wives and mothers with creative tools and doable ideas to help them both simplify life and glorify God.

This past year I've been getting to know Karen, and I couldn't agree more. Her blog is faith-focused while at the same time she's fun. I love this girl!

5. Being Intentional With Your Words

Angela from Good Morning Girls shared at post at The Better Mom called, "Being Intentional With Your Words." It's a great reminder of how our words can bless our children and that they crave them every bit as much as we do. Read the article here.

Visit Angela's blog: Good Morning Girls. Click on the photo to read the article at The Better Mom.

Thank You!

2012-02-23T17:43:00.000-06:00

My new eBook, The Good Wife's Guide is the #1 Top rated book in it's category at Amazon! I know that this is only due to God's grace and your continued support. So thank YOU so very much.

If you have enjoyed the book, please consider posting a review at Amazon.

Read a recent review from Noble Women For Christ.
And a 3 Book Giveaway from Proverbial Homemaker (Friday Feb. 24th only)

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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Five Fun Steps for Paper Organization

2012-02-21T19:27:00.000-06:00

Image from Countryhome.com

Weekly contributor, Kim Brenneman

I truly appreciate that we are becoming a paperless society. Every time I get the option for auto-paying the bills I take it. I like to get my receipts via email rather than more paper in the mailbox. But, I still have paper piles. Mostly because we have a fun rule at our house: each child has a day of the week assigned to them for special privileges and one of those privileges is getting the mail. That “special” child gets to look at the mail first. This rule is supposed to eliminate fighting but we do have to clarify some days what day of the week it is and who rightfully gets the fresh magazine.

If I’m not close by the mail gets dumped in a pile on my desk. That’s not a good thing for my desk. But it is good that the child is not sorting the mail over the trash can.

If you have paper pile troubles here is how we take care of paper, especially if I’m around when the paper comes into the house.

Assign a child to get the mail. This is a fun “grown-up” task to do. There is some hidden learning in this job. Sort the mail with the child and they learn to not fall for advertising. They want to know why you are throwing away the junk mail, why you aren’t entering a sweepstakes, what credit card junk mail is and why we don’t want credit cards. It is important of course that the child knows that only mom or dad get to throw away mail because sometimes important things appear to be junk mail.
I already alluded to it and it is very important in eliminating paper clutter. Sort the mail over the trash can. Immediately throw away the junk mail. Get it out of the house. Try to only handle mail one time and by sorting the trash out immediately you aren’t wasting time by sorting through a pile later on. If you’ve ever had to sort through a pile of junk mixed with important things you will know how freeing it is to just throw away the junk immediately. Freeing is fun!
Do you have a location for bills that need paid? Clean out a desk drawer, have a special file, basket, or box for them. The important thing is that you have a location for the bills. When the mail comes in the house put the bills in that place right away. If your daily schedule allows, you could assign a certain time period for the mail coming in, mail sorting, bill paying, and filing. If you pay the bills immediately when they come in the mail, you never get a late fee for forgotten things. Personally, I have a day of the week that I use for bill paying and other home office tasks. Do what works for you—the important thing is to just do it. A friend of mine told me that her father taught his children, and even his children’s friends, a handful of “life rules” said like a mantra at the supper table. One of the rules was “Pay all of your bills the first of every month”. Know where your bills are and pay them. Paid bills are liberating.
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. Romans 13:8
Some papers need to be kept around for awhile thus you need to file. Do you have piles? Remember I mentioned above that my children will put the mail on my desk if I’m not around? Not fun for me. When I have a big pile to sort I make it more enjoyable by putting on some music, getting some chocolate and a cup of tea around and then dedicate some time to getting through the pile. It is no longer a dreaded chore but a pleasant and freeing interlude in my day. Everything is better with chocolate.
Make your paper management pretty. Or cool. Or dreamy. Or whatever your style is. If it’s fun to look at you’ll take care of it. If it’s ugly, you’ll want to avoid it. The other day in the local big box store I saw some cute and clever office organization tools. This morning a friend had pinned on Pinterest a cute mail holder made out of a recycled house shutter. I looked around some more on Pinterest and I saw wire baskets, reed baskets, and fabric covered wood boxes that people use for office organization. Be fun and creative with your home office and how you deal with your paper filing tasks.

Be fun and creative with the necessary tasks of life. Paper is part of life, instead of looking at the piles as though they were the enemy, see them as an excuse to eat a bit of chocolate, drink some tea, and listen to some uplifting music.

Image from MarthaStewart.com

Blessings,

Kim Brenneman

Kim is the joyful wife of Matt and the blessed mother of nine children.

When not busy homeschooling and farmschooling, she enjoys writing, gardening, cooking, reading, sewing, and crafting.

Kim lives on a farm in Iowa where her family grows beef cattle, corn and beans, and operates a micro-dairy selling cheese at farmer’s markets. She loves to write and speak about her passion for home and family. She is the author of Large Family Logistics: The Art and Science of Managing the Large Family. She blogs about the same subject at:
http://largefamilylogistics.blogspot.com.

Linking up with:

Submission Pt. 2 - Readers Chime In! And a Titus 2sday Linkup!

2012-02-20T22:48:00.001-06:00

After I posted an article on submission and the equality of men and women yesterday, we had an interesting dialogue going on in the Time-Warp Wife facebook group. As usual, the women there were full of encouragement and wisdom. (I'm always blessed by you!) I've decided to pull out some of your thought provoking comments and questions to share on the blog. Thanks, ladies!

Natalie Writes:
Being born in 1980, I had NEVER thought of biblical submission or my role in the marriage, due to the absolute absorption of the feminist movement. After reading about it, and now doing an in-depth study, I see how important it is to embrace. It is why we were created and only endears me further to my husband, when I am allowing him to be the man that he was created to be. ♥

Sarah Writes:
Interesting how in a society that advocates women's CHOICE, when a woman makes the CHOICE to submit to her husband she is condemned as a heretic! In my opinion, while the husband has the power and control the wife's role is just as hard if not harder because as a woman most of us have trouble with our tongues (I know I do!) And yet learning to hold back my comments and complaints in order to submit is very difficult!

Wonderful article, thank you for sharing!

Estella Writes:
Submission is not biblically a green light for abuse, it is an instruction regarding relationships with God as Father, Lord, Creator, etc.. first then the male, female, and children for the inner family then you add the extended family from there. Submission is not hard when it is alignment with God's instructions and laws. Submission is only hard when there is foundational disagreement or abuse. To heal relationships, we all have to seek God for His grace, mercy, peace, and love while we are instructed to forgive so that we can be forgiven. Forgiveness like submission is not a control or abuse issue but rather a benefit from healthy relationships.

Ruth Asks:
But what do u do when your hubby doesn't have a clue about how to be a husband?

Cadi Writes:
You pray for him. have you read The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian? I highly recommended reading. Of course, all we need to know, really, has been laid out for us in scripture, but this book is great for the situations and dynamics of modern day marriage.

Tammy (Kingdom Housewifes) Writes:
Agree with Cadi... prayer is powerful! When we pray for our husband's it draws us closer to God and to our spouse. I have also found that when I pray for my husband/our marriage...the Holy Spirit draws me to take inventory of myself. Sometimes, it's not easy but the end result... growing more Christ-like. :)

Torrie (Blessed Beyond Measure) Writes:
I too agree with Tammy & Cadi. The best thing you can do for your self, your husband and your marriage is pray without ceasing. I've learned recently that it's my job to follow what God asks of me through his Word. It's HIS job to change my heart and my husband's heart. Only God, through the Holy Spirit, can change a heart.

Beautiful Mommy Feet Writes:
This is an area of my life that the Lord is plaguing me and I am SO glad He is :) I never realized how much I struggle with this. I was listening to a sermon last night while waiting for the hubs to get home - random sermon selection and it was also on submission, go figure, so was Sunday School and the sermon yesterday... ha, yeah.

But Chip Ingrim was talking about the culture from when 1 Peter 3 was written (how to "win" your husband to the Lord) and it was when every culture looked down on women, forced submission, when women were owned like cattle. For a woman to trust Christ without her husband being the first to make a move was almost suicide.

God in His creation of how things work - our job is to show God our LOVE for HIM by our love for others, which is hardest and more refined in us when that love/respect has to be shown to an unloving, unwise spouse who is not fulfilling his biblical duties as a husband.

But How dare I hold my husband to those standards if I myself am not abiding by the womans role.

(BTW I married an amazing man, he's the one that married a challenge) but it has been by me seeing Christ in his life and humility in his walk that has shown me how imperfect I am.

Jenn Writes:
My marriage was healed and restored and actually made more than I could have ever imagined by trusting God at His Word and doing my part... regardless of what my husband did or didn't do. Did it seem logical or fair? No. I will say that I shudder to think of missing all of this blessing by not taken that first step in faith. I second Stormy's book. That and another book really helped me out, and showed me a different perspective! Yes, we have the Bible first and foremost but without having seen that lived out in life and being a brand new Christian, these books served as a "mentor" of sorts to me, and showed me examples in a practical way of biblical principles.

Meredith Writes:
As a pastor's wife who doesn't quite fit the stereotypical mode for our calling, I have wrestled with the issue of submission based on my rebel-tendencies alone! BUT I WILL say that when our husbands our honoring God and obeying the charge to them to love us as Christ loves the church, the submission just happens naturally and beautifully. Submission changes things, and it's not a dirty 10-letter word ;)

Tabby Asks: (from the wall at "A Simple Country Life)
Honest to goodness question; How do we submit to our husband if he is the submissive personality in our relationship? My whole life (pre-religion & now) I have had a more dominate, take-charge personality. That's a big part of what my husband was attracted to. He has a more laid-back, submissive personality. He has told me many, many times he would much rather have me tell him what to do around the house or with the cars or the kids etc. (that makes it sound like HE'S the homemaker not me, but that's not how it is) than try to do any of it on his own. He attributes a lot of it to a military career where decisions are made FOR him much more frequently than BY him. The point is, in reference to this very scriptural idea, he has told me outright he couldn't live with me being submissive to him the way he understands it (he grew up with religion, so he has a better concept than I do).

My Answer:
I think that the fact that you are respecting HIS wishes for the way that your family is run is submitting. Sounds like you're marriage is functioning well. Submission isn't about how many loads of laundry we do or the fact that he does the paper work while we do the dishes, it's more about living in harmony without having to be "right." It's about willing to take the first step to reconciliation. It's about submission of one heart to another. When we teach our children that it's more blessed to give than to receive, to love our neighbour as ourself, or to walk away from a fight, we are teaching them the art of submitting one to another--the way that it should be. That's best way to love!

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

If you'd like to leave a comment, visit Time-Warp Wife on facebook. It's a great source of fun and fellowship!!

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Visit Proverbial Homemaker for your chance to win a copy of The Good Wife's Guide.

1. Enter the direct link from your post into the linky tool below!

2. Please link back here with the {TITUS 2}SDAYS code (below) so that other bloggers can join in too!

3. Enjoy each other's fellowship, and have fun!

FAQ:
Can I use an old post, or do I need to use a current one?You can absolutely use an older post if you feel that the post is a great fit for this meme. Have fun!

Are Men and Women Equal? If So, Why Submit?

2012-02-19T22:06:00.000-06:00

The Bible is rich with instruction on marriage as it outlines the roles of both husbands and wives. But when these roles don't make enough sense, or make readers uncomfortable they are often discarded, twisted, or simply ignored.

Submission is a tough pill to swallow. Just mention the word and the standard response is, "Are you serious?!"

Shouldn't we all be? Serious, I mean. If we say that we love God and seek His will for our lives, then we have to be willing to follow His wisdom regardless of what popular opinions may be. God's commandments for marriage are every bit as fresh and relevant today as they were when He originally laid them out for us in Scripture.

With that said, I'd like to discuss the topic of equality among men and women. The misconception is that submission defines us as being "less" than a man, and that this mindset is old-fashioned and degrading to women.

The truth is that submission and equality are two different things.

Submission is yielding your will for the good of another. It is putting another ahead of you. It's a choice that you make out of respect, love and reverence. And for me it's a decision that's powered by faith.

Equality of people refers to our "value." We have equality among all men and women, while at the same time we have some who are in a position of authority over us such as members of congress, senators, and governors. They are in no way of greater value than the people they serve.

We see this pattern everywhere we look in our social system, but in order to get a better understanding of God's will for mankind we have the infallible example of Jesus Christ found in Paul's letter to the Philippians:

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! ~ Philippians 2:5-8

With that example in mind, I understand that I'm in every way equal to my husband, but equality isn't something that I should take advantage of for my own pleasure or gain. My desire is to please God by humbling myself, and taking on the role of a help meet. If my Lord and Savior took on the role of a servant, why shouldn't I?

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

For comments or questions, contact me at:
darlene[at]darleneschacht.net

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The Beauty of Gifts that Differ one From Another

2012-02-18T12:56:00.001-06:00

I watch this, and I'm warmly reminded of the scriptures, 1 Corinthians 12:4-6&11:

"Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all...But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will."

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Time-Warp Wife

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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Friday Five: Featuring 5 Favorites from Around The Web

2012-02-16T22:14:00.000-06:00

Since there are a lot of websites, bloggers, videos, images, giveaways, eBooks, and authors from around the web that inspire me, I'd love to share a few of them with you. So I got to thinking... why not five a week? And why not Fridays?

To start off I'm going to share five random things that have recently caught my attention:

1. Homeschool Giveaways and Freebies:

Click on the image to visit their site

Homeschool Giveaways is another homeschool website owned by the family who runs:

Hearts at Home Curriculum and CurriculumShare.com.

Here's what they say:

After launching two homeschool related websites, it was determined that what homeschoolers like best is freebies and giveaways! The purpose of Homeschool Giveaways is to introduce homeschoolers to various curricula they may not be familiar with or have been unable to purchase, through giveaways.

I'm not a homeschooling mom anymore :'( but I know that many of my readers are, and so this is definitely one that I wanted to share with you!!

2. Ungrind: Churning out Encouragement for Women

Click on the Image to Go to Their Site

First of all, the girl drinking this cup of coffee looks exactly like my BFF, which is totally heart-warming to me. I love seeing that image. But more importantly I love the encouragement that this website offers!

Here's a bit from their welcome page:

Let’s face it, as 20- and 30-something women, sometimes the daily grind of life leaves us discouraged. We desire to effectively serve God, our families, and our communities, but we often feel like we aren’t doing enough. Well enough. We find ourselves in desperate need of a word in due season...

When you read the articles here, may you be encouraged to press on and daily seek, as Colossians 1:10 says, “to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of Him.”

So pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and take a moment to Ungrind.

I've been enjoying their articles and interviews, but what I'm especially excited about is that they will be hosting a book club in the near future, featuring Reshaping it All!!

3. Love this image from Pinterest!

I happened upon this image the other day when I was browsing Pinterest, and was taken in by the beauty. I absolutely love every thing about it!!

4. Ruth Schwenke Can Sing!

My friend Ruth from The Better Mom put a video on YouTube the other day. I was blown away by her talent! Ruth is the one on the left.

Mary from facebook said, "That just blew my spirit right to His throne room!" I agree!

5. Grandma Ruth's Lasagna!

I'm always, ALWAYS on the lookout for a great lasagna recipe, so when I came across this one from Janelle of Comfy in the Kitchen, I knew that I definitely want to try it soon!

Janelle lives in Ohio, and I live in Canada so it was an incredible surprise to me when I received her cooking in the mail one day! She baked my family a batch of her cookies and no surprise to me--they were awesome. How sweet is that?!

Janelle is at Women Living Well today, sharing one of her favorite family recipes… Grandma Ruth’s Lasagna! Janelle says that it tastes great for left overs and freezes well too! Yum!!

And that's my "Friday Five" this week. Hope you liked it!!

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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Three of the Most Important Words a Parent Could Say to their Child!

2012-02-15T22:18:00.002-06:00

Dance WITH Me!

Guest contributor Gina from Keepin' it Real

We want them to learn how: to obey, to share, to be kind, to love others, to be humble, to be pure, to be grateful, to build up, and encourage others!

We want them to learn how to: to serve, to show grace, to work hard, to be responsible, and to not be lazy!

We want them to: follow God, depend on God, trust in God, have faith in God, and love God!

We want them to: be content with what they are given, learn to love God's word, grow in their walk with God, be careful with what they watch, be careful where they go, be careful with what they read.

We want them to learn the "dance of life"....a life lived for God.

We can TELL them about the dance...

We can TELL them they need to obey, share, be kind, love others, be humble, be pure, and to be grateful. We can TELL them to build up and encourage others, to serve, to show grace, to work hard, be responsible, and to not be lazy. We can TELL them to follow, depend on, trust in, have faith in and love God. We can TELL them to be content with what they are given. We can TELL them they need to learn to love God's word and grow in their walk with Him. We can TELL them to be careful what they watch, where they go, and what they read.

Are WE dancing the "dance of life"?... a life lived for God?

Will they learn the dance by watching us? By following in our steps?

Are WE living lives that are characterized by obedience? Do WE reach out to others, not showing favoritism, and serve them by sharing the gifts God has loaned us? Do WE love others with a humble heart, seeing them as more important than ourselves? Do WE seek to encourage and build others up, and show others the same grace WE have been shown?

Are WE grateful people? Are WE content with the home we have...the car we have...the husband we have? Are WE hard workers, doing more than what is required of us, and doing all that we do for the glory of God? Are WE lazy? Are WE good stewards of the bodies, time, and possessions that have been given to us?

Are WE following God, depending on and trusting in Him to meet all of our needs? Even in a time of financial crisis? Do WE love God? Are WE growing in our walk with Him? Are WE faithful to spend time in His Word, and can other's tell we have spent time with Him by how we speak, by our attitudes, by how we respond and react to life's circumstances? Are WE careful about where we go, what we watch (even when we are alone) and who our companions are?

The dance steps: 1-2-3...1-2-3...1-2-3

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Teach His words diligently, talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
Bind His words as a sign on our hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 11)

1-2-3...1-2-3...1-2-3...

Learn the dance....

Live the dance...

Teach, talk, and dance the dance.

Make the dance a part of who you are! If they can see the dance, it will be easier for them to learn it! And then you will be able to extend your hand to them and ask them to join you! You will be able to say, "Dance WITH me!"

Oh! The joy on that day when your children have learned the "dance of life"...a life lived for God. When they tell you that you taught them the steps. And when you extend your hand and they join you in the dance! Oh! What joy!

1-2-3...1-2-3...1-2-3

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." 3 John 1:4

Keepin' it Real,

Gina

Gina has been married to Brian for 23 years. Brian is a faculty member, and they both serve as deans at a Christian college. She and her family live on the college campus and work with the resident students. She has two children, Brianna (age 21) and Caleb (age 18) who are now both in college. In her spare time Gina writes and seeks to encourage women of all ages, through articles and by living life with them as much as possible! You can find her at her personal blog: "Keepin' it Real,"at "The Internet Cafe," "MomLife Today" "Roo Mag," and featured in several issues of "Best of Life" magazine.

Contact Gina through her website: Keepin' it Real

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Getting Organized and Energized!!

2012-02-15T00:11:00.005-06:00

Create Office Space in a Closet
Better Homes and Gardens

Weekly Contributor, Kim Brenneman

Clutter and disarray suck the energy out us. We can’t see the forest for the trees. Emotionally attached to our stuff and our homes and our families and their stuff we can’t see where to start. Looking at our messy homes can be mentally exhausting.

When we live in a state of order and have the discipline to keep things in their proper place then we are free for other pursuits. We can spend a couple of hours whipping up some deliciously fancy cupcakes in the kitchen, start a home business, make lawn furniture with old pallets, learn photography, and a hundred other things. Looking at a cluttered mess though, we spin around not knowing where to start and escape it in some manner. It’s easier, in that moment, to look on Pintrest at great ideas than it is to put the house in order so that we can do the great ideas.

Let’s get started on clearing the way so that we can have some fun doing, not just looking and thinking about it!

Get a piece of paper and a pen.

Goals are always a great motivator so first get an idea about what it is that you want to do when you have the time to do it. Write your goal in big letters across the top of the page.
Identify the rooms or areas of your home and what happens in each area. Write it down on the paper.
Go around your house with a basket or box and take the appropriate things to the appropriate place, i.e. staplers, scissors, and pens in the office area, books to the bookshelves, current magazines in a basket by the spot where they are read, trash in the trashcan, and unused and unnecessary stuff goes to the thrift shop.
Look at each area of your home with your paper and pen in hand. What needs to happen for each area to be more orderly and organized? If you have trouble with this then take a look at an organizing web store such as www.containerstore.com, check out this post, "9 Organizing Ideas" or do a search on Pinterest and you will find multiple pictures that will inspire you with a plethora of ideas. Write down on your paper what will work for similar rooms of your house. Do not be overwhelmed but click through to the original site and learn how the person did it. Often it is with “found” materials and paint.
Not only does your home need to be organized but it needs to stay that way. This boils down to the discipline of keeping things where they belong. Give yourself and your family a couple of mottos to live by: “Don’t lay it down, put it away,” and “Everything has a place, when everything is in its place.”
Keep your home clean with a daily clean up time. At our house we have a list of daily chores and every day at the same time everyone does their cleaning chores. “Many hands make light work.” On your paper, make a list of the daily cleaning chores for each room and assign it to a person. This isn’t hard labor, it’s fast, and it’s simple: Straighten, Dust, Sweep.
Every week, or month, take an hour to make a menu plan and a grocery list. Now you know what you are going to eat and you don’t need to think about it. Don’t throw out your menu plan but use it again another week or month!
Every morning do a load of laundry and if you have a bunch of kids, like I do, then switch loads every time you change activities during the day. That way, you keep up.

Now that things are in order and you keep them in order with some new family mottos, organization and a daily cleaning time you have more time.

Blessings,

Kim Brenneman

Kim is the joyful wife of Matt and the blessed mother of nine children.

When not busy homeschooling and farmschooling, she enjoys writing, gardening, cooking, reading, sewing, and crafting.

Kim lives on a farm in Iowa where her family grows beef cattle, corn and beans, and operates a micro-dairy selling cheese at farmer’s markets. She loves to write and speak about her passion for home and family. She is the author of Large Family Logistics: The Art and Science of Managing the Large Family. She blogs about the same subject at:
http://largefamilylogistics.blogspot.com.

Winners, Please Claim Your Prizes!!

2012-02-14T16:34:00.003-06:00

I had eight giveaways last Friday through to Sunday. If anyone has not emailed me to claim their prizes yet, please do so soon.

darlene@darleneschacht(dot)net

The winners are as follows:

Child Training Bible Kit:
The Winner is Melinda: Blogger Profile

Karen Ehman's Giveaway:
Ashlyn: Blogger Profile

Anastasia: Blogger Profile

Sarah: Blogger Profile

The Good Wife's Guide eBook:
Elizabeth B.: Blogger Profile

Trophy and Barb: Blogger Profile

Shalynne Addison: Blogger Profile

Pam: Blogger Profile

SP: Blogger Profile

Sally Clarkson's Two books:
Gina Weeks
The Encouraging Home

Pursuit of Proverbs 31 eBook:
Sara Shay Blogger Profile

Erica Blogger Profile

Taly Blogger Profile

Anna Blogger Profile

Cassie Blogger Profile

Brooke Lambkin CDs:
jenjoym@hotmail.com
Valerie: Blogger Profile
Tandy B.
Proverbial Homemaker: Blogger Profile
Farmer’s Daughter: Blogger Profile

It's a Blessing/One Thousand Gifts:
Kim: Blogger Profile

Embracing the Mess eBook:
Carrissa: Blogger Profile

Jeanine Feldcamp Google Profile

_____________________________________

And if you like giveaways, be sure to check in at Roo Mag for Blitz Giveaway Week!! The Blitz started on Monday and it will run through the week with prizes TWICE daily!!

Wednesday afternoon Roo is giving away five copies of my eBook, The Good Wife's Guide, along with a bunch of other prizes. I hope you stop in for a visit!!

Love Orchestrated by God - And a Titus 2sday Link up!!

2012-02-13T21:47:00.000-06:00

Drawn from my archives

I’ll always remember that day. We stood at the front of the church, my sister and I—she in a teal colored sweater, and me wearing the same version in pink. Together we sang, “Jesus Loves Me This I know…” I sang the melody, while Bonnie chimed in with harmony. She always could sing better harmony than I; however that’s considering I couldn’t sing harmony at all. Neither one of us were amazing singers by any stretch of the imagination, but that morning we sang like we were--spreading the love of God, from radiant voices of praise.

It was a crisp February morning, the 14th to be exact. The congregation of maybe 45 people at most, were gathered together in the wee chapel on Morrow Avenue. Mr. Dorsette sat hunched over the keys of the organ that towered above him, while Mrs. Hensley shuffled through her purse in search of her specs. A Kleenex that fell to her lap was carefully tucked into the cuff of her sleeve. Our parents sat stage left, near the front, beaming with pride, since singing to a congregation of 45 was about the closest thing to success our family knew.

Members of the congregation leaned in, squinting, smiling, and glaring at the girl with the blond hair. I was new to the church, but one look revealed that I belonged with the red-headed girl--sisters that looked, sang, and dressed so much alike. We wore beige nylons beneath denim skirts, and flat pumps that added nothing to our short stature.

Sitting in the back row sat a group of young men. The leader of their pack, Michael Schacht, combed fingers through his hair with one hand while the other lay resting on the back of the pew. Listening more intently than he had for the past 20 years in attendance, his eyes remained steady on the girl with the golden hair.

“We need to get them in our band,” he whispered to the guys. And together they nodded wondering which one would get our phone numbers first.

Two weeks later, I answered a call from my sister Bonnie. “Hey, I forgot to tell you,” she said. “Remember when we sang at my church on Valentine’s Day?”

How could I forget? I was nervous beyond belief, wondering if the congregation had gathered a collection to have me taken out for stepping on stage that morning. It’s unnerving to look into the eyes of people whose relaxed demeanor shouts, “You’ll be burned at the stake if you miss that high note.” And I’m sure I missed several.

“Well,” she continued. “There’s a guy in our church who has a band, and he really wants us to sing in it.”

My first thought was What’s wrong with this band? Why would they ask US to sing with them? Weren’t we the girls who stood there only two weeks earlier sporting nail polished nylons (fyi it stops runs) and belting out kindergarten tunes? My second thought was BOYS. In fact my third, fourth, fifth, and sixth thoughts were Boys, Boys, Boys, Boys. So that afternoon in 1986, I joined the Crossroads band.

I hadn’t planned to join a band that morning, 24 years ago, nor did I plan to find my husband in the back row of a little chapel on Morrow Avenue. But God’s plan that Valentine's day was exceedingly abundant above anything I could have dreamed of or prayed for my life. He knew my desires, as he knew Michael’s heart, and so in that moment divinely orchestrated by the Father of love, our journey began.

24 years later, Michael is still the leader of the pack, but that pack has changed some with four children, two birds, three hamsters, and a little blond wife. The pink sweater and nylons are gone, the chapel is empty, and praise God--our house is full.

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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Set Apart, One to Another

2012-02-12T23:57:00.000-06:00

One of my all-time favorite Christian choruses has to be "Refiner's Fire" by Brian Doerksen. I absolutely love the lyrics and I must say that this line always tears me up:

My heart's one desire
Is to be holy
Set apart for You, Lord
I choose to be holy
Set apart for You, my Master

Before that song came out in 1990, I hadn't really thought about what the word "holy" meant. To be honest with you, I kinda thought it meant being religious. I'm embarrassed to admit that now, but that was about the sum of my knowledge. I was a church goer, a Bible reader, I had Christian friends, and I taught Sunday school. That was my definition of "holy."

I later came to realize that being holy meant that we are dedicated to the Lord and set apart from all things impure:

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” ~ 1 Peter 1:15&16.

The word "holy" in the greek translation is hagios coming from the word hagnos, which is defined in Strong's Concordance (G53) as:

exciting reverence, venerable, sacred
pure
a) pure from carnality, chaste, modest
b) pure from every fault, immaculate
c) clean

In the same way, it's a beautiful thing when a husband and wife live in holy matrimony. When a man and a woman are dedicated to each other and set apart from anything that could destroy or damage their union.

This requires sacrifice on our part. Sacrifice might be anything from giving up something that distracts us from your relationship to career choices that we make. I hope and pray that we are living this way to please God, but let us also give attention to pleasing our husbands.

Saying "I do," and being united in holy matrimony is more than a ceremony. It's a life-long commitment of giving. And in the same way that being holy was more than attending church and reading my Bible, marriage is more than just living in the same house and putting up with each other. It's a continual giving of ourselves in dedication one to another.

A prime example of this is Kirk Cameron who refused to compromise both his faith and his marriage for the sake of career. His wife Chelsea stepped in for the scene at the end of "Fireproof" when Caleb kisses Catherine, and in my opinion it made the movie so much better for me as a viewer. After all, isn't that what the movie was about?

Catherine was distracted with a relationship at work, Caleb was distracted by women on the internet and neither of them were dedicated to making their relationship work. That is until Caleb took action that changed the course of their marriage.

Yeah, you've probably seen this scene before, but it's definitely worth a repeat on Valentine's week!

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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Giveaway - Child Training Bible Kit

2012-02-10T16:07:00.000-06:00

Win 1 complete Child Training Bible Kit!

Kit includes:

1 Set of Child Training Bible Charts (Front Key, 3 Double-Sided Tabbers, 1 set of instructions)

1 ESV Bible

2 Sets of Post-It Flags

1 Set of Highlighters

HOW TO ENTER: Comment on the post below to enter!

Extra entries (optional):

Extra Entry: Share about this Giveaway on Twitter or Facebook
Extra Entry: Like Time-Warp Wife on Facebook
Extra Entry: Like Child Training Bible on Facebook
Extra Entry: Follow Child Trailing Bible on Twitter
Extra Entry: Follow Me - Darlene Schacht on Twitter
Extra Entry: Subscribe to Time-Warp Wife (top left-hand sidebar)
Extra Entry: Send an email to your friends about this giveaway

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each extra entry!

This giveaway will be open until Sunday night. 1 Winner will be announced here on Monday!

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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This giveaway is closed.

The Winner is Melinda: Blogger Profile

Giveaway - 3 Books by Karen Ehman & a Starbucks Gift Card

2012-02-10T16:04:00.000-06:00

3 Winners Each Receive One Book and a $5 Starbucks Gift Card!

The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized by Karen Ehman

The key to good organization is not a one–size–fits–all method. It is a unique plan that considers personality type, lifestyle, income level, and family schedule. Author and speaker, Karen Ehman believes that with her simple step by step process moms can recognize their own personal style of managing their households successfully and develop a unique plan that gives them the freedom to:
manage their time wisely

de–clutter and organize their homes
plan menus, shop more efficiently, and become more comfortable and creative in the kitchen
get children involved in pursuing an ordered life and home
avoid the trap of overcommitment
use practical tools to assist in organization

Getting and staying organized means more time for the important things in family life—concentrating on cultivating a close, personal relationship with the Creator, drawing His word into every aspect of living, and ultimately tying their children’s heartstrings to God.

Homespun Memories for the Heart by Karen Ehman

Homespun Memories for the Heart offers more than 200 inventive ideas and examples to help you make unforgettable moments, you'll find:

inventive gift ideas
mouth-watering recipes people will want to gather around
creative ways to observe holidays
imaginative crafts for snow days and sleepovers

Plus, learn how to celebrate "just because" events like rainy days, road trips, bedtime, and book-reading-because even ordinary moments are enough reason to celebrate.

A Life That Says Welcome, A: Simple Ways to Open Your Heart & Home to Others

Does your life say welcome?
Make your home a space to refresh rather than impress others.

"Karen's practical strategies will help you open your heart and your home to whoever God sends your way!"--Jill Savage, executive director of Hearts at Home

View Karen's Books on Amazon

HOW TO ENTER: Comment on the post below to enter! (And if you have a preference on which book you'd like, please mention it in the comment).

Extra entries (optional):

Extra Entry: Share about this Giveaway on Twitter or Facebook
Extra Entry: Like Time-Warp Wife on Facebook
Extra Entry: Like Karen Ehman's Book Studies on Facebook
Extra Entry: Follow Karen Ehman on Twitter
Extra Entry: Follow Me - Darlene Schacht on Twitter
Extra Entry: Subscribe to Time-Warp Wife (top left-hand sidebar)
Extra Entry: Send an email to your friends about this giveaway

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each extra entry!

This giveaway will be open until Sunday night. 3 Winners will be announced here on Monday!

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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This giveaway is closed.

The three winners are:

Ashlyn: Blogger Profile

Anastasia: Blogger Profile

Sarah: Blogger Profile

5 Copies of The Good Wife's Guide eBook

2012-02-10T16:01:00.000-06:00

HOW TO ENTER: Comment on the post below to enter!

Extra entries (optional):

Extra Entry: Share about this Giveaway on Twitter or Facebook

Extra Entry: Like Time-Warp Wife on Facebook

Extra Entry: Like The Good Wife's Guide on Facebook

Extra Entry: Follow Me - Darlene Schacht on Twitter

Extra Entry: Share The Book Page on Facebook or Twitter
Extra Entry: Subscribe to Time-Warp Wife (top left-hand sidebar)

Extra Entry: Send an email to your friends about this giveaway

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each extra entry!

This giveaway will be open until Sunday night. 5 winners will be announced here on Monday!

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

If you would like to have Time-Warp Wife delivered to your inbox daily, simply click here: Subscribe to Time-Warp Wife

This giveaway is closed.

The 5 Winners are:

Elizabeth B.: Blogger Profile

Trophy and Barb: Blogger Profile

Shalynne Addison: Blogger Profile

Pam: Blogger Profile

SP: Blogger Profile

Giveaway - 2 Books by Sally Clarkson

2012-02-10T16:00:00.001-06:00

Two Books - 1 Winner!

The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson

No calling is greater, nobler, or more fulfilling than that motherhood. Every day, as we nurture our children, mothers influence eternal destiny as no one else can. Tragically, today’s culture minimizes the vital importance of a mother’s role. By catching a vision of God’s original design and allowing it to shape your life, you can rediscover the joy and fulfillment to be found in the strategic role to which God in all his wisdom has called you, for a purpose far greater than you can ever imagine.

Discover how understanding God’s purpose and design can empower you to be the mother you long to be.

Dancing With My Father by Sally Clarkson

When trusted author and mentor Sally Clarkson noticed a lack of joy in her own life, she realized how easy it can be, especially for women with overloaded to-do lists, to feel weighed down by drudgery and disappointment. But rather than slogging through her days, Sally wanted to know the delight of God's presence. She began prayerfully exploring how to cultivate deep-rooted joy even in the midst of difficult seasons.

In this warm and wise book, she invites you to experience for yourself what happens when you trust God to lead you into a life of anticipation, passion, and purpose.

Weaving biblical insights with real-life stories that reflect every Christian woman's deepest longings, Dancing with My Father reveals how any woman, in any circumstance, can daily live in beauty and grace, joy and peace.

HOW TO ENTER: Comment on the post below to enter!

Extra entries (optional):

Extra Entry: Share about this Giveaway on Twitter or Facebook
Extra Entry: Like Time-Warp Wife on Facebook
Extra Entry: Like Sally Clarkson on Facebook
Extra Entry: Follow Sally Clarkson on Twitter
Extra Entry: Follow Me - Darlene Schacht on Twitter
Extra Entry: Subscribe to Time-Warp Wife (top left-hand sidebar)
Extra Entry: Send an email to your friends about this giveaway

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each extra entry!

This giveaway will be open until Sunday night. 1 winner will be announced here on Monday!

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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This giveaway is closed. The two winners are:

Gina Weeks

The Encourageing Home

Giveaway - Pursuit of Proverbs 31 eBook

2012-02-10T16:00:00.000-06:00

Win one of 5 Copies!!

Pursuit of Proverbs 31 - eBook by Amy Bayliss

If you’ve ever wanted to tear the 31st chapter of Proverbs out of your Bible this book is for you.

She is a wife, mom, business owner, seamstress, she serves the needy, speaks life and wisdom, and seems to be a major overachiever, perfectionist type.

Except that…she’s not.

Come along and journey with Amy and take a look at the real woman of Proverbs 31. She isn’t as perfect as she seems. In fact, I think she is a lot like you and me.

In Pursuit of Proverbs 31, Amy Bayliss gives you a biblical view of the scriptures that are found tucked away at the end of the book of wisdom. With Southern charm and raw, real emotions she’ll tug at the core of your being. She’ll give you a new perspective and inspire you to pursue Proverbs 31; she’ll inspire you to pursue Jesus.

Visit Amy's book page: Pursuit of Proverbs 31

HOW TO ENTER: Comment on the post below to enter!

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Extra Entry: Share about this Giveaway on Twitter or Facebook
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Extra Entry: Like Pursuit of Proverbs 31 on Facebook
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Extra Entry: Subscribe to Time-Warp Wife (top left-hand sidebar)
Extra Entry: Send an email to your friends about this giveaway

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each extra entry!

This giveaway will be open until Sunday night. 5 Winners will be announced here on Monday!

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

If you would like to have Time-Warp Wife delivered to your inbox daily, simply click here: Subscribe to Time-Warp Wife

This giveaway is closed. The five winners are:

Sara Shay Blogger Profile

Erica Blogger Profile

Taly Blogger Profile

Anna Blogger Profile

Cassie Blogger Profile

Giveaway - 5 Music CDs from Brooke Lambkin

2012-02-10T14:18:00.000-06:00

"Redeeming the Time" by Brooke Lambert!

Redeeming the Time, is an EP (5 songs)

with a mix of gospel, blues and acoustic worship music.

Brooke worked in collaboration with Dave Eggert and the worship community at Calvary Chapel Mission Viejo as well as Harden Walker and the Worship Community Choir at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa on Redeeming the Time.

She's been singing and writing songs all her life and has worked with bands that shared the bill with Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, and Cheap Trick among others.

Most recently, Brooke has been working with producer and musicican David Brighton on a double A-side single that will be released in the coming months. Look for the videos on youtube and the songs on iTunes!

Visit Brooke's website to hear entire tracks from her first EP!

HOW TO ENTER: Comment on the post below to enter!

Extra entries (optional):

Extra Entry: Share about this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook
Extra Entry: Like Time-Warp Wife on Facebook
Extra Entry: Like Brooke Lambkin on Facebook
Extra Entry: Follow Brooke Lambkin on Twitter
Extra Entry: Follow Me - Darlene Schacht on Twitter
Extra Entry: Subscribe to Time-Warp Wife (top left-hand sidebar)
Extra Entry: Send an email to your friends about this giveaway

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each extra entry!

This giveaway will be open until Sunday night. 5 Winners will be announced here on Monday!

If you would like to have Time-Warp Wife delivered to your inbox daily, simply click here: Subscribe to Time-Warp Wife

This giveaway is closed.

The five winners are:

jenjoym@hotmail.com
Valerie: Blogger Profile
Tandy B.
Proverbial Homemaker: Blogger Profile
Farmer’s Daughter: Blogger Profile

2 Prizes - One Winner - It's a Blessing!!

2012-02-10T14:01:00.000-06:00

A $15.00 Gift Certificate from "It's a Blessing"

Choose one item up for a value of $15.00 from their beautiful selection of blessing bracelets, blankets and baby dolls. Each hand made with quality materials and much love!

The beads on the bracelets have coordinating Scripture verses to encourage and bless the recipient.

Shop the store here: It's a Blessing: Scripture Blessing Bracelets and Gifts

Visit her blog where she is currently running another giveaway: It's a Blessing

An Autographed Copy of
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

Just like you, Ann Voskamp hungers to live her one life well. Forget the bucket lists that have us escaping our everyday lives for exotic experiences. 'How,' Ann wondered, 'do we find joy in the midst of deadlines, debt, drama, and daily duties? What does the Christ-life really look like when your days are gritty, long--and sometimes even dark? How is God even here?' In One Thousand Gifts, Ann invites you to embrace everyday blessings and embark on the transformative spiritual discipline of chronicling God's gifts. It's only in this expressing of gratitude for the life we already have, we discover the life we've always wanted...

HOW TO ENTER: Comment on the post below to enter!

Extra entries (optional):

Extra Entry: Share about this Giveaway on Twitter or Facebook
Extra Entry: Like Time-Warp Wife on Facebook
Extra Entry: Like It's a Blessing on Facebook
Extra Entry: Follow Ann Voskamp on Twitter
Extra Entry: Follow Me - Darlene Schacht on Twitter
Extra Entry: Subscribe to Time-Warp Wife (top left-hand sidebar)
Extra Entry: Send an email to your friends about this giveaway

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each extra entry!

This giveaway will be open until Sunday night. Winner will be announced here on Monday!

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

If you would like to have Time-Warp Wife delivered to your inbox daily, simply click here: Subscribe to Time-Warp Wife

This giveaway is closed. The winner is:

Kim: Blogger Profile

Giveaway - Embracing the Mess eBook

2012-02-10T13:28:00.000-06:00

Win One of Two Copies!

Embracing the Mess eBook by Jenny Ervin

How do we find grace in the unraveling?

How do we embrace the mess?

Maybe you can relate to that perfectionism that lurks inside many of us. Or maybe you are one of those that is the complete opposite of this inner tyrant,and housework is the last thing that you would rather be doing. I have a few practical helps for mothers of little ones in tackling the messiness of motherhood with joy.

Whether you are an Compulsive Neat Freak or a Patient Polly, have a houseful of boys or dainty little girls, I hope you will carry away some encouragement and be challenged to look upward.

Visit the book page: Embracing the Mess

HOW TO ENTER: Comment on the post below to enter!

Extra entries (optional):

Extra Entry: Share about this Giveaway on Twitter or Facebook

Extra Entry: Like Time-Warp Wife on Facebook

Extra Entry: Like A Mother's Heritage on Facebook

Extra Entry: Follow A Mother's Heritage on Twitter

Extra Entry: Follow Me - Darlene Schacht on Twitter

Extra Entry: Subscribe to Time-Warp Wife (top left-hand sidebar)

Extra Entry: Send an email to your friends about this giveaway

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each extra entry!

This giveaway will be open until Sunday night. 2 winners will be announced here on Monday!

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

If you'd like to leave a comment, visit Time-Warp Wife on facebook: Click here

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This giveaway is closed.

The two winners are:

Carrissa: Blogger Profile

Jeanine Feldcamp Google Profile

Friday Afternoon Facebook Party!!!

2012-02-08T14:31:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago, I hosted a mini facebook party through which I gave away some Amazon gift certificates. It was fun, but like many of my projects, it was spur of the moment. Since then I got to thinking... wouldn't it be fun to host another facebook party in which EVERYONE was involved?

So I had to think hard... "How would this unfold?" Sure we all love winning prizes, that's for sure, but part of the fun is giving them too, isn't it? After all there are a lot of you with books, crafts, etsy shops, CDs, awesome blogs, etc.
So I came up with a party idea that will take place this Friday, from 12 noon to 3pm central time.
What I'll Offer
I've had a few women approach me this week about giveaways. So I have a few giveaways that I'll be hosting throughout the afternoon. Keep your eyes out for your chance to enter!
(Check out my giveaway list below this post for a a sneak peek!)
How Can you Be Involved?

Since the wall will likely be busy with party goers, I invite you to post links to your own giveaways. If you have a facebook "page" you can link there and attract new readers, or if you are a blogger, you can post links to your blog, saying something like, "Hi I'm Gina from Keepin' it Real, and I have a Valentine's giveaway on my blog!" (And feel free to re-introduce your blog throughout the afternoon.)
Get involved by "sharing." If you see a giveaway that looks interesting to you, then please "share" it on your facebook wall so that the links are moving in cyberspace.
Chat and introduce yourself to other women on the wall. I attended "Love Around the Block" last night, and I had a blast because I got involved in the chat.
Share this post so other's can join in. The more party goers we have the more fun it will be.

One last, but important thing:

My Giveaway List

5 Copies of the brand new eBook Pursuit of Proverbs 31 by Amy Bayliss
2 Copies of the eBook Embracing the Mess by Jenny Ervin
1 complete Child Training Bible Kit (everything that is needed to make one)
1 item from It's a Blessing - Etsy Shop (valued up to $15.00)
An autographed copy of "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp
A copy of each, The Mission of Motherhood and Dancing With my Father by Sally Clarkson
3 Books by Karen Ehman: A Life That Says Welcome, The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized, and Homespun Memories for the Heart - and 3 Starbucks Gift Certificates.
5 Music CDs, "Redeeming the Time" by Brooke Lambkin

Details on these giveaways will be posted during the party on Friday afternoon. Hope to see you there!

Don't have a facebook account? You can still have fun by joining me for the Blitz Giveaway Week at Roo Mag this upcoming Monday!

You are loved by an almighty God,

Blitz Giveaway Week at Roo Mag!!

2012-02-08T13:00:00.002-06:00

February 13-18th, 2012

Next week, February 13-18th, Roo Mag is having an entire week of giveaways!!! Each day you'll be able to enter to win prizes!! And if you want a sneak peek into what those prizes will be, check out the video below. Hope to see you there Monday morning!!

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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Home - It Reflects Who We Are and What We Believe

2012-02-07T23:42:00.000-06:00

Image from TranZforming Products

Weekly Contributor, Kim Brenneman

Not that you should be flashy and flamboyant, elegant and opulent, but dinged up and dingy is an eye sore. Look around the common-area of your home. Do you like how it reflects your family?

In recent years my family was busy with a medical crises, a high-needs baby, starting a goat dairy business, and just plain old real life with a bunch of kids. Maintenance of the house was taking a back seat to everything else. Then my sister got married. On our farm. We have a pretty farm so it should have been no big deal, right?

Here’s an exercise for you: Get in your car and drive away and then drive up to your house not like it’s your house but like you are a guest arriving at a wedding. Or simply walk outside and then walk up to your house like you are a guest. Open the door and pretend you are a guest.

What do you see first?
Where do your eyes land?
What does your house smell like?
What do you hear?

Your home is a reflection of who you are as a family. The good, the bad, the ugly.

Before my sister’s wedding on our farm our eyes were opened anew to what our place looked like. And it looked like a lot of busy people lived here. We saw that we hadn’t done much home maintenance in the last few years. Parts of our landscape were overgrown and parts were empty because whatever was there originally died. The wallpaper in the kitchen hadn’t survived the last five children very well and was way beyond another repair. Walls hadn’t seen fresh paint in years. It was dinged up and dingy but we were so accustomed to it that we didn’t notice.

We spent last spring sprucing the place up. It was fun working together as a family towards a fun and beautiful event. When it came time maintenance inside and for redoing the walls inside I wanted everything clean and bright, Spartan, Quaker. As the song goes, “Tis the gift to be simple, tis the gift to be free...” My life is full and I don’t want any unnecessary clutter. That is a reflection of who I am right now in life. I want my life full of experiences and events with my loved ones, not taking care of material stuff.

Nine people currently live in my home, sometimes eleven. Add family and friends on the weekends and it’s full. The common life for us is full of good times, food, games, laughter... The furniture is minimal, the walls are still bare after the painting last spring. My goal is to give thought on what I want on the walls. What says faith and family, hope, love, and life?

In Deuteronomy 6 God instructs the Israelites:

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."

God gives them several instructions on what to do with these words and says this in verse 9:

"You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

At the very least, when a person comes to our home, they should be able to immediately sense that followers of the LORD live here, that they love Him, they love each other, and they love others.

We can do this in outward signs with the art that we put on our walls. I have free-hand painted verses on our walls and recently ordered lettering from fruitfulvinecreations.com. We can create photo displays of family and friends and the love we share. We can hang beautiful paintings and drawings and arrangements that represent and interpret God’s creations. The view from our windows can direct the eye to the beauty of God’s world outdoors. We can change that view with our landscape design using God’s trees, bushes, and flowers.

Beyond wall art we must give thought to the music that is playing in the background of our homes. Last week I was listening to upbeat catchy music on Pandora while I was doing some work and realized that the words of the song were worshipping the creation not the creator. What kind of message were my children receiving with my choice of music? The next day I found myself listening to some mellow music that fit my mood but the words were downright depressing and untrue when held in the light of scripture. Again, I gave thought to the spiritual state of my home and changed stations.

Some days it takes conscious thought to love the LORD with all my might. It doesn’t come automatically with the sunrise. It does come far more easily when we are reading the living Word every day. That is how God talks to us and teaches us. How can we expect to know Him and live for Him if we don’t spend time listening to Him?

Each small choice I make has an impact on me and my home. My choices are a message to my children and to all who enter my home. The common things of the home that represent our family and who we are fall to the home decorator and the home keeper. If your family is Christian then let His light shine through thoughtful choices in the common things of the home.

Blessings,

Kim Brenneman

Kim is the joyful wife of Matt and the blessed mother of nine children.

When not busy homeschooling and farmschooling, she enjoys writing, gardening, cooking, reading, sewing, and crafting.

Kim lives on a farm in Iowa where her family grows beef cattle, corn and beans, and operates a micro-dairy selling cheese at farmer’s markets. She loves to write and speak about her passion for home and family. She is the author of Large Family Logistics: The Art and Science of Managing the Large Family. She blogs about the same subject at:
http://largefamilylogistics.blogspot.com.

Embracing the Mess - And a Titus 2sday Link up!!

2012-02-06T22:12:00.000-06:00

Introducing Embracing the Mess by Jenny Ervin

A sign of satisfaction escapes her as she achingly rises to her feet. She looks with contentment upon the shiny floor that sparkles from her efforts. Pausing to appreciate the beauty that is restored in the home through her hardwork, she smiles inwardly. Then wearily she turns away to throw out her unsightly bucket of water.

But as she lifts the sloshing liquid she hears them coming. Two giggling young ones are hastening up the stairs. Before her thoughts can collect enough to give a warning, in rush four muddy little feet fresh from the rain puddles. Both sets of grimy hands holds a fistful of treasures plucked in love to present to their mommy.
In they run, with cheeks all flushed with pleasure, leaving behind a trail of mud and mess. All these precious children can think of is the delight that their mother's eyes will light up with when they reveal to her their gift.

How do you respond?

How do I respond?

_______________________

I used to know how to be a mother. Yes, I was a perfect one.

My children always had clean faces, every hair in place, and they would never be ornery.

My house was like those you see in the magazines, with the perfect throw over the couch, warm cookies on the counter, and fresh flowers that had been picked from the gorgeous garden our family kept. Ah, yes, being a mommy was beautiful...

And then I actually became one. And as they say, the rest is history.

Messy Diapers, spit-up cloths, the pile of clothes to be stain treated. Toys strewn around the floor, muddy fingerprints in the bathroom sink. Dirty dishes from yesterday, peanut butter in the hair, playdo ground into the carpet. You know what?

Ah yes, being a mommy IS beautiful. This mess is beautiful!

But for some of us it's harder to embrace this than others.

Dear Mama...What do you do when your pretty little world of control falls apart through these lovely sweet chubby cheeks that we want to spend all day kissing?

How do we find grace in the unraveling?

How do we embrace the mess?

This is my story, and maybe through my struggles and meditations you too can be encouraged in responding joyfully to the many messes that motherhood brings.

Blessings,

Jenny Ervin

Click HERE to purchase a copy of this encouraging ebook Embracing the Mess!

Jenny is an ordinary mom with an extraordinary God. She homeschools her 7 children (ages 14-2mo). When she is not teaching, playing with her children, or changing diapers, she loves to sing, write and blog. She has unmatched socks, messy closets and is allergic to mornings. Come and be encouraged, blessed and challenged in your high calling as a wife and mother over at A Mother's Heritage.You may also follow her on Facebook, or Twitter.

If you'd like to leave a comment, visit Time-Warp Wife on facebook: Click here

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He Shall Cover Thee With His Feathers

2012-02-06T13:53:00.000-06:00

Shared this on my facebook page the other day, but it was so beautiful I had to share it with you as well. I wish I could credit the photographer, but my daughter sent me the image through email, and has no idea where it originates from. How can you see this and not be reminded of scripture.

Click here to view more inspiring images.

"He shall cover thee with his feathers,
and under his wings shalt thou trust:
his truth shall be thy shield and buckler."
~ Psalm 91:4

Social Networks - An Easy Access to Infidelity

2012-02-05T23:59:00.000-06:00

Drawn from my archives

It used to be our window on the worldwas nothing more than a view of ourbackyard, but modern technology givesus the opportunity to peer into placesour eyes should not go.
More and more often I'm hearing stories about women who are drawn away by their lust through facebook and text messaging. Social networking is a temptation that many wives are facing today and this trend needs to be addressed.

Not only is it a looming temptation to flirt--it’s also an escape from reality. This quick 'n easy access to infidelity is something we’ve never experienced before in history. We are just one click away from flirting at any moment of the day in the privacy of our own home. All one has to do is walk away from the laundry and within ten minutes she can be on a virtual date with her ex. How easy is that? Unfortunately it's too easy, which is why the internet is a dangerous tool that needs to be handled with caution.

Live as children of light (for the fruit
of the light consists in all goodness,
righteousness and truth) and find
out what pleases the Lord. Have
nothing to do with the fruitless deeds
of darkness, but rather expose them.
It is shameful even to mention what
the disobedient do in secret.
But everything exposed by the light
becomes visible—and everything
that is illuminated becomes a light.
~ Ephesians 5:8b-12, NIV

Imagine having an ugly fight with your husband, and you storm out of the room to cool off. You turn on your facebook, and what do you see? You might see an ad with an incredibly handsome man that's waiting to talk to you "right now." Or you might see the little green dot that signifies a certain man is online.

The problem with situations like this is that your husband has a home-team {dis}advantage. Because you live with him every day, you see his bad side as well as his good. You've seen him through sickness and health. You've witnessed his grandest of smiles, and you've seen the way his face turns cold in the heat of an argument. You can't compare that to the picture-perfect profiles you find on the net.

The more serious issue we're facing is that when you engage in private conversation on the net, you're exposing yourself to a situation that could easily lead to temptation by both parties involved.

It’s important to be aware of the risks and honor our vows enough to set boundaries before we are drawn into situations that our Lord would consider indecent.

Note that I said "our Lord" there--not our friends. It's important that we resist the urge to go with the flow when it comes to our lives. As of 2008 is was reported that 40% of all marriages had ended in divorce (Wikipedia). That's what the "flow" has to offer. God offers us a 100% success rate when both a husband and wife honor their vows to love honor and cherish one another until death do them part.

What are those boundaries, and where should they be set? Those are your choices to make. It might mean removing men from your friend's list or it could be a matter of keeping yourself marked out of chat. For another it might work best to have a joint facebook account with your spouse. Really the boundaries depend on where your weaknesses lie and what might cause you to stumble.

Bottom line is that we need to be careful, and seek God to fulfill our desires--not man. When our eyes are fixed on the Father and His will for our life, we are apt to make better choices in those quiet moments when temptation sets in. Stay in prayer, keep reading the word, and live a noble life so that God will not only be glorified in our marriage, but that your illumination will be a shining light in this dark world.

Be very careful, then, how you live—not
as unwise but as wise, making the most
of every opportunity, because the days
are evil. Therefore do not be foolish,
but understand what the Lord’s will is.
~ Ephesians 5:15-17

Valentine's Giveaway at Keepin' it Real

2012-02-04T11:40:00.000-06:00

My good friend Gina from "Keepin' it Real" is hosting a "Valentine's Day Giveaway!" It's going on now until February 14th, 2012. Click the button below to find out what she's giving away and how you can enter...

Subscribers: If you can't see the button, visit the blog at: Keepin' it Real

And... Do You Facebook?
If you're on facebook, here's a little party you might
be interested in checking out.
Six bloggers, one night, plenty of giveaways!
Visit their page for more details.
And don't forget that Time-Warp Wife is on facebook too--join in our discussions there!:

Home-Management Binder? Here are a Few of Your Ideas!

2012-02-03T01:55:00.001-06:00

Since some readers expressed an interest in starting a home-management binder, I decided to ask the readers in my facebook group what they have included in theirs. I'll give you a few of their ideas in just a second, but before I do, here are a few of my printables that you can use to get started:

Condensed Housekeeping Schedule

Daily "To-Do" Pages with Month at a Glance (new printables monthly)

Weekly Meal Planning

Weekly Chores for Life (Inspiring Prayers)

And:

Several Organizing/Cleaning Schedules Are Available in my eBook, The Good Wife's Guide

After reading through your ideas, I intend to add more printables to this list in the very near future. The response was an incredible source of information. Thank you!! Now here's what some of you had to say:

"Mine used to be simpler, but it eventually got to the point where I had to split it between two binders. I'd added some of our favorite standby recipes to it and it became, uh, overstuffed after a couple of years :-D But my current binder has my housework routines/reminders, frequently used phone numbers, birthday reminder list and a legal pad. Very, very critical (for me) is a pencil pouch holding some pens. If I didn't hoard pens in the binder, I'd never be able to find one when I needed it!" ~ Susan

"I have a regular household binder and this year I created a Christmas binder after reading about it on a blog. Since I no longer have children at home mine is pretty simple.The sections I have are: To Do, Schedules, Information, and Meals. My Christmas binder was awesome this past Christmas. It really made life easier. In that I have sections: To Do with a December calendar, To Give (presents to buy/make) To Mail (stamps, address labels and names and address lists) To Thank (keep a list of gifts given to me and baked items people gave me) Party Menu and Recipes. I printed all the recipes that we seem to make year after year and printed them on decorative paper. I also have copies on plain paper in my regular recipe binders but this way I do not have to dig through them all. I will continue adding to this each year. Also keep a clear pocket that zips in the front ofeach binder for receipt--big help. Hope these ideas help." ~ Carol

"I am in the middle of making mine. Found some goodstuff here: DonnaYoung.org" ~ Laura

"Mine is rather simple....my kids are grown and married, but I enjoy having a home-management binder anyway. I have a section for each monthwith a calender and daily work sheets for each day of the month, and weeklymenus. I do alot of home canning so I have a section for planning my gardeningand canning. I have a section with a list of pantry stock on hand and itemsneeded." ~ Misty

"I have my routines, cleaning schedules and bills to pay. Ihave them all in clear sheet protectors, so I can check things off with a dryerase marker." ~ Jamie

"I have the following sections: calendar, inspiration (poems,articles,etc to encourage me as a mom and wife), to do (weekly, daily, monthlists), health (medical info, contacts for docs, etc), money (budget section),recipes, menus, projects, crafting (scrapbooking inspiration), gifts (list forbirthday and Christmas), Bible (reading plans, etc)....my grocery is a separatebinder as I coupon and have a binder for my coupons and include flyers, andlists in there. I also have a separate one for Christmas planning, and aseparate one for preschool curriculum as I run a family child care program inmy home weekdays." ~ Shirley

"My sections include--or WILL include: weekly meal planning/ingredient list for shopping (still working on that), daily/weekly cleaning checklist, calendar to write appts/activities on (with a page for writing birthdays/anniversaries of special people/extended family, contact list/church directory, ideas to remember (includes where i can write what my hubby/kids might like asgifts for their bdays), projects and what I need to finish, book authors I like,books I want to read, etc." ~ Becoming God's Gift

"I don't do anything consistently. Two best books I've readon the subject are "Sidetracked Home Executives" (old book) andFlylady's " Sink Reflections." ~ Lisa

"Great topic. I keep schedule and daily routines separate. Myhousehold binder has a section for each person with copies of birthcertificates, ss cards, and person specific info. Then it has a section for"doctors/medical insurance" with names and numbers of doctors andmedical insurance policy information. The next section is for passcodes - alisting of all of those online accounts with login information. The nextsection is "document locations/will/taxes." This lists where to findimportant family papers and has copies of wills and recent taxes. I have asection for banking, with bank contact info and account numbers. There is asection for insurance policies, with carrier information and policy copies -for home, auto, and life. Then have a utilities section. This includes phonenumbers, account numbers and logins. It took a little while to collect thisinfo into one place, but it has been nice to have it all in one binder. Shouldanything happen to my husband or I, I didn't want our household management tobecome a burden." ~ Sharon

"I'm splitting mine in two this year. One will be my shoppingbinder. The other my household. I have sections for coupons, rain checks,shopping lists, pantry and freezer inventory, master list for shopping, itemswe need ( things watching for bargains, clothes or shoe needs with sizes fornext season...etc). I have daily, monthly, and seasonal cleaning list, gardensections, animal care and info, any quirks the house has or things that need tobe fixed, spruced up, or added. I keep personal things else where since I takemy binder out in public when i go shopping and wouldn't want to leave personalinfo behind on accident." ~ Nicky

"I have 3 notebooks (Occasional, Writing, & Daily)and my system combines digital & paper systems. I blogged about it here, "Create Harmony Using Digital Paper" butI really should update it with better photos. I've been thinking about doing ashort series with more information, but haven't yet." ~ Jennifer

"Here's a tour of mine: 'Country Mom to Four'" ~ April

"I'm not at all as organized as I need to be, but I keep acalendar of all the children's activities, holidays and appointments handybecause that usually affects my cleaning and how elaborate a meal I can cookthat day. I have a list of meals with ingredients that I use to plan my menusand blank shopping lists. (I try to plan meals for a month at a time becausewhen I buy in bulk I save money). I also try to keep an updated list of theprices of goods that I buy in different supermarkets so that I can budgetproperly. (I shop around a bit because prices differ so much and I can save).My schedule for cleaning and laundry, which is always in pencil because I haveto be so flexible (I spend more time on the road sometimes than at home). Ialso keep a copy of my monthly budget with reminders of birthdays,anniversaries etc. I know there's room for improvement so I eagerly lookforward to everyone else's ideas." ~ Lisa Maria

"My main Household Planner has dividers and then sub-dividers:

Main Divider) Finances (sub-divider) Checkbook Register (sub-divider)Budget & I also have a pocket 3-ring folder which velcros shut thatcontains my stamps, pre-labeled envelopes for the water bill I can't payonline, and return address labels.
(Main Divider) Meal Planning (sub-divider) Menus (sub-divider) GroceryShopping (sub-divider) Nutrition.
(Main Divider) Cleaning
(Main Divider) Address Book
(Main Divider) Pantry
(Main Divider) Personal - Individual family member information
(Main Divider) Ideas

I have a separate Recipe Binder, Garden Binder, and Homeschool Binder. I haveanother binder that I keep all my home canning information in. I keep thegarden and canning separate, because the garden binder tends to get dirty.

I'm always in the process of changing things around as the seasons in my lifechange. Plus my hubby got me a color printer, so I can't wait to update mybinder with some pretty things." ~ Pam

"The only thing I would add is that I use plastic page covers and write on them with a dryerase marker or a CD pen. That way I can erase what I wrote and use the pagecover over and over. This saves on paper." ~ Rosilind

For those of you who missed my radio interview the other day with Julie and Marsha from Grace Cafe, you can listen to the podcast here! Click the image below.

How to Run a Kitchen That Says, "Love is Cooking Here."

2012-01-31T23:26:00.002-06:00

Weekly Contributor, Kim Brenneman

Recently, on a cold wintry day, the children and I were cooking up a storm in the kitchen. A giant chocolate chip cookie baked in a cast iron skillet. Every child under the age of eight had a turn in putting ingredients into the bowl. A slow-cooked roast was in the oven alongside the skillet cookie. I was sautéing onions and garlic to go into a vegetable dish. Potatoes were boiling. So of course with all this stovetop work I had the fan on.

Matt came in from choring and cheerily said, “I smelled love when I walked to the house!”

Contrast this with yesterday when late in the afternoon I realized it was too late to do my original supper plan. What I threw together wasn’t that great and didn’t get done in time. I got out cheese and some other lame things to hold the hungry bellies for another hour. Then the supper was so ill-received that I bribed them with ice cream for dessert if they would just eat the little bit on the plates.

The difference between the two days fell squarely on my head. I didn’t follow through with my plan. I wasn’t in the kitchen at the appropriate times. I rushed and didn’t try to make the food good but simply wanted to get it over with. All this translated into grumpiness all the way around. I was originally irritated at being interrupted from my other work in order to make food. “How dare it be time for supper!” Then I was annoyed that I hadn’t done the prep work for the original meal plan. “How could I be so dumb?!” Hungry people are grumpy whether they are growing or already grown. We were a grumpy growly family. Being served a least favorite food that isn’t cooked well is a recipe for whining. Love was not flowing and only by the grace of God and a heartfelt supper prayer did we salvage the evening.

Today the supper hour is going to be better. You better believe it! I have a plan and I’m sticking to it. There is an herbed roast in the oven, slow and low. The children have choir this afternoon which will put us home late and my plan is to roast potatoes and sweet potatoes when we get back. There is still a good salad in the fridge but I need to make a new dressing for it. Matt will get home before I do and my goal is to have the kitchen clean and ready for me to sweep in and promptly finish the preparations with help from my older children. Supper will be on time and delicious!

I love my family, I want them to eat yummy nutritious food, I want to be happy when I make them food, and I want them to be happy when they are eating my food.

I have learned tips over the years that make kitchen and meal management easier. Here are some of them:

Keep a well-stocked pantry.
Make a meal plan. Keep it simple. For example: Italian every Thursday, roast chicken on Saturdays, dessert on weekend nights only.
Take time every week to go over your meal plan, look at your pantry, and make a grocery list.
Every single day: do meal prep for lunch and supper when you’re cleaning up breakfast. Do it again at lunch. Late in the afternoon go to the kitchen and do the rest of the supper preparations.
Know your grocery store and save time by making your list so that it corresponds with the aisles in your grocery store.
Use your slow cooker as much as you can. It saves you money because you can buy less expensive cuts of meat. It saves you time because generally it is cooking all of your food at once. It saves you mental angst because you start supper early in the day and don’t have to think about supper until right before the meal.
Keep your kitchen organized. Like with like. Knives where you cut food. Tea bags near the tea kettle. Glasses near the water. Rarely used things out of the way.
To keep your family healthy start with these tips and think about each meal as a multi-vitamin and mineral for your family.
Don’t buy boxed and packaged food. It’s expensive and by learning to make things yourself you will save a lot and be serving your family more nutritious food.
Buy extra virgin olive oil and only cold-pressed oils. Buy butter instead of margarine. Never buy shortening.
Make your own salad dressing and save big time.
Make your own vegetable, chicken, and beef stock. It’s virtually free, you've already bought the bones when you bought the meat in the first place.
Eat yogurt or kefir for your health. Make your own to save money.
The least expensive vegetables are also very nutritious! Buy potatoes, cabbage, carrots, beets, other root vegetables, zucchini, onions, garlic, green like kale and chard, and broccoli.
Eggs are brain food and a cheap protein. Serve them daily in some shape or form—they are very versatile!
Soups made from your own bone broth and full of vegetables are inexpensive and extremely nutritious. Throw your leftover meat and vegetables into a pot with broth for an easy and yummy soup or stew.
“The whiter the bread the sooner you’re dead.” Make your own fresh ground whole wheat bread or buy bread with the least ingredients and the most grams of fiber. Invest in a grain grinder and Bosch mixer. Organic whole grains are a fraction of the cost of their store bought equivalent.
Make brown rice, not white. Invest in a rice cooker for perfect rice every time. It will convert those who think they don’t like rice.
Depending on your culinary level or place in life. You may be feeling a bit overwhelmed right now. Stop and take a deep breath. You can do this. Print a calendar page and grab a pencil. Write down your husband’s favorite meals spread throughout the month. Then include the rest of your family’s favorite meals. If you are using packaged foods for those meals then make it a goal to learn to make them new and improved in a healthier way. There are many tutorials and modified recipes on the internet that can show you the way. Soon it will be easy for you and your family will be healthier!
If you have open days on your calendar then use them for trying new recipes. I recommend keeping it simple and using the slow cooker. Also save the slow cooker meals for days when you have to be out of the house. Put your meal together before you leave, and come home to the smell of supper cooking!
Tomorrow, when we’ll be home all day, I have a Kitchen Day scheduled. The children and I will be cleaning the kitchen, cooking up a storm, and making yummy smells flow out of the stove vent that say, "love is cooking here."

Blessings,

Kim Brenneman

Kim is the joyful wife of Matt and the blessed mother of nine children.

When not busy homeschooling and farmschooling, she enjoys writing, gardening, cooking, reading, sewing, and crafting.

Kim lives on a farm in Iowa where her family grows beef cattle, corn and beans, and operates a micro-dairy selling cheese at farmer’s markets. She loves to write and speak about her passion for home and family. She is the author of Large Family Logistics: The Art and Science of Managing the Large Family. She blogs about the same subject at:
http://largefamilylogistics.blogspot.com.

Free Printable Calendars for February and March

2012-01-31T21:00:00.000-06:00

The new printables are ready for February and March! Each one has the monthly calendar at a glance, and 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 printables for February and March,
just click the links below the image. (Originals are full-sized pages).

Printable Calendar for February 2012

Printable Calendar for March 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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How Two Become "One" Through Marriage - And a Titus 2sday Link Up!

2012-01-31T00:08:00.001-06:00

When reading John chapter seventeen, one can't help but notice the fervent prayer of "unity" that Jesus prayed in the last hours of His death. In particular, these verses have always stood out to me:

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. ~ John 17:20-23, KJV

In reading that we gain an understanding of how important unity is for believers. And the reason it's important is because we bring glory to God when we reflect a unified church. We are a living testimony to the life of Christ and that testimony is strengthened when the body of Christ is whole.

Let's look at the flip-side for a moment and consider a scenario. Say I have a problem with a woman at church and I write about my frustrations openly on my blog. And let's say that this woman talks about it at play group. By doing that, what we are showing the world is a fractured church where members are at war with one another rather than a body that is functioning well. God is not a God of confusion, and neither should we be.

This is how we are instructed to handle disagreements:

If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. ~ Matthew 18:15, NIV

Further instruction is given in Matthew 18 for those who can't resolve their problems alone. But I won't get into that today because I'm simply making the point that unity should be achieved behind closed doors.

With that thought in mind consider how this message is a benefit to the family unit. When children see two parents raising them with one heart and mind they see order instead of confusion.

When parents are headed in two different directions, we develop a fracture in the family unit that can be detrimental to our children.

One example is when parents argue in front of the kids. Not only is this dis-heartening to children, it also models a lack of love and respect to our spouse. If we want our children to seek out good relationships when they are older then we must show them what that relationship looks like today. We can start by discussing disagreements behind closed doors. How do we do that? We make an effort to exercise self control.

A second example is dissing our spouse when he's not around, or showing a lack of respect for him when he is absent. I want my sons to find wives that respect them, and therefore I need to show them what that picture looks like today. In the same way I want my daughter to respect her future husband. (and vice versa for both). I must teach them these lessons today, as they're growing before me. That window of opportunity is only open so long.

If you missed my radio interview with Naomi Striemer the other day, you can listen to the podcast here.

Naomi asks me, "What do you have coming up next?" Listen to find out...

1. Enter the direct link from your post into the linky tool below!

2. Please link back here with the {TITUS 2}SDAYS code (below) so that other bloggers can join in too!

3. Enjoy each other's fellowship, and have fun!

FAQ:
Can I use an old post, or do I need to use a current one?You can absolutely use an older post if you feel that the post is a great fit for this meme. Have fun!

17 Things You Can Do Today to Make Your Life Easier Tomorrow

2012-01-26T23:44:00.001-06:00

We all know from experience what procrastination can do to our lives. If left unchecked, it can make us late, unorganized, stressed out, embarrassed, overtired, broke, and hungry. I know this because I've experienced these symptoms myself.

Take this morning for example. I was trying to get the kids ready for school when I remembered that I had some important paperwork to take care of. It was already over-due, and it had to be done immediately. So I delayed my shower and sat at the dining room table filling out forms that had passed through my hands several times during the past few weeks. Any number of those times I could have sat down and got the papers in order, but because it was something I dislike taking care of I chose to put it off until the very last minute. As a result, I was thirty minutes late for an appointment that was on my calendar a week ago.

If you're a procrastinator have no fear there's an anecdote for all of us--it's called being proactive. "Pro-action" as I like to call it, is preparing for things before they cause us to react. One example would be washing underwear before you run out--that's always wise! Another might be picking up shampoo when you start running low. Those are are just two examples of proactive things that most of us do on a regular basis without really thinking about it.

If you start to look around, you'll probably see things that you would be better off taking care of now than leaving it for later. In fact you'd probably find several. Before you run off and start doing them--I'll also offer you a list of my own. Here are 17 things that we can do today to make our lives easier tomorrow:

Pray. Women often waste time over-discussing our problems when going to prayer with them is far more effective.
Make a double portion of your meal and freeze half for another day.
Make school lunches for the next day while you’re cooking dinner. (An idea I got from a reader!)
Clean out your purse and organize it.
Clean out a junk drawer so you can find things easier.
Empty the dishwasher before going to bed.
Grab garbage every time you leave your car.
Pick up small containers to use for organizing and storage. How many times do you clean up loose items in the pantry like crackers or pasta? Storing them in small containers will save you time and keep them fresh.
Make amends where you can.
Take care of a difficult or annoying task that you normally put off. Get it over with today and you'll feel a weight off your shoulder tomorrow.
Pay your bills before they are due.
Eat well so you'll have energy tomorrow.
Never handle a piece of paper twice. Remember what I did this morning? Paper work is a huge time-waster. Every single time that paper went through my hands I wasted time with it. Open your bills and pay them immediately. Have school notes? Grab a pen, sign them and put them in your child's backpack.
Go to sleep early so you feel refreshed and productive the next day.
Cut veggies up and store them in the fridge so you have healthy snacks on hand. Wash fruit and keep it out on the counter.
Fill bottles of water so you can grab one on the run.
Take the time to train your children to do a task right. Even if it means standing beside them when they make their bed for the first several times. Having them learn to do it correctly will save you all time in the long run.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. ~ Ecclesiastes 9:10a, NIV

More of You Lord, Less of Me

2012-01-26T18:58:00.001-06:00

How to Find Your Purpose in Life

2012-01-25T23:00:00.004-06:00

Dear Darlene,

I used to be a super busy woman, Bible study teacher, involved in many ministries, our daughter was busy too, piano, harp, musical theater, ballet... You get the idea a super (overly busy family). My husband works, but none of us were connected. Our daughter became ill, which brought me into deep depression, then her health tanked just as I was recovering (God's Provision). She increasingly got worse through grade 3 and by the summer she was in hospital more than not. We were transferred to a Children's Hospital in another state. She and I lived in hospital almost the entire fall there, my husband visited as his job allowed. She basically was unable to attend school at all through 4th grade.

I tell you all this as I am under the care of an excellent Christian counselor. Admittedly, for the past year, I have simply endured my life or lack thereof. I know longer am able to participate in really any activities outside of our home. I'm not reliable I cancel things all the time, because if my daughter gets sick it is my responsibility.

I have failed to grasp the life God has given me, I wanted something more, something bigger more significant. I am an attorney by trade, however I don't work. I have been challenged in my thought that God must not think much of me to leave me here.

We only have one child. I have had to confess I think I am better than this life. I'm ashamed and yet, I still am grasping that by doing for my family I am connecting to them, contributing to the family, and it feels good. I do have purpose.

Clearly, I'm only able to articulate only a piece, but all that to explain, I stumbled on your blog & I'm trying to learn. I saw somewhere you said to put some of the schedules into a binder? Do you have a layout for how to get started on truly being an engaged Wife & Mom? I have downloaded The Good Wife's Guide eBook, though haven't started it yet. I printed out the housekeeping schedule, but when I tried to get the schedules on how to clean a bedroom & bathroom, I couldn't find them.

I'm am trying to learn how to not get overwhelmed by the cleaning. I do laundry, however, meals are my biggest weakness. Our daughter isn't able to eat, though we are working to be able to give her a few foods, but it is severely limited. My husband can & enjoys cooking, so I have deferred to him, but I really don't grocery shop either. I just don't know what to get & with only 2 people eating I find figuring out portions hard.

Please advise or direct me to any resources that would help me to get a better handle on this. I know the journey we are on is a long one, and I know God as me here for a reason. I also hope you aren't offended by my clearly misguided views. God is gently working with me. Thank you in advance for anything you may be able to offer to help me.

Enduring Life

Dear Enduring Life,

Thank you for your letter, and your transparent heart. I'm glad to hear that you have a copy of my book because I suspect that it will be a big encouragement to you. The cleaning schedules that you are looking for (the ones you mentioned) are in the eBook and so I took them off of my website. I'll be putting up different types of schedules in the future, and Kim Brenneman often shares those types of posts too.

The big thing that I think you will glean from the book is that so many women struggle to keep it all together, while many of us suffer with "June Cleaver Syndrome." We think that everyone else does it so much better than we do. There are seasons in everyone's life, and this season of your life sounds like a struggle as you are taking care of a sick daughter, and the stress of it all.

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

I had to take care of my dad last fall. He died of lung cancer and his brain was full of tumors. I slept in the same room with him helpless as he desperately struggled to breathe. Needless to say my housework suffered while I was dealing with this season of my life, and my kids enjoyed pizza more than they should have.

Bottom line is this, all you have to handle is what God has given you at this very moment. And if that moment is filled with you standing by your daughter's side encouraging her along, then you are fulfilling your God-given role of a mom. Purpose isn't found on a sparkling countertop, or beneath the cushion of a well-vacuumed couch. And in your case--nor would it be defined in a law office away from the home--it's defined in those moments when we give of ourselves for the glory of God. That looks different for everyone.

Here's what a friend of mine told me the other day. Her daughter had just thrown up for the umpteenth time, and so she started a bath for her, just as the dog started to whine. Running to the kitchen she stepped in dog poop--seriously--but that's not all. She put the dog outside, and as she was hustling back to the bathroom she slipped in dog pee and landed flat on her back. Anyone walking into her house could have taken one look at the mess and judged her accordingly. But the sad thing is that WE are often the ones who are busy judging ourselves.

God sees into your heart to where the sacrifices are made, and while He does He's not looking to find perfection. I'll tell you why...

When Jesus died on the cross, He said, "It is finished." The law that condemned us was complete and fulfilled through His sacrificial death. We are made perfect through Him. And so we will fall and we’ll fail, because we struggle against the flesh, but there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who walk after the Spirit.

So, I ask you to first and foremost forgive yourself for your shortcomings. Don’t give up on your desire to please God and your family, but do it in peace without expectation.

You said, “I have failed to grasp the life God has given me, I wanted something more, something bigger more significant.”

I’d like to ask you to start grasping that right where you are today. Ask yourself this question. What has God given me to handle today? Then take that one step and see where He leads you. That where you'll find your purpose.

One of my favorite pieces of advice was given to me by my dad last year when I spoke frankly with him about my shortcomings. And let me assure you—they were SHORT!

Dad said this, “God doesn’t care what you did yesterday, He wants to know what you’ll do today.”

I’m praying with you as you grasp the life God is giving you now.

And finally you asked for a resource, in particular the area of cooking. I have a good one for you! Check out Comfy in the Kitchen. Janelle is an amazing cook who is truly gifted from God. Unlike you and I she thrives in the kitchen. Her motto is “Step-By-Step You’ll Get it Yet.” Her tutorials are so easy to follow and she makes delicious recipes! I love this chick, and I think you will too!

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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Weekly Chores for Life and a Free Printable

2012-01-25T00:02:00.000-06:00

Weekly Contributor, Kim Brenneman

What do you think about while you do your work? Where are your thoughts while you’re washing the dishes? Folding the laundry? Vacuuming the floors? Today I stumbled upon this in my stash of good stuff to read. I think it deserves to be printed on nice paper, framed and hung in a place of daily viewing.

You can view and print a ready-to-print copy here: Click to view printable or copy and paste to your own document.

WEEKLY CHORES FOR LIFE

Author unknown

Monday - Wash Day
Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, so I may serve you with perfect humility through the week ahead.

Tuesday - Ironing Day
Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles of prejudice I have collected through the years so that I may see the beauty in others.

Wednesday- Mending Day
O God, help me mend my ways so I will not set a bad example for others.

Thursday - Cleaning Day
Lord Jesus, help me to dust out all the many faults I have been hiding in the secret corners of my heart.

Friday - Shopping Day
O God, give me the grace to shop wisely so I may bless my family with contentment and happiness and all others in need of love.

Saturday - Cooking Day
Help me, my Savior, to brew a big kettle of brotherly love and serve it with clean, sweet bread of human kindness.

Sunday - The Lord's Day
O God, I have prepared my house for you. Please come into my heart so I may spend the day and the rest of my life in your presence.

When we go about our work we must not see it as a horrid chore...

“Grin and bear it.”
“Grit your teeth.”
“Just get it over with.”

We should see that work as an opportunity to talk to God about life.

I really don’t like to do laundry. I like it done but I don’t like the process of doing it. When we have to do the unpleasant work we should use it as a time of prayer and thanksgiving. “Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, so I may serve you with perfect humility.”

Every day and every minute of every day we should be praying. It is the will of God for us to do that.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

How do we do this? Is it practical? I say, yes. It is a habit of the mind. Instead of talking to ourselves, talk to Jesus. When you have a question, ask Him. If you run into a little problem, “Help me please.” And always, “Thank you Jesus.”

Do you know someone, or are you this person, who is caught up in a cycle of depressing thoughts? Perhaps it is about an event or maybe a series of bad things that are a part of her history but she has a litany going on in her head of these bad things. When she opens her mouth it all comes spilling out, rehearsed in her head a million times. She’s stuck in a spot, a habit of “Poor me.”

Or, a person or place can trigger a series of unpleasant memories that start to roll around in our mind. Anger builds yet again at that person. “Help me, my Savior.” “O God, give me the grace.” “Dear Lord, help me.” Talking to Jesus, giving it to Him, turning our thoughts around is the way to overcome habits of the mind that bring us down.

When we’re having a day when it all seems to be going wrong, everything we touch falls apart, we say, “O God, give me the grace.” He will help you. He will show you His mercy. He will bless you through someone else. Your problems may not be instantly solved but you will know His presence with you when you start talking to Him.

Sadly, drama sometimes finds its way to our front door. Family, neighborhood, church, work—drama seems to happen everywhere. “He said,” “She said,” “Can you believe...” “And then...” “She did?” Add to this some “analyzers” and you get all sorts of diagnoses and names for the sins in the drama and why the drama unfolded.

Then there are the players that tweak the drama a little bit higher with some wide eyes and “I heard...” “Did you hear?” “It’s terrible!” “Can you imagine?” “Lord help us all!” The “ambulance chasers” feel the need to “help” in some sort of sick reflected glory sort of way.

How do you stop thinking about and getting sucked into the titillating sordidness?

Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not. 1 Timothy 5:13

Stay home (including the internet and phone).
Be busy at home (get busy in a home and family project).
And renew your mind.

But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about Him and were taught in Him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:20-24

In reading the rest of the Ephesians passage we learn what the focus of our renewed mind should be on. When we focus on good we can’t be thinking about evil. The two are not compatible. There can be no darkness where there is light. Where the light of Jesus shines there is agape love.

And when we’re doing our work we ought to be in prayer for our husbands, our children, our extended families, our church, our friends and neighbors, our community, our country, on and on... When something comes to mind, turn it over to God and pray about it. The thing that comes to mind does not have to be a problem in order to pray over it. It could be a thanksgiving or blessing.

Pray that we would be a blessing on all those we serve everyday with the work we do day in and day out. And as we work let’s pray that God would work on us.

Blessings,

Kim Brenneman

Kim is the joyful wife of Matt and the blessed mother of nine children.

When not busy homeschooling and farmschooling, she enjoys writing, gardening, cooking, reading, sewing, and crafting.

Kim lives on a farm in Iowa where her family grows beef cattle, corn and beans, and operates a micro-dairy selling cheese at farmer’s markets. She loves to write and speak about her passion for home and family. She is the author of Large Family Logistics: The Art and Science of Managing the Large Family. She blogs about the same subject at:
http://largefamilylogistics.blogspot.com.

The Joy of Marriage & Motherhood - And a Titus 2sday Linkup!

2012-01-23T21:06:00.000-06:00

I put a question out to the ladies on the facebook group the other day, and as the answers began to roll in I started tearing up. I was so blessed reading each and every one of the comments, and if you haven't seen them yet--I think that you will be too.

I asked them, "What is your greatest joy in being a wife or a mom or both?"

Mine is the comfort of home. There is nothing like it. Knowing that I have a place where I can be "me" and I'm loved. Praising God for His gift of family!

Now, here is what my readers had to say,
Knowing that I am married to a man of faith, who prays for me and loves the Lord. ~ Ida

Knowing it's exactly where God wants me!! And all of your statement, too! ~ Arron

Welcoming my husband back into our home after a long deployment. I love making our home into a retreat of sorts for him (well...a retreat with art projects toys and bedtimes). ~ Juliana

In addition to your comment, I'd have to say the smiles and cuddles from hubby and kiddos. While it can be exhausting at times, it makes the late nights and hard work worth it to see them happy and taken care of! ~ One Small Town Girl

Knowing no matter how badly I think I've failed, I have a husband who loves and supports me and beautiful children who are true blessings. The good days are easy....this gets me through the not so good ones. ~ Melissa

Laughing together. God gave me the family I didn't have as a child. ~ Just Jules

What you said! ~ Anita

Snuggling with my kids-no matter how hard the day was or how many times I might have felt like I was losing it, when I get to cuddle with them before bed, those precious moments make it all worth it. ~ Noelle

Having a man who loves me and I know it and don't ever have to wonder about if he loves me or not. Being a Mom it's being able to be home with them, tucking them in at night etc. Loving the life God has given me. ~ Mary Beth

They are both wonderful, being a wife, mom.... love being surrounded by my family (insane as it may be at times).... but being a grandma - now that just pulls it all together. A lapful of grandkids - and kids and spouse all around. A full house. ~ Claudette

Getting chocolate faced kisses and jelly covered hands hugging me tight. I love when my husband comes home in the evenings, puts his arms around me and kisses me! It truly is the simple things for me!!! ~ Stephanie

I think Just Jules said exactly how I feel also! Making the memories with my children that I never had in childhood! Wonderful! ~ Hailey

The love from my amazing children!!!! Best feeling ever! ~ Rachel

I agree with what u said. Beautifully put! Somewhere I'm accepted even when I'm not perfect. I hope I make my family feel the acceptance in our home that they give to me! ~ Amy

I love my eight children but when my husband comes home (he works out of town currently) and hugs me and takes a deep, deep breath and says, "I'm sooo glad to be home"...that makes me feel like I am the center of the universe. The man loves me:-). ~ Generational Womanhood

Amen! Home Sweet Home, there is no place like HOME…My family loves the Lord, and I have great JOY. We Homeschool our children and my husband loves coming home, I am blessed. ~ Hilda

It's amazing.... it's the same stuff that makes us all tick and that make us *sigh* that happy, content sigh. I've been married 20 years, and I still *love* that moment hubby walks through the door, hugs me and sighs, 'Oh, it's soooo good to be home. Like Generational Womanhood (above), I feel I'm centre of the universe. And my kids - right up to my 18-year-old boy - turning to me for no apparent reason and saying, 'I love you, Mum'. I wouldn't swap my world ....for the world! ~ Homeschool on the Croft

My greatest joy in being a wife is the feeling of being a part of a team - of everyday waking beside my love and knowing that by God's grace we will be able to make a difference in someone's life. My greatest joy in being a mom of grown kids is to see God working in their lives - to see them put God at the center of their lives, see them serving Him, and know that all the times I messed up as a mom, HE covered it. All things are grace. ~ Encourage Your Spouse

“Just Jules” hit the nail on the head! Making memories and creating traditions with my boys. Knowing my husband loves me, the broken me. No matter what. Looking back, recognizing the He orchestrated it all, and everso thankful. ~ Carrie

Laughter and making memories. ~ Amy

Wife - Mom, both but in that order... My Jim-dear loves me no matter how ugly I am for that time. I have been known to act quite ugly, I don't want to but I have... Sigh. He loves me any way just like HE loves me always. ~ Cynthia

Greatest joy being married for almost 18 years to the man God gave me, loving each other more and more every day, Growing together in the Lord. Loving our children, and watching them grow, and loving us back, and loving the Lord. There is so much more! ~ Kathleen S.

Knowing that I'm doing God's will. Before I was married, before I learned that being a wife and possibly a mom were perfectly acceptable ways to "spend" one's life, I was seriously confused by my feminist upbringing. After I graduated from college, I seriously considered going to law school and even running for public office because I wanted to have a positive impact on the world. I figured I could only do that if I was out there effecting some political change in favor of the "oppressed." But, deep down, I really just wanted to be a wife and mom - however, I truly felt that God would be disappointed with me if I didn't do more, something more visible. I then met my husband-to-be and began attending his church where I learned that being a wife and mother are the highest and most noble callings a woman can have. There is true joy in knowing that I'm right in the center of His will when I live purposefully to help and support my husband and rear the five children He so graciously gave me in a redemptive, Christ-centered fashion. God is so good to make His will known to us through His word and then give us the grace, the enabling, to carry it out. ~ Kathleen D.

My greatest joy is creating a haven for my family. A place of comfort, whether it’s in our home or just my arms, they know they have a place to go for comfort, somewhere warm and inviting that's always available and open. ~ Stephanie

It is the same for me. ~ Autumn Lee

Mine is knowing I am exactly where God wants me to be. So many people are looking for their place in this world and I know exactly where mine is - at home. ~ Happy Wives Club

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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Are You Strong Enough to Be My Friend?

2012-01-22T23:02:00.000-06:00

Dear Darlene,

I am not good at this but I am going to try anyways – I am lost, confused, scared and FULL of bitterness and resentment. I am afraid that I will lose my husband over all of this.

I cannot keep my life on track, I fall back into my old ways of being lazy and selfish and out of control. I want a better life for myself and my husband, unfortunately I have no idea where to start or what to do. I am a blueprint type person, where I need specific instructions on how to do something. I like structure and schedules... but life is not necessarily like that. I have been searching for so long to figure out what is missing in my life, however I think I have come to the conclusion that I am missing God and I am living a life I want and have no regard for making my life one based upon God.

I need to know how to start living a life that is God-based, not self-based. I would like for someone to help guide me as to where I need to start and what I need to do. I believe in God, but I do not think before I act or before I speak. I have become “rotten” to the ones I love and I fear I have become the worst version of myself.

Do I need to read the Bible every day? Do I need to attend church? How do I stop myself from being upset? How do I become a good Christian?

Any advice you can provide me with would be so very much appreciated. I need to get my life right with God and I need to know the detailed steps to take on a daily, almost minutely basis.

Thank you,

Lost and Confused

Dear Lost and Confused,

Think of yourself like a fire. What do you need to get it burning? You have the spark and that is incredible, I love that. But yes I'd say that in order for us to know and understand God's will for our lives the Bible is a vital part of growing. It's the fuel that keeps the flame alive. Sermons, books, and blogs are wonderful to help you along but I look at all of those things as being spoon fed. So many people go off track because they are fed the wrong message. So while you can enjoy those things and grow from them, see your relationship with God as precious enough to read the Bible and bring it to prayer so that you can ensure the teaching is right.

When I was researching health and diet for Reshaping it All I discovered the power that the subconscious mind has when it comes to mirroring the behavior of others. For example if your friend orders dessert, you're likely to order it too. If your friend pushes her plate away and says, "I'm stuffed." You are more likely to do the same than not.

That's not a serious issue when it comes to things like an extra brownie or a chicken finger, but when it comes to the more serious matters of faith and family, we need people around us who are strong enough to sharpen us and encourage us to grow even in those moments when we don't notice that they are doing so.

You know what I did? I was going to a good church out here--still do--but at the time I didn't feel like I was fitting in so well. I wasn't making any connections with women that I could call up to just go for a coffee or get my nails done. (Some of us women need that! *wink*) So I took a brave step and sought out a friend. I called a pastor's wife from another church that I felt a connection with and asked her to go for lunch. And being the open kind of person that I am I told her I need someone in my life who will sharpen me. I don't need her to be my BFF (although she probably is by now) I just need someone who I can fellowship with over a bowl of soup or a tear stained Kleenex. I need a woman who is strong enough to be my friend. Sounds like the title of a song—ha!

Another way I used to get connected was through a ladies morning out group. My son was about two at the time and the other women had young children too. It was through a good church and we did weekly Bible studies. I developed relationships with those women and they were there to encourage me as a mom, a wife, and a growing Christian.

If I lived in the US, the first place I'd try is Calvary Chapel because I know so many awesome women who attend, and it seems to have a solid doctrine. We don't have Calvary Chapel up here because I'm in Canada and only a few provinces have them. If that doesn't work, feel free to write me again with your location and I'll try to help you find a good church in your area. If you have children or plan on having children getting them connected with other believers that they grow with is such a gift that I've seen in some kids who are now twenty and thirty-years-old. They are so comfortable in the church because they grew up with these people.

And I'm also going to recommend a free online devotional to you. I loved this devotional long before it was free. I'd suggest reading it daily, and then taking the scripture reference that they provide and reading the entire chapter in its context. It's called God Calling.

Or you could start by reading a Psalm a day. But I will tell you where my personal favorite place to start is: Galatians. Here's why: that book and the ones following it are all short, so when I read them I feel like I've accomplished much! And most of the books following Galatians are also letters of conduct and encouragement written to the church.

Now you said, "I cannot keep my life on track; I fall back into my old ways of being lazy and selfish and out of control." Dear sister, that statement reminds me of the apostle Paul, who said of himself "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst." And, wow--I too can relate to that.

Paul also said this, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer myself who do it, but it is sin living in me." ~ Romans 7:15-17, NIV

Paul was talking about his sinful nature that is at war with the flesh. It’s the heart and the passion of man that wants to overeat, oversleep, yell at our children and husband, lie, steal, facebook our ex-boyfriend, and the list goes on. It’s a struggle that we all face in the flesh.

But there’s good news, and it’s found in Romans chapter eight where Paul explains that life in Jesus Christ sets us free from that. It’s not always an automatic thing where you give your life to Jesus and your sinful desires fall away. For most of us it’s the process of renewing our hearts and minds through prayer, the Bible, and fellowship, while we take up our cross and fight against temptation. The more that we follow the Spirit and understand God’s plan for our life the less we desire to follow our lazy, self-centered flesh and the more we desire to live righteously. The first step is to repent of our sin, then we start walking in faith with the help of the Holy Spirit.

One more thing about the fellowship: remember that an ember alone will burn out much quicker than one that is placed close to the fire. Your goal is to keep that fire going strong!

I hope I have encouraged you in your walk.

If you want any more information about steps to peace with God, check out the link in my left sidebar and it will lead you to an article by The Billy Graham Association.

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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Introducing My eBook Trailer...

2012-01-21T00:10:00.003-06:00

Here's my book trailer for The Good Wife's Guide: Embracing Your Role as a Help Meet. Hope you like it, and if so please share!

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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Ladies, We have a Choice...

2012-01-20T00:13:00.000-06:00

(image from Pinterest, photographer unknown)

Marriages, like a garden, take time to grow.

But the harvest is rich unto those who
patiently and tenderly care for the ground.
~ Time-Warp Wife

I go through the same cycle every couple of years. I finally get my hair to the length that I want it and then I start to wonder why I grew it out. It's lifeless, drab and all I ever seem to do is pull it back into a ponytail. I become "The Pony Girl" for about a year until I make the call.

I want volume. I want layers. And I want them today. So I go see Justin at the mall and I tell him that I want big hair--the biggest hair he can pull off. I don't care if I need to add a sun roof to my little red car, I just want volume.

A centimeter is added to my stature, the new facebook photos go up, and I'm thrilled with my hair for a few days, maybe a few weeks...

Then one day I get up, look in the mirror and say to myself. "What in the world have you done, Darlene? Didn't you learn your lesson the first bazillion times you made this mistake? Do you know how long this takes to grow back?"

Finally after forty-six years I realized something. My hair style isn't the problem, I am. For one, I'm not content, and two, when I take the time to wash, blow dry, and style my hair it looks awesome, when I don't put the extra effort in, it looks drab. Period. Long or short I deal with the same scenario every time--I think that a new hair style will make the difference when the change is right at my fingertips. I'm just to lazy to do what it takes.

So it is with many marriages. We may wake up one morning, take a look at our spouse and start to notice that life has gotten a little drab over time. We need proverbial volume in our lives, and we want it today. Unfortunately many marriages end because people get caught up in the cycle of discontentment. Just look at Zsa Zsa Gabor who was married nine times, Liz Taylor married eight times, Larry King married eight times, Linda Wolfe from Indiana married 23 times is looking for 24, and the list goes on...

There's a lot of discontentment in this world.

Take a look at this piece of scripture:

When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. ~ Matthew 12:43-45

What we learn from this is the difference between a moral transformation and a spiritual one. When we see something in our lives that requires a change, whether it be a bad habit or something as big as a troubled marriage, we need to handle it in a spiritual way. We could eliminate the problem, but that desire for more will only come back again and again unless we fill that space with the contentment that comes to those who walk in the Spirit.

Contentment is vital, but some work is also required to those who seek change. Marriages, like a garden take time to grow, but the harvest is rich unto those who patiently and tenderly care for the ground.

And so ladies, we have a choice. We can live in discontentment wishing that we had a better marriage, a cleaner house, polite children, and a good meal on the table, or we can put in the extra work that it takes to be a loving wife, a nurturing mother, and a faithful steward of our home.

That's what we can do, but there's so much more that God can do.

Things might not fall into place the way that we want them too. In fact nobody can predict what tomorrow will hold. But I can promise you this. If you pray asking God to work in your situation, and trust Him with your life He will be at work, because godliness with contentment is great gain!

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ~ 1 Timothy 6:6-8

Winners of the eBook Chosen and 2 New Chances to Win!!

2012-01-19T08:56:00.001-06:00

Thank you to everyone who entered to win a copy of The Good Wife's Guide. I appreciate each and every one of you!

I chose two winners from each draw using the tool at random.org. Here are the results:

The Email Draw (readers shared the link with friends-thank you!)

Chasta Poole
Heather Wolcott

The Draw through the Facebook Group for The Good Wife's Guide:

Barbara Jean Negley Sheffer
Linda Beyer Martin-Culet

Two More Chances to Win!

And now I'd like to introduce you to two of my friends who are both giving away copies as well!!!!

Karen Ehman has been described as profoundly practical, engagingly funny and downright real. Her passion is to provide women, wives and mothers with creative tools and doable ideas to help them both simplify life and glorify God. She is the Director of the Prover bs 31 Ministries national speaking team and is a contributor to Focus on the Family’s magazine Thriving Family.

Visit Karen's blog for details and enter to win by Sunday night, January 22, 2012.

Jamerrill from Holy Spirit-Led Homeschooling says that her great desire is to encourage fellow mothers as we run towards the finish line for Jesus. I love her love for the Lord!

While you're at Jamerrill's blog, also check out her own eBook called 100 Indoor Activities for Kids: Television Not Included. I love that title (and it's free)!

Visit Jamerrill's blog for details on The Good Wife's Guide giveaway. Giveaway ends Saturday night, Jan. 21, 2012.

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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Become an Affiliate

2012-01-18T14:11:00.000-06:00

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Payments are made on or before the 15th of every month for the previous month's sales.

Provided below are graphics that you can use to promote The Good Wife's Guide you can also click them to find out more about the eBook!

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Your Master Bedroom - The Heartbeat of the Castle

2012-01-17T22:52:00.000-06:00

Weekly Contributor, Kim Brenneman of Large Family Logistics

The work that a home creates can become mundane and exhausting if our attitudes are not in tune with what the Lord has called us to do. We need to remember to not only care for our family and their dwelling place but we must also take care of ourselves. A physically rundown wife and mother does not have the energy to care for her home and family. Her home is one of disorder and dirt. It may not be that she is truly lazy but that she is simply worn out and does not possess the energy to move forward and do the next thing. She needs care.

At these times it would be nice to have a wife or mother for ourselves wouldn’t it? We as women must remember to take care of ourselves in order to do the work the Lord has called us to do. Along with good food and exercise, part of taking care of ourselves is creating a peaceful retreat within the home for us. We need rest, not necessarily sleep but a little bit of rest and relaxation.

The home is a retreat from the world for our families. Our role as nurturer of the family places our primary work in the home. We care for our husband and children in one way or another 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our homes are where our hearts are. Caring for children, cooking meals, cleaning rooms, and the never-ending pile of laundry keep us in constant motion.

We also spend energy taking care of the emotional and educational needs of our family. We as women need a retreat within the retreat.

We take a God-given delight in feathering our nests with color, art, handiwork, and furnishings that express our Christian values of home and family. Come along with me and add some extra soft touches to the nest. We’re going to work on the Master Bedroom and make it your special place! We’ll make it a place in the hills where you can be alone to pray. We’ll create a retreat from the world where you will want to spend time with your best friend--your husband.

"We’ll make it a place in the hills where you can be alone to pray."

Close your eyes and think about what it looks like right now. Is it cluttered? Has it become a catch-all place? You need to find a different spot for all of the unnecessary and unsightly things. This is now the room where you get re-energized. It is the last place you see when you go to sleep at night and the first thing you see when you wake up in the morning. Let it be a place of rest and peace that will give you motivation for the coming day. Get your Goodwill box and a trash bag and do the de-cluttering.

Now, give it all a good cleaning. Take down the window coverings for cleaning. Then wash your windows and blinds. This will let in the light and show you where the dirt is hiding. It also changes the perspective of the room and will help you get some new ideas on what you want your retreat to look like. Finish doing the cleaning (cobwebs, dusting, and vacuuming) all the while thinking about what you need in a retreat.

When you’re done cleaning, make a list of all the cleaning chores and divide it into daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly. Slide this paper into a sheet protector and post it on your door to remind you until you have it memorized and can do it without thinking. Make yourself some rules, i.e. only ten things allowed on your bedside table, including reading glasses, drink, book, Bible, etc. Maintain this one place in the house to be pretty and peaceful and it will be a bright spot in your home and life. This refuge will keep your being more healthy and energized for the rest of the work.

Give thought to these words while you seek out ideas to implement:

reserved
rest
retreat
recluse
relax
refuge

Think about the purposes of the master bedroom and write down decorating ideas. Ask yourself how to create privacy, ease, convenience, and beauty in your master bedroom. This has to suit you and your husband so think about your favorite things, what favorite objects do you want to surround yourself with?

Make a list of things that define you and your husband. For example, I love quilts. I love the connection they have with the past. I love the art and handiwork of them. I also love flowers, the color pink (I use it as an accent), writing paper-journals, the sun, lace, dark chocolate, books, and the list goes on. Think about what defines you and use those things to surround yourself with in your retreat. These things are part of your God-given personality, and they typically are things that God has blessed us with at some point in life that taught us to appreciate some wonder of his creation. Express yourself and your marriage, with these definitions, in your retreat.

What about your bedroom do you dislike? Fix it ASAP. Anything that grates on you will be the antithesis of retreat. Maybe it’s an eyesore that simply needs to be hidden. If it can’t be hidden, then put it behind you by moving the bed or your reading chair. Move things so that the eyesore will be out your line of sight.

Create ease in your room by moving the furniture to create flow. You do not want to bang your shin on the same thing every night when you get up to feed the baby. Create ease by adding cushioned seating, pillows, or a soft rug by the bed.

Move the chair that you use as a clothes rack to force a new habit of putting clothes away. Write down on your list of daily bedroom chores to put clothes where they belong.

Create ease for eyes and mood by painting the walls blue or green. Both are colors that have been shown to promote relaxation. Think of all the blues of the sky and the sea. Nearly all the plants of the field are some variant of green, and you'll see that God used them predominately when he created the earth. When we stand still and behold the beautiful outdoors we are overcome with the splendor of it. We find rest in our souls when we rest our eyes on God’s artwork. Bring some of that inside by choosing colors that bring on a peaceful mood. You can find myriad of blues and greens at the paint store. From dark to light, warm and cool, there will be a blue or green that expresses you and your idea of tranquility. When you bring ease to your retreat, as soon as you walk in the door your body will say, “Ahhhh” and you will relax.

Make your room convenient by having bedside tables with reading lights, paper, pen, and the Bible. Keep tissue and a waste basket handy if you’re allergy prone.

Use good light blocking blinds; dark rooms promote deeper, more restful sleep.

If you like to write or do some sort of handiwork, then create a place for that in your bedroom. For some people that might be bringing work into the bedroom and for others it’s bringing a restful activity that promotes a quiet spirit. Be sure to put a good light in the task area.

Put a CD player in your Master Bedroom to play peaceful music or whatever suits the mood of you and your beloved.

To make my room more convenient I have an old sofa draped with quilts that I use when nursing the baby, reading, and when we have a sick or scared child at night (with nine children, there is a limit to who fits in the bed). I also have a soft light if I need it at night.

Put your bedroom lamps on a timer to turn off when you need to sleep and come on with your alarm clock in the morning. This one convenience has improved my sleep routines immensely.

Add beauty with art, pictures of you and your husband, fresh flowers, or other expressions of who you are and the things that you enjoy. Try to create a harmony of favorite things expressing all of the senses. What fabrics do you like to feel? What do you like under your feet? What do you want to wrap up in while you sit and peruse a new magazine? When you want a peaceful setting what do you want to hear? Guitar music, ocean waves, the breeze in the trees outside, or silence? What do you want to smell? A favorite flower, a mug of hot chocolate, the night air drifting in? What do you want to see? Blank walls, art, photography, wallpaper? Lots of drapes and luscious fabric or simple, straight lines? Dark or light? Warm or cool? Simple, elaborate, or somewhere in between? Think about these things. Get some magazines and books from the library or visit Pinterest.com to collect ideas. Don’t copy a photo of someone else’s idea of beauty. What my Master Bedroom looks like will not be the same as yours. It should be an expression of who you are and what you have available to use. Spend time in thought, with pen in hand. What is beautiful to you and why? Do what defines who you are and your needs for a restful retreat. What are the simplest things that give pleasure and rest for your soul? Bring these pieces of beauty into your master bedroom.

Put things in your Master Bedroom that express who you are as a union with your beloved. Include photographs and mementos that reflect your history together. Create ambience through soft lamps or candles for your evenings together.

Embrace your femininity and dress that way in your bedroom. Throw out the old T-shirts and boxer-shorts, this is not a college dorm room. Throw out the ratty bath robe and tattered gown of yesteryear. This is your master bedroom--the place where the heart of the family finds a restful haven. It is the heartbeat of the castle. Wear what enhances the romance and makes you feel like the queen. Create it to be a place of honor to your marriage.

The mandrakes give forth fragrance, and beside our doors are all choice fruits, new as well as old, which I have laid up for you, O my beloved.
Song of Solomon 7:13 ESV

It is natural how God created females to feather their nests. Every mother in nature does it. We were born to nurture our families and part of this is by creating beauty in our homes.

When the stress of constantly being needed by your family weighs heavy on you, go to your nest within the nest and spend time with the Lord of all. Take your cares to Him. Slipping away for a break in the day to read the Word, quiet your thoughts, and pray in your retreat surrounded by your favorite things will inspire you for the rest of the day. Prayer and rest bring healing to our innermost beings. We need this to remain healthy Christian women. Jesus gives rest to the weary. Go and create a haven of rest. Make it a place where you meet your Helper who enables you to be a helper to your husband.

And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. Matthew 14:23, ESV

Blessings,

Kim Brenneman

Kim is the joyful wife of Matt and the blessed mother of nine children.

When not busy homeschooling and farmschooling, she enjoys writing, gardening, cooking, reading, sewing, and crafting.

Kim lives on a farm in Iowa where her family grows beef cattle, corn and beans, and operates a micro-dairy selling cheese at farmer’s markets. She loves to write and speak about her passion for home and family. She is the author of Large Family Logistics: The Art and Science of Managing the Large Family. She blogs about the same subject at:
http://largefamilylogistics.blogspot.com.

What Defines Quality Time? And a Titus 2sday Linkup!

2012-01-16T23:10:00.001-06:00

Quality time is found in the unexpected moments of life.

It's not defined by the hour,
but simply by our devotion one to another.

~ Time-Warp Wife

Graham asked me to solve a riddle the other day. It went like this: An eight foot tall man is standing on a chair, how tall is he now? Right off the bat I figured that he was expecting me to say 11 feet, so I went in the other direction and guessed 5. I figured 8ft - 3ft (for the chair). But the answer was simple: 8 feet. Graham said it doesn't matter whether or not the man stands on a chair or not, if he's 8ft tall, he's always 8ft tall. Leave it to a 12-year-old to pull one over on me!

When I got to thinking about time this week, I realized that it's a similar thing--an hour is an hour regardless of which way we slice it. We all hear about "quality" time and how it trumps "quantity" time, but does it really? Does taking your kid to a ball game add more to his life than working in the garage together might? Would taking your daughter to the ballet enrich her life anymore than making dinner, setting the table and washing dishes together could? Anyway you spend it, one hour is still just an hour. The quality of that time is dependent upon our devotion one to the other.

It's important, in fact it's vital that we spend quality time with our children, but quality time can never take the place of quantity. Here are two very good reasons for this:

Children need both.
Quality time develops when you least expect it.

Here's an example. When I was a child we went on a family vacation to Banff, Alberta. It was incredible. We got to ride in a gondola lift and took a trip to Heritage Park. It was definitely something I'll never forget. But I have to say this: I believe that my character was greatly influence by the countless nights we spent sitting around the kitchen table with my dad. It was simply time spent together. Nearly every night Dad would tell us stories from his past, he'd sing a few songs, and he'd always make us laugh. Nothing was planned, it just fell into place because he was ready and willing to spend "time" with his daughters.

I received a letter in my inbox the other day. After reading it over I realized what it is that children crave, and what my children remember the most about me. It blessed my heart, and if you read it I think you'll know why (click to view larger image):

Subscribers: If you can't read this, click through to my website: http://www.timewarpwife.com

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." ~ Matthew 19:4, NIV

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3. Enjoy each other's fellowship, and have fun!

FAQ:
Can I use an old post, or do I need to use a current one?You can absolutely use an older post if you feel that the post is a great fit for this meme. Have fun!

My New eBook "The Good Wife's Guide"

2012-01-15T18:16:00.000-06:00

"The Good Wife's Guide" eBook $4.95
By Darlene Schacht

with foreword by Candace Cameron Bure

__________________

Prefer a PDF version? Click the "Buy Now" button below:

(Contest is closed)

Book Description:

In The Good Wife's Guide author Darlene Schacht encourages women to joyfully serve their families. In doing so she offers reasons for achieving a well-managed home backed by scripture and gleaned from experience. As well she provides readers with detailed cleaning and organizing schedules for practical application.

The Good Wife's Guide encourages women to make faith and family their first priorities from a place of sacrificial love. It reminds women that they were created with a specific purpose in mind, which is that of being a help meet. In supporting our husbands and living in unity we reflect God's blueprint for marriage.

About the Author:

Darlene Schacht is an ordinary mom, living an extraordinary life, because of who she is through Jesus Christ. As help-meet to her husband Michael, she guides and nurtures their four children, leading them toward a deeper walk of faith.

Her work has been published in anthologies by Thomas Nelson, Tyndale Publishing and Adams Media. As well she has co-authored a book with actress Candace Cameron Bure, the award-winning and New York Times Best-Seller, Reshaping it All: Motivation for Spiritual and Physical Fitness.

Details:

eBook: 154 pages
Publisher: Time-Warp Wife Ministries
Language: English
Price: $4.95

Endorsement:

"Being a woman is a powerful role that God has called each of us to, and I love the ways in which Darlene helps us focus on those priorities and live out our desire to be 'The Good Wife.'" - Candace Cameron Bure, Actress, NYT Best-Selling Author

"The Good Wife's Guide is superb! Darlene's Biblical and practical approach leads readers from the ideal to reality. Her real life examples, practical applications, helpful lists and tips will inspire you not just to be a Good Wife but a Godly wife!" ~ Courtney Joseph, Women Living Well Ministries

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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How to Fight With Your Husband

2012-01-13T00:04:00.000-06:00

The other night my husband and I had a fight. It was the first spat we’ve had in a long time, and it didn’t feel right. I was explaining my frustration to him over a work related issue, and he was feeling the pressure between me and things that weren’t in his power to change. It was really a small thing, but we both felt the frustration, and the more that we talked the worse things got.

It wasn’t so much our words anymore. Body language took over. He was talking, I looked away in frustration, and he let out a huff. Then I shook my head and said, “I’m just looking away for a minute…” You know how it goes...

Read the rest of the post over at Roo Mag where I'm guest posting today:

10 Rules & 10 Tips for the Kitchen

2012-01-10T21:10:00.001-06:00

Are fruit flies swarming your kitchen? The kitchen is one of the most used rooms in the home and due to the nature of food preparation can be the dirtiest. There are several habits that should be part of your life to avoid having the health department condemn your kitchen, and to make it a happier place.

Ten Rules for the Kitchen

When you get something out, put it away. The same rule that should be applied all over the house is of course just as important in the kitchen. This must be taught to your children when they are young so that they understand that food left out spoils.
While working in the kitchen, fill the sink with hot soapy water. As you finish with a cooking utensil toss it in the sink or grab the washing cloth and wipe down the appliance you were using. Water is the supreme solvent and washing things before the gunk gets hard as a rock saves time later. It’s efficient.
The same principle applies for the countertops and stove, wipe them after each mess that you make. It takes seconds to wipe and rinse the cloth in the sink full of hot soapy water; it takes minutes of scrubbing after spills have become cemented on.
When preparing food, get out all the ingredients, appliances, and utensils first. As soon as you’re done and the dish is cooking put these things away again. Don’t leave to do another thing, finish the work you started.
Keep the dishwasher unloaded. What good is it to you when it is full of clean dishes? You can’t put anything dirty in so it collects in the sink and on the counters taking up valuable workspace. It takes less than five minutes to unload it. Race the clock. Assign a child to be the unloader. Take out the knives first and even a two-year-old can unload the silverware. It might not be perfectly sorted but it’s teaching them to help and preschoolers love to help. Crack the door to let it cool off for five minutes then call the unloader to the job.
Don’t put your dirty dishes anywhere but in the dishwasher. This is more sanitary and efficient. It keeps the countertops clean and attractive. It is inspiring to walk into a clean kitchen; it is depressing to have to do a deep clean before food can be prepared for the next meal.
If you don't have a dishwasher, give yourself the "Rule of Ten": If there are ten or more things to wash, do it now. Never have more than ten things waiting to wash. If you have a dishwasher, apply this to those items that you have to hand wash.
Wipe the sink after every meal. Start at the backsplash, work your way around the sink, do the faucet, then wipe the bowl, empty the strainer and rinse it.
Sweep the floor after every meal. If you don’t do this, the crumbs get picked up on feet and spread throughout the house making the other floors dirty. Crumbs underfoot are annoying and they attract ants. It takes just a few minutes to sweep and saves time later. Assign one of your children to this chore. Less than perfect is better than nothing.
Use your time with Godly wisdom. Put a scripture verse over the sink to memorize while you wash dishes. Pray for the food to be a blessing while you make it. Pray for the people who are going to eat it.

Ten simple habits. Thank God for the ones you are already doing! Now, add the rest starting with the next step you take into your kitchen. Print this article, put it in a page protector, and hang it in a kitchen cupboard. Check through the list after each meal until it all becomes ingrained in your life and has become your own personal kitchen habits.

Ten Tips to a Tip-Top Kitchen

To help clean a scorched pan, scrape off what you can and put enough water in to just cover the bottom, then add a bit of automatic dishwasher detergent and let set overnight.
To get rid of foul smelling odor from plastic containers, rinse them with vinegar.
To rid your kitchen of fruit flies, remove every single food item (hide them in your refrigerator), set out a glass of sweet pickle juice or wine overnight to attract and drown them. The ones that remain become very lethargic due to starvation and are easily swatted.
To clean dried on gunk, squeeze water over it and let it set for several minutes to soften, then wipe.
Take your falling-apart cookbooks to Staples and get them punched and comb bound.
Use vinegar for an inexpensive alternate to rinse agents in the dishwasher.
Pour boiling water down the kitchen drain to keep it running free.
To remove the smell of onion from your hands wipe the flat side of a stainless steel knife blade over them.
Set out a lemon to come to room temperature before squeezing to get more juice from it.
Put frequently used items within easy range (hip to shoulder height) for movement efficiency. Keep this in mind for children also if they are the ones to unload the dishwasher and set the table.

________________

Thank God for dirty dishes,

They have a tale to tell;

While others may go hungry

We’re eating very well.

With home, health, and happiness,

I shouldn’t want to fuss;

By the stack of evidence,

God’s been very good to us!

~ Anonymous ~

________________

Blessings,

Kim Brenneman

Kim is the joyful wife of Matt and the blessed mother of nine children.

When not busy homeschooling and farmschooling, she enjoys writing, gardening, cooking, reading, sewing, and crafting.

Kim lives on a farm in Iowa where her family grows beef cattle, corn and beans, and operates a micro-dairy selling cheese at farmer’s markets. She loves to write and speak about her passion for home and family. She is the author of Large Family Logistics: The Art and Science of Managing the Large Family. She blogs about the same subject at:
http://largefamilylogistics.blogspot.com.

How to Make Lifestyle Changes and a Titus 2sday Link up!

2012-01-09T23:04:00.000-06:00

It's January 9th today which means that some of us who vowed to make change in 2012 are still pressing on while others have already thrown in the towel. Throwing in the towel is something that most of us can understand. Some call it giving up while others call it yielding to the flesh.

This isn't a new concept by any stretch of the imagination. In fact Paul wrote about this very thing in his letter to the Romans, chapter 7.

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ~ Romans 7:14-15, NIV

I can relate. I always have the best of intentions when it comes to my life, but as sure as the day is long, I succumb to the flesh and give up. I don't even bother making resolutions any longer, because I know that I'll feel like a failure by January 3rd. As soon as the going gets tough, I jump ship.

So how do we overcome our desire to serve the flesh? The answer is found in Romans chapter 8, which is a complete contrast to chapter 7. We live by the Spirit:

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. ~ Romans 8:5, NIV

Now I understand that some of you must be totally confused. How can living by the Spirit release us from our bondage to the flesh?

Jesus is the one who releases us from the bondage of sin and death. And there is nothing that we can do to earn that for ourselves. Salvation is a gift. But as long as we're living in this earthly temple, we will constantly face temptation and a desire to serve the flesh. That's what I'm talking about today--the flesh. While we're here on this earth, we have a choice, we can yield to the flesh and go through that cycle of guilt and a feeling of failure time and again, or we can start walking in freedom.

Walking in freedom is two-fold:

1. We allow the Spirit to transform our mind, so that we live according to our convictions.
2. We are willing to sacrifice our desires to live a life that God desires for us.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. ~ Romans 12:1-2, NIV

What really makes the difference in ones life is merely wanting to do something vs. living by conviction. If you keep on stumbling in an area such as weight loss, housekeeping, or good Bible study habits stop and ask yourself the reason that you're making this change. Is it merely because you want to, or is it because you feel that this is a necessary step for you to take.

Take out a paper and write down each one of the reasons that this change is important to you. Because unless you have a valid reason, you probably won't stick to the plan. Once you have decided that this is a good change for you and one that is pleasing to God, then get down on your knees and pray.

Praying is one of the best ways that we can renew our mind. Each and every time we pray, we are emptying ourselves before God so that He can work on transforming our minds. 1 Peter 1:13 talks about preparing our mind for action so that we can live holy lives until the coming of our Lord.

There is so much more I could share on this topic, but I'll stop here and save it for another day. Until then, ladies--choose well!

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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3. Enjoy each other's fellowship, and have fun!

FAQ:
Can I use an old post, or do I need to use a current one?You can absolutely use an older post if you feel that the post is a great fit for this meme. Have fun!

Organizing on a Wee Budget

2012-01-08T21:48:00.003-06:00

Use The Space You Have

At what point in our lives did we grow up and stop having fun? When did we change?

When my daughter was handed her seventh-grade locker combination, the first thing she asked was, "When can I decorate the door?"

I was taken back to those mornings at Glenlawn Collegiate when I'd tape up the last of my posters before the first bell rang. My locker was small, but it was my own corner of the world where I was free to decorate as I pleased. I'd often clip photos from teen magazines, or jot down Bible verses on pretty stationery, so I'd have something new to look at each week.

After coming across this photo by Country Living, I realized that I have similar decorating space in my kitchen that's waiting to be creatively used--interior cabinet doors.

What a great place it would be to hang a small calender, or a photo of my latest heart throb, Michael (*wink*). It would also be a fun place to tape artwork that that kids give me or pretty Bible verses that I want to remember. The insides of our cupboard doors give us extended wall space, where we can get creative and make our mark on the world without breaking the budget.

"Guess what, kids? Mom has a locker too!"

Look For An Alternative Use

Look what putting up a simple magazine rack on the wall can do to clear up space in your entrance. This photo from Desire to Inspire, shows us that it doesn't have to cost all that much to add storage space, as long as we're willing to use our imagination.

When I'm shopping at the thrift stores, I'm always looking at items wondering what alternative use they might have. For some reason shoe storage has been a big one for me this year!

Take a look further down the checkerboard hallway, and you'll see that the decorator has put hooks on the wall to hang purses. What does that cost? Maybe $3.00 each?

Group "Like" Objects Together

And finally, this is a cute idea (below) that I found through Better Homes and Gardens.

This look can easily be achieved by picking up a group of small baskets from Walmart or the dollar store and adding a printed label to each one. Of course the painted cupboard undeniably adds to the charm. But lining up baskets like these would give any shelf an instant face-lift, don't you agree?

You'll also notice that they have used a group of three planters on the top shelf. I'm guessing that these would be inexpensive, and placing one alone on the shelf wouldn't give us nearly the same affect that grouping a few together does.

A tight budget is often a blessing in disguise. It moves us to be creative with the resources we have, and in doing so we'll often come up with some awesome ideas!!

Drawn from my archives

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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One Awesome Piece of Advice Every Parent Should Know

2012-01-04T23:22:00.000-06:00

A few years ago--make that about eighteen--my husband and I took our son on a camping trip along with two other families. One of the families were our neighbors (also a young couple with one child at the time) and the other family was my sister, her husband and their three teenagers.

About two days into the trip my neighbor commented on how surprised she was that these teenagers went camping with their parents as often as they did. Not only did they camp together as a family, but they seemed to enjoy each others company.

Fast forward eighteen years. Those teenagers are in their thirties now, one son has a child of his own, and they still go camping as a family a few times each year. What's their secret? How is it that my sister's grown children enjoy hanging out with their parents when so many other children don't?

I got to thinking about this last night and my mind traveled back about eighteen years to a day when Betty and her husband sat in my living room offering us a valuable piece of advice. "If you want your children to hang out with you when they grow up," she said, "then make an effort to hang out with them as they're growing up."

Having a twenty-year-old son of my own I can look back and see that this little piece of advice was of great value to us. All the years that I homeschooled him come back to me when he comes home for a visit. All of the times we sat and played Monopoly with him come back to us when he sits at our table playing board games on family night. All of the times I took him out for a hamburger come back to me now when he says, "Mom I have a day off work tomorrow, do you want to go for lunch?" And all of the times we held hands to pray before sharing a meal wash over me like blessing when I see him bow his head in a prayer of his own.

When I'm talking about spending time with your children I'm not specifically talking about the big things. Maturity holds an accumulation of the little things that form who we are.

Here are just a few little things that we can do WITH our kids:

Go to church with your children
Eat meals with them
Take them grocery shopping
Take them out for ice cream
Enjoy walks together
Visit other families
Watch movies on a Saturday night
Cook together
Clean house together
Plan your day together
Read stories as a family
Do homework together
Visit people at the hospital with them
Fold laundry together
Ride bikes
Do each others hair
Dance
Wrestle
Talk
Laugh in the car with each other
Sing in the car
Weed the garden
Bath the dog
Paint a room
Take photos
Enjoy a bonfire
Camp out in the back yard
Play board games
Go to the park
Make a snowman
Wash the car
Laugh at funny videos
Sew matching aprons
Draw pictures
Tell stories

Want your children to visit you twenty years from now? Spend time with them today.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. ~ Proverbs 22:6

It was also about eighteen years ago when I came across this poem. The words have stuck with me ever since:

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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I'm over at "Keepin' it Real" today sharing a post called, "What it Means to Cover Our Marriage." Hope you stop in for a visit!

Linking up with: The Gentleness Challenge

How To Boost Self Discipline

2012-01-03T21:40:00.002-06:00

Weekly Contributor, Kim Brenneman

Have you made your list of New Year’s resolutions? Or did you give up on that tradition years ago? When you make your resolution list, do you promptly lose it? Does your preschooler find it and use it for handwriting practice?

A classic New Year’s resolution is to be more organized. Everyone recognizes that being organized and efficient improves productivity and makes life more pleasant. But while it's one thing to make the resolution it's another to accomplish it.

Some say that people are either born organized or they're not. I agree to a point; I have seen in my own children how their brains work differently and make them better at certain tasks than others. I do believe though that everyone can become better organized and disciplined in their personal habits. I certainly have room for improvement. I have had years when I was very organized and efficient and other years where I felt as if I were drowning in mess and so tired that the thought of where to start was overwhelming. I can easily blame it on workload, babies, hormones, too many outside-the-home activities, and more. Whether you are on top of things right now or not, there’s always room for improvement.

Why do you want to be more organized? What are your goals? Who are you aiming to please? Write the answers to these question on the paper that you have been writing your New Year’s resolutions on. We want to know why we’re doing what we’re doing to help motivate us to follow through.

Work on putting life in line with God’s Word. Use Proverbs 31 and Titus 2 as a reference point in making your goals.

Once you’ve motivated yourself with getting to the underlying reasons, let’s move forward to how we’re going to be more organized. It’s not enough to just make a goal or a resolution; we need to make a plan to reach it. We’ll work on the basics of planning the work of being organized. Sometimes planning the work can be so much fun but takes so much time that we don’t get any real work done! Keep the planning simple. Maybe you are one that hates to plan and just wants to get it done so you dive in and make a bigger mess in the process and “oops!” you forgot that people need to eat? Planning your work helps avoid those kind of “oops” moments.

While you have your pencil and resolution paper out, let’s make some simple plans. Divide your home management into different areas. Mine is divided into six:

Cleaning
Kitchen
Home Office
Laundry
Town (shopping and errands)
Gardening

Your life might look slightly different. Give each area of home management a day that you will focus on. For instance, Monday is Laundry Day and Tuesday is Kitchen Day at my house [you could also use the daily housekeeping schedule Darlene has posted on this site]. On the assigned day, do all the chores associated with that work on that day. This improves efficiency in dramatic way.

This is not new--I did not invent this idea. It is how our grandmothers and great-grandmothers worked. We’re recovering the lost art of home-management and we’ll teach it to our daughters. Where are your daughters by the way? Set them beside you and make these home organization plans together. Do you think they are too little? They aren't. Maybe they will only do art work beside you or practice writing their name but tell them what you are doing. Watching is learning. If you have an older daughter, let her plan the management of an area. Work on this together.

Once you have assigned each day of the week to an area of home management, make a big list of every single task in that area. This is your new organized life. You will need discipline to stick to it. That’s a huge part of establishing new habits, reaching goals, and changing your life. What are your habits now? When are you doing the lists of tasks that you made? If you aren’t doing those tasks, what are you doing instead? Identify time wasters by watching yourself and writing down every single little thing that you do. You need to replace each bad time wasting habit with one of the things on the task list for the day. Match a time wasting habit with work task and every time you start to do that old habit, do the work instead. This is called "The Put-Off, Put-On Principle" which is found in Ephesians 4.

To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. ~ Ephesians 4:22-24

A big boost to self-discipline is in changing our attitudes! How is your attitude towards your home? This is a choice we make every day. Do you love your home? Do you love the people that live there? Do you love God who gave you your life, your home, and your family?

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ~ Galatians 5:13

It doesn’t say “through bitterness serve one another” or “through manipulation serve one another” it is through love that we serve one another. It is through God’s love in us that we can do this with joy. The things that are before us to do are His calling for us today. We are serving Him when we serve others. The Holy Spirit will help us in our calling.

God wants us to be full of His joy that comes from knowing Him (John 15). When we live in His will, when we put off our old self, when we serve Him with gladness, then we understand that the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

Serve the Lord with gladness! ~ Psalm 100:2

The best way to keep your attitude right is to spend time in God’s Word every day. We learn to know Him and love Him and how to better serve Him through His Word.

As you go about your day, pray without ceasing. He knows how many hairs are on your head, He sees the sparrow fall, and so of course He cares for every nuance of your day. Pray for strength, pray for wisdom, pray for understanding, and pray that the fruit of the Spirit will flow out of your life.

Your Christian ministry is your home! It is at the center of everything you do! Make time reading God’s Word a priority in your morning. It is your bread and water, it is your strength. Feed your spirit and in turn your attitude will be right with God. When your attitude is right, it becomes easier to put off bad habits and put on Godly habits. Our New Year’s Resolutions for being more organized are easier to achieve because we have Godly attitudes towards the ministry of our homes to others.

May the Lord, Maker of Heaven and Earth, bless you with strength and help you with your efforts to bring glory to Him in organizing your home!

Blessings,

Kim Brenneman

Kim is the joyful wife of Matt and the blessed mother of nine children.

When not busy homeschooling and farmschooling, she enjoys writing, gardening, cooking, reading, sewing, and crafting.

Kim lives on a farm in Iowa where her family grows beef cattle, corn and beans, and operates a micro-dairy selling cheese at farmer’s markets. She loves to write and speak about her passion for home and family. She is the author of Large Family Logistics: The Art and Science of Managing the Large Family. She blogs about the same subject at:
http://largefamilylogistics.blogspot.com.