The Homemaker's Heart

Don't you love Mondays? A fresh start to a new week with all new endeavors excitingly brimming for the homemaker! What a blessing it is to have our own schedules and tailor our days according to how they will best suit our families and their needs.

Now whether you are a stay at home mom or a working mom, I want you to know that we are all called to be a keeper at home and that every post on this blog is meant for each and every single one of you! Just because you are a stay at home mom doesn't always mean your heart is there and likewise there are many moms who are in a position to have to work and yet their hearts are turned towards and anchored in their homes.

I think what is ultimately important is to remember that whatever category you find yourself in, it is of utmost importance to have your heart in your home. 

You can be a stay at home mom and loathe every minute of it and literally be absent in your home by all kinds of means (talking on the phone, always being online, always being gone and driving around town, etc.).  You can grumble and begrudgingly do the housework and feel like it is menial, that you are above it trying to avoid it. You can be with your husband and children and be completely bored wanting to get away and do something else that interests you.

But to have your heart in your home is something completely different. It is being purposefully available as a sacrifice of love.  It is saying 'no' to those things that can pull you away and steal the very best from you. Oftentimes we don't even realize what is best for ourselves until it is too late.  Being a keeper at home is an act of love, and cultivates a heart of servanthood within us which is a valuable, godly trait. It is something to be prayed over,  and is your act or worship to the Lord as you serve with a whole heart and definitely never menial!

It is truly an honor to do these things! So dear friends, take a good look at your heart and critically analyze it to see if you are truly present or absent in your home. If there are things that pull your heart away from home
be sure to do what you can to guard against it.

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Don't Be Robbed

Don't be robbed today of the simple joys of life...

Don't be robbed of your home---or angry with those in it, unhappy that things are not going your way or that your husband and children are not how you want them to be. Don't let Satan rob you of your happiness there, making you think that you don't have this or that. Don't compare yourself to others but be grateful for what you have and know they are a gift from the Almighty Himself.

Don't be robbed of your time---don't waste excessive hours with frivolous pursuits such as watching TV, being online, always being away from your home or other idleness that can spring up in a woman's life keeping her from truly caring for the very ones that you love. Guard your time carefully.

Don't be robbed by lies...the world will tell you that  you are wasting your time, that you need to look outside God and your home for true happiness. They will put you on 'their' path and lead you down the wrong paths. Keep yourself immersed in truth at all costs.

Love your children.....

Their smiles, their laughter, their questions, their hugs, their innocence, their smell, their thoughts, their health, their presence, their everything. They are God's gift to you. Care for them and educate them and raise them up in His ways. Enjoy life and share it with them, they are learning about the world through your eyes. What an honor we have been given! You are making memories today---rejoice in your special moments!

Love your husband...

Remember that he is not perfect, he is not  you and thinks differently than you do. He is God's gift to you. Love him in spite of his failings, love him wholeheartedly, extend to him the same measure of love, respect and forgiveness in the strength that has been given to you in Christ Jesus. Do something special for him today. A word of praise or encouragement, a massage, a gift, bake his favorite treat. Most men would die for their women, and we need to love them as our heroes (even when they might feel at their lowest). A noble wife rises up to the occasion to bless her husband with all her heart.

Care for your home...

Only a mother truly knows what is needed in the home. Perhaps the special meal, the socks that need darning, the gesture of love to cheer up a sad heart. Cleaning, decorating, planning, and reading to learn more about homemaking. Busy yourself with these things, and don't think that being home is boring!!!! There is so much to do and your are only limited by your own mind.

We have the blessed opportunity to start the day off as a clean white palette--new, fresh and clean, as we look forward to painting loveliness, creating order and putting our all into the our homes and our families. 

Guard yourselves, dear wives and mamas, 

from being robbed

and live your life serving

the Lord...





"I have come so that they may have life

and have it to the full."


John 10:10

Finding Forgiveness For My Abortion

Have you ever had an abortion and needed forgiveness for it?

Our friends, Terry and Lynn Fortune, were featured at Focus on the Family today and shared their abortion story with the world--

PLEASE listen to them here:


Finding Forgiveness for My Abortion

You won't regret it!

Here is a link to their site, if you would like to learn more about them---www.thefortunes.org

 -Thank you for sharing, Rhonda!

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Some Pretties For Your Home

As homemakers we are always looking for ways to beautify our space. We want it to be a place that warmly welcomes family and guests. We also desire to minister to those we love and care for with God's Word. Scripture does not need to be limited to wall art in the home but can also be displayed in beautiful serving ware.

Promoting life and home, introducing the gorgeous and hospitable

Life to the Full Collection

Breath-takingly beautiful breakfast plates!

I have come that they might have Life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

What a wonderful way to celebrate life--with cherished family, friends and food. 

A bowl full of soup to warm our souls and heart-to-heart conversation.

Tea towels for a very special occasion...

Coffee with friends....

and a word filled with hope....

Aprons that share God's heart...

And one for little homemaking hands that are learning too...

Together in unity---a feasting platter of love!

Fill your home with the beautiful things you love as you celebrate life and share His glory!



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This post is also linked up at Raising Homemakers and Far Above Rubies.

Prayers for My Son----***UPDATE ADDED***

Dear friends,

I need prayer for my son, Christian (4 1/2 years old), I think he might be coming down with a rare disease (non-infectious) he once had in the past. He is showing all the symptoms and we were warned it could reoccur before he turned five. We are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. When it had first occurred, he was only a few months old and it was a horribly scary journey for our entire family as we didn't know what it was and then later finding out that this disease could affect his heart permanently. Friends, I need your prayers for his protection, a return to health and because I need His strength today to be a strong mama (I am feeling pretty weak right now) for him. Please pray the doctors would have wisdom.

(Christian, pictured above, when he was younger)

Thank you all so much from the deepest depths of this mother's heart.

I will keep you all updated. 

***UPDATE: We are back from the doctor and Christian has been diagnosed with strep throat. Praise God it was not more serious! Apparently, strep can have some of the exact same symptoms of his disease. We are keeping a close eye on him to make sure nothing else develops. We thank you ALL so much for all your support, kind words and prayers. They meant so much to us and helped encourage us get through it all. The Lord is so good and merciful. ***

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Wise Planning for a New Week

I like to do my weekly planning for the week on Sunday night. Last night I was able to plan the entire week and even get some extra Bible reading time in which was the icing on the cake. I was thinking about how I used to plan when I was a younger wife, I would plan in many things that were unnecessary and by the end of the day I was exhausted. My husband would come home and I would have tears of frustration because I had too much on plate that day and he would wonder why. Well one look at my list and it was easy to see why!

Then I read a book about a wife who would try to structure her day around the Bible verse Titus 2:4-6. You know, love your husband, love your children, etc. She would get her planner out and ask God what he would have her to do that week and then write them in (ex: read her Bible daily), then she would think about what her husband would like her to do and she would write those things in  before she got to anything else. Usually our husbands do not demand too much of us. They are happy with the simple things such as a cooked meal, clean clothes and children that are alive when they get home from work! 

When I come to think of it, many godly women I know also do this. They put God first, and their husbands right after that, then  they tend to their children's needs, homeschooling, etc. I think this is wise, because it is so easy to ignore our husbands and have the house and children dominate our time and day if we are not careful to make sure we are tending to our husbands needs first.

I also think that planning that way helps us to respect our husbands more. It is reserving a special place for him in our hearts to serve him, this way we also know we are actually DOING it. We can have good intentions, but actually never really do anything with those intentions. So many times we can start the week off running and never think twice about how we can really help our husbands. Then little things might not get done such as ironing his shirts, making his lunch or preparing (timing) his coffee for him before he runs out the door.

Think back with me, ladies. What has your husband been suggesting to you? What things do you notice that you are not doing for him but he has been quietly not saying anything about? Let us tend to our husbands needs for this is how we love our husbands. If he requests nothing but taking care of the children and schooling them, then do it well. If he asks you to help run his business, then make that a priority in your life before everything else you would like to do, knowing that you are serving the Lord wholeheartedly.

Because at the end of the day you want to know you did everything you could to be the best wife possible with your priorities in order! (Well done good and faithful servant....Matt 25:23)

For those of you who are already implementing some of this--

how do you try make your husband a priority?





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Large Family Dynamics--The Bates Family

I love learning from large families and if you are not familiar with the Bates family, who are good friends of the Duggars from the hit show 19 Kids and Counting, they are another large Christian family who are trying to raise their children for His glory. Here is a new video release of them and what a day in their life is like:

I really loved their in-house camera monitors so they know where the children are and what they are doing!

And felt hugely encouraged to see that someone else had a larger amount of laundry than we do! :)

And all the large family moms on this blog said in unison----AMEN!!!!

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I like to buy the Duggar Movies
for my children to watch---they make great family movie nights and teach the children about character and how to get along with their siblings while addressing some great issues (purity, integrity, etc)! This is wholesome watching at its best! My husband even feels like he has learned alot from Jim Bob, their father.  If you are looking for great movies for the entire family, then check them out!

Defending Biblical Truths in the Face of Adversity and Titus 2 Link-Up

Defending biblical truths are mandatory for this day and age--there is a surreal amount of pressure to walk away from or make light of the scriptures. Titus 2 clearly states that older women are to teach the younger women to love their husbands, love their children, be self controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind and be subjects of their husband so that no one will malign the word of God. The Bible warns that there will be those who will come and teach things that our 'itching' ears want to hear, but we must resist and stand firm on the foundation that will not be shaken.

My favorite mentors have always been the ones who were bold and  unafraid. They were usually the ones who were saying things that were not always 'politically correct', although they were biblically correct and did not try to blend in with what everyone else was doing. They were like trumpets sounding their truths from the rooftops. The voice of truth in the wild jungle of falsehood shining light in the empty darkness. They knew from wisdom what the word of God said and knew we needed to hear it in order for real change to occur in our lives. Sometimes sharing that truth brought a price--but like great heroes of the past, they plowed forth with all their might, their faith unwaivering.

This blog has always been a place that has defended biblical womanhood, taught on the glories of motherhood and encouraged the role of helpmeet and homemaker. I believe it was God using His word, mentors, and even blogs that had sound teaching that helped me to be a better Christian, wife and mother. We need to test all things (1 Thess 5:21) and make sure we are not like infants that are tossed to and fro (Eph 4:14). We will continue to do that zealously for the Lord, and by His grace we will not compromise His Word to fall into the fleeting pressure to conform to the world.

People might not understand why we do these things---sometimes these well-meaning people might be our very own brothers and sisters in Christ, who might also need to hear the truth themselves. Dear friends, while this can be discouraging, I encourage you not to lose heart and cling fast to what you know is true. The truth of God will prevail and will stand even after this world is gone and the scorner and mockers have passed.

Now if you believe in defending biblical truths (in mercy, humility, and in love) and are not afraid or ashamed to stand up for them, please link up below and share a post. You can post about anything regarding biblical womanhood, blessed motherhood, being a helpmeet or homemaker---this is a Titus 2 link up, where we would like to share, defend, encourage the biblical truths on roles regarding women and the Christian family. So please join in and share with thousands of women around the world who desperately need to hear the glories and beauty of Titus 2! I am looking forward to reading your posts!

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Purposing To Teach Our Daughters New Skills For a New Year

Over the years I have taught my daughters how to do many things so that if there is illness or someone is in the hospital they know how to run a household of ten-- as they have proven in the past with a rocky past year behind us! I think it is so important to not underestimate what  a child can do and to continually encourage them to reach for higher goals. Culture misleads us into thinking that we need to constantly do things for our children. I once knew of a father that was making lunch for his children (probably 13 and 15 at the time) to take to school! When he realized he was actually hindering them, he stopped. At this age, children can make dinner for a large family and do it well. They can do many things, and we as parents need to think about ways to constantly challenge them and teach them how to gain skills and be prepared for life.

This year I have many plans under my belt but my heart is to continue to teach my daughters skills that will one day benefit them. I will be purposefully teaching my daughters to cook more healthful recipes from scratch (not from a box) and new skills that could help them to be industrious one day. I am so pleased to say that we will be using the new Homestead Blessing videos (pictured above) to complement what we are doing this year---here is a sample of one of their newest videos on quilting that I have just recently purchased:

They also have videos on:

• canning
• cooking
• candle and soap making
• dairy delights
• gardening, and sewing and much more. 

These excellent videos not only teach our daughters but are wonderful for us moms as well!

Learning domestic skills is an art and are vital to every day living. Without skills we can waste money. Mothers, pay attention to what natural gifts the Lord has given your daughter(s) and run with it. Teach them all you can, bring in outside help, grow them and nurture those gifts the best that you can.

I know for my daughters I also have goals for them to be entrepreneurial. I want them to learn skills that will get them through hard times or help their husbands to bring in money--they must  learn to be business savvy in a fast paced, competitive world and shaky economy with the gifts that God has given them. I want to help them do that early on so I am teaching them how to bring in multiple streams of income into a household from their home.

We must never entertain the thought that we are depriving or robbing our children of their childhood if we teach them how to work. Children will play and find time have fun on their own--trust me! :) Instead we are equipping them for life! Children must learn good character--diligence, perseverance and so forth. How will they ever get to do it if never given a chance to stretch themselves?

Lay out your plans, mothers, and purposeful!
What will you teach your daughters? What new skills will they acquire?

May we be found faithful as we intentionally teach them new and valuable skills for the new year!


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(This post is also being featured over at Raising Homemakers! )