umi-fashion: July 2012

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Imperishable Beauty and Wise Woman Linkup!

"But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." -1 Peter 3:4

A Wise Woman Builds Her Home is a place to be encouraged in your high and noble calling of role of wife and mother and daughter to the King and we want to encourage each and every single reader out there to build up strong Christian homes to the glory of God.

We would love for you to link up with us---share your posts on building up your home, homemaking, character, hospitality, femininity, family, tea, recipes, parenting, marriage, etc. we would love to have you share it with us!

If you link up here please use the image below or link back to let others know that you have linked up here so that they might join in the fun and be encouraged as well:

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Artful Homemaking--Homeschool Preparation

I have been so blessed by Joy over at Artful Homemaking this past month, I love when I find blogs that really speak to me in the area of homemaking and remind me of what I would love to spend my time doing.

I stumbled across her blog when we were having a tough week, my husband had come down with a bug and we had that horrible heat wave that brought storms, knocked out our AC and power and we had to cancel our summer getaway to visit friends up in Michigan. I was tired and her blog was a balm to my soul!

She blogs about many things domestic that you should definitely read, but today I am going to share a few posts that inspired me in the area of homeschooling. I know that the school year is about to begin for many of you or that you are in the planning stages so I though that I would share some posts I liked from her. You can click on any of the images to take you to the post.

Keeping Little Ones Busy

So many moms ask how to keep the little ones busy while they are homeschooling their older students. This post has sooooooooo many creative ideas to help a mom prepare for this, I love, love, love all of her ideas and some can easily be made with everyday items around your home.

I can't wait to make this I Spy Bottle!

Planning a New School Year

There is something special about planning a new year and when I read this post, she reminded me of how I like to prepare, she also lists a few helpful resources as well. She also shares tips at this link on how to homeschool on a budget .

Our Homeschool Room

Here Joy gives us a full tour of her homeschool room and how she keeps it organized. I love all the baskets that she keeps to organize, her nature shelf and so forth. It inspires me to tackle my homeschool room and make it fresh for the new school year ahead.

I love that she has a basket for this that she can just whip out at a moments notice and take to any room it is needed.

Toy Organization

I included this because before every new school year I have to organize the toys too! This post is a great visual of how it can all work (for me, I like to keep the bulk of the toys in the basement where they can go fetch what they would like but can be put away for company, etc.). I hope it helps you too!

Now go on and visit her, trust me, you will be blessed!

(Thanks, Joy, for all the inspiration!)

And next week we will be covering more ideas for homeschooling so be sure to visit....

Are you encouraged here? I personally invite you to subscribe and get the latest posts sent to your inbox or RSS feed! Also, connect with us on Facebook and Twitter and get updates that are not posted here on the blog.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Four Walls Do Not Make a Home

Four walls do not make a home—though it is a palace filled with all the elegance's which wealth can buy! The home-life itself is more important than the house and its adornments. By the home-life, is meant the happy art of living together in tender love. We enter some homes, and they are full of sweetness—as fields of summer flowers are full of fragrance. All is order, beauty, gentleness and peace. We enter other homes, where we find jarring, selfishness, harshness and disorder. This difference is not accidental. They are influences at work in each home, which yield just the result we see in each. No home-life can ever be better than the life of those who make it.

Homes are the real schools in which men and women are trained—and fathers and mothers are the real teachers and builders of life!

Sadly, the goal which most parents have for their home—is to have as good and showy a house as they can afford, furnished in as rich a style as their means will warrant, and then to live in it as comfortably as they are able, without too much exertion or self-denial.

But the true idea of a Christian home, is that it is a place for spiritual growth. It is a place for the parents themselves to grow—to grow into beauty of character, to grow in spiritual refinement, in knowledge, in strength, in wisdom, in patience, gentleness, kindliness, and all the Christian graces and virtues. It is a place for children to grow—to grow into physical vigor and health, and to be trained in all that shall make them true and noble men and women.

A true home is set up and all its life ordered—for the definite purpose of training, building up and sending our human lives fashioned into Christlike symmetry, filled with lofty impulses and aspirations, governed by principles of rectitude and honor, and fitted to enter upon the duties and struggles of life with spiritual wisdom and strength.

--JR Miller, The Family

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Homeschool Sanity

My friend, Sherry Hayes, mother to 15 and blogger over at Large Family Mothering has recently released a new book called Homeschool Sanity. If you take a closer look at the image of the book above you can also see who wrote the forward! :)

(Sherry and child)

Here is what Sherry has to say about it:

My book gives an overview of the different methodologies of homeschooling along with a brief history of education in America. Some of the subjects that are covered are:

Preschool

Reading and literature

Grammar

Arithmetic

History

Science

No fancy psycho-anything here. I've rediscovered precisely why things used to work, and why they're so very broken today.

Readers will discover a catalog of successful methodologies for their own re-education. After reading my book, you will not feel tired and anxious; you will be refreshed and filled with real hope!

Gain clarity. Find Peace."

What others are saying:

"Homeschool Sanity is a culmination of experience and the result of a great deal of work on the part of Sherry Hayes. Not a cheap book with a few words of general advice, Homeschool Sanity provides over 160 pages of thoughtful, practical thinking from a mother of 15 children who has dealt for more than 23 years with the real, every-day problems and difficulties that homeschooling can bring. This book is easy to read, expansive, and a thoroughly practical guide to homeschooling, in which she gives what every homeschool mother and parent needs: Homeschool Sanity. I can't recommend it enough!"

You can get the book and
read more reviews HERE.

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Psssst----don't forget the Lilla Rose clearance sale up to 75% off
for 3 days only! Many items are already sold out!

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Courage, Lilla Rose Sale & Wise Woman Link-up!

If you link up here please use the image below or link back to let others know that you have linked up here so that they might join in the fun and be encouraged as well:

It's easy--just copy and paste the code in this box!

Also we have been nominated over at Circle of Moms for Top 25 Moms with Big Families.

If you would like to vote for us click below, and place your vote for us, you may do so once a day.

And Lilla Rose is having a 30-75% off selected items sale:

You can find these great Lilla Rose sales HERE.

Now add your posts below:

Monday, July 23, 2012

Thankful Homemaker and $50 Vision Forum Gift Certificate Giveaway!

How many of you have heard about Marci over at Thankful Homemaker? She is such a sweet gal and she loves to blog about many of the same things I do such as:

Homemaking
Biblical Womanhood
Parenting
Education
Grandparenting (I don't blog on this yet, but hope to one day!)
Health and more

(Marci and her husband, Doug)

I got a chance to get to know Marci a bit more since we both co-authored (along with 10 others) the newly released eBook, The Heart of Simplicity. Here is a recent fun video she made recently with her daughter on how to make homemade sunscreen:

She also did a series on how to organize your home called the Room by Room , has tips for memorizing scripture and evangelism, a Homemaking Binder you won't want to miss including a fun weekly linkup on Tuesdays. Here is an excerpt from her blog post entitled The Beauty of Self Control:

"Our emotions were given to us by God to glorify Him and enjoy Him. Think of how our emotions enrich our lives everyday. When we are happy to see our husbands come home from work, the joy we feel from hugging our children, the surprise in receiving flowers from our husband, the excitement of getting all the laundry caught up. Imagine life without these emotions - you can't - emotions make our lives meaningful. They are a gift from God.

Let's look at the negative emotions such as fear, despair, guilt and loneliness. These serve a purpose too - they reveal the state of our hearts and our hearts govern our feelings. When I am feeling loneliness I need to bring my emotions back to the truth of God's Word - His Word says, "I will never leave you or forsake you." "I am with you always". When I am feeling guilt, "there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." We need to bring our emotions in line with the truth of His Word and glorify God in our emotions. "

The Giveaway

Marci is generously giving away a gift certificate for $50 to Vision Forum (our favorite Christian online store) to one of our special readers!

You may enter here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hope you win!

Thank you, Marci!

You may visit her HERE.

Daughters Will Be Products of Their Theology

“(Mothers), our daughters will be products of their theology. Their knowledge – or lack of knowledge – of who God is and what He has done for them will show up in every attitude, action, and relationship. Their worldview will be determined by their belief system. We must teach our daughters that their value and identity lie in the fact that they are image-bearers of the God of glory. This will protect them from seeking significance in the inconsequential shallowness of self-fulfillment, personal happiness, materialism, or others’ approval. Our daughters must know the wondrous truth that their overarching purpose in life is God’s glory."

-Susan Hunt

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Moving On the Slower Paths

As I begin to grow older there is one thing that the Lord is constantly putting on my heart.

And that is to really slow down and throw my whole self into raising this large, beautiful family of mine.

As a young single woman, I traveled, had fun, chased after dreams and thought I had lived it up but in the end there was still something missing--the fun brought an emptiness that I could not explain, and all that remained in my wild heart was that I truly wanted to settle down and have a family.

And as I got married, found the Lord, and had that family I sometimes felt I was in a rush. A rush to do this and that, to be in a hurry because everyone else was, a rush to be.

And then we got so busy doing. Doing, doing, doing. Not so much outdoor activities, but did you know that you can busy even around the home that you forget the important things? Doing can be good and is often needed but we have to be careful not to push aside the important things.

But now that I am older, all I really want to do is slow down. Take life slow and easy and really experience hands on this journey of life. To kiss a cheek, to wipe a face, to hug a heart and encourage it. To stay home and to build the walls here and make the foundation firm.

(A gift given to me by oldest daughter, Janai-- photo taken by my second daughter, Naomi)

There is so much a mom can do when her heart is in the task. When she is not rushed for time, when her heart is rooted in her home. She can slow down time, it doesn't have to escape her but she needs to be able to muster up the strength and courage to protect it and be wise enough to enjoy it.

In our home lately, we have been spending much time around the table..

slowly stirring cream into the coffee,
smiles,
laughter
and hearts sharing with one another.

Playing, reading, talking, exploring...

I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Don't let the worries of today rob you of slowing down.

Return back to your homes.

Soon the tender years of your children will be behind you, make sure you have no regrets.

Don't miss the gift in front of you.

(My little son, Christian)

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Wise Woman Linkup!

"Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it. "

Proverbs 22:6

If you link up here please use the image below or link back to let others know that you have linked up here so that they might join in the fun and be encouraged as well:

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Monday, July 16, 2012

Meekness is Beauty

Meekness is especially, in the Scripture, commended to women. Again, as we're thinking of why pursue meekness, as women it's natural for us, and our culture really promotes this, to focus on physical beauty—on external adorning, on our hairstyles, on our clothing styles, our jewelry, our makeup. These are the things, if you look at advertisements for women, that are being promoted and advertised as being really important.

But God's Word has some right counsel for us as women. It helps us to see beauty from God's perspective. In 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 4, where the apostle says, "Let your adorning [let the thing that you consider attractive and beautiful] be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty [I love that phrase] of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.

A gentle spirit. That word in the original language is meek.

A meek spirit,
a gentle spirit,
a quiet spirit.

Scripture says for a woman to have that internal heart attitude of meekness or gentleness and a quiet spirit gives her a beauty that is imperishable. It's a beauty that cannot fade away.

It's a beauty that you don't have to go through all kinds of cosmetic surgery or makeup routines to preserve. It's something that gets sweeter and richer and more beautiful as you age.

-Nancy Leigh Demoss

Recommended: Putting on a Gentle and Quiet Spirit

Friday, July 13, 2012

She Stopped Rushing Through Life

Such wise words.

Stop rushing and start living, dear friends.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Daughters of Feminism Speak Out

“My mother’s feminist principles coloured every aspect of my life.

As a little girl, I wasn’t even allowed to play with dolls or stuffed toys in case they brought out a maternal instinct. It was drummed into me that being a mother, raising children and running a home were a form of slavery. Having a career, traveling the world and being independent were what really mattered according to her.”

Read the rest HERE.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Change of Character and Wise Woman Link-up!

It is strange that while praying,

we seldom ask for a change of character,

but always a change of circumstances.

-Anonymous

If you link up here please use the image below or link back to let others know that you have linked up here so that they might join in the fun and be encouraged as well:

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Feminism: Have You Bought the Lie?

Feminism is mixed up with the muddled idea

that women are free when they serve their employers

but slaves when they help their husbands."

-G. K. Chesterson

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Homes are Powerful Places

Homes have been under attack for so long that we have a hard time even imagining how powerful they can be. We think of a “homemaker” as a woman cross stitching something to hang over the potpourri. We imagine domestic arts as something that is limited to people who didn’t pursue a real education. We might feel sheepish telling someone that we “just” stay at home. But that is nothing to be embarrassed about; our work at home means that God's word may not be reviled (Titus 2:5).

Homes are tremendously powerful places, because they are where people come from. There is no more important thing that you could be doing.

You do not go home to hide from the world, you go home to change it.

Read the entire article HERE.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Fourth of July Celebration Ideas and Link-up!

Happy Independence Day!

A few great ideas for the holidays...

Love the simple decorating here..

Easy crafts to make it memorable...

Ballon fireworks for little ones at Martha Stewart

Great idea for sparklers from love2dreamdoyou.blogspot.com

If we have time we will probably try making this today!

Onto our linkup:

If you link up here please use the image below or link back to let others know that you have linked up here so that they might join in the fun and be encouraged as well:

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Monday, July 2, 2012

Excellence is Not Measured by a To-Do List

I often believe my husband has not found an excellent wife. When he tells me I have been short with him lately, overreacting and snapping unnecessarily, I am discouraged at my lack of excellence. Impatience and disrespect have brought embarrassment to him on several occasions.

My task-oriented, performance-driven heart attempts to fix itself by making a list: An excellent wife cooks with organic food (not Velveeta), sews her own clothing (or at least irons her husbands shirts!), speaks only words dripping with grace (and not sarcasm) and reads her Bible for hours on end (okay, minutes?!).

The list brings more condemnation; concrete evidence that I cannot be an excellent wife on my own.

Read the rest HERE.