Clean Fridge Friday

Today I'm going to throw a challenge out to you.  How clean and organized is your fridge?  This is something that I have struggled with in the past, and I'm working on changing it.  I normally clean out my fridge on Fridays, but it tends to get messy SO fast, so now I'm putting a little more effort into it.  I'm making sure that I straighten/organize it a little every day to keep it in order.  I am really loving the results!  To keep myself accountable (yikes), I'm going to post pictures of my fridge each Friday.  Anyone else want to play?  If you're up for it, please post pics of your fridge too!

Why Fridays?  Well, besides the fact that "fridge" and "Friday" go well together, I've always used Fridays as my menu planning day.  Then it works well to clean out the fridge to see what I have, and then make a shopping list.  On Saturdays I do grocery shopping. Then that way, on Monday everything is set and ready to go, and meals are organized for the week!

That being said, here is my fridge (disclaimer: the big pack of hot dogs was bought by my hubby! I don't buy hot dogs unless they are the "healthy" version.  In case you were wondering. :)  ):

Yes, my drawers are broken.  But I'm thankful. :)  Now that the pic is up, I see that the top shelf looks a little sloppy in the middle, but perhaps that's just the OCD in me!

Blessings to you and your family, as you organize your home a little at a time!

Submit and Multiply?

I have a confession to make.  I believe in women submitting to their husband's authority, and I believe women should be willing to bear as many children as God calls them to. Surprised? ;)  If you've been reading my blog for any period of time, I'm sure that didn't shock you!

I'm in the process of typing up a post on 1 Timothy 2.  I've been spending a lot of time studying verse 15 in an attempt to grasp its exact meaning.  What I discover will be written up in the post that will eventually be finished and posted (and if you have insights into that verse, feel free to contact me or leave a comment).  In my research process, I stumbled across a webpage that I found pretty amusing and ridiculous...and ultimately I ended up feeling sorry for the person who wrote it.  It's a place called the "atheist foundation of Australia", lol.  They really knock  Above Rubies (which I love), and some of the things they said just cracked me up!  Here are some examples:

"a woman is expected to voluntarily imprison herself in domestic drudgery in order to be regarded as a .proper mother."

LOL!  That just made me laugh....such drama.

" I find it very disturbing that the religious right makes it its priority to perpetuate women's enslavement."

Enslavement?  Huh???

Here is the very very sad line that caused me to feel sorry for the writer:

"If achieving equality and independence are "Satan's deceptions" then so be it! Supposing that god and Satan do exist, I would rather pay homage to Satan who encouraged Eve to seek wisdom, rather than submit-to a god who condemns women to everlasting misery and slavery!"


Yikes.  He doesn't have any idea what he's saying.  Very sad.

http://www.atheistfoundation.org.au/articles/submit-and-multiply

 I don't know about you, but I don't feel like a miserable slave imprisoned in drudery.  Do you?  I feel like a woman who is embracing her calling to serve the Lord Jesus by fulfilling my biblical role...being my husband's helper, bearing and raising children, and caring for my home.  There is much joy in that!

If you are miserable, I would encourage you to look at your role in a new way.  It's likely that your perception is clouded by the enemy's deception, and he's making your job look unappealing in his own destructive way.  Don't listen to him!  Ask the Lord for a fresh perspective and and new eyes to view your calling through God's eyes.

God bless all of you!!

Women Working Outside the Home,Part 5

Here it is, the fifth and final post in this series by Kristi !  Be sure and read parts 1-4 first if you haven't done that! (Check my archives.) Here we go....

Welcome to our 5th and final post in our series!  Whew!  This has been quite the series…and even though this is the 5th post, it doesn’t feel like we’ve covered everything…there’s just no way to do that!  It is such a big subject.  My hope and prayer for this series though, is that it has given you something to think and pray about.  God has been revealing things to me along the way and I hope to you too!
I would like this post to reflect God’s heart.  For us as women and as homemakers.  One word that has been coming into my head and my heart over the last few weeks is, PEACE.  I have personally been working on doing things in my house that cultivate peace.  (1 Peter 3:11 says; He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.)  Because you know what?  God is a God of peace.  He is a God of order.  No matter where I am, whether it be at home while cleaning or cooking a meal, or out at the grocery store or running errands, I need to be reflecting peace.  Because that is who and what God is.  And if I believe that my calling is to be the keeper of my home, then my home is my domain and it is my job to reflect God as much as I can in my domain.  I believe wholeheartedly that God wants us to have peace.  And He wants us to reflect His peace to the rest of the world that is drowning in chaos.
Satan is the author of chaos.  I believe that Satan will use anything and everything that he can in order to distract us.  He doesn’t need to talk us into taking drastic action like leaving our faith or our families, he just needs to keep us busy and immersed in chaos in order to be successful.
And how easy is it for us to be so busy and to feel so chaotic while working, running errands, cooking dinners, making lunches, doing laundry, helping with homework, driving to soccer practice, and gymnastics and youth group that we just are too busy to pay attention to God!  Too busy to read the Bible, too busy to pray, and certainly too busy to be able to hear Him.  I know that I’ve been guilty of this, and I’ll bet you have too.
So, I will ask you this… Does working outside the home create peace?  Or does it create chaos?
Did you know that Jesus is a Homemaker?  Read John 14:2-3.

In my father’s house there are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also will be where I am.

As Sandy Snavely says in her book, Called to Rebellion, “If Jesus doesn’t feel that being a homemaker is a waste of his life, maybe we would do well to follow his example.”
I believe that we are to view our homemaking as MINISTRY.
I’m not going to write the whole passage, but I would like to direct you to Matthew 25:34-46 where Jesus is talking about when we care for the “least of these” then we are caring for Him.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me….
…I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.

I don’t know about you, but that sounds like motherhood to me!

“Many people pray, “Lord, give me a ministry! Show me what I can do for you!”  While the answer is right there under their noses.  Yes, the world needs Jesus, but our spouses and children desperately need to be the primary recipients of our ministry efforts.  If we save the world but lose our marriage or family in the process, what does that do to our witness?  Can we really do more for others than we can do for those living under the same roof?”  (Greg Ethridge,)
“Often we don’t view our daily activities biblically.  We wrongly believe that the more mundane the task, the less significant it is to God.  As difficult as it may be to believe, the hands that tenderly bathe your baby at night are no less holy than the hands that serve you communion on Sunday.  Every small act of love to your family- every diaper you change, every meal you prepare, every toilet you scrub, every errand you run, every fever you tend to, each tooth you pull, every moment of undefiled intimacy with your husband- each is a  holy act when it’s done as unto the Lord.”  (Passionate Housewives, Desperate for God)
“What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God.  We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow.” (Martin Luther)

God loves you.  He really, really does.  He wants what is best for you and He knows what that best is for you.  But in most cases, I’ve found, His best looks very different than what I think “best” is.
Is it a sin to work outside of your home?  Is it a sin to contribute financially to your family?  I would say no on both accounts.  There can be a time and a place for both of those things.  But if contributing financially to your house begins to take priority over your family and your homeward responsibilities, if you are doing it out of fear, or control, or pride, or rebellion against the calling that God has given you, then I think it can be a sinful thing.

“While I believe that it is harmful for those of us in the household of the Master to impose guilt upon one another for why we do or do not work outside the home, I believe that there is legitimate guilt we need to face individually regarding this issue.  There is a right cause for our consciences to be in conflict if we are in a place where we should not be…
….When we are in the right place with the Master, peace is inevitable.”  (Sandy Snavely, Called to Rebellion)

So, the question is; Are you going to trust?  Are you going to seek peace and pursue it?

“Homemaking isn’t about starched aprons, pearls and high heels.  It’s about doing the will of God even when the world scoffs.  It’s about loving the high calling that God especially has given to women.  It’s about learning to trust when circumstances would tell us to doubt and fear.

We are called to be different- not conformed to the pattern of this world but transformed by Christ.  We are to live in such a way that others may have hope.  When we trust in the Lord and submit to His design for marriage, family, home and church, then our homemaking accomplishes far more than just making homes.  It has the power to impact countless lives and generations for the glory of God.” (Passionate Housewives, Desperate for God

Women Working Outside the Home,Part 4

Okay, here we go....part four of Kristi's series!  If you haven't read the first three, please see my archives and read them first!  Here is part four:

This post was written entirely by my husband, and I’m so excited to be able to share it with you. He did a great job. He also speaks right to men, so feel free to grab your boyfriend, your husband, your uncle, your dad, your brother and your grandpa’s, nephew’s, uncle’s, brother.


She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. Proverbs 31:17

My bride outworks a good majority of the men I know. If I were being completely transparent, I would reluctantly admit that a lot of days my wife outworks me. For those of you who haven’t met me, I own a small business and for or a while now, the majority of my work is done in my home office. I’m not saying it’s an easy job, and trust me I work hard. It’s just that there’s hardly a day that goes by where I wonder which one of us is working harder. I say this for a few reasons: First, because I want you to know that I have some understanding and knowledge of what it takes to be a stay at home mom because I have the rare opportunity to be at home all day and see how much my wife accomplishes and how many tasks are on her plate every day. I am aware that sentence was too long. Second, I want to applaud loudly for my wife and share my appreciation for the amazing amount of work she gets done every week.

In our house, we have a 10 year old boy, a 7 year old boy and 4 year old triplet girls. In many ways it’s an awesome time in our lives. But I have to admit, this combination of ages makes for some hellish automobile rides. Our kids take after Kristi and I in that they aren’t the best at picking up after themselves. So every day is an all out battle against the evil dark forces of messiness. My wife fights valiantly. I help a tad in the evenings and from time to time get some extended hours with the kids by myself to fully understand the stakes in this bloody war.

It’s hard for me to imagine a world where my wife works significant hours during the week outside of the home. My bride happens to enjoy cooking, so our family is blessed almost every day with 6 star home cooked meals. Not only are they home cooked, the majority of them are wholesome, healthy and extremely tasty meals. I just started salivating a bit… What was I saying?…

I could go on about the fruits of her hard labor everyday, but I need to go deeper. I need to get to the heart of how her focus blesses our family. There is a peace at our house. A deep peace. In the midst of a crazy fast paced world, we have a Home where joy exists. My bride smiles. I occasionally hear her singing. After the fourth load of laundry and picking up after our five demolition experts (truly nothing compares to the destructive capacities of kids), Kristi is steadfast in her purpose, her mission, her calling and her focus. And she’s happy. I’m not saying that when I get off work there’s not a normal amount of “family of 7” chaos, but there is underlying peace. I can see in her eyes why she’s making dinner for me and the kids. I can hear in her tone the satisfaction of a hard day “at work”. I can see contentment and stability in our kids as they fight to avoid their homework or wrestle while laughing/screaming. Trust me, I’m not painting a Thomas Kincade serenity here, but I think you feel what I am saying. I know it’s different at our house. And I know why. My wife has chosen us. She’s chosen what culture values as garbage. She’s chosen what God values as gold.

I love you babe, thanks for making God central and putting a large priority on our family.

Now, turning to men. I realize this site is primarily for women, but I’m betting a few men are reading over their wives shoulders. I’m not going to go extremely deep in this post about our responsibilities (it’s coming later). But let me call us to action and point us in the direction where we can set our compasses. Please know I do this out of humility. If you’ve been following along, you know I have struggled in leading my home well. But I am compelled to now.

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,

Ephesians 5:25

I don’t think we can feel any greater weight than that. How can we even begin to give ourselves up like Christ did? We’d have to give everything. We’d have to relinquish ownership of all we have; our time, “our” money, our dreams, our selves. Have you ever heard that kind of call in our culture? In any movie, any book, any song? There’s never been a greater call to love our wives than that verse. And if we’re honest, it’s humbling. So where do we set our compass?

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12: 1-2

The greatest weight. And yet the greatest goal. There is nowhere in this world where we are both called to such a high calling and also given such a perfect example. We are given the hope and reasons to stand up as men and serve. So let me end with this. More weight for your shoulders yes, but we know where to go to strengthen ourselves and set our compasses.

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

1 Timothy 5:8

At my church this past year we learned a definition of a man:

A man…

Rejects Passivity

Leads Courageously

Accepts Responsibility

Expects the Greater Reward

Let’s man up and serve our families, looking to the only Source that can begin to provide the strength. You have been called to lead, to follow after Christ and to lay down your life for your wife and family. Responsibility lies on your shoulders for what happens in your home. You bear the curse of “sweat and toil” in the ground from Genesis. Don’t share that curse with your wife. Provide and protect with every last ounce of strength you have been given.

Is it a sin to ask your wife to work outside the home? Again, the answer is not a black and white yes or no. But if you are being passive, not leading your family, ignoring your responsibility and focused on the temporary, you can be sure that you are sinning and not laying down your life as Christ did for us. Do you have toys worth more than what you have provided for your family? Do you have hobbies that have taken more time than your wife will end up working? Do you have addictions that undermine your character and push away the blessings of God? Sobering questions that I haven’t always been able to say no to. But sobering questions we all need to ask ourselves.

Menu Plan Sunday

Well, last week some unexpected events came up, so meals got switched around.  Thursday, Friday, and Saturday's meals did not end up being what was on the menu, so some of them you will see on this week's menu again!  Such is life.

Sunday--Burgers, baked beans, milkshakes
Monday--Turkey Pot Pies
Tuesday--Fried Sole, baked potatoes (trying these in crockpot...I'll let you know how they turn out), roasted asparagus, corn
Wednesday--Crockpot Beef Stew, cornbread
Thursday--Roasted chicken & vegetables, biscuits
Friday--Tacos
Saturday--BBQ Ribs, baked potatoes, corn

Be blessed this week in the joy of the Lord, and in following Him as you care for your dear family!

"The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy."  Psalm 103:8

Peace in our Purpose

The Lord has been doing quite a work in me lately.  I am a person who, in my flesh, has a besetting sin of anxiety.  Without the Lord I am a bundle of nerves, full of constant worry and fear.  So I am ever so very, very grateful for Jesus!  I can truly give HIM all of the glory for the peace that is in me, because there is NO way that I would have it on my own.  And I'm sure that is WHY that anxiety was allowed in my life...to show the glory of God.

Lately the peace has been amazing.  Why?  Because I let go of things.  I let go of...

worrying about what people think (I only answer to God)...

constantly second-guessing my decision to homeschool, and just simply following the Lord in what He's called me to do (He will enable me to do what He has called me to)....

wanting material things (we are not to lay up treasures on earth)...

wanting to control the number of children I have (this is not for me to decide)...I'm sure this is a controversial one but I am just telling you where God has brought ME...

wishing for a nicer house (compared to most of the rest of the world, I live in a mansion and I am truly rich)...

I have let go and let God.  Truly.  I am not in control.  I am here on this earth for His purposes. I am His vessel. I am here for whatever He may have me to do. 

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." Matthew 6:19-20


It is so easy to lay up for ourselves treasures on earth without even realizing it.  Our culture is so full of it...he who dies with the most toys wins, right?  WRONG.  It is so sad the number of people who are so busy doing things that are not going to matter one bit in the end.

"For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is.  If anyone's work which he has built on endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire." 1 Corinthians 3:11-15


I'd like to go farther in that chapter because it is just so meaty, but I will stop there (for now).  Did you really grasp what those verses said?  Everything we do will be tested by fire, and everything will burn that is not of eternal value.  Everything we do should matter in eternity.  We need to be laying up treasures in HEAVEN.

How?  How do we lay up treasure in Heaven?  HOW have I found peace lately?  By simply keeping my eyes on Jesus.  As long as my eyes are fixed on HIM, my focus stays on eternity and following Jesus in everything I do.  This results in peace, and kills any anxiety that may want to creep in.  Anxiety comes when we focus on our circumstances, which means our eyes are on them instead of on Jesus where they need to be.  Here is a good illustration of that:

"And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were frightened, saying, "It is a ghost!" and they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."  And Peter answered Him and said "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  And He said, "come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But seeing the wind, he became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him,  "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"" Matthew 14:25-31

WOW.  I have heard this story practically my whole life, but I have to say that this is my new favorite Bible story.  It is an amazing passage.  Peter walked on the water, as long as his eyes were on Jesus.  When did he become afraid?  When he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the wind (circumstances).  Wow.  That is when WE become afraid.  We take our focus OFF of Jesus, and instead we focus on: the fact that we don't have money...our kids are being disobedient...homeschooling is just so hard lately....there is so much work to do....I have yet another load of dishes to wash....the baby is fussy....the car is in the shop so I don't have transportation. This is anxiety...fear....worry....NOT peace.  Take your eyes off all of those things, and just look to the One who loves you and cares, and wants to carry your burdens.  That is how you find peace.  Keep your eyes on Him and He will show you the next thing to do, and then the next thing, and then the next.  There is incredible peace in following the will of God for you, and not looking to the right nor to the left.  That reminds me of a quick illustration.  When we were at the fair, I was usually walking behind the girls.  Annamarie had a phone, so I knew if I somehow lost track of her, I could call her.  Abby, however, does not have phone, so I was very vigilant about keeping my eyes on her.  As I walked through the fair, I thought of how the whole time I hardly looked to the right or the left, but looked straight ahead with my eyes on Abby.  Dove's eyes.  If you don't know, the phrase "dove's eyes" comes from the fact that doves don't have peripheral vision, but they can only look straight ahead.  That is how we are to be.  Eyes fixed on Jesus, looking neither to the right nor to the left.

What happens if we do take our eyes off him, and start to sink and  become afraid?  What happened with Peter?  I love this part.  He cried out to the Lord, saying "save me!", and the Bible says that, "immediately Jesus reached out His hand and took hold of him."  What a beautiful illustration for our own lives!  When we become afraid and cry out to Jesus, he immediately reaches out his hand and takes hold of us!  What a comfort for us.  What a beautiful, precious Saviour we have!

"You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You." Isaiah 26:3

All I want when this life is over is for Jesus to say to me, "Well done, good and faithful servant."  That is all I live for!  That is our purpose here on this earth...to keep our eyes on our Lord and do what He tells us to, and to be watching and ready when He returns.  This is where true peace lies.

(PHEW.  The Lord has been giving me this message bit by bit over the past several weeks!)

Menu Plan Sunday

My menu plan for this week:

Sunday--Salmon, risotto, mixed veggies, apple pie
Monday--Roasted chicken, baked potatoes, green beans, chocolate chip cookies
Tuesday--Chili, cornbread, salad
Wednesday--Burritos
Thursday--Turkey pot pies
Friday--Tacos
Saturday--BBQ pork ribs, baked potatoes, corn

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ~Galatians 6:9

May God bless you this week as you serve your families!

Women Working Outside the Home,Part 3

I am really curious what others think about this series that I have been posting.  I'd love comments!  Here is part 3 of the series from Kristi at Courageous Homekeeping:

Oh boy, oh boy! Am I geared up for this subject today! I have some really great things that I think God has revealed to me in order to really get to the heart of this subject. I was going to put this verse at the end of my part 2 post, but it was just so good and I was encouraged by a friend to really unpack this issue…so I’m taking the advice! If you haven’t read Part 1 or Part 2 of this series yet, please do that before continuing on…I’m starting at the beginning and building on the ideas, so you’ll need to catch up first.


I read something the other day while studying this subject that I found really, really interesting. Do you ever have those moments when you’re reading the Bible and you read something that absolutely leaps off the pages at you? Maybe you’ve even read it before, but all of a sudden God just opens your eyes to a new way to look at it? I sure hope you’ve had that experience, cause if not, you’re totally missing out! Such was the case the other day, when I read this passage in Hebrews. I’m not a Bible scholar or anything, and so I can’t speak with authority whether these verses were really meant to go together or not, maybe he was just making a list…but since they’re right next to each other, it seems like there may be a good reason.

Hebrews 13: 4-5 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

I find a few interesting things there that should be considered. First of all, we’ve all heard that part of the verse, “never will I leave you, never will I forsake you”. Originally, God said this to Joshua as He was telling him about how he was going to go back and win the promised land. And now it is quoted here in reference to being content and not having a love of money. Could it be that God has to remind us that He will take care of us, especially when we are faced with what looks to be an impossible situation? Taking back the promised land seemed to be an impossible situation. Learning how to be content, not envious, and not “stuff-driven” seems like an impossible situation sometimes too, doesn’t it?

I also find it interesting that the part about being content, not loving money, etc comes directly after the part about honoring marriage and keeping the marriage bed pure. Do you think there’s any correlation there? The part about being sexually immoral is pretty self-explanatory. But what about the part about the adulterer? Is that also self-explanatory? I would argue that the word ‘adultery’ can mean several different things other than just having sex with someone who is not your spouse. I believe that the word adultery could also mean sinning against your spouse and being unfaithful to the marriage vows…completely apart from the act of sex. So then…does that mean that keeping the marriage bed pure might possibly have something to do with money– loving it? Or learning how to be content with what you have and not envious of others? Could it be that the “Love of money” can somehow affect the purity of the marriage bed?

Whoa. Did that just rock your world like it did mine?

Here’s the big idea. You are selfish. I am selfish. We live in an incredibly selfish society. We want big houses.  We want nice, new cars. We want our kids in the “best” private schools. We want nice furniture. We want what we want and we want it now. We are motivated by money. Our identities are wrapped up in which neighborhood we live in and what kind of car we drive. And the terrible, dangerous reality is that our society caters to our selfishness. Want a new car? Sure, go get one! No money down and only $450 a month car payment! Want new furniture? Sure! Check out our 90 days same as cash payment plan! Want a new wardrobe? Sure! Here’s a credit card, go get whatever you want and you only have to pay a little bit of the total next month! No worries! We can have everything that we want and we don’t even have to have the money to pay for it. Right?

And could it be… could it be, that we have elevated our standard of living above our marriages? If the Bible warns us against having a love of money directly after telling us to keep our marriage bed pure, could it mean then, that loving money, valuing money could somehow be dishonoring to our marriages? If we are out working to bring in money so that we can afford that big house, and keep up that standard of living, and yet we have no time or energy left at the end of the day for our husbands and our children, do you think we are honoring God?

No.

No.

No.

I think, that actually breaks the heart of God.

Some of you may read these words and think, “I agree with you…but you have a choice. I don’t have a choice.”

That. Right there. Is a deep, dark, lie right from your Enemy. You have a choice. You ALWAYS have a choice when it comes to how we order our priorities. When Josh and I first got married, I was working and both of us were making right about minimum wage. When I got pregnant with my first son 11 months after we were married, (Surprise!! Wasn’t planning on that one!) I ended up quitting my job because I was working around food, and the morning sickness was awful…and my employer wasn’t real supportive. I always knew that I would be a stay at home mom, so why not go ahead and start early?

We lived for several months on one income, barely over minimum wage. And then Josh lost his job. Thankfully, God provided right away for us, without much drama or time to panic, another job where he was earning more! A full $10 an hour job! I remember feeling rich! He had that same job for several years, and then moved on to another job, where he earned something like $11.50/12 an hour. We had two kids at that point. Money was never something we’ve had a lot of. We’ve never made perfect financial decisions…in fact, we’ve made a lot of financial mistakes along the way. But we made that decision long ago, to value me being at home with our (now) 5 kids. We still are not rolling in money. But over the years, we have NEVER gone hungry. God has ALWAYS been faithful. He has always honored our decision for me to be home.

How did we do it?

We’ve lived in tiny places.

We’ve never had a brand new car.

I buy 95% of our clothing second-hand or on clearance. Same goes for our household items.

I make meal plans and cook mostly from scratch.

I use coupons.

The list could go on and on. But my point in this, you have a choice. Do you have to live in that neighborhood? Can you sell that car and get something cheaper? Do your kids have to attend that private school?

God says, “I will never leave you. I will never forsake you.” That is His promise to you. There are so many verses that could go here…throughout the Bible God promises to take care of us. Always.

On the other side of the coin is the verse in Psalms (106:15) that says, “He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.”

I don’t know about you, but that is frightening to me. I can probably talk God into giving me what I want, if I ask enough…I’m really good at talking people into things…just ask my friends and my husband. And God has shown that He is willing to be moved by us. But is getting what I want, worth gaining a leanness in my soul?

Don’t hear me wrong…it is not sinful to have a big house or a new car. Not in the least. But what I do believe is sinful, is placing those things above our marriage and above our families.

I also believe that a way to cultivate that “leanness of our soul” is to not allow God the opportunity to take care of us. He wants us to depend on Him. He wants us to know that He will provide for us. He wants us to know how important we are to Him. And sometimes we don’t allow that. We get caught up in our own strength, and our own ability to provide for ourselves. And we miss the absolute joy of having a dependence on God.

I am absolutely so excited for part 4 of this series. What? You didn’t think I was done, did you? There is definitely going to be a part 4…and likely a part 5 to wrap it up. But part 4 is going to primarily written by my husband, from the perspective of a husband who’s wife has stayed at home. I’m really excited to not only give him an opportunity to write, but to hopefully help us women understand how a man feels about this subject. So stay tuned!

Menu Plan Madness

I love menu planning, but the reality is...life happens, right?  Sometimes our wonderful plans have to be tweaked.  I have to laugh, because I noticed on my recent dinner menus I have "vegetable beef soup" written 2 weeks in a row, yet I didn't ever actually make it yet.  Often times things come up, plans change, people won't be home for dinner, etc, so I switch things around.  And now, I'm laughing even more, because my teenage son just walked in here as I was typing, and asked if we could please have french toast for breakfast in the morning!  Um excuse me, but WHAT are you thinking...that is NOT on tomorrow's menu!  Hee hee.  It's good to be flexible.  Flexibility is part of my job description.  My menus are wonderful, helpful guides, and they keep me organized, but they are not my master.  Today, for example, I had turkey pot pies on the menu.  These are homemade and quite time consuming, especially since one of them has gluten free crust.  The baby has been sick, I'm fighting a cold, the girls are sick, my son won't be here for dinner....so I wisely switched dinner over to turkey soup.  Much faster, and good for healing colds.  Turkey pot pie will be moved to later in the week or early next week (you'll notice on my menu that we had a big turkey dinner on Sunday, which explains all the turkey).

After that long disclaimer about real life, I thought I'd share how I organized this week's food.  Below is my printed out menu that I keep in my Home Management Binder:

Someday I'll learn photography, but not today.  I get this printable menu form at Donna Young's website.  It's great because I can fill in all three meals for one week.  The fourth section says "snacks", but I use that section to make notes, or sometimes to write desserts.  As you can see, Tuesday morning we are having hash browns, so on Monday night I need to cook some potatoes to be ready the next morning.  You can see the reminder note on Monday.  On Thursday morning we're having overnight coffee cake, so on Wednesday I have a note to remind me to make the coffee cake that night. On Friday, I'm bringing dinner out to a friend who is pregnant and on bedrest, so I need to prepare ahead.  So on Thursday, I'm going to make 3 shepherd's pies...my family eats 2 and then we'll take one to our friend.  I'm making them a day ahead of time because I know I won't have the time on Friday  Then on Friday morning I'll make the apple crisp and bread that I'm taking, and the cornbread for our family.  All of that is written in the notes section (well, not the bread for the friends, because that was recently added!).  That way I also have time on Friday to do school with the kids and get my house in order, and our dinner will already have been prepared ahead of time.  Anyway...little things...lots of little things....these little things lead to bigger overall organization within our homes!  I hope this has blessed someone in some little way.

"Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all." "Proverbs 31:28-29