Homemaking Organized Blog

Archive for the ‘Inspirational’ Category

Did you set goals for 2012? I didn’t. I don’t think I ever do. Not really.

What I do is I tend to get started on things I would like to accomplish around the beginning of the school year (old habits die hard) so they end up blending into the new year without a thought. I have a few I’ve been working and I’ll list them here really quickly and then point out some other great places for you to find goal setting for 2012.

Personal: I’ve needed to lose some weight over the past year. About 15 pounds to be pre-pregnancy and fit into all my lovely clothes. I have some nice stuff left over from my work-outside-the-house days and I really hate to see it go to waste. I’ve been working out regularly, about six days a week, since about October. I wasn’t losing weight at first because I hate to change how I eat but I found a way that’s working (list that later) and so I’ve dropped about 3 pounds over the past three weeks. I use Sparkpeople, in addition to my girlfriends to keep me on task and motivated.

Finances: We have the nudge to build up the savings. Not sure what for but God knows so we just do it.  We paid off debt about 14 years ago. That was a nice feeling. I recommend it highly. And don’t be discouraged. It is doable even when it looks bleak.

Home: I like  Raising Arrow’s new theme of making homemaking a more lovely venture (my words not hers). So while this is not necessarily a goal it’s something that I’ve also thought about and hope to be able to link up with some loveliness to share…

Business: I’ve been TRYING to finish the newly updated Homemaking Planner. It’s coming along. I can’t rush it. If something doesn’t feel right I have to change it. I was hoping for spring and I’m still hoping.

Okay so if you want to see some real goals…

Money Saving Mom: Crystal has an impressive list to complete this year. If she can share what vitamins she takes that would be wonderful..

Raising Arrows:She  has a new theme for 2012. Finding more joy in homemaking. It’s a weekly linkup and a nice idea. I’ll do my best to follow along.

You know that song “Count your blessings. Name them one by one.” Well as we get ready to ring in the New Year of 2012 I thought it a good idea to count 11 of my own blessings from 2011. Big or small they all add up. Now these are not in any particular order…

1. We were blessed to FINALLY buy a freezer. This has been the single biggest improvement in our home life this year. We have been able to do so much more not only for our family but extended family as well. Preserving summer harvest from our own garden as well as u-pick farms. Putting up more freezer meals. Taking advantage of sale on meats and fish.

2. We were blessed to be able to continue to homeschool the Sweet Peanut. We use a DVD program which is not cheap so I thank the Lord for the funds to be able to provide this top notch education for her. Not to mention the energy to work through it each day.

3. The Sweet Peanut is a blessing I am so thankful for every day. Sometimes I just look at her and marvel at God’s goodness. Her sweet generous spirit. Even when she’s giving me a hard time sometimes I just break down and smile. Thank you God.

4. The blessing of good health. I had a little issue in 2010 that I’m still recovering from but every day I get better and I’m thankful for that. I’m also thankful that it hasn’t slowed me down much at all.

5. The blessing of not only being able to meet our needs but helping to meet the needs of those around us.

6. The blessings of good friends far and near.

7. The blessing of a good husband.

8. The blessing of a renewed interest in sewing to meet some clothing needs for Sweet Peanut.

9. We were blessed to garden again and not only that to discover a lovely u-pick farm up the street. That allowed us to bless others with fresh produce as well.

10. We were blessed with a visit from not one but two relatives we haven’t seen in a while. That is always nice.

11. In 2011 we saw no major life changes good or bad and that respite was a blessing. A calm in the sea of life.

What blessings did you receive in 2011?

Check out this free Nativity Printable from Marloes de Vries, a designer and illustrator from the Netherlands. So cute!

Thank you Amy at NewNostalgia!

Perfect! You know when you just find something that answers a question you’ve had for a while?  Well this blog post is an answer to my question, how to keep Sweet Peanut attentive during church.

We’ve always gone to a Family Integrated Church (didn’t know that there was a name for it). Where our children attend the main service also. Sunday School for the children and the adults is before the main service and then we all attend service as a family.

I’ve done different things throughout the years to keep her attention and facilitate the learning process but none seemed to be quite right. From writing the names of the books of the Bible, to coloring a picture of what was being taught, to finding the scriptures in the Bible as they were called out in service. Either her attention was on the coloring or writing or she had a hard time keeping up with trying to find the scripture (this was shortly after she started to learn to read).

Just by happenstance this morning I landed upon this post about Listening Pages on Amy’s blog Raising Arrows. This is a wonderful idea and I shared it with my husband who agrees also. So we’ll be testing these out over the next few weeks to see if this works for our family.

Read the full post to find the links for all three types of pages. There are pages for regular service, Christmas, and non-readers.

Ann Voskamp from A Holy Experience has designed this beautiful perpetual calendar, A Year of Graces, to keep track of the special things going on in your life. There are special quotes from the blog on each month. And also a free app card to give to a friend.

I found this in The Sunday teachers’ treasury, 1874.

It’s speaking of the heart. I found it so touching I thought I would share.

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Just got these in my inbox and thought you might want to know…

LIVE Workshop 10AM CT–Christ-Centered Christmas with Cindy Rushton. OR–Call In: Number: 1-206-402-0100/ Conference ID: 026375#

LIVE Workshop 2PM CT– Got Leftovers? What to Do With Leftover Holiday Food with Annie Johnson and Cindy Rushton.  You will not want to miss this webinar.

Sheila Walsh is excited to announce her new series for little girls and she is celebrating Gabby’s arrival with a fun KINDLE Giveaway and an Angel FB party on October 4th!

Meet Gabby for yourself here. Help Sheila introduce Gabby – be sure to check out her video trailer promotion here!

In Gabby, God’s Little Angel, Gigi fans will fall in love with Gabby and learn about God’s love and provision and a little about His invisible creation, the angels.

Read what people are saying here.

Enter today – Sheila and her publisher, Thomas Nelson, have put together an “Angel” prize package worth over $150.00!

One lucky winner will receive:

• A brand new KINDLE with Wi-Fi
• Gabby, God’s Little Angel

But wait! There’s more …

On October 4th join Sheila at her Author Page on FB for the Gabby, God’s Little Angel Party! She will announce the winner of the KINDLE, host a chat and give away a ton of fun products from the Gigi and Gabby line! RSVP today and then be sure to stop by on October 4th at 5:00 PM PST (6 PM MST, 7 PM CST, & 8 PM EST).