Graduation Prayer

Father, I have knowledge. Please show me how to use it wisely and find a way somehow to make the world I live in a little better place, and make life with its problems a little bit easier to face. Grant me faith and courage and put purpose in my days. Show me how to serve You effectively so my education, my knowledge and my skill may find their true fulfillment as I learn to do Your will. And may I ever be aware in everything I do, that knowledge comes from learning, and wisdom comes from You. Amen.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Proverbs 9:10

Board break

In case you've noticed, the posts have been far and few between. My children and I have been painting our kitchen! We finished on Wednesday night and now we're busy with graduation. Our oldest daughter will graduate on Saturday. We have family coming in from out of town this weekend and then we're off to the beach with family next week. So, I wanted to pop in and let you know that I'll resume posts the second week of June. Hopefully I'll come back refreshed and rejuvenated. With our daughter graduating, it's a time of reminiscing and preparing for what the future holds. Let's all spend some time prayerfully considering what the Lord would have us do next. I want to concentrate on what His agenda is. May the Lord bless your day as you serve Him amongst your families!

Let's Work on the Master Bedroom Today!

As we go through our homes while we're on this decluttering mission, I find it easier to take one room at a time, tackle it completely before moving on to the next room. The next room that I will work on is our master bedroom. I want that room to be a haven for my husband and me. I want it to be neat and orderly, so we can relax. Sometimes we all need time just to be by ourselves and just think, spend time with the Lord, pray. Oftentimes, it's the only room I can go where it's quiet. :-) The older I get I'm having a harder time with concentration. While I enjoy being with my family, it does me good to just be still and quiet. So, here's the plan for the master bedroom:

Walk into your bedroom and look at it critically. Is it cluttered? What’s the first thing that you notice? Tackle that area first. Does the bed need to be made? Do the sheets need to be washed? Have you aired out the pillows recently? Does the bedspread or comforter need to be washed? Whatever it is, tackle that now.

Now, clear off the top of the dresser. If you're like me, you've got piles that need to be gone through. Weed through those piles. Put those items in their "home" or throw away whatever needs to be tossed. Go ahead and go through the drawers and straighten them up. If you find clothes in there that you've not worn in a year, put them in a bag for donation. After the dresser top and drawers are clean, give it a really good dusting.

Now, let's tackle the floor. Before I started doing this "decluttering thing" a few summers ago, I used to have a pile of papers, books, articles, etc. sitting in a pile in my room. I really got tired of it collecting dust and the pile just kept getting bigger. I wanted to see the carpet underneath, so that's when I tackled it. Can you walk freely in your room? If not, grab a box or use your laundry basket and pick up the things on your floor.

Next, I will pull out whatever is under the bed. (Oh, that's a scary thought, isn't it?) It amazes me how much dust ends up under the bed. I feel so much better about sleeping in the bed when I know that at least for a few days or weeks, the dust isn't accumulating under my bed. Can you get rid of anything under your bed? Take a few minutes and put those items in their correct location and run the vacuum in the areas where you can walk.

Look at your windows—can you see through them? What about the window ledges? Grab your rag and window cleaner and give them a quick once-over. You’ll be amazed at how much dust you pick up and how clean your ledges will look after that! And don't forget the miniblinds. I was amazed at how much dust they collect in a year! No wonder we have sneezing fits. It's such a good feeling to know I can once again see through the windows. I love to sit in my chair and look out at the beautiful scenery, blue skies and trees blowing in the wind.

Okay, the last thing I do is give the furniture in our bedroom a really good dusting. I think I've mentioned that we do a spring deepcleaning and a fall deepcleaning. We declutter every three months and maintain the rest of the year. I can't homeschool my children and manage our home and keep things spotless, so I find this to work for our family. We do clean our house on a weekly basis though not a deep cleaning. I've used this system for about three years now and it works for us.

So, now what can you do to add a few inexpensive decorations to your bedroom. Can you put a few candles in the room? Add a new flower arrangement? Think of some things that will make it feel like a haven for you and your husband. Our husbands work hard every day to provide for our families. Most of them have to relate to the public and work with challenging people. Coming home to rest after a hard day is a reward and comfort for them. It's our way of ministering to them.

I started doing this decluttering a few summers ago. It's been rewarding to be able to actually keep our bedroom mostly straight. I try not to let it get to be a catch all and get all cluttered up again. I'm on a mission to keep it straight so I don't have to work so hard to declutter it again. I take a few minutes each Friday when we clean house and if things have gotten messy, I put those things in their "homes". Hopefully these suggestions will be helpful in your journey to declutter. Remember, less is better! Happy decluttering!

Today, let's tackle the KITCHEN clutter!

We're still working on cleaning and decluttering our house. We'll be tackling our kitchen today. The first thing we'll do is remove everything from the kitchen counters that is not essential for every day cooking (blenders, mixers, jars of dried beans, rice, flour, etc.). These items should be stored in cupboards. We'll clean out the food storage areas and refrigerator to make sure nothing is expired, moldy or rotten. Isn't it amazing how many science experiments we can find in our refrigerators? We'll clean out the extra freezer in the garage as well. Be sure to vacuum the dust bunnies out from under the refrigerator and freezer. Next, we'll clean out under the kitchen sink. We'll go through all the cabinets, remove and throw away old food items, wipe down the shelves and put everything back in neatly. We will wash down the fronts of all the cabinets. It will be so nice to cook in our CLEAN kitchen tonight! So, put on some praise music and get to work on cleaning and organizing your kitchen, ladies!

Help me ponder this idea - your thoughts, ideas, advice are needed!

A friend has a piece of land that would be perfect for growing a BIG garden. She's pondering starting a food co-op for veggies, fruits, fresh flowers, and herbs next summer. Have you ever heard of people doing this? She has two wells on the land and as long as they don't go dry, she's got water access. How do you figure out what to charge people? Or should she just rent out spaces for people to grow their own gardens? You know there are many people living in the city today and don't have land for growing gardens (I'm one of them, our land is terrible and small.) Your thoughts, ideas, advice are welcome.

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Love~Author Unknown

There are times when only a Mother's love
Can understand our tears,
Can soothe our disappoints
And calm all of our fears.
There are times when only a Mother's love
Can share the joy we feel
When something we've dreamed about
Quite suddenly is real.
There are times when only a Mother's faith
Can help us on life's way
And inspire in us the confidence
We need from day to day.
For a Mother's heart and a Mother's faith
And a Mother's steadfast love
Were fashioned by the Angels
And sent from God above.

Let's Work on Decluttering the Attic Before It Gets Too Hot!

I don't know about you, but I don't like to go in the attic when the weather gets too hot. So, today was the perfect day for us to declutter and straighten the attic. I have to be honest that we really cleaned out our attic when we moved 17 months ago, so we don't have that much junk up there. It does tend to be a "catch all" though in the winter months, so I've found that a little tidying in the spring will last until at least October.



So, get rid of those old love letters and cards, broken chairs, 10 year old tax records, old baby clothes, moldy rugs, useless tools, old towels and sheets, extra blankets, anything you no longer need. If you haven’t used it for the past 2 years, chances are you don’t need it, and perhaps someone else could make use of it. You might keep in mind while your decluttering to look for things you can freecycle, sell on eBay, or yard sale. I made $300 selling items on eBay last year that we no longer needed. Now, THAT was fun!

Ask Yourself These Questions When You Are Decluttering

I've found these questions to be very useful when I'm working on decluttering our home.

Do I love it?
Do I need it?
Is it essential?
Does it enhance my life?

Then: Sort your things into 3 piles or boxes

Yes – I love it and I need it, it works and it’s useful
No – Someone else can have it
No – Toss it out, put it in a bag and don't even thing about it again. :-)

A Letter From My Father

I'm not sure who to give credit to for this. It was sent to me and I thought it was worthy of sharing with you. This is a beautiful "Letter from my Father". Each verse encompasses an incredible truth and every one is a promise to you and me from our Heavenly Father. Take some sweet time to reflect on each of the ways that the Lord loves us, protects us, treasures us, redeems us, comforts us, watches over us, saves us and calls us His own. Absolutely amazing!

My Child~
I know everything about you…Psalm 139:1
I know when you sit down and when you rise up…Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all of your ways…Psalm 139:3
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered…Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in my image…Genesis 1:27
In me you live and move and have your being…Acts 17:28
For you are my offspring…Acts 17:28
I chose you when I planned creation…Ephesians 1:11-12
I knew you even before you were conceived…Jeremiah 1:4-5
I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live…Acts 17:26
You are fearfully and wonderfully made…Psalm 139:14
I knit you together in your mother's womb…Psalm 139:13
And brought you forth on the day you were born…Psalm 71:6
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book... Psalm 139:15-16
I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me…John 8:41-44
I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love…1 John 4:16
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you…1 John 3:1
Simply because you are my child and I am your father…Matthew 7:11
For I am the perfect father…Matthew 5:48
Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand…James 1:17
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs…Matthew 6:31-33
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope…Jeremiah 29:11
Because I love you with an everlasting love…Jeremiah 31:3
My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. Ps. 139:17-18
And I rejoice over you with singing…Zephaniah 3:17
I will never stop doing good to you…Jeremiah 32:40
For you are my treasured possession…Exodus 19:5
I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul…Jeremiah 32:41
And I want to show you great and marvelous things…Jeremiah 33:3
If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me…Deuteronomy 4:29
Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart…Psalm 37:4
For it is I who gave you those desires…Philippians 2:13
I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine…Ephesians 3:20
For I am your greatest encourager…2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles…2Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you…Psalm 34:18
As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart…Isaiah 40:11
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes…Revelation 21:3-4
And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth…Revelation 21:3-4
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus…John 17:23
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed…John 17:26
He is the exact representation of my being…Hebrews 1:3
He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you…Romans 8:31
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins…2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled…2 Corinthians 5:18-19
His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you… 1 John 4:10
I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love…Romans 8:31-32
If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me…1 John 2:23
And nothing will ever separate you from my love again…Romans 8:38-39
I have always been Father, and will always be Father…Ephesians 3:14-15
Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen…Luke 15:7
Love,
Your Abba, Almighty God