Homemaking Mondays: Pushing Through the Last of the Dark Days

 

Hello! 

Pushing through the last of the dark days of winter.

Do you feel like that is where you're at?

I do.  

The sun is starting to shine more and more

and it seems to change how I feel.

When the clouds move in and it starts to snow

yet again...I feel heavy.

Things feel like more of an effort

and I need to start to find things to do

to bring me hope of spring.

Don't get me wrong...

I do love winter and many of the

wonderful things we can do in winter.

It is just..at this point it seems to be 

dragging on...the last couple months before spring.

One of my favourite things to do

is to plant seeds at this time.

I have brought in my indoor greenhouse. 

With dreams of what to start growing.

This year I have been gifted a grow light 

and that should help the tomatoes.

On the bottom shelf I have all my seeds

for now...at some point they will need to move 

so that plants can grow there.  

I might put that shelf up on the top

or move the grow light to the very bottom?

Then I've re-arranged my living room so that I can get plants up 

against the window.

I shall be having a couple rows of plant there as the seedlings get bigger.

I also love having my chair by the window.

I've actually moved it to the other side of the window

as shown in the picture from where it was

and this gives me another view when I turn my head

to look outside.

The Lord has given little bits of delights as well,

as the violets are starting to send out more blooms.

I have been doing some crocheting

and one of the things is this cute

little set of slippers.

Soft and plushy and pink. 

It's an old fashioned pattern

but from experience they are oh so 

comfortable!

I have also been keeping my sourdough starter happy. 

I washed out my big jar

and put the last bit of starter in and fed it.  

All those little bubbles make me happy for some reason.

Perhaps it's the thought of fluffy bread to come?

There are always things to smile at,

to cheer our hearts when 

we count our blessings.

Praying for you as 

we wait till spring to arrive.

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: A Biblical Perspective

 

Hello! 
It's a lovely Monday morning here and I've been pondering 

what to share with all of you.  

A few years ago I started to share some scriptures that 

the Lord was pressing on my heart....and the same is happening today.

I'm not great with words, but would like to share with you some of the practical 

everyday aspects of homemaking from a Biblical perspective. 

The following is taken from a previous post.

Titus 2:3-5

 "The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."

Here we see that the aged women (the ones who have learned and are proficient at this), 

are to teach the younger (who still need to learn).  

To be sober: not taken with strong drink, but also sober is to be aware, vigilant.  Also not given to an influence of passion...calm, controlled in the case of making decisions/ sober judgement.

Yes, women are known for their emotions, but we can learn to control ourselves when we need to be wise and make good judgement calls. 

To love their husbands!  This is so sorely missing today.  The trend of husband bashing that I have seen over the years has been atrocious!  We need to be taught to love, care for their needs, respect, honour and yes...to submit to our husbands.  We are to be their helpmeets, not their bosses.  

To love their children. Oh how the world sees children as either a burden or as an excuse to not take care of what they are responsible for.  A child is a blessing from the Lord and yes, they take a lot of work. They require a lot of your time and energy.  This is a good thing!  The world is not all about you and what you need.  As a mother we are to be sacrificial, to look to the needs of our children above our own. 

Some look at children as more important than taking care of their homes or doing other responsibilities (including taking time for their husbands).  There is a balance.  

To be discreet.  Noah Webster defined it like this:

Prudent; wise in avoiding errors or evil, and in selecting the best means to accomplish a purpose; circumspect; cautious; wary; not rash.

To teach the younger women to be self controlled, to use wisdom in the affairs of their homes.

To be chaste. This refers to sexual purity: for an unmarried woman to not involve herself in sexual relations, and for a married woman to remain faithful to her husband and their marriage bed. 

Also this refers to one's conversation.  To teach the young women to be free from obscenities. To have your speech be pure, uncorrupt, and free from hurtful words.

1 Peter: 3:2 

"While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear."

Keepers at home.  Keeper denotes one who keeps or cares for the home.  At denotes that they do it at home and not from an outside source. There is much that is involved in keeping a home, and as an older women who is skilled in this, she can share her wisdom and knowledge with the younger woman in this area as well. 

I would say that it would be in the areas of cooking, cleaning, shopping, managing bills, gardening, etc.

Good.  This could be seen from various angles, but really it means not evil.  We get the knowledge of what is good by reading and studying God's Word.  

Obedient to their own husbands.  Now pride says... no one is going to tell me what to do.  But obedience says "thy will be done and not my own".  To love our husbands in this way, to respect their headship in the home and the decisions they make is a very important skill that needs some direction from the older women.  It's not to be a doormat for our husbands, but we as wives need to submit ourselves to them.  If they ask something of us, we need to respectfully carry out the request.

That the Word of God be not blasphemed.  The unbelieving world is watching!  Will we honour the Lord through our marriages, parenting, personal conduct, and homes?

It is a high calling we as women have, and we need the older women who are knowledgeable in this to teach the younger women these things...or they'll learn from the world in an ungodly manner.  

Thank you for stoping by! 

Praying that you may find some edification through this.  

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: What To Do In Cold Weather

 

Hello! 
It's been cold here in the Yukon 

as a deeper cold has settled in.

The activities outdoors are a bit more challenging. 

Though beautiful things such as tea throws 

are only accomplished at these temps. 

I absolutely love the sound of the water as it freezes

and the smoky clouds that form. 

The one picture shows how it is to be under 

a frosty jellyfish. 

I'd love to share with you this beautiful quilt 

my daughter created for her bed.

She loves woodsy things and 

I think all the patterns she combined are very 

fitting for her room.

It's a warm quilt and will no doubt be her favourite

for many years to come.

With it being colder outside

I in truth like to spend more time inside. 

One day I was working in the kitchen

I'd found a great deal on chicken breasts so...

I canned them up and also some chicken stock

for the pantry.

While waiting for the canner 

I like to sit and knit.  

Our dog Sophie likes to hang out with me.  

Today I finally got to deep cleaning my stove fan.

Then I turned the glass light cover around so the smooth side was 

facing out.  I then added this great new 

LED light to it's place.  

I'm not a fan of the hum or radiation that comes from florescent lights

so thought this might be a better choice.

It was a gift from a friend and I'm very thankful for it!

Also I wanted to say that I love using a baking soda paste to clean 

the oily spaces...and then I 

soak the vent covers in borax and water to clean them. 

What do you use to clean these "nasties"? 

What kind of things do you enjoy doing 

on deep cold days? 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: To Brighten Your Day

 

Hello! 
Nice to see you today! 

I'd love to share with you some things that have 

brightened my day.

Gifts from friends and some things to go to friends.

The thoughtfulness of others to 

consider you during their day.

Friendship is one of those special gifts

the Lord Jesus has given that 

makes life all the sweeter for it.

This past week I was gifted this lovely bouquet of

fresh flowers! 

I just love daisy flowers! It is a lovely big bouquet.

Oh how cheerful it has been to walk into the kitchen 

and see them on the table.

Bright and fresh on our cold winters days. 

I know fresh flowers don't last forever...

but they are wonderful! 

Then another dear friend gave me 

an old apron of hers.

She was down sizing and I'm so honoured 

that she gave it to me!

It is great for canning in as spills

wash right off. 

All the lovely wildflowers of Scotland.

She knew how much I loved wildflowers.

Speaking of flowers....

Yes I have bought more seeds!  
I bought some dwarf cosmos and calendula seeds.

I have started to use the West Coast Seed Company,

and then Renee's Garden seeds as well. 

They are both locally available.

Soon...very soon I can start some seeds.  
For now I will continue to look through the colourful 

seed packets and dream of how they will look 

in the garden. 

I have also been making some cards this week.

Some for birthdays, and some 

just because. 

It has been nice to work with paper.

All the colourful papers brighten the dull overcast days.

What do you do during the darker duller days of winter? 

Do you find colourful things to cheer you? 

Thank you for dropping by! 

For all the wonderful comments. 

It's great to hear about your lives as well. 

Like how you also stash candles and blankets in your homes.

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer