Homemaking Mondays

Hello! 

I hope and pray you are well today!  

I'd like to share with you some of my thoughts on homemaking.

I'm thinking of doing this each Monday.

It's been something on my heart, and I thought I'd start to share with you 

a bit about homemaking in my home.  

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. 

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

Stitchin' Hide

Hello! 

I have a fun project to share with you.  

One that I'm sure many of you can relate to. 

My son has started to wear the soles out of his onesie pyjamas.  

So, before the fleece was totally ruined, 

I took out my seam ripper and removed the existing sole.

I cut a couple pieces of hide (I think it's moose...I found it at the free store).

Which is perfect since these are his "moose" pyjamas. 

Then I got out my needles and looked for one that would sew through the hide.

It's not so easy, and takes a lot of finger strength...or a good thimble.

Then I picked blue thread...and started stitching. 

I used the blanket stitch... my favourite for these kinds of projects.

Now they're both sewn on and in use.  

The hide also makes a good non-slip surface so the wooden floors and stairs

 are not dangerous places to trod.

Do you fix the soles on your children's onesies? What do you like to use?

Thanks for dropping by! 

Jennifer

Good Bye to Farmer Robert's

Hello!  

Today I'd like to share with you about one of my favourite places to go.  

Farmer Robert's Store in my town is closing and I'm sad.

They have lots of organic food and great service.

They have to close their doors in a few days. 

One thing they always had was an amazing rack of tea cups for those who would sit at their rustic tables for a cup of tea or a bowl of soup..or other yummy food available there. 

Farmer Robert put up some of the tea cups for sale, and I bought two of them,

to remember the store by.    

There of course are lots of items on sale.  

I picked up a large bag of bentonite clay for making toothpaste,

some diatomaceous earth,

some spices, 

and of course some tea.

The diatomaceous earth was a great deal, 

and I'm looking forward to using it. 

I encourage you to look it up if you've never heard about it...

great for your health. 

So we have to say goodbye to the place we buy our farm fresh eggs from as well...

but learned that another store in town will carry his eggs.  That was comforting! 

My family loves those eggs!

Do you have your favourite stores?  Perhaps one that you enjoy browsing in...?

This is one of my kids favourite stores because they sold corn syrup free jelly beans. :)  

SO...now I have a couple more tea cups.  

Ones with memories attached...the best kind! 

Praying you have a beautiful day! 

Jennifer

Making Room for Growing

Hello! 

Thanks for dropping by!  

Today I would love to share with you a bit about my making room for growing plants. 

That is one thing about planting seeds or making cuttings...they grow, 

and then you have to find room for all of them.

Today I moved my violets away from their spot on my desk to behind me on the stovetop. 

It's too warm to use the wood stove now, so the space is available. 

Then I put in their place some mint starters. 

I had make cuttings a bit ago, and today I separated out most of them 

and planted them in their own pots. 

Below you can see them.  

The chocolate mint is in the big pot: that will stay in the house this summer.

Then the little pots of Moroccan Mint will be planted outside.

We have flowers!!!!  

This is the first lone marigold flower...and there are more to come. 

It is always nice to have flowers, even if it's long before they go outside.  

The summer here is so short, that the early colour is welcome.  

(In the Yukon things start to freeze off by mid August.)

My daughter's geranium cuttings are also bursting into bloom! 

There are coral and bright pink (Sorry no pics yet of the bright pink).

They are occupying the downstairs window box (that we keep the extra blankets in). 

A burst of colour to cheer the soul! 

I hope you have a splendid day!  

Do you have plants for your garden growing in your house?  

Do share!

Today my sons helped me to plant sunflowers, nasturtium, and zucchini.  

I think that is the last of the seeds that we'll plant. 

It's a beautiful thing to watch the miracle of life as plants grow from seed to fruiting.  

God's glory and amazing diversity has me in awe! 

Genesis 1: 11-12

"And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good."

I pray you have a great day! 

Jennifer

Strawberries Anyone?

Hello!  

Recently we purchased some strawberry plants.  

Mine didn't do well last year, so I thought I'd try something different. 

These planters are going in the greenhouse for more warmth.

These had just arrived at Walmart and so I thought I'd give them a try. 

We potted them up, watered them, and waited. 

The sun came out the next day and they started to grow!!! 

How very nice to see that they're still alive, and growing.

Maybe this year we'll have more then a handful of strawberries. 

I put one of the planters down in my son's room so I could put more plants on that windowsill.  

He at first was very upset with me for taking over his window space...but then I told him that he could snitch any of the strawberries that might grow...and that changed everything. 

~smiles~

Do you grow strawberries?  

Have you tried from little plants or seeds? 

I hope you have a wonderful day! 

Jennifer

Pretty Pincushion

Hello!  

Today I'd like to share with you some pretty pincushions.  

I have seen this done a couple times, and when I found a stack of these metal tart tins at the free store for the second time I decided to take some home and try it myself.  

It's very simple really.  

Take a tin, some ribbon or lace, cut out a piece of fabric, a needle and thread, and a hot glue gun. 

I took the fabric, put a huge piece of batting on it and then sewed the ends together.  

Mine aren't perfectly round, but are nice and POOFY! 

I took the lace and hot glued it to the met tin. 

Then I put a bunch of hot glue on the bottom of the tin and popped the fabric "ball" I'd made down into the glue and made sure it was stuck well.  

I added some pins and voila! 

Pretty Pincushion. 

~smiles~

I first have made three, but will be making more.  

They are simple, fun and functional.

Plus with the metal you can add a magnet to the bottom to stick to any metal surface you might need to stash this pincushion, or to help hold in the pins.

Also with the metal bottom, it helps it stay put so it doesn't roll around on you. 

I love that you can use any fabric to match your decor, or in my case, 

just because I thought it was pretty.

Thanks for dropping by!

It was just something fun I wanted to share with you. 

Jennifer

Tea Stuff Stash

Hello! 

Just thought I'd share with you a bit about a project I just did.  

My teacups/ mugs were in a terrible jumble and needed some attention. 

I cleaned out both shelves of this cupboard.

Bought a metal shelf to put in the bottom section.  

Not highly fancy, but functional.

I took a bunch of mugs that we've not used in years and put them at the free store. 

My daughters use the mugs for tea, but mostly the mugs are exclusively for hot chocolate. 

I arranged the tea cups so they're stacked in such a way as to make them more accessible.  

So much nicer to just reach in and pick a set to use. 

I have a stack of mismatched saucers/ plates to use for treats. 

Under the plates, is a glass plate from my grandmother that is edged with gold and sectioned into three for serving dainties.   

Do you collect odd saucers to?  

It is such a blessing to have a selection of mugs and tea cups to chose from. 

Makes tea time more fun. 

~smiles~ 

With organizing the tea cups I decided the tea pots should all be put together and easily accessible to.  

So I put them all up on the stove fan hood.  

My mom gave me this sweet teapot/ cup set and it is special as she loves tea as well.

Then we also have a hot chocolate pot!  

This we found at the free store and it just had to come home. 

They all surround this sweet plate that was a gift for my wedding, 

along with the lamp that was also a wedding gift.  

1 Peter 1: 21-23 KJB

 "Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, [see that ye] love one another with a pure heart fervently:

  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."

I hope you are having a lovely day!  

Perhaps you might even have time for a cup of tea?

Jennifer

Daffodils and Doilies

Hello! 

Today I'd love to share with you some daffodils and doilies. 

I was at the grocery store and there was a few ladies selling daffodils. 

The though of fresh flowers and colour led me to buy some.  

I'm not usually a compulsive buyer, 

so I didn't feel bad about splurging a bit.  

Then while getting treats at the Feed Store for our dog, 

we were gifted with a few more. 

How delightful they are and there is plenty to put in multiple vases to put around the house. 

Last night they were all closed up still, but upon waking this morning,

they were starting to pop open!  

What a cheerful sight!

Oh the joys of the feeling of Spring.  

Although this past little while I have been convicted about being grumpy about waiting for spring.  

I am reminded that the Lord has everything perfectly planned and I must accept that He knows best. 

May you also find joy in the in-between...in the details of each day, not always waiting for another. 

Then I've also been making doilies again.  

They are fun to make and are very versatile. 

The first one here is called Mini Cluster Doily. 

This second one is called AMI Flower Patterned Doily. 

Both doilies are about 6 inches across.  I used size 10 crochet thread and a size 7 hook from England. 

It's nice to have something quiet to keep my hands busy while I have nothing pressing to do.  

Praying you have a wonderful day! 

Jennifer

Pillow Cover Project

Hello! :) 

Glad you could drop by! 

Today I'd like to share with you a pillow cover that I made.  

The old pillow below was starting to have holes worn in it.  

So, I got to thinking of what kind of cover I'd like to replace it with. 

I settled on a beige background with a white doily.  

I had the doily, but not the material...until!

I went to the free store and there were a couple old curtains 

in great shape waiting there just for me. 

I took the old zipper out of the other pillow cover and sewed it into the new one. 

 I'm not great with this as you can see.  

But it works perfectly and with the zipper partly hidden you don't scratch yourself on it. 

The zipper goes almost all the way along the one side and that's great 

for getting it on and off so I can wash it. 

Sewing the doily on the front was a bit of a challenge, 

but at the end, it is nice and solid.

The pillow sits in my favourite chair.

It's all crinkly from use already. 

Yes, I forgot to pull the cushion cover up on the chair...but, 

that is what it looks like most of the time. 

It's an older chair, but so comfy!  

So a little bit of freshness to the living room.  

Have you done something like this before?  Do share! 

Praying you have a beautiful day!

Jennifer