Welcome Autumn!

Welcome Autumn!

Is there anything better than crisp, cool mornings, warm apple pie, the smell of spices in the home (especially cinnamon), bright, colorful leaves, mums, apple cider, apples, caramel apples, pumpkins, pumpkin pie, football, bonfires, roasting marshmallows, hay rides, weenie roasts, and Thanksgiving? I know there's more but I have to stop now.

This is truly my favorite time of the year. There are so many things to love about it and today I officially kicked off the fall season by decorating.

My youngest daughter always helps me with this treasured task and I am thankful that she enjoys it so much because I don't get as much enthusiasm from the oldest kids. It is such a joy for me to pass on a tradition that is teaching my children how to someday make their own homes warm and inviting with each new season.
1 Corinthians 10:31–Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
You don't have to spend a lot of money to have a warm and inviting home or have a perfectly clean home. I want people to feel welcome when they come to our home and to feel the presence of Jesus, rather it be my home is neat and tidy, or the dog and kid hurricane just came through the living room.

First the home's foundation should be love. Love your family unconditionally as Jesus does and show them that love everyday.

Keeping the home clean is one way to show them love. You don't have to have it spotless at all times, this only causes you stress and tension which spills over to your family. But letting the house get out of control also causes stress for everyone. Which sounds better - chaos and craziness or a haven of rest and relaxation.

The mother is the heart of the home and whatever mood you are in is the mood that sets the tone of the home.

Don't go out and buy all your decor at once. Buy a few things new each year or every other year until you have what you want. And the best time to buy is when the season is over - SALE - SALE - SALE!! I am very frugal and I buy many of my things from the Dollar General, Dollar Tree and let's not forget yard sales! I honestly can't remember where I got that wreath on my door. But I know I didn't buy it new. It was either given to me or I got it at a yard sale, and I added many of those things to it myself. I got the welcome sign at a yard sale. I made the cornucopia on my table and I purchased everything from the Dollar Tree.

MMMM...can't you just see a nice, big, juicy turkey and all the fixins on my table. We are ready!

I pray you will spend some time with the Lord this glorious fall season and let Him bring in a bountiful harvest to your spirit. Get some morning time in with Him, when the sun is just rising and the birds are singing, and sing a song to the Lord with them. Reflect on His goodness as the sun reflects off the golden leaves and praise Him for His wondrous works!Psalm 105:2 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!

Secret Scriptures

At first glance these shoes may not look like much, but if you could see inside them, you would find something unique - secret scripture.

These shoes belong to the greatest man I know besides Jesus, my husband. And inside them are scriptures that I carefully tucked away under the inside soles, secretly.

Not only do I put them in the shoes of my family but I put them under their mattresses and sew them into their pillows, all in secret. Why do I do this in secret? Because some things are more effective when done in secret.

Matthew 6:6 says But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. God sees the burden I have for my family to come to know Him and instead of hitting them over the head with the Word of God, as I have done so many times in the past, I want to love them to Christ. And by doing that I have to leave it in the Father's hands and continue to pray and stand on His Word.

Besides, because of their lack of knowledge of how important prayer is, they would most assuredly have a complaint about it. But, even if they find the scriptures, I won't stop finding other creative ways to cover them in prayer. But you can pretty much count on me to still secretly stitch them into their pillows, mattress, and shoes...all for His glory!

Whatever Wednesday

Once a month I let each kid cook dinner for the family and I'm going to try to stick with Wednesday. So for now, I'm calling it "Whatever Wednesday" because I'm letting them pick whatever they want to cook - but still getting the mom seal of approval.

It was my son's turn tonight and he chose to cook his favorite meal for us - mushroom stuff and corn...and some angel hair pasta on my request....mmmmm! Mushroom stuff is just mushroom soup and ground beef. Who would have ever thought this would be a favorite of one of my kids, heck, all my kids love it. And Josh's was superb! I think it was a close even to mine, oh I'm so proud!!

And even though I want to keep this to Wednesdays, I'm giving in to my youngest and letting her cook for us tomorrow. She wants to fix chili dogs. How could I refuse? Dinner cooked for me two nights in a row - yea buddy! And, well, it's just awesome to watch my babies cook a home-cooked meal on their own and enjoy it! I feel good knowing that my kids will be able to leave our home someday and know how to cook for themselves and others.

It's moments like this that make me proud. It's moments like this that I treasure. It's moments like this that make me thank God for how blessed I am.

Oh, and you know what's even better? My husband will be supervising our 8-year-old tomorrow, yeehaw! Not that I don't want to, but you know when mom cooks almost every night of the week, it's good to get a break.