Grace in Time of Need

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;  but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:15-16

Seeking that grace,

Good Gifts

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?

Matthew 7:11

Believing the promise,

It's a Promise

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee:  he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Psalm 55:22

Believing the promise,

Refined Focus

This blog will serve as my place to share more personal thoughts, reflections and spiritual truths that I am learning.  The plan is to post resourceful, frugal, creative and crafty ideas on the "So Dutch" blog,  

The newest post is about free math worksheets.  So hop over there to read about this great freebie.


What do you do when you feel agitated and stressed?  How do you relieve that pressure that builds up from frustrating situations?  Feeling overwhelmed?  Fearful?

Pray!  Pray and take all those concerns to God.  He is waiting to hear you.  One by one lay them at His feet.   Repent, if need be.  Forgive, if necessary.  And then, above all, TRUST.  Trust your Heavenly Father to go before you, fight your battles, provide and lead. 

Then, rest.  Rest in His peace which passes understanding.  Know that He loves you and will take care of you. 

Focus on Him, not the storm around you.   He is willing and able to meet your needs. 

Praying and resting,
  

Announcing my NEW Website!

This is an announcement for my new website, So Dutch.  I have been wanting to do this for a while now and it finally is coming together.  Julia did the header for me.  Isn't it neat? 

I am 100% Dutch and am proud of the good qualities in my heritage.  Why don't you hop over there and check it out? 

It is still very new and I have lots more to add.  Click HERE to see the new site.  So check back again.  Thanks for looking!!  (Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!)

Blessings,

Children and Clean Homes

Check this out!  This is a quote from "The House That Cleans Itself".  According to a study done by the University of Michigan in 2001, "kids who are raised in clean homes are more likely to complete more school and have higher earning potential than those raised in dirty homes." 

Wow!  Does that motivate you?  It stands to reason that if things are orderly, more will get done and the family will be less distracted.  Very interesting....

Let's see...I've copied my floor plans and marked my zones.  I have the game plan.  Now the book says to take a "prayer walk" through my house.  Oh, how neat!  That's a new concept!  I like it!  It's on my list for tomorrow.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Stay tuned,

The House That Cleans Itself Part 2

OK, so over lunch I start reading the book.  It's very good so far.  She begins by drawing a floor plan to determine the flow of the house and in which order you want to organize your house.  Bob drew out a plan last night so I am all set there. 

Now I need to copy it and start planning out the zones. 

The book was so easy to read I ended up reading the first 3 chapters over my salad lunch. The second chapter encourages you to find the Home Base Zone, the area that, if clean, gives you a sense that you can handle the rest of the job.  I will have to think on that one.  It doesn't jump out to me right now. 

The third chapter discusses how to get the whole family on board.  Yay!  A family oriented approach appeals to me!    I have to finish the book and then have a family meeting.  My children already are great cleaners so hopefully they will be inspired to be more organized, too.  Julia is very excited so no problem there.  Bob is generally neat so that shouldn't be any trouble, except maybe those dirty socks that somehow seem to miss the hamper.....

Well anyway, so good so far.  I'll keep you posted.

The House That Cleans Itself

I am starting to read the book "The House That Cleans Itself" by Mindy Starns Clark.  My house is usually in good order but there are times it gets out of hand.  Julia has already read the book and is very motivated to put it into practice.  We have a good cleaning chart but we are not consistent in implementing it, usually because I am not up to it. 

I hope to learn a lot.  I'll let you know how it goes! 

Have a great day!

Quick, Easy and Frugal Mittens

The weather has been very cold here lately.  It seems to have been cold EVERYWHERE!  The gloves and mittens have mysteriously disappeared, too!  We had some in the fall.  Enough for everyone.  Since my gloves got passed down to a child, I decided to make some more. 

I had this cashmere sweater that I had found at a thrift store in Michigan last winter.  I had already made some leggings from the sleeves so I cut out some mittens from the body of the sweater.   Using my sewing machine, I stitched these up in no time. 

You could use an old sweater.  If it is wool, it could be felted first.  Just make a pattern from your own hand.  Remember to add enough for a seam allowance and room for that seam allowance in the thumb, especially.  Otherwise it will be too tight.  Have fun!  Let me know if you make some.  It would be fun to see your creations, too!!

Have a great day!

The Father's Love Letter

Do you ever feel that no one loves you?  God the Father loves you very much.  Jesus came to show us the Father.  (John 16:25)   Here is an awesome letter written to explain how much God loves us.   It is all Scripture verses set in the style of a letter.  Soak up the truths of God's love.  Be encouraged and comforted.  Click HERE for the letter.

May you be richly blessed,
 

A Great Giveaway!

Beautiful sunshine and warm sand....

Hello, everyone! I am back from my long hiatus! There has been a lot going on so if you want to catch up on the details go visit Julia's blog. She good at posting regularly! Basically, we went to Florida to visit Bob's mom, I haven't been feeling very well and the usual responsibilities of life were all I could handle. Julia has some great pictures of our trip to Florida so I won't repeat by writing a long post about it.

But here are a few pictures to give you an idea of what it was like.

Let me say Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Hope you had a great time with friends and family. We spent a nice quiet day eating lots of good homecooked foods and fellowshipping as a family.

Now for the GIVEAWAY! Jasmine Baucham (Voddie Baucham's daughter) has so kindly offered to host a giveaway of Julia's jewelry and a custom blog header, made by Julia for the winner's blog. Two prizes for the taking!! To enter, simply go to Jasmine's blog and leave a comment. If you want more chances to win, look at the Etsy shop and let Jasmine know which item is your favorite, by leaving a comment. Also if you post about the giveaway, you get another chance to win.

Here is the necklace set that is being given away:

I would love to hear from you but you must comment on Jasmine's blog to enter the giveaway.

Have a blessed day!