I recently read this wonderful post that I personally benefitted from, and that I felt was worth sharing. It is from the website raisinghomemakers.com. and was written by Renee Behringer. I hope that it will help others like me that want to build a home that brings glory to Him.

1.) Retrain our tongues to give words that encourage, comfort and edifyothers.




2) Offer life-giving and grace-filled words to husband and children.



3) Make our homes a place of grace where mistakes and sins are not met with anger but with love and hope.



4) Decorate our homes to make home a place of beauty. Beauty raises life above mere existence.



5) Develop necessary cleaning skills and habits; clutter causes stress.



6) Face our anger, anxiety, fear and depression. Our homes reflect our mental/spiritual/emotional health. Ask the Lord to replace these emotions with faith and hope. (Check out the Core Lies EBOOK for more info.)



7) Plan regular times away from home to rejuvenate and gain perspective. (A quiet time at Starbucks or Wegmans for 1 1/2 hours has been my most recent favorite.)



8) Persevere in planning fun activities for family on weekends or ordinary weekdays.



9) Play praise or worship music in home to lift everyone’s spirits. Our new family favorite is Michael W. Smith’s “A New Hallelujah”. (Even King Saul in the Bible, when the Holy Spirit had left him, was refreshed and calmed by David’s worship.)



10) Ask the Lord: What areas of my home are causing stress or bringing spiritual/emotional/mental ‘deadness’? What can I do to bring life to those places instead to make them a place of refuge?



All of these suggestions have risen out of a heart that longs to be this kind of woman, yet has consistently failed in all of these areas. Some suggestions are on my ‘impossible prayer list’ of what I’m asking God to do this year in my life! I have seen the ill effects of doing the opposite of what I’ve written. I know that I don’t want to live that way anymore! Instead, I’m striving to develop diligence in these areas to bring life to my home flowing over from the One Who gives life freely to all who ask. May He encourage us in our life-giving.

Riverfest in Wetumpka

Saturday was a beautiful day, especially appreciated after the night of storms the evening before. The boys had a soccer game in the morning and won 4-2, with Christian scoring all 4 goals. Success! Tim, Katie, Kristin an all of their children came for the day. We met at Riverfest which is held at Gold Star Park in Wetumpka. The wind was blowing, the river was running by, and there was music in the air. Pet owners were there with little turtles for sale, along with yellow and blue parakeets in white cages. The children rode the ponies and Julia enjoyed the petting zoo ( with the most adorable baby pig:) Next stop was the train which drove through the park, and then the bouncy castle. We headed home so that Grandpa could cook burgers on the grill and the children could run off some of their energy. They helped me bake cupcakes and decorate them, play Playdoh, blow bubbles--and best of all was when Grandpa got out his John Deere and took them for rides one at a time around the yard. It is days like this that I am most grateful for. The simple times of just enjoying being together, enjoying having girls around again, and hearing the laughter of games being played in the yard. Family--there's nothing like it.

Jon and Kristin

The blessings continue! Jon and Kristin have announced that they are expecting a little one in December...right in time for her to graduate and for the two of them to celebrate their first anniversary. I can't imagine a better gift. This will be our seventh grandchild- each and every one of them unique and precious. When the day ends, and Terry and I are beyond exhausted keeping up with our 11 and 13 year olds, it is an instant "pick me up" to sit back and count our many blessings...Tim, Kristin, Justin, Kristin, Gabriel, Maria, Charlotte, Julia, Luke and Jonah, and now this little one. Each a new member added to our family in the past seven years. What a blessing each one has been to us.

These are a few of my favorite things...

New coloring book from Vision Forum for my grandchildren, cupcake holders and little icing nests for cupcakes from Wilton, and adorable decorations for Easter cupcakes from William Sinoma...little bits of Spring that you can enjoy indoors.

Garden 2011

Today the boys and I finally got are plants in the garden. We planted two types of tomatoes (one for slicing and one for Italian sauce), cabbage, green and red peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, and squash I also planted come lantana and heather in my front beds. I've had trouble getting anything to grow out there because it gets so much sun, so I'll see how these work. We also moved our swing out to the front yard so that we can sit in the evenings and watch the sun go down. Our clotheslines are finally untangled:) and we can enjoy clothes flapping on the line as soon as this next day of rain is behind us! Tomorrow is Homeschool Co-op and we will be making Italian spaghetti sauce and ciabatta bread. We only have a few weeks left and I thought they'd probably enjoy that more than a new vocabulary list.I'm looking forwardto this weekend and time with my children and grandchildren. I have new bubble wands and Playdoh waiting for their arrival. I sure enjoy them!

Strawberry Picking in Verbena

This morning was the perfect morning to pick strawberries. After last nights storms the weather had become much cooler. My friend Karen, and her daughter, Sarah, joined the boys and I in a drive to Verbena. What a beautiful drive it was. The side roads were sprinkled with farm stands and antique stores. The town of Verbena had the most picturesque little homes and a church with a white steeple. According to the signs it was a town built as a haven for those who were avoiding the plague of yellow fever. Apparently the wealthy of Montgomery built their summer homes here. We picked strawberries at Sugar Hill. The baskets were $8 each, and the strawberries were beautiful. It took about 5-10 minutes to pick a bucket. They have a wonderful set up there. On the way home we ate at the Smokin' S in Wetumpka, which apparently used to be the town's bait shop:) Wonderful BarBQ sandwiches and fudge. What a refreshing morning and a lovely visit with my sweet neighbor!

Nesting in Alabama

I've stayed busy the past several weeks doing projects around the house and in the yard. I'm in the process of building 3 new "square foot gardens" for my side yard, and hopefully will have a bumper crop of tomatoes this summer to put up. We have several berry farms around us, so I'm looking forward to putting up some blueberries and blackberries, and getting some cobblers in the freezer for summer guests. Terry finished painting my stairs and railings in the cabin, and I love how fresh it all looks. The color "Summer Cottage" just makes me smile. So much that I have now painted an old table and a small wicker rocker the same color:) I found the rocker in a trashpile at Gulf Shores, and my adult children groaned as I put it in the back of my car. I sewed a new cushion for it, painted it, and...voila- an adorable rocker for the cabin! We have a new screen door which I still need to stain before we hang it ,and the garden beds to build, the compost area to set up...the list never seems to get any shorter. I finished four dresses last night for little Avery Kate and Allie Grace, and have new summer outfits (tops with bloomers) cut out to sew for my grandaughters. I enjoy being creative and am so grateful for a husband that has blessed me with a home that I can care for, and for his encouragement as we make it into a home that reflects the Lord. One of my favorite books is "What is a Family? by Edith Schaefer. I've read it at least 10 times since I first read it in 1975. There is a chapter titled "The Birthplace of Creativity". I quote, "Beauty should be important as an inspiration to doing the best with what is at hand for the Christian homemaker. God put the first family in inspiring surroundings. As much as possible, each new family-which has become a family of two children of the Living God- should prepare a home with as much to inspire as possible." May your week be filled with inspiring moments.