I recently heard about this book, A Christian Woman’s Guide to Hospitality, it sounded like a good book, so I found it on Paperback Swap. I just checked, and they don’t have any listed right now.

I’m so glad I found this book! From making our homes a blessing to others, to blessing our families, to blessing others outside of our homes. From decorating to manners to involving our kids. This book has so much information and and so many suggestions. If you can find this book, I highly recommend it to everyone.

Here’s a picture of my book. Notice all the post it’s sticking out of the book? That’s how good it is.

One suggestion in the book was, if your having a party, go ahead and have parties two days in a row. Your house is already clean. The work is already done, your ready to entertain.

So I decided to put this advice to the test. On Saturday we had 2 parties. Notice they suggested two days in a row. I’m just crazy enough to try two in one day.

From 11-3 We had a cook out for everyone involved in Bible Drill at our church. We did this last year, too, as a way to congratulate the kids for all their hard work, and as a way to thank the teachers for their work with our kids. Everyone had a good time.

Then at 6, we had a Schwanns House Party. They provided the Schwanns food, so cooking was easy. It all went in the oven, except for the green bean fries. I cooked them in the fryer. I had never heard of green bean fries before, but they were so good!

It was relatively easy to clean up from the cookout, rest, and get ready for the next party. I did use disposable plates, cups, forks and paper napkins at both, except we used real forks inside at the house party. It really made clean up so much easier.

My family even agreed that it was easier to do two parties in a row.

So I highly recommend this book, as well as having people in your home. If your not as insane as I am, you might want to do one party one day, and the second party the next day.

For more Homemaker Monday ideas, visit 11th Heaven’s Homemaking Haven

Our primary election day was yesterday. Only one senator race on the ballot, the rest were local elections. So I went and exercised my right to vote.

I went alone. Well, I went with my husband in the morning before he went to work. We didn’t take the kids with us.

I always take the kids to vote with me. We all crowd around and I vote. I have always taken all the kids. Even the teenagers that still want to go. It’s good for them. When they turn 18 and can vote, it’s not some new, strange thing to them. They already know how to do it. They can concentrate on the who, instead of the how. You know, the important part.

It felt so lonely by myself yesterday. A peek into what the future will be like. Just one little old lady all by herself.

Might have to drag the grandkids with me to keep me from being so lonely. If I ever get any.

It’s time to go over my list of dailies, and make it work for me again. I usually have to change it at least 2 or 3 times a year. I add and delete jobs as needed for how are life is at that time, and for seasonal activities. For example, when we get the pool set up, I add testing the pool to the morning list.

I have, also, recently redefined my priorities. They would be God, Husband, kids, home, school, extended family, clothes ministry, and then, anything else. It is so easy to get our priorities mixed up. It’s also easy for our priorities to get jumbled on a busy day. Keeping our God given priorities in order is a daily, minute by minute commitment.

Something that we can not do with out help.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

I know thats the only way I can make it through the day!

You’ll notice that I have Bible study in the afternoon. That’s when I’m better able to focus on studying. Mornings are not a good time for me to study. I’m able to give it my all in the afternoon, instead of being so distracted in the morning.

So here’s my daily list. I do try to do them in order, but very often have to do them out of order. That’s ok, as long as I do them!

MORNING

Make my bed
Pick up master bed, bath
Take dinner out of freezer
Breakfast
Vitamins
Inspect kids rooms & bathrooom
Make sure kids do their morning list
wash dishes
desk duty
School
Online “Stuff”

Clear Hot Spots:
K-counter
washing machine
LR-TV
tables
piano
computer desks

AFTERNOON
Lunch
Vitamins
Make sure kids do their afternoon list
wash dishes
Bible Study
Check school work
Put away School stuff
Start dinner
weeklies
monthlies
Online “Stuff”

EVENING
Dinner
Vitamins
Make sure kids do their evening list
wash dishes
Inspect kids rooms and bathroom
Meds

Clear hot spots:
K-counter
washing machine
LR-TV
tables
piano
computer desks

We work in the clothes ministry at our church as a family. Today we had a giveaway. We load the fellowship hall tables with clothes, and invite the public to come and get them for free. These clothes all come in as donations!

Here are some pictures we took at a giveaway last year.

This ones blurry on purpose, so no ones faces show. But there were lots of people looking through the clothes.

We are blessed to be able to work in the clothes ministry.

We advertise in the newspapers, and on a local radio program. These giveaways are always well attended. The kids wanted me to take a picture of the people lined up at the fellowship hall when we got there. I took this from the van as it was pulling into the parking lot, so you can’t see everyone. That’s just part of the line, it went off the right some more. The parking lot was almost full of cars.

We counted 83 people that came in, and we handed out at least 50 bags with tracks in them. It was an awesome day!

See this pillow?

Looks like a cute, innocent little girls pillow, doesn’t it?
Yeah, well, see the white spot in the upper left. It wasn’t there when I put the pillow in the washing machine. Some how, it ripped in the washer.

And that is what my poor front loading washing machine looked like.

The load of laundry was covered in little white balls. I didn’t know how I was ever going to get them off the laundry. Thankfully, they shook right off.

See what the floor and socks looked like?

Your laughing, aren’t you? That’s ok, I laughed, too!

I vacuumed out the washer. Even so the next two loads still had little white balls on them.

Remind me to never put cute, innocent looking pillows in the washer, okay?