Promises to Keep by Ann Tatlock

I loved her deep and moving books All the Way Home, I’ll Watch the Moon, and Every Secret Thing. I’m excited to read this new novel.

Amy Inspired by Bethany Pierce

Bethany’s first book was Feeling for Bones, a portrait of a young girl struggling with anorexia. It was beautifully written and it’s been too long of a wait for this, her second novel.

While We’re Far Apart by Lynn Austin

Though her books don’t have quite the same sparkling prose as the first two authors I mentioned, I love how Lynn Austin weaves her stories and characters in rich historical settings.

(Side note: Don’t you just love the cover art on all of these books?)

I can’t finish this post without mentioning a couple other of my favorite Christian authors: Nicole Baart and Lisa McKay. Both are well worth your time.

And my disclaimer: I don’t endorse or agree with everything these authors write.

What have you been reading? Who are your favorite authors?

171. “There is a fountain filled with blood / Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins / And sinners washed beneath that flood / Wash all their sins away.”
172. Always, always having things to be thankful for. No matter what.
173. A husband who encourages me, prays for me, leads me, and treats me with love even when I am difficult.
174. The people who work hard to create a wonderful worship experience on Sunday mornings.
175. Words spoken in season, piercing my heart with the truth of the deep, deep love of the Lord.

176. Church friends having us over yesterday.
177. Adoption.
178. Watching Christian “swim” for the first time, and loving it.
179. Fat little legs kicking the water.
180. A first tooth poking through a baby gum.

181. An increasingly mobile baby who rolls and inches all over the floor.
182. Time to spend and talk with other mamas.
183. Pancakes and bacon (that weekend feeling) on a Monday morning.
184. Antibiotics when desperately needed.
185. Christian’s sad lip before he bursts into tears, needing comforting.

186. Getting to go to bed early last night even though Christian was wide awake (he practiced crawling with Daddy).
187. A new week.
188. Waking up again this morning.

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Ironically, my blog’s name repeatedly reminds me that the journey of my life is full of hope, whether I can sense it or not.

“And hope does not put us to shame,
because God’s love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit
who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5)

God drew me to Himself.

He enabled me to believe in Jesus to save me from my sin.

I am His adopted child, and I inherit all the privileges of being the King’s daughter.

As I abide in Him, He abides in me, and through Him I can do good works.

And I am continually reminded that my flesh avails nothing, but His Spirit gives life.

This hope will not disappoint.

So I am taking courage today. When I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. I will take His strength. His joy. I will trust His inscrutable purposes. I will walk in the only safe path – the path of duty. Duty that earns nothing and avails nothing, but flows out of the life given to me by the Spirit.

Walk with me in hope.

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Welcome back to my series on homemaking. (Catch up by reading part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4.) 

Today’s post is by Callie at Through Clouded Glass. I’ve really appreciated her perspective on homemaking and working outside the home. Be sure to check out her blog! 

So, I’ve been a little nervous about writing a post on homemaking. After all, half the time my own house is falling apart, and I have a difficult time mastering the art of homemaking, so I didn’t know how I was going to write a post on the subject.

I’m a dental hygienist, and I commute about forty-five minutes to and from work each day. Thankfully I only work part-time, so I have a few days off during the week, but on the days that I do work, I’m usually gone from five o’clock in the morning until five or six o’clock at night. That leaves very little time in the evening to make dinner, straighten up the house, squeeze in any necessary cleaning, and spend time with my husband before we go to sleep.

When I picture someone who would write one of these posts, I think of Superwoman – a lady who has the perfect balance of work and home, excelling in her career and coming home to a perfectly kept house and whipping up a three-coarse, elaborate, healthy meal.

Well, I’m not Superwoman. I have a hard time just keeping my house picked up on the days that I work, much less perfectly clean with dinner on the table. However, I have gathered a few tips here and there, and I know from observing my own mother that there are certain things you can do to keep the house running, even when you aren’t there every day yourself. 

I don’t apply these six tips perfectly or consistently. I’m pretty newly married, and I’m still working out the kinks. But I do notice that when I practice applying the following suggestions, it makes my life a lot easier. I hope any of you ladies out there who work outside the home can benefit from these tips I’ve compiled here, and maybe even some of you lucky ladies who work within the home can pick something out of here as well.

Without further ado, here are six things that have been helpful to me in my own homemaking efforts.

Make the Most of Your Days Off

When you’re working outside the home all day, it’s hard to get up the energy to come home and work around the house as well. So make the most of the days when you don’t have to work. It’s tempting to just relax and do nothing on the weekends, but take a little time to straighten up the house, scrub the bathroom, or vacuum the floor and it will go a long way in keeping your house in decent shape during the week.

Clean As You Go

It’s easy to just whip up a meal and dump all the dirty dishes in the sink, but then you have a huge pile of dishes to wash all at once, and it takes a while to do. If you keep things picked up and clean as you go, it cuts down on the “big projects” that take time to accomplish – and that’s really helpful if you’re working and don’t have many large blocks of time for cleaning. 

This is something we really try to stay on top of in our house – if we make a sandwich for lunch we try to make sure to put everything away directly afterward and wipe the crumbs off the counter. We try to put our dishes directly in the dishwasher, instead of letting them sit in the sink. We wipe down the bathroom counter after getting ready in the morning to keep it from getting grimy. If you clean as you go, it actually takes alot less time and effort to maintain a tidy house.

Cut Down on the Clutter

It’s amazing how much better my house looks when I just make sure not to leave things lying around. Keeping books and magazines put away, mail sorted, coats hung up, and dog toys put away makes a huge difference in how clean the house feels. Even if there’s dust on the coffee tables, dog hair on the carpet, and crumbs on the kitchen counter, those tasks seem much more manageable if there isn’t clutter to go along with it.

Find Easy Meals

When you’re working, it’s hard to make elaborate meals every night. If you have any sort of commute, there is even less time to get dinner on the table. I think finding quick, easy meals to make during the week is really important when you work outside the home. 

Enter canned spaghetti sauces and boxed dinner mixes! It’s not as terrible as it may sound. Spaghetti and other pastas are really easy to make when you use pre-made sauces, and there are a lot of boxed rice and pasta dinner options out there. 

If you’re concerned about getting vegetables or protein in there, it’s really easy to boil some vegetables or cook some meat while the rice or pasta dish is cooking in the microwave – then you can add that to the meal. Slow-cooker meals are great, because you can prepare it before hand and let it warm up during the day so it’s ready to eat when you get home. Soup from a mix is a quick meal to make in the evening after work, and is especially nice in the winter. Grilled cheese sandwiches or eggs (breakfast for dinner) don’t take long to prepare either.

Just a few suggestions, but you get the idea.

Recruit the Hubby

I don’t know what I’d do without my husband, and I can’t tell you how many times he’s pitched in to help me when my schedule is so crazy that I don’t have time to do some household chore. He’s vacuumed, cleaned the kitchen, cleaned the bathroom, made the bed, dusted, made dinner – all just to try to help me out. If you’re noticing that something in the house is just not getting done because you’re always away during the day, or if you know you’ll be home a little later and won’t be able to make dinner, let your hubby know you need help – most likely he’ll be happy to show you some love and lend a hand. 

Check Your Attitude

Homemaking is a privilege. The Lord has given us women the task of being the caregivers of the family, and we should consider it to be a privilege to serve our family by taking care of the home. 

It’s easy to start thinking that since we’re working outside the home just like our husbands are, the chores around the house should be split evenly too. But being too concerned with our own rights, and making sure everything is “fair” is not a godly attitude – it should be our goal to be a servant to our families, doing our best to look after their needs before our own. When you have your heart attitude right, everything else comes easier, and everything has a way of working itself out. 

Plus we’re earning treasures in Heaven when we have a good attitude about homemaking – and I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have treasures in Heaven than a little more free time here on earth.

“To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.” (Emily Dickinson)

I read that quote in one of my old Xanga entries this morning, and it made me miss poetry. And creative writing. Immersing myself in the beauty of language. Ah, college days…

You know what’s really annoying? When the doorbell rings for no good reason in the middle of my baby’s nap. I should put a sign on the door. I do not want to buy anything or support drug-free youth. Not while my 5-month-old is sleeping. Is that mean of me? (Thankfully, he slept through it.)

I wish I lived near my family. I admit to being jealous of moms who can go spend time with their own mothers, and have free and trustworthy babysitting. That’s just one reason I wish I lived near them, of course.

Things are different here in Florida. Culture is different. I’m realizing that more and more. Girls, in general, dress so immodestly. Oh my goodness.

And I’m sorry if this offends anyone… (That reminds me of Marty on Gilmore Girls: “I’m about to say something that will offend possibly everyone in the entire world.”)

…But no Christian girl should be wearing a bi*kini in public. Unless you feel it’s appropriate to wear your skivvies in front of everyone. And if you do wear a bi*kini, is it necessary to plaster pictures of yourself all over Facebook? Is this a Hollister catalog? Didn’t think so.

I feel very opinionated right now.

I am still having some issues with my head (abrupt change of subject, anyone?). I don’t want to go into great detail here. But it’s been very difficult. It forces me to rest and take things slowly and not get very much accomplished, and that’s so. hard. for me.

I realize how much I really do base my feelings about the Lord on my performance. I pray to be saved from legalism. And yet to know that He says if I love Him, I will obey His commandments. If I call Him Lord and mean it, I will do what He says. If I believe Him, I’ll live like it. Yet His yoke is easy and His burden is light. He loves me. These things take so long to sink in.

Sigh.

Transitioning: here are three blogs that aren’t on my links list but that I’ve enjoyed perusing lately: lowercase letters, Small Notebook, and tryin’ to throw my arms around the world. And don’t forget to read Callie’s guest post and leave her some comment love!

To finish up possibly the most scatterbrained entry ever, I wanted to give my title credit. It’s a line from Brooke Fraser’s song “Arithmetic.”

And don’t you love that photo? It’s so summery.

In one word or phrase: Weighty but good.

Okay, I can’t stop there. Many things have been going on with me, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Things I don’t write about it. God’s grace has been so strong. I want to live my life for Him… I want it to be all about Jesus. And I am very blessed in many, many ways. My husband is my greatest earthly blessing.

I’m dreaming of you: Certain item that is coming in the mail and promises to make my life a little easier for the time being. I can’t elaborate any further. Oh, the intrigue…

Song on repeat: In my head? “Love Story” by Taylor Swift… because I just made a Romeo joke to my husband, so I keep thinking, ”You’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess / It’s a love story, baby, just say yes…” Shh, don’t tell anyone, but I kind of like Taylor Swift. Even though I’m opposed to country music in general.

Gotta write it down: “As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me.” (Psalm 40:17)

Lesson learned: I cannot expect to organize my entire garage… or even a significant portion of it… in one day. Not with a 5-month-old in the house.

Picture to frame:

My absolute favorite ever.

Highlight of the week: Getting a Moby Wrap in the mail, from my friend and old college roommate Stephanie (who is an amazing writer, by the way). Christian and I both love it so far. I wore him in it in the grocery this morning and it made the whole experience much more fun. I’m hoping it’ll work awhile for my 18-pound chunky monkey.

Weekend to-do list: If I get ambitious, maybe I’ll work on the garage more (not likely) or ask my husband to pull out the oven so I can clean under it (long, long overdue). Otherwise, I’ll hopefully hit the gym, hang out with my big man and my little man, and spend time with friends. And we’re greeting on Sunday morning again.

Have a happy weekend, friends!

Welcome back to my series on homemaking. (Catch up by reading part 1, part 2, and part 3.)

Today’s post is by Callie at Through Clouded Glass. I love her blog, and really appreciate her writing for me! Come back next week to read more of her thoughts on being a homemaker while working outside the home.

I am a part-time dental hygienist. It’s a great job, but I’m afraid it’s just not my dream occupation.

What’s my dream occupation? To be a stay-at-home wife and mother. I would love to be able to take care of my home and family full-time.

To be honest, when Anna asked me to write a post for her Homemaker’s Clock series, I felt a little inadequate. I don’t feel like I’m a great homemaker, so how am I supposed to write a post about homemaking while working outside the home? I feel like a failure in this area at times. I’m still trying to figure out how to make it work.

But then as I thought about it more, I realized the reason that I feel like a failed homemaker is because I don’t measure up to my own ideal.What is my ideal? June Cleaver. 

I would love to be able to keep my house in perfect order and cleanliness day in and day out. I would love to be able to greet my kids when they come in from play or school with a plate of cookies and a cold glass of milk. I would love to be able to welcome my husband home from work everyday looking like I stepped out of a magazine, with a newspaper ready to hand to him, a smiling baby on my hip, and dinner in the oven. I want to be a homemaker like June Cleaver.

I’m afraid in reality though, that is not my life. On the days I work, the house may just fall apart. On the days I work, my husband usually greets me at the door, and dinner may just end up being fast food, or something very un-glamorous, like macaroni and cheese.

As I was beating myself up for being a failed homemaker, the thought occurred to me that even stay-at-home wives and mothers probably don’t do everything like June Cleaver day in and day out. And if I keep comparing myself to that ideal, I’ll probably feel like a homemaking failure my entire life.

Is it possible to be a keeper of the home like June Cleaver was? It might be. Is it likely that you’ll be able to live up to the June Cleaver ideal everyday? Probably not.

I think instead of comparing myself to an imaginary ideal like that, perhaps I should give more thought to what the Lord is calling me to do when it comes to homemaking. The house may not always be clean, but do I clean my house like I’m doing it for the Lord rather than for men? Dinner may not be an elaborate affair, but did I make it with a loving attitude? Things may not always be perfect and stress-free, but do I greet my husband with a smile and a kiss anyway?

I think that perhaps making a home isn’t so much about what you do, as it is about how you do it. I admit that my own attitude about homemaking is sometimes pretty shameful.

What is your attitude like? Are you doing it to make yourself feel good? Are you doing it because you feel like you have to? Do you fall into the trap of thinking that since you work, you shouldn’t have to do so much around the house?

Or do you clean, cook, bake, and live to serve your family and the Lord Jesus, rather than your own selfish desires and wants?

I think the attitude with which you serve is what truly makes a home feel like home, not how perfectly you execute the tasks. If you go into each task with the attitude of being a servant, then you can’t help but be a wonderful homemaker, and what’s more, you’ll be pleasing God while you do it. And that’s what really counts in the end anyway.

146. Glimpsing God’s grace and glory in our friends’ wedding yesterday.
147. Being with church family at the reception.
148. Christian’s sweet (albeit noisy) behavior the whole time.
149. A.J. taking Christian out and letting me watch the wedding.
150. Being out of the house almost the entire day yesterday. It’s refreshing for me!

151. Monday morning.
152. A surprisingly yummy mixture of Bolivian and Colombian coffee.
153. A napping little boy.
154. A messy house…
155. …But dishes that are mostly washed.

156. A clean slate.
157. The restful feeling of knowing my sins are forgiven.
158. Learning ever-so-slowly not to worry about what others think.
159. A Sunday school class full of 2- and 3-year-olds, some crying.
160. Meeting newborn babies.

161. Friends who offer to watch Christian for us.
162. A.J. running to the gas station at 10 p.m. to fill up one of my tires.
163. Heat lightning.
164. Very loud thunder.
165. A.J. getting Christian to sleep at 11:45 last night when I had tried unsuccessfully for 45 minutes.

166. Peaches.
167. Humidity.
168. My new (to me) breadmaker and a loaf of cinnamon sugar bread.
169. A cast of Christian’s baby foot.
170. The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment.

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It’s good to be in the process of being broken… and to realize that I already was broken. And weak. And desperately in need.

In a recent Revive Our Hearts broadcast, Joni Eareckson Tada (who, in case you’re not familiar with her, has been paralyzed from the neck down for 40 years) said,

“Virtually every morning this paralysis pushes me to the throne of God to require His grace. Maybe the really handicapped people are those who when they wake up in the morning and hear the alarm clock go off, they jump out of bed; they take a quick shower; they scarf down breakfast. They go out the front door on automatic cruise control…

God says in James chapter 4, ‘He resists the proud’ (James 4:6b, paraphrase). Some translations say, ‘He opposes [He’s against] the proud.’

Who are the proud? The people—the women—who think they’ve got life figured out. Okay, I got this thing. I’ve got it now Lord. I’ll go ahead on my own steam, and I’ll just check in with You every now and again when I need You, but I can do this thing called life. God says, ‘If that’s the way you wake up in the morning and face your day, I’m against you. I resist the proud, but (and here’s the best part) He gives grace to the humble.’

Nancy, you and I know that the humble are simply those who recognize their desperate need for God; their ‘empty hand’ of spiritual poverty.“

It can be easy to gloss over my weakness. It’s much harder to live in poverty of spirit, to feel it deeply and yearn for His strength. But He said His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

That radio broadcast brought me to tears this morning because it resonated with my heart and the aching weakness I feel. It showed me that brokenness is a gift. A soft heart can only come from the Lord.

So often I am prideful, arrogant, hardhearted. But He looks to the one who is humble and contrite.

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