A Joyful Keeper

The reason I was a bit vague three posts ago about the “trip” I was taking at the end of last week, is because I was planning on surprising my mother for her birthday. She reads this blog every now and then, and I didn’t want her to know that the kids and I were going there! It was a great surprise for her. I arranged it all with my Dad, and we managed to keep it a secret for over a week! It was her birthday on the Friday and we arrived on Thursday, stayed two nights and came home on Saturday.

We had a good drive down. It takes about 2 ½ hours to drive to their place – we’re on opposite sides of Melbourne. I haven’t driven down to Melbourne on my own since we got back from the Middle East. To start off with, I got panic attacks just thinking about it. It shows that I am doing better now, since I managed to drive down and not panic one bit! Really the trip is pretty straightforward going through the tunnels (and praying that the Burnley Tunnel doesn’t spring a leak just when we go through it!), and then down the freeway. I was still amazed at the traffic though. I am becoming quite the country mouse. I love being the only one on the road!

On Friday some of Mum’s friends came for cake and coffee, and in the afternoon the three of us girls – Mum, Elizabeth and I – went for a little drive to see a quilt shop and have a cuppa in a café. So lovely! Precious memories. More about that in another post.

In Flylady lingo, my mother is Born Organized (whereas I am Sidetracked!). Her house is always clean and tidy and she has a gift for making things so cozy! There are pictures on the wall and ornaments around the place, but no clutter. One of the biggest reasons that her house is always tidy is that she has a place for everything and everything is in its place. She is very good at getting rid of things that she doesn’t need and keeps things simple.

In her kitchen, she only has the few things that they use regularly. Her meals are everyday recipes, not the modern ones that call for a hundred and one exotic ingredients. That keeps her pantry simple as well. Both of my parents are diabetic, so Mum does no baking, which also keeps her kitchen simple.

I asked her for some tips (which led to a big discussion since we are such opposites in our homes!) and her main thing was this: Put things back where they belong!!! ~sigh~ But first you have to have a spot for them….! I’m working on it, I’m working on it….!

While Mum and I are different in many ways, one thing we have in common is our love of reading. They say that it is important for children to see their parents reading. I saw Mum reading often, and she bought us many books when we were growing up. We still often share the books we read and now my own children are reading the books she bought me so many years ago.

It is always lovely to visit my mother. We chat so much, and enjoy each other’s company. She is one of my best friends.

The other day we had a visit from one of my older women, Stella. It is lovely when she and her husband Angelo come to visit. They have such a wealth of knowledge between the two of them, especially on homesteading and cooking.

We met Stella and Angelo five years ago when they were our neighbours. We both had two acres of land, and the amount of food they grew on their two acres was incredible! As soon as I saw their huge greenhouse, I knew I could learn a lot from them!!! This turned out to be so true. Not only were they avid homesteaders, but I found out that Stella was a chef! She taught me how to preserve a lot of our yearly harvest, and gave me many cooking tips.

When they came last week they brought lots of bits and pieces to share with us. They brought some seedlings for my garden - spinach, tomatoes, and green peppers. They also gave me some lettuce seeds  to sprinkle around . Stella had a little bag with dried bay leaves which she had taken from a friend’s tree. We had to laugh, because as she was giving me the bay leaves, Angelo yelled over to us,
“You don’t need to give her any bay leaves, Stella! She has a tree of her own!”
I was astonished! I didn’t know I had a bay tree! Sure enough, it is a big one - a couple of meters tall! Amazing!

We walked around the homestead while they inspected everything. They admired the chickens and ducks, told me the garden needed more water (which it sure does), oooohed and aaaahed over the asparagus, and just enjoyed the great outdoors with us.

Over a few cups of tea and coffee we chatted about all sorts of things. This time Stella had brought some of her favorite recipes with her to share with me. She had them written on slips of paper and I told her I’d photocopy them. She laughed and told me I needed to learn Greek first! So I grabbed a pen and paper and started writing while she translated.

I love learning new recipes that I know are tried and true. Stella has used these recipes over and over again, experimenting with them until they were just the way she wanted them to be.  Here are a few of them:

Greek Shortbread

250g unsalted butter

1/2 cup caster sugar

2 egg yolks

2 cups plain flour

1/2 cup self raising flour

1/2 cup slivered almonds, optional

icing sugar for dusting

Beat butter and sugar together, add egg yolks. Mix in the two flours. Roll out the dough and use cookie cutters or shape them whichever way you like. Bake in moderate oven till very lightly browned. When they are cold (or just before serving) dust with icing sugar.

Pizza Dough

15g dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 1/4 cup warm water

4 cups strong flour

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp salt

Mix yeast, sugar and warm water together. Let it stand in a bowl for a few minutes until it gets frothy. In another bowl, mix flour and salt. Add the oil and yeast mixture and mix till it forms a ball. Knead it for a while, let it rise, then roll out into a round pizza shape.

Muffins

3 cups plain flour

5 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 1/2 cups milk

50g soft butter

3 eggs

Mix all ingredients together with a wooden spoon. Don’t overmix. If you want to add extra ingredients like chocolate chips, then use a little less flour. Bake in moderate oven until golden.

There were more recipes, and as I try them I will share them. I haven’t tried any of the above recipes yet, but would like to soon. I’ll let you know how they go.

We really had a lovely day with these friends. When they went home I made sure they had a big bunch of asparagus and two dozen free range eggs to take with them. They no longer have their two acre block but they still grow all their own veggies in their suburban backyard. We are going to be visiting them in the next month, so I will take photos of how they are making the most of their space. They are great examples of how you can homestead wherever you live.

It is such a special thing for me to sit with an older woman and learn from her. I am thankful that God has brought me various women to teach me to be a better cook and homemaker. Always be on the lookout for women to learn from! And then don’t forget to pass it on to someone else.

Three “homes”…… As I have been “home” a lot these past weeks while I am recuperating from my operation, I have been thinking about my “jobs”. The months before the operation were hectic, with a lot of to-ing and fro-ing into town to see doctors and have tests. I felt like I was never home. When I was home, I was tired, and always behind, playing catch-up. Just these past days as I have begun to regain my strength, I have slowly started to get on top of things around the home again. It is such a good feeling to see things fall into place.

Doing these three “homes” is a very big task. A lot of people say to me that they don’t know how I do it. I certainly don’t do it perfectly! If I only had to concentrate on one of the above, I’d say I would be closer to “perfection” in that one area, if that was the goal. I have been called to do all three, however, and to achieve these things as best I can, there is one vital ingredient….. the clue is in each of the words! “HOME!” I can best achieve the three “homes”  by actually being home!

In Paul’s letter to Timothy (ch 5) he speaks of widows. He encourages the younger widows to remarry so that they do not become idle and gossips, going from one house to the other. How easily we can do that too, even if we are not widows. It is not just visiting other people’s houses, but shopping or surfing the net. Not that these things are bad in themselves, but in excess they take us away from our home - our first priority.

I have to constantly remind myself of this. I have had friends suggest that we get together in a group and let the children do school together… “one of us can teach English, the other Math, etc.” It sounds so tempting, so much easier. But I reply by saying that we HOMEschool. The premise behind homeschooling is that you mainly are doing it at home. Yes, we encourage our children to mix with others, but we also choose the situations in which this happens.

I often hear that we mothers need to have time on our own, away from the home and our children. It is our “right” as a woman. I don’t disagree that we sometimes need time on our own, but is it our “right”? For me, it is a privilige to be at home. I am blessed to have children, to be able to stay at home with them, not to have to go and work outside the home.  At times when it all gets too much for me, I think about the woman who cannot have children, but desperately wants them. She would be happy to swap places with me. I think about the woman who has children, but HAS (not chooses) to go to work everyday and put her children in childcare or school.  She would love to be in my position. Yes, sometimes I need a break! I take that break in the afternoons when we have “rest time“. I take that break when I go grocery shopping. I take that break when my husband is home sometimes and I just go off into town on my own and have a cuppa with a friend. As the children grow older, my breaks grow more frequent, and I am well aware that one day I won’t have children under my feet and I will have all the time in the world to take a break….

And the homesteading? What a blessing it is to have some land where I can grow veggies to supplement our family’s food needs. What a blessing to be able to have chickens and fresh eggs! It is a lot of work, but the rewards are so many. But I can’t homestead when I am away from the home. The plants need water, the animals need feeding. Oh, and the weeds need pulling!

I know that not everyone is able to stay home like I am. I do encourage those of you who are home, to make the most of your time at home, even if you aren’t doing all three “homes” like I am. To me it is a special, simple life, with less outside things pulling at me, demanding my attention.  God has given me this place to be my priority and I am so thankful.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to start a craft shop with a friend. It all came about quite quickly, and started with a conversation with my husband. He commented that the children were now old enough for me to be able to do some sort of business - ie, they could be working out in a back room, while I tended to a shop at the front (or something like that!). I told him I would love to teach women to sew and quilt, and if I did a business I would want it to be based around that. I then mentioned it to my weekly craft group ladies, and quickly the idea gained momentum! One friend was so excited and said she knew the perfect shop that was up for lease! Within the next few days she had talked to the previous tenant who offered 6 months free rent to see if our business would work before we committed! Both my husband and I were in a tizzy. “I didn’t expect it to happen so fast!” was dh’s comment! Me either!

To cut a long story short, the offer of free rent was conditional of taking on the entire lease of 2 years, which we were not willing to do. And so as quickly as the opportunity arose, it also disappeared.

In today’s day and age, those of us who are keepers at home are often faced with situations like the above one. Opportunity knocks. A job is offered. The money would be most useful in these tight times. And so we pray, and think, and discuss whether it is the right thing for us to do.

I’ve also noticed in recent years there has been a whole movement on the internet within the Christian stay-at-home-homeschool circles encouraging home businesses. There are ebooks to buy on this topic, virtual seminars to attend, and lots of encourgement.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:23, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; All things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.”

I firmly believe in seasons in our lives. I do not doubt that one day I will be teaching other women to sew and quilt. This opportunity given wasn’t in the right timing, and as I look back, it was a case of a good thing (lawful) but not “helpful” at this time. Helpful in a financial sense, yes, just as a home business would be helpful for us right now. But not helpful in completing my priorites as a keeper of the home.

My main priorites as a keeper are:

• maintaining a close relationship with God
• being a helpmeet to my husband
• raising my children to be godly men and women

In practice it means having Quiet Times, Bible Studies,  keeping a clean and tidy house, homeschooling, cooking meals, doing the washing, etc, etc, etc! If I am certain I am doing the above things, I can add another… and it may be a homebusiness, or it may be sewing classes, or whatever the Lord is putting on my heart to do.

I am thankful for the opportunities that God brings my way, and for the need to make choices. I know that He guides us, His children, and teaches us through situations like this. I need to constantly remind myself of my priorites as a keeper of my home, because this is the first thing God has called me to do. He also knows how much I can handle at a certain time. There is peace in that…. His plans are perfect, not mine!

And so, as Spring comes to the Southern Hemisphere, I thank Him for the priorites He has given me, and the guidelines. Soon my job as a keeper will expand into the great outdoors - planting a veggie garden and later on preserving the fruits of my labour. No, this time of the year would not be a good time to start a business…. Thank goodness He knows best!

I muddled around the house today while dh took the kids to see the footy (Go Roos!!!). It was a lovely day! I had a relax at home and got some things done, and the rest of the family got to watch their team win. I thought I’d share a bit of it with you…

I cleaned the kitchen first up and put one load of washing on. Then I took out my sewing machine and started hemming a table cloth. She was sounding pretty clunky, so I gave her a bit of a clean and some oil. She was much happier after that!

While dh & the kids were watching the Kangaroos play against the Bulldogs, I took a break to say hello to our own kangaroos out my back door. Mr Roo is there in front, and you can barely see her, but Mrs Roo is hiding in the bush behind him.

I kept sewing and then had a break for lunch. For a treat I made myself some cheese and crackers with tomato on top. The tomatoes in the winter aren’t anywhere as nice as our homegrown ones in summer, but I still enjoyed it.

I went and let the chickens and ducks out to free range and found some eggs…

Oh, have a look at where one of them laid the other day:

In the kindling bucket on the front porch! Silly chook!

The load of washing was dry and since the fire was roaring hot, I started to hang it up in front of the heater:

In the meantime, Mr Roo had decided to have a little rest from mowing the lawn and bask in the sun:

Robyn came around and we had tea for two. I hemmed this little cloth just before she came:

I had a little nap, and worked some more on a quilt until the family came home. I enjoyed the day so much!

Part of homesteading is preserving the harvest that I have, or that others might give me. As I said in my last post, two bags of plums have started off my bottling for 2008!

Since my children aren’t keen on stewed plums or plum jam, I thought I would give cordial a go. I tried this recipe many years ago, and it was quite nice, so I thought I’d try it again. It is a recipe from one of the old copies of Above Rubies.

Plum Cordial

Day 1

Dissolve 70g tartaric acid in 4 cups of cold water. Pour over 2.2kg of plums and leave for 24 hours. Strain. Add 3 cups of sugar to each 2 cups of juice. Stir to dissolve and bottle. Keeps for years.

Day 2

Dissolve 56g tartaric acid in 4 cups of cold water. Pour over the same fruit and leave for 24 hours. Strain and add 2 1/2 cups of sugar to each 2 cups of juice. Stir to dissolve and bottle. Keeps 6 months.

Day 3

Dissolve 28g tartaric acid in 4 cups BOILING water. Pour over the same fruit and leave for 24 hours. Strain and add 2 1/2 cups of sugar to each 2 cups of juice. Dissolve and bottle. Keeps 3 months.

To make up: Pour approx 1 inch of cordial in glass and top up with water.

(Above Rubies September 1991 No. 37)

Now the first time I made this, I had no idea what it meant to “bottle”! I just put it in plastic bottles and had my dh freaking out that it would ferment and I would make my 2 year old tipsy! This time I heated the juice and sugar up till it was almost boiling, poured the syrup in hot, sterilized bottles, and put on the lids tightly. You know the bottles have sealed well when you are drinking a cup of tea and you hear… “pop”…. “pop”….!

I took a few photos…. here is some of the fruit I started with sitting in the sink being washed and the yukky bits being cut out:

This is what they looked like after they were subjected to three days of tartaric acid and water, poor things:

And finally, the finished product:

Beautiful bottles all in a row… The bottles on the left are from Day One, the ones on the right placemat are from Day Two. I haven’t taken a photo of the Day Three ones yet. I doubled the recipe, since I had so many plums, and I got lots of bottles of cordial. I must count them. I also have to label them before they get mixed up!

There is something so rewarding to see all those bottles……. it is worth the squished plums under my shoes, the sticky spots on the stove, cupboard, bench top and floor…. the burnt fingers (and tongue from too much taste testing), the yelling at children “No, you CAN’T help me right now - get out of the kitchen before you get red sticky stuff all over you too!” - oh, and not to mention the purple candle falling INTO the pan of plum juice and splashing red spots all over the kitchen wall……… Yes, it is worth it! And it is yummy. I know, because I tried it!

I really enjoy going to my mother-in-law’s house. It hasn’t always been so. There have been many relationship problems in my dh’s family over the years. However, things are much better now-a-days with some of us, so I am thankful that we can go there and enjoy our time with them.

My dmil is born organized. So whenever I go there, I try to watch her and pick up things from her. Her house is always neat and tidy and she seems to be always on top of things. Always? Yes. She really is one of those people who has everything running like a well oiled machine!

I’d like to share some things that I have observed, while I’ve visited her over the years. One thing that really stands out when I go, is that there is no clutter. I don’t mean that her house is bare… there are photos in frames on the walls, and on shelves. There are ornaments on top of the tv and cupboards. But there is no clutter on the table, or on the kitchen counters. Paperwork gets dealt with right away. If it needs attention for another day, it goes into a little rack specially for paper. Now in my house, that rack would get fuller and fuller…. because I don’t file it or throw it away after I deal with it. My dmil deals with the bills, and then puts them away in the filing cabinet. She goes through the filing cabinet regularly (so that she only has one filing cabinet instead of three like we do!), and only keeps what needs to be kept for tax purposes.

My dmil has a “What Not” (like Ma Ingalls!) where she keeps odds and ends. This is in the corner of her dining room and is the only place that could be described as “cluttered”. Here she keeps pens, pencils, needles, scissors, sticky tape, a few tools, and such things. They get put back right after they are used. If anyone leaves something on the dining table, she will pick it up and ask whose it is and then sit it on a little table by the tv in a subtle hint to put it away….! If it doesn’t get put away soon by the person it belongs to, she will look at it again, hint again,… and so on, until the person puts it away! I would imagine that if it were a family member, she would just tell them to put it away and not hint.

I love to watch my dmil in the kitchen. She only has a small one, and not a lot of bench (counter) space. She is very careful with what she leaves out on the bench. Not much is privileged enough to live there! My rule is that if it is used daily, it is allowed to stay out. Not so in my dmil’s house. The toaster is used every morning, the crumbs tipped out in the sink, the top given a wipe, and put back where it belongs in the cupboard. The only permanent things that are left out are the kettle, the cup rack, the big jar of utensils (wooden spoons, etc), and a little flip top bin where she used to put the scraps for the chooks (chickens). Why she still has that there, I am not sure. I think it is because she puts the food scraps in there in a little bag, then in the bigger bin so that it doesn’t smell as much.

Dishes get washed, dried and put away immediately. She has a dishwasher, but only uses it when there are many people there. Even then, she will wash cups in between meals, so that they are always hanging on the cup rack by the kettle. As she talks to us in the dining area, she will regularly pick up her dish cloth and wipe the kitchen sink and bench. Flylady would be proud of her sink! It is always shiny!

Meals are simple, but delicious and healthy. She cleans and tidies and puts away while she cooks. She says she has to do this, because her kitchen is so small. Everything has a neat place in the cupboards - they are not overflowing because she gets rid of anything she doesn’t need. Having said this, she still has times when she can’t find things. She laughingly told us the story about the carrot cake she made in her new ring tin. She thought she had one in her cupboard, but couldn’t see it. She then searched around the shops to find one. Finally she bought one and was horrified that it was so expensive ($25), but she really did want it, so she bought it. Of course, not long after that she looked in an out of the way cupboard in her kitchen and found the one she already had! So that even happens to born organized people… phew! We all laughed with her and encouraged her that she still saved money by buying the tin and baking the cakes instead of buying the cake from the shop. She agreed, because she had seen carrot cake at the supermarket for $5.

Washing is hung on the line as soon as the washing machine is done. When it is dry, she takes it in, folds it, and puts it away immediately. Ironing is left on the back of the chair in the formal dining room and gets done that night before she goes to bed.

There is a theme here…. things get done right away…. there is very little procrastination in my dmil’s life. She is able to easily get rid of excess stuff, and live simply with what she has. She sweeps her floor a few times a day, so there is no need for a huge, mad, cleaning spree! Sometimes her lifestyle might border on the obsessive compulsive, like the two mops she has - one for inside the house, and one just for cleaning the bird droppings on the front veranda. But her house is clean, neat and tidy.

I have such a long way to go to be like her! I look around me and know that I have too much stuff. I know that I don’t deal with things right away. But I also know that I will get there… slowly. I always feel so motivated when I come home from her house to make changes in my own home. This week I will do a few things that I have been putting off, tidy up a few areas that have been a mess for too long. It’s always good to be at my dmil’s home and learn from her, and it is always good to be back in our own home….

Hosted by Biblical Womanhood

Yes, the challenge is on! I’ve been thinking and planning about our financial goals this year. I do not work outside the home, and never have, so my main goals in our finances have been in the area of stretching the income my husband provides. The one area I have most control over is the grocery budget. I used to be really good at this! I can say this because it really is a case of “used to be”!!! Over the past five years or so, I haven’t been as diligent as I used to be, and this year that is going to change.

Now we all know to make very specific goals…. my goal was to spend as little as possible on groceries this year! Not specific enough. I’ve been umming and ahhing about what my goal was going to be. I have $200 a week in our budget, but that was just pulling a number out of the air. I know I can do way better than that. So I thought of $150 a week. But that is not low enough to prove a challenge to me - LOL! So I have come up with $100 a week.

Just in case you think this is another totally random number, let me tell you how I came up with it:

Firstly, I know this is possible to do in Australia because Lightening can do it! Check out her blog for a series of excellent posts on how to reduce your grocery budget.

Secondly, I grow as much as I can myself, which, although it is not much at the moment, still does help. At the moment this is just salad veggies. I hope to soon have chickens so that we can have lovely fresh eggs, and we will also be growing our own lamb soon. At the moment we get our lamb from the in-laws farm, which either costs nothing or very little.

Thirdly, I buy a lot in bulk. A lot of our expenses in the grocery budget over the past years has been from buying ready made things, like cookies, pasta, mixes, etc. With the great prices I get for our bulk staples, and with just a little effort (or a lot!) I KNOW I can reduce my grocery budget drastically.

Last, but not least, it is motivating to set a lower challenge, as long as it is still somewhat realistic. $50 a week would definitely be unrealistic!

With all this in mind, I also plan to make grocery savings part of our whole family life. I want the children involved in this as well. They too easily look at the specials catalogues and say, “Look Mum! Chips are on special! We need some!” (Note the emphasis on NEED!!!) We should all be a part of watching what we spend. I want to teach the children that it is cheaper (and nicer) to bake our own cakes and cookies - from scratch - which will cut down expenses and also the waste that comes with all that packaging.

The grocery budget is the main area where we keepers at home can make a big difference. Do you know how much you have been spending on average on groceries? Will you join with me in setting a goal for 2008 to spend less than last year? The first key in spending less is to set yourself a target amount that you will aim for. Remember the saying, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it.”

After yesterday’s quiet day, I woke up headache free and raring to go! The baking went well and I even managed to stay on top of the dishes and the kitchen. If you head into my kitchen right now, the dishwasher is full, benches wiped, and only a few things in the sink. Amazing! Pity it doesn’t look like that every day, lol!

I made this Banana Cake with a twist - I used my normal recipe, but added cocoa to half of the mix and poured it into the cake tin. Then I added some chocolate chips to the rest of the mix and poured it on top. It made this fun pattern and the kids just loved it.

Since the chocolate chips were out, I made chocolate chip cookies - always a hit. I only baked half of them, rolled the rest of the dough in between some foil, and put it in the freezer. Now I can just cut off enough to fill a tray if I get unexpected visitors, or when we run out of goodies in the pantry.

I also made a chocolate cake for the freezer so that later in the week when the weather hits the high 30’s (C, not F!) I don’t need to do any baking. The roast lamb I had planned for today was absolutely yummy and there is some left for cold meat - I thought for a moment there it was all going to disappear, it was so popular!

In between baking, I muddled around the house today. I did a few of those little chores that needed doing in the kitchen, like filling the salt shakers, making garlic salt, and filling the flour shaker that I use while kneading bread or other dough. Some of these things, like making the garlic salt, I had been meaning to do for so long now.

This is my simple recipe for garlic salt:

6 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon rice flour

Mix it all together….. I use this to flavor nearly everything! LOL! We love garlic! It is better when you dry the garlic yourself and make it into powder. I have some powder from the shop, so I will use that up first. Hopefully once I grow my own garlic I can dry some and keep it aside for when the store bought stuff runs out.

I also tackled the master bedroom today. Ok, I know, it wasn’t on my “must do” list. Well, I just got sick of it being such a mess. All the folded washing got put away. I dragged some shelves in from the shed and filled them with my sewing stuff - fabric, notions, & UFO’s. It is so much nicer to walk in there and have it looking tidy.

Tomorrow I will try to set up my sewing machine and do a bit of sewing. I have some ironing to do as well, but the baking and cooking is all done.

Not all my days run this smoothly, but I am certainly thankful when they do!

Over the years, Laine has been an older woman to me. No, I have never met her in real life! But I have been blessed by her letters that she has written to other women. Here is an old Christmas letter she wrote:

Dear Sisters,
My letter this week will be a little different. I want to give you a Christmas present. This letter, filled with God’s Word, is my Christmas present to you. It is some of the many gleanings that I have taken from the Word of God over the years. My Bibles are so marked up with notes and falling apart that I had to pull notes from here and there putting this all together. But I wanted to help you with the help my beautiful Savior has given me from the beauty of His Word. Without further explanation, would you unwrap the “tissue paper” and look into my present for you? ~Smile~ Each present is individually wrapped, so I will number them for you so that you might open each one in order.

I love you,
Laine

Present #1: Wise women rise early.

“And all the people would get up early in the morning to come to Jesus
in the temple to listen to Him.” Luke 21:38

(Psalm 119:147) (Mark 1: 35) (Matthew 28:1) (Acts 5:21) (1 Samuel 17:20)
(Joshua 3:1) (Exodus 24:4) (Song of Solomon 7:12) (1 Samuel 1 :19) (Luke
24:1&22) (Exodus 9:13) (Proverbs 31:15)

I use to be a late riser. I had a million excuses why I needed to sleep
in. But I can tell you that it didn’t help me any. I was still always
tired. I was still always behind in my work. And I still never had
enough time to read God’s Word. Now I get up early every morning and
spend my first hours with my King. This month will be seven years that I
have risen early to come to Jesus and listen to Him. My life will never
be the same. He has done more with my heart than I could have ever
dreamed possible. Still tired? Sometimes. But the peace, oh, the peace
that passes all understanding is guarding my heart in Christ Jesus now
and it is worth any loss of sleep that I might experience. Still behind
in my work? What mother isn’t? ~Smile~ But the joy, oh, the joy that I
have now as I work here in my home is beyond description. I sit with the
LORD in the morning and He makes me realize anew why it is all worth so
much to Him. Then I go to work in His strength.

Present #2: Wise women slip away to pray.

“But Jesus Himself would often slip away to lonely places and pray.”
Luke 5:16

(Mark 6:31) (Luke 4:42) (1Samuel 12:23) (1 Peter 5:7) (Philippians 4:6-7)

Praying is talking with God. Praying is thanking God. Praying is
praising God. Praying is just about the sweetest communion I know on
this earth. Many times when I try to slip away to pray my children will
follow me. Invariably when I am trying to get alone, they are trying to
find me. But they did the same to Jesus. It was Peter who went hunting
for him one morning when He had slipped away to pray. So that comforts
me. And I continue to slip away to pray. Even if it is a stone’s throw
away from my children. My heart desperately needs those sweet moments in
my day.

Present #3: Wise women ponder God’s Word.

“But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.”
Luke 2:19

(Psalm 119:11) (Luke 2:51) (Proverbs 15:28) (Opposite woman:Proverbs 5:6)

One of the nice things about beginning your day with God is that your
mind tends to dwell on what He shared with you that morning. So while
you’re vacuuming or washing the dishes, your mind will be pondering what
you read earlier. And sometimes when you’re listening to a beautiful
praise song, something will “click” in your mind that He taught you. All
of a sudden you want to shout, “Aha! I get it!” His Word becomes your
treasure. A treasure to be brought out and pondered time and time again
while doing any task. Somehow the pondering makes the task that much
more pleasant.

Present #4: Wise women take time to recline.

“And when the hour had come Jesus reclined at the table and the apostles
with Him.” Luke 22:14

(Luke 12:37) (Luke 24:30) (Matthew 14:19) (Luke 13:29) (John 13:23)

One of the most relaxing times of the day is our dinner hour. Oh, it
didn’t use to be that way. Why? Well, we were involved in a myriad of
sports and music lessons. Busy, busy, busy was our life. Something had
to give. And it did. Our dinner hour. But we all missed it terribly.
Especially my husband and I. So two years later we decided to forgo the
sports and rearrange the music lessons. We brought our dinner hour back.
That wonderful time of the day to recline and enjoy the company of our
family around the dinner table. I think it was one of the wisest things
we could have done. Why? Well, it was there that we led our children to
talk to us. Very often during the dinner hour we have had some of our
most meaningful conversations as a family. Now our older boys will
linger at the table with us. We enjoy their company and they enjoy ours.
It is one of the blessings of “reclining” at the end of the day. Just
like Jesus did with those He loved.

Present #5: Wise Women practice hospitality.

“Be hospitable to one another without complaint.” 1 Peter 4:9

(Romans 12:13) (Hebrews 13:2) (Romans 16:2) (Mark 6:37) (Romans 15:24 &
32 - The definition of hospitality)

I remember when I use to think, “I just don’t have the gift of
hospitality.” What a surprise to learn from the Word of God that
hospitality was not a gift, rather a practice. A practice for every
believer. So I asked the LORD to help me practice hospitality. He sent
the same guest to me five weekends in a row. ~Smile~ A guest on a very
stringent diet. ~Big Smile~ By the fifth weekend, I was definitely
getting in a lot of hospitality practice. And the LORD was breaking into
this old heart of mine to see the value of practicing hospitality. Not
only for the refreshment and encouragement to those He brings my way,
but for the value of serving others to this heart of mine.

Present #6: Wise women teach their children God’s Word.

“Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the Word, that by it you
may grow in respect to salvation.” 1Peter 2:2

(Deuteronomy 4:9-10) (Psalm 119:11) (Proverbs 1:8) (Proverbs 6:20)
(Deuteronomy 6:4-7) (Psalm 78:3-4) (Psalm 32:8) (Proverbs 4:20-22)
(Proverbs 4:3-4) (Deuteronomy 32:46-47) (Luke 24:45) (Luke 24:27)

I remember when I first began to teach my children God’s Word. It was so
new to me, too, that I felt kind of funny sitting down with them and
trying to teach them what I was so unsure of myself. And their questions
were so difficult sometimes! But I persevered and I am now on my seventh
year of teaching them the Truths from God’s Word. I can only tell you
that it has resulted in blessing upon blessing upon blessing in our
lives. Even this morning. My heart was bursting as I shared with them
the riches from the book of Luke. The LORD helps me to teach them. I
cannot get over the rich, rich conversations and teachings that come
during those morning devotions with my children. God does the
impossible. He takes an unskilled mom and breathes His Word through her
lips. Then He takes the heart of a child and transforms it through His
Living Word. It is simply the most amazing thing going on in my kitchen.

Present #7: Wise women recognize that their womb is a private place.

“Who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the
will of man, but of God.” John 1:13

(Luke 1:35) (Luke 1:24) (Ruth 4:13) (1Samuel 1: 5, 20) (1 Samuel 2:21)
(Psalm 127:3-5) (Numbers 26:59) (Genesis 46:8-26) (Psalm 127:3) ((Psalm
128:3)

We have so many women in our society who are hurting. Many of them write
to me. They are hurting because they want more children, but their
husbands do not. They are hurting because they cannot physically have
more children. They are hurting because they have no children. The above
verse in John speaks of the physical way children are born. Some are
born of the will of man (or a husband). Some are not born in the same
way due to birth control or an operation to stop conception. This can
cause great pain for some women. But God is the healer of pain. And His
Word is the incredible balm. Over and over again in His Word He tells
the wife that she is under her husband’s authority. That she is to be in
submission to him. He is her head, and she can rest in that truth. It is
no one else’s business but hers and her husband’s under God concerning
her womb. For the womb is a very, very private place.

Likewise, for the women who are blessed with many children. They can be
hurt by insensitive remarks that should never be uttered. It is no one
else’s business how many children God gives to a woman and her husband.
And it is very wrong for another believer to tell a woman how to live
under the authority of her husband. That believer is not her head. That
believer is not the ruler of her womb. That believer is wise to keep
quiet and to pray for her sister in Christ; and to help her whenever she
can. For that woman, as well as the women mentioned above, is raising
children for His Glory. And their wombs are a very, very private place.

What about those women who cannot have children? My heart goes out to
you. My heart goes out to you. May God give you the children that you so
desire. Perhaps it might be through a miracle of God, such as Elizabeth
experienced giving birth to John the Baptist. Perhaps it might be
through adoption. Perhaps it might be that you will be the mother that a
child never really had. For He says in His Word:

“God makes a home for the lonely.” Psalm 68:6a

“He makes the barren woman abide in the house as a joyful mother of
children. Praise the LORD!” Psalms 113:9

I don’t know how He will do it, but our God can do above all that we ask
or even think. It’s the waiting that is hard sometimes. But we have a
faithful God, so we can trust Him faithfully in His time table.

I have another present that I can’t wait for you to open. Hurry, open
the next one!

Present #7: Wise women realize that their grandchildren are their
children, too.

“These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob, there were
fourteen persons in all.” Genesis 46:22

(Genesis 46:15, 18, 25) (Genesis 46:26 - all the persons were Jacob’s
direct descendants, grandchildren included) (Genesis 48:5) (Leviticus
18:19) (Exodus 31:2 - Names the father and the grandfather with the son)

I will never forget when I realized this wonderful truth from the Word
of God: my grandchildren were my children! Rachel only gave birth to two
sons: Joseph and Benjamin. But Scripture records her as having fourteen
sons! That is because all her grandchildren were considered her children
as well. Look what the neighbors say to Ruth when her first grandson is
born:

“And the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, ‘A son has been born to
Naomi!’ So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of
David.” Ruth 4:17

Naomi had her first grandson, but the neighbor women called him her son.
How exciting! That means that my grandchildren will indeed be my
children. I look forward to how many children God will give me. Perhaps
He might even set one of His lonely ones in our home. Motherhood does
indeed go on even after God takes me Home.

Present #8: Wise women refresh their homes.

“Oil and perfume make the heart glad.” Proverbs 27:9a

(Psalm 23:5) (Psalm 141:5) (Psalm 133:2) (Ecclesiastes 9:8) (Matthew
26:7) (Exodus 30:31-35) (1 Samuel 8:13) (Exodus 25:6)

Sometimes I will write to you of what oils I am using for this or for
that. I know that a lot of people are talking about aromatherapy these
days. But I didn’t originally learn about oils through a book. I learned
about them through the Word of God. As I would study the Old Testament
and see the wonderful oils used in the temple of God, I saw the value of
using them in my home and on my person. There are so many wonderful
essential oils, and when I use them I can’t help but praise my Father.
Sometimes I am mopping my floor and the smell of rosemary is wafting up
at me. It is the most beautiful scent. So much so that I look forward to
mopping with it. I love to dab a couple of drops of lavender on my inner
garments. The smell will linger for hours and seems to assail my senses
at just the right time. Yes, oil and perfume do indeed make the heart glad.

Present #9: Wise women see the value of herbs and spices.

“His cheeks are like a bed of balsam, banks of sweet-scented herbs; his
lips are lilies, dripping with liquid myrrh.” Song of Solomon 5:13

(Song of Solomon 4:10, 13-14) (Proverbs 27:25) (Psalm 37:2) (Exodus
12:8)(Proverbs 5:4)

As I study herbs and use them in my home, I cannot get over the
wonderful plants that the LORD has put on this earth for us. They are
truly such a gift. I would imagine that if I studied them all my life, I
would still not barely scratch the surface at the amazing healing
properties of the many herbs God put on our planet. Solomon was one of
the wisest men who ever lived, and he studied herbs. I have found it
very profitable to learn how to use herbs to heal and soothe my family.
I haven’t written a great deal about it, because I am still so new a
student in this field. But I can tell that my studies will be profitable
for my children, so I am teaching them as I learn. We have been sick a
lot this year, but I see it as opportunity. Opportunity to continue
learning how to eat healthier and prevent sickness. And opportunity to
use herbs to heal and to soothe. It was the Bible that convinced me to
begin eating “the finest wheat and honey” rather than white flour and
sugar. My recipes are slowly changing as I learn to cook using some of
the basic ingredients, herbs, and spices so often mentioned in the Bible.

Present #10: Wise women recognize their cycles and prepare beforehand.

“And for the woman who is ill because of menstrual purity…” Leviticus
15:33

(Genesis 31:35)

I will never forget stumbling upon the above verse. I knew I felt sick
every month! It was so nice for the LORD to say it was indeed so. I have
learned that it is so wise to be ready for this time of the month. I
know it is coming. I know how I will be feeling. And it is wise if I get
as much done as possible beforehand, and then realize I am ill and need
to sit a lot during this short time. Is this possible, you’re asking me?
Sit? Sit?! Yes, that is why I included Genesis 31:35. Notice that Rachel
is sitting. Rachel is not even rising for her father. He understood that
when she said, “the manner of women is upon me.” Women sat then. Women
need to sit now. I love what my cousin says, “Laine, pamper yourself
during this time. Take a bath. Have some hot tea.” It is also best if I
try to keep my mouth shut. I am apt to put my foot in it if I do open
it. ~Smile~ It is a good time to sit with my children and enjoy their
antics. Or to do some sort of sitting work. Yes, the house will tend to
get messy. Yes, I will feel pitiful due to swaying emotions. But it is
over before I know it, and I will feel so much better once my body has
purified itself. Oh, and red raspberry tea always helps, too.

Present #11: Wise women walk in The Spirit of God.

Jesus said, “It is the Spirit Who gives life; the flesh profits nothing;
The Words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” John 6:63

(Hebrews 12:9) (John 4:24) (John 4:10 & 14) (John 3:8) (Luke 24:31)
(Luke 21:34-36) (Luke 11:28) (James 1:22)

Very often I will get a question something like this, “Laine, what do
you do on those days when nothing seems to go right?” You know, I have
to tell you, my days have changed immeasurably since I began to pray,
“Behold your maidservant, be it done to me as You will.” I want to have
the lightest touch on my life and the strongest grip on my Savior. I
used to be afraid to give Him my total self. Afraid that He would have
me do something I wouldn’t want to do or give up something that I liked
or loved. Clinging to the things of this world only caused me grief.
Since I gave up everything, His joy has been my strength. So when I do
have days where nothing seems to go right, I lean back against Him and
trust that My Master has it all under control. I am His Servant. And He
takes excellent care of His Servants. I love to see how He will guide
me. Very often at the end of the day I will think, “It was all just so
right.” Not the way I would have planned it, but “just so right.”

Present #12: Wise women are not wise women overnight.

I had to give you one last present before I go. It has been a wonderful
year serving you all. So many of you have written me some of the
sweetest letters imaginable. Truly they have kept me writing many times.
I pray for you all so often. I know that the LORD has each and every one
of you on our list, and I pray that all of you might fall in love with
Jesus and serve Him fully in that love. Since I have fallen in love with
our LORD, my life has been turned upside down and inside out. I cannot
stress enough how important it is for you to have a daily time alone
with God. Wise women still sit at His Feet. I have learned so much these
past seven years. These two verses describe it so much better than I
ever could:

“Then Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” Luke 24:45

“And they said to one another, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us
while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the
Scriptures to us?’ ” Luke 24:32

That is exactly what happens in my kitchen in the early morning hour
when I sit at His Feet. He opens my mind to understand the Scriptures,
and time and time again my heart burns within me as He is explaining His
Word to me. Oh, I am so glad I did not give up when His Word was
difficult for me to understand. Oh, I am so glad that I still got up
when I had a nursing baby and three little ones. Oh, I am so glad that I
didn’t miss out on one morning even when I was sick or visiting someone
or had stayed up late the night before. Oh, I am so glad, I am so glad,
I am so glad that I persevered in His Word these past seven years. For
wise women are not wise women overnight. I have a long, long way to go.
But I do know what it is like to have my heart burning within me as He
opens the Scriptures when all is still and quiet in my kitchen. It is
the holiest of places, and I am never sorry for everything it took for
me to get there.

Merry Christmas and May the LORD bless you all this coming year. God
willing, I will be back with you the beginning of January. I look
forward to what God will do!

Love,
Laine