Occassionally, I post some fun finds at my Marketplace and while I was paying the bills, I got distracted with these fall outfit ideas.
Too cute, and at the very least, you might de-clutter your closet and drawers, get rid of the clothes you haven't worn for a year and then evaluate what's remaining and with these - put together some super cool and a tad funky combos for fall.
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the lylah marketplace
How we do relationships reveals how we love God. And, loving God is not a “religious” thing of how often I read my Bible or pray or do those spiritual disciplines. The litmus test of my love for the Savior comes through my love for others. God is looking at my heart. He called the Pharisees white-washed tombs because all their “love” was displayed in their outward behavior of the religious things; but the attitude of their hearts was full of pride.
It IS a good habit to read the Bible, to pray, and to serve; but those things are for me and my edification and character development. What’s for God is how I love others.
What was the greatest commandment? John 14:15 says that if we love Him, then we will obey what He commands. God never says that to love Him is religious discipline. He says, through His instruction manual to us, that it’s relational. The Bible is a very big book about how to do relationships.
In Joy Dawson’s book, Intimate Friendship with God, she states that our relationship with God is only as holy as our relationships with each other, and that the fear of God makes both relationships exciting.
One of the key aspects in growing in our relationships has to do with how we set boundaries with others or what our boundary deficits look like. Unclear boundaries lead to a lack of direction, confusion, anxiety, resentment and, ultimately, to a woman who isn’t principled or on purpose!
How a woman sets boundaries is a good indicator of whether or not she sees herself with worth and dignity. Boundaries must be healthy and they must be communicated to others, whether or not others understand them as boundaries.
When you set a boundary, don’t be moved by the emotion of the other person, even if they seem shocked at your boundary. If you are moved by their emotion, you may both be unclear about how secure that boundary is.
Our boundary issues are about us, not about the other people in our lives. Boundaries make us seek God. He is our boundary-setter.
Perhaps take a REST moment of two and journal - considering these questions:
· Can I draw a defining line around fifteen minutes every day in order to spend with the Lord?
· Who are the people in my life who continually trespass my boundary lines?
· What is my feeling when I permit them to cross over?
· Is there someone in my life who deserves unlimited access to me?
· Who is that person and why do I believe this?
· What boundaries do I need to draw and establish with friends?
· If I allow boundaries to be continually violated, what will I lack in my life? Health, spiritual habits, house cleaning, marriage, children or??
Labels:
spiritual life
Labels:
From my kitchen
I wrote this last year and in light of MOMS Help 911 and Baby Steps, I believe it bears an update and a repost.
How does a woman create sanctuary in her home?
What are some practical steps to begin making a well-ordered, un-cluttered, clean home that is a reflection of your feminine soul.
Creating sanctuary is a process . . . here are just a few first steps to move you toward creating sanctuary in your home.
Defining Sanctuary
The first step to create anything is to define what it is that you’re going to create. . . . a home that has a sense of sanctuary . . . a haven . . . a resting place.
How do these words sound to your soul: comfort, beauty, tranquil, practical, fun, space, relaxing?
Defining Home
Home is that place, that space where you live and the ones you love experience life with you. It’s the place where dreams are dreamed, hopes are shared and discovery of God and eternity are encouraged.
To me, home should be a place of comfort and beauty. Home should be a peaceful, relaxing place as well as a flexible place that offers support and nurture (to provide everything, which is necessary for life and growth). Home should be where children are heard, where they learn, are loved on and cared for, taught life principles and even making messes.
Home is safety, rest, comfort and good food, laughter, and memories.
What is home to you?
Your Heart . . . Your Home
The second step in creating sanctuary in the home is for a woman to evaluate her heart toward her home.
At times, I wonder if some women really enjoy their homes and I wonder if they understand the power of influence that comes from a woman in her home - as they spend so much time running here and running there. Their feet aren’t at home much and it makes me think that they’re busy seeking and finding (pseudo) "life" outside the walls of home.
Labels:
Creating Sanctuary
A frugal-hearted woman is one who thinks about how she can be a blessing rather than a burden to her husband. And, this blessing/burden thing all starts in the heart with my attitude and then it comes out in choices and then actions that will either bless Michael or be a burden to him.
One of my role models - the P31 Woman was a worthy wife who blessed her man. As a matter of fact it says that he had full confidence in his wife and that she brought him GOOD all the days of his life. She was a CENTERED woman. She was a purposeful home keeper!
When I look at her life, I see that she was a total blessing because she had a frugal-heart in a few ways:
1. She was a planner and preparer. She lived with the end in mind.
2. She didn't act rashly or impulsively. She thought through what she wanted and invested wisely - in her home front, in the food she prepared and in preparation for those colder seasons. She lived with the end in mind.
3. She inspected a field before she bought it and she bought it with her own earnings. It says that her dealings were profitable. That has to come from a frugal heart and it had to BLESS her husband.
4. A frugal-hearted woman isn't a worry wart. It says that she laughed at the times to come.
5. From her frugal-heart came a gentle inner beauty that probably matched the physical beauty that blesses her husband.
What are your frugal-hearted ways?
Labels:
frugal living,
THE CENTERED woman
I'm continuing my mini series MOMS Help 911 - today and picking up the theme of REST from this post, and I'm calling this:
Labels:
Mom Advice,
MOM Help 911
Yesterday I spent time with Kristy and my three grandkiddos. We chatted about all sorts of wonderful womanly and homey things. She shared some super cool ideas that she and her husband Simon put together to train their three year old daughter, Mia at the family table. It was such good stuff that I've asked her to grace and gift me by being a guest and write a post on this experience. She said YES! I can't wait . . .you'll love it.
So, today is Baby Steps Day 17 and I'm taking a bit of a different direction as I've been thinking that sometimes I’m this lone woman ranger standing on my soap box tooting a silent horn. When the horn being tooted seems so contradictory to the culture – not just the secular one but the “religious” one that calls itself Christian and says it follows what Jesus says to do and
yet it seems like something different.
God is clear on what loving Him looks like. He says that If you love me - do what I say. How we do relationships with Him and others – in the community, in the church and in the family reveals where we're really at. Of course, we're NOT perfected in this, but we've got to be in process with some real fruit being revealed. What IS the fruit in your life?
I'm called to walk in obedience to live - I say LIVE the Bible - do the Bible. Principles for women to live are all over the place in the Book.
I'm called to be a HELPMEET and RESPECT and SUBMIT and KEEP MY HOME. Let's just start with those Big Four. What's YOUR attitude toward those? If your home is a mess - then that's a good guage of your attitude. If you don't have a meal planned for dinner tonight to bless your husband, then that's a good guage of your attitude.
OK, I know I’m stomping on feminist thinking toes here and I’ll might get a nasty note or two from that statement, but sometimes I have this momentary weariness UNTIL a fresh wind blows away because I find out that I am NOT alone!
There is an army of feminine women returning to the Centered Life (post coming) – returning to understand what it means to be a Purposeful Home Keeper. This gentle army of women are those who are tired of the way it’s going – because it’s NOT working. Many of these women have NEVER been trained, but their hearts are crying out for truth and help so that they can leave a legacy of doing life God’s way.
Today, I visited with my friend Stephanie – she lives in Canada. Well, I actually popped on over to her Keeper of the Home space and devoured this post that she’d written this week. I love this wind today.
I then visited GirlTalk – from where she was inspired and went here where they’ve written:
Twentieth century British author G.K. Chesterton has liberating insight for all homemakers who feel pressure to excel in something besides homemaking. In an essay entitled “The Emancipation of Domesticity” he observed that woman is a “general overseer” in the home, and as such, she must be able to do many things well—she shouldn't have to worry about being "the best" at something.
“In other words, there must be in every center of humanity one human being upon a larger plan; one who does not "give her best," but gives her all…..
The woman is expected to cook: not to excel in cooking, but to cook; to cook better than her husband who is earning [a living] by lecturing on botany or breaking stones….the woman is expected to tell tales to the children, not original and artistic tales, but tales--better tales than would probably be told by a first-class cook.
But she cannot be expected to endure anything like this universal duty if she is also to endure the direct cruelty of competitive or bureaucratic toil. Woman must be a cook, but not a competitive cook; a school mistress, but not a competitive schoolmistress; a house-decorator but not a competitive house-decorator; a dressmaker, but not a competitive dressmaker. She should have not one trade but twenty hobbies; she, unlike the man, may develop all her second bests.
This is what has been really aimed at from the first in what is called the seclusion, or even the oppression, of women. Women were not kept at home in order to keep them narrow; on the contrary, they were kept at home in order to keep them broad” (emphasis mine).
My fellow homemakers, let’s embrace the “larger plan” ordained by our Creator. Let’s not worry about being the best, but eagerly give our all to the broad calling of serving in the home. END of quote.
Oh, today the wind is sweet . . . very sweet and I return to my Centering Place and the Love of My life in four days. Need any past baby steps? Go here for full review.
Yesterday, I drove myself to Biarritz, France and spent a little REST time - thinking, conversing with God, enjoying all He's made for me to enjoy and being in awe of how good He is and how much He loves me.
I loved the spot (the Paris Cafe) that Jenni and I had gone to last week and decided it'd work out just fine for me to go back there and sip Cafe Grande Creme and spend some quiet moments journaling and thinking about my Simple Home Planner.
Labels:
Spain Summer 2008
I didn't blog for Baby Steps or MOM's Help today because I couldn't help but join the fam for a trip to the beach. I did work on this the day before (while in Biarritz, France).
I'm a water girl - get me by the water cause I LOVE the beach and after watching this grandson boogie board, I had to indulge in the moments and snap these pictures of my grandson.
Laura at my very favorite Organizing place has asked the girlfriends to share their blogging spots - of which I'm delighted to do!
How fun to share! My hubs just bought me a lap top so I'm thinking that will broaden my blogging spots - of course only after I attend to my homefront, creating sanctuary because I want hubs to know that he's my priority as he establishes the vision for our home.
Right now, I'm in Spain, and I've blogged (with my new lap top - which I'm so thankful wasn't in my luggage!!!!) sitting across from here:
And from here . . . .
And on my homefront, my blogging takes place in my kitchen. And, you ask, does it ALWAYS look like that? Ha, no.....but I work on keeping that look. Need some kitchen help - then read this.
And yesterday, I was mentally blogging in these shoes . . .
. . . while viewing this beach . . .
and this . . . .
and this . . .
to see where the other girlfriends blog from - go here. See what other's are tackling today.
Labels:
blogging,
family and life
Monday and a sunny day in Spain (it's been rainy lately) tempts me outside and onward. I'd intended to post a new and exciting and challenging and . . . (any other adjectives that come to mind) Baby Steps today and after wrestling and writing this post on my MOMS Help 911 series, I'm thinking that it should be considered Baby Steps Day 15 - so - therefore - go here.
I think I'll head to France as my Europe days are winding to an end . . .
