Dear Sisters,

I love homemaking because my time is my own. I dictate how my day will go and that is an awesome thing in this world. Many high paid executives do not have the freedom that I have almost every day.

I love homemaking because yeast, water, and flour make the best smell in the world!

I love homemaking because I get to decorate a corner of God's Footstool in exactly the way I like it with total creative freedom. No other person on earth will decorate in quite the same way.

I love homemaking because my kids get to lick spoons and bowls and smile with whipped cream and sugar on their lips.

I love homemaking because I can sit and read to my children all day if I want with every pillow we own under us.

I love homemaking because my uniform is a simple apron. When I put it on I feel like my grandmother and want to do so many "homey" things for my family.

I love homemaking because I get to keep learning new things to make my home a special place for my kids and my husband. Last year I learned decoupage and tole painting. (Many things from a library book!)

I love homemaking because I get to work in my garden and cut beautiful plants from it to bring into my house.

I love homemaking because I get to listen to beautiful music all day long which causes me to think of my Savior and LORD. My work doesn't even seem like work with Him on my mind.

I love homemaking because I get to cook some of the most wonderful food on a slim budget causing me to give thanks and praise to Him who shows me the way.

I love homemaking because I can go to the library and check out other women's wisdom which inspires me in my own kitchen and home.

I love homemaking because I can stop my kids at any time of the day and say, "Let's pray."

I love homemaking because I can lay on my bed and have great talks with my kids about the LORD and life.

I love homemaking because I get to smell up my house with some of the best smells on earth: homemade bread, apple pie, fried chicken, baked beans, and cole slaw. And that's just one meal!

I love homemaking because I can feel the softness of yarn flowing through my fingers as I knit an aphgan for my kitchen chair.

I love homemaking because I can sit with other women and their babies and compare struggles and trials; then come away feeling so much better to handle my own babies and struggles and trials.

I love homemaking because I can look at each room in my house as a blank canvas to paint a beautiful picture on for my family. And slowly, here and there, I pick up the beautiful treasures at thrift shops or swap meets to make those canvases come alive with love.

I love homemaking because I create the atmosphere all day in my home. If I am at peace, they are at peace. And the King helps keep me at peace because I have spent time at His Throne in the early morning hours learning from Him.

I love homemaking because I have permission to fail while I learn. I have granted permission to myself recently which makes me feel a whole lot better about learning new things and not being afraid to fail.

I love homemaking because I can plan special little surprises for my husband that bring him such delight: homemade pickles that taste like Claussen's.

I love homemaking because I fill little mason jars with homemade jams and watch my kids open them in anticipation for breakfast.

I love homemaking because I can make lemon butter, scones, and devonshire cream for my daughter and all her little friends for "tea".

I love homemaking because all the little girls can dress up in hats that hang in my living room waiting for their next visit.

I love homemaking because when my kids are sick it is no inconvenience. I get to put them right to bed in their pajamas and bring them a "tea table" with a flower, tea, and some special treat to make them smile.

I love homemaking because I get to do things with beautiful fabrics.

I love homemaking because I can gather my kids in my room if I am sick and have them take care of me or just lay next to me and play.

I love homemaking because I get to cut my kids' hair and have them sit on a special stool I designed for them. Then I get the pleasure of looking at their hair for days knowing that I cut it.

I love homemaking because I get to scrub my floors by hand just the way my grandmother did. Then I get to tell everyone to stay off the floor just like she did.

I love homemaking because I get to hang out my clothes on the line just the way my mother did and smell the sweet air in them when they come back in the house.

I love homemaking because I get to stretch a budget beyond measure which gives me great joy to see so much done with so little.

I love homemaking because I get to put a fluffy feather down comforter on everyone's bed and run them out to the clothesline on a windy day.

I love homemaking because I get to smell a freshly bathed child.

I love homemaking because I can put a fresh tablecloth on my table and transform it into a fancy restaurant with a rose in the center.

I love homemaking because there is always a new recipe to try.

I love homemaking because I can cover up "holey rugs" with beautiful handmade throw rugs that someone's grandmother probably made.

I love homemaking because I can cover up stained couches with beautiful couch covers in a rose pattern my grandmother would have worn to church.

I love homemaking because I can sit in any room in my house and it is used to its fullest. No room is for show. Every room is pleasantly occupied.

I love homemaking because no one can make me laugh like my kids.

I love homemaking because I can grab my camera and capture three muddy kids in a moment.

I love homemaking because I can take full advantage of all the seasons. Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring never get by me. I enjoy each immensely.

I love homemaking because I can bring home some of the best books in the world and know they will get read.

I love homemaking because I know my kids very well and can work with them like no other.

I love homemaking because if I am sick of being inside I can go outside.

And if I am sick of being outside I can go inside.

I love homemaking because I can kiss my kids thirty times a day if I want.

I love homemaking because the weather never affects my plans to stay home.

I love homemaking because it makes me more in awe of my mother, grandmother, and favorite aunts causing me to notice their work in great detail.

I love homemaking because my kids can get really dirty and jump in the tub before anyone's the wiser.

I love homemaking because I am the "LORD's Home Servant."

I love homemaking because no one can run this home like I can. No one knows that man of mine like I do. And no one can tell you about those kids that I live with like I can.

I love homemaking because I have time to light candles, put on soft music, and start a fire in the fireplace.

I love homemaking because I know where my kids are, and that gives me great peace because they are beside me.

I love homemaking because I get to be HOME.

I love homemaking because God called me to this job and I love it!!!!

Love,

Laine, called to be a Homemaker of God

Proverbs 31:10 Who can find a virtuous woman?
for her price is far above rubies.

Fall is such a wonderful time of year. I love all seasons. At each season I am proclaiming that this season is my favorite season of the year!

With our new schedule this week, all of us are wore out and tired. We are getting up an hour or more earlier than normal to take my husband to work in the mornings in order to be back home in time to take my oldest to school. We also take our neighbors kids to school also since they are at the same school. Their mom started her new job this past Monday. I am not getting dinner done in time for all of us to get settled and into bed earlier. So my poor kids have been going to bed at normal time and getting up super early. I am not getting any sleep the further into my pregnancy I get. So I am getting worn down too. It's no wonder with our 20 degree differences between night and day at this time of year that we are beginning to show signs of all of us getting sick. Today I plan on getting us back on track.

I am revising my cleaning schedule and my notebook for this stage of our lives. With me being pregnant and my son in school, it is time to revise. I can no longer do as much throughout the day like I use to. I have to schedule my routine in my best time of day. Which happens to be when I come back from dropping my son off and it lasts about a couple of hours until lunch.

At night when I should be settling into bed and relaxing to go to sleep, I am getting my nesting kicked into high gear. Last night I went through about 4 more boxes that were out in the garage. I also reorganized and rebinned our clothes that are outgrown or not grown into yet. I save our clothes. This being our 3rd child, I have learned to save your clothes. In the past, I have gotten rid of outgrown clothes for myself and my kids only to learn later that I could still use them for different stages of my life. Consider that one an expensive lesson! Last weekend, I painted our master bedroom and my husband painted our son's room on Monday. I still have my daughter's furniture to paint. I am getting nervous since I only have no more than 13 weeks left of our pregnancy and my home is not the way I want it yet. I know that once the baby comes I will not have the time or energy to get it into place. Now granted we've only lived in this house for a month now, but still. I am getting restless about an unorganized home. My kitchen is today's goal. I want to rearrange the mixing bowls and the pantry to be more utilized. The food goes in the pantry and the bowls go into the cabinets. I need my kitchen to be ready by November. In November we have Thanksgiving and I want to start freezing meals for after the baby is born.

I have too many goals and projects laid out for the next 2 months considering the holidays are on their way. I need to drag out the fall box of decorations and decorate, but I can't seem to let myself do that until my home is in order. I have too much to do! I haven't even begun to plan the holidays either. I still have to plan my Baby Shower that is 2 weeks away. I haven't begun the menu or the decorations yet. Just too much...



I just got done reading Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook. It's wonderful! I highly recommend it. She has tips for cleaning and repairing every surface material used in every room of the house. It is compiled for those who own and those who do not own a home. It is useful for all of us. Renters and owners alike. I could go on and on about this book. I am going to go through it again and put post-its on the pages that I need for right away. This book has spurred my nesting phase into high gear. I was nesting before I got this book, but now it's bad. Even my husband was wow'd last night.

Okay. It is time for me to now get on with my day. I have a lot of things to get done and my son has only a half day today. I get him in just less than 3 hours from now. Everyone have a wonderful day today!

God bless you all!
Mommy Lynda

Here is my craft of the day. Cloth diapers! This is a newborn size and comes from the Very Baby pattern. I love this pattern! It is an AIO. For those who are new to clothies, AIO is short for all-in-one. I love cloth diapers! I will use them exclusively with my new baby. My baby girl right now is in disposables right now. She has a few clothies, but she is starting to use the potty, so we will see how many clothies she will need in the mean time.

Have a good day!
MommyLynda

October

Yay for it being fall now! I love fall. There are so many pretty leaves falling off the trees just decorating our landscapes. The weather is cooling off so we are not just suffering in the heat anymore. It seems like people are nicer for a time being. It's a break between the busy summer months and the busy holiday months. There is just enough of a break.

I have found a wonderful site for those pregnancy mommas out there. It's called Babyfit. It tracks your fitness and your nutrition for you for free. It does require a registration, but it is free. Did I mention it is free? I have been looking for an online tracker and I am so glad that I found it. I just wish that I had found it at the beginning of my pregnancy. Please check it out!