The Well Planned Day

One of the ways I strive  to discipline myself is to write out a routine and then do my best to stick to it.  Eventually it becomes a habit and then I start to see good things happening in my home.  When I slack off, I see that fruit as well, and it is not so pretty. 

Currently, I have a really good morning routine, but have always struggled with my afternoons.  I think it has to do with loosing steam at around 2 or 3PM and the general relaxed atmosphere after having completed our lessons for the day.  It is not unreasonable to rest a little at that point, but it is a temptation of mine to give up completely and retreat to the computer room. 

On the contrary, it is a desire of mine to have my whole day more structured, so I am going to commit this to more prayer and then proceed by enlisting the help of my kids to set up an afternoon routine that works for all of us.  Getting them to "buy into" this should increase the success, at least I hope. 

"It is a gift to be able to paint a particular picture or to carve a statue,
and so to make a few objects beautiful;
but it is far more glorious to carve and paint
 the very atmosphere and medium
through which we look.
To affect the quality of the day
 - that is the highest of the arts."

~Henry David Thoreau

Star of Light by Patricia St. John

Are you looking for a good book to read aloud?  One that will set your heart on missions?  One that will take you to a far away place where Jesus is just another prophet, but becomes so much more to the characters?  Star of Light will capture your heart from the start.  I could not put it down.  Thankfully, it is not a difficult book to read quickly.  Yes, perhaps the characters are a little lacking in depth, but the heart behind the story is what is so very charming.  We have read another of Patricia St. John's books, Tanglewoods' Secret.  It was equally delightful.  I cannot wait to dive into the next book, Treasures of the Snow.  We were blessed to find the original versions in our church library.  Perhaps you may find these books a blessing to your read aloud time or have an avid young reader who would enjoy these stories on their own.  If you need more ideas for reading, be sure to check out my library on the sidebar. 
~Jenn

Slice of Life, No. 5

~Things I hope to do this week~
This could be a "lost" week.  My youngest woke up with a fever of 103.1.  I shall have to be flexible this week.  So I write these with that in mind. 

• Need to call my grandparents who are in the nursing home. 
• Keep our focus on lessons despite illness and a busy week. 
• Keep laundry moving along.
• Get food for later part of the week's activities.
• Keep looking for things to purge. 

~Not Set in Stone Menu~

Monday: White Chicken Chili


Tuesday: Chicken stir-fry

Wednesday: Picnic with Daddy in the church parking lot or???

Thursday: Pizza (Trevor's birthday)

Friday: Harvest Party at church (Not totally sure about going) or Chicken and dumplings
Saturday: Mexican Pitch-in with friends ~ bringing corn cake

Sunday:  (Trevor's family party) Steaks, chicken, mashed potatoes, salad, icecream birthday cake


~What I am reading~

Power of a Woman's Words by Sharon Jaynes, Chapter 10
Proverbs, chapter a day
Memorizing 1Corinthians 13

~Things I am thankful for~
(Ongoing list updated each week.)


A husband who comes home every evening and remains engaged.

Just enough.

Healthy children.

A warm home.

A great family weekend.

God's awesome creation. (Lake Michigan comes to mind.)

Parents who bless me.

Colors of Autumn.

Tylenol, Jell-o, Gatorade, and PBS Kids


~What we are learning together~
Again we will have to be flixible, as health allows.  We are going to spend out time reading more about life in Ancient Egypt, reading some historical fiction. We will read Tirzah, which is about a Hebrew slave who lived during the time of Exodus. We will continue to read through Proverbs, one chapter a day. We will be singing Wonderful Grace of Jesus and other favorites. We will continue reading Star of Light. We will be listening to Vivaldi's Autumn. We will update our timeline and maps of the Fertile Crescent. We will also add a page to our history notebooks. My oldest will continue reading Around the World in 80 Days. He will also spend some time working on a map of the journey.

~A Prayer Request or Two~
Still praying for my tone of voice, especially when I give directions to my children. (Proverbs 31:26) I have vowed to ask for forgivness anyone that I offend, as soon as it happens. Also praying for the attitude of my heart to be in-line with God's will.

Praising God's provision day by day, especially for my parents. Pray for more orders for their business.

Asking God to protect the rest of from Trevor's illness.  Help me to be a good manager of his needs. 

Praying for a church family who still needs a fulltime job with benefits for their father and a lot of grace from me.  ~Praise, he got a job, but it is commission only, so now I am praying he will be blessed with lots of orders. 

Praying for attitudes of my chilren. Oldest would bare fruit of his confession of faith. Middle would obey without grumbling. Youngest would not be puffed up from my frequent praise.

~Picture I am sharing~

Taken this past weekend of Lake Michigan at IN Dunes State Park, you can almost make out the Chicago Skyline, despite the clouds. 

Have a wonderful week!
~Jenn

Collector of Words, I Am

Some people collect things, I am a collector of words.  Here are a few good ones I found this week. 

"God does not comfort us to make us comfortable, but to make us comforters." 
~J.H. Lovett

"The most indispensable ingredient of all good home cooking:  love for those you are cooking for." 
~Sophia Loren

"Finding a way to live the simple life today is man's most complicated task."
~Henry A. Courtney

Creating a Haven for Your Husband

First, I must make this disclaimer.  I am married to the most amazing man by the grace of the Lord.  I hesitate to write this post, as I do not speak from having the experience of being unequally yoked, as many of my friends do.  My heart goes out to you and I am on my knees for several of you that I know personally.  I do not take my husband's love for the Lord for granted.  I realize that I have a special treasure in him.  However, I feel the need to encourage you who may need a little hope in this area of your life. 

Go get a mirror.  I'll wait.  Got it?  Good, now take a good, long look.  You see that lovely person?  She is created in the image of her maker.  She was created to be her husband's helper completer.  She was created to bring glory to her God.  Are you squrimming yet?  I certainly am! 

OK, so when a friend calls me to vent, I frequently here the words, "He is not helping me!"  I cringe at these words.  Would you be expected to go to your husband's place of employment and be expected to help him with his work?  I certainly would not be much of a help to my husband's accounting firm.  So why do we expect his help with our work at home?  Now, I am not saying he should be sitting around giving you orders, but really, who's domain is the home?  Not really his, is it?  God gave us the responsibility to be our husband's helper.  It is not the other way around.  If your husband chooses to help around the house, you are blessed, indeed. 

I have a dear friend whose husband proclaims to know the Lord, yet, he is not bearing fruit.  He disengages when he comes home from work, leaving her with the 24/7 burden of the home and children.  She is praying for the Lord to give her the partner she desires.  She feels more like a servant than a wife.  She is angry. 

My advice to her? Create a haven for her husband at home. This world he goes into each day is not for him, but agaisnt him.  Pray for him each day.  Pray for guidance as to what a peaceful home should look like. Ask her husband what 3 things she could do everyday that would make him feel loved and then do them, cheerfully. She must stop her nagging, complaining, and withholding affection.


It may be that the Lord is not going to give you an easy marriage. Are you willing to submit to His will for you?  Your response may set the stage for your husband's very conversion! Think of that. You are an ambassador for the Lord. What you do will have eternal consequences.

A Note To the Younger Women

Like it or not, I find myself in the role of the older woman.  My child bearing days behind me, I have only a few short years of rearing ahead of me.  This makes me think of my favorite verses from Titus 2, and I embrace them joyfully. 

"...the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— 4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed." (NKJV)

Just this morning, I got a call from a dear younger friend in the Lord.  She has many times called me asking for wisdom.  Today I told her to turn her heart towards her family, her husband and to not loose sight of her purpose (that the word of God may not be blasphemed.)  I told her not to spend too much time on the phone, but more time on her knees in prayer.  I told her not to compare herself to others.  I told her to listen to what the Lord is telling her, not her neighbors.  Make it her business to create a home that is a place of refuge for her husband.  (I hope to talk more about this later.)

I pray that she will listen.  I know she will be blessed with the peace she is seeking if she does.  It is not listening to me that I want, but to the wisdom that the Lord has imparted to me through His good and perfect Word. 

I encourage all of you to go and do likewise.  Seek His will for you and then do it.  Wait on Him to speak.  For He will speak if you are asking with the correct motives.  I wish I had known these things before I was a married woman.  However, the Lord has blessed me despite my failings in this area.  And it is never too late to change the course that you are on. 

~Jenn

Slice of Life on My Birthday, Number 4

~Things I hope to do this week~

• Get the laundry under control after a weekend of neglect. 
• Get ready for this week's gathering of friends at my home. Ten lovely ladies will be coming for dinner tomorrow!  Oh my! 
• Keep clutter at bay.  We made a trip to Good Will on Saturday.  I need to keep looking for things to purge. 
• Visit my grandparents before the week is out. 
• Keep my focus on our lessons despite the busy days.

~Not Set in Stone Menu~
Monday:  Taco Salad

Tuesday: Lasagna, salad, bread, cheesecake

Wednesday: Picnic with Daddy in the church parking lot or???

Thursday: White Chicken Chili

Friday: Boys Bonfire at church, girls will have a datenight

Saturday: Spaghetti dinner with family

Sunday:  Rotisserie chicken, potatoes and salad


~What I am reading~

Power of a Woman's Words by Sharon Jaynes, Chapter 9, Power of a Woman's Words to the Lord

Proverbs, chapter a day


~Things I am thankful for~

(Ongoing list updated each week.)

A husband who comes home every evening and remains engaged.
Just enough.
Healthy children.
A warm home.
A great family weekend.
God's awesome creation. (Lake Michigan comes to mind.)
Parents who bless me.

~What we are learning together~
(Week six of My Father's World)  We are taking a break from MFW this week.  We've done all the reading that was scheduled for this week.  We are going to spend out time reading more about life in Ancient Egypt, reading some historical fiction.  We will read Tirzah, which is about a Hebrew slave who lived during the time of Exodus.  We will continue to read through Proverbs, one chapter a day. We will be singing Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing and other favorites. We will finish reading Tanglewood's Secret.  We will be listening to Vivaldi's Summer. We will update our timeline and maps of the Fertile Crescent. We will also add a page to our history notebooks. My oldest will continue reading Around the World in 80 Days.  He will also spend some time working on a map of the journey. 



~A Prayer Request or Two~

Still praying for my tone of voice, especially when I give directions to my children. (Proverbs 31:26) I have vowed to ask for forgivness anyone that I offend, as soon as it happens. Also praying for the attitude of my heart to be in-line with God's will.

Praising God's provision day by day, especially for my parents.  Pray for more orders for their business. 

Praising God for our good health and asking for it to continue. 

Praying for a church family who still needs a fulltime job with benefits for their father and a lot of grace from me.

Praising God for my sweet kitty's vet and the money to pay for the visit.  It's really put a sparkle in her eye and extra hop in her step. 

Praying for attitudes of my chilren.  Oldest would bare fruit of his confession of faith.  Middle would obey without grumbling.  Youngest would not be puffed up from my frequent praise. 


~Picture I am sharing~

Today is my birthday!