Beautiful Homemakers

  I tried to answer a comment and not only wouldn't my profile load, but it wouldn't even let me post my reply! And who knows when I will be able to send out weekly e-mails by MailChimp...hopefully by 2024! I just want to let you know that my goal is to publish an FW video every Monday at 7:30 am. It is a bit too overwhelming to detail the videos on here like I had been doing on my old blog.  Eventually I will be adding another video or post each week, probably when I get to 500 subscribers on YT. Thanks for understanding and I hope you are preparing for CHRISTmas just a little bit every day. May God bless you in your homemaking, Janine

  I think you will enjoy this little, lovely story. A typical Thanksgiving menu (for my non-American readers who don't know): Turkey Mashed Potatoes and gravy Green beans Corn Cranberry Sauce Dressing (aka Stuffing) Rolls Pumpkin bread Pumpkin pie Have a Joyful Thanksgiving!  Reach out and invite someone new to share your table.  Don't worry about the house being perfectly clean, or pinterest-worthy table settings.  Just use your best china and make it festive.  It is not about what is on the table, but WHO is sitting in the chairs! May God bless you while you are giving THANKS to Him, where it is due, Janine

  If you like “Little House” books, you’ll like this story by Ms. Charlie May Simon.

  Once upon a time, — so long ago that the world has forgotten the date, — in a city of the North of Europe, — the name of which is so hard to pronounce that no one remembers it, — there was a little boy, just seven years old, whose name was Wolff. He was an orphan and lived with his aunt, a hard-hearted, avaricious old woman, who never kissed him but once a year, on New Year’s Day; and who sighed with regret every time she gave him a bowlful of soup. The poor little boy was so sweet-tempered that he loved the old woman in spite of her bad treatment, but he could not look without trembling at the wart, decorated with four gray hairs, which grew on the end of her nose. As Wolff’s aunt was known to have a house of her own and a woolen stocking full of gold, she did not dare to send her nephew to the school for the poor. But she wrangled so that the schoolmaster of the rich boys’ school was forced to lower his price and admit little Wolff among his pupils. T

  HOW IT ALL HAPPENED It was a small room, with nothing in it but a bed, two chairs, and a big chest. A few little gowns hung on the wall, and the only picture was the wintry sky, sparkling with stars, framed by the uncurtained window. But the moon, pausing to peep, saw something pretty and heard something pleasant. Two heads in little round nightcaps lay on one pillow, two pairs of wide-awake blue eyes stared up at the light, and two tongues were going like mill clappers. “I’m so glad we got our shirts done in time! It seemed as if we never should, and I don’t think six cents is half enough for a great red flannel thing with four button-holes—do you?” said one little voice, rather wearily. “No; but then we each made four, and fifty cents is a good deal of money. Are you sorry we didn’t keep our quarters for ourselves?” asked the other voice, with an under-tone of regret in it. “Yes, I am, till I think how pleased the children will be

  Do you remember the Bible story about how on Day 6 of the peaceful march around Jericho the authorities told the Israelites, “We are sick of this. If you come back tomorrow, we are going to arrest each and every one of you. STAY HOME!” The Israelites were so chastened by this threat that they all rested on Day 7.  (Me neither.) Didn’t Saul, soon to be Paul, warn us to give authorities our spiritual rights, and in fact our life, by demanding to be hauled back up the wall after realizing his intended escape was illegal? Oh, he did not ? Isn’t smuggling Bibles into communist countries that ban them illegal and against God’s admonishments to obey those in authority?  What?  You say, "No!" Thank you, Voice of the Martyrs, for reminders that we are to obey God’s laws when they conflict with man’s laws.  The first half of this post is based on an old The Voice of the Martyrs brochure by Tom White.  I will be paraphrasing some of their many facts. 

  During the first several hundred years of Christianity, up until the time of Constantine, Christians were embarrassed when their neighbors called them uncaring atheists because they didn’t worship Caesar.  After listening to progressive theological experts interpret a few Bible verses about government authority week after week, they were eventually shamed into turning in their membership roster and location of their secret meeting sites, give up their hidden scroll copying workshops, and stop smuggling Bibles to others because of their desire to respect their god-emperor. The saddest thing about the above paragraph (which I paraphrased from Tom White) is that too many young Christians today will think it is true.  They will use it as an example, instead of a parody of what not to do.  Here’s the truth.  Early Christians were called atheists and many other names.  But they were not embarrassed.  They were not shamed into giving up t

  Last year I read a very interesting book by Cassandra Aarssen called The Clutter Connection, How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do (affiliated link). The first time I took her test was on her website, Clutterbug.me , I came out as a “Butterfly.”  But when I read her mini online book detailing the four different organizing styles that are based on your personality, I thought I was a Bee who coveted being a Cricket!  (See her website for a quick explanation of the four Clutter Bugs.) I bought this book since it goes into depth on the four areas, with color pictures, and I wanted to know more.  I was skeptical of her test and felt that the questions weren’t clear enough, so I took the test in the book several times on different days, and again after reading each of the four sections of her book. I felt that on many of the questions I could answer “Yes” to 3 out of the 4 scenarios.  So one time I