Hello, Sweet Sisters!
I'm posting our reading schedule a few days early this month. It's going to be a busy month for our family and we are excited to start our new school year. I hope this little blog is a blessing to you each week as I strive to encourage you in your walk as a wife, mom, and daughter of the King! Let's jump into Scripture! September Bible Reading 1st- Jude 1 2nd - 2 Kings 1 3rd - 2 Kings 2 4th - 2 Kings 3 5th - 2 Kings 4 6th - 2 Kings 5 7th - 2 Kings 6 "Don't be afraid!' Elisha told him. 'For there are more on our side than on theirs!' Then Elisha prayed, 'O, Lord, open his eyes and let him see!' The Lord opened the young man's eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire." II Kings 6:16-17 8th - 2 Kings 7 9th - 2 Kings 8 10th - 2 Kings 9 11th - 2 Kings 10 12th- 2 Kings 11 13th - 2 Kings 12 14th - 2 Kings 13 "But the Lord was gracious and merciful to the people of Israel, and they were not totally destroyed. He pitied them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And to this day, He still has not completely destroyed them or banished them from His presence." II Kings 13:23 15th - 2 Kings 14 16th - 2 Kings 15 17th - 2 Kings 16 18th - 2 Kings 17 19th - 2 Kings 18 20th -2 Kings 19 21st - 2 Kings 20 "He remained faithful to the Lord in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the Lord had given Moses. So the Lord was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did." II Kings 18:6-7 22nd - 2 Kings 21 23rd - 2 Kings 22 24th - 2 Kings 23 25th - 2 Kings 24 26th - 2 Kings 25 27th - 1 John 1 28th - 1 John 2 "But those who obey God's word truly show how completely they love Him. That is how we know we are living in Him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did." I John 2:5-6 29th - 1 John 3 30th - 1 John 4 "Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other, let us show the truth by our actions." I John 3:18 My prayer is that this tiny little place on the internet is a blessing and encouragement to each of you. Happy September, Sweet Sisters! Keep reading God's Word! Joyfully His, Andrea
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This picture was taken on our wedding day, nineteen years ago. It was a hot Sunday afternoon in July and we were all sweating, but it was the most beautiful outdoor wedding I've ever attended. (Of course, it was my wedding, so.....I'm extremely bias!) It was the perfect day....not that everything went off as it was planned..... it did not. We had several mishaps: setting up chairs I ripped off my toenail, our fabric aisle runner was ripped during the procession which caused about a ten minute delay to the ceremony, the neighboring sheep were VERY loud during the ceremony, it rained just a bit, and did I mention how HOT it was?! But even with all of that, it truly was a perfect day!
"To have and to hold." This is a part of most traditional wedding vows. It was a part of our promise to one another. This picture always reminds of that promise. You see, my husband and I have been holding hands for 24 years. These hands were made for one another. There's just something incredibly comforting about having his hand to hold. It tells me: I'm not alone, I have someone by my side, someone cares enough to hold onto me, and it brings me peace in chaos. It's a promise. A promise that says, "No matter what happens, I'm right here, by your side." Our hands have been a blessing to each other over the years: We held hands down the aisle on that very first day of our marriage. We held them all the way to the Outer Banks on our honeymoon. Adam has held my hand through the birth of each of our children. Our hands have been joined now for 20 years by little hands in between. He held my hands during custody hearings over my oldest son. And I held Adam's hands at his Daddy's funeral. He held my hand when I broke my leg and faced emergency surgery. He held my hand when my oldest son left us unexpectedly to go live with his biological father at the age of 14. He held my hand through our first miscarriage and a long journey of secondary infertility. He held my hand through our second miscarriage that almost took my life. When I woke up in the hospital, he was right there beside me, holding my hand. We've held hands through times of sorrow, pain, uncertainty, and tears. And we hold hands when things are good, joyous, fun, and filled with laughter and love. We hold hands every time we are side by side in the car, or just walking through the yard, or sitting on the couch. We hold hands. It's what we do. It's what we've always done. And as long as I'm physically able.....I'll reach out my hand....... to hold his. Life is short and sometimes it is just hard. But sometimes, life is good....really good. Either way, good or bad, hold your husband's hand. You won't regret it. "Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life." ~ Proverbs 31:11 Keep reading God's Word! Joyfully His, Andrea A new school year has begun and most of us are trying to get settled into a new groove for the year. No matter what form of education you have chosen for your children, all of them require a commitment to a schedule/routine. I thought I would share a few things I have learned over the years to help the school year run smoothly. As a homeschooling teacher and mother, my experience comes from that, however, every family runs better with a good schedule/routine whether they have school at the kitchen table, at the computer, or in a traditional classroom via public, private, or charter school.
The key to a good school year is having a schedule or routine. The two are similar, but deciding which one works best for your family is key to having as easy a year as possible. A schedule is more direct and each day is broken down in time allotments for what needs to be done. Although I feel that both a schedule or a routine should be written out for the whole family to see and refer to on a daily basis, a schedule is written down by times (usually) to know what happens when and how long you have to do it. On the other hand, a routine is a bit more relaxed. A routine is a regular course of procedure, a daily list of things, tasks, projects, or subjects that must be done. If your children attend a traditional classroom each day, then a set schedule is what they are used to and how your family functions during those school hours. For those of us who homeschool, our choice will depend on our personality, the size of our family, our daily chores (or tasks that have to be done), and what works best for our families. I know many moms who strive and thrive on a strict hour to hour schedule from the moment they get up in the morning until they go to sleep at night. Every minute of the day is accounted for and for those times when unexpected things come up, they somehow have time allocated for that too! It just works for them. I, however, am on the other end of that spectrum. Our family thrives on a routine. Although there are a few times during our day that we like to stick to a certain hour and time limit, mostly we just move onto the next item on our list as we finish the one before. Begin and end everyday on a schedule. Whether you are a scheduler or a routine follower, I suggest having two times a day set in stone: wake up and bed time. It's important for everyone in the house to have a time to wake up and a time to go to bed. Children thrive on routine and starting and ending your day in a consistent pattern will bring security and stability for your children and your home. Plan each day between the structure of these two times. "For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven." ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1 Plan ahead. Keep a family calendar that shows all appointments, activities and upcoming events, that all family members can see and refer to before committing to any knew opportunity that arises. To ensure each day runs smoothly, keep a personal list of what needs to be done or any appointment or event scheduled for each day. I personally, keep a couple of lists written down in a small notebook. I have a list of our daily routine: -wake up, quiet time, get ready for the day - breakfast & morning chores - school -lunch -finish any school work that was not completed (this is for my teenagers mostly), nap for my little ones and quiet time for me and the older children (this would be the time I do any project or work that I need to get done -play and afternoon chores -dinner - family time - bath and bed Remember, I'm a routine type of gal, so I do not have certain times that we complete each thing, and everything is subject to change. I also have a list for each month of the year. This is where I jot down important days, events that are coming up or anything special that is happening each month. I also make a list here, of things I may need for those events. Such as gifts, party supplies, vacation supplies, school supplies; whatever it is that I will need to buy or gather before that event occurs. The final list I keep written down is our monthly budget. Be flexible. As the school year progresses, your schedules will change. If your children play sports, those months of the year will look different than the months you are mostly home. Holidays will also look a bit different. Allow room in your schedule or routine for these changes and make sure it is easily adaptable. And remember, life always seems to throw us a curve ball, so be prepared to completely scrap your schedule and start all over if the need arises. Lastly, and most importantly, pray over your schedule. Ask God to lead you and your family each day to use your time wisely. Begin your day with God and teach your children to do the same. Every day that begins with Him will be blessed....even the hard, crazy and unexpected days. "Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him and He will help you." ~ Psalm 37:5 Each of these tips help our home and school run smoothly. Not all days turn out perfectly, but our routine helps our family to stay on track. I hope you find these little tidbits helpful and I'm praying for each of you during this new school year! "But be sure everything is done properly and in order." ~ I Corinthians 14:40 Keep reading God's Word! Joyfully His, Andrea I am raising three daughters. Beautiful, precious, wonderful daughters. I am so proud of each of them and I absolutely love being their mom. They, along with their 4 brothers, are my special gifts from God, and I cherish each one. I am so thankful for all my children.
It's a bit scary, raising girls, today. The world doesn't teach them correctly, and everything they are exposed to through most media and technological outlets are teaching them directly against God's word. I hate that. Everything they are reading (or I am reading to them) from Scripture, is being directly contradicted by world views. I don't want them to be confused about what true beauty is, I want them to be able to see it in everyone, no matter what a person looks like on the outside. Dictionary.com defines beauty as this: the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations, a meaningful design or pattern, or something else such as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest. And God's word defines it as this: "You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God." ~ I Peter 3:4 This is what I want for my daughters and myself. I want true beauty that comes from within, that is so precious to God. What does this look like? A gentle and quiet spirit. The original Greek text of this new testament verse is actually translated as "meek and quiet". After studying what a meek spirit looks like, I realized two things: 1) meekness is beautiful, and 2) it's not an easy way of life. Meek is defined as: quiet, gentle, submissive, compliant, and humbly patient. Wow! What beautiful characteristics! My first question to myself is: Are my daughters' influences demonstrating this meekness? And my second question to myself is: Am I being this example to my girls? The truth is, I am my children's first example. They all learn from watching me. I taught them to smile, to wave, to sit, to stand, to eat on their own, to walk, to interact with others, to talk, to play, to write, to read, to ride their bikes, and so much more. I'm still teaching them. Even my grown children. They are still watching me. I'm leading by example, and I don't always remember that. If my children are going to know what meek and quiet beauty looks like in a woman, they have to see it in me first. I have to admit, I'm still working on this. And it's not always easy. I am naturally a loud person, always have been (ask my Mama). It's not always easy for me to be quiet, and when I get upset, mad or overwhelmed, I tend to get just a wee bit louder (cue the embarrassment of my children if we are in public). So, quiet is something I have had to work on. I don't want to be a loud, obnoxious woman seeking to be heard, I want to be a calm, quiet woman seeking to listen to others. I want to be known as a gentle woman. Gentle with my touch, gentle with my words, and gentle with my reactions. I want my words to be gentle, kind and full of encouragement. I want my to touch to be soft and comforting. And no matter what life throws in my direction, my hope is that I will be gentle, kind and soft spoken in response to all chaos and trials (still working on this as well). I want to be an example of a submissive woman. I want to be submissive to God, His authority, and His Word. And I want to be submissive to my husband as the Bible instructs me. I know most women think submission is an ugly word, but it doesn't have to be. I submit to my husband's authority by loving him, respecting him, listening to him, and following his lead for our family. I want to be compliant and easy to get along with. The world is full of women who are argumentative, manipulative, and willing to do anything to get their way. Most of the things we want to fuss about are not worth the effort we put into it just to "win" the argument. A family friend of ours has always said, "If it's not a life or death, or heaven or hell situation, it's not worth wasting your time, worry, or energy on it." Oh, it is my desire to be humbly patient! This will forever be a struggle for me. I am not always patient nor am I always humble. My patience usually looks like me standing at the door, tapping my foot, hands on my hip, yelling "Hurry up! We're late! We're late!" I have a long way to go, and I'll spend my entire life striving for a meek and quiet spirit. But I will do my best, because I want my children to see that true beauty lies far beneath a pretty face. The true beauty of a woman lies within her soul. It's the very essence of who she is. It is the way she speaks, she serves, she loves, and how she behaves. True beauty can be seen not only when she knows she has an audience, but most importantly, it is seen when she has no idea that others are watching. "When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness." ~ Proverbs 31:26 Keep reading God's Word! It makes all the difference in your life! Joyfully His, Andrea Happy August!
This month brings about a new school year for most families, which means new schedules and routines. So, to help us start it off right, we will jump straight into God's Word! 1st - John 13 2nd - John 14 3rd - John 15 4th - John 16 5th - John 17 6th - John 18 7th - John 19 "I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid." ~ John 14:27 8th - John 20 9th - John 21 10th - I Kings 1 11th - I Kings 2 12th - I Kings 3 13th - I Kings 4 14th - I Kings 5 "Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written." ~ John 21:25 15th - I Kings 6 16th - I Kings 7 17th - I Kings 8 18th - I Kings 9 19th - I Kings 10 20th - I Kings 11 21st - I Kings 12 "Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?" ~ I Kings 3:9 22nd - I Kings 13 23rd - I Kings 14 24th - I Kings 15 25th - I Kings 16 26th - I Kings 17 27th - I Kings 18 28th - I Kings 19 "All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. He is the only member of your family who will have a proper burial for this child is the only good thing that the Lord, the God of Israel, sees in the entire family of Jeroboam." ~ I Kings 14:13 29th - I Kings 20 30th - I kings 21 31st - I Kings 22 "The king of Israel sent back this answer: 'A warrior putting on his sword for battle should not boast like a warrior who has already won.' " ~ I Kings 20:11 I'm praying for each of you! Keep reading God's Word! Hide it in your hearts and teach it to your children. You will be blessed! Joyfully His, Andrea |
For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. " AuthorHi! I'm Andrea, wife to my handsome hubby, homeschooling mama to my 7 amazing blessings, and daughter of the King of kings. I am so glad you have stopped by my little piece of the web. My prayer is that the Lord will use this blog to encourage you in your personal, daily walk with Christ. Archives
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