I love Monica's emphasis for today, because I believe our homes shouldn't just be havens for us, but in order to reach out to others and practice hospitality. She encourages us to INVITE and to GIVE.
Yesterday, for fun, we ended up making some paper bag puppets, and then I let the kids help me roll out and make homemade tortillas so we could have all of my family over for supper for tacos. I was very busy getting ready for supper, but it was so enjoyable to share a nice family meal together with my parents and two brothers. My brothers had fun chasing the kids around and wrestling with them after supper, which my kids loved!
Today's emphasis is Inviting and Giving. Since we had dinner guests last night, we won't be inviting anyone over today, but I do want to be thinking of what I can do next to share the haven of our home with others. There is an elderly man who lives across the street that I've been meaning to go meet and perhaps this weekend would be a good time to bake up some brownies and take them over! There are also a few couples whom we've been meaning to have over after church. Before we had kids we used to get together with others a few times a week for meals when we lived in friendly-Minnesota. Now, it seems like so much work or people seem too busy, and we're prone to hardly ever have anyone over. If we do have dinner guests it's usually my family. Soon we need to have those people over!
A verse I'm meditating on: Colossians 1:10 "...so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."
In making my home a haven, I need to remember that I'm not doing it for ME, for MY GLORY, or for MY COMFORT, but that in all things I might please Him and bear fruit and increase in the knowledge of Him. This is why I so appreciate that Monica (the host of this theme this week) has continually emphasized time with God first and praying over the lists for the day.
Every Thursday night I grocery shop for the following week. Here's my menu plan for the next week:
Homemade Pizza
Ginger-orange-glazed shrimp, brown rice, corn (we normally NEVER buy seafood but it was on a clearance sale and sounded good!)
Turkey burgers on wheat buns, Doritos, fruit
Ravioli (the frozen kind) with spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese on top, salad, garlic toast
Pancakes, sausage, and eggs
Leftovers (usually the Sunday night meal)
Elk roast, baked potatoes, cooked carrots
What's the plan for today?
Get to organizing the kid's closet
Get Ali ready for her preschool Teddy Bear Picnic today
Take the boys shopping while Ali's at the picnic (Jer has a gift certificate to a toy store in town)
Get a couple of loads of laundry done
Get to the thrift store as my only pair of pants just bit the dust
*On a discouraging note* I went to do my weekly grocery shopping and when I returned the house was spotless! My hubby had gotten the kids to do a major clean-up before bed and had vacuumed, organized, put away all the clean dishes, taken the garbage out, and scrubbed down the table and counters. It looked amazing and I was blessed, but I was bummed too. How could my hubby accomplish in just one hour what I couldn't seem to get done after a week of trying to make my home a haven? I guess the main thing was that I had the baby with me and the kids were in bed, unable to destroy the results of cleaning within seconds! My momentary "bummed out" feeling was quickly replaced with gratitude that I have a hubby who helps out and that he saved me some work today!
I wanted you to know I enjoy your blog and just HAD to come out of lurking on your post (about how your husband got everything clean) to encourage you. You're doing a GREAT job with your kids and trying to keep everything done. I can definitely feel your love of God through your blog. It is hard keeping things picked up all day long, especially when the kids come along behind and "destroy" everything you've done. I tend to do a lot of my cleaning at night so I can sit in my chair and see the accomplishment of a straightened-up area for more than two seconds. :) Hang in there, and give the kids about ten years. If you keep on doing what you are, you'll reap the benefits, and they will be such helpful little (bigger) blessings. I can speak from experience on this one. :)
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