Beautiful Homemakers

From Christmas Chaos to Christmas Calm   Ooh, I wish I had a fireplace. I hope you have been enjoying Autumn breezes and colors, if you are in the northern hemisphere, and are ready to begin planning for the most wonderful time of the year EARLY this time. Don’t you just love this picture? I want my house to be this festive, snugly warm, peaceful, and beautiful…that’s why I wish I had a fireplace! At least I’ve got the cat, the hardwood floors, and the sunset. This is the week to begin in earnest! Your goal: Have Christmas presents bought and wrapped before Thanksgiving. Why? So that you can enjoy the entire month of December and just have fun! This year is the first year I don’t have any ideas for anyone , although I do have a few gifts bought that I saw earlier in the year. So the next three weeks will be key to having a stress-free and fun December. When my husband mentioned he’d like to take our now 16 yo son to Disneyland before he gets out on his own...

It’s not much fun being deceived, is it?  We hate to realize that we have believed a lie.  But isn’t it better to have the trick, the swap, the lie, exposed?  Wouldn’t you rather know the truth, and be embarrassed, than keep believing in the lie?   James 1:5-8 (NLT) says, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind . Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.” (emphasis mine) When I was a teenager I was given the book God Calling . At first it all sounded good, but… there was a little niggling doubt in the back of my mind that something just wasn’t right.  Because I had been brought up...