Heart of the Home Tuesday-What's in Your Cup?

Before we can look at anything else as far as the "heart" of our homes, we first must examine our hearts. After all, we as women do set the tone for our homes, so what is going on inside of us really matters most of all!

So I ask today, "What is your cup filled with?"




It may sound a bit silly, but what fills your cup is what is going to spill out when you get bumped!!

You know what I mean...when something doesn't go well, you run short on time, an unexpected obstacle appears out of nowhere...all those crazy things that can fill our days and frustrate us, shut us down, or irritate.

Psalm 63:1 says this:

O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.

Ever feel like the Psalmist? The key here is "early will I seek you".

To start off each day with the right heart attitude, we must meet with God before we get swept up in our day and "fill our cups with His goodness".

This time should consist of confession of any known sin, prayer, praise, and reading His Word. We should always begin our time by asking Him to examine our hearts and show us anything that doesn't please Him, so we can receive freely from Him with a pure heart.


The result of this precious time with God will be a cup full of the fruit of the Spirit...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.


That is what I desire to fill my cup with!! Trust me ladies, if your cup is full with these fruits, your family will notice...including your HUBBY!!

So we can fill our cups each morning with all the really good stuff from God,

OR

just let it be filled with the cares of the world, and the ick that can creep in during our day...

What will spill out when you are bumped today?

I can honestly say that I see a HUGE difference in me when I have my quiet time in the morning! Often if I don't have it then...I either won't or it will be rushed, and my day will be far more of a challenge on every level.

I found this really inspiring blog and want to share it with you.





They have formed a 5:16 club that is based on Ephesians 5:16 about redeeming the time. You don't have to have your devotions at 5:16 a.m., but early, before your day really begins.

Though I most often have my quiet time in the morning, I still decided to join this club. Putting your name to a commitment just kinda makes it "official" for lack of a better word. I encourage you to check out this blog and join in!!

"Take my cup, Lord, fill it up, Lord"
Joyful blessings,
Becky


Next Tuesday: CLUTTER BUSTERS!!!

And tomorrow...We Did It Wednesday . I will be posting and give you an example of what this day is all about!! Mr. Linky will be up and running next week for you to join in!!

HEART OF THE HOME

GIRLS...Can we talk??




Let's face it...it's no secret that the woman of the house is the one who sets the tone for the home. In other words, we as women are the "Heart of the Home". So, when you think of your home, what pops into your head first? Joy, peace, ease and comfort, OR chaos, clutter, irritation and frustration?? Is the heart of your home beating rhythemically, or is emergency CPR needed??


Honestly, more often than I'd like I find myself in the second category, although most who know me view me as someone who "has her act together". Believe me, there are still cracks in this pot...but God is good and cracked pots are His specialty!! :o)


I am diligently working on simplifying our home, and organizing everything! My Tuesday posts are going to be dedicated helping us make our homes the havens and sanctuaries they should be for our families.


I will be sharing tips, ideas, timesavers, photos, my befores and afters, dreams and schemes, and anything else I can get my hands on from where ever I can get it!! There are already some wonderful women out there with great ideas and I will be sharing them as I find them, too.


Here's an HGTV pic of my dream homeschool room!! We school at the breakfast nook table!




Isn't this a delightful space? Just looking at this craft storage area gets my creative juices flowing!! (HGTV pic, too)



Donna Smallin of the "One Minute Organizer" makes these suggestions for multi-tasking and time management:

While popcorn is popping-3 minutes (mmm!)

In the kitchen:
~Organize the day's mail — toss the outer envelopes and inserts in bill statements along with junk mail.

~Organize a drawer; if there's not a lid for a container, toss it.

~Be brave as you open the fridge to play "leftover roulette," popping open mystery containers to see what's still edible, suggests Donna. Also, check out the expiration dates on condiments and half-full jars of spaghetti sauce.

~Rifle through that overflowing coupon box and toss the expired ones. Then file new ones by category and date.

~Take out the trash, and make sure the recyclables are in order.

~Empty or load the dishwasher; wipe down a shelf while you're at it.


So, ladies, if the heart of your home is in need of CPR or just a little tweaking, come back next week for HOTHT~~~Heart of the Home Tuesday!

Have a sunny day!!
Becky

WE HAVE A WINNER!!

This is my first giveaway, and I have had so much fun shopping for little things to put in with the wreath! Thanks to all who participated! My 10 yo Maddy was delighted to draw the winning name!!

AND THE WINNER IS...


PAT!!!! FROM BACK PORCH MUSINGS!!!

Pat is a very sweet and talented lady! If you haven't visited her blog before you really should! You'll love her decorating befores and afters!!

Pat, just send your mailing address to holidayinthesun_1@yahoo.com and I will have it in the mail to you on Monday!!

Have a joyful day!!

Becky

Heart of Gold

Thanks, Kelli, for hosting this fun show and tell! Please visit Kelli's blog here , and take a few minutes to visit some of the blogs of other participants! Enjoy!

Today I am sharing something very , very dear to me. Bear with me here...this is a good story!!

This is my treasure...

This is my story...

We celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary this year, but the fact is my husband has been a part of my life for much longer than that! I met him in 6th grade and had a crazy crush on him. (I even had a code name for him, "FARMER" 'cause he wore overalls to school sometimes) He of course, didn't know I was alive. My Mom, however, had already pegged him as a favorite because he was very polite (a southern gentleyoungman from Dallas) He always helped her with stuff around our school (she was PTA president) and always said "Yes Ma'am, No Ma'am". She really liked him, but didn't know I secretly did too!

A few years flew by, and much to my surprise at the end of eighth grade, out of the clear blue, he asked me to go steady with him. (I was on the bus, he was outside talking loudly through the window!) I said "I don't think so" because I didn't want to "go" with anyone over the summer. (took a big chance there!)

He said "Okay, but I'm going to try again".

I smiled and said "Okay". (such stunningly intellectual dialogue!)

And he did; two weeks into 9th grade.

And I said "yes". Who would have ever thought he would be my life partner!! Certainly not me, but I did like him a lot! ;)

We were voted couple of the year, had a "couple" picture in our paperback yearbook, and I dubbed him "The Sunshine of My Life" (It was our song, by Stevie Wonder) (You are the sunshine of my life, forever you'll stay in my hear-art!")

The evening of our "9th grade prom" he gave me this necklace. His mother couldn't believe that he had wasted his hard-earned lawn mowing money on such a thing!! I couldn't believe he gave me something so pretty. It was a magical night. (if that's possible in 9th grade!)

We dated through high school, breaking up a couple of times but always getting back together. Then in the summer before our senior year, we broke up one last time and his family moved 5 hours away. We pretty much thought that was it, although we had mutual friends and always knew what the other was up to.

A few years went by and we got back in contact, and well...

you know the rest of the story.....

AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER!

He said "Love Always, Randy" on the back of this heart pendant and he really meant it!! I'm so glad I kept this through the years!

I'm such a sap for happy endings!!

Thanks for letting me share my treasure and story with you!

Have a great day!!

Becky