Our Blessed Legacy: 18 Years

Marriage is the blessed sacred union between a husband and wife and today I announce the celebration of 18 years with my best friend! We have been blessed because the Lord has strengthened our marriage through the years and patiently showed us how to have a Christian marriage and home. We have eight beautiful children and one in heaven. We have been through happy and good times, hard and troubling times and yet have been shaped and strengthened through it all.

We are both first generation Christians and we also came from broken homes. But we have chosen to take a stand for Christ in our lives-- to defend Him, our Christian family and homelife. We are determined to leave a godly legacy for our children. We have resolved that this will be the generation in our family to end the destructive cycle of divorce. If God is willing, we will not pass down a broken heritage to our children but instead a rich inheritance---they will be a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that they may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
(1 Peter 2:9).

God has definitely weaved a beautiful tapestry in our lives and as our hearts and souls became one. The glory of his magnificent work all goes to our Savior! Each year we are married is a victory for His kingdom and a reminder of Satan's defeat. We are blessed to be witnesses to the mightiness of his loving kindness and grace and we give Him thanks and praise for turning that which was nothing and using it for His glory!

Which makes me think of this poem:

*A Christian Home*

O give us home built firm upon the Savior
Where Christ is Head and Counselor and Guide
Where every child is taught his love and favor
And gives his heart to Christ, the crucified:
How sweet to know that through his footsteps waver
His faithful Lord is walking by his side!

O give us homes with Godly fathers, mothers,
Who always place their hope and trust in Him:
Whose tender patience turmoils never bothers,
Who calm and courage trouble cannot dim;
A home where each finds joy in serving others,
And love still shines, tho' days be dark and grim.

O Lord, our God, our homes are Thine forever!
We trust to Thee their problems, toil, and care;
Their bonds on love no enemy can sever
If thou are always Lord and Master there:
Be Thou the center of our least endeavor--
Be Thou our Guest, our hearts and homes to share.

-Barbara B. Hart




Happy Anniversary, Steve!
I LOVE YOU
And I am so honored to be your wife,
and my prayer is to have many more years with you~
so that we can hold our grandchildren and great grandchildren in our arms
and kiss their faces
with tears in our eyes
and know that we did all we could to give them the best start
in knowing our Savior
who saved us both from the grips of the enemy
and our darkest hour.
May we leave a legacy
that last for generations
impacts the world for His glory
and share eternal life with them
in the glorious heavens.








(You can read Steve's blog at The Male Domain)

Family Reformation Ladies Tea of 2010

This past weekend my daughters and I were blessed to be a part of the Reformation Ladies Tea hosted by Stacy McDonald (author of Raising Maidens of Virtue and co-author of Passionate Housewives Desperate for God). The lovely speakers were Jasmine Baucham, Stacy McDonald, Sandy Grutzius and Hope Ware. I have plenty of pictures to share for those of you who couldn't make it:

Tables were beautifully, creatively and lovingly decorated by mothers and daughters of Providence church.

I liked this ship theme, it makes me think about the Titanic for some reason and therefore conjures up romantic thoughts of the ocean. There were so many themes--from porcelain doll tables to horses theme, you can click here to view more of the tables.

Mallory Grutzius plays her gorgeous harp as background music, we tried to capture it on video but it was drowned out by all those talking in the background. Trust me though, it was heavenly as she is quite skilled. Her sisters also played violin and flute.



We were served a gourmet lunch, chicken salad on croissant, strawberry salad and strawberry soup---my youngest daughter was in heaven because she just LOVES strawberries. Above is a picture of the dessert table, everything was delectable! They had everything from chocolate covered strawberries, fruit bouquets, truffles, cupcakes and tea cookies and more. Gluten free dainties were also available.



This had to be my favorite table of all--I like to think of it as the 'Blessed Mother' table. It reminds me of my blog- look closely and see the crystals hanging off the cake stand? I love it! The candle holder on the left (not all pictured) gave it a beautiful aura as it glistened through the room.

This is Jesi Ryken (15) on the left with Emilee Degenhart---I have these two special daughters in this post because I want you to take a close look at their gorgeous dresses. Jesi made these dresses out of sheets--yes! I said sheets (that she picked out for free at the 'free room' of her church)! She made her dress in one day then added hand made crocheted sleeves and embroidered red and blue stars to match their flag themed table at the tea! Talk about resourcefully repurposing something old into something new and beautiful!




Stacy encouraged us and our daughters to live godly lives. She shared a clip about flirting and showed pictures contrasting the hollywood 'come hither' look of women and the 'pure eyes' of a woman who represents Christ. It was very good! My daughters especially enjoyed that part since two of their friends were featured in the 'pure eyes' collage.



Here I am with Jasmine--we both write for Ladies Against Feminism and Raising Homemakers. Did you notice how un-photogenic I am? I know I look tired but the night before we were out until 2am at my husband's 20th high school reunion---I have an excuse! {ahem} Jasmine Baucham was indeed our heroine--she had gone through quite an ordeal to arrive at the tea on time--canceled plane flights, torrential rains, unspeakable traffic and so forth. She is currently working on a book entitled after her blog, Joyfully at Home, that promises to be an excellent addition to our daughter's collections.



Here I am with my sweet friend Jaime Gibbs of Like a Bubbling Brook--if you click on her link you will find her perspective of the tea. She is a sweetie pie, has two adorable children and is in the midst of planting a church with her husband. Jaime, it was wonderful visiting with you and I hope to have you over to my house soon for some tea!



My daughter captured the room as the ladies sang a lovely hymn in unison lifting up praises to God.
(Be sure to turn off the music in the sidebar before you play the video!)



My daughters with their friends-- the Grutzius daughters and Kelle Merry (she also made her dress, isn't it too cute?) These gals all know eachother from the Maidens of Virtue group we attend.

Here are a few quick tidbits shared at the tea:

• Wives, mothers and daughters have an irrevocable calling
• We can get too busy with good things, not God things
• Statistics show moms spend way too much time on the internet and are distracted with that, blogging, emailing and texting (we are not 'safe' in our own houses)
  
• We need to examine ourselves to see if we are really living godly lives or just having 'the appearance of godliness'
  
• We need to model biblical womanhood for our daughters, to help them embrace it (and not force it). We need to model it with our heart allowing God to transform us.

There's so much more but cannot possibly include it all in one post...I also cannot forget our wonderful visit to Providence church the next day and staying the night with the loving and hospitable Bandy family! They so blessed our hearts with their warm welcome and godly Christian example. I learned alot from my visit there--but that is a whole other post! And if you are ever in town, I highly recommend that you visit Providence church-- Pastor James McDonald is an excellent preacher, full of zeal and a passionate heart for his Lord and congregation--their church family is loving and warm. We are very much looking forward to visiting again soon.

Hope you enjoyed my pictures of the tea!

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Have a tea with your daughter(s) and make special memories,
I love this tea set collection 
and it is perfect for their hope chest!

Teaching and Training Daughters

It is critical that we teach and train our daughters today to embrace their God-given roles, use their gifts to glorify the King and to wholeheartedly discern, interpret and reject the so called 'wisdom' of our culture.

Deborah Brown, wife to Scott Brown, and her daughters share their wisdom with us on biblical womanhood and daughterhood on their NCFIC Road Trip:

(Be sure to turn off the music in the sidebar first!)

Ladies' Tea in Oakhurst, CA from NCFIC on Vimeo.

Ladies Tea in Chicago from NCFIC on Vimeo.

 Here are some of my favorite resources for training daughters:

Return of the Daughters
What is Biblical Feminity?
Training Dominion Oriented Daughters


Have a blessed day!

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The Feminist's Worst Nightmare

Jasmine Baucham recently wrote an excellent article in defense of the stay-at-home daughter:

"If you choose to train to become a homemaker -if you choose to live at home with your parents and serve your family until you become a wife and mother -if you live under the jurisdiction of your parents until you are given in marriage to a godly young man to whom you choose to submit...

Expect some stones to fly in your direction.
Don't be surprised when you receive snide remarks -and don't be shocked with mischaracterization -and don't shrink back when others mock and deride you.
But, also, don't lose heart. You are different -you are counter-cultural -you are purposeful -

And you're a threat.

Yes, you!
You are a hard-core feminist's worst nightmare
-you are chock-full of potential
-you are beautiful
-you are industrious -you are intelligent...
and you've chosen to pour that
-every ounce of it
-not a drop left
-not a stone left unturned

-into your family."




Read the rest here.



What an encouragement for stay-at-home mothers as well!

A Working Mother's Dream

I happened across a post that brought tears to my eyes today.

Sometimes as mothers we forget the blessings we have through the thick of it all.

When others are crushed by what they cannot have,

and that we so often take for granted

I believe the Lord brought me to it and wanted me to share it with you all:




To Stay At Home Wives and Mothers







Thank you, Lady-In-The-Making, for sharing-and wanted to let you know that myself and the readers on this blog will be praying for you.
Here is a helpful link:

Do You Long to be a SAHM?

Encouragement to Wives and Mothers

Motherhood is a gift from God. He has perfectly designed you to be a mother (spiritually/emotionally as well as physically). God has designed you in a general way for your role, but He has also in his sovereignty designed you in a particular way for your particular children.

Embrace your role. Don’t see it only as an obligation to endure. Be creative. Enjoy it. God called you to be a wife and mother – a homemaker. A homemaker is not just a housewife. A homemaker creates a pleasant, clean, peaceful, relaxing, safe, accepting environment. A godly homemaker creates a home that honors the Lord and is overflowing with love.

Practice your calling with the same passion that you would have if you were called to be an astronaut or a doctor. Your career choice was made when your child was born. You have been called to raise a child for God. If, for example, you have the education and training to be a banker, your primary career is still being a mother and your secondary career is being a banker. If you are a teacher, you are a teacher after being a wife and mother. If you are a nurse, you are a nurse after being a wife and mother. If you are a missionary, you are a missionary after being a wife and mother. Your primary career, according to the Scriptures, is your career as a wife and mother.

Remember that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. There is no more important or significant task on planet earth than preparing the next generation to serve God.

* Mother and Homemaker: Proverbs 14:1, 26; 1 Timothy 5:14 (2:9-15); Titus 2:4-5

* Training the Next Generation: 2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14-15; Ephesians 6:4 (Acts 16:1)

* God’s sovereignty and design: Psalm 139:13-16

-By Barbara and Fred Dye

(Hat tip to Practical Housewifery)

The Homeschool Corner

Since summer is nearly here, I know there are families taking their children out of public schools next year to be homeschooled or are seriously considering it.




So today I am over at my homeschool blog

--The Homeschool Corner--

and have put several new posts up.

Won't you stop by for a visit?

And be sure to tell a friend!

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The Victorian Tea

Over the years I have loved going to tea parties and hosting them. Once again I feel the urge to invite some ladies over for tea to share our hearts and encourage one another. There is nothing like good friends getting together and making memories~which is something I feel is so fascinating and lovely about having tea.

There are different kinds of tea. There is a high tea and a low or afternoon tea. Do you know the difference?

High Tea is often a misnomer. Most people refer to afternoon tea as high tea because they think it sounds regal and lofty, when in all actuality, high tea, or "meat tea" is dinner. High tea, in Britain, at any rate, tends to be on the heavier side. American hotels and tea rooms, on the other hand, continue to misunderstand and offer tidbits of fancy pastries and cakes on delicate china when they offer a "high tea."

Afternoon tea (because it was usually taken in the late afternoon) is also called "low tea" because it was usually taken in a sitting room or withdrawing room where low tables (like a coffee table) were placed near sofas or chairs generally in a large withdrawing room. There are three basic types of Afternoon, or Low Tea:

Cream Tea - Tea, scones, jam and cream

Light Tea - Tea, scones and sweets

Full Tea - Tea, savories, scones, sweets and dessert

In England, the traditional time for tea was four or five o'clock and no one stayed after seven o'clock. Most tea rooms today serve tea from three to five o'clock. The menu has also changed from tea, bread, butter and cakes, to include three particular courses served specifically in this order:

Savories - Tiny sandwiches or appetizers

Scones - Served with jam and Devonshire or clotted cream

Pastries - Cakes, cookies, shortbread and sweets

Now that you know the difference,
take a peek at this Whimsical Garden Tea!

(Don't you love the chandelier?)

The crisp and fruitful Summer Tea

and gather your lovely little daughters for...

The Enchanting Butterfly Fairy Tea

(A memory I am sure this daughter will never forget!)

The elegant and favorite Doll Tea

(The Life of Faith Dolls, Christian with books that are Christ centered)

Whatever tea you choose, it can be as simple or as elegant and full of pomp as you would like!
I think my next one will be on the simple and relaxing side.

Lady Lydia's (Homeliving) daughter, Lillibeth, at The Pleasant Times has a few nice posts on tea:

Tea Times

Spring Tea

If you didn't already know, Stacy McDonald is hosting a tea you won't want to miss:

Reformation Ladies Tea 2010

and Jasmine Baucham, Stacy and Sandy Grutzius will be the speakers.
While you are there check out the tables, they all have beautiful creative themes.

What a great idea!



If you would like to view some of my past tea parties that I have held for my daughters, you can click below:

The Princess Tea Party

The Christmas Doll Tea Party

A favorite quote about tea:

I always fear that Creation will expire before teatime.

~Sydney Smith








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Looking for a beautiful heirloom set for your daughter or granddaughter?


Look no further---the perfect set is HERE!

What a treasure to use for special occasions or even pack away in their hopechests....

Whatever Is Noble--The Realm of Entertainment

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Phillipians 4:8

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." Colossians 2:8

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." (1 Peter 1:13-16)

The realm of entertainment is indeed a hot topic indeed among Christians today. There are those who feel strongly that they need to stay in touch with culture and watch the newest movies to keep in touch and abreast with their culture and then there are those who openly teach about the dangers and false philosophies of entertainment. Unless you are living in a bubble somewhere, this subject directly affects all of us.

The three verses stated above have enough biblical guidelines to look at the world of entertainment through biblical lenses. There are many more, of course, but for sake of time and space we will use these three.

There is so much this generation of parents have to face that our own parents did not, our culture is saturated with high technology, that its hard for those who are not savvy in the area to keep up and thus more exposure of our children to evil. The world has truly become more desensitized to the wickedness around it and ridicule us when we reject it. There is good to be found in the below categories but I want us to examine the various choices of entertainment:

TV/Movies--the obvious offenders are evident, lust, sexual immorality, sensuality, foul language, witchcraft, but what about the ones that are not? Feminism, children deemed as superior and parents portrayed as imbeciles, rebellion towards authority and God, homosexuality, and the list goes on.

Books/ Magazines-- glossy pages send strong messages, books can have hidden messages, philosophies and agendas that mom and dad don't have time to read through

Video Games--violence, sex saturated, dark and evil, desensitizing our children, satanic-- now they have video games that access the internet and so we move unto..

Internet sites, blogs, Youtube and Facebook--all which put our children and ourselves on the fast track of information--good and bad. Be sure to have your filters on as a smorgasbord of depravities exists for the unsuspecting. Not only that, but also know what your children are reading and who they are visiting. Never let a child be online alone. I use the 'buddy system' for accountability. No one goes online without someone with them. Sometimes, even blogs for girls/boys (that appear godly) can dive into topics like sex, suicide and such so beware!

Music--Since there are many points I want to discuss here, I will be discussing this subject in a different post.

I have 'cleaned house' before and it is amazing how things still find their way in, it is definitely an ongoing process! Our family has adopted a 'walk beside, talk beside' method of dealing with these things and that in the event if they are exposed to ungodly influences-- we counter it with biblical worldview teaching. We must arm our children with the weapons of war that they will need for their time here on earth as we cannot shelter them from everything.

Children will want to imitate what they watch. Parents must be faithful in being responsible--making sure our children are exposed to and have multiple of sources of entertainment that are good, noble and excellent. We must remember that there is a spiritual war in the media culture and Satan, who has been quite successful so far, wants our children for himself.

So let's be diligent, parents, and keep a watchful eye over them so that none, not even one, will be led astray.






***If you are in need of finding good wholesome resources of entertainment for your family, I wholeheartedly recommend Vision Forum--they also have an excellent Beautiful Girlhood and All American Boyhood Adventure Collection.***



(She Looketh Well Series, Part 5)

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Daughters As Pillars

"May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace.--Psalm 144:12

Graceful and beautiful pillars are indeed being raised today. I have seen them with my own eyes. They stand out from the crowd. They are being raised for kingdom purposes.

Theirs is a strong and sacred foundation--the holy scriptures. This is where they are learning the character of the Proverbs 31 women and the mandates of Titus 2:4-6:

1. Learning to love their future husbands
2. Learning to love their future children
3. To be self-controlled
4. To be pure
5. To be keepers at home
6. To be kind
7. Learning to be subject to their future husbands so the word of God will not be maligned

This new generation of daughters are being raised to fear the Lord. They are taught to be feminine women of nobility, courage, diligence, loyalty and submission. They esteem purity and modesty. They strive to be honorable. They are daughters who have vision and remarkable influence as they help to advance the kingdom of God. These daughters have given their hearts to their parents and desire to help and bless them and their families. They learn the value of a meek and quiet spirit as they firmly defend and teach the Word to all who are willing to listen. They know their true purpose because they are serving the Lord wholeheartedly. They embrace how they were designed to be help-meets and seek to be industrious to help their fathers and future husbands. Many are highly educated and well-equipped to teach the next generation about the Lord and prepare for Him an army of warriors.

Godly daughters follow in the spirit of Psalm 144:12 and Titus 2. They are pillars and cornerstones, which is another word often used in this verse, help to support and vital in maintaining a buildings structure. Much in the same way daughters become just as invaluable to a home as they grow and help it to run successfully. Godly daughter's embrace their father's vision and take it up as their own. Virtuous daughters being brought up to be godly women are invaluably priceless in the eye's of the Lord (Prov 31:10) and they impact society and culture with a powerful rippling effect.

So, dear Christian Mothers, know that that little daughter sitting next to you is cherished in the Lord's eyes. The babes she will raise will be the next generation which will serve Him. She will be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her husband taking dominion and quite possibly be at the helm with him, leading the future church, mentoring men and women alike as they take their place in reforming culture. She will be making strong the fabric of society by taking her place in the home and in her family- making it an example for others to learn from and to bring God glory. Be careful to guide her and protect her. Be careful to teach her all that you know and much, much more. Love her with the love that comes from the Heavenly Father and be found trustworthy of discipling her well.









(This article is over at Raising Homemakers, hop on over there to see the great giveaway they have and all you have to do is post on my article over there to enter! And great news--Jasmine Baucham and Kelly Crawford will be joining the RH team!)

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Raising Homemakers

It's here!

The Raising Homemakers website launched today! It is so exciting to have a place for all of us mothers, daughters, grandmothers and women from all types of backgrounds-- to be able to gather and be encouraged on this blessed journey of raising godly daughters and preparing them in the arts of homemaking to bring glory to our King.

I believe it is so important to equip and inspire our daughters with biblical wisdom, life skills and good works to bless the world around them. I also believe that it is equally vital to impart vision and offer encouragement to them so they understand their purpose here on earth...that is why I am so excited about being on the team of inspiring contributors at Raising Homemakers and looking forward to the wisdom we will find there. This will be a place for mothers and daughters to do exactly that and to really focus in on the womanly and domestic arts in the 21st century.

And to celebrate the launch, we are having an wonderful give away bundle that you won't want to miss---the perfect set for any aspiring or present day homemaker! Here is a sneak peek at one of the books we are giving away:

(I love this book and highly recommend it for all mothers and daughters alike, there is much wisdom to be learned here.)

Don't delay, visit Raising Homemakers today!