Disciplines of A Godly Woman

Once a month I meet with a friend, Mandy Neilson, and we study the book Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes. Here are some things that really jumped out at me from this month's chapter, The Discipline of Worship.

After the service, everyone asks, 'What did you think of the service today?' or they slip out the door as quickly as possible. The real question should be, 'What did God think of it - and of us?" We ought to ask, 'What did I give to God?'

Worshiping 'in truth' means that we come informed by the objective relevation o God's Word about the great God we serve and the precepts He has spoken. In this sense our worship is governed by what we know and believe about God. The better informed we are, the better we can worship.

The next quote is from A.W. Tozer

Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to one standard to which each one must individually blow. So one hundred worshippers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship?

She also had some good ideas at preparing your heart for Sunday morning worship, as well, like laying clothes and Bibles out on Friday evening, along with anything else that you might need, praying for the Worship service ahead of time, getting up early on Sunday morning so you have plenty of time to get ready, and even spending a time of prayer as a family on Sunday before you leave for church.

Cream Soup Substitute

Rating:
Category:	Other

Ingredients:

* 3 tablespoon butter
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
* 1/2 cup low-fat or fat free milk
* salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in flour; keep stirring until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat and add the chicken broth and milk, a little at a time, stirring to keep smooth. Return to heat. Bring sauce to a gentle boil; cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed to taste.
Use in casseroles in place of condensed cream soups.

Can be varied by using vegetable broth, sauteéd chopped celery, celery seed, or sauteéd chopped mushrooms.

Joy

I want to find joy in all the little things I do today, thanking God for all the blessings that He's given me.
Thank You, God, for giving me kids to clean up after. Thank You, God, for providing us food to cook. Thank You, God, for possessions to tidy up. Thank You, God, for clothes to wash. Thank You, God, even for the trials, though I may not understand why they continue, I know that You are trying to strengthen me into the person You want me to be.

Butternut Soup (Stove Top or Instant Pot)

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

3 C cubed butternut
1 1/2 C water
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1/4 tsp marjarom
1/8 tsp pepper
1/16 tsp ground cayenne pepper
8 oz. cream cheese

Stove - Cook butternut with water, bouillon, marjarom and spices. Bring to boil and cook 20 minutes more.
Add cream cheese and puree/blend. Heat through, but do not boil again!

Instant pot - add all ingredients except cream cheese to Instant Pot. Set to pressure cook for 4 minutes. Quick release steam, add cream cheese and puree. Serve warm.

Quilting

I am working on finishing two quilts right now, one for Brad and one for Rissa. They are both Trip Around the World quilts based on what I learned from using this book LONG ago when I first made a quilt:



It's a SUPER easy method! If you have any desire to quilt and are hesitant because you think you can't, try this - you can! :)

I'll post some pics of the quilts later....

How to - Jean Pocket Purse

Here's a way to use old jeans!

Cut out the back pocket around the seam so that you have both layers still sewn together.

Decide how long you would like the handle for your purse and cut a piece of ribbon or lace the appropriate length (make sure to add a little length to sew onto the back of the pocket). Sew into place on the wrong side.

Add any embellishments you might like (lace, buttons, patch, etc.). For this one I sewed on a scrap piece of lace. You could also use fabric glue if you wanted to add something in the middle of the pocket so that you don't sew through both layers and close the pocket.

Here is a picture of the finished product.

At birthday parties here in South Africa, every child that comes gets a "party pack" or something to take home with them, usually a bag full of sweets and maybe a toy. We used these as the party packs for all the girls that came to Marissa's birthday party.

Raising Homemakers

Raising Homemakers has launched! Check it out....

If you want to journey with us, roll up your sleeves, splash some water on your face, and get ready to be intentional! It takes work, time, and intentionality to raise up homemakers for the glory of God! It takes work, time, and intentionality to train yourself in homemaking if you were never taught! We’re in this together, friends, so let’s get going!
To help facilitate the journey, we have some fun and meaningful plans in store.
One of things you can look forward to is a weekly link-up of a Polished Cornerstones project.  Polished Cornerstones is a study for daughters on the path to womanhood, and it is filled with wonderful projects for all age-groups (so no matter what season you or your daughter is in, it fits!).  We will begin these link-ups on Wednesday, June 30th (so you have time to get the book!).
We also have some fun giveaways for you as a kick-off to Raising Homemakers!