Hospitality, Homes and Great Bargains...

 As we prepare our homes for spring, we also are getting our homes ready to open for hospitality! Here are some pretty plates to serve guests with--The Life to the Full Collection!  Today is the LAST DAY to get your Life to the Full Collection for 30% off for the month of March! To get the discount you must use coupon code LIFE30 at checkout!

 These joyful plates are gorgeous and a great way to share your faith with John 10:10 inscribed as the theme:

"I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.... "

Can't you just see this festive looking pitcher on the patio in the summer by the pool ready to pour some nice cold lemonade?

These cozy mugs are great for a heart-to-heart conversation with two...some how hearts are just more open over a good cup of java or tea. Wouldn't you agree?

And while you are having guests over, why not share a good movie with them?

I remember one year having a HomeBuilder's meeting and having a large group of daughters watch 'The Return of the Daughters' and later discussing it and sharing their thoughts. We love to do this from time to time and these excellent movies are on sale right now until April 2nd.

 This is one of my all time favorites and chock full of wisdom. When I first watched this I was overwhelmed with all the wonderful information that I watched it again the next night and wisely took notes. What Is Biblical Femininity? is now on sale at 55% off and only $6.80! So is Training Dominion -Oriented Daughters!

And Tea with Michelle Duggar only $3.00 (80% off)
you can click the link to view the trailer.
....psssst--get your Mother's Day shopping checked off early this year!
Yes, it's only a few weeks away! And at this low price you can pick up several
and encourage that mom you have been meaning to bless~

And while you are busy cleaning your home for company, our family tends to like to listen to good music or a good sermon. Here are some GREAT deals-- SM Davis CD's for only $2.80 each!

I still love to have my children listen to What to Expect From a 12 Year Old when they are washing the dishes--it is SO convicting even to me as a mother of how I should raise them and the ones below. You can click on any of these images to listen to a sample.

Why Satan Wants Your Firstborn and What To Do About It--Is your oldest a rebel or a servant? This wonderful teaching on how the firstborn affects and influences the household and younger siblings. I love SM Davis and know many others who do as well.

And who doesn't need more wisdom in developing character in their children?
At only $2.80 these CD's are a steal--I paid much more for mine!





**Click here to see more phenomenal deals under $5.**



Hospitality and ministering to your family and others at a true bargain!

But hurry because as I said before the Life to the Full Collection ends today and Vision Forum spring sale ends on April 2nd.



Happy shopping!


*****************


Wise Woman Tip:

The mystery product that VF are promoting today at their site at 80% off is:

**UPDATED**

Tea with Michelle Duggar as pictured above
only $3.00!



 (they are promoting a new 80% off bargain product every day of this week!)

Getting The House In Order for Spring

Spring is around the corner and in a blink of an eye it will all be here too quickly!

We are writing out the lists,
  examining the home repairs,
pulling out the paint,
tackling overdue projects,
sewing for future events,
looking through gardening catalogs
 and packing away some of the winter items.

Most importantly we are dreaming about warmer weather!

I don't like waiting for spring to do alot of the indoor projects because I would rather be outside enjoying the weather then and find it much harder to commit to doing things inside when I would rather be basking in the sun somewhere working in the yard.

We are thinking far ahead--what do we want this spring/summer to look like?

Who do we want over? How can we reconnect with old friends? It is nice to have online friends, but don't forget to cultivate the ever important real life relationships too. Look at opening your home as a ministry and even think about people you wouldn't normally invite over.

Don't worry about your home looking perfect. Mine never does. I have a home with eight children---I think that says it all! There are imperfections everywhere, but we do not invite people over to impress them, I used to think that everything had to be perfect--that just comes from pride. Most people just appreciate the act of love that you opened up your home and overlook those sorts of things. Don't get me wrong, I like a clean, orderly home because I think that is right, but really just want to be realistic about the whole thing.

I am praying about how God might use our home this year. I am not sure what He has in mind, but I am preparing and want to be ready.

How about you?

How are you preparing your home for spring?



********************


This post is linked at Raising Homemakers , Far Above Rubies and
Women Living Well

Some Pretties For Your Home

As homemakers we are always looking for ways to beautify our space. We want it to be a place that warmly welcomes family and guests. We also desire to minister to those we love and care for with God's Word. Scripture does not need to be limited to wall art in the home but can also be displayed in beautiful serving ware.

Promoting life and home, introducing the gorgeous and hospitable

Life to the Full Collection

Breath-takingly beautiful breakfast plates!

I have come that they might have Life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

What a wonderful way to celebrate life--with cherished family, friends and food. 

A bowl full of soup to warm our souls and heart-to-heart conversation.

Tea towels for a very special occasion...

Coffee with friends....

and a word filled with hope....

Aprons that share God's heart...

And one for little homemaking hands that are learning too...

Together in unity---a feasting platter of love!

Fill your home with the beautiful things you love as you celebrate life and share His glory!



*******************


Dear friends, I am an affiliate for DaySpring, a wonderful Christian company that has partnered with Hallmark. If you would like to make a purchase, please consider doing it through this site through the links above! We thank you and greatly appreciate it. Right now several of these items listed above are on sale and any order of $50 or more gets FREE ground shipping within the United States!






This post is also linked up at Raising Homemakers and Far Above Rubies.

Snowflake Tea Party

Lillibeth, of The Pleasant Times, is hosting a week long snowflake event and to kick it off she had a lovely snowflake themed tea---take a peek at all the sweet wintery loveliness:

The table is set in shades of white, with clear-as-ice glass and shiny china dishes.

The menu includes sandwiches, veggies, cookies and of course, tea.

The sandwiches are cucumber-orange. They are cut in a diamond shape, and each diamond is placed just so to make a 6-pointed snowflake.

These sandwiches are so very good, you must try one. Home-made bread is spread with neufchatel cheese, and topped with one mandarin orange slice, and a thin cucumber slice.

Icicle sticks are made from parsnips and turnips, and placed in a crystal sugar creamer. Snowy cauliflower  and more sliced cucumbers are in the other dishes. On the left is our delicious sour cream dip (sour cream, dill, onion powder, garlic powder and salt, in that order and made to your taste).

And for dessert, you may have just a wee bit of each...

Snowdrift cookies (which are actually half "Whoopie Pies;"  the recipe is from the new Martha Stewart holiday cookie magazine, with the banana omitted, we also recommend to cut down on the amount of sugar a bit.)

Snowballs and mini snowflake bites,

and these giant snowflakes, which can be sliced into smaller pieces. The snowflakes are sprinkled with coconut flakes, and some are sprinkled with an edible clear glittery product from Wilton.

And for the tea, we have a variety of winter-time favorites. We tried to think of ideas in our Test Kitchen of a change from the usual sugar cube. We bounced around various ideas, and decided on this one. We made a very thick paste of powdered sugar and cream, and piped it in snowflake shapes on a plate. Then we froze it. The hope was, that these little frozen snowflakes would float on the top of the tea for just a second before sinking to the bottom, but alas! it did not work that way. However, we still think it was a nice touch for this snowflake tea party.

The centerpiece is a beautiful footed bowl, ruffled at the edges, filled with our paper snowflakes and a battery-operated LED candle that has been glittered with Epsom salts! Surrounding that are some wee "snowballs" and buttons in shades of white (which have also been scattered on the table).

Thanks so much for sharing these beautiful ideas, Lillibeth!

~Visit her blog to view these gorgeous images up close~

AND

the winner of the New Leaf Publishing giveaway is Jennifer P
of Peterson Ponderings! Congratulations and have a blessed holiday!

***************

Learning the Secret of a Homemaking Heart

What is it, that makes a christian woman a happy, home-loving wife and mother?

I wonder if, part of it perhaps, is this... as a woman setting out to become godly home-maker, she is encouraged to 'look to the ways of her household' and so, she begins the happy work of creating a haven of order and beauty. Her duties encompass many tasks, both mundane and creative, and she discovers that all are necessary for the making of a pleasant home.

She does not aim to reproduce the sterile image of perfection from some home decorating magazines. Neither is she slavishly mimicking the staged room settings of non-existent homes, found in the junkmail brochures. In fact, there may be nothing at all in her abode which bears a designers label to be eyed with envy.

No..a godly homemaker seeks items of much higher value to embellish her precious home!

Her guests may have trouble recalling the pattern on her sofa or the color of her curtains, but they will, however, clearly remember the atmosphere of the room in which she entertains them. Being aware of this, she aims to create, to the best of her ability, a tranquil room. For a caring home-keeper loves to create a warm and welcoming feel to her home.

She works to achieve this by simple means such as...avoiding ugly clutter, dusting and cleaning the furniture, and having good natural light coming in through the windows for starters. She adds some pretty flowers, real or silk, some comfy cushions, and pleasant pictures on the walls to make a plain room look lovely without costing a fortune.

She knows that many of the decorative items she seeks, can easily be found at thrift shops, or perhaps can be handmade by herself, as she learns some craft as a handy new hobby.

But nice as all these objects may be, the thing which people will remember most, is the 'feel' of the room. If everything is in it's place and picture perfect but the conversation is dry, cold and uncaring, her guests will carry away an impression of a soul-less house. However if they are greeted with true charity and genuine friendliness, they will leave with a sense of contentment and a desire to return again and often.

After all, it's not a designer sofa which offers comfort-a listening ear and gentle heart does ! And a stiff 3 course meal on expensive china does not feed the soul-but a simple bowl of warm soup can be a feast of joy, if served with love ! So the godly woman comes to discover that the heart of a truly happy home-maker must be a 'servant' heart.

She cheerfully learns to build a home of faith, love and peace for her family, as well as beauty comfort and order. She opens her home gladly to offer friendship, respite and encouragement to others. Her heart delights in sharing the blessings of her life and she extends them gladly as each opportunity arises.

She is known and loved for her generosity, joy, gentleness and faith. Her family treasure her and her friends admire her for she holds the key to contentment in her daily round of home-keeping. She knows the secret of finding joy in the humble chores of cherishing her home.

The key is shaped by the word 'GIVE'

And the secret's name is 'LOVE'

--Beautifully written by Trish @ Angel Wings and Apron Strings






*******************

HomeBuilding Hospitality

Yesterday we had our HomeBuilders meeting and I can't think of anything greater than getting together with God's people over coffee and talking about Jesus!

We had worked hard preparing our home for the day, de-winterizing our yard, touch up paint indoor and outdoors, several yards of mulch thrown down, and plenty of gardening from the last few weeks (more on this later), and not to mention cleaning the house. But it was all worth it in the end--(I love that having people over gives us that little push to get things done)---we had a great turn out and the weather was picture perfect and my pink blossom trees were in bloom!

More importantly, the Word of God was able to permeate our lives. The sacred covenant of marriage was discussed in depth, and I know that even I, who shared with the women on how to be a loving and supportive helpmeet, walked away challenged in my own life. That is the blessing of fellowship with other believers. As the verse--'iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another'--we are blessed when we can meet intimately with believers to cast light into one another's lives.

When we first bought this home, I promised the Lord I would always use it for Him and His people. I always want people to feel comfortable here. A place they can kick up there feet, rest and know that they can safely share the troubles and victories of the week here. A place to make a new friend and a place where they feel the love of Christ. My children treasure these special times ---they truly love having friends over and have held it as one of their fondest childhood memories. It is good to know that when we prepare for an event or meeting that we as a family team are using our hands to serve the body of Christ. I want that memory to be with our children forever.



Ultimately the greatest blessings of hospitality are that we enjoy with our friends is that we begin to create bonds that lead us to become more like a family instead of mere acquaintances that just say 'hi' and 'bye' to eachother at church. We pray for eachother, we support eachother, we listen to eachother. It is better than any support group on earth! We can just be real and talk about Jesus.

After all, isn't that what it's all about? Yes....JESUS.