And a Time to Build Up...

Greetings to my old friends!

It has been awhile and the fresh spring air has brought me out of my reverie. It has been an interesting few years, full of many changes. We have moved back to our homeland. I have been watching a young girl turn into a young woman. I am seeing my strong young groom gently aging into a stronger but gentler man. We no longer have prairie fields in our midst but are currently surrounded by concrete and brick.

I am sorry I have not been able to answer any correspondence during my absence. When I stepped away from the computer, I had to completely give my all to what was ahead. Therefore, I kept clear of my blog email account as well. I do hope you understand ❤️ As a person who hates to offend, I found that part to be very difficult (so PLEASE forgive me)...

I am now in a new season. I have finished home educating. I don't have the same homesteading responsibilities. I am feeling a sense of calm (after quite a bit of a storm) and am hoping to once again step inside this little realm with the random parts of a home-making life. I am going to be sharing a bit differently in some areas and quite the same in others. While I won’t be posting as often as I used to, I hope to be able to enjoy it this time around with a better balance.

Also, as I relaunch the blog, I am going to include some giveaways to give it a fresh fun start! I think we could all use that right now! There will also be some lovely homemaking projects, recipes, pantry love, and all kinds of our favorite home-making subjects! The idea is to bring joy into our daily routines.

What is my new focus with all these changes? The same it has always been -- creating a safe and welcoming sanctuary within our home and to make it an enjoyable experience for the homemaker in the delightful little details. It means guarding the home, protecting its walls from uncomely influences, unhealthy lifestyles and negative attitudes. It means forging through the muck and mire we may find ourselves in and moving our way (and possibly -- figuratively speaking -- fighting our way) to higher ground. We are not going to wallow in the mud of despair. We will not give in to depression and sorrow. We will choose to be a beacon of hope in our home. ( I write this to encourage myself as well!)

How do we achieve this?

"Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name:

bring an offering, and come into his courts.

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness..."

~ Psalm 96:8-9

Our offering -- dear homemakers -- is ourselves. It is our reassuring smile (which says "God is in control") to our loved ones when they walk through the door.  It is the enticing scene of a nutritious, fresh meal waiting on a carefully set table filled with ceramic plates, bowls, sparkling silverware and lovely linens. It may be the scent of essential oils diffusing in the background or a flickering sweet candle glowing in our midst. It is laughter and love. It is giving a real, true and noble life experience to those God has entrusted in our care. We are worshipping the Lord in the beauty of holiness every moment we have on this earth. While surrounded with darkness, we are called to be a light. Burn brightly dear ladies for this is our time to shine, our influence is needed now more than ever -- it is our "time to build up"!

(Ecclesiastes 3:3)

Happy homemaking!

Love, JES

P.S. -- Pictured is my kitchen table. I like to decorate it with things we use and eat during the week such as pretty salt and pepper shakers, ruby red cherry tomatoes standing by for a salad, zucchini from the garden and any other fruit and vegetables waiting to be made into meals. The other items I keep displayed are a stack of napkins in a wire basket (this way they are convenient to access). Some households have a paper towel holder on the countertop so this is my version of ease. Oftentimes there is a pretty candle or a vase of flowers from the garden. I also keep a tablecloth on our painted table. It is of laminated cotton which wipes easily with a soap and water solution while maintaining the "real tablecloth" look that I love for its coziness.

P.S.S. I have also done a bit of housekeeping around the blog. I hope you enjoy some of the new updates. I changed my focus verse from one of my favorites (Jeremiah 6:16) to a new favorite in Isaiah. I also added somewhat of a bio picture (while still maintaining some privacy). I will also continue to slowly update and change in areas where needed. Please feel free to share the topics you are interested in hearing about most in the comments below... I am always curious!