Simplique! A Compedium of Plain and Simple Living

Home Managers

Home Managers

You know we have heard the words frugal, thrifty, economical, penny-wise, etc. and these words have some place in dealing with budgeting and home financial management, but I like the term "prudent."  It is found in the Scriptures, mostly in Proverbs, but it has such a fuller meaning for the Home Manager.   Being a prudent woman, means being marked by wisdom and judiciousness and acting with shrewdness in management of one's practical affairs and for the home manager, that would be her household.  It means having learned the value of being circumspect or having a carefulness about one's self to consider all the circumstances or possible consequences when making decisions affecting the home and family for their good and for the blessing and prosperity of the home.  Being prudent a woman acknowledges that she has received God given forsight - a view to foresee forward with exceptional discernment and she anticipates and is proactive to respond well beforehand should some unforseen circumstances happen, such as setting aside funds for possible emergencies, having a savings account,  building and maintaining  a well stocked pantry and provisioning ahead of schedule for all the seasons in order to meet the needs of her family, planning for and having other things such as co-op memberships for food and non-food items, keeping an up-to-date emergency first aid kit with phone numbers, trip planning to get the most out of gas mileage, making use of consignment shoppes for purchases and sales, researching for the best value and quality when making large purchases.  Being prudent, a home manager is willing and has a favorable disposition to her heartset, that is the home - she will joyfully take on her role by choice without reluctance and under the guidelines of biblical principles. The question we need to ask ourselves is if there is any area in our lives where we acknowledge a reluctancy and an unwillingness to be an excellent prudent home manager and why.....I have seen so many home makers who are unhappy because they set themselves up for failure due to lack of preparation and becoming equipped and prepared, and winding up being foolish rather than prudent. This is not something we can blame on parents, it is something we must deal with with ourselves to become educated toward the ways of being prudent and using that developed talent effectively in our homes with a willing spirit.  Biblically paraphrased as " As for me and my household, I will learn, apply and teach the providental and prudent ways of the Lord in all my affairs for the betterment of my home, family and community."

Home Managers

Simply with God

I like the word patience and I like having patience, it is a godly virtue that is developed over time and deals with the desires of restlessness within the soul.  True patience is not about waiting, it is about letting go and letting God do His work and His plans in my life. Patience is about me making the choice to allow what is the right time, the right place and the right knowing come into full action all orchestrated by God.  I have been given tools through God's word to perserve and continue on toward a destined goal and through patience, I endure the trials, tribulations, temptations of this life.  God's power within my life develops the attribute of a patient character and trusting in God's goodness begins developing it. When I have trials in my life, they serve to purify and refine my nature and develope further the strengths of patience. Patience speaks to me of being compassionate with others and having a listening heart when tragedy strikes in their lives.  Patience tells me that I do not judge others and leave judging of spirit and soul to God.  Patience teaches me to be both gentle and firm with myself that I may complete the goals I have started.  Patience guides me onto a good path for my feet, keeping me from going astray.  Patience produces an inner beauty of character that outshines any outer physical beauty.  I enjoy walking each day with patience in my life as I am being instructed by the Wisdom of God in ways I may not yet understand but acknowledge a growing cycle is taking place and I will change to have more and more of a God set mind as I sojourn in this world.

Simply With God

A Day In The Life Of

Today I am busy with cleaning and packing.....and perhaps a part of me wishes I were doing something else, but I know this is necessary and needful for me to do this, one box at a time.  The blessing I have is now there are more things I can do without, and there will be things I can give away for others to make use out of.  A short break here and there to collect my thoughts and reflect back on life certainly brings some mixed emotions both good and sorrowful.....sometimes we have to have necessary losses in our lives to know what gains we will have.  I think that today I am learning more about the measure of one's life in terms of what true simplicity is and where contentment comes from.  Today I can "let go and let God" and know that no matter where I am, I will not be alone, I will have the Great Comforter with me....the most priceless treasure I could ever have.

Home Managers

I think that a good Home Manager reflects what she has learned herself in the lives of her children.  Through the training up, nuture, encouraging, educating and disciplining, it shows in their character.  A good Home Manager herself has learned that life is not a free for all, but that there are boundaries that are there for protection, safety and freedom and that crossing over those boundaries may spell certain destruction, and she has the ability to share such with her children in a manner and way that is teachable to their spirits.  A Good Home manager will instruct her children in a lifestyle that is beneficial to them, one that is good and builds from a strong foundation, each cornerstone of character upon another.  A good Home Manager reflects the life of her Creator outwardly to her children in the way in which she conducts her own affairs.  A good Home Manager will be a valuable asset to her spouse, one that will respect, nuture, honor and encourage him and it is visible - open, seen by her children.  A good Home Manager will use her God given talents, skills and creativity to enhance the family unit.  A good Home Manager shows her affection with appropriate empathy, compassion, grace and mercy first of all to her spouse, then to her children and then to the extended families.  A good Home Manager understands that she needs to continue to educate herself in virtuous character and attributes that are desirable to her children.....they have the desire in themselves to want to be a similar example to other.  A good Home Manager will instruct in the ways of honesty, integrity, truthfulness, being trustworthy, having credibility, self - control, being patient, and much more.  A good Home Manager knows when it is time to gather the family together to enjoy life's goodness through worship, prayer, memorizing verses for life, sharing hopes and dreams, traveling to see the history of one's forefathers and foremothers, helping out when others have immediate needs making it pleasurable.
A ggod Home Manager will know when it is time to give firm but loving discipline and correction, and the reasons why....and will incorporate justice through restitution and reconcillation.  A good Home Manager learns the way of the peace maker and applies it when talks get heated or discussions turn into angry words.
A good Home Manager will know how to heal the wounded heart with words and non-words so that emotional wholeness can be restored.  A good Home Manager will look out for the best interests of all of her family and train herself to be aware of the talents and skills her children are developing so that she may give support to those that are worthy.  A good Home Manager will know that giving a child "every thing" is not the answer, that what children desire most is their parents' time, attention, affection and affirmation.  A good Home Manager will know her childrens' dispositions well enough that with her hands she makes gifts of love that will be cherished and beloved.  A good Home Manager will know that she can be passionate....passionate about order in her home, about a peacefullness of athmosphere in the house, about preparing for the beginning and ending of the day with a heart of gratitude, about making her home a shelter...a safe harbor from the storms and ragings of life to where quiet solitude and renewal can take place.  A good Home Manager knows herself that she is worthy, that she has estimated herself without vanity but within the boundaries of a Creator's hands.

Home Managers

I like simple furnishing in the home, ones that are practical and hold cherished memories.  The practical comes from knowing what will be used on a daily basis and what would be best whether wood, fabric, leather or woven cane......whatever the choice, such furnishings need not be fancy, but they need to be functional, well made, durable, easily cleaned and have ease of mobility to be moved around.  My choice for such home furnishings would be things like large wooden rockers with pads,
wooden trundle beds doubling as day seating areas, walk in closets with the dressers and racks all built in to have more bedroom space, wooden floor chests for blanket and linen storage, shelf mounting over windows with pegs to allow for simple mounting of hanging curtains or shades, and placing of plants or treasured porcelain pieces, kitchen or dining tables that are adjustable for large seatings or smaller ones, kitchen hoosiers where dough making is done, functional reading lamps so eyes are not strained, When the choice is made for function and practicality, then one can rule out the latest trends and home fashion chic.....there is freedom to have in place what is most manageable for the Home Manager, there is less worry over something being damaged, and more pleasure taken at the everyday use.  It is something every Home Manager needs to consider when first setting up the new home - and how each area of that home needs to function - what will work out best in long term planning needs as opposed to short term wants.

I have A Passion For

I have a passion for listening to sounds......sounds that come from life and creation itself.  I enjoy listening to the sounds of the early morn, the brazen cack of the rooster, the high notes of chirpping crickets and the melodious notes of field birds.  I have a passion for the sounds that I can hear and that have their own distinctive smell, sounds and smells like walking through lush dew covered grass, and standing in cool swift bubbling streams, and picking from the stems fresh green beans, fresh peppers and fresh corn.  I enjoy the sounds of fresh coffee perking on the stove, being poured into a cup and seeing the steamy aroma rise above it, and from the oven stones, taking out freshly baked breakfast buns, stirred, hot bubbly oatmeal, crisp,crackling fresh bacon and newly gathered basted eggs to the breakfast table amidst smiling faces.  I have a passion for the sounds of the barn.....baaing sheep, peeping chicks, honking geese, and the newborn whimps of baby kittens and puppies. I have a passion for the sounds of a ripe peach picked for eating and the juicy squish as the first bite is taken.   I have a passion for the sounds of a generation to generation passed down and well used quilting rack that creaks and groans and drinks in deep of polishing oils until it once again stands as my faithful companion as the quilt is wound and pressed on the beam and tied taut on the sides.  I have a passion for the sounds of the quilter's needle as it pokes through the fabric in precision rocking and the thread as it is pulled through to create endless patterns of curved and straight.   I have a passion for the remembered sounds of two and three generations sitting at the quilt rack together working stitch after stitch and speaking in our mother tongue.  I have a passion for the sounds of joyful unison worship and praise of the Creator and the hushed wispered voices of prayer and repeated scripture.  I have a passion for the sounds that are God made, God created and God given that I might find joy and blessededness in them.

A Passion For

I have a passion for baking.  I enjoy working with different flours and grains especially when the are fresh milled from the grinder.  I like to experiment and combine different grains together for their flavor and taste....flours like amaranth, teff, spelt, quionwa, sesame, soy and more.  I enjoy working with doughs and feeling the flours as they change as if by majic from dry ingredients, to sticky to a smooth satiny ball that will rise high.  Taking the time to watch and see the raise and how the dough changes is amazing.  And then, to reshape into different styles of loaves of bread or morning buns and watch the process all over again ......then placing in a steamy oven and oh! the fragrance is so inviting and so speaks of home memories.  And when the loaves come out so brozen and golden, with just a touch of butter glaze, the loaves present themselves in an attire of shiny splendor.  And the morning buns are pungent with the aroma of cinnamon, honey, maple and pecans....kissed with a covering of creamy offwhite topping. Yes I enjoy the home art of baking and seeing what delights come forth from the hearth stones of my oven blessings that I can give and share with others and we both can remember when.....

A Day In The Life Of

Today is Friday and it is a day that the Lord hath made, I will be glad and rejoice in it.  That is one of the first things for me to do today is to get glad and to be rejoiceful.  Today will be a Farmers' Market day and that will be a busy day from early morn to mid afternoon. There is so much bustle with booth set ups and produce to be attractively arranged and ready....and the smell of fresh baked still warm breads, cinnamon rolls, sticky buns and more brings wafes of fragrance to the early morning air. With just this small break of time, I am sharing with you my market day!

Simply with God

For me to be simply with God is to walk in wholesomeness while sojourning in this life.  For some wholesome or wholesomeness may seem a little old fashioned, but I think it is right fashioned in stead.  We are fashioned in the image and eyes and by the hands of our Maker, and He sees each of us as being uniquely made and one of a kind.  For me, wholesomeness is a simple way of living in community with God.  One's thoughts are transformed into being upright, with integrity, humility,  decency, purity, morality and goodness - and that is refreshingly different from a world mindset.  I have a wholesome spirit which is God created, God breathed and God inspired.  In wholesomeness, I find I have a freedom to be what God has purposed me to be by His plan and design.  I have a redeemed nature both spiritually and physically that no longer wants to be violated by corruption, hatred, greed, selfishness and an idol mindset.  I am free to pursue the goodness of God in the context of His creation and His word.  It brings joy to my soul when I know that I have lifestyle and standard that is God set, God implimented and God purposed......because He has my best intentions in mind at all times.  I choose to want the walk of wholesomeness as woman to make the mark of a separated and cleansed life that is dedicated to Him.

A Passion For

I have a passion for color do you?  sounds a little strange coming from a plain woman, but it is true.  I like the vibrancy of rich dark solid....each has it place in the seasons of the year.  I enjoy combining complimentary colors together like a kalidoscope and see what brings out what.  I enjoy the stark contrast of light against dark.  I also have a passion for heathered colors - whispers of richness reminding me of early breathy spring morns and misty dew kissed falls. When I work with colors, it is like they speak their "smell" and "flavor" to me.....greens like grass and corn stalks, purples like wild flowers and eggplants, browns like fresh tilled earth and new potatoes, yellows like daisies and squash, blues like cooling streams and stark skies.  What a true blessing colors are!  Colors are like a finely cut jewel when held to the light that gathers in and explodes into a rainbow array of hues, tones and values. Solid colors....simple, yet kings and queens have been clothed in them.  Heathered colors .....bringing one to a place of remembrance of home comforts, warming shawls and delicate baby clothes.
God has given us colors to enjoy, to give wonder to and to imagine what will Heaven be like....what colors will be there.

Home Managers

"Knowing your purpose simplifies your life.  It defines what you do and what you don't do.  Your purpose becomes the standard you use to evaluate which activities are essential and which aren't."

A Passion For

I have a passion for spinning fibers and enjoy just running my fingers through the oiled locks of various fleeces or through the marvelously soft fibers of goat, rabbit and alpaca.  It is tempting to want to have fiber stashes with untold numbers of outer garments, shawls, vests, gloves, caps and sock patterns waiting for the fibers to be spun for beginning and completing the soft hand made items.  I find it so contemplative and content to spin hours on end making thick and thin yarns, some smooth, some textured and others soft with just enough twist to keep the fibers from migrating out to make big dublamoosas - a doubled winter cap that is hand knitted in a rib pattern and finished off with a stockinette crown .  My favorite knitting patterns for home spun  are from School House Press and Elizabeth Zimmerman whom from her writings has taught me a more personable style of knitting from the heart.  I have been fortunate to attend shearing parties and pick out my own fleece, have plucked fur from rabbits, groomed hair from alpacas and goats, and all of this is a pleasure to me.  I have watched silk worms grow and spin cocoons, have worked with preparing flax and watched man made fibers extruding from factory machines into threads for spinning,and was very blessed to visit an actual wool mill in Nebraska where the fiber mostly wool is still spun today by mechanized ring spinners.  I like the feel of the wood and leather of the spinning wheels and the rythmic action of the double foot pedals, along with a fast spinning flyer upon the maiden head and seeing yarn come forth onto the bobbins in what seems like moments of time.  Yes the simplicity of turning fibers into yarns and yarns into finished well wearing items and knowing that years from now they will still be as wonderful as the first time they were worn.....a little frayed but much liked.

We need to have passions in our life that give us the desire to succeed and obtain that goal - and it does not have to be complicated at all, but it will still provide that same sense of accompllishment and thankfulness for the skills and talents we have been blessed with by Our Lord.

Simply with God

Dear Hearts

There are a lot of beautiful things in this world.  God has made us a very interesting place to live in which has it's own beauty and it is truly amazing how many different things there are and how differend and unique they are.  Truly God has done something amazing down to very minute details in His creative genius.  Do you take the time to appreciate it?  You know many of us might get up go about our routines which may or may not include outside the home work, home schooling children or taking to public schools, time spent on inside the home activities and not take the time to go outside and really enjoy what God has created -and He created it for you....and for me. 

Why not take some time this evening or tomorrow morning early and enjoy Your Creator.  Worship, praise and thank Him for the endless wonders He has placed in this earth.  Take the time to thank Him for His most priceless wonder - mankind - that means you....and me.

Abba Father, we come before you to kneel at your Word, to worship and adore You alone and give you the right reverence, respect and thankfulness that You deserve for being the Creator You are.  All that You have done has purpose and meaning and finds fufillment at Your command, Your word, Your will.  We thank You that You have allowed us to get a taste of what heaven will be like here on this earth and to understand that Your creation and the beauty of it is multi-faceted like a diamond and even when there are sorrows, there is still the gleam of hope shining through one of those facets.  May we never forget You as Our One and Only Creator Eternal and ever present. 

Home Managers

Home Managers.....what do you think of when you hear the term? I know that in the past, it's been called homemakers, keepers at home, stay at home and other terms, but I like Home Manager best.  It describes what our goal is - to manage a home with the most excellence of our talents, skills and abilities and to create an athmosphere that is so desireable that one wants to be there instead of any where else.  Being a strong, experienced Home Manager does not come over night, it takes time to develop one's zeal and desire to have a home that speaks volumnes silently of generations and family gatherings, of extended hospitalities to strangers, of sharing with others who do not have, of centering the home around the Love of God. 

I look forward to each day as a day where I may express such worship of my Maker through the simple acts of cleaning, washing, gardening, canning, baking, mending, and wise dealings with monies.  There is no time in my life for being bored!  And when I speak with another Home Manager who has come up with a better idea that makes managing a home run smoother, I try it out and see if it will work for me.....teachableness in one's spirit is a mark of maturity and will only add to one's abilities when making the home run like a finely made clock. No one day is alike, each is different and will have different events occurring in which I can partake in as part of the Lord's plans for my life.  It's a privilege to be called a Home Manager and a blessing from God to be returned in gratitude and thanksgiving. 

A Day In The Life Of

Dear Hearts

The time has passed so quickly and so many things are happening in our community.  There will be harvesting of crops, and much cattle will be ready for market, and at our stands at the Farmers Markets we are busy with selling fresh produce and home made items.  I can't wait until I am settled in and unpacked because the first thing I want to do is join in with the home canners!  We will be canning lots of vegetables, making sauces and putting up fruit preserves, jams and butters.  I will have a little time off before I start working for a small fiber, spinning wheels and fabric shoppe - I will be a shopkeeper for the owners.  The store is on the country back roads in Kansas, but well known by many.  I am the only one who knows some about computers which will help out well, and my passion for sewing and spinning will complement this job well.  I will be staying with a family a couple of miles away, and walking to the shop will be such a blessing.  I have some ideas already to share with the Friesens and maybe, they might just like them enough to put a few of them into workable things for the shop.  My fingers and my hands are ready to become very useful!