Should Mother Work outside the Home in 1981?

I am reading a charming old magazine, published in June of 1981. It is called, The Joyful Woman and was published by the daughters of the late evangelist, Dr. John R. Rice.

There is an article in here, "Shall I be Part-Time Worker and Part-Time Mother?" written by Delores Elaine Bius. It is so interesting. Basically, Mrs. Bius is talking about her confusion over whether or not she should go out and get a job. She is worried about the bills. She has two married sons and three in high school. Her loving husband supports her and loves having her at home. When she approaches the family with her idea of getting a job, her sons discourage her. One says, "Mom, didn't you ever hear of Murphy's Law? It explains that the more money you have coming in the more your wants increase. It's a vicious cycle. Before you knew it, you would change from a part-time job to a full-time one. I think you should forget the idea of working altogether."

Her husband reminds her that "The cattle on the thousand hills are the Lord's." He trusts God for their finances and isn't concerned about the bills. Besides, Mr. Bius is already taking care of them all just fine. His wife is just getting a little pulled into what society around her is doing.

This is such a cute article and fascinating to see what housewives often thought about working in the early 1980's. It ends with this adorable thought:

Mrs. Bius says, "If Satan starts to tempt me again with thoughts of a job outside my home, I will say, 'Get thee behind me.' "

Isn't it interesting to realize this same struggle is still going on today? Should Mom work outside the home or not? Well, according to the Bible, she is to be a Keeper at Home. That is enough for me and I am thrilled to be at home. What an honor!


Blessings
Mrs. White

Passing on the Faith

Buy at AllPosters.com




The following is a quote from an old book:

"We would affectionately remind you, that to you the eyes of the church are directed; and on you the responsibility will soon devolve, of transmitting the cause of God in its purity and integrity, to succeeding ages. Your Fathers will soon be called to their rest, no more to serve their God in the land of the living. Let it be your aim to be prepared to step into their places."

- James M. Henderson

My Prayer Journal

Early in my marriage, I had a journal. I kept notes of day -to-day happenings and also my prayer requests. It was so encouraging to see all the many prayers that were answered in such miraculous ways!

I realized this week, that I am missing something. I am missing the blessing of a prayer journal. So this is what I did:

I took several pieces of white paper and folded it over to make myself a book. I stapled the binding to hold it all in place. Then I wrote a title on the cover. This is such a charming, little homemade book; I know my children will treasure it after my life-work on earth has ended.

Faith is the most wonderful thing you can have in this difficult life. If you want to strengthen your faith - then keep a record of all the miracles God sends your way to answer your prayers. Whenever you are feeling down or discouraged, go back and read your prayer journal. You will get so much peace and comfort from remembering all the ways God has blessed you and taken care of you.

Blessings
Mrs. White

Review -Hank the Cowdog

 

TOS Crew Review

* This Review consists of three products from Maverick Books, Inc. *

FIRST:

Product: Tornado Game

Publisher: Maverick Books, Inc.

Price: $12.99

This game reminds me of “Trouble” but is much more fun. The game board and pieces are good quality and very bright and colorful. It took me about 10 minutes or so to read over the directions. I took a few notes (I am a slow leaner), and then played this with my 12 year old son. We had a great time. There were a few things I appreciated about the game:

1. It required a lot of thinking skills. At certain times, if you happened to spin an even number, you were allowed to move forward. If, on the other hand, the number was odd, you had to move backward.

2. Patience is necessary. There are moments when your game piece is sent back to “start.” At other times, you could only move if you were able to spin the exact number you needed to get to the end. This is a very important skill (patience) you develop from the game.

3. You also get to learn manners. Each player is happy for each other, when they are close to winning, or feels compassionate when they have to move back to the beginning.

Overall impression: Excellent product. Children will enjoy this very much. The game pieces alone are so much fun to play with, it is a bonus there is a game as well! I only had one problem… the game came with a cassette tape which had excerpts from the actual Tornado story (the inspiration behind the game, book #25). I do not have a cassette player so I was not able to use it.

SECOND:

Product: “Hank the Cowdog – The case of the one-eyed killer stud horse” Book #8

Publisher: Maverick Books, Inc.

Price: $4.24

Overall impression:

I am not used to this kind of literature. It is written from the perspective of a dog. When I began reading this, I immediately thought of the movie "Homeward Bound" with "Chance, Shadow and Sassy" -that great cast of animal characters.

However, this story is a "silly" book about daily life at home on the ranch. Personally, I don’t have any pets, so I was enlightened to finally understand what a dog actually has to go through.

The language in this book includes words like "feller” and "dadgum " on occasion. I am guessing this is old cowboy talk. It puts you in the mood of being out in the country in the old west. The story includes passages that made me kind of squeamish. (This could have something to do with my grand ability to just about faint when I get too close to animals.)

This is an easy and quick read. There are 12 chapters and 120 pages. At the end of the book, you’ll find a wonderful resource. It is a sign up form to join “Hank the Cowdog Security Force.” This darling program includes membership, poster, The Hank Times newspaper, and much more at a very low price.

I consider this to be a secular book. According the website, the books in this series are in schools and libraries across the US. Many families will find the book entertaining.

THIRD:

Product: CD – Tales and Tunes from Hank the Cowdog

Publisher: Maverick Books, Inc.

Price: $3.00

Description:

This CD contains story excerpts from 10 books in the Hank the Cowdog series. There are also 9 songs. The lyrics are included, which is a nice feature. It is beautifully illustrated and very colorful. This is professionally done. John R. Erickson is a talented storyteller and a darling country singer. I appreciated the sound effects and the charming background music. This product, however, is secular. It contains crude humor.

To see more reviews on this from fellow crewmembers, head over to: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HomeschoolCrew/708906/

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To find out more about my reviews, please visit "Introduction to our Homeschool Parlor"

Quote from 1882 on Home Economics

"Remember to speak quietly. A gentle, low but distinct tone may be heard more easily than a loud, rough one.

Try especially to speak gently to children. They will quickly copy a loud voice. Do not accustom the voice to use angry tones.

Let home table manners be as polished as possible. Forget self, and be thoughtful of the feelings of others.

If the law of unselfish kindness could once be thoroughly understood and practiced, if all, particularly the young, could realize the rich reward for every kind act and would try to perform these acts,much would be gained towards rendering a family happy."

Taken from "Household Economy - A Manual for Use in Schools" 1882

Comfort from Scripture for those Struggling Financially

Psalm 37: 25 "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."

Psalm 27:1 "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

Psalm 27:14 "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord."

A Godly Home

A homemaker is someone who is home full time, caring for her house and family. She directs the mood of the home and helps with the vision.

Often, however, the outside world and culture seeps into her haven and she must find ways to fight it off. She must find ways to retain the attention of her family and keep their focus on heavenly matters.

There are a few ways she can do this:

1. By example - She must openly and privately read her Bible and meditate on it. She must spend time in prayer. She must keep her heart in check and her interests in line with what the Lord wants her to do to glorify him, rather than wasting her time on things that profit nothing.

2. She can expect her family to sit down together, perhaps after a meal, and read a little Scripture. She can ask this even of older children. But she must ask this in a loving way so they actually want to sit down with her.

3. She can beg and plead with God to help her own heart not be tempted to waste time with worldly movies, worldly music, worldly literature - things that do not glorify God - harmful recreation. These things will damage her spirit. She must battle this daily.

4. She can talk of Scripture with her family and share wisdom as problems come up.

Perhaps the children will not immediately see things her way, but they will remember. They will draw upon this vision when they mature, and it will help guide them to heaven.

Blessings
Mrs. White

No Income and the Basics of Life

We live in a very rural area. We have our own well, which is run by electricity. We have to be very careful about our water usage. However, it is not always easy with older teens who tend to be wasteful. The last couple of days, we have been struggling with plumbing problems. I cannot do any laundry.... When I wash dishes, I have to plug up the sink and use a dishpan. Then I have to haul the water outside and dump it in the yard. My kitchen is on the second floor of our old, colonial house. I have to walk down a flight of 15 stairs to get outside. This is just a small taste of what our ancestor mothers had to go through to run a home.

This morning we lost electricity. It was off for quite some time. I talked to the electric company and learned that our entire area (several towns) were without power. So what did I do? I prayed.... Then I put on my apron and got to work in my kitchen. I tidied things up. What else could I do?

This all reminds me of what happened to us a couple of years ago. We had no income for a few months. I mean nothing.... My husband and I went hungry. The children lived on a simple, inexpensive diet. We used up all of our savings to survive. ... survive... I remember reading this Christian magazine, and one of the articles was about this mother who went out shopping, trying to pick out a birthday present for her nephew. In my frame of mind at the time, I could not understand how anyone could have extra money for presents. How? I was baffled. We had nothing but our old house, our family and little else. The basics of life take on a new meaning. . . We are told in Scripture that we are to be content with food and raiment. It also says that we brought nothing into this world and we will bring nothing out. (I Timothy 6-8) This passage becomes very vivid when you have no wages.... no extras... and are living on an extreme standard of living. The tears come when you have children who count on you to provide for them. It is at these moments we weep in private, but put on a happy face in front of the family. You have to make their childhood innocent, free of care, and whatever else you can to keep them happy. Depression, in this society, is far too rampant. We do not want it to start in the minds of young children! So, we must be inventive. It is like the Old Yankee Spirit, here in New England. It is the spirit of the Great Depression Era Mothers who are an inspiration to us all.

Here are some of the things we have done when there wasn't enough money to go around:

1. My son had his 16th birthday. We gave him a book (a book!) and a CD. That was it. Granted, they were items he dearly wanted, but they cost only a few dollars. I felt so bad. I asked him how he felt about it. He told me he would have been angry if I had given him more than that. He is such a mature, young man and wise beyond his years. He said he is not a little child anymore and would rather we paid our bills and bought food than spent money we didn't have, just to buy him a bunch of things.

2. I didn't buy any school books. We re-used what we already had and made it last. We also used books from the library. In the middle of the school year (during tax time) we bought the curriculum we needed. But we bought far less than normal. The children still learn.

3. Birthday cake is a box mix purchased on sale. Amy (14) has learned to make decorations out of scrap paper, crayons and a little tape. Without her skills, holidays and celebrations around here would be bland and sad.

4. Presents - were either something we made, or something special we already owned. I remember my Nicole (18 at the time) giving me this old, black and white movie that she treasured. It was something she already owned. I was so happy with it. She has also given the children her favorite books or jewelry out of her own possessions and delighted them.

5. We did not have a cell phone... no cable bill... no internet bill...no extras. You can live without these things. We had no car payment... no credit card bills.. no frills. It is a simple life..

Oh, I have to say, if I went back to live my married years all over again, I would never have wasted all the money I did... I would have carefully, frugally and prudently saved and scrimped and I would have been inventive. I would have made our days happy and cheerful without the use of money. Can you just imagine the resources I would have today, If only I had been more careful? Yet, I am still young. There is still time to be prudent. I will take all that I've learned and do my best to pass it on to my children. I will continue to make a way to live very simply so that money is used for what it was meant for... survival, helping others, and the simple basics of life.

No Income? Time to pray.. Time to trust your Heavenly Father... It is not something to worry about. God is just saying... "My child... it is time for you to awaken from your sleep and change the way you live... I will guide you... I will be with you.."

What more comfort do we need than that?

blessings
Mrs. White

My House - An Elegant Home Despite Poverty.

Encouragement - How The Old Time Mothers Survived Poverty. 

Index of Featured Articles - Thrift - Home Economy (Stories and Inspiration)


An Invitation - Subscribe to The Legacy of Home and have it delivered directly to your email.

The Cutest Post

I just won a consolation prize over at another blog. It is so cute the way she did the giveaway, I just wanted to share. Here is the link:

http://cassandrastafford.blogspot.com/2009/07/book-giveaway-and-winner-is.html

Blessings
Mrs. White

Laboring in the Word

I heard the most wonderful message today on CD. It is by Charity Ministries. The title is: "Social Networking and Blogs—a Blessing or a Curse?"

It really calmed and soothed me. I had spent part of the morning reviewing a product I didn't really care for. It is a secular product. I have not posted the review yet, but will sometime in the coming weeks. Anyway, when I was finished, all I wanted to do was "shake off the dust of my feet" and move forward onto the path of light and go heavenward. This CD message was just what I needed. After it was over, I put on a CD of gospel music and really was spiritually nourished. I listened to all these things while sitting in my grandmother's rocking chair and hand-sewing an apron. What a precious way to listen to an old time sermon!

In one particular part of the sermon, someone said "thank you for laboring in the word." You see.... the preacher spends much of his time studying and laboring over the word of God before he brings us a message. I am so grateful for this because it helps keep the hearers heavenly focused, rather than worldly confused....

My soul is soothed, my heart is joyful and I can move on with ministering to my family.

Blessings
Mrs. White

PS: If you want a copy of this sermon, you can get it for free, just click on the above link. All of their products are free (but they do accept donations). It is a ministry.

A Cheerful and Willing Housekeeper

While doing my daily housework today, I realized something. …. Whenever I am doing laundry, washing dishes, putting things away, etc, I often ask one of the children to help me. I might say, “Will you run downstairs and put these clothes away?” or “Sweep the floor for me, will you?” Then I head off to do some other bit of cleaning. You are probably thinking…. That’s okay….. Children should help around the house, right? Yes, but I have an important point here:

1. Housework should not be something we rush to have it over with.

2. Do you realize how little we really have to do in our homes, relatively speaking, compared to farm housewives of the 1800’s?

3. In order to be healthy and fit, we should do as much housework as we possibly can. Yes, give the children chores, but why ask them to help you with yours? What I mean by this is, it is getting to the point where whenever a child walks into a room, instead of saying “Hi sweetie!” I say, “Take out the trash” or “would you clear off the table?”

Here is what I did after my revelation:

I turned on a CD of classical music and started tidying up my kitchen. I washed down the counters, swept the floor, put away the clutter on the counters and just hummed along with the music. All the windows were open. I could feel a cool breeze while I worked. I carefully folded the clothes in the living room, neatly stacked them in piles and then walked all the way up and down stairs to put these away myself. Our remote phone was not on the hook. I started to call downstairs to Amy (14). I wanted her to bring it to me. Then I remembered the opportunity I had to stay fit, so I walked down there myself and got the phone.

It only took me about an hour to make the house look pleasant and inviting. I looked around and was content. I had worked hard. I had earned my rest. Sitting at the table with a cup of hot tea was a pleasant reward. In Scripture, we are told to work 6 days and then rest on the 7th day. Do you realize how much more we will enjoy that rest if we have actually worked hard to deserve it? Yet, some feel that housework is boring, or drudgery. How can that be? If you adjust your thinking, finding solitude and joy in making your house look lovely; wouldn’t you feel better about doing these daily tasks again and again? Each morning I wake up to my kitchen work. I am there to serve my wonderful family. I am going to do it cheerfully. I am going to find ways to make it pleasant for me. I light a scented candle (even in the middle of the day), I turn on some gospel or classical music and the mood is set. Keeping house is an art. We have to learn to enjoy it and stop trying to get out of it. The less we do around our precious homes, the more lazy and out of shape we will become. How is that a nice legacy to leave to our children?

If they see you enjoying your work, instead of delegating, they will ponder in their hearts how content and at peace you are at home. They will want that same peace when they are older. Where did I learn this from? The example of my own dear Mother.

Blessings
Mrs. White

Sense and Sensibility Girls Edwardian apron pattern

TOS Crew Review

Title: Girls Edwardian Apron Pattern

Publisher: Sense and Sensibility Patterns, Created by Mrs. Jennie Chancey

Product: Bundle e-Pattern and e-Class

Price: $24.95

Overall impression:

I was delighted with this pattern. It is charming and simple to make.

Here is how it works:

1. You are taken to a site to download this product.

2. It only takes 6 minutes to download (using High speed internet access).

3. You now have the entire pattern, class, and instructions all in one place on your computer (which you can re-use over and over again).

4. All you have to do is print out the pattern. The instructions are very easy to follow. It took me 16 minutes to lay out the pieces and tape it together. It took me another 16 minutes to cut out the pattern pieces.

5. From there, you can take your time, reading the instructions, viewing the steps in the e-Class.

I will describe how I used this product:

I planned to use this with my 14 year old daughter, Amy. She already knows how to hand-sew. But she is not familiar with patterns. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity for her. However, she didn’t seem the least bit interested. So I thought of a creative way to get her involved. First, I decided to make an apron myself, without her. I made the largest size of 14 (even though this is a girls pattern, it will actually fit me as I am petite). I do my sewing completely by hand just like some people knit or crochet. The e-class was extremely helpful. Sometimes I get confused by pattern directions so it was an enormous bonus to have Jennie’s step-by-step directions in photographs through the e-Class. There was only one point where I had trouble. The directions for the bias binding were unclear. Jennie offered other links and more information for this, but I was unable to access it. A simple solution was doing a search on Google. In just a few minutes I saw a few pictures of making and attaching bias binding that solved the problem for me very quickly. From there, I was able to proceed. The rest of her directions are excellent and easy to follow, even for a beginner.

Here is how I got Amy involved. Her best friend was going to spend the afternoon with us. They had a Young Women’s Bible Study class to attend later in the evening. Since we don’t have any little girls in our family anymore, I realized that Amy’s teacher had a sweet 3 year old daughter we could make an apron for. Amy and her friend, Jess, were delighted with this idea. Since we had a house full of people over for the day and special foods to prepare, I told them we would just work slowly throughout the afternoon. They both had basic hand-sewing skills. We didn’t use a sewing machine at all. Here is how our day went:

Our company arrived in the early afternoon. This was my oldest daughter (21) and her fiancée. My husband, and our four other children were also here, along with my parents. Amy and Jess decided to watch a movie on the third floor. First, I showed them the tiny size 3 pattern pieces I had cut out (dreamy!). I quickly showed them what I was doing and then sent them back to their movie. When all the pieces were ready, I brought up one apron pocket for each girl with bias binding pinned in place. I handed a threaded sewing needle to each girl and explained to them what they needed to do. They sewed while watching their movie. When they were finished, they came downstairs for me to check their work, and get another assignment. I had them sew the side seams, attach the belt binding, etc. Little by little, they got most of that apron finished. We all sewed while visiting with our company. We sat around the living room with our projects in hand and just chatted. Later, Jess and Amy had to go to their class. I did the final touches on the apron and even added a pretty white, crochet trim to the top of each pocket. The girls loved the apron! It was a wonderful experience for them. They were able to see all the steps that went into making such a beautiful, useful item. Today, at Church, we gave their teacher the apron for her daughter. She absolutely loved it.

Please note: You do not have to spend a lot of money for materials. I already had some material here at home. I used scrap material for the bias binding. I also used odd-colored thread to sew it all up. I did not spend any money at all in supplies. If you want to do this pattern just to learn, see what you already have available at home, or buy supplies on clearance. Later, when you have the funds, you can buy special fabric, matching thread, etc.

Final thoughts:
This is a perfect resource for those who want to teach sewing. There are only a few simple pattern pieces to put together. The e-class and instructions are for those using a sewing machine, but you can also do this easily by hand as we have done.

* Please note: The above pictures are of the largest girls size 14 apron for this pattern. Yes, it is me in the photos. *

You can see reviews by fellow crew mates:


Blessings
Mrs. White


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To find out more about my reviews, please visit "Introduction to our Homeschool Parlor"

Mama's kitchen

My mother used to make such wonderful things for supper. No matter what was happening, we could always count on Mama making a good meal for us in the evening. Here are some of the things she used to make:

1. Mashed potatoes and hamburger over vegetable soup. .. Details: Fry up some ground burger. When this in finished, add one can of Campbells vegetable soup over this. Then add one half a can of water. Stir this up and simmer......... Mash up five pounds of cooked potatoes.... To serve: Put a heaping serving- spoon full of mashed potatoes on a plate. Top with the burger mixture.

2. Spaghetti and meatballs. Mom used to roll up the meat mixture into golf ball size meatballs. She did not fry them. She added them into a pan of tomato sauce and let them cook for hours. She would then top our cooked spaghetti with this. We always had grated Parmesan cheese on the table to sprinkle on top of this delicious meal.

3. At every meal, she would put a plate of bread, a bowl of sliced onions, sliced tomatoes and sliced cucumbers.

4. Mom had serving bowls and plates for everything. Eating was always an event. It was like she was the hostess. We had folded napkins beside our plates, all the silverware we needed and glasses full of milk, iced tea, or lemonade. We NEVER had soda with our meals. Soda was a treat we had with a snack once a week.

5. On weekend mornings, Dad would make a big pancake breakfast. Mom was right in there helping him set everything up. We children would sleep as late as we could, but we were awakened by the sound of Dad's gospel music, his singing along, and the delicious smell of breakfast cooking! He made us WANT to get out of bed.

6. Years later, when only two (out of four) of us children were left at home, Dad would get take-out on Friday nights. He would get fish and chips for everyone, except for me. I didn't like fish. So he would make a special trip to Wendy's restaurant and get me a plain hamburger with french fries. We were always excited to see him coming home from work on Friday nights with that special supper!

7. Mom loved to wash dishes. She did them all day long. When we would have a drink in the livingroom on a hot day, she would watch to see when that cup was empty. As soon as we left the room, she would take it and wash it.

8. Mom was always in the kitchen. She would wash down the counters and have the tea kettle on to enjoy a cup of hot tea on her break. To this day, when I go downstairs to visit her (she lives in a small apartment in our house), I can always find her in the kitchen, organizing, planning or just reading the paper at the table, while drinking tea.

I have learned so many things about home and homemaking from Mama. I grew up cleaning her house and cooking in her kitchen. I used to wash the kitchen floor just for fun..... All these years later, I still love working in my own kitchen. It is the center of our family. I have my mother to thank for this.

Blessings
Mrs. White

Italian Heritage

When I was three years old, our family moved in with Nana and Grandpa. Nana was ill and needed my mother to help her. At the time, I was the youngest of three children. I remember Grandpa. He was 100% Italian. He was a wonderful family man and he looked like he could play the part in any godfather movie. The house we lived in was built mostly by him. We lived right down the street from the beach. Over the years, while raising his own children, he would gather scrap driftwood from the sandy beach, and use it to add on to the house. He was creative and hardworking.

Nana was in a wheelchair. She would sit at the kitchen table and teach us how to make home-made tortellini. She had an amazing recipe. First, we would make the pasta dough. Then someone would fry up the meat and add the seasonings. This was called "ping." It was put aside. Once we had the pasta rolled out and cut into pieces, we would add a bit of ping and then pinch the edges of the dough so it would close up and make a rounded shape with a triangle end. When this was ready, we would lay each piece on a floured cloth so it would dry out. Later, this was either cooked up fresh or frozen for later. There were many of us at the table working together, with our loud family chatter!! That tortellini, that we made with Nana, was the most delicious food I have ever tasted.

Grandpa loved to spoil us. He thought nothing of giving us ice cream before dinner. But Nana would get so upset. She would yell from her bed, saying that we had to wait until after we ate! She was a strong presence in our lives and had great control, even from the couch, bed or chair.

Grandpa had this wonderful old car. It had plastic on the seats. The plastic protected the fabric underneath. I was very young and do not remember what kind of car it was, but it was something you would see in a parade - an antique.

We enjoyed living with our grandparents. But it didn't last long. A few years later, grandpa died of cancer... then shortly after, Nana died in the hospital. I wish I could have known them longer, but we can remember them by talking about them. They were wonderful people. My Mother continued to teach us their ways. She made sure we had good food to eat and that we were a strong, loving family. We had a lot of family gatherings.

Now, my parents live with us in my house. We are continuing the legacy of my grandparents. We are a large family with three generations living together. We need each other and are grateful. We still make tortellini, but only about once every other year. I recently asked Mother for Grandma's recipe. She couldn't find it. There is only one living relative who currently has it. . . My Aunt, who is in her 80's. We need to keep that recipe in the family. It is more than food, it is a memory. It is our heritage.

Blessings
Mrs. White

7th Heaven and Making Supper

I love the series on television, '7th Heaven.' I have watched those programs over and over again. The Mother is so cheerful and such a hard worker at home. Her daily work includes talking to the children, helping them with their problems, doing laundry, and working in the kitchen. One thing I love the most is that she makes a nice big supper each night. She even sets the table. Everyone is called to eat and they all sit together. I love this.

No matter what is going on at home, all day long, the family longs for a good meal in the evening. My mother always did this for us. We all went to school or work during the day. Then around 6 pm, we all sat together to eat a good, home cooked meal.

I have older children and they still come into the kitchen when I am cooking. They are eager to eat. They want to know, 'what is for supper?'

This is what home is supposed to be. It is a haven. It is like a bit of heaven on earth, where families gather, away from the world, and enjoy good food and old fashioned togetherness.

Blessings
Mrs. White

Hard Times are Coming

It is so cold and it is thundering outside right now. How can it be like this in the middle of summer? This is a picture of what is coming. . . Hard Times.... I am going to be very careful with our finances so we can prepare. I can only manage the basics. I admire people who are stocking up on food and the like. But for my house, we cannot come up with the extra cash at this time. The basics for me include getting wood pellets to heat our house this coming winter. We need over a thousand dollars for this. It will take tremendous tears and sacrifice on my part, not to waste any money frivolously for the next few months to come up with even half of this amount. God help me....

I don't want anyone to panic.... There is no need for us to worry.... God takes care of His children. But we do have to be wise. We do have to be good stewards of the funds He provides us with. This is a hard thing to do in the midst of a culture obsessed with enjoying life by spending money on things, entertainment and the like. We have to take on an underground, counter-culture mentality to emotionally fight this. I read somewhere that it is called "A Ghetto of the Mind."

There may not be a literal ghetto where you live; but in those ghettos, (a group of
people from a specific culture and similar values) they lived the same kind of life. They were almost separated from the rest of the world.

So we too, in our minds, must live like we are in that ghetto, where we will not be deterred from our work here on earth. We must prepare for hard times. . . Almost like Noah did when he built the ark. . . We have to avoid the temptation of falling into assimilation with the world, and instead, prepare for our basic needs:

1. To keep our families warm this coming winter.

2. To keep our families fed with nutritious food (not junk or garbage).

3. To keep our families clothed.

4. To keep our families peaceful and joyful. We must have our sense of humor. We must bring joy into our lives to get through this.

Hard times are coming.......... Please help me, dear Lord, to avoid wasting money and start working hard to save every dime that comes in so we can buy our heat for this winter.

It is much harder to save money than it is to earn it.


Blessings
Mrs. White

A Happy Home

We had a lovely day today. My oldest daughter, Rachel, came home to visit for the day. There are so many rooms in this house, and so many people, there is always plenty to do. My daughter is so grown up. She is a responsible adult and I am so proud of her.

Earlier, Nicole (20) and Matthew (16) were rough-housing on the front porch. This porch is right below my bedroom window. I was on the floor, cutting out an apron pattern, as happy as I could be. Then I heard this tiny, little, faint voice..... "Mom!" I got right up. I knew who it was.... It was my Nicole. ...My grown up girl..... I headed downstairs and onto the front porch. The children were play-fighting. I went out there and said, "I heard someone say Mom." Nicole smiled like a sweet little girl and looked triumphantly at her brother. She said, "Ha! Mom heard me!!"

I love that they still need me. I love being here at home and having my children around me.

Amy had been gone for most of the weekend, at a friend's house and I missed her dearly. I did not let myself call to check on her. She is 14 years old and at the home of a wonderful family. I was not worried about her at all. But I ached with missing her. After several hours, I finally called, just to hear her voice. Then I was okay again.

When my oldest, Rachel, got home tonight, she got right on the phone to call me. "Mom," she said. "I am safe at home." How precious. She is safe and wonderful and loved.

My 11 year old son, just brought me a late-night snack. It is a bowl of sherbet ice cream. He is getting ready to head off to bed. But he pauses in the doorway and says, "Mom?" I look at him and wait for him to go on. He says quietly and somberly "You are the best mother in the world."

My heart overflows with happiness.....

Blessings
Mrs. White

Vermont Summer Evenings

It is very cool here. At this moment it is pouring rain. It is the most beautiful sight you could ever see. . . I look out my window at the front property and see all the rain falling on the beautiful Vermont landscape. I am cozy indoors.

Summer evenings in Vermont are like being on vacation. It is rarely hot. . . There are cool mountain breezes. . . The green grass glistens with the setting sun.

I have never seen so many rainbows in the sky. They literally span for 30 to 50 feet across, way up in the clouds.

One evening, a couple of years ago, we were driving down a country highway (back roads in Vermont). The rain had just ended. The vision before us was breathtaking. A very brightly colored rainbow had a "shadow" or "echo" of another rainbow directly behind it. It had to be over 50 feet in width. Imagine that image as you are driving down the road, while the sun is setting, with vast, peaceful farmland all around you.

What a blessing it is to be here.
Thank God!

- Mrs. White

The Jewish Sabbath

To rest on a Sacred day. .... To meditate on the Holy Word of God. . .

The house is all clean and quiet. The children are happy and peaceful. Supper is delicious.

It is time to think about that which is heavenly. We turn our eyes entirely on Spiritual things . . .while the worldly thoughts grow dim.


Blessings
Mrs. White

Letting Go and Trusting Your Children in Religion

When Amy was a little girl, she would sit on the couch in the livingroom with a hymn book in her hand. I still remember the image of her sitting there... looking through the book... finding a song, and singing it like no one was around. What a precious sight!

She did this one day while my father was visiting us. He was doing some work around our busy house and, as he walked by, he noticed her on the couch. A look of shock passed over his face. He asked me what she was doing. I told him, “Well, she is singing hymns.” He was so proud.

I love that nobody told her to do it…. I love that she was used to seeing me do this and had picked up on it….. I love that she wanted to do this too!

Now she is 14 and growing up so fast. She is right in the middle of those difficult teen years. She doesn’t seem to have the time to do family Bible studies and such. But tonight, John (11) and I were going to do our own Bible study. I grabbed the hymn books and he and I headed to my room with our Bibles. I had already invited Nicole (20) and Matthew (16) to join us but no one else wanted to. Finally, I saw Amy and asked her if she would join us. She didn’t want to. I said, “Well, then make sure you do it on your own.” She looked surprised and said, “Of course I will. What do you think I did last night? What kind of person do you think I am?”

I was so happy. My baby chooses to read the Bible on her own!! Praise God!!!!!

Blessings,
Mrs. White