Virtuous Girlhood

By Rose H.

My family and I love plays. Christian plays are so fun to act out and work  together at. Some of my favorite memories as a kid are working together to produce a skit. We would each take a part (in some cases we even had to play two parts) and we would dress up in dress ups and act out a play for our parents. They were an amazing audience. We didn’t need any more people; they would shower us with enough praise and reward us with threats.

If you are stuck on a summer activity to keep everyone busy, why not put on a play? It doesn’t have to be anything great or grand. Just get the kids and grab some costumes and you are ready to go. If you want some good Christian skits here is a great site that we have used a lot before. http://www.bobsnook.org/ Start with just a simple skit and let everyone help.

But don’t force anyone to participate if they don’t want to. Just take whoever is willing to help out. Some people work better behind the scenes than out in front.

Most living rooms have great seating and a nice open space for you to perform.

So what are you waiting for? Go find a script and get busy! Have fun!

I wrote this up over a year ago to use in my homemaking class. I thought you all might like to read it.

What makes a house a home?

Love. When a house is filled with a loving touch and the sweetness of the spirit it becomes a home. Caring hands do the work and memories fill the rooms with smiles. A home is a place of peace and rest where all are welcome and feel comfortable.

What sets a homemaker apart?

She is kind, loves serving, has compassion on the poor, puts others needs before her own, she enriches the lives of those around her, and she makes wherever she is a happy place to be.

Why is this important today?

In today’s world there are a lack of women who keep their homes with love and skill. We want to learn to keep our homes with love so that when people look at our lives they can see the One that we serve.

By Rose H.

Some of my earliest memories are of my Dad reading us books. All kinds of books. From the Chronicles of Narnia, to children’s books, to romance books, to spiritual books, to fiction books he spent hours of his time at home reading to us.

I remember many hours of sitting and listening to his melodic voice reading the words off the page, making them come alive with accents and voice tones. As a kid it they were some of my favorite memories.

Now as a 20-year-old having read several books aloud to my family, I can see how fun reading books aloud makes life. It creates a special bond. It makes memories that stick with you. It helps foster a love for reading.

Story time is a great activity to do with your family. You don’t have to pick a long book, just pick a short fiction book and begin. Try to use different accents and mannerisms when you are reading to make it more interesting.

No matter what, just take some time and get into reading. It’s a great TV-free activity that you can do with your kids or siblings.

By Rose H.

In our busy houses today, we find it hard to devote time to prayer and Bible reading. Especially if you have young children around, it can be very distracting.

Yet prayer and communication with our Heavenly Father is so important. It should be our starting and ending point. But how do we fit it in the midst of cleaning, cooking, caring for kids, and calendar events?

If you are one of those who is having a hard time finding time to fit in prayer and Bible reading consider doing some of the following.

Pray while you are working. Whether washing dishes, vacuuming a carpet, or dusting the books, just pray for your family. Come before the throne of God as you work. Let your heart be drawn to God as your hands work for your family.

Another thing that you can do is take odd moments and pray in them. When the kids go down for a nap. Or when no one needs your attention right then, just take a moment and pray.

As for Bible reading one thing that you can do is keep a Bible handy on a bedside table or in the living room. Every time you pass it just read a few verses and meditate on them as you go about your day.

There is no right or wrong way to do this. Just find out what works for you and do it. The goal is just to spend time with our Heavenly Father and get to know His heart. As we discover more of that, we will become more fulfilled and enriched.

By Rose H.

Busy schedule? Having trouble fitting in the time to make wholesome meals every day? Here are some tips to make your job a little easier.

If you have a freezer, cook ground meat and chicken off. Then put it into dinner portion size bags. Freeze and use later to save the trouble of having to cook it off when you need it.

Morning rush making you skip breakfast? Make a batch of muffins and keep them handy on the counter. Just grab and go.

Make a bunch of casseroles to make lunch easy as putting dinner in the oven.

For dessert make up cookie dough. Then take a greased cookies sheet and cover it with cookie dough balls. Freeze and then put them in a plastic bag. When you want fresh cookies just heat up the oven.

This may sound like a lot of work to begin with, but trust me for a days’ worth of work in the kitchen You can save yourself so much time later on. Instead of having to spend all day in the kitchen, you only have to spend an hour or two. Also you have less dishes to clean up after.

Just do whatever works best for you!

By Rose H.

When we get a stain on our dress or need to clean the computer screen, we grab the expensive cleaner and go to work. But did you know that there are a lot of cleaners that are already around your home. Here are just a few of them.

For cleaning computer and tv screens: A coffee filter will get off dust and if you have something on it, get a wet lense cloth and spot clean.

For polishing silver: Use banana peel or baking soda. Or for stainless steel you can use flour.

If you are having a bad ant problem: Sprinkle baby powder, chalk, or borax around the ants favorite hangout. Also don’t leave food on the counter.

For a grimy bathtub: Use some grapefruit and salt and scrub them in.

For sinks that are clogged: Try some baking soda and hot water before you use the chemical drain cleaner.

To get stickers (and all the sticky stuff they leave behind) off a hard surface: Get some vinegar or lighter fluid and gently rub off.

For getting rid of bad odors: Stick bowlful of baking soda in the fridge. It will absorb the bad smells. Or if you want your whole kitchen area to smell good, Put some vanilla in the oven and turn it on for a minute to make it smell like fresh baked cookies.

For Stains: Vinegar works well on many stains, for greasier stains you can use shaving cream.

So there you have it! A few household solutions that you can use instead of expensive chemicals.

Homemaking Tuesday: A Time For Everything

Revised  from Ecclesiastes 3 for the homemaker.

There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven

A time to be alone and a time to be together

A time to sow and a time to reap

A time to clean the dishes and a time to play with the kids

A time to dust the furniture and a time to enjoy the company

A time to sweep and I time to let the floor get dirty

A time to work and a time to rest

A time to respond and a time to be silent

A time to be busy and a time to step back

A time to keep and a time to give away

A time use discipline and a time to have mercy

A time for love and a time for hate

God has appointed seasons for everything dear sister. Let us let the seasons come and go.

By Rose H.

As we look forward to the New Year, there is so much to do. I don’t know about you, but right about now, I am crazily busy with end-of-the-year cleaning, writing, and celebrating what God has done this year.

Making room for the Christmas gifts can be a challenge though. Thus I need to do a lot of cleaning. But sorting through all that stuff can be a challenge. Figuring out what to get rid of can be an even harder challenge. To get you started here are a few things that I have learned over the years.

1. Make sure you have plenty of time to clean. No one likes starting a project and then having to leave in the middle. Plan some time to go through things and make sure to stick to that plan.
2. Estimate how much room you have. Figure out the space you have and then determine how much you can fit in that space. Only keep as much as you can fit.
3. When you are going through things there are three questions that you can ask yourself. One, do I enjoy this enough to keep it? Two, will I use this in the future? Three, (with regard to clothes, bags, shoes, that sort of thing) Do I need so many and how can I consolidate what I have?
4. Keep at it until it’s done!

Starting out the year with a clean room is really nice. It just feels good.

By Rose H.

December is here again. With it comes the usual flood of activity, fun, and craziness. As homemakers it seems like there are a hundred things on our plate. So much to do so little time.

Yet Christmas is a really wonderful time of year. We get to eat fun food, get together with our friends for fellowship, and enjoy the magic of Christmas.

As a homemaker it’s easy to get lost in everything that we need to get done and miss the most important things. We miss watching kids have a snowball fight, enjoying a cup of hot chocolate with a loved one, catching up with a friend at a Christmas party, or simply giving a few dollars to a bell ringer. These are things that are easy to forget to do especially in the business of the holidays.

So sit back. Rest a moment. Enjoy the magic of Christmas time.

By Rose H.

December is here again. With it comes the usual flood of activity, fun, and craziness. As homemakers it seems like there are a hundred things on our plate. So much to do so little time.

Yet Christmas is a really wonderful time of year. We get to eat fun food, get together with our friends for fellowship, and enjoy the magic of Christmas.

As a homemaker it’s easy to get lost in everything that we need to get done and miss the most important things. We miss watching kids have a snowball fight, enjoying a cup of hot chocolate with a loved one, catching up with a friend at a Christmas party, or simply giving a few dollars to a bell ringer. These are things that are easy to forget to do especially in the business of the holidays.

So sit back. Rest a moment. Enjoy the magic of Christmas time.

By Rose H.

It’s a busy Christmas season. With food to get ready, house to clean, parties to go to, presents to get ready, and little things like eating and sleeping to do in the meantime things can get overwhelming. Here are a few quick tips for how to make things a little bit easier.

1. Lay out your clothes for a week. Arrange the clothes in your closet so that you can just grab them and get dressed without having to worry about matching up things the day of.
2. Go simple. Don’t try to do everything. Simplify life by buying some things that you would normally make.
3. Take some time off everyday to relax and de-stress.
4. Have baking days. Take a day and do the baking for a week. That way you can relax and enjoy the rest of the week.
5. Do spot cleaning as the opportunity arises. As you watch the news pick up the living room. As you finish using something put it away. As your dinner is heating up in the Microwave clean up a counter in the kitchen.
6. Make small Christmas gifts to give away way ahead of time. Think small, like lotion, small ornaments, or maybe some homemade baked goods. Whatever it is, keep it simple.
7. Make shopping lists and combine shopping trips.
8. Have some good holiday music to play in the background.
9. Make sure to keep a good day planner or calendar that way you can keep up with everything that you have to do.
10. Breath, enjoy family, and the beautiful season.

By Rose H.

Proverbs 31 (NIV)
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

Who can find? Where can you find a woman of value? A woman who lacks nothing? A woman who brings good and not harm everyday of her life? She is a rare find indeed.

That is what God has called us to be women of strength, dignity, honesty, and inner beauty. She lacks no good thing.

Do you lack good things? Of course. We all lack something. There are areas of our lives that we cringe at.

Yet is perfection what the writer is talking about? Does he mean to say that the noble woman is perfect and all the rest of us are sad mistakes that have to try and clean up our act?

No. Each of us is special and gifted. Each of us has unique talents and abilities. I believe that the writer is saying that when a woman uses her God-given talents and tries to serve and love those around her, lacks no good thing.

None of us can be Martha Stewart, but we aren’t called to be. The noble woman is supposed to follow God’s leading and serve in whatever way He leads. In this way she bring good and not harm all the days of her life.

Photo is copyrighted by Christina Hastings Photography

By Rose H.

Black Friday is coming here real soon. That begins holiday shopping. Finding the perfect gift can be hard, but here are a few tips to make the process easier.

Make gift lists first. It’s always to go into your Christmas shopping knowing exactly what you want. Make three column saying name (the person who will receive the gift), Gift (What you’re getting them), and next put an empty spot for a check mark meaning that you’ve bought and wrapped the gift.

Look for sales and discounts. Many stores do sales and specials for Christmas. Check around and see what you can find. Just make sure that it really is a sale. Sadly many companies will raise prices then have a “sale” and mark it down. Check around and make sure that you really are getting a good deal.

For stocking stuffers, try dollar stores. This is an easy non-expensive way to fill the stocking without breaking the bank.

Wrap things yourself instead of having the store do it. This saves you a little. It’s not hard, just get a bag and some tissue paper and you’re set.

To avoid long lines, don’t shop on the weekends. Try to go when others would be at work and kids would be in school.

So there you have it. Roses holiday shopping tips for all you homemakers. Happy holidays!

By Rose H.

As we prepare to celebrate thanksgiving this Thursday, we have a lot to think about. The friends or family that we are going to see, the food, and the Christmas holidays are right around the corner.

I always thought that I was a pretty grateful girl. I always got my thank you notes out promptly and I tried to thank God for what He had given me (when I remembered to).

Then I read a book called Choosing Gratitude. It challenged my thoughts on being grateful. I realized that gratefulness starts in the heart. A grateful heart is cultivated by choosing to go beyond your feelings and choose to thank God for the good in our lives. This was good for me when things were going my way. When they weren’t I groaned. I looked up and asked God how I could give Him praise in the midst of such terrible storms. Then He helped me to see that every cloud has a silver lining.

This Thanksgiving, I want to encourage you do what I have been trying to do ever since I read the book. Give thanks to God every day, in everything. It’s not easy, but it’s always worth it. You have to look beyond the surface of circumstances to see the eternal purpose.

Here’s a partial list from things that I am grateful to God for.

A home

Family

Friends

That I get to blog here at Virtuous Girlhood

That I get to teach at a homeschool co-op

More food than I can possibly eat

My laptop

My health

All the spiritual books, audiobooks, and sermons that are available to me

My room

More craft supplies than I can use in a year

Woods to walk in

The ability to speak my mind freely and openly without fear

By Rose H.

I don’t know about you, but there are things that I use every day. Things like a calculator, the book I happen to be reading, my to do lists, sticky notes, address book, craft projects, and other things.

Sometimes it can be hard to keep track of all this stuff. For me it helps to have everything in one place so that I can work on it. Because I share a room with my older sister, I don’t have room for a desk.

The solution? I got myself a basket. I put everything in there that I normally use in a day. It’s a great place to put things I need to work on so that I don’t forget it. It helps keep everything in a central location, and it’s easy to move around.

It can be a traveling desk as it were. I love mine. It helps me keep work straight and helps me be more organized.