Weekend Bliss: The PURGE

Thank you all so much for praying yesterday ~ God honors prayer and we experienced showers of his peace throughout the day.  Our little one did well during the testing, but had a rough night with high fevers and some breathing issues.  We are continuing to lift her up as we wait for the MRI results (hopefully early to mid next week).  So grateful for each of you!

 For the weekend...

This is my public commitment to the anonymous blog world:


My family will be making one trip per week to the local hospice thrift store with no less than 3 large bags of donations from our home for a minimum of one month.


We have accumulated a ridiculous amount of “stuff”…there is no other way to say it. We are busting at the seams, cabinets too full to be organized, and a garage with a pile larger than the van who wishes it could be parked there. It could be described as sad, lazy, or as my husband like to put it…just plain gross!


It has become difficult to teach our children the discipline of organization and tidiness when areas of our home demonstrate exactly the opposite! How can I ask them to pick up their rooms when behind the closed doors our master bedroom has a pile in 3 of its 4 corners?


How can we hold them to a standard that we ourselves are not living by?


This very sad and humbling realization has motivated us to de-clutter and purge.


And there are so many good and moral reasons beyond just living in a neater space…contentment being a huge one. The heart will always strive for more until we train it to be satisfied with less. But first we have to make the “less” a reality. So here we go…


Our weekends will begin with a trip to our small dairy to pick up our milk, say hello to our friendly cows and thank them for their bounty. Then home to sort and bag up the surplus, while we talk about the clutter that crowds the good out of our home and hearts.


We need space in our hearts to see, hear, and most importantly store God’s truth.


Proverbs 3:1
My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart.






There will be no room for God’s righteous Words to enter if it already full with things that are not from Him!


Proverbs 2:10

For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.



Proverbs 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

Care to join us? Any Purging in your family's home or hearts that need to take place?


Post your family’s commitment here and we’ll do this together!

Weekend Bliss: Kissing Summer Goodbye

Did you know this is the LAST summer weekend????

Sounds a little ironic to say since school has already been in session for several weeks, but according to the autumn equinox, this is it. I know, crazy word. It basically means the day when the sun travels directly over the equator before it tips the seasons forward, lending to those nostalgic falling leaves and crisp morning air.


Can you tell I’m a little excited? It’s our favorite season around…Autumn. Even the sound of the word makes me long for pumpkin spice lattes and smoldering mulberry candles on the mantle. YEAH!

 

But there is still a small sense of remorse as we watch the final days of summer slip by…how are you going to spend them?

I am a bit tempted to cram all those unfinished summer projects into these last balmy days, but the longing requests of my children have convinced me those things can wait (and one more weekend probably won’t make a dramatic difference with the pace we are managing these days).

So our “Kissing Summer Goodbye” wish list includes:

     Swimming at friends’ before the pools are frostbitten

     Roasting a lot more marshmallows


     Attaching 3 waterslides, end to end, on Grandpa and Grandma’s sloping front lawn

                                            A few more mud baths

     Ice Cream cone licking contest…whoever lets the fewest drips fall wins! (outside only game of course)


     Family Camp-out on the front lawn


                        Water painting on the sidewalk
    

   Sprinkler Tag

   Homemade popsicles in paper cups with a plastic spoon

                         …to name a few.

What’s on your list?

Please share some of your family’s top summer bon voyage activities!