Keeping the Home Link Up

I've really fallen off with doing Keeping the Home Link Ups, but I want to start again because it's something I'm passionate about. I really want to encourage Christian women in their calling as Keepers of the Home.

This week I thought I'd mention book I'm reading right now. I've read it before, but I needed to reread it again to be reminded of the importance of being a Keeper at Home. Passionate Housewives Desperate for God is an excellent book. Excellent. I can't recommend it enough.

The authors are stay at home wives, moms, homeschoolers and housewives passionate about serving God and their families. Throughout the whole book they examine Scripture and how God's plan for women as Keeper of the Home isn' degrading, but a high and noble calling that requires all our giftsand talents. These women seek to be last by humbling themselves and serving others and they encourage others to do so as well.

Do you have any thoughts, encouragement, tips or stories about Keeping the Home this week? If so, please share with us by linking up or leaving a comment!

Keeping the Home Link Up

I've taken a break from a lot of the blogging I was doing "last year." It's been great to have take some time to think and try to organize my brain. It's January 7th and I'm still working on what I hope to accomplish this year. There's a few reasons it's taking me this long.

Keeping the Home is about more than just cleaning, cooking and keeping my children alive each day. I feel that keeping my home includes watching over it, improving it, organizing it, caring for it and the people in it (incluing myself!) to the best of my abilities.

But it's hard to imagine all that I'd hope to accomplish it keeping my home this year. There's books I want to read, start planning for homeschooling, I want to reorganize again and purge unused things, improve my relationships, work on crafts, be a better and more committed blogger, make income from home, improve my spiritual life, lose weight, become more disciplined and so much more! Just the thought of it overwhelms me!

I always start out with lofty plans and more often than not I fall flat on my face and any changes I do make usually don't stick! What a frustrating cycle. I'd rather not repeat it this year! I've decided that I will be making small, slow changes this year. I'd rather make one small change that sticks, than 50 big ones that fall by the wayside.

Each month, I hope to reevaluate my goals and my progress from the month before and make adjustments as needed. Here's what I hope to accomplish for January:

1. Consistently waking up by 7AM or earlier (I'm at about 7:20 right now)
2. Lose 6 pounds (this isn't going so well so far)
3. Healthier eating: cut out potato chips completely as well as the "whites" food group (white sugar, white flour, white rice, etc.)
4. Stay on track for reading through the bible chronologically in 1 year
5. Review, edit and obtain or request suggested read alouds for homeschooling
6. Pick another yarn project to start on
7. Find a special way each day to make husband feel loved
8. Do something special with the girls each day (painting, puzzles, etc)
9. Finish reading Life as Mom's Organizing E-book and start on a home management binder

I think that's enough for now, don't you? :) I would absolutely love to read any suggestions or goals that you're tackling this year. If you posted your goals on your blog you can link up below and I'd love to come by and check them out!

Keeping the Home Link Up

I have still been working on being content with what I already have and learning to be a better steward with it. Last week, before I took a blogging break, it was my goal to improve my kitchen using mostly things I already have by organizing and cleaning. It was a lot, but I did a little each day and was very pleased with the results!

Look how purity! I really like my mug hanging hooks, I think it looks classy. :)

The huge amount of stuff on top of the fridge was stressing me out.

Look at all that stuff! I need to remember how blessed I am to have food and all the wonderful things I have each day!

It is likely that this cupboard will be messed up again. Pulling everything out of it is one of my daughter's favorite things to do.


So, not bad for a week's work, I think. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of everyday work to keep the kitchen in order. For some reason, our kitchen gets disorganized very easily, so I have to commit to keeping it orderly each day.

How about you? Did you work on organizing or cleaning an area of your home? Did you repurpose something or learn in some way to be more content with what you already have? Link up or leave a comment and share with us how you're being a Keeper at Home!

Keeping the Home Link Up

Sorry I'm behind on this. I wasn't feeling very well yesterday. I have still been working on being content with what I already have and learning to be a better steward with it. This week, it was my goal to improve my master bedroom using mostly things I already have.

I'm not sure if I'd call this week a fail. I did go through my personal dresser and organized and got rid of lots of things. I organized the bookshelf and managed to clean up the office area a bit.

I'm not posting pictures because those aren't areas that you can really see the progress in. I guess it's just my own personal success. :) Plus, the master bedroom is a chaotic place where a lot of our living is done. It's an area with constant change and mess and more change going on everyday. I'm content with that for now. I'm glad we have an area where we can just live.

How about you? Did you work on organizing or cleaning an area of your home? Did you repurpose something or learn in some way to be more content with what you already have? Link up or leave a comment and share with us how you're being a Keeper at Home!

Keeping the Home Link Up

As I posted about, I was convicted about being content with what I already have and learning to be a better steward with it. This week, it was my goal to improve my closets using mostly things I already have... again. If at first you don't succeed...

Believe it or not, this is a vast improvement from what it was before. I was happy to get basically everything off the floor. It feels so much better and there's less stuff for my 16 month old trouble maker to get into. :)


I decided that I have far too many crafty things to keep on one table. I like having most of my scrapbooking/card making supplies in a carry all with wheels so that I can take it wherever I please when the craft mood hits.

Not bad, I think. I'm so excited that I get to move on in my Home Keeping challenge now! :)

How about you? Did you work on organizing or cleaning an area of your home? Did you repurpose something or learn in some way to be more content with what you already have? Link up or leave a comment and share with us how you're being a Keeper at Home!

Keeping the Home Link Up

Closet Results:
As I posted about, I was convicted about being content with what I already have and learning to be a better steward with it. This week, it was my goal to improve my closets using mostly things I already have.

I was a little disappointed with what I accomplished this week. Some things came up and I didn't get as much done as I had hoped. I did have a few things to share with you though.



One of the best lessons of organization is that things can get much worse before they get better. When I started going through my closets, things were pulled out and began to pile up (as the pictures too clearly show). There seemed to be piles everywhere!

It's very easy to get discouraged and give up. Don't! Just keep with it and it'll improve over time. Little by little, it will get done if you keep with it!


The closets I did finish aren't exactly what I think is perfect. But I'm content with them for now. Sometimes we just have to settle or nothing would ever get accomplished! :) I plan to continue working on the closets next week, especially the master bedroom closet. It's still pretty bad. Lots and lots of piles. LoL.

How about you? Did you work on organizing or cleaning an area of your home? Did you repurpose something or learn in some way to be more content with what you already have? Link up or leave a comment and share with us how you're being a Keeper at Home!

Keeping the Home Link Up and Results:Children's Room

As I posted about, I was convicted about being content with what I already have and learning to be a better steward with it. This week, it was my goal to improve my children's room using mostly things I already have.

I mainly focused on organizing and sorting through my daughter's clothes, books and toys. If you want to see the before pictures, you can see them on my starting post here.

I really needed to get my daughters' seasonal clothes put away. Summer is pretty much coming to a close around here, so the tank tops and shorts had to go! I did have them sitting on the dresser for a while, but I finally went out to Walmart and got some inexpensive totes. The dresser looks much better now!

I tried to straighten up the books, but I'm afraid it's not going to get much better. Not quite sure what to do about them yet.

I posted about organizing the kitchen and play food earlier. I'm pretty pleased with how that turned out. What a great way to hide stuff! :)

**I even posted a giveaway for an adorable Precious Moments stuffed giraffe this week to go with the theme of children's rooms. :)

How about you? Did you work on organizing or cleaning an area of your home? Did you repurpose something or learn in some way to be more content with what you already have? Link up or leave a comment and share with us how you're being a Keeper at Home!