Welcome Back!

Hi Friends! I’m so thankful for the abundance of positive feedback I have received since relaunching the blog last week. So many thoughtful emails flooded my inbox, instagram comments, and facebook messages. Thank you! I was amazed that so many have continued to follow me all these years. I’m excited to begin a new season of writing here at Passionate Homemaking. It has been a wonderful break, but my passion for writing has been a dream that needed to be tucked away for awhile. God has opened the doors and made it possible again for me to find a little writing time in my week. We’ve set aside Saturday mornings from 6-8am to be my Writing Hours. :)

That being said, I’m restricting all my correspondence and writing to that time, so that it does not become consuming and potentially distracting from my first priorities here in my home.

Family Update

As you can see, our family has grown since my last post. We welcomed little Lewis James into our family in November 2017. We had prayed for another boy and were so blessed with this little bundle of joy, mischief, and an abundance of sleeping and health challenges from the beginning. He is walking all over the place now, and loves being where the action is. Thankfully, he is finally sleeping through the night more regularly…so Aaron and I are starting to get our heads screwed back on. :)

We are continuing to homeschool, so “homeschool” oriented posts may take up the majority of my writing, as I really enjoy homeschooling (for the most part)! We do a hybrid mix of Charlotte Mason inspired studies, textbooks, and everything else. :) I feel we’ve achieved a healthy balance. This year is my 7th year of homeschooling, currently working with a 6th grader, 4th grader, 2nd grader, and preschooler! But surprise! I still haven’t figured it all out. Still learning and growing alongside my children. And yes, I do still have really bad days, when I second guess myself and ask, “Am I doing the right thing?” Then I have to remind myself that God called me to this, that He has given me everything I need to walk in obedience to Him.

We are still passionate about serving the church, and love our home church and cultivating community here. My husband currently serves as worship director and deacon. I love hospitality, and continue to try to invite new and old friends and neighbors into our home on a consistent basis. While I don’t practice soaking my grains anymore, or make everything from scratch, nor do I consider myself a health nut as in former days, we still like to eat whole grains and whole foods as much as possible, and enjoy a lot of Trim Healthy Mama recipes. Thankfully, natural living is no longer an idol. We try our best, but trust the Lord with the rest. :)

But, I believe, the biggest change in my life has been growing in my identity in Christ, and learning how to fight the lies of the enemy about my strengths, weaknesses, insecurities, successes, and failures. My past struggles with anxiety and insomnia still creep in now and again, but God has given me so much victory in this area. I was mentored with a older women, through a wonderful book called, Loving God with All Your Mind, and it gave me the tools needed to learn how to re-train my thoughts. Instead of believing every lie that entered my head about the “what-if’s?” and the “If only’s?” in my past, present or future, I have come to learn to “take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).

I have been seeing the importance of stopping these worrisome trains of thought by asking the question, “Is this thought true or real?” which comes from Philippians 4:6-9, which commands us to “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” I’ve learned and am continuing to learn to fill my mind with more truth through regular devotions in God’s Word, studying God’s character and attributes, and sinking my roots deeper in the gospel. It’s been a life-changing journey, and one I am passionate about helping other women how to fight for truth in our thought lives. Our thoughts have a powerful impact on our joy, vision for our lives, and ultimately our fruitfulness in God’s kingdom. Fear and anxiety are such a trap of the enemy to destroy our fruitfulness. He wants to keep us trapped in fear in order to waste our lives.

But we are free in Christ! When we take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ, there is so much freedom, joy, peace, and contentment. God’s peace is a sweet gift, and it’s offered to all believers, we just need to reach out and take it. Believe and rest instead of strive and stress, has been the truth resonating in my heart for the past several years. Believe and rest in the goodness of God. Believe in his finished work on your behalf. Believe in His promises. Rest in His character. Rest in His sovereign care for you. Striving and stressing only lead to captivity. You no longer have to strive to prove yourself. We have been set free to walk in God’s grace, forgiveness, and steadfast love for us. He declares over us, “You are my beloved daughter, in whom I am well pleased!” Because He said it to His Son, and because we are one in Christ, He declares it over you too!

It’s been a beautiful journey, and I hope to share more of this journey with you all here, and help point other women to truth and learning how to fight the lies of the enemy.

A few other resources that have really helped equip me to fight for truth include: None Like Him by Jen Wilkin, Christ in the Chaos , Because He Loves Me by Elyse Fitzpatrick, and Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh Demoss. This sermon by Elyse Fitzpatrick on worry was so instrumental in my life.

Archives

Some of you were concerned about still being able to access my archives, old recipes and the like. No fears! We have saved everything! All your old links should still work. You can also go to old.passionatehomemaking.com to find the old website.

Social Media

Lastly, you can follow me on Instagram for a more frequent updates and encouragement from our home. I’m also on Goodreads if you like to follow my books reviews.

Photo Credit

My daughter, Karis, really enjoys photography. So we are delighted to be able to share her photos here.

Thanks for joining me on the journey!