I just realized something. I live in the land of beige!!!

Yes ma’am. This new house we bought is wonderful for our family. Just big enough. Brand spankin’ new. (It was a spec home that a very reputable builder built two years ago but, in our poor Michigan economy, was unable to sell.) In a great subdivision. Located just three or four minutes from town. I have only one complaint about our new abode.

It is a little heavy on the beige.

Beige siding. Beige carpet. Beige linoleum in the kitchen and bathrooms. Beautiful beige ceramic tile in the entry way. Beigey-taupe walls.

Every single one of them.

Now, this beige overload was one of the factors that actually drew us to this house. All our furnishings would match!!! No need to purchase new comforters and such. Our old ones would do just fine. However, we did have to sell our old living room furniture since this living room is so much smaller. So, while we are waiting to find something new on Craig’s List, we decided to put the sectional, that will go in our basement family room when it is finished, in the living room for the time being. Guess what color it is?

Yep, you’re one step ahead of me!!!

So the other day, as I was having a nice-and-neutral meltdown about all of this with my dear friend Suzy on the receiving end of my “phone-a-friend” cry for comfort, I had an idea. I needed to do something, ANYTHING, “pretty” in my home.

You see, because we are really only half moved in- (still waiting for the basement to be finished with the family room, and two teenager’s bedrooms) we are in a holding pattern. The kitchen is set up. One bathroom has a clear shower curtain liner in it. All of the kid’s clothes are neatly folded—okay piled—in laundry baskets in our master bedroom while they work out of them acting as temporary dressers. They grab a blanket and pillow to bed down somewhere every night. (There is one twin bed in Spencer’s room which they take turns using.)

But nothing “pretty” had been done yet. No color anywhere!

So I grabbed the gift card that our realtor gave us to Bed, Bath and Beyond and I hunted me down some “pretty”. Shower curtains, towels and rugs. I stayed up late that night and got all of the pretty in place.

Now two rooms have splashes of color. One bathroom in terra cotta and sage green. One in chocolate brown, pale aqua, and lime green.

Ahhhhh…..what beauty. I keep walking in those bathrooms just to get me a quick fix of pretty.

Now, we still aren’t to the place to be able to hang much up on the walls. The place is still 92% beige. But the splash of color was the fix I need.

You know, sometimes as a mom, we too get in the beige rut with our mothering. Our routines and responsibilities have us stuck and stagnant. What we need is a fresh new perspective, some creative ideas and a healthy dose of encouragement. You know, a splash of color!

Ta da!!! Enter my friend and partner in mom ministry, Jill Savage. Many of you may already know her as the founder and director of Hearts at Home. Maybe you heard her on Focus on the Family. Perhaps you’ve had the pleasure of hearing her speak.

I know her as Jill. My decade-plus long friend. Fellow mom, cook and carpooler. She does what I do, just a state or two away in Illinois. And she LOVES to encourage moms. So this week. I’m letting her do just that here on my site!

Enjoy the following info about Jill and interview with her about her latest book My Heart’s at Home. Then, see how you can win one of three copies of this ‘splash of color’ mothering book.

It may be just the shot in the arm you need!

Sweet, color-other-than-beige blessings,

Karen

Jill Savage(www.jillsavage.blogspot.com) is an author and speaker who is passionate about encouraging moms. She is the author of five books including Professionalizing Motherhood and her most recent release My Heart’s At Home.

Featured on Focus on the Family, Today’s Christian Woman magazine, and Family Life Today, Jill is the founder and director of Hearts at Home (www.hearts-at-home.org), an organization designed to encourage, educate, and equip women in the profession of motherhood. Jill and her husband, Mark, have five children and make their home in Normal, Illinois.

Jill, tell us a little bit about what prompted you to write My Heart’s at Home ?

I was pursuing some personal growth opportunities through professional counseling. Most counseling sessions begin by looking at your childhood experiences. When I asked my counselor why that was so important he said, “The first 20 years of a person’s life lay the foundation for the 70 or more years of their adult experience.” As I pondered his statement I began to move from thinking about the home in which I grew up to the home Mark and I were creating for our children. Right now, we parents are laying the foundation for the rest of our children’s lives. That’s a pretty big responsibility!

As I continued along this line of thinking, I began to recognize that our home plays many roles in our lives. Home needs to be a safehouse where we feel loved and respected, a rest area where we pull off the highway of life and find the refreshment we need, a trauma unit where we can find healing from the hurts of the world, a church where the foundation of faith is laid in our life, a playground where we laugh and play together, and a pep rally where we are celebrated and encouraged. These are just a few of the many roles I explored in My Heart’s At Home.

I also began to realize that in the same way that you need a blueprint when you are building a house, moms and dads need a blueprint as they are building their family. My hope is to cast a vision for parents on the importance of home and the many roles that home plays in our life. If we have a vision for the home environment we’re creating, we’ll be much more intentional as we mother everyday. In fact, the subtitle of the book is “Becoming the Intentional Mom Your Family Needs.”

In your book, you speak of the many roles that home plays in our children’s lives. Which role or roles do you most enjoy??

I love home as a playground. I enjoy it when our family plays together whether it’s a pick up game of baseball in the backyard or a board game on the dining room table. I’ll admit, though, sometimes it’s hard to play when I feel like there’s so much to do. That’s when I have to remember the importance of home being a playground and that I have to let things go in order for us to play together.

I also enjoy home as a church. I like sharing my faith with my children and seeing the lightbulb of understanding going on for them.

On the flip side, which role is the toughest for you as a mom?

I think that home as a trauma unit is hardest for me. I’m not a real emotional person and I don’t get my feelings hurt very easily. Because of that, I can tend to be an insensitive wife and mom. I can approach disappointments in life with a “buck up and move on” attitude rather than recognizing the need to grieve. Having the vision of the importance of home being a trauma unit has helped me to be more sensitive and caring when life throws someone a curve. Without that vision in front of my eyes, I would (and did!) add more pain to an already painful time in my husband or children’s life.

How has your approach to mothering changed over the years since you welcomed your first child?

I’ve learned to not make mountains out of molehills. The oldest one is always the guinea pig and I fear that many times we battled over things that really didn’t matter. I think that particularly happened in the teen years. I’ve learned to hear my kids out and let them dream rather than playing the realist and telling them why their dream isn’t practical. Someone once said that moms need to learn to be dream makers rather than dream takers. I’ve definitely learned that over the years.

I’ve also learned that letting go is an important part of the mothering experience. In my early mothering years I tried to control too much. It’s not easy to let go, but it’s important and it helps our kids grow into the mature, responsible adults we want them to be.

I hear often from many weary and burned out moms who seem ready to throw in the towel. What encouragement can you give them as one who has already launched a few adults from the nest? Why should they “keep on keepin’ on”?

It took me many years to learn to adjust my definition of accomplishment. When my kids were younger I would get to the end of my day and think, “What did I accomplish today?” Usually the answer was “not much.” But that’s not true. Moms need to redefine accomplishment—you see a mom won’t really get a feeling of accomplishment until 20 or so years have passed. That’s why moms need to recognize that everything they do today is for one very long-term goal: to raise a morally responsible, respectful, loving adult. So every story that you read (for the 20^th time in a day!), every bottom that you wipe, every meal that you make, every sporting event you attend, every consequence you give, every loving word you speak, every task that you teach, every snuggle that you have on the couch…every one of those things work toward your goal of raising a morally responsible, respectful, loving adult. What you do when they are 2 makes a difference when they are 22. That’s the ultimate goal a mom is working toward.

When you are ready to throw in the towel move your eyes from the short term goals that keep getting frustrated to the one long term goal you are working toward. And not only that, move your eyes from the mountains to the Mountain Mover. You and I aren’t designed to mother alone. We’re designed to walk this journey in relationship with the God who created us and loves our children even more than we do (can you imagine that?)

Any other advice or insight into what this book is all about?

Today’s world offers moms a lot of wonderful opportunities. Often times we become so enamored with all that’s available to us that we forget the importance of what is happening at home. Raising a family only happens once in our life. We can’t go back and do it over again. And believe me, the time flies by so very fast. My prayer is that My Heart’s at Home will help moms (and dads!) keep their focus on home and the importance of making it all it can be. In a world that offers so much I long for more moms to say, “I can do that sometime…but for now my heart’s at home.”

What is next for you and the rest of the Savage clan?

We’re just five weeks away from another wedding. Our daughter Anne was married two years ago and now our son Evan is getting married in August. It’s hard to believe that my hands-on mothering season is already over for both of them. With three more at home there’s still a lot of mothering going on, but it’s going by much faster than I ever imagined.

I also just finished my sixth book and it will release in February 2009. Real Moms….Real Jesus will look at the human experience of Jesus and how his experiences on this earth allow him to be a Savior that understands us. For instance, when Jesus walked through a crowd everyone wanted to touch him. People would just want to touch the hem of his garment to find hope and healing. Most moms experience something similar. We have a baby attached to our breast and toddlers attached to our legs and then when we fall into bed at night we find a husband with a gleam in his eye! It feels like everyone wants a piece of us! Yet, Jesus understands that because when we lived on this earth everyone wanted a piece of him, too.

I’m very excited about this book and my prayer is that it will connect moms to a more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

Thanks for taking time from your busy schedule to chat with us today, Jill!!!

Okay, now for the give-away…… Leave a comment any day this week letting all of us cyber-friends know either #1–what is one way you have found to keep your heart at home OR #2–what is your biggest hindrance to keeping your heart at home. Also feel free to hop on with any doses of encouragement you can give to any of the rest of us who leave a comment in that second category! Both Jill and I LOVE to see moms connect with each other and ultimately with God. Your comment must be left by midnight Sunday. Jill will choose three random winners to receive a copy of her new book and we’ll announce them on Monday.

Happy mothering!!!!

Filed under: blog on July 20th, 2008 | 17 Comments »

Time for another five-minute update.

Not that everyone out in cyberspace woke up this morning just dying to get the latest word from the Ehmans! I just feel like I have been so silent and so many of you have been entirely faithful and sweet to pray for me and my family, that I simply must give you the latest. I really am not at a place in my life to be able to answer individual emails, though I sure wish I had the time!! God continues to prompt me to live what I say my priorities are- God, Todd, kids, other family members, Proverbs 31 Ministries, nearby covenant friends, THEN cyber-friends.

Oh boy….you don’t know how tempting it is just to skip right down the list to the cyber-friends, steal away with my laptop to a quiet coffee shop and connect, connect, connect.

However, my Bible study lies open. My house is begging not only to be unpacked, but after living here a week, cleaned too! My boys are hungry. Mackenzie and I need some one-on-one mom/daughter time and I need to go visit my parents and keep up with the in-laws and out-laws. However, for a minute or two, I’ll answer some questions from comments and emails here while I wait for troops to rouse and want their grub!

Here is the scoop:

We moved about 15 miles south of our old house, which was north of town, in the country, toward the middle of nowhere. This one is just south of town and in one of only a few subdivisions in our area. Most of our town is, well……town. You know, quaint city streets with very small lots and homes 16 feet apart. The rest is country. Farms and such.

We lived in town for the first 19 years of our marriage and through 14 years of parenting. Then we were hicks for 2 ½ years. Now here we are in a sub. So far, so good. Quiet. (Although all three of our kids haven’t been home at the same time except for one day, so that may change when Mitch and Spence want to cook up something totally boy to do.) Friendly neighbors. 1.2 miles from the grocery store. I was nearly 15 minutes away from picking up any necessitates before. That seems nice. And cheaper with the cost of gas these days.

Oh, and this home is roughly half the square footage of our old home. And has much less land. Our old place had about 8 acres. This place has a regular subdivision lot. And, we left behind beautiful woods to hunt in. And a pond. And a creek. And a Jacuzzi whirlpool tub. And a big two-story custom built house with lots of “pretty”.

Why? Well, the short answer is because God told us to.   

The long answer?

Coming soon.

Sweet down-sizing blessings,

Karen

Filed under: blog on July 10th, 2008 | 9 Comments »

The back deck is stacked high with boxes waiting to be broken down. One shower curtain is up and functional and serving the five of us well (and the three extra teens we had sleeping over last night before Kenzie headed out to another mission project today.) We dine on paper plates piled high with yummy food from faithful friends and polish it off with brownies delivered by sweet, new neighbors. Hammers fly and buzz saws scream in the basement chomping away at raw wood that will soon transform into bedrooms for two eager (and somewhat patient) teens. In the mean time, three kids share one bedroom, just like in the olden days. They were 2, 5 and 9 then. Now they are 17, 13 and 10!  Our garage resembles a cardboard and Rubbermaid rubix cube. Can’t get to that from here. Must shuffle. And climb. And hope.

And I am exhausted!

But we are in and making headway.

Todd goes back to work tonight. Our second son leaves for his turn at camp in the morning. Kenz won’t be back til week’s end. Mitch and I will keep unpacking.

Boxes, boxes, everywhere.

57….58…..59.

Sweet cardboard blessings,

Karen

 

Filed under: blog on July 7th, 2008 | 5 Comments »

If you have made your way here via the devotion I have running on Proverb’s 31 Ministries Encouragement for Today, welcome!!! If not and you’d like to read it, click here.

Well, how about you? Ever been stricken with a nasty case of answer envy yourself? It is easy to catch and rapidly spreading in our world today in epidemic proportions. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to trek off to the doctor’s office, roll up our sleeves and endure the few seconds of a stinging needle to finally be rid of this awful disease?

Sorry. No such inoculation currently available.

And no, there isn’t a pill. Or a patch. Or even a fast-acting, light-mist nose spray.

Yes indeedy, mankind has invented no quick fix to this plague of humanity.

But God has.

However, He usually isn’t in the business of prescribing short-term solutions. He knows us. And He realizes that the lessons we really need to learn need to be taught slowly, over time.

So what has the Great Physician determined is the perfect script for answer envy?

The perfect script is Scripture itself. Oh yeah, only when administered by a slow I.V. drip over a long period of time.

You see, when we take our eyes off of our situation and fix them on God instead, we begin to focus clearly. We discover that, though it may be the answer that we seek, instead God is seeking us. And , while we feel it is best to know the answers to our prayers, God is much smarter than that. He knows that it is better to know Him. And the best way to know Him is to marinate in His word.

Run to your Bible, not to the phone. Don’t lose yourself in a good book. Open the Good Book. Don’t listen to your favorite songs until you know them by heart. Listen to the Lord speak through His word until it is tucked away deep within you. 

If you too are in God’s waiting room, don’t drum your fingers and fret and fuss. Linger with a quiet heart. It is better to know God than to know the answer.

Oh, and while you are waiting for the Doctor, take a minute to read a little something. Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals, wrote a best-seller you know. Pick it up and read a passage. Maybe even letting it sink deep into your soul until you know it by heart.

Makes the time pass faster. Trust me, I know.

You see, after waiting exactly two years, one month and seventeen days, our home finally sold in our horrible Michigan housing market.

So this morning, I am typing for the first time from our new home. And no, I do not get to pick what day my devotion runs. Nor did I tell anyone at Proverbs 31 just what day we would finally be in the new house.

Only God makes appointments like that. Yes, sometimes He makes me wait, however when I finally get the message through my thick-headed brain, He also makes me smile.

Try it sometime. It is painfully pleasant!

“A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.  A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones”  Proverbs 14:29-30

****A huge thank you to the many of you who have emailed, left comments, sent notes via Proverbs 31, etc… to let me know you are praying for my family as we move. It means so much to us!! I’ll write more later about the move, but as of three minutes to midnight last night when our 10-year-old’s two 20 gallon fish tanks made it safe and sound to the new place, we are officially out of our old house!!!! Yipee!!! (And the deadline was last night at the stroke of midnight. Talk about cutting it close!!!) Now on to the daunting task of unpacking what seems like 632 boxes but is probably closer to 132 J

In fact, they are calling my name right now!!!

Sweet box-emptying blessings,

Karen

Filed under: blog on July 2nd, 2008 | 23 Comments »

Okay. The timer is ticking and I am taking a quick 5-minute break to update you on the move….

Now 2/3 packed. Borrowed a cube truck last night and snagged a few college and high school guys from church and homeschool sports to help move “medium heavy” furniture and boxes. My sister-in-love Thais came and wrapped up all my pretties—china hutch stuff, dishes, etc…. Mitch is safe at church camp and returns home Monday to a double header game waiting for him. Kenzie will fly home this afternoon from my friend Lysa’s. Todd will trek two hours away to Detroit to get her and look at a few appliances listed on Craig’s list. (Did I mention this house has no appliances or window treatments?) Spencer has a ballgame tonight. Three Men and a Truck (they are sending an extra guy due to piano) arrive Friday afternoon to take the really heavy stuff.

We must be out by Tuesday.

Can tell my blogging friends, nearby friends, relatives, in-laws and out-laws are praying, along with my sweet speaker evaluation group from last weekend’s She Speaks conference.

How do I know?

I am still not freaking out!!!!

Bless you all!!!!

Karen

 

Filed under: blog on June 26th, 2008 | 10 Comments »

Whew!!!!

That is all I can say right now about the fabulous time that over 560 of us experienced at the Proverbs 31 She Speaks conference this past weekend. I’d love to up give a full report, however, after a delay out of Charlotte, I arrived home late last night to an unpacked home that must be quickly packed and moved…….. in 8 short days!!!!!!!! Also, we have a child who heads to camp in the morning and one who was kidnapped by my friend Lysa to hang with her family for the week so she is unable to help. Thankfully, she packed up her room before she left so not as to give her mom more grey hairs!!

So…… alas, my boxes are calling and my son’s suitcase must be packed. I’ll try real hard to hop on later this week and update you all. And by that I mean ‘you all’ not ‘y’all’. I’m afraid that just five short days in the south has corrupted my daughter’s speech. I heard reports of her using that phrase just yesterday!!! YIKES!!! Will someone get that girl back to the Midwest. And fast!!!!

Seriously, thanks so much for all of you who prayed for me. I felt your prayers like never before.

Now, for the winners of the tea from Mari Helms at Tea and Traditions, chosen by random number integer, the winners are:

Rebecca Tyndal

Sara

Christy H.

Congrats ladies! Please email Mari at info@teaandtraditions.com to give her your mailing address.

And, any of you who wanted a sample tea, email Mari your name and address, along with the type of tea, and she’ll get you a sample to try.

My five minutes are up! Catch y’all later J 

Oops!!!

Sweet Tea Sipping Blessings,

Karen

 

Filed under: blog on June 23rd, 2008 | 7 Comments »

NOTE: I want to thank those of you who have been praying for our family, the sale of our home and for Kenzie, my sister-in-law and I who leave Wednesday for the Proverbs 31 She Speaks Conference. Your prayers have made a HUGE difference! Keep ‘em coming and I’ll update you all when we get back. And please pray for my hubby and boys who will be on their own while we are gone and trying to pack the house for a quick move.

 This week Todd and I will celebrate our 22^nd anniversary. I remembered how excited I was to set up our frst little apartment and begin cooking for my man. Too bad I didn’t know how to do anything other than boil water, make instant coffee and occasionally whip up some cookies from a roll of slice and bake refrigerator dough!!! That first month in June of 1986, I did learn to do something else. Make tea!!! Hot tea, herb tea, iced tea, any kind of tea. Yep, I hit a home run with that one. Easy and so many kinds!

Speaking of tea, I am thrilled this week to be posting an interview with Mari Helms, a new cyber friend who has an entire website ministry called Tea and Traditions that is devoted to….you guessed it, TEA! And not just to tea, but offering hospitality through the serving of tea. Read on for the interview with Mari and for directions for entering the drawing to win some of her wonderful product!

  Mari Helms is a wife, homeschooling mom of three and small business owner.  Prior to motherhood Mari worked in various administrative positions acquiring skills that are proving essential in running a small home business.  It is apparent how the Lord has clearly prepared her in advance for what He has called her to do.  She passionately pursues her relationship with the Lord because without Him she knows none of this would be possible.

Tea & Traditions is an online tea retailer, but also an important ministry.  The Lord continues to open doors, using tea, for ministry to all kinds of people in all kinds of circumstances.  Hospitality is our primary focus seeking to educate, equip and encourage our customers to open their homes to whomever God brings their way. 

Tea & Traditions will be giving away three gifts:

Prize 1

2 oz. bag of PRECIOUS JEWELS, a rooibos (or red tea),  with pineapple bits, papaya bits, mango bits, black currants, strawberry bits, sunflower blossoms with black currant raspberry taste.  It is also our tribute to wives and mothers based on Proverbs 31:10.  Also included: disposable tea sacs and a perfect measure, to measure that perfect cup of tea every time.

Prize 2

2 oz. bag of WHITLOCK AFTERNOON, a black tea with sweet, aromatic peaches, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and ginger, a tribute to the homes on Whitlock Avenue in Marietta, Georgia that have hosted many an afternoon tea over the year.   Also included: disposable tea sacs and a perfect measure, to measure that perfect cup of tea every time.

Prize 3

2 oz. bag of JANE AUSTEN, a blend of three China black teas authentic to the early 1800s when Jane Austen lived and wrote her novels.  Also included: disposable tea sacs and a perfect measure, to measure that perfect cup of tea every time.

Be sure to check the end of this post to see how you can enter the drawing to win one of these great give-aways!!! Now for the interview…..

 

Mari, tell us a little bit about you and your family.

I am first wife to Todd for eight years and then mother to Isabella, Annais and Kaira, for six, three and one year respectively.  I homeschool and run Tea & Traditions a web-based tea retailer.  I love to write, do anything creative, fellowship with just about anyone and watch my family grow in the Lord. 

How did you come to own Tea and Traditions?

Tea & Traditions was a tea shop in Marietta until December 2007.  In November the previous owner announced the store was closing and I was devastated.  A few days later the Lord began to speak to me and give me what appeared to be a business plan for an internet based tea store.  I spoke to the owner the next day and here I am, now in business for four months.  And because of things the Lord led me to do a couple of years ago I was positioned to make this transition fairly smoothly complete with access to wonderful free resources at the local college including an attorney and business coach.   

What products do you offer through your website?

We sell fine loose tea, infuser mugs and tea accessories.  To our local customers I can offer baskets and will soon be hosting in-home parties to include tea education, hostess benefits and encouragement to those wanting a unique way to open their homes. 

What do you find to be the greatest challenge in owning a home based business?

Right now the biggest challenge is establishing a quitting time.  Since the business is still new there is a lot to be done.  Hopefully as I get into a routine and get things set up I will set working hours and non-working hours and stick to them.

And, what is the greatest blessing of working from home?

Being able to stay home with my children.  It isn’t always easy, but I always know how fortunate I am.  Since I have my own business at home they are very much a part of it.

How do you feel that tea, traditions and hospitality can be related?

Tea is a great way to extend hospitality not only beautifully, but easily and affordably.  I can host 20 women on a moment’s notice by putting a white table cloth on the table, bringing out the teacups and brewing a pot of tea.  It makes everyone feel special and relaxed.  Tea seems to have an amazing way of opening up intimate and unexpected conversation.

What is your goal when it comes to encouraging hospitality through your ministry?

My goal is our Mission Statement:

• To educate our customers on the fine art of tea – from selection to serving ?• To equip our customers to easily and affordably extend hospitality ?• To encourage our customers to open their homes to their communities

Any other words of advice for the readers?

Do not let loose tea intimidate you.  Once you realize how easy it is you will be hooked.  The bible says if He has called you, He has equipped you and we know He has called us (all of us) to hospitality.  You will be blessed by the sweet, surprised look on your guest’s faces when they taste that first sip of fine tea and think to themselves, “She made this just for me.” 

 Now for the give-away. Simply leave a comment any day this week about tea. Why you like it, what your favorite flavor of tea is, a special memory or funny story that has to do with tea, even why you’ve never tried making tea! Anything goes. Winners will be chosen by Mari and announced next Monday.

Sweet Tea-brewing Blessings,

Karen

 

 

Filed under: blog on June 16th, 2008 | 35 Comments »

Hi all—Just checking in for a minute to thank you all for your comments. To see how many out there are praying for our family and for the upcoming Proverbs 31 She Speaks Conference makes my heart swell and my eyes well up with tears!!!

Speaking of swelling….an update on Spencer’s foot. The doctor was puzzled as to why the infection still seems to be there after 3 weeks and already one go-round of antibiotics. So he—who is very cautious about unnecessary antibiotics, as are we—ordered another round. X-ray looked fine. Hopefully all will be well soon. Mitch’s creeping crud is getting better. I caught a modified version of it. No fever, but stuffy nose and nasal passages swollen shut so I sound like I could sing base!!! (And, I had a live radio interview last hour. Probably sounded like a man talking!!!) Prayers appreciated for my sinuses to heal. I am severely allergic to cold medicine so I’ll have to ride it out. Saline nose spray flushes are helping. (I know, more info than you wanted to know!!!)

Now, as for my “not-freakin’-out” mission. Well, those who know me well are standing in wonder and amazement. I am calm. I am quietly doing the next thing. I am trusting God that the time to finish what He needs me to finish will be given. And….it is all because of the Lord and you!!!! Please keep the prayers coming!!!

No word on when we will close on the houses. The loan officer is shooting for Tuesday before Kenzie and I leave Wednesday for She Speaks. It needs to close by Friday the 20^th in order not to lose our interest rate lock. If it closes Wednesday thru Friday, Todd will have to close without me. Please pray that God shows us what is best.

Now….on to the next thing. For me it will be to straighten the house before the appraiser comes. For you it will be to make yourself a note to check back in next Monday. I will be posting an interview with Mari Helms from Tea and Traditions—that thankfully was done a few weeks ago, so all I’ll have to do is hit the “publish” button!!!! Yeah!!!! Check out her wonderful website and pop back in next week to leave a comment and possibly win a prize!

Do-the-next-thing blessings,

Karen

Filed under: blog on June 11th, 2008 | 16 Comments »

Okay, people. I know that God is in complete control of our circumstances. I know He loves us and wants the best for us. I know He even promises not to give us more than we can handle. However, this weekend left me wondering if somehow, He has me mixed up with another Karen Ehman.

I am in the midst of packing for the expected sale of our home and obtaining items (like window treatments for the entire house) for the purchase of the new one—both hoping to be closed on early next week. Kenzie, my sister-in-law and I leave next Wednesday for the Proverbs 31 She Speaks conference—the one that I have three new talks to prep for and a speaker evaluation group to love on and encourage. YIKES!! All good….but still YIKES!!! Couple that with “take-me-out-to-the-ballgame” evenings four nights a week and….well, let’s just say my life was hectic enough, thank you very much!

Then, this weekend, Mitch came down with the crud, accompanied by a high fever; Spencer’s deep puncture wound on the top of his foot (that he obtained by practicing spearing fish with a hotdog roaster and then complicated by allowing a leech to attach to it while he played in the pond) became infected again requiring a trip to the doctor’s 45 minutes away and as I type, Todd is headed to the hospital with him to get x-rays on it to access the situation.

Oh yeah….and horrible storms passed through our small town in mid-Michigan Friday and Saturday resulting in our new neighborhood being hit by a tornado. (Okay…so one station says tornado. One says a squall. It was something fierce, that’s all I know!)

At any rate, some homes had major damage, one was hit by a falling power pole and transformer that fried the insides of the house, one had an entire roof lifted off like the lid of a cookie jar. Barns were leveled. Trees were uprooted and the home we are buying? Thankfully only some shingle damage, a caved-in entire garage door, minor debris in the yard, oh and I did have to retrieve the realtor’s face that had blown off the sign and was lying a yard or two away!!!!

Here are a few pictures from the highway that leads up to the new subdivision.

I am trying not to freak out. Really I am.

All prayers for my “not-freaking-out” mission appreciated!

Now, for the winners of the books from lasts week’s series of posts by Glynnis Whitwer on working at home. From the comments on the first post that Glynnis shared with us, the winners are Rebecca and Laura. Congrats!!! You ladies please contact Glynnis directly at editor@proverbs31.org to give her your mailing address.

For the rest of you…please be patient with me in the next few weeks. (Even now I had to drive 15 minutes into town to a coffee shop to access the internet since the storms took that out too!)

I will try to hop on and update, but all of these circumstances have put me in a place of clinging very tightly to the Lord. It is a good place, but doesn’t allow much time for anything beyond God, Todd and the kids.

Sweet someday-I’ll-know-why-all-of-this-is-happening blessings,

Karen

Filed under: blog on June 9th, 2008 | 21 Comments »

 

**You still have a chance to win a copy of Work @ Home by Glynnis Whitwer. Details below. And, if you are just joining us, scroll down to see part one of this post about making the transition to working at home. 

How wonderful to see the interest from so many of you who either already work at home or have dreams of doing so. Glynnis just returned from a family vacation and I twisted her arm to see if she might offer a few more words of wisdom on his topic while addressing some of the comments that have been left thus far. So, below is part two of this interview with Glynnis Whitwer, author of the practical book Work @ Home. There is still time to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing to win a copy of this how-to book! Just tell us your greatest challenge of working at home or why you would like to begin a home based business. The winner will be announced at the end of the weekend.

Whistle-while-you-work Blessings,

Karen 

 

Words of Wisdom from Glynnis

 

It’s great to see the interest in working at home.  I love it!  I have two thoughts I’d like to share that might help you navigate this often-overwhelming world of working at home. 

1 – If you are currently working outside the home, you do not need to make the same amount working from home.  One of the first things to do is a cost-of-work analysis.  Basically, you need to figure out what it costs you to work outside the home, then deduct that from your net income.  This is what you really need to make from home.  In fact, it’s probably even less because you will likely have a bit more time to save money on things like food (using coupons, planning menus, etc).  In fact, you might need to make substantially less than you do right now.

2 – Find an income-producing method that fits your personality.  For example, let’s say you love to cook.  You might consider selling Pampered Chef items.  But if you don’t like to sell to your friends and family, or are uncomfortable speaking to groups, then you probably won’t be very successful.   But what if you took that love of cooking, and started  a home-based business making unique cookie bouquets for gifts.  Then you could design a flyer and hand it out to all the local businesses in your area.  You might start a website and figure out how to ship the product.   To be successful you have to find a way to make money that is a good fit for your spiritual gifts, personality and lifestyle.   This might involve doing an honest self-evaluation about your strengths and weaknesses, and going from there.  If you don’t have an entrepreneurial streak, then you might want to tele-commute. 

The options for working at home are growing by leaps and bounds.  Don’t assume there’s only one path for you.  Ask God to direct your footsteps, do your research and bathe this process in prayer.  I’m confident God has a wonderful plan for you.

If you want to check out some websites that list legitimate options for working at home, here are a few:

www.cwahm.com

www.telecommutingmoms.com

www.internetbasedmoms.com

www.workathomesuccess.com

In His Love,

Glynnis

Now, remember to leave a comment if you want to be entered in the drawing to win a copy of  Glynnis’ book Work @ Home. 

Filed under: blog on June 5th, 2008 | 4 Comments »