Homemaking

Jan

Pick One Spot: Winners!

2010 at 1:26 pm | by Janelle Bradshaw
Filed under Homemaking

I get the huge honor of announcing the winners of our “Pick One Spot” contest. That’s right, I said “winners.” After pouring over your many entries, we were finally able to narrow it down to two. So it’s a tie, but don’t worry, y’all won’t have to split the prize! You will each get $100 to the home store of your choice.

Our first winner is Janie Grange. Woohoo, Janie! You are gonna love reading Janie’s story because what started out as “pick one spot” actually became “pick two spots” while she wasn’t looking. But Janie triumphed over both! Way to go, Janie. E-mail us so that we can get you your prize.

I would like to tell you what happened today when my friend Viv Bates and I picked one spot in my house to clean up! My basement bedroom has become the catch all room and since Christmas has been an absolute disaster. So today Viv came over and we decided to tackle this room together. My older two were at school but at the house we still had Gavin (2), Milena (4), and Carson (2). They were playing together very nicely. They were playing with baby dolls and having a great time giggling and talking. So we decided it was okay to leave them playing while we went down to clean! Mean while we worked extremely hard and managed to get the entire room organized and spotless! We were so proud of ourselves- feeling pretty good about our accomplishment! As we were taking things out to the car for consignment and putting other things where they belonged, Viv worked her way up to my bedroom where she came upon a BIG surprise! She yelled to me Janie get up here with your camera right away! I went running up to my room and was shocked at the sight I saw. My once very tidy room was covered with everything from my loft - couch cushions, pillows, blankets, every movie, every magazine (there were lots), wii equipment, baskets, toys, you name it, it was there! We couldn't do anything but actually laugh at what had happened while we neglected the kids to organize and try to win a contest! We obviously spoke sternly with those little rascals and had them help (somewhat) with cleaning it all up! So instead of tidying up one disaster of a room we got to clean up two disasters in one day. Hope you have fun looking at our pictures of BOTH spots that we cleaned! By the way Viv and I are a great organizing team if anyone needs any help! We obviously get lots of experience picking up after our kids!

Basement Bedroom Before

Basement Bedroom After

My bedroom after the kids wrecked it!

The kids delighting in their mess!

Little rascals!

My bedroom after we cleaned up their mess!

And our second winners are sisters Bronte and Cosette Gamache. These teens tackled their “secret room” together and well, let’s just say the before and after pictures really do appear to be different rooms. Well done, girls, I have a few “secret rooms” that could use your professional skills if you are so inspired. E-mail us to collect your prize.

My sister and I would like to enter your Pick One Spot contest. My sister (Cosette) and I (Brontë) successfully cleaned out and organized our secret room. Well, it really isn't a secret room. It's a small out-of-the-way hallway (of sorts) that runs between the boys room and the girls room and we keep all of our toys in there. With 5 kids, a lot of toys, and a lot of visitors you can only imagine the mess. This contest was the perfect motivation to clean the room. So we did. 3 hours and 4 garbage bags later we have a clean secret room! After all that hard work, my siblings got a long talkin' to about keeping this place clean and putting toys away instead of in the middle of the floor-- believe me there will be trouble if there is one thing out of place!

Jan

Ribbons and Soup

2010 at 4:16 pm | by Kristin Chesemore
Filed under Homemaking Recipes

kristin bow As we’ve mentioned before, Mom was very intentional in training my sisters and me in homemaking—for which I am very grateful. Most of this training occurred in the home and she was our teacher. But she also tapped friends in the church to teach us candy making and sewing and together we took classes through the county and our local craft store.

Some lessons took off, and others fell flat. The bow-making class at Michaels, for example, was a complete waste of the registration fee. We had a good laugh about it this Christmas when I showed up to the family gathering with beautifully tied bows on my presents. Mom thought those lessons had finally paid off (fifteen years later) only to discover I had used pre-tied, elastic ribbons. Oh well!

The cooking classes, on the other hand, were worth every penny (easy to say when it wasn’t my money, but I think it is true!). They sparked a life-long love of cooking and the Lord knew that one day I would have three boys who love to eat. One of our favorite classes was Italian Cooking where a local wife and mother taught us how to cook some of her family’s favorite recipes. We still make many of her dishes today. This week, I whipped up a batch of her minestrone soup and put extra jars in the freezer. Mmmmm…perfect for winter! Here’s the recipe. Enjoy!

Minestrone Soup

4 slices bacon

2 onions, chopped

2 large carrots, sliced

2 cloves garlic, pressed

3 cans chicken broth

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes with juices

5 cups shredded cabbage

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon rosemary

Ditalini

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In large pot cook bacon over medium heat until browned and crisp. Remove; drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon and set aside. Drain off all but 3 tablespoons drippings from pot. Add onions, carrots, and garlic. Cook stirring often about 8 minutes. Add chicken broth, tomatoes with juice, wine, parsley, bay leaf, basil, salt, pepper and rosemary. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Add cabbage. Cook 10 minutes longer. Remove bay leaf. Serve with ditalini cooked separately. Top with crumbled bacon and Parmesan cheese--freshly grated.

Jan

Contest Time!

2010 at 4:23 pm | by Janelle Bradshaw
Filed under Homemaking

For the girltalkers, the New Year usually sparks a cleaning and organizing frenzy. We blame Mom for this condition. Last week Nicole went on a crazy two-day organizing spree. She’s insane! But Mom and I were jealous of her newly organized home; so today we tackled our kitchen. We are giving each and every cabinet a thorough clean. Writing this post is my chance to sit down for a few minutes!

All this organizing reminded me of one of my favorite girltalk contests: Pick One Spot! Oh, I loved that contest! We asked y’all to:

1. PICK ONE SPOT in your house that was in dire need of some TLC
2. Take a “before” picture
3. Proceed to give said spot some TLC
4. Take an “after” picture, and
5. Send your pics to us for a chance to win some prizes.

Your entries were amazing! The transformed spots were just short of miraculous!

So, I’m bringing that contest back. Join us in our New Year organizing frenzy and try for a prize while you’re at it. Pick One Spot in your house—it can be a room, a closet, or even a corner and follow the directions above.

Grand-prize winner gets $100 gift card to a “home” store of your choice. Deadline is in two weeks: January 22.

OK, I’m getting up from the computer now and so should you. We’ve got work to do!

PS – If you have trouble inserting pics in the contact us page, you can email us at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Dec

Year in Review: Day 4

2009 at 12:42 pm | by Nicole Whitacre
Filed under Homemaking

A question from a reader named Julie sparked a week of great discussion at the end of June. Here's the first post followed by links to the others.

A Homemaker’s Dilemma

June 15 2009 at 6:32 am | by Nicole Whitacre

“I’m a feminist in remission,” Julie confessed in her email to us. And aren’t we all, by the grace of God?

She continued:

“Honestly, I still struggle in my role as wife and mother though I’ve lived in it for ten years now. So when I read Carolyn’s take on the Today Show a few days ago and the new book about sharing the home responsibilities 50/50, I just had a question, or maybe, a dilemma.

I stay at home full time, homeschooling my four children and I do love it. I wouldn’t want to work outside the home even if it was offered to me. But does that really mean that the husband has NO share in the household duties? Does that really mean that he should never wash some dishes, put laundry away, bathe a child, or pick up his own socks? I mean, if stuff needs to be done, should my husband be able to surf the web or watch a game while I tidy up after dinner and get the kids in bed? I guess I’m truly wondering if this is what It means to be a biblical woman? I WANT to be. I want to do my duties without grumbling and complaining. But it’s hard. It’s easy to feel like the maid. So, any words of wisdom in helping me to see this issue clearly and biblically, would be great.”

I suspect many women struggle with Julie’s dilemma; but I admire her desire to know and obey God’s Word. In Feminine Appeal, Mom tackled this question, and I will quote her at length here:

“Martin Luther, the man who sparked the Protestant Reformation, once quipped about his wife: “In domestic affairs I defer to Katie. Otherwise I am led by the Holy Ghost.” While facetious, Luther’s comment holds biblical credibility. As wives, we are to be in charge of domestic affairs.

The command in Titus 2 to be “working at home” is further illuminated by 1 Timothy 5:14 where Paul says: “So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander” (emphasis mine).

In the Greek, the phrase “manage their households” carries a strong connotation. It literally means to be the ruler, despot, or master of the house. So we see that “working at home” means we are to function as the home manager—taking full ownership for all the domestic duties of the household.

Once again the woman in Proverbs 31 is our example. She presided over the entire range of responsibilities in her home. She helped her husband; cared for her children; completed chores; supervised servants; oversaw land; invested money; bought, sold, and traded goods (just to name a few duties!). The Proverbs 31 wife maintained a broad sphere of rule in her household.

Imitating this woman’s model, Sarah Edwards, the wife of the eighteenth-century preacher Jonathan Edwards, managed her household with careful and thorough diligence. One day Dr. Edwards emerged from his studies and asked his wife: “Isn’t it about time for the hay to be cut?” To which Sarah was able to respond, “It’s been in the barn for two weeks.”

Sarah created a world where her husband could fulfill his God-given duties without being concerned for the domestic tasks of the home. We should aspire to do likewise.

Now, with the command to “rule” in our homes, I must provide two cautions. First of all, this is not license to usurp our husband’s authority. Our management in the home must be carried out in complete support of his leadership and direction.

But this mandate also precludes the currently popular “co-responsibility” approach to homemaking. As wives, it is our job to manage our homes, and we should not expect our husbands to contribute equally to this task.

This is not to say that our husbands shouldn’t help around the house. There are times when we legitimately need their assistance, and this is especially true for moms with small children. The point is not to excuse our husbands from service in the home, but rather to solidify our role as manager of the home. God has given that assignment to us.”

A clear and compelling vision of our God-given assignment as home managers will help us guard against complaining and resentment. For further study on this topic I’d recommend the entire chapter on homemaking from Feminine Appeal, as well as Susan Hunt’s chapter on the same in The True Woman. You can also check out some of our posts on homemaking.

Homemaker's Dilemma Pt. 2

Homemaker's Dilemma Pt 3

Homemaker's Dilemma Pt. 4

Homemaker's Dilemma Pt. 5

Homemaker's Dilemma Pt. 6

Dec

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

2009 at 8:35 am | by Janelle Bradshaw
Filed under Homemaking Holidays and Seasons

Dec

Gloria!

2009 at 12:10 pm | by Nicole Whitacre
Filed under Homemaking Holidays and Seasons

A Christmas song for you from Jack and Tori. Merry Christmas everybody!

gift tree

Dec

The Promise of Christmas

2009 at 8:13 am | by Carolyn Mahaney
Filed under Homemaking Holidays and Seasons

Meditate on this truth today and rejoice in the faithfulness of God:

blurry tree "The incarnation is the supreme example of fulfilled prophecy, the supreme example of God’s faithfulness to his promises….

What God did when he sent his Son into the world is an absolute guarantee that he will do everything he has ever promised to do.

Look at it in a personal sense: ‘All things work together for good to them that love God’—that is a promise—‘to them who are the called according to his purpose’ (Rom. 8:28, KJV).

'But how can I know that is true for me?' asks someone.

The answer is the incarnation.

God has given the final proof that all his promises are sure, that he is faithful to everything he has ever said. So that promise is sure for you.

Whatever your state or condition may be, whatever may happen to you, he has said, ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee’ (Heb. 13:5, KJV)—and he will not. He has said so, and we have absolute proof that he fulfills his promises.

He does not always do it immediately in the way that we think. No, no! But he does it!

And he will never fail to do it.”

D. Martyn Lloyd Jones
from Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, ed. by Nancy Guthrie

Dec

Tale of Two Christmas Cookies

2009 at 1:16 pm | by Nicole Whitacre
Filed under Fun Stuff Girltalkers Homemaking Holidays and Seasons

cookies Recently, a myth has arisen about Grandma Mahaney’s Christmas cookies. Dad thinks—believes with all his heart, actually—that the cookies with green icing taste better than the cookies with red icing.

That’s absurd, since the only difference is the food coloring. But try telling Dad that. You won’t get anywhere. Common sense reason doesn’t penetrate this illusion.

After many exasperated explanations as to how it is not by any means possible for the red and green cookies to taste different; even after Grandma (his own mother!) told him the truth to no effect, we changed tactics.

He doesn’t believe us? Fine. We’ll prove it to him.

Time for a taste test.

Last Christmas, we all crowded around the kitchen table, set a plate of Grandma Mahaney’s Christmas cookies in front of Dad, and blindfolded him.

We fed him the first cookie.

“Red,” he said.

He was right. Lucky guess.

Next cookie.

“Green,” he said.

Right again. Oh, this isn’t good.

Third cookie.

“Red,” he said.

“Gotcha!” we cried. The cookie was green.

Finally, we thought, proof they taste the same.

Not so fast. We forgot this is Dad we were dealing with. This is the boy who, as permanent quarterback for all the pick-up football games on Hodges Lane, long ago honed the skill of spinning every defeat into a victory.

Two out of three, he insisted, is a win.

So, here we are, another Christmas, and Dad still insists the green ones are the best.

And some kids still believe in Santa Claus.

Dec

Grandma’s Christmas Cookies

2009 at 2:25 pm | by Janelle Bradshaw
Filed under Homemaking Holidays and Seasons Recipes

On Saturday we were snowed in with 22 inches of snow! I couldn't have ordered a more perfect day to make Grandma's Christmas Cookies with Caly. I went to our blog to pull up the recipe and re-read Nicole's post (from 2005) about these special cookies. It made me cry, and when I read it to the fam at breakfast, they cried too. So, I thought it was worthy of a re-post. Besides, you really have to try these cookies!

--------------------

Grandma Mahaney’s Christmas Cookies

2005 at 10:03 am | by Nicole Whitacre
Filed under Homemaking Holidays and Seasons

This year, on December 26, the Mahaney clan will descend upon Grandma's house—all loud, laughing, thirty-six of us. And this year, as with every year since my dad was a little boy, there will be Christmas cookies next to the punch bowl on Grandma’s sideboard in the dining room.

But these are no ordinary Christmas cookies. No siree! Just ask any Mahaney who is old enough to talk (and we usually start early)—these are the original Christmas cookies. All the rest, they’re just cookies.

The Mahaney Christmas cookie starts with the softest, chewiest, nutmeg flavored sugar cookie, slightly undercooked. Then pinky-red or soft-green frosting is lathered over the entire surface. But what really sets them apart are the red-hots (fresh, not stale, mind you) strategically placed on top. The key to eating one of these cookies, as every Mahaney knows, is to plan each bite to include icing and at least one red-hot.

And if these cookies still sound ordinary to you, it’s simply because you’ve never tasted one.

Several years ago, Dad asked Grandma why she had started using smaller cookie cutters. The almost-face-sized cookies he remembered weren’t as large as they used to be. But Grandma told him that these were the same cookie cutters she’d used since he was little. It’s just that he got bigger.

It’s a small thing that Grandma does, really. She makes Christmas cookies. And she makes them every year. But simply by doing it year after year, she gives her children, and now her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, a special memory.

Sometimes, we try to make adult size memories for our children, and we exhaust ourselves doing it. We forget that the cookies that seem small to us seem really big to them. Little acts make a big impact. Especially when done year after year. We would do well to keep that in mind this Christmas.

Today I’m making Grandma’s Christmas cookies for Jack. They’re about the size of his face right now. One day he’ll probably ask me why I stopped using those big cookie cutters. And I’ll tell him they are the same one’s I’ve always used. It’s just him. He got bigger.

By the way, if you want to make a big memory with little work, here’s the recipe for Grandma Mahaney’s Sugar Cookies:

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg slightly beaten
¼ cup sour cream
½ tsp. nutmeg
3 cups sifted flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt

Work butter until creamy. Stir in sugar gradually, then beat until fluffy. Stir in egg and sour cream. Mix well. Sift together flour, nutmeg, soda, and salt; stir into mixture. Mix thoroughly. Chill one hour. Set oven for 350 degrees.

Roll out a small amount of dough at a time, ¼ inch thick on a lightly floured board. Cut with Christmas cookie cutter. Place on greased baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool. Decorate with colored frosting and red-hots.

Frosting:
In a medium bowl, stir together until smooth:
4 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons water

Adjust the consistency as necessary with more powdered sugar or water. Color as desired. To store, cover the surface of the icing with a sheet of plastic wrap. This keeps for up to 4 days at room temperature or about one month refrigerated.

Dec

A Good Meal

2009 at 2:01 pm | by Carolyn Mahaney
Filed under Biblical Womanhood Spiritual Disciplines Homemaking Holidays and Seasons Series Current Series

plate “Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:42

This week, I’m planning Christmas dinner. I went to the grocery store yesterday. I’m going again today. And tomorrow. And Christmas Eve.

Actually, it’s a dinner that Jesus is referring to in Luke 10:42. The Greek word for “portion” here means “meal.”

He tells Martha--who is busily preparing a meal that fed the body--that Mary has chosen the good meal. Mary was eating a meal that fed the soul.

But not only that—Jesus said it was a meal that would not be taken away from her. Wow! Now that’s a really good meal!

It might take us twenty minutes to eat Christmas dinner. It will take our body 24-32 hours to digest that meal. The benefits won’t last for long.

But when we make the Lord’s teaching our meal, when we feast on His Word, the benefits from that meal will last for a very long time.

So long in fact, that Jesus said, it will not be taken away from us. Not in 24 hours, not in 24 years, not even in eternity.

Think about that. Every time we read, study, meditate or memorize God’s Word we are ingesting truth that will never be taken away from us.

That’s astounding!

That’s a meal we don’t want to skip!

Dec

The Gift of Peace

2009 at 2:55 pm | by Carolyn Mahaney
Filed under Biblical Womanhood Spiritual Disciplines Homemaking Holidays and Seasons Series Current Series

Sitting says to God: I need you!

Often, we don’t feel our need for God as much around the holidays. We might get a little anxious about all we have to do, but we figure—with a little help from family members—we can handle the Christmas baking and shopping and decorating pretty well on our own. I mean, what to get our father-in-law for Christmas hardly seems important enough to bother God with.

Come to think of it, wasn’t that what our friend Martha was doing?

She lost sight of her need for the Lord’s help. She was just bent on getting the help of that sister of hers!

Yet the Lord lovingly reminded her that needed His help. She needed His grace to serve. She needed to hear His voice to not be anxious.

Martha, Martha He tenderly chided her. I am the one you need to come to for grace and help in time of need – any need, no matter how small or great!

Notice that God didn’t wait until Lazarus’ death to encourage Martha to come to Him. He didn’t tell her to sit and listen only in time of great trial or difficulty. He spoke these words to her in the midst of the general busyness of her home.

present "Take one step at a time, every step under Divine warrant and direction.” exhorts Charles Bridges. It’s holiday advice we’ve shared with you before, but worth repeating:

“Ever plan for yourself in simple dependence on God. It is nothing less than self-idolatry to conceive that we can carry on even the ordinary matters of the day without his counsel. He loves to be consulted...Consider no circumstances too clear to need his direction. In all thy ways, small as well as great; in all thy concerns, personal or relative, temporal or eternal, let Him be supreme. Who of us has not found the unspeakable 'peace' of bringing to God matters too minute or individual to be entrusted to the most confidential ear?"

No circumstance is too clear. No matter too minute or personal or temporal to bring to God (even your father-in-law’s present!). God is not bothered or offended by our ordinary, mundane requests. He loves to be consulted about the ordinary matters of our days, and our holidays!

Let’s bring our anxious souls to Him and receive the gift of “unspeakable peace.”

Dec

Sitting Says Something

2009 at 2:24 pm | by Carolyn Mahaney
Filed under Biblical Womanhood Spiritual Disciplines Homemaking Holidays and Seasons Series Current Series

chair field Did you wake up this morning and say to God: “I don’t need to read your Word or pray or listen to your voice today. I am competent on my own. I can do this all by myself, thank you very much.”? 

Of course not! We would never dare say these frightfully arrogant words.

But if we neglect God’s Word and prayer over the holidays (and when is it more easy to do!), we are saying with our hearts and actions: “I can do it all by myself.”

Jesus has a different perspective: “Apart from me you can do nothing.” He says in John 15:5.

We can’t ice one cookie, trim one tree, sing one carol, shop one minute, sew one stitch, or wrap one gift without Him. None of these things—no matter how hard we work at them or how beautifully we pull them off—will have any “eternal value or…produce spiritual fruit” without God (ESV Study Bible).

To bear fruit, we must sit at His feet.

We must renounce our self-sufficiency.

We must repent from our arrogant independence.

We must come to the God of mercy who is eager to forgive.

And we must sit.

When we sit at Jesus’ feet, we are saying: “I need you! I can’t obey you without your help. I can’t serve you in my own strength. I can’t walk in a manner worthy of the gospel by myself. I need your grace.”

And you know what, He will give it! God didn’t correct Martha’s self-sufficiency to push her away. He wanted to draw her near to sit and listen. He wanted to speak to her, to teach her, to give her grace to bear fruit.

So let’s say—with our words, our hearts, and our actions—I need you, Lord, today!

Dec

Celebrate Santa?

2009 at 4:13 pm | by Carolyn Mahaney
Filed under Homemaking Holidays and Seasons

“What about Santa?” has been a recurring question from our readers through the years: “Is it right/wrong to celebrate Santa?”and “If you choose not to celebrate Santa, how do you help your children relate to family and strangers?”

Last week, Thabiti Anyabwile, a wonderful pastor in the Cayman Islands and a dear friend of CJ’s, published two thoughtful posts in answer to these questions.

He shares why Santa is not a part of his family’s Christmas celebration, and gently answers some of the common defenses for keeping Santa in Christmas:

Our children have grown up to have a wonderful, imagination-engaging, fun Christmas without Santa Claus. And scores of children whose parents make Santa Claus a part of their Christmas celebration have also grown up to have wonderful memories of Christmas and to serve the Lord faithfully….I'm not arguing a dogmatic causality here. I'm simply asking the question, "Why include Santa Claus at all?"

Thabiti follows up with a very helpful post on how to lead children through the difficult questions that arise when Santa is not apart of your family’s celebration.

1. Prepare your children before they're in the situation.

2. Don't leave your children hanging; model the response you're hoping for.

3. Teach children to take an interest in the traditions of others.

4. Finally, we have to teach our children how to handle objections.

As Thabiti notes, “there’s precept and there’s practice.” Whatever your practice, we hope God will give you much grace to lead your children in a Christ-centered celebration this year.

Dec

A Christmas Story for Adults

2009 at 1:56 pm | by Nicole Whitacre
Filed under Homemaking Holidays and Seasons Series Resource Recommendations

I’ve never outgrown my love for a good Christmas story. Problem is, good Christmas stories for adults are much harder to find.

But this year, we can happily recommend a new book for your personal Christmas story time. The Unfinished Gift is a new novel by author Dan Walsh—who also happens to be a Sovereign Grace Ministries pastor in Daytona Beach, FL.

Despite the author’s balmy writing weather, this book has the authentic feel of a bitterly cold winter in 1943. Patrick, the seven-year-old main character, faces sudden grief and an uncertain future with his crotchety grandfather (who, most notably to me, never keeps the house warm enough!).

Old judgments and bitterness linger long in this family, and the evil of prejudice still infects the community. But the brave charity of strangers comes to Patrick’s rescue. And the kindness, long-suffering, and forgiveness of two women who loved their family bring restoration, long after they are gone.

This book’s redemptive and godly themes stand out against the cynical and raunchy holiday fare peddled for adults. Not only can you read this book without feeling yucky or depressed, you’ll find hope that springs eternal, grace in unexpected kindness, and a harvest of righteousness for peacemakers who sow in peace.

So, treat yourself to The Unfinished Gift this Christmas season. I dare you to read it through without crying

Dec

A Christmas Story for Kids

2009 at 2:38 pm | by Nicole Whitacre
Filed under Homemaking Holidays and Seasons

christmas gift When we were little, my mom read us Christmas stories she’d ripped out of Christian magazines, or borrowed from the library. These story times remain some of my most vivid and cherished Christmas memories.

So this year, I’m carrying on that tradition with my own kids. Instead of just telling them that “it really is better to give than receive” and “Christ is the reason for the season” I’m reading them stories that I hope will capture their imagination and affections.

Each night, by the light of the advent candle, we read a story.

One of my favorites so far doesn’t even have any pictures! It’s a story John Piper wrote for the children of his church. “A Kind of Christmas Tale” is about a man named Job and his daughter Jemimah. It was a tad above my children’s comprehension level (well, more than a tad above Tori’s!); but the story is encapsulated in two short rhymes, which, when repeated often, will remind my children and me to trust God’s plan and to obey Him always. Here's the first one:

“When things don’t go the way they should
God always makes them work for good.”

To learn the second one, you'll have to read the story.

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