Worth Rubies LINKUP!~Contributing To Family Finances

 

"She considers a field, and buys it: with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard." Proverbs 31:16

 

We studied this verse last week, and discussed how the Proverbs 31 woman contributes to the financial health of the family. 

We each contribute in unique ways.  Some of us work outside the home.  Some of us work from home.  Some of us have an online business, sell on E~bay, or have an Etsy shop.  Some of us sell jewelry, candles, purses and bags, or other accessories.

For those of us who have our own businesses, I want to create a community where we can support each other.  This week, I'm including a LINKUP with this Worth Rubies post!  Please link up your online business, Etsy shop, a link to something you sell, or whatever your source of income may be.  Then lets check out each listing and start supporting fellow Proverbs 31 women!

Have a great {and prosperous!} week!

Blessings,


Homestead For Him now has a Facebook page.  Like what you see here, won't you like my page?!  Click the like button on the sidebar or go HERE!!

 

 

 

An InLinkz Link-up

Worth Rubies~The Fruit Of Her Hands

 "She considers a field, and buys it: with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard." Proverbs 31:16

 

So far we've learned that the Proverbs 31 woman makes her marriage a priority, is eager to work, spends time making meals for her family, and now we learn that she is also thoughtful about purchases and finances.

This scripture states that the Proverbs 31 woman would consider or think hard about her purchase before buying it.  I know we are probably not buying fields, but think about what you are in charge of purchasing for your family.  Household supplies?  Groceries?  Gas?  Clothes?  How much do we consider or think about these purchases before we make them?  Are we good stewards of the financial blessings we've been given?  Or are we making rash purchases?  Do our husbands tremble in fear when we go shopping, or do they give us their blessing knowing we will make good choices in our purchases?

The second part of this verse states that out of our earnings we will plant a vineyard.  How do we have earnings?  This may look different in each family.  For some women, it may be an income from a job or work at home opportunity and they are getting their earnings this way.  Some women spend time looking for ways to save money for their families.  This would be considered their earnings.  However the Proverbs 31 woman achieved her earnings, after careful consideration, she invested it into what will create more income for her family {planting a vineyard}. 

This week lets think about our family's finances and our shopping habits.  What area can we improve upon?  Can you use your gifts and talents to provide a small income for your family?  Can you spend more time coming up with creative ways to save money for your family?  Our husband will have full confidence in us {vs. 11} and our spending habits!

 Blessings,

Homestead For Him now has a Facebook page.  Like what you see here, won't you like my page?!  Click the like button on the sidebar or go HERE!!

Most Read Posts of 2013

As we head into the new year and reflect on the previous year, I wanted to share ten of the most read blog posts of 2013.

This post was originally from 6/2011 and just reposted last month, but my recipe for Easy Bacon and Cheese Quiche was popular this year.  A lot of you were looking for an easy and yummy idea!!

Apparently many of you can relate to How Our Life is "Normally" Crazy as this was a most read post of 2013!!

 

Interested on Saving Money When You are on Vacation and Eating out?  Many found my tips helpful to have a frugal vacation!

 

Letting Your Husband Lead became a hot topic for many of us!  How are we doing in this area?

Many of us were also looking at our marriages, and 8 Ways to Bless Your Husband had some helpful information.

 

While I also wrote this post on Making Your Own Fabric Softener in 2012, it was also clicked on many times this past year!

 

You found My Transition from Pants To Skirts interesting and I was blessed by how many of you were considering the same things.





My Stockpile Challenge encouraged many of you to start the same thing.

 

How Our Christmas Is Free shows that with a little effort, you can get Christmas gifts for free.  Now would be a good time to start some of these ideas and see just what you can get for free this year!

 

My series on the Proverbs 31 Woman had us thinking each week about how we can become better wives and mothers.  I'll be starting this up again soon!

And the number one most read post continues to be Why I Wear Skirts.  Whether your just curious, or thinking about the same thing, this post explains my heart as the reason for why I wear skirts.



I have lots of ideas for my blog for the new year, and thank you for joining me along this journey!

 

Blessings,

Homestead For Him now has a Facebook page.  Like what you see here, won't you like my page?!  Click the like button on the sidebar or go HERE!!

 

Worth Rubies~Feeding Our Families**WITH A GIVEAWAY!!**

 

 

"She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants." Proverbs 31:14-15

The Proverbs 31 woman is quite a busy woman!  We're not only busy eagerly serving our husbands, but we are also spending a lot of time preparing food for them and our families.

A Proverbs 31 woman will go to whatever depths necessary to bring nutritious food to our families.  In this verse it states that she is like a merchant ship.  Merchant ships were also called trading ships because they were full of goods from far away lands that many people bartered to buy and trade goods.  We probably do not need to travel great distances to bring our food home, but we should travel past the nearest McDonald's to put healthy food on our tables.  We need to put some thought and effort into not only planning our meals, but getting our food at the best prices as well.

In order to provide our families with healthy, delicious meals we will need to get a proper start to our day.  This means we will need to get out of bed early {while it is still night} and get going ourselves.  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and getting our families going with a good, healthy breakfast is just what they need.  This may mean different things in different families.  It might mean a breakfast of eggs, or a breakfast of pancakes, or a breakfast of oatmeal.  It probably doesn't mean sending the kids out the door with a couple of cookies!

What about lunch?  In our house, lunch is pretty simple, but I still need to put some thought into it.  Are we prepared for dinner?  Thawing something out, something in the crockpot, or roasting in the oven? 

Is this an area you are struggling in?  This week lets make a better effort to putting nutritious and delicious meals on the table each day.  Start with a good breakfast.  You might remember my Great Cereal Debate and my struggle with feeding my kids cereal {something I still struggle with at times!}.  This post has some great, EASY alternatives to cereal.  How about dinner.  Think about it now, so you are not struggling at 4:30 to find something decent to eat, then give up and order a pizza!  Make a meal list for the week {check the grocery ads and coordinate meals with sales!} and head to the grocery store.

 

NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY!!!!

I was recently given a DVD of Homestead Blessings~The Art Of Bread Making.  I already have this DVD and love it!  I love the West Ladies {as they call themselves!} and all of their DVD's are wonderful and informative!  Since I already had this DVD, I would love to pass it on to someone else to enjoy!  Bread making is a wonderful skill to learn and this DVD will help to get you started.  Just enter below and I'll announce the winner next week!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have a great {and delicious!} week!

Blessings,


Homestead For Him now has a Facebook page.  Like what you see here, won't you like my page?!  Click the like button on the sidebar or go HERE!!

Worth Rubies~A Pause To Reflect

I want to address a few things.  When I started my blog, I had no real idea about what I wanted it to be.  I tried copying things that seemed to work well for other bloggers, but I never really felt like things fit.  After some prayer and reflection early last year, I realized what my mission in writing this blog would be and I try to stick with this.

I found in my own life when I was a young wife and mother, I had a lack of a mentor.  I really didn't know what scripture states about my role as wife and mother.  As a result, both my marriage and family were not what it should have/could have been.   I looked to blogs and Christian writers along with scripture to learn about these things.    This has been a blessing in my marriage, parenting, and home.  What I want to do with this blog is to share with other women what I have learned as a wife, mother, and homemaker, and hopefully encourage other women. 

What I do not want my blog to be is a source of frustration and discouragement.  I feel I need to get very real with you.  I do not write my blog because I am a perfect wife and mother.  I do not write my blog because I have it all together.  I do not write my blog because I know everything about everything. 

If you came to my home and spent the day with me you'd see I'm in the same place you are.  My marriage is not perfect.  I am a sinner married to a sinner.  My children are not perfect.  They argue with each other, are disobedient, and forgetful.  My house is not tidy, and sometimes it's not real clean either!  I struggle with self confidence and fear.  I loose my patience, my temper, my tongue, and sometimes my mind!! 

I pray you will be encouraged by what I write, because I write it not only for you, but myself as well.  When I write about parenting or marriage, I am also writing it to myself.  I desire to be better myself, and want you to find that joy as well.  I don't write about the Proverbs 31 woman because I am one.  I write about the Proverbs 31 woman because I want to be one.  I believe that together we can change the next generation and turn hearts back toward Christ.   

Please, please, please understand that I do not have a perfect marriage, perfect family, and perfect life. Please don't leave this blog discouraged because I am writing about a subject you feel you don't measure up to.  More than likely, I don't either, but am working on it.   

Be encouraged!

Blessings,


Homestead For Him now has a Facebook page.  Like what you see here, won't you like my page?!  Click the like button on the sidebar or go HERE!!

Worth Rubies~Eager To Work

 

"She selects wool and flax, and works with eager hands."  Proverbs 31:13

 

I know that women no longer need to spin their own yarn or create their own linens.  Even still, we can still find meaning in this verse of Proverbs 31.

 

Years ago, women made their own clothing.  The Proverbs 31 woman would not only create her own clothing and that of her family, but she took great care to select the finest materials for the best price.  Many times to create clothing meant women spinning their own fabrics.  The Proverbs 31 woman was eager to do this work.  She was not lazy, but willingly helped her husband.

 

While many of us may not make our own clothing, we can still spend time working with eager hands.  We must be willing to work along side our husbands  for the good of our family.   We must be eager {excited!} to help out in whatever may come our way.

 

I admit that many times I am less than eager to do things to help out.  As we are in the process of updating our home, there is always something that needs to be done.  When hubby came to me recently asking for help on a project, I may have {ok, you know I did!} sighed and reluctantly gone to help.  This is not a woman who works with eager hands.  This verse will be especially helpful to me in the next few years months.

 

This week we can work on our attitudes while we work alongside our husbands.  This may look different in each household.  Some of us literally work alongside our husbands each day.  Others of us work alongside our husbands as we raise our families.  However it may look, lets willingly and eagerly work.  We can work with eager hands as we work on becoming that Proverbs 31 woman.

 

Blessings,

Homestead For Him now has a Facebook page.  Like what you see here, won't you like my page?!  Click the like button on the sidebar or go HERE!!

 

Worth Rubies~Our Marriage

"A wife of noble character who can find?  She is worth far more than rubies.   Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.  She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life."  Proverbs 31:10-12


Some versions of the Bible use the term virtuous instead of noble.  The dictionary defines virtuous as having or showing high moral standards.  Proverbs states that this woman is so valuable, she is worth more than rubies.  Ladies, we are more valuable than jewels!

The Proverbs 31 wife will have high standards.  These standards cover all areas of our lives, but most importantly our marriages.  Our husbands will fully trust us with all area's of their lives.  They know that we will always have their best interests in mind.  They know that we would never do or say anything that would bring them shame.  They are content and have all they need, because we as their wives are serving them.  Our husbands will have full confidence in us because we always work for their well being.  

The Proverbs 31 woman respects her husband, is a helpmeet to her husband, and serves her husband in love. 

That's a big request!  Sometimes we grumble when our husbands ask something of us.  Sometimes our husbands are difficult to respect.  Sometimes we just don't feel like meeting their needs before our own.  But this part of Proverbs 31 shows us just how good our marriages will be when we put our husbands and marriage first.  Our husbands will be happy husbands!

Do we always have our husband's best interests in mind?  Do we anticipate their needs and then meet them?  Do our husbands trust us in all area's of their life?

Is this an area we can work on this week?  Maybe it's asking our husbands how we can help them this week.  Maybe it's meeting our husbands needs before he even has to ask us.  Maybe it's as simple as picking up the house before he comes home from work.  Big or small, we all know those things that make our husbands happy. 

Whatever area we can work on with our husbands, when we work on our marriages, we are also working on becoming a Proverbs 31 woman.

Blessings,


Homestead For Him now has a Facebook page.  Like what you see here, won't you like my page?!  Go HERE!!

Worth Rubies~A Proverbs 31 Woman

 

 I have wanted to do a series on the Proverbs 31 woman for some time now.  Actually, what Proverbs 31 has meant to me as a wife and mother.  It wasn't until I really read through {not just read, but read through} Proverbs 31 did I realize this is actually an instruction manual for women.

The Proverbs 31 woman has it all together.  She is perfect in every way.  Really, she is far more than you or I could ever achieve to be.  But while I know that I will never be this perfect woman, I love that God gives us a guideline in His word of what he wants for us to be. 

I want to work through Proverbs 31:10~31 with you.  I want US to become the wives and mothers God intends for us to be.  Some area's are easy to work with.  Others are not so much.  Together, I know that we can do it!

So, won't you join me each week as we study another area in our Proverbs 31 walk?  I am excited to take this journey with you, not because I have all the answers or that I am already a great wife and mother {I am seriously flawed more than you know!!}.  I'll be working on each area right along with you!  Because we want to make the most of our motherhood and our wifehood {seriously, is that even a word?!}.  We want to be the women God had planned all along for us to be!


Blessings,


Homestead For Him now has a Facebook page.  Like what you see here, like my page!  Go HERE!!