Beyond the Garden Gate

  You have been hearing me talk a lot about homemaking lately so today I thought I would clarify what I think homemaking is and what is not. To me homemaking is not the same as a stay at home wife/mother even though that’s what most (probably all) people think of when they hear homemaker. I will touch briefly in feminine and masculine but I will write more in depth about it later on. You have probably heard the saying “the man builds the home and the woman creates it”. This makes me think that yes, we are different, with different gifts and qualities -men & woman- masculine (provide, protect, guide) & feminine (nurture beautify, create)- yet we compliment each other perfectly specially in the making of a home. We are both,in our own way, homemaking. The man with his masculine qualities and the woman with her feminine ones are in this beautiful and delicate dance of building and creating a home and that  home is and will be   the foundation of the family. All of my...

  today I thought I’d share a bit of my struggle as a human and I know for a fact my dear one you will struggle with this too… I know you will be a light to everyone around you and just know that some will not have the same faith as you, they might have their own name to explain that beautiful nonphysical presence, we in our family call God. But as you know by now your mom thinks it’s not for us to judge, we are each in our own path, we are to love one another no matter what, make the feel welcomed, and we are just walking each other home… so in the end it doesn’t matter and it is irrelevant what name resonates with them. What is important is that you become that shinning light, an example with your actions and life, that helps them conect to it and live in a way that honors that connection to pure Love, in our case God. And when they see your joy, strenth, faith, and peace and ask how you do it you can point them to Jesus and the cross. Back to today’s topic… fear & love Today...

  there is nothing in this world I find more beautiful than the sound of you laughing playing in the fall leaves, under a bright blue sky, while a cool crisp breeze blows by making the most stunning colored leaves come alive once more as they dance in their way to the ground. Living in the Pacific Northwest I have gotten the amazing treat of experiencing fall, the colors, the flavors, the smells… can you tell I love everything about fall?! You sure can by the “look! Look at those leaves” I scream in excitement every five minutes while we drive anywhere lol. And the amount of fun we have stepping in the acorns at\n grampas house and dodging the acorns as we run around (remember the blue jay that was chucking acorns at us on purpose?! And opening them to explore the inside including the treasured worms that like to hide in them?! How about collecting them for “Mr peanuts” our “pet” squirrel?! I hope those are in your little mental memory box and when you see the signs of fall like t...

 I   recently started the series on Homemaking but I should have probably explained WHAT is homemaking before I started… A big truth to keep in mind before we begin is that a home is not a house is a space you create for you and loved ones to thrive in. I truly believe that  homemaking is more than the typical images that comes to mind of a woman chained to the vacuun and baking apple pies or the other image of a woman doing nothing at home . In my case I have had to fight backlash from both points of view. I remembered when I first decided to stay home after giving birth my sister got so upset because I was going to be a homemaker, not reach my full potential, but be like a pretty flower vase at home (what?! Lol) then other people thought I would be a slave in the home cooking and cleaning, again not reaching my full potential (I see a pattern, do you? fascinating I will have to talk about that in a future post). Yes, now a days we have the luxury and blessing that we ge...

  oday I am hoping to inspire you with my first post in what I consider the Homemakers series. Its safe to say that I am not an end all be all guru but I have learned some things along the way and I hope to inspire those future new ladies homemakers- and maybe veterans too- the way I wish I had someone teach me when I first got started. This tip fits into the first category – the practical side of homemaking As you already know, I grew up in a different culture where cleaning ladies were the norm and I have had to learn after moving to the US and specially getting married how to be a homemaker and the importance of tending to and caring for our homes specially because it allows us to cultivate our femine qualities of nurturing and caring, beautifying, and creating. I don’t believe that making our space beautiful calls for a make over or spending a ton of money but it does call for us to invest our hearts, energy, time, and creativity to make it a peaceful, warm, beautiful, and invi...