Homemaking Help

I just wanted to post a link to my friend, Keisha's blog post on her cleaning routine. http://thisbmess.wordpress.com/2008/09/23/building-a-groundwork/ Keisha is a very talented (music, organizing, cleaning, encouraging, story telling, writing, to name a few) and godly woman (loving, tenderhearted, sincere, and she gets grace!). She came up with an amazing cleaning routine (I referred to this in the comments section of my post "Help! Homemaking! Where to Start!"). While my schedule will likely not look exactly like hers, it helped me to read through her schedule as a starting point for figuring out ways that I can organize my own schedule. I love that the Lord gives us much grace, and wants us to live in freedom of His grace, not the bondage of condemnation and fear. While He gives us abiding principles in Scripture, He gives us freedom in application in many ways. The particulars of homemaking will look different for different people depending on their circumstances and gifting. The point is to reflect the beauty and order of our Awesome God, to bless our families and guests in our home, and to live our lives in such a way that we are making the most of our days to glorify our God! Here's my confession: I often default to condemnation, fear, and legalism for myself in this area. When I don't default to these, I often give up. Pray for me! God is working in me with these things though. My new neighbor stopped by out of the blue today with her toddler son, and my house was a mess. I had dishes in the sink, blankets unfolded in the livingroom, papers on my desk, etc. It was humbling (embarassing to be honest), but I am glad she stopped by. I want to get to know her and love my neighbors. This is a good reminder about a key reason for why I want to develop my skills and learn all that I can in the area of homemaking. I want to love well--to love my God, and to love others. I want my home to be an inviting place for my husband firstly, and secondly for others!