Jen sharing, “There are certain things in life I do very well, and those are the topics I typically share about here on Balancing Beauty and Bedlam. Then there are other areas which I desire to master, but after decades [...]
Brownie Recipe + Necessary Chocolate = Chaos
May5
It started as a delicious thought; Mother-Daughter baking and bonding time. What better goal for a school morning that to conquer the perfect homemade chocolate brownie recipe. But alas, the recipe called for a chocolate baking bar. Hmm….it had been [...]
Speed Cleaning – Join Me!
Feb12
Somehow three weeks have flown by. In between traveling, severe personal sickness, and then followed by sick children, the house has deteriorated. In other words, it’s in shambles, and as I look around, I’m praying fervently for my personal cleaning [...]
Confession Time: Is Your Christmas Decor Still Up?
Jan14
Over the past few snow days, different teen guys have been in and out of the house. When not just one, but two friends asked my sons privately why their mom still had her Christmas stuff up, I started feeling [...]
New Uses for Dryer Sheets – imagine that
Nov4
Picture: Real Simple Part of our frugal living journey is not just about making wise decision with our finances, but it’s also taking a fresh look at how we do things. Slowly shifting our mind set to one where we [...]
No More “Another Days” (31 Days to More with Less)
Oct17
Just days after I reorganized my school room, my glass book shelf broke. (I know…glass shelves, heavy books…not practical.) I quickly started unloading the books onto the floor, surrounding chairs, and the dining/ school room table. Some how a day [...]
How to Clean Stainless Steel Appliances
Oct8
When I first announced that I was getting Frigidaire stainless steel appliances, I had a lot of people thrilled for me because they knew what a beautiful addition to my kitchen they would be, but warned me about the hassle [...]
Weekly Menu Plan Update
Mar15
Filled with a sea of middle school students, we hosted a discipleship weekend for our church. There was plenty of great food, junk food and miscellaneous food still to be determined, but it was a blessing to share life with [...]
Frigidaire, Food, and Family Manager
Jan25
As I read one astonishing email right before Thanksgiving, I literally started screeching. My kids came running. My husband wondered if I was alright, and I could barely catch my breath. Well, my breath is back, and I am ready [...]
Just do the next thing…
Nov4
Feeling overwhelmed with the day to day of life? Do you know the feeling? Whether it’s planning for a last minute trip out of the country (which is still surreal for me) or just trying to accomplish the day to day woman, mom, or wife kind of things, I always go back to one of my mentors, Elizabeth Elliot, who encourages, “Just do the next thing.”
Organizing the Kitchen Pantry (for my stockpile)
Mar2
In the last two weeks, I have had tremendous success with matching up the sales flyers with my coupons, thus enabling me to stock up on quite a few things that I typically don’t purchase. While the stockpiling benefits allow [...]
The Baby Steps of Organization
Jan10
As you twirl around blog land this week, a myriad of ladies are introducing us to their resolutions and goals. Our family will be carving out time this week to reflect on 2008, and looking ahead to the intentional steps [...]
Sharing the bedroom bedlam in my “haven”
Nov12
Since I passionately pursue creating a “haven of hospitality,” I thought I would share one aspect where I am consistently struggle. You remember one of my last guests, don’t you? Yes, only at my haven would I have that happen. [...]
