It Might Only Take a Notebook… by Cindy Rushton

It was a normal day, just like so many others, but my life was changed. In fact, it was a conversation similar to so many throughout my life…just girl talk in the kitchen over meal preparation. Who would imagine that it would change my life and lead me toward my life call? Who would imagine that it would put together all of the pieces to my jumbled-up life?

Mamaw Alma Lee Rushton was my husband’s grandmother. I remember the first day I met her. We had an instant bond. It was amazing. Not long after Harold and I became officially “connected at the hip” as my dad called it, I remember one conversation with her where she shared that I was everything that she had prayed Harold would marry. Those words of vision touched me to the depths of my soul. Oh! He was everything that I had prayed to marry. He was my Prince Charming. He was my Knight in Shining Armor…or Izod, who is particular about those details in HOT Mississippi? ha!

When Mamaw spoke, she spoke vision…instruction…inspiration…and a deep passion for Godly womanhood. Her opinions meant so much to me. Her insight was always biblical. Her instruction was patient and kind. I clung to her words. They were steeped in a love for God, a love for family, and a deep love for me. Read more

101+ HOT Ideas for Romancing Your Sweetheart! by Cindy Rushton

How are you doing in your marriage? I remember when we began homeschooling. For the first time in my life, I had finally found the fulfillment that God had planned for me from the foundations of the earth. The only problem was that I found myself either entirely too child-centered, talking about the children and homeschooling with every breath OR simply too exhausted from the pull on my time and energy as I balanced homeschooling, homemaking, and motherhood! I found myself in awe of this good-looking man I had forgotten along the way. How are your home-fires? Are you finding that good-looking love-bug to be a stranger and you don’t know where to begin romancing him? Want some fun ideas??? Here are 101+ ideas that are SURE to make your (AND HIS) heart patter with that same passion from your honeymoon days! Have fun!

Plan a daily Pow-wow time! Whether it is coffee in the morning…coke over a mid-morning break…afternoon tea (coffee!)…or bedtime cuddles, set aside a time for the two of you to keep up with one another! Share your plans, dreams, vision, struggles, concerns, ideas. Get to REALLY know one another! Be sure that your children learn to respect this time. They will LOVE to watch their Mommy and Daddy as they deepen the romantic love for one another!

Make him a “CD” of “your” love songs from your dating years! Read more

Build Your Marriage by Cindy Rushton

“Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.” Proverbs 14:1Building your marriage? Is it on the back-burner? Busy with the children and the house and homeschooling and working in your business? Just dropping at the end of the day with nothing left over?

I am not trying to give you another thing to do with your busy day. Rather, we need to get back to God’s design for the godly home. Take a peek at this passage from 1 Corinthians 11: 7-9

“The woman is the glory of the man. For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.” 1 Corinthians 11: 7-9

Our number one priority after our relationship with God is our marriage. We are created to be a helpmeet. Not a small thing! Not an extra thing. It is absolutely essential. Read more

Traditions from the Rushton Home by Cindy Rushton

Good morning dearies!

We are hosting a fun Mommy Homework lesson this week. They are all SO awesome! You will want to check them out. Here is the link: http://www.cindysdesktop.com/?p=2450

I thought that I would jump in and share a few of our traditions. Traditions are sometimes very little things, but they are things that we can always count on. They are the things that bring our children back home. This is my first Christmas where my grown son came back home for Christmas. Traditions mean A LOT to us this year. Here are a few of ours:

–> Our Trek to the Gaylord. Every year we go to the Gaylord Opryland and take Christmas pictures for the year. We leave out after church and head up for an afternoon and evening there at the Gaylord. It is stunning this time of year. It is the perfect background for special pictures. See our pictures at Facebook. Read more

Gorgeous Centerpieces Kids Can Make

When sitting down to Christmas dinner, all eyes go to the center of the table.  This is because there is a beautiful centerpiece there that was made by your kids.  Don’t spend money purchasing something elaborate for the holiday table this year.  Let the kids (with your help) do the honors for the family.  Here are some centerpiece ideas that are easy enough for kids to create.

Decorative centerpieces can be crafted from items that you already possess.  Things that you use to decorate the house each holiday can be converted to an arrangement for the family dinner table.  Gather a few things and see what you and the kids can come up with.
Read more

Fun Food Crafts with Kids!

What’s better than a cute craft made by your child?  A cute craft made by your child that you can eat, that’s what.  Most kids like to cook.  When you are baking cookies or cakes, they want to help.  And no I don’t mean just licking the batter bowl.  Strap a kid-sized apron on them, grab a stool and get ready for some fun family time.

Edible crafts are a hit with family members, teachers and friends too, so you can never make too many.  Here are some ideas for edible crafts that your kids can help you to make.

Chocolate is a good choice for treats all year ’round.  For the chocolate lovers in your life, create chocolate stirrer spoons.  These spoons can be used in hot cocoa or coffee for extra sweetness.  To create your sweet stirrers, you’ll only need a few ingredients and cleanup is a snap.
Read more

Keep the Kids Busy AND Make Great Gifts at the Same Time!

If you plan on sending homemade gifts this year, get the kids to make some crafts that you can use for specifically for that purpose.  The kids will have a blast, you’ll enjoy the time together and the stress relief of doing it all yourself and the recipient will feel extra special knowing the gifts were made by the little ones.  Here are a few ideas to get your kid’s big imaginations started.

When it comes to kitchen items there are tons of crafts that kids can make and you can give as presents.  Craft stores sell blank aprons in various colors.  Kids can decorate these aprons using craft paints, stencils, and iron-on shapes.  For unique shapes, use the cut edge of a white potato dipped in paint.  Oven mitts, placemats, dishtowels, and napkin rings are other examples of kitchen crafts kids can turn into gifts with just a few simple decorations. Read more

Homemade Gifts for Family Members Who are Away

Families love to spend the holidays together. Sometimes, circumstances are such that family members aren’t able to be present in the same place during Christmas. There are many reasons that some family members can’t be together during the holidays. If they are in the military, they could be stationed overseas. Family members who are ill may find it hard or not possible to travel long distances.

When situations arise that keep families separated don’t let it stop you from making those who can’t be with you feel they are still a part of the celebration! Homemade gifts sent to them through the mail will help you to accomplish this. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Do you own a video camera? Create a holiday video for far away family members. Each person can talk about how much they miss them and send their own personal message of love. Kids can drop hints about what they want for Christmas too. If you haven’t seen the person in awhile, talk about what has changed in your life to get them up to speed. Read more

Gifts from the Home (and HEART!)

Everyone loves getting gifts that come from the heart.  What shows this better than gifts made by hand?  While this may make some people panic at the thought of trying to make something arts and crafts, it really isn’t that hard to make a nice gift for someone.

An excellent gift for a new bride in the family would be a cookbook of all the family favorites.  Add some stories and maybe old photos of family gatherings to go along with the recipes.  Put together some dry mixes of some of the recipes to get her started.  Wrap it in a nice apron, maybe even one that belonged to a relative.

For kids, a great gift that can be added to is a Dress Up Kit. Get an old suitcase or two and fill it with old clothes that you don’t wear anymore.  Include hats and shoes. Now and then, add more items to the box. Ask other relatives to contribute to it as well. If you have pictures of family members wearing the clothes, print them out and decoupage them on the outside of the suitcase and then coat with a clear finish.
Read more

Non-Edible Gifts by Cindy Rushton

Excerpted from Christ-Centered Christmas  (NOW with companion audios! See our sale!)

* Spicy Cinnamon Sticks…Gather a bunch of extra long cinnamon sticks and tie with a holiday ribbon and a sprig of holly or baby’s breath.  Cute to hang on the tree, sit around, and place on gifts instead of a bow!

* Painted Wooden Ornaments… Purchase pre-cut wooden Christmas cutouts that are pre-painted.  Tie with gold, green, or red thread and use on the tree or as necklaces.  Hot glue a pin on the back to wear as a holiday pin!

* Cookie Cutter Ornaments…Purchase metal cookie cutters and tie bright holiday ribbon through the top!  Easy, Inexpensive, and Precious Gift!

* Recipe Book…It could be just holiday ideas like this one or it could be a collections of all the treasured family recipes.  It could be a collection from all relatives’ submissions.  Be imaginative!  Be sure to keep a copy for your daughters! Read more

Next Page »