Last week we cleaned my son's room. It was quite a project. He is my organizationally challenged pack rat. So far he has been working very hard at keeping his room looking great. My job now is to encourage him each day to persevere until he becomes habitually disciplined to clean up after himself. This is where I usually fail. I'll get distracted with something else, forget about his room and his newly forming habits, and the room will become a scary place again. But I didn't find that library book we've been looking for.

My daughter also got us going today with the garden. She read a Dear America book about a girl planting a Victory Garden and was so inspired she decided to plant her own. We pulled weeds, prepared the beds (garden beds that is), and planted canteloupe, carrot & spinach seeds, and several tomato plants too.

I wish I could post photos. Our camera died last week as well. Bad week for electronics at our house.

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After a week of recovering from a cold, I am back in the CHCH Challenge. I have 4 weeks of spring cleaning left to do. My goal is to finish by June 23. This is actually 6 weeks away, but we will have a family reunion and Elementary Camp with church right in the midst of our cleaning.

This coming week I am going to tackle the dining room/school room and the kitchen. This will be a good time to clean things out since we are wrapping up our school year. I plan on posting any curriculum to sell at The Flea Market Forum here at HSB.

It feels good to be well again, and I am once again excited to finish cleaning out the excess stuff!

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This is the devotional title for week 4 of the Clean Heart Clean Home Challenge. To download the FREE printable organizer that contains the devotion and a plan to spring clean your home, go here.

I was reading the Bible passage, Jer 29:13-14, chosen for this week's devotional and just couldn't help but read more. I wanted to know WHY God was saying this to the Israelites.

Jeremiah 29:1-14

1 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon;

2 (After that Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem;) 

3 By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon) saying,

4 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;

5 Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;

6 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.

7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.

8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.

9 For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD.

10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

The passage from Jeremiah speaks to the Jews freshly taken into captivity. God is chastening Israel for their disobedience, and in the midst of His chastening, He is saying, "Make yourselves comfortable here. Find peace away from your home in the midst of this chastening. Then seek me. I will hear you and return you home" (paraphrased by me). In verse 11, God speaks of having thoughts of peace towards Israel in the midst of their chastening. And as always, in verse 13, God brings it back to the issue of the heart.

He desires our hearts to search for Him. He wants us to want Him. He desires peace for us even when we are being corrected. If we are diligently searching for the Lord in this Spring Cleaning Challenge, God will be faithful to clean out our hearts. This often involves chastening since we humans don't have a good track record for listening or obeying. In the midst of our chastening, of being corrected by God, let us all find peace and accept that God is using this time for His glory and for our good. And He will return us home!

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Well, today a miracle occurred. As part of the Clean Home Clean Heart Challenge, my laundry room is clean and organized!

My house is old, so the laundry room is in the basement (also known as the dungeon). I'm typically a pretty tidy and organized person, except for the laundry room. This somehow ended up being the dump-all for everything that didn't have a home.

Check it out:

Today I conquered the beast! Not only did the laundry room get clean, but all the other clutter got put away where it belongs, or I made a new home for it.

The amount of dust that builds up in an old basement is astounding. I came upstairs at some point and couldn't see clearly. I realized that a thick layer of dust was covering my glasses! Now I think I'll go soak in the tub. Tomorrow I'll let you know how brown the water turned.

I'm also looking forward to doing laundry tomorrow in my nice clean space. 

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Okay, I did not follow my schedule yesterday, nor am I today. My husband's work schedule kept changing and so did my plans. But it has been so good. The important things are getting done (like time with the people I so enjoy).

Yesterday and today I went to the homeschool conference here. I was inspired and am geared up for next year. I even exercised self control and did not get those extra books I was eyeing. I stayed within budget!

I even got to meet fellow blogger, Jaybird!

About that Clean Heart Clean Home Challenge...I am now behind. My master bedroom cleaning has not yet begun. I am just going to move on and try and squeeze it in bit by bit. I so want to finish on time. Cleaning out our home (and my heart) is so important to me, but I am so eager to get done!

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Well, I spent the weekend working out my new schedule. Now I have a template made of the "uninterrupted week" that I can tailor to each interrupted week as it comes. Today went much smoother using this new schedule. I got my quiet time and extra Bible study time in. Yeah! We were even able to shift things easily to accomodate an unplanned appointment.

Working on this schedule has been such a good thing. I've been looking back in my journal and seeing prayer after prayer asking for focus and direction. God just had to bring me to that point in which I had to take action. He also used the THE CLEAN HEART, CLEAN HOME CHALLENGE ORGANIZER made by Dandelion Seeds to equip me for this task. The schedule has caused me to seek God's desire for my extra moments and to use the time He has given me more wisely. It has also equipped me to be better prepared to teach and more readily available for my dear students. I, in essence, was Wasting My Time (which is, in reality, Wasting God's Time). The following scripture has been echoing in my head:

Ephesians 5:15-17 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

I am praying that as I use this new schedule, God will show me where He wants me each day. This schedule will be much like a journal. I will be able to look back and see what is taking priority in my life and where God is leading me. I am also praying that God helps me to release any "extra" time consumers that I am holding onto, and to allow me the time I've desired to get some projects done.

I just have one problem. When I sat down to blog tonight, I just stared at the screen. My brain has turned off by this time of evening. I need to adjust my blog time to morning when I have a clear head and a fresh cup of coffee. Until then, Goodnight.

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Thanks for the encouragement, everyone! Last night I had a beautiful talk with my 12yo daughter. Come to find she is having the same struggle as me.

I went to bed working on the new and improved realistic schedule which I will actually follow. I am praying that by working through this, God will show me what I need to pitch and what I need to invest my time in. Already I have been convicted about digging into the Word on a regular basis. I read and pray daily, but God want me to seek Him more! I am looking forward to having Him reveal the crud in my life so I can just fling it away (along with the crud from the inside of my home).

I am reaping the benefits from Amy's hard work. This is all repercussions from the  THE CLEAN HEART, CLEAN HOME CHALLENGE. I'm even using her schedule to change my days. Thank you, Amy.

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I am asking for prayer today. I am feeling very melancholy. There are several issues about my time spent outside the home that I have been praying about. I'm doing too much at this point and need the Lord's guidance and direction. I am seeking His Divine Plan for my life right now. These issues are weighing on my heart as I wait for the answer.

The most excellent thing about being a Believer is that no matter how I feel, my knowledge and trust in my Lord will carry me. I can rest in His Truth.

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I am participating in the Clean Home, Clean Heart Challenge.

Today the yard was beautified. Most was minor cleanup, but the side of our porch has been ugly since we moved here 4 years ago. Now it is beautiful!

Before:

After:

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