Philip has been burning the midnight oil to get a project finished for work, which has left me little time for blogging let alone much else.  But he’s had the tough job.

He actually stayed up the entire night on Monday to put together this critical proposal, only to find out he had an extra day to submit!  He and his team finally submitted the proposal today.  Yay!  We’re both relieved!

So, back to blogging . .

and cleaning

and Christmas preps

and cleaning

and exercising

and cleaning

and finishing lining the kitchen shelves

and catching up on laundry

and cleaning

and finishing the new baseboard in Dominic’s room  . . .

AAAH!  I had started a bunch of projects that were left in piles before Philip started feeling the crunch.  Now I feel the backlog of projects weighing down on me.  That weight is an illusion.  I’m putting the pressure on myself.

Philip’s family is coming to visit in a few weeks and I wanted the house to be a picture of Holiday Harmony.  Philip’s family really doesn’t care if my house is cluttered and my projects half finished.  But I care because I want everyone to feel relaxed and surrounded by beauty.  I personally cannot feel relaxed with lumber in the hallway!

I believe that creating a beautiful environment is part of my calling as a mommy and wife, not just a hostess. Just as Christ is preparing a beautiful home for us in heaven, I am called to prepare a beautiful home for my loved ones.

But sometimes it’s hard. And that’s okay.

Real Holiday Harmony starts with the love in my home, which is always available in abundance for guests!  My children love guests.  The little ones wait eagerly for the visitor to appear in the mornings, sometimes camping outside the guest room door until I lure them away. I think visiting my home is enjoyable partly because my children are fun, interesting, and kind.

While part of my Godly calling is to create a space of beauty and harmony for my family, my greatest calling is to raise saints, to instill in my children a sincere love of God and neighbor, to lead them to their greatest destiny in Christ’s arms.

While part of my calling as Philip’s wife is to create a welcoming place for him to return to each night, this doesn’t give me an excuse to get all wacko before his family comes because there’s chicken doo doo on the back porch.

So I’ll work on the laundry, the kitchen shelves, and the baseboard, but I’ll try to keep it in perspective.  I’ll try to have the perspective of Mary: the greatest Mother, the greatest Hostess!  Hmm, I wonder what Mary did when Joseph’s family was coming for a visit?