The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle is Back Again... Get Yours Today Along With Some FREE Gifts!

It's here! The day has arrived and you can now purchase The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle! 

Before you start scrolling down and reading through all the ebooks, great deals, bonuses and enter for a chance to win the iPad... I want to share with you 2 reasons why I am a part of this awesome sale!

1. I put in the 2nd Edition of Just Making Ice Cream in the bundle! You can find it in the Food Category. I have been working on this baby little by little to improve the ebook since its first release. There were typos to fix, more pictures to add and a new recipe to add in because it was too good to leave out. Plus, I believe this will be the last bundle sale for my ebook.

2. I want to give you a thank you gift! I am giving everyone who purchases the bundle through my links a FREE 3 month subscription to the Humble Kitchen's Menu Plan (valued at $24.99!) along with adding their name into the bucket list for a chance to win an Ice Cream Machine & Scoop Tub ($80 value)! Since this is an EXCLUSIVE gift/bonus for the Just Making Noise community, you must email me your receipt after buying the bundle so I can set you up for the Menu Plan subscription service and put your name in for a chance to win the ice cream set-up. Send that email to marillynbeard@gmail.com.

Also, check out the video below! One of the authors put together a fun video with 10 second clips of different authors sharing stuff about their ebooks... and I AM IN IT!! Woohoo!

Ready to look through the bundle? Let's go!

By popular demand, 100+ homemaking bloggers are bringing back The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle, and it's better than ever!

The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle is a complete library of great eBooks on homemaking—a truly valuable knowledge base you’ll use for many years to come.

Unlike a library, though, you don’t have to spend years building it up. The Ultimate Bundles team has done the hard work for you, searching the web to find the very best eBooks from top homemaking authors and combining them into one essential collection that you can buy in one simple purchase.

Act now to get the ultimate eBook collection on homemaking at a once-in-a-lifetime price and get your EXCLUSIVE 3 month membership to the My Humble Kitchen MenuPlan & a chance to win an Ice Cream Maker! (And don't forget to enter the iPad Giveaway, see below!)

Want to use Paypal?

Buy the PDF Bundle

Buy the Kindle Bundle

I'm confident you won’t find a more comprehensive set of homemaking resources anywhere -- and certainly not at this price. Bought separately, they’d cost a total of $698 (not including $200+ in bonuses!). But you can have all of them for just $29.97!

Or, for just an extra $10, you not only get the full set of PDF files, but also a bonus set of Kindle editions, perfectly formatted for easy Kindle reading. This has been a popular request over the years and I'm excited to say it's now available!

I believe it’s the best deal on homemaking eBooks anywhere on the web. But it will only be available for six days. So grab yours before it's gone!

This huge wealth of information and guidance will be right there on your laptop, tablet, smartphone, or Kindle, whenever you need it.

Here's what you need to know about the sale:

When? 8 a.m. EST Wednesday, April 23 until 11:59 p.m. EST Monday, April 28
What? 78 eBooks, 2 eCourses, 2 audio files, and 2 printable packs PLUS over $200 worth of bonus products you'll really use!
Where? Purchase the bundle here.
How much? Well now, that's the best part. The entire package is worth nearly $900, and it's selling for less than $30. Sweet deal, right?

What's in the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle? ($698 value!)

Homemaking

• DIY Natural Household Cleaners: How To Make Your Own Cleaners…Naturally by Matt & Betsy @ DIY Natural ($9.99)
• Filling Hearts While Cleaning Homes: Five Minute Devotions for Families by Jenn Thorson & Lindsey Stomberg ($8.00)
• Hospitality: The Duty of the Christian Home by Kathy @ Teaching Good Things ($4.97)
• How to Build a Strong Christian Home by June @ A Wise Woman Builds Her Home ($4.99)
• Life Your Way Printables Download Pack by Mandi @ Life Your Way ($7.00)
• Sewing School 101: Simple Tips to Get You Stitching by Nicole @ Gidget Goes Home ($11.99)
• Taming the Laundry Monster by Angi @ SchneiderPeeps ($3.99)
• The Best of Visionary Womanhood: Volume Two by Natalie @ Visionary Womanhood ($4.99)
• The Homemaker's Guide to Creating the Perfect Schedule by Amy @ Raising Arrows ($4.99)

Food

• Bliss Balls for Beginners: 21 Recipes to Get You Started by Luschka @ Keeper of the Kitchen ($3.50)
• Dairy Free 101 by Becky @ For This Season ($5.00)
• Just Making Ice Cream: Over 70 Delicious Recipes Made with Nourishing Ingredients - 2nd edition by Marillyn @ Just Making Noise ($12.00)
• Happy Mom, Healthy Family Meal Planning Workshop + Cookbook by Lisa @ WellGroundedLife ($29.00)
• Meal Planning Made Easy by Kelly @ The Nourishing Home ($6.99)
• No Cook Freezer Meals by Kelly @ New Leaf Wellness ($5.99)
• Simplified Dinners by Mystie @ Simplified Pantry Cooking ($12.99)
• The ABC’s of Freezer Cooking by K.M. @ KMLogan.com ($2.99)
• The Healthy Lunch Box: Sandwich-Free Secrets to Packing a Real Food Lunch by Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship ($9.95)
• The Sweeter Side of Candida: Desserts for the Holidays, Special Occasions, & Everyday Sweet Treats by Paula Miller & Sarah Ives ($14.95)
• {Healthy} Make-Ahead Meals & Snacks by Laura @ Heavenly Homemakers ($5.00)
• Real Food on a Real Budget: How to Eat Healthy for Less by Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home ($18.97)
• Simple Cooking to Save You Money by Kelly @ Generation Cedar ($4.97)
• The Frugal Secrets of Real Foodies by Shannon Miles, Sarah Nichols, Kristen Smith, Kate Tietje, and Katherine (Katie Mae) Stanley ($9.97)

Motherhood

• Discipleship & Discipline: Practical Parenting Help for the Desperate Mom eCourse by Sally Clarkson and Sarah Mae ($17.99)
• Pieces of Mommy: Putting Yourself Back Together by Sarah @ SarahStrausbaugh.com ($7.99)
• Steady Days: A Journey Toward Intentional, Professional Motherhood by Jamie @ Steady Mom ($9.55)
• The Cherished Home: Protecting What's Important by Mary @ The Encouraging Home ($14.99)
• The Pursuit of Motherhood by Caroline Allen, Jennifer Allen, Mary Clendenin, Kelly Crawford, Jasmine Cucuta, Sara Elizabeth Dunn, Jacqueline Fitzgerald, June Fuentes, Heather Knopp, Melinda Martin, Richele McFarlin, Melanie Moore, Amy Roberts, Lindsey Stomberg, Jacinda Vandenberg, and Melanie Young. ($7.99)
• Undivided Mom: Finding Christ in the Chaos of Motherhood by Kayse @ KaysePratt.com ($4.99)

Marriage

• 31 Days to Build a Better Spouse by Ashley @ LIFE by Ashley Pichea ($7.99)
• Dear Wife: Letters from a Help Meet by Misty @ Beautiful Ashes ($2.99)
• Intentional Marriage: The Art of Loving Your Husband (A 31 Day Devotional) by Crystal @ Serving Joyfully ($3.99)
• The Ultimate Marriage Vow: 21 Days of a Life-Long Commitment by Darlene @ Time-Warp Wife ($2.99)
• To Love, Honor and Vacuum Audio Download by Sheila @ To Love, Honor and Vacuum ($2.99)

Faith

• A Heart Prepared: A Simple & Effective Scripture Memory System by Jami @ Young Wife's Guide ($9.95)
• How To Manage Your Mouth: A 30 Day Wholesome Talk Challenge by Connie @ Smockity Frocks ($5.97)
• Restoring the Lost Petal: A Journey Through the Loss and Restoration of Sexual Purity by Danielle @ More Than Four Walls ($8.99)
• Set Apart: Becoming a Woman of Virtue in a Modern World by Anjanette Barr, Whitney Cornelison, Jennifer Fountain, Virginia George, Crystal Hatcher, Sarah Nichols, Rachel Marie, Ashley Roe, Kendra Stamy, Danielle Tate, and Karli Von Herbulis ($3.99)
• The Homesteading Wife's Christian Devotional: Finding Biblical Truths on the Farm by Susie @ Our Simple Farm ($3.99)

Faith {For Kids}

• Be Thankful: Cultivating Year-Round Thankfulness by Amanda @ The Pelsers ($7.99)
• Character Badges by Caroline @ The Modest Mom Blog ($9.99)
• God Gifted Virtues by Sara @ Your Thriving Family ($8.95)
• Learning to Speak Life: Fruit of the Spirit Family Devotional by Michael & Carlie @ Learning to Speak Life ($9.99)
• The ABC's for Godly Boys/The ABC's for Godly Girls by Lindsey @ The Road To 31 ($19.98)
• The Warrior Weekend: Helping Dads Raise Boys to Be Godly Men by Patrick & Ruth @ For the Family ($4.99)

Financial Stewardship

• 5 Days to Budget Breakthrough: Change Your Money - Change Your Life by Kimberlee @ The Peaceful Mom ($5.95)
• 76 Free Things to Do with Kids: A Real Mom's Guide by Shannon @ Growing Slower ($5.97)
• Advanced Penny Pinching: Stockpile - Strategize - Save by Tabitha @ Meet Penny ($3.99)
• Cash Flow Your College: Knowledge in Your Head Without Getting in the Red by Kayla @ Renown and Crowned ($2.99)
• Christian Wealth Building by Michael @ MichaelPink.com ($77.00)
• It's Me or the Coupons: How a Busy Mom Can Win the Grocery Budget Battle by Beth @ Eat Better Spend Less ($10.00)

Health & Wellness

• Healing With God's Earthly Gifts: Natural and Herbal Remedies by Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama ($7.95)
• My Simple Healthy Life: A Minimalist Approach to Herbal Remedies, Beauty & Natural Cleaning by Tammie @ Simple. Healthy. Tasty. ($5.95)
• Simple Natural Health: Wellness Made Easy by Nina @ Shalom Mama ($10.00)

Holidays & Special Events

• 100 Days of a New Year 2014 eBook by Jennifer @ ListPlanIt.com ($8.00)
• Christmas Printables for Kids by Kristy @ Little Natural Cottage ($2.50)
• Feast! Real Food, Reflections, and Simple Living for the Christian Year by Daniel & Haley @ Carrots for Michaelmas ($7.99)
• More Than a Holiday: A 25-Day Christmas Devotional for the Whole Family by Scott and Sarah @ Simple Life Abundant Life ($7.95)
• More Than Candy: A 25-Day Christmas Countdown that Counts by Sarah Mae @ SarahMae.com ($4.99)

Homeschooling

• 101 Independent Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers by MaryEllen @ Imperfect Homemaker ($4.99)
• 1777 New England Primer Cursive/Manuscript Printable Alphabet Sets by Jacinda @ Growing Home ($5.98)
• A Simple Homeschool Planner by Tsh @ The Art of Simple ($4.00)
• The Charlotte Mason Way Explained by Dollie @ Teachers of Good Things ($7.99)
• The Preschool Journey by Angela @ Teaching Mama ($6.99)
• Weekly Homeschool Planner by Jolanthe @ Homeschool Creations ($20.00)
• You Can Read by Carisa @ 1+1+1=1 ($10.00)
• Write Through the Bible: Exodus 20 (KJV, Manuscript) by Trisha @ Intoxicated on Life ($5.00)

Pregnancy & Babies

• Baby Ready: Preparing For and Adapting to Life with Baby by Monica @ Happy and Blessed Home ($7.99)
• Breastfeeding Twins, Triplets and More! by Jennifer @ Growing Up Triplets ($10.00)
• Cloth Diapers: A How-To Handbook on the Basics of Cloth Diapering by Rachel @ Intentionally Simple ($5.99)
• The Breastfeeding Lifeline: A Guide to Navigating the Newborn Days by the authors at Breastfeeding Place: Anjanette Barr, Michelle Ferguson, Jennifer Fountain, Trisha Gilkerson, Sarah Harkins, Shary Lopez, Kristen Smith, and Rhiana Wackenhuth. ($5.95)
• The Minimalist Mom's Guide to Baby's First Year by Rachel @ The Minimalist Mom ($4.99)
• Topical Devotions for Pregnancy: 13 Devotions to Nourish Your Soul by Becky @ Purposeful Homemaking ($3.99)

Self-Care

• 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life by Crystal @ Money Saving Mom ($4.99)
• Equipped: Because You've Been Made to Live On Purpose by Elisa @ More to Be ($6.99)
• Live for Him: A Grace-Filled Look at Planning by Leigh Ann @ Intentional By Grace ($2.99)
• The Busy Homeschool Mom's Guide to Daylight: Managing Your Days Through the Homeschool Years by Heidi @ The Busy Mom ($10.00)
• Your Retreat: A Guide to Giving Yourself a Personal Planning Day by Erin @ The Humbled Homemaker

Working from Home & Blogging

• Blog Planner 2014 by Sarah @ My Joy-Filled Life ($4.99)
• Blog at Home Mom: Balancing Blogging and Motherhood by Christin @ Joyful Mothering ($4.99)
• FaithLeaps: The Christian Mom's Guide to Passion, Purpose, and Profits by Alyssa @ AlyssaAvant.com ($4.99)
• Monkey See, Monkey Do: A Tutorial to Using PicMonkey with Professional Results by Richele @ Under the Golden Apple Tree ($8.00)
• The Blog Planning Kit: A System to Maximize Your Blogging Efforts by Kat @ How They Blog ($15.00)

What are the Ultimate Homemaking Bonus Offers? ($200+ value)

In addition to all the amazing eResources, this bundle includes the best bonus offers it's ever had. These deals are worth over six times the price of the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle. So you’re up on the deal right away!

1. DaySpring—A FREE 10-pack of Premium Greeting Cards. ($20.00 Value. Standard shipping applies.)
2. HopeInk—$15 HopeInk store credit to be used towards anything + a FREE 8×10 Art Print with order. ($39.00 Value. Standard shipping applies.)
3. Redeeming Beauty Mineral Makeup—3 FREE eyeshadows of your choice from Redeeming Beauty. ($16.47 Value. Standard shipping applies - only ships to US and Canada.)
4. Marie-Madeline Studio—A $15 store credit for anything in Marie-Madeline Studio's online store. ($15.00 value. Standard shipping applies.)
5. Once a Month Meals—A FREE One Month Pro Membership from Once a Month Meals. ($16.00 Value. No shipping required.)
6. Dizolve—FREE 64-load pack of Dizolve Laundry Strips for you PLUS a Free 64-load pack of Dizolve Laundry Strips for food banks. ($25.98 value. Standard shipping [$3] applies. Only ships in the US.)
7. TrilLight Health—Get a FREE 2 oz. bottle of a liquid health formula OR $15 store credit from Trilight Health. ($15.00 Value. Standard shipping rates apply.)
8. ListPlanIt—Free 3-month membership OR 3 free ePlanners from ListPlanIt. ($15.00 value. No shipping required.)
9. Bulk Herb Store—Instant download of the instructional video Making Herbs Simple Volume 2 for FREE from Bulk Herb Store. (up to a $15.00 Value. No shipping required.)
10. Fit2B™ Studio—FREE 2-Month Online Fitness Membership at Fit2B™ Studio. (up to a $20.00 Value. No shipping required.)

An EXCLUSIVE Gift & Bonus for the Just Making Noise community.

If you purchase the ultimate homemaking bundle this week, as a thank you gift, I will give you a FREE 3 month subscription to My Humble Kitchen's Menu Plan service valued at $24.99! Since this is an EXCLUSIVE gift for those who purchase through the links on Just Making Noise, you must email me after you make the purchase so I can set you up for the menu plan subscription service AND put your name in for a chance to win the ice cream set-up. Send that email to marillynbeard@gmail.com. Thanks!!

Want to use Paypal?

Buy the PDF Bundle

Buy the Kindle Bundle

Remember, this bundle is available for 6 days only, from 8 a.m. (EST) on Wednesday, April 23 to 11:59 p.m. (EST) on Monday, April 28th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure: Please know that I would not share with you anything that I personally didn't feel that is useful and a fantastic deal. My friends worked hard to put this together for all of us and I am VERY honored to share it with you along with the 2nd Edition of Just Making Ice Cream! Please know that when you make your purchase through my links, I will get a percentage of the sale... which is a big blessing for my family and our ministry. Plus, it is a win-win for you and me when you buy your bundle today! Thank you so much for your support and faithfulness to follow my blog!

Important stuff you might want to know:
- Remember, this bundle is available for 6 days only, from 8 a.m. (EST) on Wednesday, April 23 to 11:59 p.m. (EST) on Monday, April 28th.
- I have included affiliate links in this post. I will receive a commission through your purchase (no extra charge to you!). Thank you for supporting my family through your purchases!
- Read the fine print about this bundle.
- Read the answers to frequently asked questions about the bundle.

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Coming Soon: The 2nd Edition of Just Making Ice Cream, Ultimate Homemaking Bundle Sale, a FREE Gift & Giveaway!

Woohoo!! Ready to make some seriously awesome ice cream this summer with my newest edition?? Honestly, I make ice cream year-round, but there is something wonderfully special about making homemade ice cream in the heat of summer.

Anyway, I am thrilled to be sharing the 2nd Edition of Just Making Ice Cream with you all. Finally.

I have been working on this baby little by little to improve the ebook since its first release. There were typos to fix, more pictures to add and a new recipe to add in because it was too good to leave out.

I am already working on improving it even more by adding more pictures & recipes to possibly release a 3rd Edition sometime in the future, but hopefully provide a printed option too!! I have been told over and over..."Mare, you should get that book printed!!"

Hmmm, I would love to hold a printed copy of my ice cream book in my hands someday!

Oh, that brings me to another exciting news... Just Making Ice Cream: 2nd Edition will be available in a Kindle format!! So, keep your eyes open on Amazon in the near future (hopefully), but you can actually get my ebook on Kindle format MUCH sooner...

Just Making Ice Cream: 2nd Edition is being released in the upcoming bundle sale... The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle Sale!



Yes, yes... I know... another bundle sale.

BUT, but... there are three exciting things about this bundle sale.

One, they are providing two options when you purchase a bundle... you can purchase the bundle  in PDF format OR Kindle format. Due to great demand, you now have the option to buy the bundle and download it into your Kindle!

Just think, you can look through my ebook in COLOR (if you own a Kindle Fire) and right in your hands in the kitchen while you are whipping up some ice cream! 

Two, a large percentage of the ebooks in this bundle sale are brand new and have not yet been released to the general public.

So, you would be getting almost a whole new library of ebooks for one great price and it is coming this Wednesday, April 23rd!

Three, the 2nd Edition of Just Making Ice Cream will be in the bundle and this bundle will most likely be the last one for Just Making Ice Cream.

Grab this chance to get my ebook along with several others for one great price! Remember, no bundle is the same and once it's over... it won't be coming back!

I can't tell you everything about the bundle that will be coming out this week, but what I can tell you is this...

The Bundle goes live on April 23rd and it available until the 28th

The total value of the bundle is $850+ (including bonuses!)

The number of books, audio files, printables and eCourses: 83

The PDF bundle price: $29.97

The Kindle bundle price: $39.97

Plus, there are 10 bonuses on top of that when you purchase the bundle... they are pretty awesome, too!

But, it doesn't stop there...

When you purchase the bundle through my links... I am giving you a FREE GIFT! It is my way of saying "Thank you for buying the bundle through my links! Muchas gracias!"

My friend Diana, from My Humble Kitchen, has this awesome menu plan that I love and look forward to getting every week... and I want you to have it too!

You can read all about it here if you want more information!

Because this is an EXCLUSIVE bonus for the Just Making Noise community, you will need to email me your receipts (make sure your full name is there for me to confirm!) to marillynbeard@gmail.com so that I can get you signed up into the Menu Plan subscription service.

Once I have confirmed your purchase, I will put your name in for a chance to win a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker and a Tovolo Glide-a-scoop Ice Cream Tub ($80 total value). 

The lucky winner will be able to choose a red or white ice cream maker and get a great start on making homemade ice cream with Just Making Ice Cream: 2nd Edition for this summer!

Think the bundle is worth it for those two extra bonuses? I think so!

Please share the bundle and the extra bonuses with your friends and family! Come back on Wednesday to purchase the bundle and remember to email me your receipt.

Note: There are affiliate links on this post. When you make a purchase through my links, I get a small commission (no extra charge to you!). Those commissions help support my family and our ministry. Thank you for supporting my family through your purchases!

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We Have Hope... Because He is Risen!

Have a wonderful day of celebrating Christ's amazing resurrection!

Praise the Lord for the hope we have today because of his death and resurrection.

Praise Him because of His amazing love and mercy towards us!

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Building Our Mud House

Yep, you read that right… we are building a mud house.

Really, it is a house made of adobe bricks.

For those who might not be familiar with adobe bricks… they are basically bricks made from a mixture of mud and some form of dry matter like straw or leaves, but here they use pine needles.

In Honduras, building a house of adobe is much cheaper and more efficient then wood or concrete. Especially when built the right way. I will share, with pictures, later on how they make the adobe... it is a very interesting process!

It has been exciting and overwhelming building our new home.Exciting because we are now making our home here in Honduras permanent. Overwhelming because we have never built a house before... especially a mud house!!

Thankfully, my dad was here for two months to help start the building process for the house. He has almost 30 years of experience with building homes in the USA. Even though building with adobe has been a new learning-curve for him… he has been so valuable with helping us make decisions and being our middle man between us and Pasito, our foreman.

But he is back in the states now.... Waahh!  Thankfully, he will be back in June to help finalize our house (hopefully!).

Because of his absent, it has been more challenging doing it all.. the ministry, our family, the house, the calls, the decisions, etc... but we are trusting in the Lord and so thankfulthat my dad is simply a phone call away when we need to ask questions or make sure things are going the way they are supposed to happen.

Every Saturday afternoon, we head over to our home and look over everything the men have done the past week, make sure everything is done the way we want and discuss different projects for the next week. We go there at least once or twice during the week in the mornings to talk to the men, but I enjoy going Saturday afternoons because everything is quiet... peaceful... and I am able to drink in the views surrounding our new home.

So soothing and breathtaking!

My husband, Jon, has been pulled, stretched and challenged beyond anything he has experienced with the building of our house. At least three times a week he has been calling my dad, updating him on the house, asking questions and being the middle man between my dad & our foreman. Going back and forth in English & Spanish and trying to keep it all straight in his head. He often says he has no idea what he is doing and if he is doing things right and hoping that he is doing things right, but...

I am moved by his efforts to do the best he can do with what little he knows about building a house. His efforts makes me pray for him all the more and love him all the more!

Making phone calls is one of his least favorite thing to do, but he makes those phone calls for me... knowing that I would do it if I could.

I would love to take this responsibility off his shoulders, but all I can do it stand next him and help him carry the burden to the best of my ability.

I know God is using this time... this season... to make my husband a stronger man for the future of Rancho Oasis. Please pray for him when you think of us!

As for me, it has been a challenge to be flexible with how I want my house to look.

I have all kinds of ideas, dreams and specifications of how I want my first (and hopefully last) house to be build. I even have a board on Pinterest dedicated to everything I would love in my "future" home!

I am very thankful that my mom helped draw up the plan for our house. She patiently drew up plan after plan after plan until we were finally satisfied with the layout of everything.

Honestly, I was super nervous when we started the foundation of our house before my dad arrived back in February. I did not want a repeat of mistakes that happened to the house we tried to build on the current property that we are living on at the moment.

So far, things have gone well and I pray that it will continue to go well till the very last detail.

Through it all... I have been challenged to be flexible and content. Especially when a change or two has to be made when a detail doesn't work out the way I hoped it would.

As you can see from the pictures... our home is pretty big, but for a couple good reasons.

I wanted an area where we would be able to host meals for large groups/teams in my home or somewhere around my home and my parents suggested a courtyard in the center of the house.

I loved the idea, but struggled to make a decision because I didn't want to have a large house... especially when our neighbors live in very small and simple homes. I didn't want to be viewed as a rich gringo family with a huge house, but in their eyes... we are rich, no matter how small and simple we try to live.

Through much prayer, we decided to go with the bigger house and courtyard for two reasons... one, to have plenty of space for our ministry partners to eat meals with us and to do Bible studies together as the ministry grows and two, to exercise my gift of hospitality by having teams & visitors in my home for meals.

Many of you know I love to cook. I enjoy cooking up good food for teams (usually have anywhere from 10 to 30 people at once!) that come alongside us for a week or two... so, it made more sense to use our home rather than build a separate building for meals with teams and large groups.

Now, I have to share with you a fun thing we are doing around the house.

Wine bottles in the walls.

Yep, you read that right. Let me explain...

Look at the picture above... see the small windows on the right wall and the 3 skinny windows straight ahead? Those windows will be filled with wine bottles of all colors. Pretty cool, right?

In the two pictures below, you will see bottles in the walls. When the afternoon sun hits it just right.

Does it look awesome?!

Well, they look pretty cool right now, but I will for share pictures later once the walls are done and the light is hitting the bottles just right. Then, they will be pretty awesome  :)

I have a love for glass bottles... especially wine bottles. No... I don't drink a lot of wine, but I do like to enjoy a nice wine once in a while. Haha! Anyway, I enjoy looking at them even more and using them to decorate my house with flowers or just simply as it is.

You are probably wondering what method I use to cut the bottles.

After trying all the different ways to cut a wine bottle... my dad found a method that consistently cut through the glass with very little cracks. 

My dad made a simple frame that we stick my heavy duty glass cutter in and roll the wine bottles on it just below the neck area, then we do a careful combination of heat and cold for the neck part to fall off. Next we tape two bottles of the same width together. I will have to show you guys step-by-step pictures later... when my dad comes back in June.

Please keep us in prayer as we move forward to complete our home. We are trusting in the Lord for His provision to be able to pay the men and buy materials needed to complete the house.

Our home is providing consistent jobs for several men who were not able to find work for several months before we came along. Many of these men are Christian men, including the foreman... who is a pastor of a local Baptist church.

Every time we go over there... there are smiles on these men's faces and gratefulness in their eyes for the jobs they have to provide for their families.

Unfortunately, we recently had to let some men go because we are not able to pay them. We are praying and waiting on the Lord's provision to be able to put those men back to work!

Please pray along with us!

I am excited to be sharing all this with you. I was so encouraged by the responses to my previous post and truly believe that they are confirmations from the Lord that I am on the right track!

I hope you are equally encouraged and blessed! Have a wonderful week celebrating the resurrection of our Lord!

Until next time...

"Where thou art, thou is home"

Emily Dickinson

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Ready to Make Noise, Again!

I’ve been too quiet around here. The past few months has been quite a ride for us and I just couldn’t seem to keep up with everything. Especially here at JMN.

My heart wasn’t in it anymore for a time.

I was tired of trying to keep up with everything that keeps a blog going… taking pictures, pinning on Pinterest, posting on FB, emails, affiliate links, tracking traffic and writing.

Especially writing.

Having a blog is a lot of work, but I realized recently that it doesn’t have to be that way. I am not keeping a blog to make a business out of it like most of my blogger friends… so why am I trying to do everything they are doing? They hire VAs to do most of that work! I guess part of me likes the idea of earning a small income on the side to help bless my family and our ministry.

That idea is not a priority because God has been so faithful to provide for our needs. I don’t need to be a work-at-home-mom. I already have a full plate with my growing (and noisy) family, trade school and working alongside my husband in the ministry of Rancho Oasis. Plus, we have a new property where we are building our new {permanent} home!

Life is very full and overwhelming at times right now.

The last few months of silence on here has been good for me to reset my priorities, refresh my heart and rethink my motives with blogging. To spent more time with my family. To be more focused on our day to day to life. To seek the Lord on what HE wants me to do with the blog.

Pull the plug or change the tune?

I know what He wants me to do and have known, in my heart, for a long time 

Before, when I was posting somewhat regularly, I really wanted to be more real in my posts… sharing about our everyday life as missionaries and a family living in a third world country and my deafness. I just couldn’t seem to pour out the words that have been sitting in my mind and heart for so long… so I just focused on recipes and sharing a little DIY here and there.

It was easy…. and safe.

But I am now ready to make noise again… I am ready to pour it out and get noisy!

But… honestly…

I am a little scared.

Scared that what I share will be silly or not good enough, rejected, criticized and leave me discouraged all over again, but I can’t let fear stop me from doing what I know I am supposed to do. I also can’t let what other people think or say stop me from doing what I must do!

What am I supposed to be doing?

Journaling… sharing about my life and our ministry in Honduras along with recipes and other things, but be more focused on just being me, here on the blog.

I am no super-mama or anything like that… I am just a deaf mama, wife and missionary. Yes, I am unique… not because of how I described myself, but because of what is written in Pslam 139.

"Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex (unique)! Your workmanship is marvelous... how well I know it." Psalm 139:14

Now, I am excited to begin, again, what I intended to do when I first started my blog.  I have so much to share with you… especially about our new {permanent} home and how we are building it. It has been a fun learning experience for me.

I am even more excited to share with you the news that I will be moving over to my own domain very soon… like in May or June! You can see that I now have www.just-making-noise.com, which is under construction right now.

Thank you for being awesome, faithful readers by showing your wonderful support, using my affiliate links and sharing words of encouragement through emails or comments. Quite a few of you emailed me over the last few months, asking why I haven’t been posting and shared with me words of encouragement & prayers.

Those emails have done so much for me! Those simple, yet uplifting words from pure strangers is a beautiful example of how God can use anyone to reach out to me in a powerful way.

Again, thank you and I am so grateful to have a special group of readers who enjoy the blog. Please continue to lift my family up in your prayers when you think of us.

Until the next post… Hasta luego!

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