My Favorite Getaway

My nightly bath is something I look forward to all day long. After the house is quiet I start filling up that tub with hot water and bubbles and end my day by relaxing and energizing my spirit. This is also the time I get a chance to savor my favorite magazines in total silence. I especially look forward to this time if one of my favorite magazines is waiting for me, Eternal Encouragement.

Eternal Encouragement??? What is that? Some new gem I've discovered? Nope. Something I have long loved and treasured, but now has a new name. Eternal Encouragement is the new name for TEACH Magazine! I have loved TEACH for a long time and I never would have thought it could be improved, but WOW! It definitely went through Extreme Makeover: TEACH Edition! And the results are amazing!!

Not only has the name changed to Eternal Encouragement (with a slogan of "Inspiring Women to Become More Like Jesus Every Day"), but the format has totally changed. The magazine is smaller now (the size is perfect!) and it's in COLOR! The many articles are organized into three "Departments": "Godly Women", "Godly Homemakers", and "Godly Mothers". This season's issue was a total of 63 pages--63 pages of nothing but meat! Rich, inspiring, challenging, encouraging article after article that make my heart soar with passion for my calling in life!

What hasn't changed about the quarterly magazine is the theme for each issue. This issue's theme was "Time Flies". I cannot begin to tell you how, well, timely this was for me. Using my time wisely, not wasting it, living in the moment, treasuring TODAY. And somehow tying in with all this there are articles on child training, recipes, controlling clutter, marriage, free homeschool resources, product reviews, healthy eating, and SO much more. One of my favorite articles was "10 Ways to Make Today Your Best Day Ever" by Lorrie Flem. It's my new to-do list.

Eternal Encouragement magazine is the absolute best magazine for all aspects of our lives as wives, mothers, homemakers, homeschoolers, and most of all, women of God. It is an investment I have never regretted making. You can subscribe to it at www.eternalencouragement.com.

I already subscribe to this magazine, but I also received this product for honest review from Eternal
Encouragement Magazine as a part of The Gabby Moms blogging program. All
opinions expressed are solely my own.

True Treasures--Review and Giveaway!

I just finished this really good book! If I could have I would have devoured it all in one sitting, but since obviously that is impossible, I savored it during my nightly bath. I don't want to sound redundant, but I found so many priceless nuggets of TREASURE in True Treasures.

True Treasures is a collection of some of the best articles from the past 10 years of TEACH Magazine, which recently took on the new name, Eternal Encouragement magazine. I treasure my TEACH magazines (there's that word again!) and keep the ones I have in binders to read over and over again, so it was such a treat to be able to add such wonderful articles from past issues to my collection.

True Treasures is made up of six chapters.
1. Jewels that Make the Heart Sparkle
2. Marriages of Solid Gold
3. Parenting Pearls: Practical and Priceless
4. Homemaking That Dazzles like Diamonds
5. Homeschooling Nuggets of Wisdom
6. Godly Living that Glitters

I loved the topical layout and felt so strengthened and inspired in each area of my life after reading each chapter. One of my favorite passages came from an article by Lorrie Flem and it just spoke to me so much about the season of my life I'm in right now:

If the floor doesn't get mopped, and the clothes are overflowing their umpteen baskets, what difference does it make? Some days, being a Godly mother is all we can accomplish--and it is a BIG accomplishment. After all, I don't plan on taking my baskets of dirty laundry and the dirty kitchen floor with me when Jesus returns. I do plan to take my family! There won't be any quizzes to make sure our children know their multiplication tables before they are allowed entry into Heaven's gates. We've got to keep things in perspective. Housekeeping and homeschooling are important,but there are other things even more important. If we keep the right perspective, the Lord will bless all our efforts: homemaking, homeschooling, mothering, and being a loving wife. Eventually, the undone jobs will get done, but in the meantime, our children have a mother who truly loves and cares for them by spending her time with them.

Doesn't that remind you of what's important? This book reminded me again and again of who I am, why I'm doing what I'm doing, and how to do it--and that it is all about Him!

Now here is the really good news for you! TEACH magazine sent me this book to review, but I had already bought it because I knew it was a treasure I wanted in my home! So that means I now have two, which gives me the opportunity to bless someone reading this with a copy of True Treasures. To enter, go to my Facebook page, "like" Homekeeping Heart on Facebook, then "like" the post linking to this post. How easy is that?!?! This Friday I will randomly choose a winner.

And I have MORE good news! If you don't win the book, you can use the coupon code GabbyMom to save $4 off of True Treasures through May 31, 2011.

And if you don't subscribe to TEACH Magazine, I HIGHLY recommend you do. Not only is the magazine itself true treasure, the books and audios by Lorrie Flem are a tremendous encouragement for wives, moms, homemakers, and homeschoolers. So many good things are available at www.homemakingwithTEACH.com.

I received this product for honest review from TEACH Magazine as a part of The Gabby Moms blogging program. All opinions expressed are solely my own.