Session Seven: Planning Your House-Cleaning Schedule for the Holiday Season

PLANNING YOUR BEST HOLIDAYS EVER! series: SESSION SEVEN

WHEN: Tuesday November 17, 2009

WHERE: Find the link on the top right-hand sidebar of the Girl's Gathering Place blog by noon on Tuesday!

SPEAKER: Sue Wright


SESSION DESCRIPTION:

With just over 5 weeks before Christmas you may be in a panic as you contemplate decorating your home, doiing your Christmas baking, sewing angel costumes and wrapping presents. When are you going to find time to whip your home into Martha Stewart condition for holiday guests?


At the best of times it's a challenge to keep on top of the laundry, dishes, and dust bunnies. Come to think of it, when was the last time the kitchen floor was mopped and the toilet cleaned? Stop the world; I want to get off!
In this session,we'll bring some joy to your world with some tips and principles to make your home the clean and tidy sanctuary you'd like to have for the holidays--and year-round.


ABOUT SUE:

Sue Wright is an "ordinary girl" living in Orangeville, Ontario, Canada and is the owner of Serves You Wright Cleaning Services. She has been married to Bill for 36 years and is the mother of four grown children-Jaime, Ed, Sarah, and Laura , mother-in-law to Paul and Lori, and grandmother to 3-year-old Aiden and 7-month-old Owen. She enjoys reading, scrapbooking and keeping up-to-date with the lives of her children and grandchildren.

Her latest venture is getting into the world of internet marketing. Her first fledgling website offers unique and natural baby products and the safest glass baby bottle on the market. She is hoping to buld a website in the near future to encourage women (and men) int heir housecleaning efforts with motivational tips, answers to cleaning questions, quality cleaning products and supplies and articles dealing with the many struggles our fast-paced over-extended society faces in maintaining clean and orderly homes.


As someone who was never taught how to clean a home, and as a former homeschool mom, Sue emphasizes the importance of training children how to clean a home, not only for their present help, but for their future benefit.

Sue has been a speaker at ladies' meetings offering cleaning tips and spreading the message that a clean home starts with a clean heart.

VISIT SUE ON-LINE:

 www.bonkersforbaby.com

Session Six: Planning for Healthful Eating During the Holiday Season

PLANNING YOUR BEST HOLIDAYS EVER! series: SESSION SIX

WHEN: Tuesday November 10, 2009
WHERE: Find the link on the top right-hand sidebar of the Girl's Gathering Place blog by noon on Tuesday!
SPEAKER: Cathy Morenzie, Personal Trainer

SESSION DESCRIPTION

With the Christmas holidays just around the corner, its time to put a plan in place if you don’t already have one to combat the additional 2-5 pounds that many of us put on over the season. If you know that you traditionally ‘relax your standards’ of healthy eating throughout the holiday season, then its time to plan your success strategy ahead of time.

In this session, we will discuss some health and fitness tips to help you manage your weight over the holidays; share some healthy holiday alternatives and help you put a personal plan in place so that weight loss will not have to be one of your resolutions.


ABOUT CATHY:

Cathy Morenzie, the president of Active Image has been a leader in the fitness and health industry for over 20 years. Her impact has influenced thousands of people over the years to help them lose weight and develop positive attitudes about exercise and active living.


VISIT CATHY ON-LINE:

Cathy's Website
Harmonic Health and Wellness

AUDIO IS READY for Session Five: Planning S.P.A.C.E. to Cultivate a Devotional Lifestyle Christmas

Hi Girlfriends!

Just a wee note to let you know that the audio for session five taught by Kathy Butryn has now been posted on our blog.

Click here or...

You can find it in the upper right-hand side under Session Audios!

Hoping it encourages you to Plan SPACE this Christmas to cultivate a devotional lifestyle.

Session Five: Planning S.P.A.C.E. to Cultivate a Devotional Lifestyle Christmas

PLANNING YOUR BEST HOLIDAYS EVER! series: SESSION FIVE

WHEN: Tuesday November 3, 2009
WHERE: Find the link on the top right-hand sidebar of the Girl's Gathering Place blog by noon on Tuesday!
SPEAKER: Kathy Butryn


SESSION DESCRIPTION:

It's the holiday season. Things to do. People to see. Places to go.

You begin to feel overwhelmed. Tired and irritated. Impatient and wanting to withdraw. You wonder where the joy surrounding the true "reason for the season" went to...and more importantly, how to get it back.

Have you been there? I sure have.

During a "post-session" evaluation not too many years ago, to my shock, I realized that the one most important thing in my life--daily spending time with God--was lost in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. No wonder I was such a mess!

God invites us to spend time with Him amidst all the activity swirling around us. How can we arrange our daily lives in such a way to make S.P.A.C.E. for Him? Everyday. In the holiday season or in the ordinary seasons of our everyday life?

Join us at the Girl's Gathering Place and download this practical, inspiring and encouraging session taught by Kathy Butryn on Tuesday November 3.

This year, intentionally plan S.P.A.C.E. to cultivate a devotional lifestyle Christmas!


ABOUT KATHY:

Hi…my name is Kathy Butryn, and like you, I wear many hats—wife, mom, pastor’s wife, homeschooling mom, corporate trainer, life coach, spiritual director, speaker—and I know all too well the challenges of intentionally arranging my busy life in such a way to  plan S.P.A.C.E. to cultivate a devotional lifestyle.

Spending time with God--my "first-thing" necessity--can often slide to second, third and fourth place in the reality of my everyday life.

In my own search and determination to cultivate this devotional lifestyle, God, in His grace, has taught me a few lessons along the way.  I’m looking forward to this session at the Girl's Gathering Place and sharing those lessons…and sharing the invitation that Jesus extends to each of us to come to Him and spend time with Him.

I live in Toronto, Ontario Canada with my husband Alan, and together we have two grown daughters, one teenage son, and one son-in-law. To relax, I love to read and knit.



VISIT KATHY ON-LINE:



Please come and visit me on-line at:

http://www.theheartchangeplace.com/
http://www.kathybutryn.com/


or at my blogs at:


http://www.theheartchangeplace.blogspot.com/
http://www.girlsgatheringplace.blogspot.com/

Join me over at The Heart Change Place blog for a Devotional Lifestyle Moment each Monday to Saturday. Make the connection--between your Sunday faith and your everyday Monday to Saturday life!

Session Four Audio is Posted! PLANNING FOR FLEXIBLE FAMILY CELEBRATIONS!

Hi Girlfriends:

Just a wee note to let you know that Phyllis Sather's session called: PLANNING FLEXIBLE FAMILY CELEBRATIONS is now posted on the Girl's Gathering Place blog!

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Have you checked out Marcia's book, Debt-Free Living on One Income yet?

Marcia has offered it to all of us at a discounted price...PLUS...she has given us the first chapter of her book as a FREEBIE!

All of Marcia's information is available on the Girl's Gathering Place FREEBIE page!

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Also...UNTIL OCTOBER 31...you can take advantage of the amazing freebie that Beth Beutler has given us...a month's free membership at her Christian Prudent Woman site. This is a fabulous gift--not only does it include many articles, including a video and downloadable notes from her session at the Girl's Gathering place called PLANNING FOR TENSION-FREE HOLIDAY RELATIONSHIPS, but as a member, you also get:

-free enrollment in any or every Coffee Break Bible Study you choose


-free enrollment in an online growth group (optional)

-full access to library of articles

-free downloadable copy of Beth's book, Time Management, Jesus' Way

-member's only Facebook group

Benefits coming in the future include video training, audio resources, and a basic personality assessment at no further charge!

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All the information is on the Girl's Gathering Place "FREEBIE PAGE."

Where is the "FREEBIE PAGE." SIGN UP in the form at the top of the blog...the link for the Freebie page will be sent to you!

Session Four: Planning Flexible Family Celebrations

PLANNING YOUR BEST HOLIDAYS EVER! Session Four

WHEN: Tuesday October 27, 2009

WHERE: Find the link on the top right-hand sidebar of the Girl's Gathering Place blog by noon on Tuesday!

SPEAKER: Phyllis Sather

Christmas can be a frustrating time for a lot of families. There are at least two sets of extended family in each marriage. When your children marry, you are adding another family. If you have more than one child you will end up adding several families that you will need to consider when you plan each holiday event. Who will be where and when can turn what should be a joyous holiday into an incident of international proportion.

We all have those friends and relatives who just seem to live to make our lives difficult — or at least it seems that way some days, and especially when it comes to holidays.

What can you do to bring peace into this situation? I would like to propose two things. First, that you take a look at the idea of celebrating the Christmas season, rather than just Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Second, I want to suggest the option of choosing to be the family that is flexible during the holiday season.

I would like to share how we as a family have chosen to be the “flexible” family in our extended family.

Does this mean we’ve become the pawns in the lives of those we love? No, by no means, but we choose to be the ones who are willing to be available, willing to change, willing to go the extra mile to be sure that others are enjoying the holidays.

We make it one of our gifts to our families. As the only Christians in our extended families, we have decided to go out of our way to see that others’ needs are met before our own.

Join me as I share our journey to joyful flexibility during the holidays.

ABOUT PHYLLIS

The most important thing you can know about me is that I am a child of the living God. I’m also a wife to my beloved husband Daniel (25 years), mother to five children, grandmother to five, and great grandmother to two.

We have always homeschooled our last three children, who are 18, 20, and 22. They are still at home in various stages of school and service. Our other two children are married.

I have been a stay—at—home mom for 22 years after retiring from a management position, and homeschool mom for 17 of those years. We’re starting “Home College” now and as usual it’s quite a learning experience. I guess that helps maintain our lifestyle of learning.

I keep busy with being a helpmeet to my beloved, teaching and training our children, mentoring younger women, being a grandmother and great grandmother, helping with and participating in various ministries in our church – and when I can find time I love to read, write, and scrapbook.

VISIT PHYLLIS ON-LINE

Phyllis' website
 
Phyllis on FaceBook
 
Phyllis on Twitter



FREEBIES

Phyllis has some special freebies for all of us at the Girl's Gathering Place. They will be available on Friday October 30th.

Want to get Phyllis' freebies...and all the freebies so far from this PLANNING YOUR BEST HOLIDAYS EVER! series?

Sign up at the Girl's Gathering Place blog! We will send you an email link where you will find all these terrific goodies!

Handmade Christmas Gift Ideas! Thanks for sharing your pics Candy Foote!

Candy Foote, one of our Girlfriends at the Girl's Gathering Place, sent us pics of some of the homemade Christmas gifts that she has been working on. We love seeing what everyone is doing...especially after Leslie's amazing session called Planning Simple Gift Giving.

Here are Candy's pic's and descriptions of her handmade gifts:

The bean bags were made from old clothes that were not in good enough shape to give away,

but worked great as material.

Potholders and dishrags can be made from just left-over yarn.

A patchwork quilt type afghan can also be made from scraps of yarn.

The little dress is just an dress that was outgrown at our house.

I sewed it together to make a "special stocking" for my granddaugher.

Thanks Candy for sharing!!

Are you making some handmade gifts? We'd love to see them. Send them to girlsgatheringplace@gmail.com.

Talk to you soon!