If there was EVER a book on the market that read, page after page, as though someone had looked into my own HEART, into how I “do home” and how I “feel” about home, then penned what they saw, “Make Room for What You Love” would be that book!!
I want to give 1 book away!! If you want your name in the drawing, simply share this blog post. I will announce the winner to this AWESOME book giveaway next Saturday, January 2st.
I got it for Christmas and once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down! Highlighting NEARLY every word. Made notes in the margins. Drew pictures of ideas in the headers. Wrote verses that would come to mind in the footers. Even spilt my coffee on one page because as I read her words, I realized I had just SAID THOSE EXACT WORDS to a friend the day before! It’s like Miss Melissa and I need to be BFF’s!
Your home is where life happens. Melissa Michaels, New York Times bestselling author of Love the Home You Have and the best-selling book and blog The Inspired Room, knows how it feels to become overwhelmed by stuff.
In spite of the messes and clutter that accumulates in daily life and the inevitable life-changes that bring so much disorder in the house, a home should be a sanctuary.
With insightful ideas and helpful encouragement, Melissa will show you how to:
– clear out clutter to welcome in what best serves your family
– more effortlessly decide what to keep and what to let go of
– develop habits that will simplify your home and your life
– discover the joy of daily routines and simple organizational systems
– create more space in your home and schedule for what matters most
– You’ll find a practical plan to jumpstart your progress in decluttering and organizing your home and plenty of tips to inspire you.
This book (like The Magnolia Story) is one that seems to be compiling my own beliefs, convictions, similar ideas, ways of doing home, organizing space, managing the home, placement of special things, how to establish routines, how to approach your mornings, evenings, and how to love what you get to do, and not being afraid to push your sleeves back and gettn’ dirty!
I’m not alone in my love for all things home and simple and hard-work. I’m not alone in how all I do is from a desire to help people love “home” and to enjoy the simple things in life. No, I am among all the “JoAnna Gaines“, all the “Melissa Micahels” and all the “Emilie Barnes” (the original and author of all things “homey” in my opinion. She and her husband, Bob, were the “Fixer Upper” couple years ago in the 80’s & 90’s who God used to create in me (and in millions of wives and mothers) a love, deep seated love for a godly, fun, functional and hospitable home.
Emilie left to be with Jesus in August 2016, but in her honor and because her life (through books and having the privilege to sit with her at a women’s conference luncheon and chat with her face to face,) I want to share this with you —
During Emile’s senior year in high school, she met Bob Barnes who also graduated from Long Beach Poly, California. One of her top honors and one that couldn’t be predicted more accurately, she was voted the future homemaker award.
Emilie is survived by her and Bob’s two children, Jenny and Brad, their spouses Bill and Stephanie; her five grandchildren and their spouses, Christine (Patrick), Chad (Erica), Bevan (Erica), Bradley and Weston. Emilie was also blessed with three great grandchildren, Emi, Tripp and Lucy.
In 1971 the family moved to Riverside CA where they resided until 2000. For the first 30 years of her life she was a devoted wife and mother to her family. Later in her adult life she became a national speaker and author focused on various topics for Christian women.
Emilie and her husband Bob are the creators of the popular More Hours in My Day seminars, she instilled in women countless home-organization secrets and words of wisdom throughout her speaking and writing career. Appreciated for her creative and practical insights on everything in and surrounding the home and beyond, she became the go-to source for lifting the spirits of Christian women all through the 1980s and 1990s.
In 1980, she wrote what would go on to become her ministry namesake book, More Hours in My Day. In short order, her first book was released, and it is still in print today, with 250,000 copies sold.
In 1997, Emilie suddenly contracted non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a life-threatening cancer that altered the course of her life. After four years of battling cancer, she received a bone marrow transplant from a young man in Toronto, Canada. Miraculously her life was extended for another 16 years.
During the years of sickness and uncertainty that followed, Emilie and Bob, who were married for more than 60 years, continued to carry on a significant ministry, writing book after book. In all, 13 of Emilie’s books crested the 100,000-copy threshold, with total worldwide distribution of all titles in all languages now nearing seven million copies. Notably, all of the 80-plus books Emilie wrote were placed with Harvest House Publishers.
Every one of you reading this blog, we are all lovers of home … it’s why we gather here. And why we gather to other blogs that seem to fuel and feed our passions for homemaking!
But for now … here’s what I’m just itchin’ to ask you to do with me. Grab a copy of “Make Room for What You Love.” Make time each day to read a chapter. Just one chapter at a time is fine. And then, share on our Interior Inspirations Facebook Page what you’re learning.
You may have already read this book, so please join in the discussions and let us know what you implemented or how it motivated you. For me, I’m just thrilled to have been so recharged by its content that …
I want to give 1 book away!! If you want your name in the drawing, simply share this blog post. I will announce the winner to this AWESOME book giveaway next Saturday, January 2st.
