In life we all wear many hats. As women, our hats may include everything from the simple; "daughter", "sister", "wife", "mother".... to the more complex; "nurse", "cook", "teacher", "designer". Whether professionally or proverbially, our many titles pale in comparison to the one most important: daughter of the One True King.

When God called me to start a publishing business and begin writing and self-publishing books, I didn't know what to expect. I had been collecting ideas for historical fiction, bible studies, homemaking, and children's books since I was 5... seriously! Yet, I was happily going about my life as homemaker and caregiver, not thinking about publishing, when God finally set this ball in motion. So, with no solid plan of what I wanted to do what-so-ever, I began praying over genres and, with some training and research, trying to discern how, when, and where God wanted me to jump into the market. The answer wasn't on my list though.

Like the oddly left-field call to homeschooling as I sat on a cold gym floor watching my 2nd grader attempt to play volleyball (you can read more about this in the intro to "This Homeschool Life", I was minding my own business when God called me to write about that very call. My response this time was the same as it was then: are You sure?

God is always sure. He is also ever-patient and placed one confirmation after another in front of me. It all seemed odd, though. We haven't educated at home since our youngest graduated in 2020 - hard to believe that was a whole 2 years ago! Yet, as I dug into old blog posts and archived memories, the scope became clear: God was asking me to encourage homeschooling moms with This Homeschool Life we had lived for 12 years.

At first it was to be a 3 book series but it quickly grew - the current forecast is 9 books!!! It is admittedly ambitious, however, again and again God confirms the call by pouring words through my fingers faster than I can type, and I can type pretty fast. I feel as though I am a bi-stander to His Work and my name shouldn't even be on the cover as each installment begins to roll out.

Those closest to me are often surprised as I proudly display our latest editions. Like me, they expected historical fiction or Bible Studies or Homemaking or Children's books... they are puzzled and some even seem a bit discouraged. They aren't homeschooling (and most, in this midlife stage of living) don't even have kids at home anymore! They have been a blessing, though, encouraging me and sharing word about my books among their circle of influence. Many are homemakers and/or in possession of a Proverbs 31 heart. Still, they were... are.... looking for more from Faith and Home Publishing. I believe more there is... and more there is to come.

In the early years of our homeschooling journey I attended a conference where I met a wonderful woman, Lori Flem. Her and her family were launching a magazine called "TEACH", which actually wasn't about homeschooling as much as it was about homemaking. A later name change to "Eternal Encouragement" reflected this fact. Yes, she homeschooled, but her first Calls were as Wife and Homemaker... homeschooling simply fell into this scope. The older I got the more I understood this to be my life as well... it is the life of many women, whether they homeschool or not - our first Call is Wife and Homemaker - a Proverbs 31 heart - and for me, for a season, homeschooling was a hat I gladly wore as well.

I can't be positive what God has for the future of Faith and Home Publishing, what I do know is, He has called me to write books about Homeschooling for now... however, because we don't currently homeschool, the day-to-day here on the blog and over on social media will continue to lean more towards Wife and Homemaker and a Proverbs 31 heart. My hope is to begin producing books and other materials appealing to this end, some are beginning to appear on our Resources page while others are currently in the planning stage for next fall and winter. I hope God will eventually guide me into writing those Historical Fiction and Children's books too!

If you are like some of my friends, happy for the fact we are publishing but a bit bummed we aren't publishing content you can connect with at this stage of life... visit the blog and my socials frequently (especially Instagram) and pray for God's good timing to open doors for other content from us which you can excitedly find a place for on your bookshelf!

Blessings,

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By the way... are you ready for Thanksgiving? On our "Resource" page here on the site you can find great downloadables like this one to help you plan and prepare (it is never too late to be ready for a big holiday dinner!)