Clutter Free Academy

Do you find yourself starting things, but not finishing them? Would you like to learn from someone who broke that habit and replaced it with other habits that help her finish strong? Today I talk with author Nicki Koziarz about her book 5 Habits of a Woman Who Doesn't Quit about not quitting including the five questions to ask yourself before quitting. Does Nicki's name sound familiar? That's because I did an awesome interview with her for the Husband Project. Be sure to listen to it here:  Episode #206-Nicki Koziarz and The Ultimate Resource Guide for (trying to be) Awesome Wives

Does the idea of canning your own food scare you? What do you need? What CAN you can? Will I give someone botulism and kill them???? Today I talk with Melissa K. Norris, author of The Made from Scratch Kitchen, about how to get started with canning. We talk about which foods get canned using different methods, what the basic equipment needs are and did you know there is a difference between Pressure Cookers and Pressure Canners??? Melissa teaches us about all of these things and more! Let's all give canning a try and post pictures in the comments!

Have you been feeling like you can't get it all done? Are you overwhelmed? Kathi talks with Cheri Gregory, her co-author of their upcoming book Overwhelmed, to answer a listener's question. "Hi Kathi!  I found your blog via Cheri Gregory's blog.  I've been  enjoying (and hopefully learning) from your blog posts and podcasts. I've been looking at my stuff, my house, my responsibilities, my kids  etc lately and feeling like I am somewhat out of control.  The  physical stuff generally is used and gets put back within a one foot  radius of where it belongs.  I can purge stuff without any problems  and have done some throughout my married years.  But when it comes to  getting everything done in a timely manner without missing anything,  I start to feel like my brain is too full or too small or has some  kind of black hole somewhere! (Maybe the mysterious force that normally eats socks has taken up  residence in in my head? )  Four homeschooled kids ages 9, 7, 4, and  1 tends to add a whole other load o

Do you ever feel "not good enough"?  Even as a Christian, you can know that all of your sins are forgiven, but still struggle with past mistakes or carry over feelings of inadequacy from life before becoming a Christian. How do we break the cycle of bad thoughts? In this episode, I talk with Sharon Jaynes, author of Take Hold of the Faith You Long For: Let Go, Move Forward, Live Bold who experienced these very same feelings. Listen and find practical tips and encouragement for your faith.

What would it be like to be one of the original disciples? To walk with them daily? If Jesus came to you and said, "Come with me?" what would you say? Well, Jesus does ask you to come with him daily. Author Suzanne Eller decided to do a Bible study where she went deep into the walks of the disciples and wrote her book Come with Me: Discovering the Beauty of Following Where He Leads and shares with us what she learned.

Is your calendar too full? Do you get stressed about meal planning? Does social media become a time suck?  Living Clutter Free does not mean just dealing with the physical clutter, but also the emotional and spiritual.  Author Alex Kuykendall embarked on a nine month experiment to see how she could better her home life. Listen as she tells us about the little changes she made that created a BIG impact on her life.

Did you think we would have The Husband Project and NOT talk about sex? Of course not. So I brought in our resident sex-pert, Sheila Wray Gregoire to share her wisdom. As the author of the book The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex: (And You Thought Bad Girls Have All the Fun) and creator of the website To Love, Honor and Vacuum, Sheila has done the research and can answer the most commonly asked questions that I hear (and all the others that I DON'T hear.) So, put the earbuds in to listen if the kids are around because we are about to have some serious girl talk!

Ever dreamed of being like Laura Ingalls Wilder, living off the land? Or at least being able to grow your own tomatoes without the squirrels getting them before you do? Today I talk with Melissa K. Norris, author of The Made from Scratch Kitchen, about living the pioneer life in modern times. Even if you are a city girl, she shares tips for gardening, cooking, and cleaning with wholesome ingredients that you can make today. Mentioned in this podcast: Melissa's podcast: Pioneering Today Podcast The $64 Tomato (book)

Are you striving and trying hard to do everything right? Is this beginning to hurt your relationships with friends, spouses, even God? Join me as I talk with Amy Carroll, author of Breaking Up with Perfect as we get real about how are different personality styles affect our ability to walk beside our friends during the ups and downs of life.

Having trouble with the Husband Project when you're not in the best place in your marriage? You are not alone. It's hard to talk about, but some marriages are difficult and you may be doing the Husband Project Online Bible Study with Proverbs 31 Ministries, but your heart is just not in it. In this episode, I talk with Fawn Weaver who has interviewed over 110 couples around the world to see what common threads could be found in strong, happy marriages. What she found is surprisingly empowering. Listen in to hear her tips on how to find hope when there is a marital mismatch or if you feel like you've tried everything and you're stuck. Mentioned in this episode: Fawn Weaver's TedTalk "The Argument Free Marriage"

Are you married to a non-Christian? Do you have friends that are?  For the Husband Project, I really want women to see God active in their marriages whether they have a pre-believing spouse or a believing spouse. That is why I am speaking with Dineen Miller and Lynn Donovan who co-wrote the book Winning Him Without Words: 10 Keys to Thriving in Your Spiritually Mismatched Marriage and host the website Spiritually Unequal Marriage. In this episode we will gain wisdom of what we can do for our husbands regardless of whether or not he is a believer and how we can be a better friend to those who are married to non-Christian husbands. Another great book Dineen and Lynn wrote is Not Alone: Trusting God to Help You Raise Godly Kids in a Spiritually Mismatched Home.

Aren't things fun and excited when they are new? Then, after a while, the excitement wears off and you want to quit? You may be feeling that way about The Husband Project and that's O.K. But before you do, listen to this podcast. In this episode, I speak with Nicki Koziarz from Proverbs 31 Ministries who even admits that the project had its challenges, but as the author of 5 Habits of a Woman Who Doesn't Quit, Nicki knows the key to getting past her feelings to the reward of reaping what she sows.

Do you realize the power you have as a wife to change the way your husband walks through this world? How much care and confidence you can give him? Intimacy is much more than a physical act in your relationship with your husband. For him, it is also emotional. As we prepare for Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Study of The Husband Project, Erin and I talk with the author of Through a Man's Eyes: Helping Women Understand the Visual Nature of Men, Shaunti Feldhahn, in order to better understand how men's brains are wired for intimacy. When we know what is important to men and why, it helps us to better understand how we can best help them to make a stronger marriage. The Husband Project Online Bible Study starts June 20th. Sign up HERE.

Are your ready to get intentional about your marriage? In case you missed it! This episode introduces you to how The Husband Project became Proverbs 31 Ministries latest Online Bible Study. We are so excited to team up with Proverbs 31 Ministries as they feature our very own The Husband Project for their Online Bible Study June 20-July 22. In this episode I introduce you to Melissa Taylor, Director of Online Bible Studies at Proverbs 31 Ministries. We discuss the upcoming study and the God story that led P31 to Kathi. See how God surprises us with how his plans come together. By being faithful even in times of heartache and closing doors, God has used Melissa to impact the lives of thousands. Hear her story and get ready for The Husband Project Online Bible Study with P31 OBS.  Be Sure to sign up for the Online Bible Study HERE!  

What will your husband think of the The Husband Project? Will he even notice? Will it make a difference? I interview an expert on being on the receiving end of The Husband Project, my husband Roger Lipp!!! Since we are taking part in Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Study and our husbands aren't supposed to know we are doing these small projects, I am asking someone in the know to help us see the project from a husband's point of view.

Still haven't signed up for The Husband Project Online Bible Study with Proverbs 31 Ministries? Too tired? Tired of working on your marriage and not seeing a difference?  You are not alone...... but before giving up on the idea of joining us on The Husband Project, listen to my conversation with Cheri Gregory. We cover everything from the Chewbacca Mom video to real objections Cheri had about joining Online Bible Study. You'll laugh, I promise. Mentioned in the podcast: The Highly Sensitive Person book Sensitive: the Untold Story documentary "HSP—Who, Me?!?" free downloadable assessment "You’re NOT Too Sensitive: the Strength of a Tender Heart" 10-Day Email series for HSPs Cheri’s Facebook page for HSP wives doing The Husband Project via Proverbs 31 OBS

Are your ready to get intentional about your marriage? We are so excited to team up with Proverbs 31 Ministries as they feature our very own The Husband Project for their Online Bible Study June 20-July 22 In this episode I introduce you to Melissa Taylor, Director of Online Bible Studies at Proverbs 31 Ministries. See how God surprises us with how his plans come together.   http://go.proverbs31.org/the-husband-project/

Is it hard for you to reach out for prayer? Do you feel guilty or like you are being a burden? I took some time to talk with my good friend, Renee Swope and ask her about a blog post she wrote about asking for prayer called, “I hate to be a burden.”  She shares why we fear asking for prayer, what we are missing out on by not asking, and what baby steps we can take in order to ask without feeling like a burden.

Wouldn't it be great to come home from a busy day and know that dinner is already planned and prepped?  With a little work ahead of time, meals can be A LOT easier and less stressful. Kathi and Erin talk about delicious meals and easy ways to have a freezer full of meals ready to go.  

Do you feel crazy busy or busy and fulfilled?  Most of us say yes to way too many things and then we find ourselves burnt out and frazzled. There are many factors to take into consideration before saying yes to an opportunity. In this episode Erin and I talk with Alli Worthington, author of Breaking Busy: How to Find Peace and Purpose in a World of Crazy, to help us keep our calendar decluttered.