Clutter Free Academy

How do you respond when someone looks different? Can you see the beauty in situations even when they are challenging? Today I talk with author, Courtney Westlake, about her journey with her daughter who was born with Harlequin Ichthyosisa a severe, life-threatening skin disorder which make her look very different from others. Listen as we talk about the beauty Courtney has found in life by being Brenna's mom and what it has taught her about true beauty. We have two copies of Courtney's Book A Different Beautiful to give away. Listen to the episode and share with whom you would share the book and we will give you two copies: one for you and one to share as a gift.

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.