{ Homemaking with a joyful heart }

Hello everyone, come on in and sit a little.  It is a cold and rainy day, the house is dark, the candles are lit and the coffee is warm, just perfect to sit and have a little chat.

The past week and a half, the Lord has been speaking to my heart on the importance of my job as a homemaker.  It's something that I take seriously, it's something that I enjoy and it's a job that I love wholeheartedly.

I've always loved homemaking, and from a very young age I was fascinated with it all.  While kids my age would play outside or dream about being a movie star or a doctor, my heart and mind was on being a wife, a mother and having my own home.



I would pretend my dolls were my children, I would pretend that I was  homemaker and I would give the dolls a bath and put them to bed, I would fix dinner, I would tidy the house.  There was something about it that made me smile.

To be blessed and able to live out my dream, is something I'm daily thankful for.

It's no secret that I love what I do, you know that, everyone knows that.  But like I said above, it's been even more prominent in my heart the past week or so.  It's like a little voice nagging in the back constantly telling me to be thankful for the job I have, to enjoy it, to really take pride in making my house a home.

I won't lie, at first I was a bit annoyed because I couldn't understand why I would even be feeling or thinking those thoughts, considering how much I love homemaking.  But here's the thing, as much as I love it, I too have been guilty of sometimes letting it go.

Yes I clean daily, yes I tidy up, and cook meals and so on, but sometimes I didn't quite give the attention to the chores at hand that I should, it was more of a "there it's clean, it's done, let's move on".

So I've shifted my way of thinking when approaching my home.  I still do what I've always done, but I go that little extra mile.  I enjoy what I do, yes even cleaning the bathroom, I smile through it and really pour my heart into it.

There's nothing quite like the feeling of walking away from a room knowing that it's squeaky clean and being thankful for having that room, those walls, and the roof over your heard.



Along with that new feeling, also came another pull on my heart.  I tried to ignore it but it's been put upon my heart by the Lord, no doubt.  The need to use my blog not just as a personal journal but as a way to reach out to other homemakers, moms and wives and maybe teach something or offer a word of comfort, a way for someone out there to see that this homemaking thing is not something to be intimidated by.

Whether it's talking about cleaning, sharing my favorite homemade cleaning solutions, cooking, sharing new recipes or the way I feed my family, sharing my talents, whatever it may be that someone, even if just one overwhelmed young mom out there can get something out of.....I need to do.

I don't even know what any of that means, I'm honestly just sharing with you what has been weighing on my heart and soul and what I feel led to do, but we all know that from our minds to actually putting it down on the computer screen in the form of a post, is a completely different thing.

Just bear with me as I try to figure this whole out, or make sense of what is going on in my mind.

When I first got married, 20 years ago, I knew the essential to get me started with my own family, but there were so many other things about the day to day functioning of a home, that I had no clue about.  In those moments, I wanted more than anything to know that I could just go on the internet and find all the answers I needed, or in the very least, find like minded women, or much more experienced mothers and homemakers who could point me in the right direction.

One of the things I most struggle with in today's society, is the fact that Home Economics is no longer offered in schools, and I see so many young women leave their parent's home without knowing how to do the simplest of tasks.  No cooking, no clue how to clean, what even is an iron and when you can just pull clothes straight out the dryer and fold and go.

What products do I use to clean what areas, and how often do I clean them?

How do I feed my family, how do I grocery shop, how do I budget, or meal plan, what should I have in the pantry?

I just feel that if I share more about my life, it might help someone who is just starting on this homemaking journey.  And I'm hoping that more of my blogging friends will join me too.  I think this is why I've felt so strongly about keeping my blog in it's original form, the way it used to be when blogging first started.

Please don't think I'm an expert on anything, I am not, nor do I pretend to know it all or think that I'm above anyone.  I just think that after 20 years of homemaking I have learned a few tricks here and there to cut some time, to make delicious meals, and to help make a home with the simplest of things around you.

Anyway, I really just wanted to share what I've been feeling with you all.

I have my brother's family over for dinner tonight, it's the last time I'll see my niece and great niece for a while, so it's going to be fun but also quite sad.  We are doing pizza and games and basically just relaxing and having some family time.

Hope you all have a fantastic end of Friday, cheers to the weekend, and I'll see you all tomorrow :)