Artistry in Homemaking

Tea cozy knitted for my dauther-in-law.

Sometimes housekeeping is like putting pearls on a string with no knot at the end...or shoveling snow while it is still snowing (thank you, Phyllis Diller). The tasks are repetitious and the results are often short-lived. Every homemaker knows what it is like to get the kitchen all cleaned up just in time to meet the next demand for snacks or a meal. The laundry hamper fills up again even as the dirty clothes are being carried out to the washing machine. Sometimes there isn’t time to fold and put away the clean clothes before someone is wearing them again.

I have used several books on housekeeping to learn what to do with these challenges over the years. I learned a 3X5 card system, a binder system and a simple list system. Once I got the hang of what needed to be done around the place, I settled for making simple lists that I use and toss. However, I could not have known all of the things that needed to be on those lists without the detailed information I found in a book like “Is there Life After Housework?” by Don Aslett.

Homemakers have to learn how to keep a house. Either we learn from someone who does it well or we educate ourselves. I had the advantage of a great mom and two grandmothers who taught me about keeping a home using the “learn by doing” method. I didn’t always appreciate those lessons at the time, but now I draw upon that knowledge with gratitude. They taught me the ways of the women in our family who have made homemaking into an art.

My female ancestors provided meals, clean clothes and a sheltering environment for their families, but they also brought beauty and joy into their homes. Some were fantastic bakers, some made quilts and clothes, one was a weaver and others put together tasty and healthful meals using the most ordinary ingredients. They let their creativity shine through so that their homes were fun, welcoming and beautiful.

Housework can be draining and can steal your joy—or you can make it into an art. Maybe you are a storyteller or you love nature. Maybe you love your friends and are a good neighbor, or perhaps you actually are an artist who makes beautiful things. Let the things that bring you joy enter into your homemaking and become your signature as a homemaker. Those who live with you will bless you for it.