Finding Harmony in Homemaking: Embracing Peace and Order In Your Home

Welcome to our first post in the Homemaking Harmony series! Every Monday this month, I will be sharing some advice on homemaking. I will preface this by saying that I am not the “perfect” homemaker, nor will I ever be. All I have ever wanted was a place for my little family to come home to and feel at peace. There is nothing I enjoy better than for someone to walk into our home and talk about how warm and cozy it is or how nice it smells. Yet, we won’t talk about the dust that many of you can’t see or are just nice enough not to point out.

With that being said, I have great news!!!

This month, I will have three different guest blog posts written for me. Each one has some wonderful insight to provide in regards to homemaking that I believe each of you will enjoy. As it has been said, “it takes a village,” and it is something that I truly believe. Without all of you who read these blog posts, comment on them, or share them with others, I wouldn’t feel inspired to keep doing what I am doing.

Homemaking needs to be harmonious!

Have you ever heard a group of people singing and then someone is suddenly off-key? My ears start hurting. Every part of me cringes. I want it to stop and help them get back on key.  Or at least tell them to just go back and sing a lead! That’s how it is with harmony in your home. When things are in chaos and out of whack, it causes you to cringe and want to get away as fast as you can. I think all of us would be honest in this moment and say that when your home is in chaos, the moment you walk in the door, you want to turn around and walk back out. It just seems easier to do that than to face all of the things that need to be done. This is why harmony in your homemaking is so important.

I can remember, as a child, being very opinionated about my room and décor. When my parents built their home, I was only five, and for some crazy reason, they gave both my sister and me the choice to choose our paint and carpet color. To this day, I still do not understand their reasoning, nor do I think I would ever go as far as they did. But apparently they loved us so much and wanted us to be happy that we chose. My favorite color is pink. Always has been and probably always will be. Maybe different shades of pink, but pink none the less. So you know what my choice was when I went to choose paint and carpet color…PINK!

I did not want to change the color of that room until I was in my early teens. I realized around the age of sixteen that I thoroughly enjoyed decorating my space, and my best friend was right there beside me, thinking of ways to beautify my room. Before the days of Pinterest, I had ideas and mood boards all in my head. When I married and we purchased our home, I made it as beautiful as I possibly could on a budget. 

Yet, as time has gone by, I realize that my stuff sometimes overwhelms my senses. I’m not here to preach minimalism. I’m just here to talk about the “stuff” we accumulate over time that we no longer really have any use for. The stuff we end up shoving into a bin, a closet, or anywhere that is free and big enough to hold the item. We think somewhere in the back of our minds that we might use it for a later purpose. However, later, when we open that closet door and all the stuff attacks us, we realize we have made a grievous error, and we end up with two options: we can shut the door and pretend it isn’t there, or we can pull it out and make the decision to let it go.

Having full closets doesn’t mean we have harmony.

I may just be talking to myself here. I may be the only person to have an issue with clinging to items that I believe I may use at another time in my life. Or it could be something that someone gave me, and they may end up coming over and wondering where that item is. If so, feel free to check in next week on something that may better suit what you are currently going through. Yet, for those of us who are this way, I want to help you find harmony in your homemaking.

I think at this point in my life, my biggest issue is with seasonal décor. My husband always likes to point out how many totes I have for my seasonal décor. I won’t bore you with the details, but it is a “few.”  I have learned over time to weed out what I don’t think I will use any more and replace it with newer items that I have found on clearance.

Listen to me! I am so cheap that I squeak.

By doing “weeding,” I find that I don’t have to buy a new tote for my stuff. I can simply replace the old and keep moving forward. This method keeps me from having more than I need. Currently, I use my décor to help decorate my mom’s home and our church during the seasons, so I do give myself a little grace on how many totes I actually have.

See, lots of clutter stresses me out. I wouldn’t be surprised if it does for you as well. That means if I am stressed, there cannot be harmony in my home. The moment I walk through the door and all the “stuff” smacks me in the face, I immediately become defensive and want to lash out at those I care about the most. And that, my dear friend, isn’t harmony.

Do yourself a favor and find out what is causing you stress in your home. Don’t think about how you don’t have time to do this or that. Don’t think about how you need to have the perfect organizing system that some influencer tells you you need! Start by just looking at what bothers you the most. I know there is one thing that pops into your mind when I say this that you know you need to tackle, but you make all of the excuses as to why you can’t. Start there! Get up, grab a couple of trash bags, give yourself thirty minutes, and see what you can accomplish. Throw garbage in one bag, things to donate in the other, and the items you plan to keep go right then and put them where they belong.

If you’re like me, set a timer!

I get lost when I start a project and don’t realize the time.  Setting a timer is the best way I can stay on track. After the timer goes off, dispose of the garbage and go put the thrift store bag in your car. Make sure to drop it off the next time you go by the local thrift store. I’m sure someone will appreciate your donation.

A clean and comfortable home looks different to each and every one of us. I think we get so wrapped up in what our homes are supposed to look like because we see all these beautiful photos on Pinterest.  However, I live in a world where I have children who play with their toys, leave crumbs on the floor and table, spill their drinks, and leave their shoes out for you to trip on. That is reality! And because I live in that reality, I do my best to remember this every time I walk past one of my kids rooms that looks like a tornado hit it. I make sure the main areas of the home look as presentable as possible and make my home work for me. I keep all of my baking supplies right above where I work. Is that feasible for you? Probably not. You may not bake a lot. You do what works for you and makes you feel at peace.

One last thing: remember that God is our ultimate peace. If we keep Him at the center of our lives, then He will help us maintain perfect harmony in our homes.

I would love to hear about the area you thought of that you knew you needed to attend to and if you got to it right away without making any more excuses.

Until next week, when my long-awaited sourdough starter instructional goes live!

Remember, I’m always praying for you, even if I don’t know who you are!