As of late, numerous people have been asking me "what will I do?" now that I finished home education in our little nest. I suppose that now that this is a house-full of adults, a full-time homemaker doesn't seem necessary. But honestly it feels like my golden years have begun and I can’t wait to continue my homemaking journey! There are still so many people to tend to (the homemakers walls extend beyond her own home), projects to try and pantries to prettify. The home is one big canvas of opportunity and now that a few extra hours have been gifted to me, there is no other place I would rather spend my time! "We often take our homes for granted. But when we steep ourselves in our home, a deep sense of place begins to emerge. Life becomes more meaningful. We begin to have a greater spiritual awareness of what our home is and should be. Perhaps our most inspiring thought is that our homes, if we are to live well in them, require and deserve a lifetime of the most careful attention. A home absorbs caretaking like a sponge. All the hours we spend tending to it are never in vain, for everything we give to our home, is in turn, given back to us. Our homes will be only as generous and nurturing as the effort we invest in them." ~ Mrs. Dunwoody's Excellent Instructions for Homekeeping by Miriam Lukken And as I was pondering all the lovely little homemaking joys, I immediately thought of the title of Elizabeth Browning's poem... "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." I have a waterfall of feelings on the subject and I think it would be easiest if I sorted them out into little posts -- like laundry 🧺 piles I suppose! Some of my reasons may seem shallow to some and soul stirring to others. It will either make sense or I will appear utterly insane. That is the way of a homemaker. Much of the beauty is in the ordinary tasks, the tiny details that make up a grand though humble life, the small routines, the orderly approaches to a home-centered world. We each experience it differently. You may love a quiet home with soft surroundings and floral fragrances while others enjoy upbeat music and the constant scent of brewed coffee. How Do I Love Homemaking? Let me Count the Ways... Will you join me?