We are the base upon which the fires that shelter, clothe, and nurture our people are built. We are the ones who produce belonging and bring in as many as we can hold (be that one other person or one hundred). We HearthKeepers are the hearths of the home. A home can’t be homeful without a homemaker. Start by taking a deep breath and looking at the glory of who we are and what we are doing.

Decorating is such a wonder! Ponder on how delightful the customizable-ness of homemaking is! The diversity of tastes! You are not wrong in your excitement to decorate your new home. Go for it, dear ladies! Set up that nest, cozy that space, and create beauty. This is who we are and what we do.

This is our kingdom, ladies. We may share the cooking with our hubbies or even our children, but we should know and grasp the power of a treasured kitchen. From her we make tea to soothe anxiety, pour wine to calm and help conversations flow, and coffee to brighten. Here we clean away dirt and stains and grubbiness. Here we make memories and link people together. All this and more overflows from our kitchens. The kitchen is our biggest and brightest tool as domestic artists. It is our biggest help as the helpers. It is our most faithful co-laborer in our service to others.

Homemaking isn’t so much the work we do as it is the heart with which we do it.

All these—Routine, Journaling, To-Do Lists—are suggestions for how to start being intentional in your home. It’s easy to both wing it or think it will just happen. It’s easy to disconnect in the repetitiveness. To manage your home well is to be prudent, diligent, purposed, and intentional.

As you begin to make a home, learn to educate yourself and specialize so you can dig deep into home management.

The other amazing thing about these three responsibilities is that they’re shallow enough for a toddler to wade at the edge of and deep enough to inspire artists, architects, engineers, scientists, and billion-dollar companies. What? You don’t see that? What are fashion, home design, restaurants, and the research of chemicals but the outward expressions of cooking, cleaning, and laundry?