I was raised in the suburbs of New Orleans. A true city girl. Fast forward now, I am married to my best friend who has the heart of a farmer. We have a house full of children living on our homestead in the mountains of Appalachia. A country life complete with fruit and vegetable gardens, beehives and a coop of chickens. I never imagined any of this. I never knew I wanted any of this. And here I am, with a full heart.
Most of my time is centered around my family and taking care of them as well as our home. I am involved in a Christian ministry. I also do limited amounts of creative work on the side from the comfort of my home, that adds spice to my life as well.
I wasn’t “trained” to be a homemaker. I was strategically guided to be a woman with a solid career until I retired. To many, my being an A student and graduating university with high honors, I was throwing so much away. But my husband and I knew we wanted the main focus of my time to be on caring for our home. Back home in New Orleans, seeing a homemaker was an anomaly. I can count on one hand how many of my friends had moms that tended to their homes full-time. Most women hustled off to jobs everyday. The exhaustion of the grind was all over their face, as they juggled a boss and a home they could only dream of relaxing in. It was literally wake up early; get the kids off to school; get through unnerving traffic to work; get through the stresses of work and pleasing their boss who only saw them as a robot and a machine; drive back home through traffic again; pick up kids from after school care; help with homework; fix a quick, uninspiring dinner; baths for everyone; rush kids in the bed; pick up messes in the house; go to bed late. Rinse and repeat daily. From my perspective it looked as through there was no time to connect with family. The home was just taking care of business.
We wanted something different. I have no idea how I could manage otherwise! Leveling up/ being a boss babe was not for me. Now just to be transparent and authentic, everyday in my home isn’t grand. Some days are stressful and uninspiring but I love the life we have built as a family. I also believe there is a feeling if safety, by also embracing the monotonous side of life as well. Being soft and feminine has allowed me to embrace all days and be grateful for all of them. Environment can mean a lot. Living in the country and at the foothills of Appalachia, you will find an abundance of ladies just like me. It’s the culture here. And there is a great amount of respect for the women in those roles. Going from concrete to grasslands can really change mindsets!
To me, homemaking is closely tied to femininity. Spending a great amount of time caring for my home each day has allowed me to cultivate the soft, gentle qualities I’ve always admired in some women. But don’t despair, a woman can become soft, gentle and very feminine without being a homemaker. My blog is for homemakers, aspiring homemakers, and those who just want to learn to embrace soft femininity and homemaking skills. That’s the beauty of it all. Even though outside forces really do matter, there are adjustments that can be done to nurture and embrace soft, gentle, feminine qualities even if you are not in a full time homemaking environment. The willing attitude must be there. Join me and let’s learn more together.
