Order in the House

How can the home maker keep an atmosphere of love and joy in the home so that when the husband comes home he can truly escape the mad dash of the world? One way to create that sense of relaxation is to put things in order.

The simple act of stacking things in order can put the mind at ease and make the home a peaceful place for the rest of the family.

When things are in order, working in that atmosphere can put you and others in the mood to create. Women are naturally creative, if given the opportunity, but it is difficult to think creatively in a place of clutter, noise and commotion.

Children function better at home when everything has a place and everything has a purpose. The painting of the old-fashioned kitchen says much more. It shows food preparation in an artistic light. The kitchen is being used for what it was intended, erstwhile remaining a lovely place. Cooking utinsels here are not just utilitarian. They are beautiful and sentimental. The cook would have just as much joy using them as she would washing them and putting them back in the shelf.

This kitchen has plenty of light and I can just imagine the pie-maker looking out the window to see if anyone is coming down the road or if the mail has just come. Maybe she has a kitchen garden growing close by and can look and see if there is anything fresh she can pick to add to dinner preparations.

The bathroom is the most used place in the house and much care has to be taken to give it a feeling of peace. Folding things neatly can add to the elegance of the room. Shelves and pictures add style to the home. When you add order and purpose to the house, every room can be a place of peace and beauty.

Homemaking is not just keeping house. It is paying attention to the over-all effect that each corner, each space, each nook and cranny has on you, the homemaker, and those who enter into it. A man may not be able to tell his wife exactly why he likes it there so much, and may not even notice some of the details, but the combined effort will create a whole. This whole will be what everyone feels when they enter the room.

For new homemakers, I would highly recommend the following books:

Treasury of Vintage Homekeeping Skills - by Mrs. Martha Greene

Future Homemaker's Handbook by Laurie Latour

Creating a Scentsational Home by Terry Willits.

For those young things sitting in cubicles with their laptops, who come across this blog and hate every word of it, you have a right to remain silent.

These paintings are all by Erin Dertner, from Allposters.