Keep Hope Alive

Painting by Susan Rios

From youth, most people have a hopeful attitude toward life, but as they age, sometimes they allow the feeling of hope to fade.  My belief is that, even if something seems hopeless, it is always better to maintain an optimistic view and keep hoping. "Hope we have as an anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast," the Bible says. (Hebrews 6:19)

Often there are goals that seem never to be reached, and sometimes homemakers think the sameness of things (laundry, meals, dishes) will not end. When hope enters your mind, things can change for the better, for while you are doing the necessary tasks, you may be hopeful of moving on to something a little different afterwards. Though these types of hopes are shortly in the future,( perhaps within a day), they are worth hoping for. Having an interesting sewing project, art theme, or even an hour set aside to write a letter (or blog) are happy rewards to hope for.

After Breakfast, by Susan Rios

Daily goals to look forward to are reasons to keep hope alive, but there are long term goals we all want, which may not be immediately seen, but still we strive forward toward them.  We hope to have success as  "guides of the home," (1st Timothy 5:14). To be organized enough to find things when they are needed, and to have a dwelling place that is a lovely place to see and feel, are things worth hoping for. To train up children to be good, polite, diligent workers with a strong sense of honor, is something worth hoping for. To look after the health and well-being and needs of our husbands is a goal worth working toward and hoping for. These things will not be seen suddenly, but with persistent hope and effort, may one day be seen. Hope is harnessed with faith, and "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."(Hebrews 11:1).

An Intimate View by Susan Rios

 Here is an easy way to understand hope: Even though we do not always see the things we hope for, we keep hope alive by having faith that these things will one day happen, and even though there will be discouragements, at least, if we have hope, our hearts continue to beat in anticipation. So, in times of indecision, hope for something better, and that happy thought will be the best motivator for continuing to build your life on the values that you believe in.

Some short term goals you might hope for are:

1. Preparing yourself for the day by getting dressed with dignity for the day at home. That way you will also  prepared to go somewhere if necessary. If you are dressed up (and I'm not speaking of formal, impractical clothing) it gives you motivation for an important job.

Sharing the Gift, by Susan Rios

2. Planning an hour for each daily task: the dishes, the laundry, and cleaning up the areas that are used the most by the family members: the living room, dining room, bathroom, and bedrooms. These jobs can be delegated to others, also, but they should be able to adopt your work habits and your standards, through practice.

3. Setting aside time to do something creative or something relaxing that is renewing for your mind, each day. Go for a walk, pick wild flowers, look at scenery, laugh about something (it is good for your health) knit or crochet, dig in the garden, and offer prayers of gratitude to God, whether in sunshine or rain. These things help keep hope alive.

Sweet Remembrance by Susan Rios

4. Stop for tea-time each day, no matter how badly things have turned out. Start using the best china you have and treat yourself well. Even a work horse is allowed to stop for a refreshing drink, and you are better than a work horse: you are the guard and the guide of the home, which in my opinion is the highest office in the land.

Spring Tea by Susan Rios

These are just short term goals that are not always achieved, but if you keep hope alive, you'll add a happy outlook to your live and develop a good-naturedness that will give you more hope.  It is difficult to separate the management of the home from hope, for without hope, your life's work is deadened.  

Keeping the home and guiding the family is more than just a materialistic, mechanical thing. It is a spiritual thing, for while you are caring for your loved ones, you are also giving them a hopeful life and building yourself up spiritually.

Eventually, these things will add up to a home living "condition" that will make it more desirable to be home than to be somewhere else, for as a homemaker, you can make the atmosphere anything you like and everything belongs to you.  There is no better reading room, no better holiday, or better writing desk or tea room than the one you provide for yourself.

Painting by Susan Rios

Keep hope alive and you will build yourself up. Show that hope is alive in you by preparing for each day as if it were the most important event in your life, and maintaining a cheerful, optimistic ambition for the job ahead. Whether the thing you hope for is realized, or not, keeping hope alive is essential in keeping your sanity and keeping your mind and body functioning at its very best. Maybe your needs may not all be perfectly fulfilled, but if you lose hope, you are sunk for sure, for you cannot function as a hollow soul without things to look forward to. Even if these things never transpire, the hope you keep alive will keep your heart beating and your mind in tune with God.

I have chosen paintings by the California artist, Susan Rios, whose art always represents hope coupled with contentment. I have sent her scenic photographs on several occasions, and she has used parts of them for her wonderful paintings: a very gracious lady indeed.


To print this for your notebook, go here.


If you have men in your family who want to keep hope alive, go here for the men's version of this post.

Reasons to Stay Home

Home at Last

by James Lee

It seems appropriate to be reminded of the reasons to be home full time. 

To take care of the family. Women at home have an important role. They not only physically care for the husband and children, but they provide good counsel and stability. If a woman is at home, she has only her own, and her family's cares to consider. She is free to concentrate and really look after the needs of her husband and children. She can help cut down on stress and worry in their lives, because just by being home, she provides stability. Free from the stresses of life outside the home, she can have peace of mind and transfer that to her own family.

Gardian of Light

by James Lee

To keep house.  We need to be aware that many people believe that housework can be done on the weekends quite efficiently, and therefore, they think it is not necessary for women to stay home every day. When people are preparing meals at home daily, using clean clothes every day ,using the living room, bedrooms and bathrooms daily, there will be daily housework.  To wait until the weekend to do the laundry or clean the kitchen or shop for groceries, is to put a greater burden on the family and the homemaker during the weekends, when the time might be used for hospitality or family outings.

 A homemaker can learn to create daily order in the home, rather than wait til the weekend. That way, she is free to enjoy some leisure with her family on weekends, and attend church on the Lord's Day.

Keeping house is more than hurriedly wiping up a mess or picking up trash. It requires putting a feeling or an atmosphere into it. If you know someone who really loves her home and respects her house, you will notice the effect it has on you. She has paid attention to where things are placed and how things look. She understands the value of comfort and knows how to use things to delight the senses: sound, sight, smell, touch, and taste. All this, combined with her spiritual values, can determine how it feels to be home.

Country Quiet

by James Lee

To have good health. Being home aids greatly in good health, because it is a place where a woman can rest when she needs to, without anyone regulating her. She
 also has a kitchen where she can prepare fresh foods, and cook from natural ingredients, without additives.  It is a place where the bad news of the world need not dominate or disturb the mind, and where social pressures can be diminished. It is here she can go out and get fresh air when she wants to take a walk. She can manage the interior of her home in such a way as to make it a place for good health.

Day's End Retreat

by James Lee

To be an example to younger women. Some people claim that women do not contribute anything to the world if they stay home, but over time, they do, just by training their children to be polite and have good manners at home. One day, those children will be husbands or wives, and the mates will be grateful that they landed such a good "catch"--someone who was raised to be respectful, and understands the importance of marriage and family.  Never think that a homemaker is not making an impact on the world, or the community where she lives, for the children she raises will one day be a part of that community in some way.  If she has no children, she makes a big impact on the lives of others by her hospitality, her benevolence, and her example.

Younger women need to know about homemaking as a way of life. A homemaker sets that example, and shows that even if the house keeping is not always perfect, she is at least there and knows what is going on at home. She is aware of the things that need to be done, and she is guiding her children's character. If she has no children, her time at home is still a good example, in the way she manages her time and conducts herself.

Autumn Dusk

by James Lee

To prove the word of God, which teaches women to be busy at home, and to mind their own business, taking care of their own families.  When someone claims to follow Christ but does not obey his word, found in the Bible, they bring shame and reproach upon the church, and discredit the word of God.  Over time, a homemaker will reap good results for her labor, and God will requite her in many ways for the sacrifices that she makes.

To improve the intellect and inspire the creative side. Because they make their own time and their own choices, they can decide what to read and what to study, and what new skill they want to develop. If you will look at my blog roll, and the blog rolls of other homemakers, you will see the amazing creative talent of homemakers all over the world. Staying home enables a woman to take her time and enjoy doing things, because she is in no particular hurry and is not pressured by too many demands from other people outside of her home.

I believe it is important for women at home to be creative, because it helps to relax and renew the mind. When she has created something, whether it be knitting or art or sewing or cooking, she has results that show and can be useful to someone.

Some homemakers are quite keen on government issues and politics that affect the family and the home, and are able to take part in the legislative process by communicating their approval or disapproval of certain things going on in the country. They are able to keep their husbands informed about things they might not have time for. They are truly the guardians of the home.

Heaven's Light

by James Lee

To be free.  A woman at home can create her own schedule and do things in her own timing. She is free to have company. She is free to clean her house during the day. She is free to improve life at home. She is free to read, to write, and to go shopping at a time other than the rush-hour. 

She is free to pursue a creative interest. When I lived in Australia in the 1960's, many women there knitted, using Pure New Wool made in Australia. Most of them said that their families never had to have a store bought cardigan or sweater, during the entire time they lived at home.  Those were the days when more of them stayed home. They would clean up their houses and then take some time to sit and knit. It relaxed them and was a pleasure and a hobby, but it resulted in something good for someone else.  The example of these industrious knitters inspired others to want to knit, and so their influence reached far.

This is what it means to be at home and to be free: to be able to focus completely on the atmosphere of your home, without outside interference, and to provide things for your family in a personal way. Home cooked food from natural, basic ingredients tastes and digests much better than pre-packaged or instant food.  Home made clothing feels different, and a personally kept house creates good feelings and good memories, as well as good temperaments.  When a woman is home, she can do things like this, and these are the things that make a house a real home. 

To enable her husband to work. One of the advantages of being home, is that you can provide your husband with the things he needs in order to make it easier for him to work: clean clothes, fresh towels in the bathroom, nutritious food, and a peaceful, stress-free atmosphere in the home can go a long way to making a man motivated to be a good provider. He will feel his efforts are worthwhile, when he sees his wife managing so well.

  I know several unmarried men who say that people do not understand why they have as much free time as they imagine they might have. Since they have no one to take care of the laundry, cook, wash dishes, go grocery shopping, and change the bedding, these men have to do it themselves. When a man has a wife, he works to earn the living and she takes care of the house. When he has time off, they can spend it in other things they would like to do together. A homemaker helps her husband by doing these things. He is able to meet his work obligations on time, and even work more efficiently, without confusion, because he has not had to prepare breakfast, find a clean shirt, sew on a missing button or pack a lunch. While he is at work, his help-meet checks the mail, pays the electric bill, shops for bargains, mends his clothes, and prepares dinner.  She may even keep up the family correspondence by sending letters and cards to his relatives.

To create stability.  When a woman stays home and makes a real home life for her family, their lives remain stable through all kinds of problems. No matter what happens, her life will be the same. She will still have to buy groceries, prepare meals, keep the house, and make a loving haven for her family. This kind of life creates stability in the home, even when there are job changes for the husband or uncertainty and other issues. Knowing that at least the homemaker still values the same things and cares for her home, gives a sense of stability to the family.

To create valuable memories.  Often when adults are asked to relate the first family memory
that comes into their minds, they do not immediately remember how rich or poor the family was, but they remember the customs and events that gave them happiness and stability.
 It used to be a custom for the family to eat dinner together at a table, and then go to the living area for a little while before bedtime and visit. This, and other habits will become important memories that will form the history of your family.

Road to Lighthouse

by T.C. Chiu (from allposters)

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To be good stewards of family property and belongings.  There are some people who think that it is possible to have a nice house and garden but do not believe it takes any time to maintain it, and therefore, there is no reason for a woman to stay home.  To really be a good caretaker of a house and garden,  it is necessary for a woman to be home, to protect the family investment. She will keep it clean, and make sure that things are orderly and do not deteriorate, and that the value of the house and garden increases, due to her watchful care.


To have peace of mind. Even if things are not done perfectly and you do not think you have the best skills in cooking or housekeeping, staying home should give you peace of mind, knowing that you did what you could and that you put the care of the family first in your life.

For more reading on the subject of staying home, please go to Andrea's article, "All You Need to Know About Staying Home With Children."  In it, she answers all the common myths about homemaking. Great for young women just questioning the idea of being full time homemakers.

Note: I am figuring out how to make a link-up for this subject (later on today), so if you have posted anything on your blog about reasons for women to be home, or if you would like to write a new post on the subject, you can link up to this one when I get the process going.

To print this post, go here.

Home Management Booklet

I do not have a home management binder, although I used one many years ago. I believe you really need one when you first start out in your own home, just to get your mind focused on what is important and to keep from getting behind in the management of the home. However, as years go by, you, like me, may find that after using the h.m.b. often, you memorize a lot of things and will have no need for the large book on a daily basis. I now use little notebooks from the Dollar Tree, or make my own. I wanted to show how I made my own for the month of June. My daughter and I are trying to use up all our scrap papers and stickers, and these were perfect for this little book. The covers are made from Miss Elizabeth's short stack of scrap papers, from Dollar Tree. The stickers also come from the Miss Elizabeth supply only at Dollar Tree. I punch holes for the ribbon to bind the booklet.

The inside covers have a pocket I pasted in from the scrap papers. The white pages are from computer paper.

Here are some of the divider papers in the back of the book. The front of book has about 15 pages and I will use the other sides of the pages also, so that it will last a month. If I don't want to re-do the cover, I can always take out old pages and add new ones for the next month.

This is what the tabs look like. They are just cut from the pink paper.

Here is what one of the subject pages looks like. I think you can click on for a larger view.

I saved the cellophane from the package of scrap paper, and slipped it on the cover of the booklet, because it was already a perfect fit. I believe every day is exquisitely sweet and special. There is no dull or dark day when we can do things like this to brighten it. I think the things we glance at will feed our minds depression or happiness, so I really do appreciate having a beautiful notebook to refer to aid me in home keeping. I have named this booklet the "house keeper" because it keeps all the notes I need to manage things daily.

Each woman is different, and needs to design her own book. I used various books over the years and since the organizer book authors don't know my personal life style, they never had the things I really needed in it. Notice too that I do not put the times in this. If I had to look at things like "8:00 am, 9 a.m., 10 a.m." I would be too anxious. Without the times there, I usually get things done ahead of time. There are no pre-dated pages, because there will be days that I do not use the book.

I challenge any place of work where a woman is, to produce a schedule book for her that can appeal to her sense of beauty, and touch her heart, the way these personal homemaker notebooks can. The Bible says that there is a season for everything, so a woman can adjust her life to whatever comes her way, whether it be seed time or harvest. The home organizing notebook allows her to do what needs to be done, but still remain alert to needs at hand, and adjustable to unforseen problems.

The Homemaker's Time

In view of the previous article, I thought it would be appropriate to write a little about the time that it takes to really do a satisfactory job at home. Time is not on our side at home, as there are many interruptions and time-absorbers that may not have anything to do with real homemaking. That is why I was telling the young women not to get involved in long, drawn out issues that will detract from concentrating on the more important things of homemaking. I've placed pictures here to show the women with children that time could be better spent with their children than in politics or any other cause. Your cause of marriage, home and family, will be all the politics you can handle as a young homemaker.


Even without children, the work is never ending. If you only did what you had to do, you would still not have time in a day to do it all. All you really are required to do as a homemaker is take care of the home, provide meals, keep up with the laundry and the groceries. However even this can get to be overwhelming if you aren't from a home where it was bred into you by your mother.


















While talking to a few young mothers lately, I have discovered that they as homemakers tend to think that because they are at home, they have time to do more than is required of them. They will take in someone else's kids and look after them, or they will take on extra sewing. They might try to sell a product from a company that hires home sellers, such as cosmetics or household products. If these kinds of sales things are not kept in their place, they will take over and your homemaking will suffer.

While there is nothing wrong with these things, they will eat in to your home life and rob you of the time you need to really look after your own home and enjoy it. The word "enjoy" is important because anyone can take on extra jobs and then rush through their housework and make it look like they are coping. However, this kind of living will catch up to you and soon you will hate your housework (because you are in a rush and not really enjoying it) and be more inclined to do the other kind of work. Extra jobs are distracting. No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other. Homemaking and having your own husband and children is enough for one woman. Having too much to do at home is the same as running from one job to the next. You will end up exhausted, not doing any jobs well.