🏡 What's Saving My Homekeeping Life

vintage quilts . reorganized closets . flowering branches . refreshed bathroom . resources & videos to cultivate your eager homekeeping heart

Oh my gosh, you guys, it’s so good to be back together with you!

I knew that my self-imposed spring break was coming to a necessary ending when I started writing blog posts in my head again, usually late in the evening or in the middle of the night.

I can’t think of a better way to reconnect than to share this springtime homekeeping bonanza with you, practices I’ve embraced over time and resources I think might capture your attention. I’ve prepared a long, leisurely conversation so feel free to put your feet up and settle in with me … or come on back later when you have more time to savor and enjoy.

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What does it look like to cultivate a childlike delight in noticing, naming, and celebrating God’s winsome creativity in our daily rhythms at home ... embracing common ordinary tasks and those simple life-enhancing choices that offer us a sense of place, comfort, and grace.

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Our Father delights in giving good gifts to His children.  He is supremely interested in all the details of our daily living and I can’t help but believe He desires that our homes become havens of peace-filled rest and joy-fueled welcome.  We are compelled by an expectant faith to keep our senses open for the simplest pleasures He has for us to create, savor, and then generously share with others.

It’s always helpful to evaluate what sparks joy as we care for our homes. I’m big on shuffling things around from one place to another, organizing spaces that have slowly but surely gone astray. Re-arranging treasured accumulations helps me see those possessions in a new light and I end up gaining a fresh appreciation for their useful or lovely presence.

And yes, saying good riddance or a fond adios to objects that no longer serve me well is like emptying rocks out of your backpack so you can breathe deep again and move ahead unencumbered.

Because white space is an invitation always worth considering.

These are the homekeeping philosophies that fit me to a T and make me smile with relief, satisfaction, and gratitude. Reimagining my home on a regular basis is one of my therapies of choice. And I know I’m not the only one.

THE PORCH

I cut an armload of forsythia branches when the buds were just beginning to unfurl their tender golden blossoms. We enjoyed their beauty for weeks. A huge white enamelware coffee pot became their springtime home on our back PORCH, my Grace & Space weekend newsletter’s namesake.


THE CLOSETS

If you’ve got a spare bedroom or two, you know how easily these spaces end up becoming a catchall for random stuff that doesn’t have a place to call home. Unused beds become a huge, convenient landing zone for odds and ends that we’re not quite sure what to do with. Corners begin to corral a bag here, a box there. Unfinished projects and unclaimed debris slowly but surely morph into a rather unattractive breeding ground for even more junk.

And the closets, oh my.

Over time, our two spare room closets became home to garment bags filled with a motley collection of unworn-in-years items. Puzzles and flannel sheets and unused pillows vied for space as they toppled off the shelves. Folding chairs, shoes, a card table, suitcases, rolls of wrapping paper, an assortment of backpacks, big ol’ wooden boxes filled with generations of pictures and photo albums packed every square inch making it next to impossible to find something without it being a major ordeal.

Oh, and a ginormous vacuum cleaner somehow horned her way into the unwieldy menagerie, too.

Quick, close the door. Enough already.

It’s amazing what you can do when you set your mind to it.

• Remove EVERYTHING. Now you can get a clearer look at the available space you get to utilize.

• Wipe down the cobwebs, vacuum the floor.

• Group like things together with others. All the clothes. All the games. All the pillows. All the photos. Etc.

• Ask yourself Do I use this? Do I love that? Mercilessly decide what stays and what goes.

• Load up awaiting bags for donation or trash and take them right out to the car.

And then comes the fun part. The challenge to reassemble the wide open space with the stuff you either love or need. Kind of like a great big Jenga game.

These days, the small closet contains out of season clothes hung neatly in garment bags. The flannel sheets are at home on the shelf. His spare shoes are lined up on the floor, sweatshirts hung on hooks on the back of the door.

The larger closet houses everything else. All our puzzles and games on the top shelf. I can’t even begin to count how many were tossed or donated. If they hadn’t been used since we moved here 9 years ago, out the door they went.

The folding table and chairs, suitcases (with backpacks now tucked inside), a narrow wicker container filled with rolls of wrapping paper, and the vintage wooden tool boxes filled with keepsakes now all fit together like a hand in a glove. The pillows reside in a trunk in the living room. And wonder of wonders, there’s room for not one, but two, yes two, vacuum cleaners (more on that below).

A place for everything and everything in its place is sheer delight.

I can find what I’m looking for. The donation bin and swap shop people smiled broadly when I dropped off my spare linens and those oddities that needed to find a new home. And now that the guest room doesn’t look like a storage unit, that pink heirloom quilt from my husband’s family sprawls out on a queen size bed, so happy to be seen and admired.

THE QUILTS

Speaking of quilts, it’s hard to enjoy your beautiful possessions if they’re cloistered under wraps in an old dresser drawer in the basement. You can’t take these things with you. They are meant to be out and about in our homes, treated with respect and kindness, and not tucked away for safekeeping (unless small children or messy teens are rampaging through your house. I’m sorry.)

Now that my favorite quilt holds center stage, every time I walk by the open door I enjoy her beauty. I can’t believe she’s been living wrapped up in an old sheet in a closed drawer for years. I owe her an apology.

And eight or so of her sisters are gently stacked on the window seat upstairs in the loft. I just love having them all nestled together, imagining the stories they whisper, these stitched together legacies crafted by loving hands over the last hundred or so years.

THE BATHROOM

Quickly approaching 40 years old, the bathroom could use a bit of a remodel. But that’s not in the cards right now. So I ditched the odd-looking blue ombre shower curtain (for heaven’s sake what was I thinking?) and the worn purple and green throw rugs purchased when we bought our last house when our girls were in high school (they’re now in their mid-40s).

A homespun blue ticking shower curtain, a plush 70” chenille bathmat and pretty disposable guest towels speak my language and create a bit of a beachy, spa-like feel, especially if a little bouquet of flowers blossom from an old aqua bottle or a scented candle is nestled in a little bowl of sea glass.

beachside . summer breeze . rain


THE FEATHERWEIGHT

We’d been hauling a huge behemoth vacuum up and down the stairs for years. It does a great job but most of the floors in this house are not carpeted and what we really needed was an electric broom. Long story short, my husband spent 15 minutes on Amazon and found this baby weighing all of 5.8 pounds. He insisted we buy it. We’ve had it for two years and it works like a dream on hardwood, vinyl, and low carpets. Yes, we still drag out the big guns from time to time but this little guy is the one we use on the regular. I can carry it with two fingers. Really. Meanwhile, both vacuums sit side by side in that newly organized guest room closet.

Works for us.

HOUSE RULES

House Rules: How to Decorate for Every Home, Style, and Budget
Myquillan (The Nester) Smith

CLICK HERE TO PAGE THROUGH A SAMPLE!

I highly recommend this ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐beautifully illustrated, hands-on, trouble-shooting guidebook ... it’s the kind of uniquely inspirational gift that’d bring a smile for Mother’s Day, bridal showers, housewarmings, birthdays. (HINT: Buy a bunch and make this your signature gift this year.)

Don’t miss this delightful, freewheeling conversation with two of my favorite home-keepers! I’ve been following Myquillyn (Emily P. Freeman’s sister) forever. This video is so worth your time … maybe good, informative company as you clean up the dishes tonight? I’ve found that’s my best podcast time.

So … because each of us live in some sort of dwelling place, we’ve got so much to talk about! Jump right on in with your experiences, questions, and homekeeping tips. I can’t wait! And be sure to click on that little heart below and hit the share button, too. Help me spread the word about our warm and welcoming little online community.

Feathering our nests together,
Linda

You may like:
Porch #127 ⛄ What’s Saving My Life

Porch #133 🧺 The Joy of Owning Less Stuff

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🔗 Paula . Andrew . Joanne . Maree