Art of Domesticity

Posted By: Ashley

"She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." - Proverbs 31:27.

Until now, learning the "art of domesticity" has sort of been on the back burner for me. But I know that if I can make my home bright, clean, organized and comfy then I’ll feel happier and more accomplished. I want to come home to a house that I'm proud of and I want others to enjoy it as well. So I’m on a mission…albeit, a slow one to be more "domestic." To ME...that means working on my cooking, decorating and cleaning skills for example and to enjoy managing the affairs of the household. I think it's very possible to be a strong, independent and professionally successful woman and still enjoy taking care of a home...I just need to find the balance.

In my kitchen

There are a few things I can cook well, but I’m not a chef, that’s for sure (I definitely should have paid more attention to my mom when she was in the kitchen). I'm working on being more adventurous when it comes to cooking. My guy does a lot of the cooking in the house but the other day I made a sort of shrimp gumbo from items in my cupboard and veggies from the garden...and it was actually good :) 

Finding my decorating style...

I’m also working on filling my house with beautiful and purposeful things. I love all the possibilities of decorating and creating spaces. I read tons of do-it-yourself and mommy blogs for crafty and creative tips. Two of my favorites are Young House Love and Domestic Fashionista. I’ve also fallen head-over-heels for Pinterest - It's given me so many awesome decorating ideas that I’m already starting to work on like building my own head board and creating silhouettes to frame and hang on my gallery wall.

my son's silhouette that I made. 

I'm also cultivating my green thumb. I’m tending my first-ever garden this summer and I grew everything from seed - tomatoes, okra, bell peppers, hot peppers and sweet potatoes. It amazes me and there’s nothing like eating fresh food from your own backyard.

Fresh Sweet Potato greens...ready to be chopped and cooked for  dinner.

First tomatoes from the garden.

So what about you, do you consider yourself domestic? Where do you go or what do you use for inspiration?