A Happy Heart Makes a Happy Home

On a recent trip to Sam's Club with sweet hubby, my eyes gravitated towards this charming chalkboard/message center.  It was one of those moments when I just knew this thing belonged in my home and before it made it into the shopping buggy, I knew which wall it would add beauty to.

Sweet hubby is a dedicated provider for our family and works a strenuous job. Home decorating is pretty close to the bottom of his to do list so once this little treasure made it home, I knew it would take some patience and no nagging from me until it got done.  Especially when the first attempt to hang it onto the wall would result in a trip to Lowe's for different hardware!

Last Saturday, I had to work and guess what I found when I came home?  The message center was up! Not only put up, but with a special touch only sweet hubby could do - a cute drawing of 'me' and 'happy homemaker' written underneath.  Apparently the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree because once our teenage son saw it (and of course snickered), he added to the photo...a picture of 'dad' and changed the word to 'happy homemakers'!!

For many years I was blessed to stay at home with our young children. But as the children grew older, I returned to the work force.  Although 'work' was added outside the home, my heart as 'homemaker' or one who works to create a home, didn't change. Work has to be done in the home, but the 'making of a home' is where our attitude comes into play. Making a home encompasses more than cooking and cleaning.  It is a place where love and life pour forth. 

Homemaking resources are abundant and easily found.  Home magazines, Pinterest, Cooking and organizing websites are wonderful tools to help us get things done.  But more than simply doing chores is needed. There is the motivation to create an atmosphere of home that must begin in the heart.  I love resources that encourage my purpose and whet my appetite to make home a beautiful place that blesses. Listen to how these quotes cultivate the desire to make home a better place. 

 "We yearn for a place of belonging and becoming. A lifegiving haven of warmth, rest, and joy that will bless everyone who enters it. A welcoming respite in an isolated culture. We long for a Lifegiving Home." The Life Giving Home

"Home is the place where the whispers of God’s love are heard regularly, the touch of His hands is given intentionally throughout the day, the words of His encouragement and affirmation pointed to lay the foundation of loving relationships where the mother conducts the beauty of this life within its walls. I believe that mothers are those who shape generations, build a godly legacies and inspire their children's hearts, souls and minds so that they will go to go back into the world to live the reality  of Christ in all areas of life. Coming alongside moms to encourage them has been a commitment of my ministry.  I hope you will find inspiration to cultivate such a life within the pages of this blog. I welcome you here!  Sally Clarkson

These are the resources that motivate me to make, keep and pour into my home. This is what enables me to be a 'Happy Homemaker'!

Not every house is a home, but yours can be. Size and ownership don’t matter. What does matter is the presence of God in your heart and in the heart of your home.  

Proverbs 14:1 "The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish pulls it down with her hands."