Homemaking

Homemaking

When I first moved here, I was a naive newly-married 24-year old girl. I was simply happy to be with DH. Though I was prepared emotionally and spiritually for the marriage, I don't think I had the necessary skills as a homemaker. Cooking was trial and error but soon, there were more successes than there were mishaps. In fact, I realized that I knew how to cook and I had a taste for good food. I just did not get the chance to really have a hand at cooking until then.
Keeping house - cleaning, decorating, etc - was another story. I hate cleaning, to this day! My threshold for clutter is almost as high as my threshold for pain. And if you've read my blog long enough to hear about my birth stories, you know that threshold is HIGH! Let me just say that I haven't had any epidurals or any pain meds during any of my 4 child births. 'Nuff said. Anyway, I try my best to keep a clean house - at least clean enough that our lives aren't in danger of disease or anything.
Decorating the house was another challenge. It still is in a way. I feel that I am only now starting to have a clearer sense of the style I want. When we were at the apartment, we really did not buy stuff. We only had the basics and most were hand-me-downs. The practical people that we are, we thought it would be wise to put off buying home furniture till we had bought a house of our own. So when we finally moved into this house, and we had to buy furniture, I was at a loss on what to buy. Our initial consideration in buying a sofa was comfort. We were going to put the sofa in the family room and we really wanted it to be as comfy as possible. I did not take into consideration the size and the style in terms of the room. We bought a couch set - with a loveseat and an ottoman. Oh man, we had a hard time arranging the room. Although the set fit the room, it just dominated the whole room. I was not happy. It took several years before we finally decided to get a new set. The old set is in the living room now but I'm still not happy with it. I really want to get rid of it because I feel it does not fit my house. But I cannot just throw it away, y'know? Right now, we have a brown leather sectional in the family room that I am just really happy with. It was a major purchase so I'm glad that we got it right this time. It defines the space without overpowering it. It has clean lines and looks a little modern but is really comfy.
My home is still a hodge podge of different stuff. But I am not too hard on myself anymore. I realize that as I evolve as a person, my taste in home decorating is evolving too. My house may never look as polished and put together as some people's. It may not even look neat and clean half the time. But you know? I'm ok with that now. It's who I am as a person. It is who we are as a family.