Homemaking 101: Practice Makes Perfect
by Rachel Paxton - rachel@creativehomemaking.com

I recently paid a quarter for one of the most inspirational
homemaking books I've yet to come across. Published in 1952 and
written by Carolyn Coggins, it is called Successful Entertaining
at Home. At first glance I thought this book was just a manual
for teaching you how to host a successful dinner party, but at
closer examination I saw that it was much more than that--it's "a
complete party book and homemaker's manual all rolled into one."

I have yet to barely scratch the surface of this detailed, lively
account of the way many homemakers may have run their households
in the 1950's, but the whole concept of the book really took hold
of my thoughts and made some useful distinctions in my mind that
will forever guide me on my road to being a better, more creative
homemaker.

The first chapter of the book is called "It all Depends on Your
Point of View." I was intrigued by this concept, and read on to
find idea after idea that would appeal even to the modern-day
creative homemaker. The author suggests "...one advantage of
being 'seasoned' by money or travel is that you are no longer
afraid to do what you already knew was sensible." What a
concept! This idea could be applied to any area of homemaking.
Do you really need a lot of money to have a warm, inviting home?
The author, and I, too, would suggest that you don't. Of course
most of us may never have the luxury of having money and then
deciding we really didn't need it in the first place to improve
the quality of our lives, but you do have the choice whether or
not you will make the best of what you have and decide to turn
your house into a home. No one is born the with the talent of
being a creative homemaker. It's easy to be jealous of others
who have talents you may desire, but the fact is that those
people are just putting to use skills they have spent possibly
many years mastering. You can't let this intimidate you into
thinking you can't do it too (I'm still working on this one!).

Imagine what your life would be like if you spent more of your
time and energy focused on learning new and better ways to run
your household to save yourself time as well as money. And how
about making your home a place where your family enjoys spending
time together? These ideals do not require much money, but they
do require your time and attention. Be open to new ideas, read
books on topics that interest you, and share ideas with
like-minded people. You'll be surprised at your new zest for
life and the ideas that will start coming into your mind
effortlessly. Don't let precious time slip away from you. The
information is all around you if you just open yourself up to it.

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of
What's for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick
easy dinner ideas. For recipes, tips to organize your home, home
decorating, crafts, and frugal family fun, visit Creative
Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com and Suite 101 at
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/creative_homemaking. To
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