I'm working my way through Cheryl Mendelson's monstrous book "Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House," which is the most exhaustive book I have ever seen on the subject. (But it's also the first book I have read entirely devoted to homemaking, so I don't really know what all else is out there . . . ) As I've been pouring over the pages, I have never felt so inadequate at my own housekeeping skills, and yet so excited to embrace new ways of doing things that I had never thought of before.

My greatest delight is discovering how to make a house a home, and not just a place to sleep every night. While describing the way to perform certain tasks, the author infuses meaning into what may seem mundane, from place settings to sheet folding, and keeps them from being monotonous tasks. She gives simple chores a vibrance and life that seem lacking in my own thoughts about homemaking. Reading her words gave me fresh inspiration for how I run my own home, and I'm only halfway through the book!

Being a working wife, I don't have the time and energy to keep my home running as efficient as the author seems to do. I dream of having a home where my family can gather, eat meals together, sit by the fire, and snuggle under warm blankets. A place where memories are made as we play, study, and worship together. I'm excited to one day make this a reality (Lord willing!), and I'm delighted to have read such a resource that encourages women to enjoy the art of keeping house.