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CTB&Me is now four years old! My next post will be in the fifth year of this blog. When I started blogging (at Stephanie's request), I was still actively homeschooling dividing my time between home, a couple classes at the community college, and nightly fencing lessons... I called it "homeschooling while waiting". Lots of reading was accomplished back then. :)
I had no idea that day I wrote out the first post (knowing only three people who would be reading it) that I would be so blessed with new friends. Many of you have become soul sisters along the way. Quite a few of you have blessed me by sending a gift in the mail just when I needed it as well as ordering through my Amazon widget (which allows me to make fond purchases).
As I pondered what I'd like to put in the give-away package, I decided the books The Gentle Art of Domesticity and Tea With Patsy Clairmont would reflect what this blog is all about. Both are favorite books which I think you would like, too.
I also have a thin journal and a package of cute coasters purchased from an Amish store. I wouldn't be surprised to find a few packets of tea thrown in before sending. :)
All you have to do is leave any comment but if you would like, write what the word "Domesticity" means to you. I'll be back late on Saturday to draw a name!
51 comments:
Domesticity to me means being a home body. Not that a person has to stay at home all the time, but that it holds their heart. Also I think for me it is Home Keeping. Doing the daily work of caring for my family and our home, making it a comfortable place for family and company, always ready to brew up a pot of coffee or tea or both!
Congratulations on your blog anniversary. I am delighted to have found your blog and to feel a kinship with you!
Wow! Happy "blogiversary".
I absolutely love your blog and am a daily reader.
My definition of domesticity is this: being so connected to your home and everything in it that you would rather be home and puttering about doing "homey things" than be at the mall! Ick!
I am hoping to come home full time soon, miss my daily connection and meal planning when I used to be home full time...it's like I was never meant to be apart from it;)
Since happening upon your blog by way of Down to Earth I have been a daily reader. I so love your posts, especially Sunday Afternoon Tea. Domesticity to me means: Actively practicing the "art" of home. Thanks Brenda for your lovely blog.
Domesticity is a somewhat lost art and one that I must work on. It doesn't mean doing everything perfectly. It does mean having a heart to create a refuge or a home in this world that we're just traveling through. It doesn't mean just one home. Some of us have had many. It means creating a home where one is that welcomes the family immediately and that makes friends and guests feel at home, too. I just read Dot's (Pickett's Place) and she told how her boys were checking in on her every afternoon knowing that they wouldn't be able to soon. One day she drew out all the stops and cooked for them and didn't one of those strapping sons of her nearly keel over with joy that his "mama cooked." I love that story! That's domesticity to me. Perhaps I have hospitality and domesticity linked, but then they are. Totally.
Lovely giveaway, Brenda! Congrats on your blogiversary. I think I just let one slip by me...
Happy Blog Birthday!!! Your blog was one of the very first ones I found three years ago (from Jewel's blog, it being the first blog I really read regularly. Thank you for the time you take to post!!!
Domesticity: the joy of reveling in all things to do with "home": cooking, sewing, knitting, serving a beautiful meal, gardening, canning, "putting up", ironing, baking bread, taking tea....
(and of course it involves cleaning UGH) :)`
Congratulations on your 5th blog anniversary! I love reading your posts and agree with you on so many issues, especially on domesticity. What a wonderful life of being devoted to making a home for husband and children with God at the Head. Thank you for Coffee tea books & me.
To me, domesticity is finding joy in creating a comfortable, cozy nest for my family. It is finding joy in life's simple pleasures and creating happy memories together with my family. Domesticity is freedom. :)
Happy Blogiversary, Brenda! I don't comment often, but I sure do enjoy reading your ponderings.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Domesticity is "home making". Taking care of family and home, creating a place of peace and love, whether on a substantial income, or on a meager social security income. Decorating, cooking, cleaning, sewing, living frugally, filling the home with love and laughter, and friends and family, it's all a part of "home making" and the important job of "home maker."
Blessings Brenda,
Marge
Brenda,
what a wonderful giveaway! And Happy 4th anniversary to your blog!
Domesticity to me means having a heart for your home to make it the best possible place to be.
I love reading your blog - it's very inspiring to me.
Hugs,
Irina from CT
Congratulations on your blog, Brenda, and its anniversary. How many inspiring, comforting, enlightening posts you have written.
To me, domesticity is the love of ones home and the life lived there. I always have loved my home and had real joy in making it a warm and welcoming place for family and friends. Since Paul died, nearly three years ago, some part of the joy in domesticity is a little missing. He is not there to enjoy my efforts. But my son still lives here, and my daughters and their husbands and children visit. I am involved in the life around me. I always loved the idea of "the happy family" and I think Paul and I created that and the ambiance that supports it during the 36 years we were making a home together. And I see the same spirit in my daughters and that gives me a lot of joy.
I hope you have many many more years of ministering to the little community you have created here, of people who look for your blog post every day! God bless you!
It was a wonderful day when I found your site through Copperswife (I wonder how she is) quite a while back and have enjoyed reading your ponderings and gleaning much along the way. Your blog is a daily read so keep those thoughts coming! Congratulations on your anniversary and may there be many more years!!
Domesticity to me is working in my home with contentment and joy! Being
creative, inventive & practical in order to bless my family. To always be learning new skills that will make "someone happy" including me! ;)
I started reading your blog about 18 months ago. I had no idea at the time how much your words would be an encouragement. I knew that we had like minds. In fact, many of the things that you have displayed in your home are the same things that I have. But, you have encouraged me in a very different way that I had at first envisioned.
Your words drew me back to where we had started our married life 38 years ago. We had very limited funds, but wanted to live a life that brought joy to the Lord and to ourselves. I never realized how far we had moved away from the simplicity of our early years until I started reading your words. I found myself longing for things to be less complicated. My husband I and both felt that we needed to live on much less that we had grown accustomed to.
Then, suddenly we learned that my husband's very good job will end January 1st as a result of a company merger. Too much middle and upper management, which means that he will be shown the exit door.
Now, we are looking at a simpler, downsized future with great anticipation of how God will bring glory to Himself. A few years ago, I would have been very unhappy about such an unexpected change and all that it would mean.
However, I have heard your words. My heart is prepared. Together, my husband and I know that we can face the future with great joy. This isn't a surprise to God. He has a perfect plan in all of the details.
I am looking forward to a life that is quieter. There will be more time to complete the little projects that make a house a home. I guess that my definition of "Domesticity" would be to make a home a place of beauty that is filled with love no matter the circumstances or means.
Happy Anniversary & thank you for letting God use your struggles and challenges to be an encouragement and example to others.
Blessings,
Pam M.
Brenda,
Just to let you know I absolutely love your blog and have read it with interest toward living simple and with a heart toward making the family content and happy. That is what I think Domesticity is. To enjoy the family and all that it is meant to be according to the scriptures. I have learned so much from your writings and wish you many more days of sharing and joy. Blessings to you and your family, Sue Husted
What a lovely giveaway!! (everything in it is exacly what I LOVE).
~ Thank you!
Domesticity means to me: home life, or... devotion to or familiarity with home life. ~ or just simply what Mrs. Rabe said. :) :)(Yes...I'm more for what she said).
Thank you soo much for the years of blogging you've done. You've blessed me so much, along with so many others!!!
Happy Blog-B-day!!
Love in Christ,
Acacia
Happy Blogavesary! Domesticity means to me that home, no matter where you are, is where your heart resides. I work out in a busy hospital environment, but every day, my heart is at home. Those rare and wonderful days that I do get to spend at home - Oh, my heart just sings. I spend much of my time tidying and cozying my nest. I cook, sew or just plain lounge and read. Bliss! Much love - Raquel XO
Brenda,'
For me domesticity is creating a warm, safe, nurturing environment for my family. I want them to remember warm, healthy, filling meals, special desserts, a never empty coffee pot, cozy chairs, lots of books, warm fires, snuggling under blankets. A"HOME" that they always want to come home to at the end of the day.
Thank you for your time and your blog. It is a special place I like to go.
Teresa in Ohio
Congratulations on your blogiversary! I'm a daily reader that loves the peeks into your simpler life - through your words and your pictures.
Domesticity to me means devotion to home and all that is in it, whether that be children, food, or the decor around it all. I love to beautify my little nest for those in it and thrift stores are my favorite places to find treasures, too.
Thanks for the give-away and blessings to you in your next blogging year!
Happy blog anniversary! To me domesticity is the art of making a house a home. Thank you for including me in your generous drawing.
Happy Blogaversary! I'm very happy you started blogging as I love your blog. It's one of my favorites! Don't enter me because I already have that book - just wanted to say thank you for a lovely blog!
Manuela
Congratulations on taking the time to share what's on your heart, for us, these past years. I enjoy reading them and seeing how you reflect that in your home. We know that home is so important, we want to pass those memories on to our own children and grandchildren as well. Keep up the good work.
Brenda,
Happy blog anniversary! Thanks for all the wisdom and encouragement you post. I greatly appreciate it. :)
Domesticity to me means doing your best where you are, with what you have for those you love & live with - including yourself.
Lori
Thank you for hosting this giveaway. Your blog is a calm voice in a not always calm world, really. I know I can always come here and get encouragement and uplifting words.
Domesticity to me is putting the home first. I am such a homebody and love making my family comfortable, doing what needs to be done to accomplish that.
Happy 5th yr blogging.
Domesticity - is making a house a home, add personal touches to make your home cozy for the family, cooking to feed everyone, and sewing to meet their needs.
linda
Domesticity - being the nurturer of my home - of my children - of my husband. And doing it with a humble, gentle, and very, very grateful heart. I LOVE your blog, I hardly ever comment - but I read every day. Sunshine
Dear Brenda,
Congratulations! I am new to your blog and have already found much encouragement. To me, Domesticity means to be a "Keeper at Home". It means to have the love and care of family to be central in everything that you do. While we do not all have the same abilities in areas of sewing, crafts, cooking, etc., I think that we can give our best in caring for our family and use the gifts that God has given us to enrich the lives of those in our care. Making a home a place of beauty and love is the essence of domesticity to me.
Domesticity to me means the art of creating lovely things for the family that lives in my home. Congrats on your 5th year--may blessings abound! Sherri
Brenda:
Your blog continues to bless me daily!Happy Anniversary!May God continue to bless this wonderful place.:)To me domesticity is turning a house into a home and a home into a haven.It takes many forms but the outcome is always the same.:)Bless you dear Brenda~Sharon Goemaere
Domesticity..Hmm. I guess for me it means the art of taking care of your family's needs in very practical ways, through acts of love. It is more than just throwing a meal together, or picking up the dirty laundry. To means it is a way of serving your family as shown by Jesus example. Happy Birthday by the way. So glad you have blessed us all with your insights and wisdom over the years. You have inspired me to become more thoughtful in my approach to being a housewife and mother. God bless as you look forward to the future.
Domesticity is keeping the home a warm and welcoming place. Domesticity is a quiet heart in the middle of activity (and even chaos).
Domesticity is an open door to all who need a haven and a closed door to all that works against the comfort of those who call a house "home".
Domesticity is the joyful use of one's talents and energy and readiness to learn new skills to keep the home functioning efficiently.
Domesticity means being a keeper at home. It makes home a joy to keep - not perfect - but cozy and inviting to family, friends and those God brings into your life. We want to minister, and I think domesticity makes that possible.
Happy Anniversary!
Domesticity= Warm,cuddly, cozy, nurturing, welcoming. It's the way we treat our homes, the way a house becomes a home. Jane Austen said it best "there's no place like home for real comfort"
I love your blog! It is always so encouraging to read it!
Thank you for what you write!
Congratulations on your anniversary. I'm so thankful that I found your blog. It often offers just the comfort (or advice) that I need. Thank you.
Domesticity... When I see that word, I think of my Grandmother. She's 85, and still does it all. She cans or freezes most of the food she and my bachelor Uncle eat for the winter. She bakes and cleans. She is a loving mother and when my Grandpa was living - was a loving wife. She is a Godly woman and that shines through every corner of her home. Her house isn't fancy, but she makes it a HOME. That's what domesticity means to me.
Happy Blog-iversary!!
Domesticity to me means keeping the home fires burning and taking pride in my family...Making sure their needs are met and that we are happy together.
Thank you for the generous giveaway.
Holly from Kentucky
hollyanna66@gmail.com
Domesticity is the invisible, yet tangible and observable thread that ties me to all the women that have gone before me, especially those of my lineage.
It is practicing the every day in a sacred manner that imprints the love of God on my family in all I do.
It is fixing whatever I have at the time with a joyful spirit, knowing that God has provided for us.
It is comfort in the familiar rhythm of daily duties and a special excitement in extending hospitality to all who enter into our home.
Domesticity is a state of heart.
It creates sanctuary for the spirit in a frenzied world.
Finally, it the thoughtful things that are remembered well beyond the moment and are etched into the memory to comfort and sustain us until we reach that glad shore.
Happy Anniversary! I so enjoy visiting your blog....
Take extra good care,
Jen
Domesticity to me means being the creator of the atmosphere of home--no matter where the family is,making the best of it and making it feel like home whether it be a temporary apartment, a far from perfect starter home, or wherever. My role as the domestician is to fill the house with gentle words and sweet and savory smells and a welcoming spirit to make the family and all who visit welcome.
Congratulations on your blogaversary! Your words bless many each post.
Domesticity--God's gift of being a homemaker!
Domesticy to me means knowing HOW to do rather than uhmmm doing it. I think that's what I think it means to me... well okay maybe not.
Happy Anniversay!
Happy Celebrations on this special event. Isn't blogging a wonderful way to share with and meet so many kindred hearts.
Your blog has such a gentleness about it....the way you share is so gracious!
Your giveaway looks wonderful. My own thoughts about domesticity comes from a verse in the Psalms.
"And your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house..."
In the very heart... the centre...
Happy day and may your blog bless more and more with each passing post!
Domesticity to me is the art of making people (not just family) feel relaxed and welcome in my home. My father-in-law called our house the Lazy A (due to last name initial) because he could come here and totally relax. I loved that compliment.
Nicole in MD
Happy Birthday, Coffee, Tea, Books, and Me! May you have many more years!
Domesticity means, to me, loving home. We love home in different ways, so there can not be only one definition. Rather, it is what makes each of unique. It is our energy that fills the house; it is the traditions; it is the way we place our furniture; it is the nurturing of our souls.
There is no shame in being domestic, btw. Only in refusing to acknowledge it is a part of each of us.
Domesticity--a desire to make my house a home, a place of love and comfort. It's a word that embraces so many things and leaves so much room for personal creativity. Yet it also is a word that challenges me because it uses skills and disciplines that I am not naturally gifted with.
Thanks for your blog. So many useful ideas and so much encouragement.
Angela Wilson
Hello Brenda~ I am new to all this awards and proper ettique with it - but I think I am suppose to let you know that there is a little something special for you over at my blog! You are sunshine in my life and I just wanted to let you know!
Lisa :O)
I'm learning so much about domesticity now that I am a full-time stay at home mom...I love to cook and take care of my family but sometimes I don't get everything done the way that I want to so I've learned that the key to domesticity is flexibility!
Rachel C.
Domesticity brings to me the picture of "The Keeper of Souls".
Been a lurker for a very long time. I rarely ever comment on anyone's blog but I so love yours.
Nell
Domesticity is making my home a place of comfort and love...a place that reflects, in some small way, His place of rest.
Thank you for all of your wisdom. I enjoy your blog. Domesticity is the art of making a home. It is one of the joys of my life to be able to be domestic and create a loving, beautiful home for my children.
Blessings on your blog's anniversary.
Joy
Brenda thank you so much for sharing your lovely home and honest thoughts with us through the years. Yours is always one of the first blogs I read and you are often in my prayers.
Domesticity to me means make any place I am more homey, welcoming and warm. I recently have had to go back to work full time at the same time our office moved. I now have a cubicle to work in so I added a small lamp, a friend's ceramic pieces, a print and a small quilt on the wall. Also a throw in a basket for when the A/C is too cold. Everyone always says how "homey" my space is. I am struggling with spending so much time away from my home so I want my office space to be as pleasant as possible. Thanks for such a lovely giveaway.
Kim
Domesticity means creating our own haven - a place in which we are really at home. Good food, comfortable places to sit and read good books, decent movies to watch and a place to interact with family. A home that reflects our faith in Jesus.
I have enjoyed your blog for a long time. I wish I had been reading it from the beginning. I love to read your blog just before going to bed. You allow me to have beautiful thoughts just before retiring and I love it! :)
Domesticity means taking care of my family and ENJOYING it. I do love it and am getting more domestic the older I get, which is a wonderful thing. I'm a nester at heart and that's what it means to me.
Thank you for entering me into your give-away, but most of all, thank you for having such a wonderful blog where I always learns something, am challenged in my walk with the Lord, and encouraged.
God bless you - Julie
A very, very belated Happy Anniversary on your blog, Brenda. It is enjoyed by many.
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