About Rachel

Hi, I'm Rachel! I’ve always loved rearranging furniture and gathering people together around good food. However, when I entered marriage I realized how much I had yet to learn! The work of homemaking takes time. It also takes affection. Since 2015, I've been cultivating the skills and love required for the job. 

A smiling woman with long brown hair wearing a brown braided headband and a green and white striped shirt, photographed outdoors with a blurred green tree background.

Making Hidden Art

Unfortunately, the art of homemaking has fallen on hard times. Though we have food networks and home decor channels, the everyday woman working in her home to make delicious meals and create a lovely home is not esteemed. The family can not compete with TV personalities. 

The hiddenness of homemaking is often what causes it to be belittled. 

Many years ago, Edith Schaeffer coined the phrase "hidden art of homemaking" in her book by the same title. She struck a chord that has only deepened to this day. We easily fall into the trap that unseen work is unvalued. This is not true.

Indeed, the faithful work done in secret is actually the most valuable of all.

A cozy, sunlit living room featuring a built-in sage green brick fireplace with extensive bookshelves and a desk. The room is furnished with a beige sofa, a wooden coffee table on a patterned rug, and natural light streaming in from large windows.

How We Build the Collective Memory

One homemaker I especially admire, Leila Lawler, speaks of the "collective memory" which many of us have lost. This memory includes the skills and craft that at one time was passed from one generation to another. Many of the things we must learn used to be common knowledge. 

And so Purposeful Simplicity is my effort to contribute to the Collective Memory. 

My mission is to help everyone cultivate purposeful simplicity to create a home of belonging and welcome. If we take serious delight in the work of homemaking, we will see the world changed for the better. 

A styled interior scene with a white ribbed ceramic vase holding a bouquet of pink, purple, yellow, and white flowers. Behind the vase are framed wall art prints and a small photo frame, with a book and another colorful book standing on a dark surface in the foreground.

Over the years, I've developed methods for managing my home and maintaining my sanity... for the most part.

Once upon a time, I blogged about the early days of my homemaking. I took a meander away from my own personal blog for a while, but now seems like the right time to return. Here you'll find a growing collection of blog posts and tools that have helped me live with purpose and simplicity. 

The first resource I'm sharing is an Advent & Christmas Planner that I developed over the last two years. I finally designed a copy of it this year. I'm hopeful it will help others thoughtfully plan for this special season in order to be freed up to be present. 

In Spring 2027, I'll release the Homeschool Planner I developed for my own homeschool. It contains planning sheets and record keeping pages. A whole school year in one notebook! Get on the email list to be the first to find out when that's available. 

 

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