It must have been nearly eight years ago when I first “met” Sarah Mae, as in, I found her blog and found a kindred spirit. We finally met in real life last year at Allume and she is just as precious as I thought she’d be. And the message of this book is the heartbeat of my life—extending real and vulnerable hospitality to the people in your life. I’m so thankful for her and for the countless hours it takes to make a book like this a reality. Welcome Sarah Mae to the blog!
I’M JUST ABOUT AT Amy’s house.
I pull up and I barely get parked when my kids jump out to greet her kids. They all head straight for the trampoline. See you in a couple of hours, I think to myself, smiling.
I head in and Amy has coffee made and some sort of snack. My favorite is the homemade gingersnaps she made over the Christmas holiday. To die for. Today, she has banana bread. We chat in the kitchen as she sweeps up some crumbs that she’ll be sweeping up again before I leave. Five kids. There is always something to sweep up.
We get our coffee and our bread and settle ourselves on the off-white couch for some good conversation. Toys are on the floor, but that’s okay because the place feels happy. I notice a chocolate bar on the end table. Amy gives me a wink and says, “For later.”
I love it here.
Have you ever walked into someone’s home and felt like you couldn’t get comfortable? The whole place was just too clean, too put-together, too . . . untouchable?
There is something to be said for a space that invites rest, a “come-on-in-and-prop-your-feet-up” kind of beckoning. I like places like that. I like melting into a comfy couch that was made for long hours of coffee and conversation.
Cleaning isn’t just about scrubbing floors, making beds, and clearing out clutter—although those are good things. It’s also about creating an environment that encourages people to feel welcomed and loved. I believe one of the ways we can give love through our homes is to have a “put your feet up” atmosphere. Here are some ideas to do just that.
5 Ways to Create a Sense of “Welcome! Put Your Feet Up”
- 1. Don’t, under any circumstances, have plastic coverings on your furniture. Nothing says uncomfortable like plastic under your behind.
- Do consider having some throw blankets and soft decorative pillows around that whisper, “Go ahead and get comfy, friend; you won’t wear out your welcome.”
- Don’t make everything perfect. Let your home be lived in and let others experience that lived-in feel.
- Always have coffee or tea made (or ready to be made).
- Be a listener.
The goal of homemaking isn’t to have perfectly decorated, perfectly clean homes. The whole point is to have a place that is welcoming, and you know where that begins? In your own heart.
Your home is a reflection of who you are. If you are warm and welcoming, your home will be. The cleaning? That’s just the cherry on top, you know, so no one trips on the way to your couch.
Here’s to putting our feet up and staying awhile!
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You just read an excerpt from Sarah Mae’s new book, Having a Martha Home the Mary Way: 31 Days to a Clean Home and a Satisfied Soul, available now! I can’t wait for you to read this book!
Leave a comment below about the ONE thing you struggle most with in your home and you’ll be entered to win a copy of the book AND your choice of gifts from my favorites page.
For some FREE printables and to learn more about the book, head to MarthaHomeMaryWay.com.
I struggle the most with the dishes! They just never stop! Thankfully my husband helps a lot, and we have come to the conclusion that there will always be something dirty in the sink so we might as well invite people over anyway!
Love this excerpt! Can’t wait to get this book! I have three kids. And we homeschool. So I don’t feel like I am ever NOT cleaning! I’d love to feel free to rest and enjoy my home and my family but I’m always in “clean” mode.
For me, my biggest struggle is dog fur. I love my puppies and wouldn’t trade them for anything, but the amount of dog fur they create on a daily basis drives me crazy. I hate for other people to see it, so I rarely ever invite anyone over. I keep sticky roller brushes all over the house and in my car. It’s a never ending battle.
Yes! Except for me it’s my 4 cats. I’m constantly vacuuming!
I struggle the most with wanting everything to look perfect all of the time. I wish I wouldn’t panic when someone is coming over last minute and feel like we have to stop our lives to “pick up” before they get here! I want to chill out about that!
Laundry is endless with 5 people in the house – the cycle of dirty, clean, fold, press seems to come so quickly. But I do love it when it’s done (however briefly).
I definitely struggle the most with stopping! I’m a task person by nature and I have to make a conscious effort to stop and just be with my husband and kids. With 7 of us there’s always something I see to be done but I often tend to the urgent rather than the important!
My biggest struggle is clutter. We live in just around 500 square feet with 2 20-something daughters and “stuff” is everywhere!
This book sounds great! For me, I struggle with staying on top of clutter.
I struggle with having snacks at the ready. I grocery shop all the time, but when someone stops in, I never have anything to serve them.
I struggle with actual cleaning! I keep things tidy, but I hate to mop, vacuum etc!
I struggle with simply relaxing while people are here at my house……I am a gal who likes to nestle down in the sofa with a drink and a friend and could sit there for hours engaged in relationship…but, unfortunately, while hosting people or parties…someone has to keep their antennas up for who needs what? and what goes where? and what should be done to make this time roll smoothly?
It just seems when I am in my “cruise director” mode, I just can’t relax and be in my “Mary – relational” mode….HELP!
Your comment about being a “cruise director” hit me so deeply. Sometimes I think it is a cover up for some deep seated inadequacies that I have about being cl people. I want to so badly, but I don’t know how:(
I struggle most with clean-up after meals…I strive to make wholesome meals for hearty appetites: read 3 kids ages 23,21 &16! We have ballet 15+hours each week and I am a bit frayed at the edges…this book sounds delightful! thanks 🙂 A blessed Easter season everyone!xo
You know, my kitchen (sink, in particular) came right to mind when you asked but then my eyes focused on my counter corner (tucked in at an angle and my dreaded hotspot). It’s overflowing with mail, newspapers, kids’ school papers, knick knacks and such. I gather it together on a pretty tray so that I can tuck it away (yes, ironically in my own home office where it all belongs anyway LOL) when I need the counter space. Just looking at it causes high levels of stress. It’s awful!!!
Like others, clutter is my enemy, especially on the kitchen island. The house is never all clean at the same time and we need to eliminate a bunch of storage things that are not useful. But I’ve learned to smile and let people in anyway. The smell of good food cooking trumps clutter!
The bathrooms are my biggest struggle. They need cleaning every day (especially hair on the floor EEEK!), but they’re the area I dislike cleaning the most 🙁
This is such a toss-up! It depends on the day, but it could be dishes or laundry. Both seem never-ending! Thanks so much for the reminder and encouragement of what truly matters!
We have 6 children ages 7-17 and they all play sports. Our front foyer is filled to the brim with baseball bats and balls and cleats and soccer balls and cleats and footballs and cleats…did I say cleats yet?!? When I see it through other peoples eyes I’m always afraid they will think we are slobs. I try to remind myself to be thankful that my children are all healthy enough to participate in sports, but did I mention the cleats…?
Thank you for sharing!
My struggle changes from day to day. Some days it is bathrooms, other days, laundry, or dishes.
Definitely the clutter which also then affects the cleaning. It’s a never-ending battle to keep up with it all. I have the vision for how it should look, but the process to get there is overwhelming me right now. I want the “Welcome” mat to really mean welcome!
I struggle with always wanting and waiting for a clean home but being a PROCRASTINATOR who will find ANYTHING to do BUT clean! 3 kids and a dog keep me trying!
I struggle with keeping my kitchen floor clean and also with relaxing when I see so much to do.
Laundry… it is endless. The piles never get smaller. Dirty, clean, folded sitting on the back of the couch, stuffed in drawers. the bag full of single socks….. It is a struggle.
I love being a homemaker, 35 years and counting! Having 8 grandkids, the lived in look is easy to do. I recently remarried, (6 years after my first husband passing), and my biggest struggled has been melding my decorating style with my new husband’s style. Most of the bachelor look is gone, ( he had never been married before), but some elements feel stark and stuffy with my cottagey-vintage-shabby chic style. Slowly winnimg him over.
i always want it to be too clean; i’m truly a martha…but my heart wants to be a mary…i love my Jesus so <3 i don't THINK my home ever comes across as too clean, i just always fret about it BEING clean 😉 thanks for the opportunity!
Cleaning out the fridge! It combines my two least favorite things – dishes and garbage. 🙁 I have a 1 year old and it is still a struggle to find balance between time with her (and her daddy) and time needed to keep our home for getting out of hand. Best advice I’ve gotten: Remember it’s her house too. I definitely continue to struggle with the battle to prioritize people over tasks.
Thanks for the giveaway, Edie! I love your simple and practical posts on hosputality and homemaking.
I have two things: mail and toy clutter. I hate looking at toys, particularly the sets that contain a thousand little pieces that inevitably find themselves in every room of the house instead of the box they came in. The mail flow just never stops. It’s almost an entire job to manage the flow of “things” in and through the home!
I have a hard time FINISHING chores! I might get MOST of the laundry put away but then think of something fun or creative I”d rather be doing and instantly drop the mundane task to head for my craft shelf or check email. It’s a discouraging habit.
Beautiful post! I love hospitality books (and posts) because I love hosting people but have a hard time actually doing it for some reason, so I need all the encouragement I can get. My struggle keeping the dishes under control might have something to do with it, lol!
I feel like I’m pretty good at maintaining my home except for one area, dusting. I have beautiful plantations shutters on every single window (I have a lot of windows) and they are not fun to dust. Ugh, definitely my least favorite chore!
I am the messiest cook I know! I never quite learned that trick of “cleaning while you go” so the kitchen is quite a mess when I’m finished cooking. Thanks for entering me in the drawing!
Not having my house ‘done’. We bought a repo house a long time ago. Stuff still not done. Trying to remember it’s about ‘them’. Not ‘it’.
I struggle with wanting things to be perfect! Thanks for this giveaway!
My biggest struggle isn’t with the acts of homemaking. I have been blessed to do that for the last 24 years and love it. My biggest struggle is definitely the feeling of panic before someone comes over. As a dyed in the wool introvert I tend to panic first. Upon reflection those unexpected visits are always enjoyable…but nonetheless my initial reaction is unwavering. Looking forward to reading more!
I struggle with it all! I also have this crazy problem that I think it all needs to be perfect…. It’s hard for me to rest unless it is. It’s not working that well for me, as I have 4 kids at home that I homeschool. This book is exactly what I need! Thanks for sharing Edie.
I struggle most with detail cleaning…. I also struggle with hospitality ~ I’m just not very good at it 🙁
Getting the laundry put away properly and “organizing” all the kids toys with 3 (4 and under). Thanks for the giveaway!
I struggle with the kitchen. It seems to be the Catch-All location for STUFF!
I struggle with trying to make everything so perfect that I don’t enjoy the people. I need to learn to let it go and enjoy the moment!
One thing, dust! Oh, and the other ‘one thing’ – paper!
I struggle with piles of papers and laundry! This sounds like a wonderful book – thanks for introducing it to me. And also for the chance to win!
I struggle with mopping floors…it just seems like so much to pull everything out and mop, let dry, etc. I need to find a quicker way to do it!
My struggle is being a homemaker while working out of the home. I tell my husband that I am a stay at home mom who works outside of the home, and I love it most of the time, BUT sometimes I get so tired and burned out and feel like a failure. The juggling of everything can be HARD.
My biggest struggle is clutter! I have the hardest time throwing things away… Really trying to tackle the problem. 🙂
Dusting! Living in a log home with cathedral ceilings…Its so daunting to get out the extension ladder and dust all the log walls. Alas, the joys of living on a dirt road…the dust never ends.
We also live in a log house on a dirt road with a dirt driveway and not even a concrete sidewalk. Add 2 preschoolers and 3 dogs. I know what you mean by dirt and dust! It is a vicious cycle.
I struggle most with not desiring everything to be perfect for people to come over. I know I feel most welcomed when I enter spaces that are clean- but not perfectly picked up and decorated. So why don’t I hold myself to that same standard?
I’m always afraid my home isn’t good enough, decorated the right way. I feel like this book is just what I need! Adding it t my list!!
My biggest struggle is the bathroom. I hate cleaning the toilet and shower, but it makes me happy when it is clean. So why don’t I just do it already!!
My main struggles are dog fur and dishes. We cook every single meal and both work full time, so cleaning up and keeping the kitchen looking decent during the week is a chore! And then…the dog fur. It doesn’t matter how often I sweep, that fur is everywhere!! #thestruggleisreal
I hate to dust, sweeping/vacuuming hurts my back, there are always dishes needing doing since our sons moved back home – but I still have people over. As my mom used to say, “If you’re here to visit, come on in. If you’re here to inspect the house – make an appointment!”
We live in a small space so clutter is my biggest struggle. I love to have company but always feel like I can’t do so as often as I wish.
I love this post you are so right!!nothing like getting a chance to sit and enjoy coffee and good comversation Ina cozy lived in home with a friend!!
Paper clutter is something I have a hard time dealing with. I have three kids, a ton of daily mail and no real desk or office space, unless you count the closet that was turned into a miniature closet.
I would really love this book. I homeschool 3 kids ages 7 and under plus have a 6 month old in a 900 square foot home and husband in full time ministry. We don’t make much money and with our tight quarters, I always feel deficient in offering hospitality to others…such as in thinking that is for people who have nicer things, a nicer home, more money, etc, which is FALSE! So my biggest struggle is simply needing to focus more on the guest and less on me.
I have a hard time with keeping the kitchen and bathrooms clean.
Bathrooms and clutter. Ugh.
I struggle most with finding time to put away laundry and mop floors!!
Mopping and dusting .. Oh and wiping down the mats after supper. I have my children helping but after a day of homeschool I sometimes just forget to chase up forgotten chores.
Without a doubt LAUNDRY!! It is NEVER caught up.
Right now I struggle most with the kiddo’s artwork and papers. My 4.5 year old loves to keep everything…and so it takes over. When I throw something away, she always seems to remember that one obscure drawing!
I struggle with keeping the bathroom clean- a little boy and girl keep it hard to clean, if you know what i mean!
There are many areas of homemaking that I struggle with but laundry is the worst. Your book seems like something I need to make time to read
I know that everything should have a home, in order to prevent clutter. I struggle with determining the proper home for my things! I am a visual person, so I am happier if everything I need is handy and visible, which leads to constant clutter and so I am not comfortable having people drop by. This book looks like it would be very helpful in adjusting my attitude:)
Clutter. Clutter. Clutter. It makes me crazy but I live with it every.day. I would give ANYTHING to have my kitchen counters cleared off for more than one day (BTW that’s the first room everyone sees when they enter my house). Drives me crazy because I try to fix it (organizers, bowls, baskets, yelling 😉 and it never goes away!!! My biggest stressor and makes me want people to “go away” when they pop in unexpectedly (sad, isn’t that)?!?!!!
As far as cleaning goes, consistent I am not. Didn’t I just vacuum last week! Oh, I probably should be vacuuming each week;) I have great motivation when I invite people over, but why don’t I invite more often, I’m not really sure. This looks like a great book!
ONE thing?! It is definitely keeping up with the cleaning. I need more hours in the day and less commitments.
The floors! I have a crawling baby n she always finds something to put in her mouth!
Hey Edie! We home school so I struggle with all the paper! It’s every where! Thinking I need this book 😉
I have a 4 year old little boy, and the hardest part for me is all of the toys and little trinkets that accumulate! When I get overwhelmed, I try to remind myself that this is just the season I am in. One day I will miss seeing these things throughout my home! Plastic storage bins are my fave! 🙂
I load the dishwasher, and ten minutes later there are dirty dishes in the sink again! (Or on the counter).
I love to entertain and have people in our home. This past year dealing with a personal illness, I now find myself in a mess of clutter and little energy to declutter or clean. The worst part is that I don’t want to invite anyone over anymore and I cringe when the doorbell rings, that they may want to come inside! I would love the opportunity to have this book, I think it is just what I need to help me get motivated again….
I am a widow, my husband was KIA about 4 1.2 years ago. I am raising 2 boys and, I think, I struggle with control over the mess. If I think deeper, it is probably because of the loss of control that took over everything, from the house to future, when he died. Realistically, I know I’m not in control God is, but sometimes that is hard to actually live out…so if “control” can be something to struggle with then control of the mess…and letting go! 😉 Although, I’d like it if my youngest would actually lift the toilet seat when he pees…haha
Paper clutter! Swimming in sea of papers! School, work, bills etc!
Clean toilets and sinks
I struggle with the everyday mess–keeping it all “picked up.”
I struggle with the “sitting down and enjoying my people” part. I always feel like there’s soooo much to do.