A Bit of Whimsy: Cozy Reading Habits and Slow Hobbies for a More Contented Home

A Bit of Whimsy: Cozy Reading Habits and Slow Hobbies for a More Contented Home

I’m thrilled that you’ve found my little corner of the internet! This home on the web is where I share about my love of homemaking. And A Bit of Whimsy is where cozy reading habits, slow hobbies at home and a good book (or several) all live.

When I first started writing about homemaking, I was a single woman who lived in various non-traditional households both solo and shared with roommates, housemates, even flatmates. Now, I live in a multi-generational household, taking care of my elderly mother. Most recently, I’ve been blessed to have met a man who will become my husband very soon and we are embarking on a new chapter of a non-traditional household of a different kind!

Throughout each phase and living situation, I’ve learned a common theme: homemaking is for any woman with a heart of making a home for herself and the ones she loves. 

And for the woman who finds herself living in a non-traditional household, such as solo, shared with roommates or in a multi-generational setting and caring for aging parents, being a homemaker is just as valid and worthy as those women who are blessed with a husband and children to raise. It just looks a little different!

I’ve broken homemaking down into six separate categories and this introduction series will give you an idea of what to expect to read and learn in each one. I’ve also linked the core post for each category so you can easily read about the philosophy behind each from a deeper perspective.

Each category represents a piece of what I believe goes into making a home truly yours. The names themselves are ones I created because they felt like me and how I like to approach each area. Still, a name only tells you so much. I believe it's worth defining terms plainly so there's no guessing at what each title means here.

So, let’s get into A Bit of Whimsy! It might not mean quite what you’d expect.

What Cozy Reading Habits and Slow Hobbies Look Like Here

We all need some whimsy in our lives these days, don’t you think? A little *healthy* escape from reality. A way to daydream and solve problems in a low pressure, non-performative way.

Initially, the theme of this category was born out of a rekindling of the joy of reading. I’ve loved books for as long as I can remember. I’ve loved buying them, collecting them, reading them, organizing them, keeping them, placing them on shelves and stacking them in piles. Cozy reading could also look like:

• thinking about them
• dreaming of books you’d like to write 
• studying literature
• starting a personal curriculum
• keeping a reading journal
• being endlessly curious

Recently, the theme of A Bit of Whimsy has broadened to include other slow, non-digital hobbies. Also called “analog” hobbies, these are hobbies that intentionally reduce consumption of screen-centric activities. Perhaps you’ve been seeing this trend? People are choosing to expand their creative comfort zones by learning needlework, water color, junk journaling, the list is as endless as your own interests! 

Lowering our digital loads and returning to slower, quieter leisure pursuits called me like a siren when I first came across it. It seems as though the pendulum has swung from this frenzied state of virtual everything back towards simpler, gentle, more wholesome activities to spend our down time. 

It’s wonderful because it provides a framework to learn new skills without the pressure of productivity. Of learning areas of interest simply because it’s interesting to you. Of exploring new creative mediums that you’d normally think of as silly because it wasn’t for public display.

What to Expect in A Bit of Whimsy

In this category you will find all of those intimately individualized hobbies, activities, interests that make you, well, you! I love encouraging others to be exactly who they are and nurture their unique interests and giftings. I also love bringing those things into my home life in a meaningful way. I believe that adding a bit of whimsy to our home life gives a well-rounded fullness to our lives in general. With that said, this category will be about:

1. Books.  Books I’m currently reading, books I’ve recently read, and the books I’m “dipping” into for a season or two. I love having a pile on my bedside and several piles in my living room.

2. Slow hobbies.  Ideas on how to lower your own digital exposure, slow down and pursue more analog activities. For example, I’ve been trying out embroidery and expanding my journaling practice.

3. Slow pockets of time.  Tips, ideas, and suggestions for how to spend a quiet afternoon pursuing activities that will feed your soul and mind.

Where to Begin with Slow Hobbies at Home

If you’re not sure where to start, begin with Slow Hobbies for a Full Home Life, where reading, journaling and the quiet afternoon come together.

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