I have a pretty hard-bound notebook I purchased at Barnes and Noble that is my “book” notebook. In this notebook I keep track of what I’ve read and what I want to read. I have pages with book wish lists for me, for my husband, and for my kids.
Here are the faces behind this website. We thank you for visiting this website and supporting homemakers across the globe. We feel that homemaking is the most important role a woman can fill. { See our Mission Statement } Read a little about us and why we write. We appreciate having this opportunity to give homemakers a voice. We support you! May we all, in the words of Gordon B. Hinckley, "Try a little harder to be a little better".
Producer & Editor-in-Chief Contributing Writer since 1998
Shiloah (shy-low-ah) Baker is the producer and Editor-in-Chief of the Homemaking Cottage & Company. She is also a contributing writer.
She is married to Ben Baker, a US Army Soldier and the love of her life. She homeschools her children using the Thomas Jefferson Education method. Of their eight children, three have disabilities: one has Sensory Processing Disorder, a speech delay, and a processing disorder, another has high functioning autism, and one has Aspergers (A form of autism).
She is part gypsy growing up an Army brat she was born in Panama and has lived in Germany three times and many states throughout the US. She currently calls Colorado home.
She enjoys the role of homemaker and hopes to ignite the passion for this art/lifestyle for millions of women globally. Her other loves include: Energy therapy, Health Coaching, religion, life, classic books, children, red lipstick, jewelry, and beautiful things.
Trina Boice grew up in California and recently moved to Las Vegas. In 2004 she was honored as the California Young Mother of the Year, an award which completely amuses her 4 sons. She earned two Bachelor’s degrees from BYU where she competed on the Speech and Debate team and the Ballroom Dance Team, winning national titles for both teams. She was President of the National Honor Society Phi Eta Sigma and served as ASBYU Secretary of Student Community Services.
Trina also studied at the University of Salamanca in Spain and later returned there to serve an LDS mission in Madrid for 1 ½ years. She has a Real Estate license, Travel Agent license, 2 Master’s degrees, and a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, although she’s the first one to admit she’d pass out from fright if she were ever really attacked by a bad guy.
She worked as a Legislative Assistant for a Congressman in Washington D.C., and was given the “Points of Light” Award and Presidential Volunteer Service Award for her domestic and international community service. She wrote a column called “The Boice Box” for a newspaper in Georgia, where she lived for 15 years. She taught Spanish at a private high school and ran an appraisal business with her husband for 20 years. She currently writes for Roots Television and Go2.com and is the Executive Marketing Director for Multi-Pure International.
Trina was selected by KPBS in San Diego to be a political correspondent during the last election year. If she told you what she really did she’d have to kill you.
Trina is the author of 7 books and can’t wait to write her next one! To learn more about her books and speaking engagements go to www.boicebox.com
Raejean Roberts
Deluxe Edition Writer January 2009-Current
I have five wonderful children ranging from 7 – 18 years old; there are six children if you count my husband. I am blessed to be a stay-at-home mother here in Arizona. I am excited to share my thoughts on mothering, homemaking and being a woman with you.
When I am not meeting the needs of my family, I enjoy writing (obviously), scrapbooking, family history and reading. I also spend time volunteering in my children’s classrooms, slowly getting my college degree and serving at church.
Kristy Powers
Deluxe Edition Writer April 2011- Current
My name is Kristy Powers. My husband and I have been married seven years and we have two young sons who inspire me every day to be a better person.
When I was very young, my mom helped me find a library book called I Want To Be A Homemaker by Carla Greene. I loved it so much I copied it out word for word in a notebook before I had to return it. The description of this book reads: “Jane learns that a good homemaker is a cook, cleaner, nurse, teacher, and artist.” Since I became a mother, I realize how true that is! I could add a few roles to that list, too… Considering the challenge of the homemaking career, I was happy to find The Homemaking Cottage as a resource to inspire and inform homemakers.
I love reading, writing, running, and knitting, and always want to learn more about homemaking. My professional background is in school counseling and writing. In the last five years, I have written for Natural Family Online, WeightCircles.com, and Schogini Systems, Inc. I write about parents and kids learning together at home at An Apple for Mom, http://anappleformom.
Holly Kirtley
Deluxe Edition Writer November 2011-Current
Holly Kirtley is a twentysomething single creative living in the suburbs of Atlanta.
Holly was born on November 30, 1984 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. In 1999, her family moved to Marietta, Georgia. She went to Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama and majored in religion (after spending a few years in the music department). Now she works at her church in Marietta as a Creative Children's Ministry Associate where she spends time loving on kids, teaching them about God, and acting child-like herself.
Being single and living in the 'burbs can be a little bit of a challenge, so Holly has a precious dog named Maebe Sue to keep her company. When Maebe and Holly aren't off on an adventure, they spend their time decorating and re-decorating, crafting, throwing parties, writing, thrift store shopping, watching entirely too much television, and being set up on entirely too few blind dates.
Holly's favorite things include (but certainly are not limited to): Coke Zero, free fonts, fresh flowers, clean sheets, hammocks, and her glue gun.
You can find Holly online on Facebook, Twitter @hekirtle, pinning way too frequently on Pinterest, and writing (when she's not writing here, of course) on her own blog at www.hollykirtley.com.
Donna Bush
Deluxe Edition Writer September 2009-Current
Pleased to meet you, I’m Donna Bush. I am married and have a son and a daughter. In addition to taking care of my family, I am a work at home freelance writer and editor with special interests in family health and fitness, sports, cooking, and entertaining.
I believe that every day should be a celebration. I am always looking for new ways to take an ordinary day and turn it into a special occasion, even with a limited budget and resources. I’m very right-brained and love to cook because it fuels my creativity. Poking through cupboards to find just the right seasoning, trying new recipes and creating fun theme meals is one of my favorite pastimes. As a result, I rarely measure anything. I find the science of baking too restricting—all of those exact measurements and formulas are best left for people like my husband who enjoy math and science!
Another passion of mine is family health and fitness. It breaks my heart to see how many families have given up on good health and nutrition and have settled for the path of least resistance. I have made it my mission to spread the word that it’s not as difficult as it seems, if you will just try. Every day we are confronted by the convenience of drive-through windows and the appeal of inactivity. I saw myself, a former athlete and fitness instructor, fall into that trap and knew I had to fight my way out of it. So I laced up my tennies, got active, changed my diet, and started blogging at http://familyfitnessfiles.blogspot.com/ to talk about my personal journey to better health and fitness. I am also the Healthy Living Examiner for Boise and you can read those articles at http://www.examiner.com/x-12262-Boise-Healthy-Living-Examiner . Finally, you can read more about my freelance writing at www.dbwrite4u.com .
I am a huge baseball fan, still supporting my San Francisco Giants after all these years. I also love football and ice hockey. As a family, we love to be outdoors and some of our favorite activities include going rafting or floating down our local creek, or taking the kids fishing.
I’m looking forward to writing for you here at The Homemaking Cottage and hope you’ll find my contributions useful and inspiring.
Janice Hayes
Deluxe Edition Writer November 2011-Current
I am a stay at home Mom who has been a freelance writer for nearly 25 years. In that time I have written everything from short stories to poems to articles on all types of subjects, including articles on motherhood, family life, history and travel. I am married to a wonderful husband and we have four wonderful children.
By education I am a history teacher and have worked over the years as a substitute teacher and out of my home as a private reading tutor. As such, you can imagine that I love history and reading, along with traveling, gardening, walking, exploring and being with family and friends. I am also a great believer in volunteerism and have worked as a hospice volunteer for the past ten years along with serving in the PTA as well as on our town's library board and as an election judge.
To me, life is full of new and exciting opportunities and fascinating new things to learn and write about!
Jamie Turner
Deluxe Edition Writer February 2010-Current
Jamie Turner is a homemaker that lives in the great state of Texas with her husband, two children, 2 dogs and 2 birds. She has been married 13 years to her sweetheart and best friend. She spent 8 years becoming an elementary school teacher however she currently tutors and homeschools her own children. She enjoys knitting, gardening, photography, scrapbooking and researching her family tree. Her motto is not to sweat the small stuff. Instead she laughs as she makes as many messes as possible with her children.
Teri B.Clark
Deluxe Edition Writer April 2011-Current
Teri Clark is a published author in the field of real estate, finance, and investing. Her interest in the new and different has also led to a successful online writing career.
Of her five published books through Atlantic Publishing, 301 Simple Things You Can Do To Sell Your Home Now and For More Money Than You Thought was a 2007 Eric Hoffer Award winner as well as a Finalist in the 2007 USA Best Books Awards, How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Redesign, Redecorating & Home Staging Business was a Finalisit in the 2008 USA Best Books Awards, and Private Mortgage Investing won an Honorable Mention in Foreword Magazine’s 2006 Book of the Year Award.
My name is Amanda Nelson and I spent my whole childhood in the South. After going to college for English and Theatre I got bitten by the travelling bug! My first plane ride was to Seoul, South Korea where I became a teacher. Three years (and several countries) later and I’m married to a wonderful man from New Zealand and I find myself being a homemaker in the middle of a tiny village in South Korea.
We don’t have any children yet except our 2 wonderful doggies and are waiting until next year when we return back to Virginia and start turning our 7 acres of forest into a farm! I am a 20-something homemaker on a mission to help all the women out there put into practice that wherever you are and whatever your means you can make anywhere feel like home.
In my free time I love trying new recipes, scrapbooking, learning about homesteading and working with animal rescue organizations. You can contact me at
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We hope you enjoy the website! Please bookmark us and return often! Improve your home, family, and self through learning in our Deluxe Edition.
I have a pretty hard-bound notebook I purchased at Barnes and Noble that is my “book” notebook. In this notebook I keep track of what I’ve read and what I want to read. I have pages with book wish lists for me, for my husband, and for my kids.
