Homemaker Portrait | Amanda Webb

I am chatting with in-the-trenches homemaker, Amanda Webb, who is no stranger to homemaking in unexpected and challenging circumstances. 

Just a few years into her marriage, her husband, Jonathan, was diagnosed with chronic leukemia, which among other things, prevents him from working a regular 9-5 job to provide for the family. 

They have had to get creative with cutting expenses, finding streams of income and shifting traditional household roles and responsibilities to meet their family’s needs . 

Amanda has much wisdom and valuable perspective to share. Whatever your homemaking circumstances you will walk away from her interview with insight to help your own practice of the art of home. 

NOTES & LINKS

Full Show Notes on the Blog; theartofhomepodcast.com/blog > search "Amanda Webb"

Connect with Amanda

Instagram @JonathanNAmandaWebb

In Dallas Area? Check out the Webb's bakery, Taste & See Sourdough. Place orders, sign up for classes, check market schedule. Support small businesses! tasteandseesourdough.com 

MAIL BAG:

• MIL/DIL Relationship Survey
• Dottie's Favorite Game, Chronology-The Game Where You Make History

BOOKS MENTIONED:

You Who: Why You Matter and How to Deal With It by Rachael Jankovic

Eve in Exile: The Restoration of Femininity by Rebekah Merkle

Transcript

Allison 0:02

Hello, homemakers, and welcome to the Art of Home podcast, where we are exploring how homemakers cultivate a place to belong. I am your host, Allison Weeks. I'm a wife, a mom, a granny, and I've been practicing the Art of Home since 1992. We are halfway through our winter 2026 season. Quick reminder: in case you missed it last week, this season will have the regular eight Monday motivations, but only six long-form Wednesday episodes. I need the extra two weeks to work on a super secret project that you will hear more about very soon. We have covered planning your homemaking year. Then we heard from Colleen and from Pam about their homemaking journeys, and today we are going to hear another brand new interview from an In the Trenches homemaker. But before we get to that, let's check the mailbag, shall we? This is a part of the show where I respond to messages and answer questions that you all have sent me either via email, voicemail, or one-way text message. This mailbag segment is brought to you by listeners who support the Art of Home through Buy Me a Coffee. Buy Me a Coffee is a virtual tip jar where you can show your appreciation and your support for the show by giving a one-time tip or by becoming a Titus 2 Woman supporter and setting up a recurring tip of $5 per month. Titus 2 Women supporters receive my undying gratitude and the occasional perk, such as free printables and free registration for the recipe exchange and other fun things. Whichever way you choose to give, I am grateful for your support. In last week's episode with Pam Stockdale, we learned the valuable lesson of tending to your relationship with your husband. And I asked y'all who were sending in your long haul listener emojis to share your favorite way to spend time together. Tina from Ontario writes, My favorite activities with my husband include kayaking in a double kayak, hiking, looking at art in a gallery, and watching a classic movie. Those are great suggestions, Tina. And I see that emoji, so gold star for you. Thanks for listening till the end. Louisa left a comment on this episode on Spotify and said that she and her husband love to go out for walks and hikes in nature as well. Dottie from Washington sent the episode emoji, Gold Star Dottie, and the following text. My favorite way to spend time with my husband, besides you know what, is playing a game together. Our favorite is called Chronology. I have not heard of that one, Dottie, so I will definitely look that up. Dottie also shared a tip for cooking eggs in a cast iron skillet, which I admitted in Pam's episode I just have not figured out yet. She says, My understanding is that the trick to cooking eggs in cast iron is to heat the pan up quite hot at first, add the oil and let it heat, and then add the eggs. Hope this helps. So I had another tip on cooking eggs from Amanda Bass006, who commented on this episode on Spotify, and she said, I used to struggle with eggs in my cast iron too. I read something online about making sure it's definitely hot before you put the eggs on. So now I just really make sure it is preheated for like five minutes or so on medium high with about a half tablespoon of some kind of fat. That did the trick for me. And Amanda also shared that last year for Valentine's Day, she gave her husband a year of at-home dates. I put instructions for the date, along with some discussion questions, some funny and some serious, in an envelope for each month. And she added that emoji for Pam's episode. So gold star for you, Amanda Bass006. Thank you for listening and thank you for these two fantastic tips. With yours and Dottie's help, I might actually be able to cook eggs in my cast iron one day. I'll give it a try and I will we'll report back to you all. And ladies, if you are struggling with something to give your husband for Valentine's Day, because as of today, when this airs, it's only 10 days away. Look no further. I think that a year of at-home dates is such a sweet idea, and it would not cost you a dime. You can Google ideas for both the dates and the discussion questions, put them in envelopes, make them cute, maybe with a lipstick seal on each one with a kiss, and bundle them up with a pretty ribbon, and you're good to go. I love it. Thank you to everyone who commented or texted me with your ideas. And finally, Amanda Webb, today's guest, texted me after I asked about mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships. She gave the fabulous suggestion of creating a questionnaire to gather listener thoughts on mother-in-law, daughter-in-law relationships as a research tool for the deep dive episode I will be doing later in the year. She even used chat to create a sample one for me. So thank you, Amanda. You can now go, ladies, and take this survey using the link in the description box. It will open up a Google form for you to fill out and you do have the option to share your name or to remain anonymous. You can submit your answers anytime before April 1st, 2026. If you have a tip or a suggestion or feedback from an episode or you just want to say hi, I would love to hear from you. Click the link in the description box to send a one-way text message to me. Remember, I can only see where you are texting me from. I cannot text you back. I can't see your name or your number or anything. So be sure to tell me your name. And if you want me to reply back, tell me your email. I might share your message on a future episode, but if you want to keep it private, just let me know. That's no problem. Now, on to today's episode. I'm chatting with In the Trenches homemaker Amanda Webb, who is no stranger to homemaking in unexpected and challenging circumstances. Just a few years into her marriage, her husband Jonathan was diagnosed with chronic leukemia, which among other things prevents him from working a regular nine to five job to provide for the family. They have had to get very creative with cutting expenses, finding streams of income, and shifting traditional household roles and responsibilities to meet their family's unique needs. They have weathered the consequences of some poor financial decisions made early on when life was upended by Jonathan's illness. And they have found that God has faithfully provided time and time again, just not in the way that they always expect. Amanda has so much wisdom and valuable perspective to share with all of us. Whatever your homemaking circumstances, you will walk away from her interview with insight to help your own practice of the art of home. Thank you again for trusting me with some of your valuable time today. I pray it will yield fruit in your home and in your homemaking. Whatever you are applying your hands to as you listen, I know you will enjoy Amanda's Story of Home. Welcome to the Art of Home. I am here with In the Trenches Homemaker Amanda Webb. We are going to hear all about Amanda's story of home, who Amanda came to us via Bess Hawthorne over at Come Over for Dinner. So I'm I'm really excited about that connection. And I can't wait to hear all about your experience, Amanda, because I know you have some really unique things going on in your homemaking. But before we get into all of that, why don't you just take a minute, say hi to everybody? Tell us a little bit about who you are today.

SPEAKER_00 8:17

Sure. Thank you for having me, Alison. I've been looking forward to this very much. Yes, my name is Amanda Webb. I've belonged to my husband Jonathan Webb for the last 12 years. We met in college and married right after we graduated. And we have lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas ever since. We have one daughter, Alathea. Her name is uh the Greek word for truth, and she is seven. Um I'm a grateful wife and mom, full-time senior commercial lending assistant at a bank in North Dallas, as well as a business owner. My husband and I own Taste and Sea Sourdough Bakery. Uh, we bake sourdough bread from home. Uh I enjoy my job, even though I've um I've I'm gone for 12 hours a day in our business, and um I do my best to glorify the Lord in both. Uh, my husband is a chronic leukemia patient, diagnosed right before our daughter was born, and he homeschools her as well as works pretty much full-time in our bakery, and he serves our church. Uh, we serve our church together. Uh, he's one of our deacons, our music director, and is on the security team.

Allison 9:23

Oh, wow. Okay, that's awesome. That's a lot. Um, I love your daughter's name, by the way. That's so beautiful. Greek word for truth. That's just gorgeous. I love it. And then your um your husband being a chronic leukemia patient, and he is homeschooling your daughter. Is that what you said? Yes. Yes, he is. Okay. And he's running the business, the doing the sourdough business. And he's a deacon. Uh-huh. And he has music ministry.

SPEAKER_00 9:48

Yes. And um, up through earlier this year, he was also teaching our teens um at church as well. So we both kind of have our plates full.

Allison 9:57

Um that is a lot. So we do music ministry at our church as well, my husband and I. Um, and actually all all of our kids have served and do serve in some capacity. We're just not all at the same church anymore.

SPEAKER_00 10:10

So that's wonderful to hear that all your kids are serving the Lord. That's that's what we all aim for.

Allison 10:16

Well, all but one, but we're still praying about that. So, but yeah, yeah. Um, okay. So I I guess we'll get into your background. I could just, you know, talk about all this kind of stuff forever, but we do have to uh get to the story here. So tell me, yeah, tell me, when do you feel like you first became a homemaker? Was it when you got married or was it before that? And did you have any skills? Did you bring any skills with you?

SPEAKER_00 10:41

Yeah, so um my mom was an excellent homemaker, and much of what I've learned is from her. Uh, we we had home cooked meals every night. We worked together to redo at least one room in the house each year. Um, she taught us all chores, cooking, um, some landscaping. Uh, she kept order, responsibility, and getting along with each other at the center of teaching us what we needed to know once we left the nest. Uh, when I got married, the big things that I brought uh to the marriage was um I loved to cook. Um, I kept I like to keep order and cleanliness in our small apartment. And um, and I brought um some good math skills. And so budgeting and you know, keeping up with our finances is something that um just kind of came kind of natural. So that's basically what I would say I brought primarily to the marriage in terms of skills.

Allison 11:35

Yeah. Well, that's a that's a lot more than most people actually. So that's really good. That's really good. Well, what what would you say right now is your biggest homemaking strength? Is it your your budgeting skills or your math skills, or is it something else?

SPEAKER_00 11:49

Um, I asked my husband this question. What was my my homemaking strength? And he said, definitely the cooking and baking.

unknown 11:55

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 11:56

And about the the question about the weakness, he said, Oh, it's definitely you buzzing around trying to get all of it done all at once. Yeah. I'm like, yeah, I can see that. Yeah, I can think, I think that's true.

Allison 12:09

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Well, you do have a lot going on, so I can understand the sense of urgency that's there. And I'm sure we'll touch on that again when we get to that part of the conversation. Um would you say that your mom has had the biggest influence on your homemaking?

SPEAKER_00 12:24

Yes, I would say so. Um, just kind of the practical training of what to do to take care of a home. Um, I think that you factor in her um hands-on teaching, but also I listen to so many podcasts because I have a long commute. And I would say probably the the podcast that has had the most influence on my homemaking is is what have you, uh Rachel Jankovic and Becca Merkel. Um their just their outlook on the spirit in your home has made the biggest impact in terms of like how is my heart communicated to my family? You know, that's that's such a big part of homemaking.

Allison 13:02

Oh, yeah, absolutely. Yes, definitely. Have you read any of their books either?

SPEAKER_00 13:08

Um, I've read a few. Um I've well, I'll I'll I'll rephrase that. I've listened to a few sitting down and reading doesn't come very easily to me.

Allison 13:17

That counts. That's how I consume most of my books through listening. That totally counts. Yeah. So which ones have you read? I'm just curious.

SPEAKER_00 13:25

Um You Who, definitely. Yeah, that's a good one. Um I definitely have stayed very current with with what have you. Um have you have you read that's right? Even Even Exile, yes, that's right. And watch the documentary. Um, that's really good. Yeah, yeah. I would say as far as their their books, um Even Exile and then You Who have probably been then been the two biggest that I've um that I've consumed. Um most of I would say most of their influence I've gotten from what have you, um and Nancy Wilson from Femina. And they've got the documentaries and stuff on Canon Plus. So yeah, yeah.

Allison 14:03

Yeah, that's cool. Um, another good one that's just recently started showing up on Canon Plus was um is the Home Fires podcast. Yes, I listened to them, they're wonderful, I love them. They're great. Yeah, I had Abigail on the show this year, and that was a wonderful interview. Um, I'm working on getting Tilly one one day. She's a busy lady, she's a very busy lady.

SPEAKER_00 14:26

Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I think she's got a coffee shop, right?

Allison 14:29

So she has a coffee shop, she's got a bunch of kids, she's got a lot going on. She writes books. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:35

Yes.

Allison 14:36

Um, okay, yeah, they're they're a great resource. I highly recommend them. And I talk about I talk about their stuff all the time. So go check that out if you haven't listeners. Um, let's talk about expectations. What are some things that surprised you about homemaking? Just things that you did not expect, either good or bad.

SPEAKER_00 14:53

I felt like I could handle taking care of a home. Um, but obviously getting getting married and learning to live with someone for the first time. Um, you know, mess can just happen, you know, from either of us or together or whatnot. And so I think that what surprised me the most is that big messes really can disrupt my thinking, my thought processing. And I had to work on handling them with grace. Um just about everything else seemed to kind of like fall in line from what I learned from my mom. But this one specifically, I was I was prone to get really upset. And I was like, I need to work on this. That was a surprise.

Allison 15:34

So physical, you're talking about physical messes in the space. You realize we're taking a toll on your like emotional and mental health, or yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:44

I don't know if you've ever heard of like how what you see around you. Um, it's kind of like that's the clutter that you can see around you, it can clutter your mind and it can make it to where you have a hard time like processing thoughts, just you know, thinking of what to do next or what to um sit down and do next and so or think about. And so to start with a a clean slate definitely helps my my um processing, my my thinking and everything. And so I had to learn that about myself.

Allison 16:18

Yeah, no, I I totally can relate to that. And I think a lot of times too, if you're a very visual person, I'm a really visual person. So if I see all the piles, we call them piles in my house. I'm a pile maker. Um or stacks. My husband calls them stacks, actually, because there's a there's a call, there's a song called stacks, but anyway, I digress. Um, when I see the stacks, they can stress me out. Sometimes, though, if life is not stressful, I can see the stacks and it doesn't stress me out. Like I just don't even notice that they're there. But when, like this time of year, when the schedule's really full and there's a lot of demands on my time, and there's a lot of demands on my mental, you know, I'm thinking through all of the Christmas stuff and end of the year stuff, those stacks that would normally never bother me really start to bother me.

SPEAKER_00 17:03

And they're my stacks for the most part. It's like they're in the way.

unknown 17:08

Yeah.

Allison 17:08

I just can't. I this, yeah, I totally understand what you're saying about it, just pulls you mentally away from what you need to be focusing on. So that's a great lesson uh to learn and a thing to realize that um that you had that expectation and you needed to change that. So um I think we might be talking about this when we get to the challenges section, but I was thinking about what you were describing there in relation to your small spaces, because the first time I connected with you, you reached out to me on a text message about um Ginny's um Ginny Nanning's episode because she talked a lot about living in a really small space with a whole bunch of kids and making the most out of it. And then you said that that had a big impact on you. So is it that's always been the case for you guys living in small spaces?

SPEAKER_00 17:55

Yeah, pretty much. Um when I was growing up, I shared a room with my sister. It was about it was probably about 10 feet by 10 feet, very small room, and then went to college and shared dorm rooms with up to up to four girls in you know, a small room. And there was that. Then when we got married, we were in about a 660 square foot apartment, then a 725 square foot apartment. And then once my after my husband got his diagnosis and things kind of um were in a downward spiral for us, we moved in with my mother-in-law and uh and father-in-law. They opened their home to us to uh help us through that season. And the bedroom that my husband and daughter and I shared um was 132 square feet. It was 11 by 12. Every single inch had a purpose. And so, and there was a few times that I mapped it out. Like I pulled out the tape measure and I measured everything, and everything that's in this room has to be in here because we need it to function and it needs to fit. So we've got to find out how it's it gonna fit. It's a puzzle. So then we moved from when we bought our house, um, we moved to um that was from Arlington to Alvaredo. And so in Alvaredo, our house is just about just a little over a thousand square feet. So again, still a small space. So we've done small spaces for quite some time. Yeah. At this point, I don't know what I would do with a large house. I feel like I feel like I don't know what I would do. I'm sure I could find something to do with it.

Allison 19:26

Sure, you could. But that whole seeing the mess is, you know, throwing off your ability to process and and deal with things, I can see how that would be magnified in a small space. For sure. For sure. Yeah, yeah. Um, okay. Well, let's talk just a little bit about parenting because you mentioned you have one daughter and she came along. Uh, you were already married for a few years. Is that correct? Yeah. Yes. So, how did bringing her into the family challenge and enrich your homemaking?

SPEAKER_00 19:58

I would say that I had to learn to be creative with our space. Like we were already used to living in a small space, but I had to learn how to be creative enough to, I've got another person I've got to add into this.

Allison 20:11

Right.

SPEAKER_00 20:11

And so we were in our one-bedroom apartment, um, the 725 square foot one, um, when she was born. We had to figure out where to put things. And then when we moved in with my in-laws, you know, the three of us shared the one bedroom and we were there for three and a half years.

Allison 20:26

And that was when she was pretty little, right? He got his diagnosis right after she was born.

SPEAKER_00 20:30

Right before she was born. Right before. Okay. Yes. And so we were in our apartment till she was about 15 months old. And then we moved in with them. And we moved out. Let's see, she was um, she was about four and a half months, uh, sorry, four and a half years old when we moved out. So we were there for right at about three and a half years. In that one little room. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And thankfully, I mean, like that that one room, and we had a bathroom, um, a small bathroom that was adjacent to the room. And so we we shared that space and one little closet. Um, then the rest of the house, you know, we would share the common areas with um my in-laws, of course, but that was like the one space that that was yours. This is ours, yes. It was actually my husband's previous bedroom from before we got married. So that was an interesting setting.

Allison 21:20

Yeah. Oh my goodness, that's super challenging. Um, so you had to get creative. So now your daughter is how old is she now?

SPEAKER_00 21:30

She's seven. She'll be eight in a couple months.

Allison 21:32

She's seven. Okay. So she is at that age where she really can actually start to to help and do things um around the house. So, what are what are some of the ways that you're encouraging her to participate in the homemaking with you?

SPEAKER_00 21:46

We're doing our best to help point her direction toward like the other other people around her. And so whether we're at the dirt the dinner table or if we've got people over, you know, she's the one who's always clearing the plates. And okay, Alathea, will you go go get some silverware? Will you get Daddy a drink of water, carry it to the other room in the house? You know, um, we try and just remind her uh through chores and keeping her room neat that she's practicing homemaking and hospitality. We tell her this is training for when you are grown and have your own home.

SPEAKER_01 22:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:22

Um, she's also a really big help in um in welcoming guests. A lot of times at the um the very last hour before guests will come over, um, it'll get a little busy in the kitchen. And our kit, our our place is small. And sometimes it's a little, it's a little much going on for her. And so I'll just ask her, Lathe, will you mind to go sit in the in the living room and just watch for our guests? Let me know when they're here. And so that's that's a really good spot for her to to help. You know, she knows she's being helpful and welcoming our guests. And she doesn't open the door for them, but like she'll let me know when they're there. And it's a good little um doorbell, you could say.

Allison 23:02

Yeah, that is a good job. That is a good job for a seven-year-old when they're less they're less helpful in the kitchen because they're just kind of getting underfoot there, you know? Yeah, that's a good idea. Um okay, cool. Well, what about priorities? Um, with the with what you described when in your opener about how your life is structured right now. I mean, gosh, you've got a lot going on. So how are you um just keeping track of all the logistics of all of those things? What are some things that you do to set your priorities and and keep them in order through the busy days of working full-time and running a bakery business and all of those things?

SPEAKER_00 23:43

Sure. Um, I think my the biggest thing is communication with my husband. It's it all has to start there. Um and so we work together to make sure we are both on the same page at all times. Um, we have a shared calendar on our on our phones. Basically, we have like a family um Google account. And so that's on both of our phones. So we can both see emails that come through about various bills or appointments or whatever. That goes all there. And then the same the calendar, you know, is there as well. Um, I like to take the calendar and like put it onto um a dry erase board. Um, I don't know if you're familiar with Misty Winkler.

Allison 24:20

Um, she's been on the show.

SPEAKER_00 24:22

Okay, you know what? I think you're right. I no, I know you're right. You just said so, but um, I think I've heard her episode.

Allison 24:28

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, that's no problem. Yes, she's so great. Misty has just got so much practical insight and knowledge about this exact thing that we're talking about. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:38

Yes. So I don't necessarily like have a planner, like a book. And so I don't, she may not like that exactly, but um, I would I look at my the side of my fridge where I have my dry erase board and I have um my uh I've got a a meal plan, I've got the um like a month dry erase board, and I've got um some blank spaces that I just kind of fill in and erase as we go, you know, and that's kind of hub our hub spot for the home. Just logistically, how are we gonna make this work, you know? And so um that's part of our communication. Um as far as priorities, you know, I I look at that as like, where is my heart at? And what am I doing to communicate like the Lord's goodness through me to my people? Um and and also like filling my soul first. Um, and so I think the the tip that I would pass along is like to um keep an eye out for your pockets of time that you have open. And so I use my commute time. I drive an hour and a half to work every day and then an hour and a half home. Oh, an hour and a half one way.

Allison 25:46

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_00 25:47

Okay, um, from Alvaredo to North Dallas. And um, I thankfully I really do love my job. And once I get through that commute, um, people who ask me, how long is it? Like, I just tell them I'm in for a good day once I get to work. It's a great job. And so it doesn't bother me too much, but part of why it doesn't is because I use that time to to listen to God's word, uh, to listen to those um to audiobooks, um, podcasts. And oftentimes I'll also like pull out my phone and I will um catch up with a family member, you know, as I'm as I'm driving. I just use that that time to um to help me think the right things. You know, I could very easily be stewing over, oh, I've got to make this drive. It's so long, it's gonna take forever to make dinner, you know, just whatever. But yeah, I'd rather be thinking about the right things as I'm as I'm going to where I'm going. Um, and when I get home, I make sure to kiss and hug my husband and my daughter and just check in with them, spend a few minutes with them before I get busy with housework and business work and stuff. And I want them to see that they are my priority. I've got a lot to do. They, you know, and they help me with it all as well, but I always make sure that I check in with them first. Um, and I often like to call them on my lunch break, um, just to stay in touch with them over the day. It's a communication is just a big deal to us. And this is one way I use my time to stay on the same page, prioritize our relationship as a family.

Allison 27:09

Yeah, those are excellent suggestions. I love the I love the hub. I love the household hub. Um, wherever you do it, side of your fridge, some people do it on the back of the pantry door, just whatever works, uh just a bulletin board on a random wall. Um, and I love the the Google shared calendar idea. I've had a few guests that have mentioned that, and that is so smart because then you all have access to the same digital calendar where you can add and and subtract things and you can see what's what all is going on. So that's really, really wise. Um, and your suggestion about checking in with them when you get home, like hugging, being very intentional about just sitting before you dive into your your second shift to your next job. Um, and I think to that can apply whether you're working outside the home or not. Um, if you're in the home all day and your husband comes home and he probably wants to check in and just sit with you for a minute, and it's so easy for us as full-time homemakers to just continue in our whirlwind of activity because now we're in the dinner, now we're in the dinner shift. You know, it's like, okay, we got to get dinner finished and we got to get the kids bathed. And all right, dad, I'm handing them off to you, you know.

SPEAKER_00 28:19

Exactly. Exactly. It can get hectic. And, you know, if I if I've spent an hour and a half to get home and I've been setting my heart right the whole entire way, like it would be a disservice to what I've just tried to accomplish with the Lord, you know, for me to not act on that in, you know, passing on that goodness to my family. Um, and I I started to realize, you know, let's see, I've been working full-time now since uh basically right after we moved in with my in-laws. So that was 2019. And um I would come home in just frustrated over whatever it could have been anything, work or family or whatever. But um, I started to realize that I was passing on that frustration to my family and exasperating them, you know. And I realized I needed to, um, I needed to be careful how I used the limited time that I have with them. I get home at about 6:30 or 7 and usually we're up until about 11 or 11:30. Pretty late, but we all recognize like we've got limited time. And I would rather, I'd rather stay up a little later uh, you know, each day to have the time with them and accomplish the necessities and then rest on the weekends or when I get a night that I could go to bed early or something. But um, I'd rather just spend that time to to show them how important they are. And I don't want that, I don't want the frustrations from the day to pass over them, you know. And so let me just um let me be intentional about my time to to love on them and let them see mom thinks about them, you know, while I'm gone. And I look forward to coming home and being with them.

Allison 30:05

Yeah, that's that's such a good word. Well, we've we've kind of already entered into these waters about temptations and challenges. Um, I'm interested to hear what you have to say about this next question. About I give the ABC option to people, and and I would like to know um what is one of these that you struggle with and what has God taught you through that struggle and and how has he grown you? Do you struggle more with comparison to other women? Um, with your homemaking work not being actually valuable, it's not a real job. Um, or the last one is with being superwoman, trying to do everything.

SPEAKER_00 30:45

Um, I would say that comparison is the big thing. Um I grew up in a context and and still I'm in a wide context, you know, with all my personal relationships, that the mom is at home. You know, I was homeschooled the entire way, me and my siblings. Um, my mom was always available for us for anything that we needed. Um, when we got married, uh we both wanted nothing more than for me to be able to do the same and stay home, raise a family, take care of our home, uh homeschool, all the things. Um but then when my husband was diagnosed with leukemia, um, when we struggled through the first year of him being sick and weak constantly, I knew I needed to go back to work full time. And um it went against everything I had been taught and wanted in life, but that was what we needed to get by. Um, one day I was really struggling with this and I went and ran an errand. And on my errand, I asked, I called my dad, and he had been um, you know, a strong influence on this is what your life ought to look like, Amanda. You need to be ready to stay at home. Uh, he allowed me to get jobs as a young adult, um, but it wasn't something he he wasn't pushing a career path. And so I I will say, like, my career is not where I find my identity. And so, and that was something I had to make sure that that was in check. Um, so I asked him uh for his honest take on our situation. Um, he had taught me this being a stay-at-home mom was best, and that, and I I felt that I was somehow failing at what life was supposed to be like. And he just reminded me very graciously that Jonathan, uh, my husband having leukemia was a game changer. I'm I'm playing a different game now. This is not the same landscape as typical families. Um, and he said that he was proud that I was doing what I needed to do for my family. Um, and so from that point, that was probably about a year into um working full-time. Um, and so after after I heard that from him, it it helped settle my heart a lot. The Lord used that that moment with him a lot. Um, and so having his support in this specific area really helped me not be as worried with what others thought. I didn't feel the need to justify my actions anymore.

Allison 33:06

What a gift. What a precious gift that your dad gave you. Um with that, with that counsel and that wisdom. Um, because it frankly, it could have been much different. Yeah. You know, yeah. So that was so generous of him to um to say it like that. Um, would you say that's been your biggest challenge is this this curveball of your husband's diagnosis and then having to play a different game, like your dad said. In terms of my own um just as a home with through your homemaking journey, you know, we I always ask about particular challenges. For some people, it's an infertility journey. For some people, it's severe financial stress. Well, I would say there's more to the story.

SPEAKER_00 33:51

Okay. Um, and so the my my struggle with it is something that I've just, you know, let me deal with this another time. I'm not gonna make this like front and center or anything. Um during our first our first year with his leukemia diagnosis, it I will say it's it's chronic. It's not aggressive, it's not something that's going to move fast. Um, and so a lot of people hear leukemia and they're instantly very worried. Um and so and we had that at first when that was when we were anticipating that diagnosis. Um, but then when the doctor explained what his condition really was, that for the most part, he's able to have a fairly normal life. Um a lot of leukemia, uh, chronic leukemia patients will still work a job and and everything. But uh we recognized pretty early that his his strength and his time was limited. So we tried to get um some passive income going because we wanted him to not have to go clock in and out and do manual labor and stuff. Um, however, we we made some pretty foolish choices trying to get into um some online work. We tried affiliate marketing, and that's not a bad thing, but we didn't go about it with wisdom. And we threw a lot of credit card charges at it. Um, we racked up a lot of debt. His income was um reducing little by little um because of how sick he was all the time. Uh he was basically sick, like the average person will be down for one or two days, but he would be down for an entire week and basically once a month for that first month, for that first year. And so that basically cuts your your income down if you're a single income family, down by a quarter. Yeah. And so that was pretty significant. Um, and we were just going deeper and deeper into a financial hole, just not getting much income and also trying to like get something going online that wasn't working. Um, we got to the point where we were returning baby gifts and selling decorations off of our walls uh just to get groceries. And so after some a few months of this, our our lease was coming up, and my in-laws were kind enough to invite us to come move in with them uh so that we could financially recover and we'll forever be grateful for them. That was an incredible, incredible act of hospitality. Um, so we decided when we moved in with them that I would go back to work and my husband would work part-time based on what his health could withstand. Um, the Lord blessed um blessed me to be able to return back to the bank where I work now. Um, I worked there for a year before my daughter was born. And I'm so grateful our our my bank is a Christian-led bank, and we hold very strong uh Christian values at our core and in our culture. Um, and so don't get me wrong, my full-time job is a big blessing.

SPEAKER_01 36:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:40

Um and the Lord gave us uh friends who had, honestly, they had compassion on my husband's health situation and they provided him part-time work with as his health would allow. Um, we got through that time with the help of a del of a debt relief program and then saved up enough to get as as cheap a loan as we could get with as much of a move-in ready house as we could find on a very small budget and still make it to all of our life commitments throughout DFW. And once we um um and when we find when we made when that whole transition came about, moving from my in-law's house to our our now home, you know, we just we'd seen it all along the way, but we saw it especially clearly then that the Lord was providing for us. He was giving us the strength that we needed, he was providing our needs. And so um, I think that the biggest thing that we learned through all this, um, because it was difficult days, you know, just very different kind of life than what we anticipated and uh trials along the way. Uh, we just learned to be faithful with what's in front of us, um, to be thankful um for the Lord's blessings and to be content in the season that we were in.

Allison 37:58

Wow, that that's an amazing testimony and quite a story. I love I I had highlighted that on your um application. When you this is what I'm quoting you when you have no choice but to make much out of a little and not complain about it, you'll be surprised what you may come up with to meet the tasks at hand. Um, very true. And that is just a great perspective. Um, I'm sure it hasn't always been easy to maintain that perspective throughout this whole journey. But it just speaks to the Lord's faithfulness to your family.

SPEAKER_00 38:34

Yes, amen. There's definitely been temptations, you know. But when we remind ourselves that the Lord is sovereign and he's good and he's gracious and he gives us the strength that we need for the day, there's nothing to worry for. We just need to keep putting one foot in front of the other, keep going, you know, and ask that he's going to bless our what we do for him.

Allison 38:54

Yes. Yes, he does. So you have often lived in very small spaces. Um, and even now your home is just under a thousand square feet, you said. Um, but if I remember correctly, I think you said one of the things that kind of pierced your heart about Jenny's story was her heart for hospitality even in the small space. Am I remembering that correctly? Yes. So we're in the hospitality section now in the questions. What's what are you doing about hospitality? What's something that you guys like to do or you are aiming to do as far as extending hospitality in your space, no matter what size it is?

SPEAKER_00 39:34

Sure. Um we we live in a uh we live, we are in a very uh hospitality-centric church, thankfully. Oh we actually have a rotating calendar of who's assigned to what other families. So that the goal is to be able to have hospitality like people in our home to where we can see, we can sit down with every other family in the church. Oh, wow. And um I help with the with the schedule for that. It's been a joy to do that. And um we basically have like um a rotation kind of not quite an algorithm, but a um a pattern that we follow. Um, and it allows us to get through the entire church um in about two and a half years. And so, and we meet um about about every eight weeks. And so it's been it's been really neat to do that. And so, but even aside from that, like we've for a long time, we have kept um an ongoing list of who are who are the members in our church, who are the frequent visitors, and let's let's just check off those that we can have in our home. And we try and do that outside of even the church hospitality calendar, um, you know, just so that we can have even one-on-one um sit-downs with them and just be able to share our testimony, hear their testimony, hear what the Lord has done, you know, with with all of us and praise him together. Um, we try and keep our home ready or able to be ready quickly to um to show hospitality, not perfection, um, but a readiness to welcome and bless those the Lord brings our way. Uh, we also try and stay active in um inviting people to our home on a frequent basis, like checking off the list. Um, we just want to stay in close fellowship with everyone as much as possible.

Allison 41:19

Oh man, that okay, this church hospitality rotation schedule thing sounds amazing. Is that something that um is like a requirement for your church membership, or is it just an optional thing that people can participate in?

SPEAKER_00 41:34

Um the pastors do um they do require it of our church members. Um, they do explain that um that hospitality is a command, and this is an opportunity to follow through on that command. And so there are times that um, you know, we're typically assigned to um to a group that's three or four families at a time, sometimes a big family with medium family and then a single brother, you know, however the group pans out. Um and there are there are some times that the group just can't get together. That's not a sin. It's okay, you know, and so let's just let's find another time, you know, outside of this rotation, you know, to to get together or at least let at least let's stay like in touch, you know, to see how we can pray for each other, how can we encourage each other and serve each other?

Allison 42:29

So So how how often do you meet with with that group?

SPEAKER_00 42:34

Um, we're each given eight weeks to um, I mean, the let's see, our church is about 35 or so families.

Allison 42:41

Um okay, so it's pretty small. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 42:43

Yeah, pretty small. Um, and a pro probably about 10 or 12 of them are single brothers. So, ladies, ladies, we need you to come and meet these single brothers. They're wonderful. Um, so we we basically were we're given um two months to just find a time that anybody, like everybody in this group specifically, can get together. And that can be at somebody's house, that can be a restaurant, that can be at a park, that can be go get ice cream after church. It doesn't have to be extravagant, you know, it's really just here's the opportunity. Yeah. What can we find? What can we do?

Allison 43:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:21

And so I usually we use the signal app and I usually go ahead and create a um a group within Signal um with the family members that we're assigned to, and just say something like, Um, hey there, you know, we're super excited to be in this um in this round of hospitality with you. And our home is open. Uh, let me throw out some dates that you know are good for us, just so like at the forefront, we can already know, like, okay, here's one family that we already know what they're good with, you know, and it doesn't have to be a ton of back and forth until, and so we just kind of like whittle it down to find a time that works for for everybody. And it's been really, really beautiful over. Wonderful thing to do. I've been very, very happy and thankful that we've got this opportunity to do with our church.

Allison 44:06

Yeah, I love that they, that the leadership didn't just say, okay, you're commanded to show hospitality, but they gave you guys a tool to help make that to you know keep it a priority and actually follow through on that command. That's really that's really fabulous. And then you made another comment about keeping a running list for you guys personally of just people who you feel like you you want the Lord is leading you to or you want to reach out to, um, have in your home and share testimonies with one another. That's just so that's so great. Two really great suggestions to be very, very intentional about hospitality. I love it. Um, okay, I have some rapid fire questions for you.

SPEAKER_00 44:42

Okay.

Allison 44:43

All right. Tell me about your biggest homemaking fail so far.

SPEAKER_00 44:47

Uh if this is all that it is, I think we're doing okay. Um my husband says that my biggest homemaking fail so far was to pour an entire salt shaker into soup.

Allison 44:56

Oh no. So was so the soup was ruined.

SPEAKER_00 45:02

Yes. I I don't think I don't think either of us even dared to try it. We just we just took off the Chick-fil-A.

Allison 45:11

I know there's like a there's like a hack where if you put too much salt in your dish, particularly soup, if you put potatoes in it, the potatoes were supposed to absorb. But I think that was probably beyond that hack.

SPEAKER_00 45:22

Well, and that that and like I think it was this was in a very um uh creative time in my my meal planning. And it was it was some kind of buffalo um chicken soup of some kind, and it sounded delicious to me, but after that happened, my husband was like, sorry, nope.

Allison 45:44

Never, never again.

SPEAKER_00 45:45

So it the and put the potato idea. Like, I it was suggested to me, but I think it was after we had gone ahead and gotten Chick-fil-A. And so we just decided, let's uh let's not even try here. We'll just be more careful with the salt shaker from now on.

Allison 46:01

Exactly, exactly. Okay. Um, tell me about a recent homemaking win.

SPEAKER_00 46:08

Doing the dishes before going to bed mostly consistency, good consistently over the last, I don't know, two months. And I've seen that doing that on a regular basis has also helped with how we logistically handle our baking business, um, the sourdough business. Um we we used to get ready for a market and have dishes just piled up all over the sink, all over the kitchen. And it would take hours after the after the market when we're like wiped out to clean up. And so I was like, okay, Lord, let me be faithful in this little area because it really is impactful. I wasn't even thinking about the market when I was like asking the Lord for help with this. I was just like, just for my family, can you please help me get the dishes done every night? And what I found was like, you know, he blessed not just there, but also with getting the market stuff going. And I was like, whoa, thank you, Lord. That's amazing.

Allison 47:07

So that's awesome. I love that. That's my win. I love when he does stuff like that. That's really good. That's a good win. Okay, a home, a homemaking product or reset resource that you are loving right now.

SPEAKER_00 47:18

Uh, I'm gonna go with resource, and that is simply convivial. Um, she's helped me, Misty has helped me think practically about how I approach homemaking. With all the stuff we've got going on, it's so easy to just be scattered and let the dishes pile up and the laundry pile up and you know, things not get written down on on the home hub, but like yeah, you know, thinking about it the right way from simply convivial. And I haven't even joined yet as like a convivial circle member, but um, but just hearing her podcast, it's made a big difference.

Allison 47:51

Oh, yeah, yeah. I would agree with that 100%. She's just a great resource all around. Um, and like I said, you know, she she was on the show before, and I was I had just finished her book and I was like, oh man, this is I wish I'd had this 30 years ago because it is such a good resource. So make sure you guys check her out if you haven't yet. Um, okay, favorite homemaking hack or tip.

SPEAKER_00 48:14

So I've got um two products and one hack. So the first product is a rolling laundry sorting cart with a bar above it. We use it for clean laundry. Everybody's got the dirty laundry hamper in our bedrooms, but we keep this rolling um laundry cart in our hallway between the bedrooms, and that's where we put clothes that I just can't put it away right now.

unknown 48:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 48:42

You know, there's other things, and I'm like, I'm gonna take all this unfolded, what would be folded laundry and stick it in your basket and my basket, you know, and the house basket. And it that helps me a lot. And then with the um the hanging up as well with the bar above it, it's it's made a big difference to me. Um, second thing would be a chain dishcloth. Honestly, I don't know what this thing is actually called, but it looks you've you've heard of steel wool, you know, but this is actually um a like a cloth made out of chain. I've seen those, yes. It's incredible. That's uh that thing can get started. Class uh cast iron, right? Yeah, you can clean it for cloud use it with cla cast iron. Um I use it on almost everything. Almost everything. That chain, yes, that chain does not, it doesn't scratch except like um other metals. Like it's fine on plastic, it's fine on glass. Um, I use it to clean my my mason jars that I used for um for feeding starter. Um crusty, yeah. Yes, that stuff is like cement. And so you you just soften it and then I just kind of like you know, clap it onto the edge and just kind of like rotate around and I stick I this is fun. I actually put it inside the jar and I swish the jar. I swish the jar and that that little chain thing does all the scrubbing on the inside of the jar for me.

Allison 50:06

Oh, that's I love it.

SPEAKER_00 50:08

That is a great tip. Okay, awesome. Um, the hack is to whenever you're grocery shopping, supply shopping, um, buy two of whatever you can whenever you can. And so that is so that when you finish one, you have the second to pull from. And that gives you time, you know, for whenever your next grocery or supply run is that you can purchase or sometimes even make the next one without rushing. Oh, yeah. Yes. Nobody wants to be going to the grocery store early in the morning or stopping before going on an errand to go get deodorant. Nobody wants that. Exactly. Just go ahead and get two.

Allison 50:48

That is such a good tip. And yeah, so have two of everything if you can. And when you are dead, when you are down to just one, then it's time to replenish and buy then buy your second one again. Like never have always have one in the cabinet. Yes. Always. Yes. Um, that's so great. Okay. What about your signature dish? Do you have a signature dish? I would say venison salisbury steak.

SPEAKER_00 51:13

Oh, okay. Yes. My husband's a hunter.

Allison 51:16

I was gonna say, where are you getting venison? He hunts, okay.

SPEAKER_00 51:18

Yeah, he hunts. And so he we basically sub um venison for all beef over the year. And so as long as we've got venison in the freezer, we're using it in place of in be in place of beef. And so this is yeah, it's just a really good Salisbury steak. It shows up when we have hospitality quite a bit.

Allison 51:37

Nice. Is that a recipe that you can share with us? I'd be happy to. I didn't think about that, but yeah, I'd be happy to do that.

SPEAKER_00 51:42

That would be great. You know what? Actually, it's on Bess's podcast. Oh, on Bess's podcast.

Allison 51:49

So go listen to uh Amanda over on Come Over for Dinner and you'll hear all about it. But we'll get a copy too, and we'll link it in your show notes as well. So that would be great. All right, let's talk about the art of home. So, how do you see homemaking as an art and where do you find beauty in it?

SPEAKER_00 52:06

I love a beautiful room, but um, I think it's I think that the beauty of the home is in the spirit that's there. God has made each of us unique and each of our homes unique. Uh, whatever your personality as mom and wife or or um single sister, whatever your gifts, whatever your family's interests, your husband's interest, your kids' and delights, you know, whatever that they enjoy, use your home to create the scene where they would naturally find themselves. Surround them with God's word, with practicality, with good function and systems. Um, and just keep keep your presence to them a spirit of welcome. That's what I had written down.

Allison 52:49

That's really good. That's really good. So tell me one thing about homemaking that you are thankful for.

SPEAKER_00 52:56

I would say I'm thankful that it's a way we get to emulate God. He created the Garden of Eden as Adam and Eve's home, and he gave them a way of life that allowed them to delight in him and work to his glory. And in homemaking, the way I see it, we get to do the same thing by creating a delightful, productive place for our people to walk with the Lord and each other.

Allison 53:19

That's a great answer. I love it. Love it. Okay, let's do a little Titus two before we close. So you're in the trenches, you're kind of right in the middle. So first let's talk to the older ladies. What is something that you would like them to understand about your generation's experience as homemakers and how can they come alongside and help you guys?

SPEAKER_00 53:41

Um this one, I had to think for a little bit on this one. Um, and I recalled a time when I was struggling recently, um, a couple years ago. Um, I remember particularly a difficult season when every little decision seemed like a new mountain to scale. And the weight of living, just even just living, but really also so differently from how we want and from how others are around us, um, it was all weighing on me. And I remember hearing from a few people who were trying to speak to my situation um that it was okay to put myself first and that I needed self-care and that I needed a break. And while some of that may have been true, it didn't really help with the weight I was experiencing. And in fact, it actually bothered me. Um, and so I but what did help was uh uh when I talked to my nana. My nana told me, Um, Amanda, don't worry. You just keep doing what you're doing. Things are gonna get better when they're supposed to. And she chose encouragement instead of empathy. She didn't try to change my situation, she instead chose to strengthen me in it. She had learned through her time as a single mom to just go through the hard time with joy. And she reminded she was reminding me to do the same. And I think that's what women need to hear the most.

Allison 55:04

Oh, that is that's really wonderful. I don't, I can't really say anything else about that, except I love what you just said about she gave you encouragement rather than empathy. Um, which I think a lot of I I would have never thought about it that way. Sometimes you don't need somebody to come alongside you and you know, wallow in the hard with you or try to fix the problem for you. You just need encouragement to keep going and keep running your race. So that's absolutely excellent. Thank God for Nanas, right? That's right. Okay, let's talk to the younger ladies. What would you say to those younger women coming behind you? Um, what word of encouragement or warning uh would you give those young gals?

SPEAKER_00 55:47

I would say ask God to guide you in your use of your time and look for ways to do good for your people and to give of yourself. It may feel like you're losing yourself or your identity, like who you were before, but that's because the Lord is using these things to sanctify you and to mold you into Christ's image. So lean into it and ask him to help you with it.

Allison 56:15

Amen. Well, Amanda, this has been you're you are so very insightful, and I'm just really glad that um we were able to get together and have this conversation today. I know that it's going to be encouraging to everybody who hears it. Not everybody is facing the same kind of challenges as you, um, but we all are facing some sort of challenge. And so I I pray that the listener will hear the way that you've chosen to respond and the way that God has equipped you to navigate this journey and they will be encouraged for their own unique set of circumstances. So thank you for being here and sharing so honestly about your experience as a homemaker.

SPEAKER_00 56:52

Sure. Um, may I have one last thing that I guess I would one last thing I'd like to say is when you approach your role with joy, thankfulness, and a desire to be faithful, whatever your life and situation has you in, you'll be surprised what the Lord will accomplish through you. The drives won't feel as long, the work won't feel the work will have purpose, and the people will be beautiful, and the hard days can be faced with a smile.

Allison 57:19

Very good. Amen. Thanks, Amanda. Thank you, Allison. Thank you for listening to this homemaker portrait of Amanda Webb. I pray that you have been inspired and encouraged to look at your challenging circumstances, whatever they are, through the greater lens of eternity. What is God doing in your trial? How can you grow in contentment and joy right where you are rather than waiting for a change in circumstances before you can show up joyfully and contentedly in your homemaking? Let's make this episode emoji a magnifying glass, or some might call it a spy glass, to remind us not to magnify our unmet expectations and fall into bitterness and resentment over that, but rather magnify the opportunities we have been given and to really look for or investigate where we see God working in and through our current circumstances. So drop a magnifying glass in a comment, a text, or an email, and share how God is changing your perspective or has changed your perspective about being faithful in less than ideal circumstances. Thank you to Amanda for sharing her amazing story of home. If you have found value in today's episode and you want to say thanks, please help spread these stories far and wide by sharing with a homemaker you know. Leave us a rating and a review on your listening app, and by supporting financially over at buymeacoffee.com slash the art of home. Don't forget to fill out our mother-in-law, daughter-in-law survey using the link in the show notes. And you can still apply to be a guest or nominate someone else to be a guest on the Art of Home for our spring 2026 season. The link is in the show notes along with links to all of the resources that we discussed in Amanda's interview today, including her recipe for Salisbury steak. For the full show notes, go to theartofome podcast.com slash blog and search Amanda Webb. That's W-E-B-B. That's all for this episode. I will be back on Monday as we continue the Acts of Courageous Homemaking series and Wednesday with an all new homemaker portrait. Until then, keep practicing your art of making a home.