The Hearth Book

Hello! I wanted to start with a little introduction. I’m Ashleigh, and I work full time as a marketer in my family’s business. When I’m not working, you’ll usually find me volunteering in the community as a Rotarian, cooking cozy meals from scratch, making my home feel warm and welcoming, or eagerly planning my garden while starting seedlings far too early.

Most of what I know about maintaining a home has come through trial and error, paired with countless Google searches and YouTube videos. Growing up, my parents just did things. They managed the household without ever formally teaching me how. Maybe I wasn’t open to learning back then, or maybe they didn’t think to pass it on. Either way, by the time I hit my 30s, I felt completely unprepared for adulthood. I didn’t know how to manage a home, stay on top of cleaning, or cook healthy meals from scratch.

That lack of knowledge eventually led me down a difficult path. When I moved out at 18, I lived on junk food, partied often, and didn’t move my body much. By the time I realized how unhappy I was, I had reached nearly 300 lbs. I was miserable. But I made the decision to change. I got support from a doctor and a dietitian, and together we figured it out. I learned how to nourish my body and move with intention, and I lost 100 lbs.

Now I’m focused on living a balanced life. I want to be a capable, healthy human, and for the most part, I feel like I’ve become just that.

The frustration of losing so much time to figuring things out the hard way is what inspired me to start recording everything I’ve learned. I’ve been journaling, writing down recipes, documenting garden tips and tricks, creating checklists for home maintenance, and capturing all that “how to do life” knowledge in one place. I call it The Hearth Book, a kind of family grimoire I hope to pass down one day.

If I’m ever blessed with children, I want them to feel capable from the start. I want them to know how to use power tools, cook nourishing meals, grow food, and care for their belongings. But I also want them to understand how to care for others, nurture relationships, and be good stewards of the earth.

This blog is the digital companion to that book. Here I’ll share my thoughts, experiences, ideas, wins, and struggles as I create this practical and heartfelt collection of knowledge.

To my future children, I do this out of love for you. I don’t know you yet, but I’m already excited to share my life with you. To learn beside you. To laugh with you. To create beautiful memories together. Everything I do here is for you. To help you grow into someone who is happy, healthy, and confident in both yourself and the world.

Ashleigh