Made by the one everyone counted on.

A note before the story

Hi, I'm Malaysia

If you found your way to this page, there's a good chance you're the one in your house who remembers. The dentist appointment, the field trip form, the birthday gift for your mother-in-law, and how much is left in the grocery budget until Friday. Nobody officially gave you that job. You noticed it needed doing, and you did it.

I know that job well, because I've had it my whole life. This page is the story of how I got here, why HomeBase Paper Co. exists, and what I hope our planners do for you: give you one calm place to see everything, so you can stop carrying it all in your head.

01The oldest of three

I grew up in Detroit with a younger sister and a younger brother, in a working family that rebuilt after 2008. My parents worked hard for what we had, and when things got hard, they kept going. I learned a lot about steadiness from watching them.

As the oldest, I became the one my parents and siblings relied on for guidance, support and coordination. Who needed a ride. Which form was due. Whose turn it was. How to keep the peace when everyone was tired. I didn't call it project management back then, but that's what it was.

I was also the one everyone talked to. My sister and brother brought me their worries, and I learned early that the most helpful thing you can do for someone is listen first, really listen, before you hand them a solution. That habit shapes everything I make now. Before I design a planner, I want to understand what your week actually feels like.

What it taught me: a household runs on the same things a busy office does: lists, due dates and one shared calendar. Nobody hands the oldest daughter a manual, so I decided to make one.

02The long way

I worked to put myself through Oakland University, and it took much longer than the usual four years. There were seasons when work had to come first and seasons when my family needed me more than my classes did. I stepped back when I had to. I kept going. And I finished.

I'm a little proud of the long way now. It taught me that slow progress is still progress, and that a plan you can pause and pick back up is worth more than a perfect plan you quit in February. That's why every HomeBase planner can start in any month, and nothing in it is designed to make you feel behind.

Slow progress is still progress. A plan you can pick back up beats a perfect plan you quit.

03Work that taught me patience

Since then I've worked as an executive assistant, keeping other people's calendars and details in order; as an HR associate, helping people through the paperwork side of life; and as an ABA technician working with children with special needs. That last role was a true passion. I love children, and that runs in my family.

ABA work taught me the lesson I lean on most: big changes come from small, repeatable steps, and from making the next step obvious. You celebrate progress, you don't shame setbacks, and you keep showing up. A budget works the same way. So does a cleaning routine, a weekly meal plan and a holiday to-do list.

04Why HomeBase exists

After I met my husband, Raheim, we moved to Frisco, Texas. I'm building HomeBase Paper Co. as a new mom, to help provide for our family and to grow into the parts of me that waited a long time.

When I went looking for tools to run our own home, I kept noticing the same thing. So much budgeting and planning advice assumes you have spare time, a savings cushion, someone else who handles the money, or a perfect desk for the photo. Most families I know don't have those. They have one person holding everything together, usually at the end of a long day.

That's when it clicked for me. Calm doesn't come from being more disciplined or more organized by nature. It comes from a simple system that puts the whole picture on one page, built for real life. So that's what I make. Every planner and spreadsheet is made for real households, in plain language, at honest prices.

I want to make tools for households of every type and background, especially the ones that often get overlooked.

05Faith, food, cards and a bigger map

My Christian faith shapes how I work: gratitude, service, generosity, and taking good care of what we've been given. To me, that's what a budget really is. It's stewardship, not a cage. Everyone is welcome here, whatever you believe.

I love cooking, and I'll watch just about any cooking show. Cooking shows never show you the grocery receipt, which is part of why our meal planners keep the menu and the shopping list on the same page. I love beaches, hot chocolate and anything chocolate for dessert.

I love the seasons and the holidays, and the traditions that make a family feel like a family: the meals, the cards, the little rituals you repeat every year. I love giving and receiving cards, and I keep them. Planning the money and the meals ahead is what frees you to actually be present for the moments you'll want to remember.

My one trip abroad was to Jamaica, and I loved everything about its culture. New York, San Diego, Florida and Chicago at Christmas each made my world a little bigger, and I'm building toward that bigger life for my family, one plan at a time. A budget isn't only about cutting back. It's how you make room for what you dream about.