How do we make our home a haven? As I posted yesterday, I recently reflected on my childhood to examine what made my childhood home comfortable and peaceful.
I came up with several factors!
Although our home was small, my brother and I knew where everything could be found, and where to put it away when we were finished with it! Aha…everything had a home!
When we brought something new into the home, we re-evaluated what we owned, and often gathered up things that we didn’t really use, and gave it to a local charity. Aha….don’t let stuff sit around when someone else might be able to use it!
Our home was tastefully, but very simply decorated. My parents wanted our cousins and neighborhood children to feel comfortable playing in our home, without worrying about our rugs or furniture getting soiled or hurt. Aha….Relationships should be more important than stuff.
The decorations on the walls in each room included photographs of immediate and extended family members. Aha…family members are considered valuable and to be honored.
Books and games were strategically placed in several rooms to encourage creativity, reading, and ways to spend quality time with other family members. Aha…maybe that’s why I spend so much tome reading to my children, and playing games with them!
My mother was an excellent cook! She loved to try new recipes and rarely made the same supper twice. As my brother and I entered the house after school, the aromas from supper simmering on the stove, or in the oven, filled our home. It is a wonderful memory that I have of my home being a haven. Aha….good smells are comforting.
I, on the other hand, am not a good cook, and do not enjoy trying new recipes.
I do, however, like my home to smell good. Brisket scented candles seemed out of the question, so I try to light a fruity candle, or use air fresheners, or put some ‘from the package to the oven Pillsbury chocolate chip cookies’ in the oven, to make the house good.
I’ll post pictures tomorrow of things in my home that help to make it a haven….at least for us!
I’m linking to:
