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Showing posts with label Creating A Home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Creating A Home. Show all posts
My grandma on my dad’s side died when I was around nine years old. I remember crying at her funeral, but I don’t think I fully realized at the time what I lost.
My grandma was a really neat lady by all accounts. I remember her pulling out the toys for us to play when we went over to visit, and going over with my mom one day to make a fall wreath craft together. In my mind's eye, I see her funny magnets on the fridge, and her glasses, and her big welcoming smile. I wish I would have had a chance to know her as an adult, but I will know her when I meet her in Heaven.
In my living room, I have two blankets she crocheted. The stitches are intricate, and the colors are bright. Even though she passed away before I was old enough to really know her, every time I see her blankets in the corner, I remember.
There is something valuable about a hobby that allows you to create something tangible, something to pass down. Something your descendants can point to and say “My great-grandmother made that.“
I have other things around the house that have been made for me, hand towels and table runners and baby blankets that were crocheted for me by dear ladies in the church where I grew up. I have quilts my mom helped me make as a kid, the baby book she covered in fabric and decorated for me. And there are wooden bowls, a gorgeous cutting board, and the quilt rack that holds my grandmother’s blankets - all made by my grandpa.
For years now I’ve been searching for a hobby that creates something that my kids can see and hold. Scripture tells us we can know things about God by the things which He made, and I think there is a sense in which that is true for us humans too. I never got to know my grandma as an adult, but even now I can know some things about her by the gorgeous blankets she made.
Material things aren’t as important as people, but they can remind us of people we love, and they can remind us where we come from. Holding something in our hands isn’t the same as knowing the person who created it, but we can know something about the person by the things they made. Tangible things aren’t everything, but they aren’t nothing. There is value in creating something you can touch.
(An afghan my grandma made.)
When I was 12, my mom decided we kids should learn how to sew. She broke out the fabric scrap box, and she helped each one of us stitch together a quilt. That was the first quilt I made, full of cotton scraps and denim. It was backed with flannel, and it had a nice weight to it. I still have it on my blanket shelf, and that was the quilt that taught me it’s actually not that difficult to put together a quilt. It’s tough to do intricate designs and have every seam perfect, but to piece together a snugly couch blanket didn’t have to be complicated or intimidating.
When I was 14 or 15, the sweet old ladies in our little white church decided to teach all the church kids how to quilt. They brought their own fabric stashes, and we each picked through them for our lap-quilts, the perfect size for covering your legs outside or taking a nap in the car.
When I was pregnant with my first, crib bedding was popular. We all understood you couldn’t actually put that crib blanket on your newborn - at best it would drape over the side of the crib when visitors wanted to peek at the nursery, a merely decorative touch. But I still wanted one, and I couldn’t find a blanket in colors I liked, so I made one myself. I understood at the time that I was obligating myself to make a blanket for each one of my kids - little did I know that four more baby quilts would follow that first one.
I learned from those baby quilts that certain fabrics are more difficult to work with than others, sherpa backing would unfortunately get matted in the wash, long-arm quilters like all the seams to be pressed as perfectly as possible, and I could machine-quilt my blankets at home if I just did straight lines.
After all those years of quilts (I had five kids in seven years), I tucked my sewing machine into a cupboard and forgot about it, until I saw flag quilts popping up online this May. Inspiration struck. I knew I could piece together a flag quilt no problem, and it seemed like a lovely way to commemorate the 250th birthday of America.
So last month I set up my sewing table, dug out my rotary cutter, and got to work. One quilt accidentally turned into two when I couldn’t decide if I wanted a dark or light color scheme.
I learned from these quilts that a blanket from Amazon works just fine as a quilt backing, a walking foot really does make the quilting process easier, there will be a point in every quilt where you want to pull your hair out, my eyes are getting older, and my kids are mesmerized by the whole process. My children are already negotiating who gets to use the quilt when, and I know I need to (slowly) make at least a couple more.
All this talk about making something that can be held reminds me not to get too caught up in this digital world. My grandkids may not ever look up my Instagram account or blog, but they will flip through albums of pictures I took, or read words I wrote on a page. And maybe if I take the time, they can do those things while snuggled under a blanket I made too - snuggled under these very quilts. When I am gone, they can touch something my own hands created, piece by piece.
Do you have anything that was passed down to you? Or have you made anything you can pass down to those who come after you?
Note: If the beginning of this post feels familiar, it's because it is a re-write of something I shared on this topic years ago.
This year our first real snow - with three inches and snow left in patches on the ground after several days - happened in October. We've had several more snows so far, and spots of snow that don’t melt in the shade for over a month now.
That might be shocking if you live in warmer parts of the country, but October is actually pretty late for a first snow where I live. We have gotten a "first snow" in September before! Our snow season usually lasts somewhere from October to May, and things don't start to green up in the mountains until at least May.
After living here my whole life, you could say I'm used to long winters, and I have come to enjoy them. In recent years I have heard alot of people bemoaning the long winter season in my state, and I find it a little surprising especially when it comes from people who have grown up here as I have. It's good to adapt to where you live, to look at the weather and climate where you are right now and find the good things about it, instead of pining for one favorite season or other destinations. Learning to become content with the climate where you currently live is important for your general happiness, and necessary to keep a sense of gratitude in your heart. God made these seasons - there are special things about all of them, if we take a minute to look for them.
All that said, I thought I'd give a few of my tips for learning how to love the winter season.
1. Dress for the weather.
As someone somewhere once said, there is no bad weather, just bad clothes. Cold weather is going to seem worse than it is if you aren't dressed properly for it. That might mean investing in some good snow or sub-zero clothes for when you have to spend time outside, but it also might mean a trip to the department store for some interesting sweaters that make you excited to wear them. In my book, fall/winter clothes are some of the most fun when it comes to fashion! There is only so much you can do with shorts and shirts in the summer, but there are endless layering combinations and textures to explore in the fall and winter, not to mention all the gorgeous coat options, which you would never get to explore unless you lived somewhere cold.
"When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet."
Proverbs 31:21
2. Practice looking for the beauty that a true winter brings.
There are many parts of the country and world where they never have snow, and some people wish they would get a little snow, especially around Christmas time! Take a winter walk and look at the beautiful way the frost decorates the bare branches, or the way the ice looks on a river as it grows thicker. The colors of winter are so muted and calming when you look at them through the lens of a photographic or artistic eye - try to look at a landscape and identify all the different shades you can (deep blue, dove grey, ice blue, muted brown, lilac, blush pink).
3. Take up a winter hobby.
There are all kinds of cold-weather activities that likewise are not available in the same way in warmer climates - sledding, skiing, ice-skating, snow-shoeing, snowmobiling, sleighing, snow forts and fights and snowmen. Why not appreciate the snow (instead of complaining about it), and branch out by trying one of these wintery activities?
“'For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.'"
Isaiah 55:10-11 NKJV
4. Lean into winter food.
You can't convince me that a hot beef stew tastes as good anywhere else but in the deep of a cold winter season. There are so many wonderful soups and stews, breads and pies, that taste especially wonderful because they are contrasted with the sharp cold and howling winds of winter. Lean into it and add some cozy winter recipes to the rotation.
5. Make your house cozier.
Winter is so much more charming if you have a cozy home to enjoy it in. I wrote a whole post analyzing coziness here, but I think there are a few elements that will bring up the coziness of any space - warm lighting scattered through the room (lamps, candles, fireplace, etc), more textured pillows and blankets (that faux fur throw you spotted at the store? Buy it), and something that smells spicy or warm (scented candles, essential oils, hot cider mulling, bread in the oven).
“He sends out His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly. He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes; He casts out His hail like morsels; Who can stand before His cold? He sends out His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.”
Psalms 147:15-18 NKJV
6. Consider the textile arts.
With all those hours where you might rather be inside, winter seems the perfect time to learn how to make something tangible. Why not pick up a new skill, like knitting, crocheting, embroidery, or sewing? You can make some of those blankets or pillows with interesting textures yourself to add that coziness I just mentioned to your home. And is there a cozier picture for wintertime than sitting in a cozy room, wearing a cute sweater and socks, with something good-smelling coming from the kitchen, while knitting or embroidering a project, with your family gathered around? I think not.
7. Build relationships with friends and family.
Yes, you can and should build up your family and friendships all year long! But winter seems an especially nice time to practice hospitality, to those outside your home and within your home. Why not change up your habits a bit over the winter and make a weekly game night, or add in a new read-aloud routine with your kids all snuggled under blankets, or start singing some Christmas songs or hymns together on a regular basis? Why not invite over someone new to share your cozy home and wintery food together during those months that feel drab to some? Winter is a great time to be together.
"From the chamber of the south comes the whirlwind,
And cold from the scattering winds of the north.
10 By the breath of God ice is given,
And the broad waters are frozen.
11 Also with moisture He saturates the thick clouds;
He scatters His bright clouds.
12 And they swirl about, being turned by His guidance,
That they may do whatever He commands them
On the face of the whole earth.
13 He causes it to come,
Whether for correction,
Or for His land,
Or for mercy."Job 37:9-13
What is your favorite part of the winter season? Do you have any tips for learning to enjoy the winter?
I always think it's fun to see how other people decorate their homes for Christmas. Everyone's home is at it's most beautiful at Christmastime, isn't it? Everything is warm and cozy and bright. It's a chance to get some ideas and soak in all the sparkle of the season.
After seeing the tour on this blog, I thought I'd do a quick Christmas tour of our home too! We don't decorate every room for Christmas, but many of our rooms have one or two Christmasy touches. Not pictured - the kids' little Christmas trees, and the bathrooms. Their rooms were too messy, and I didn't feel like cleaning them before taking these photos, and who really wants to see pictures of the bathroom anyway? On to the photos!
Living Room
We have alot of greens and blues in our living room, so our living room tree has alot of green, blue, and brown ornaments, along with white! We got new tree lights this year that switch from colorful to white, but I like them on the colorful setting best.
Kitchen And School Room
I don't decorate very much in the kitchen or school room, just a table centerpiece, a wreath on the door, and our Thanksgiving-turned-Christmas birch tree. And incidental gingerbread houses.
Front Room/Playroom
The front room (and the master bedroom) have mostly blue-colored furniture/walls, so this is where I bring in the touches of red!
Master Bedroom
I found a few Christmas throw pillows that I loved right after we moved here a few years ago, so now I bring them out each Christmas to add a little bit of Christmas to our room. We also have white lights stringed around the top of the walls in our room, but it's hard to get them in photos. I'm contemplating adding a little tree in our room too, but I'm trying to decide if that's too many decorations for me to manage!
And that's it for the Christmas tour! If you came over to my house for a Christmas party, it would look like this, with a few kid shoes and toys and books thrown around for good measure. If you share any Christmas decorations on your blog, let me know! I want to see!
Aside from the snow we had yesterday and the snow we have in the forecast tomorrow, the wind was howling so fiercely last night. It's a blustery week, and I've been thinking of different ways to make my house feel a little warmer, a little cozier.
I was reminded of the hominess of stovetop potpourri by a friend a couple weeks ago. It's so easy to throw a few good-smelling things in my small saucepan, and the warmth fills the house.
A few essentials to have on hand for a simmer pot are:
-Fruit of some sort. My favorites are any citrus, and apples.
-A smattering of essential oils. Spearmint and cinnamon leaf have been particularly useful for me.
-Baking flavors. I add vanilla flavoring to a lot of my simmer pots, and coconut has also been a useful one.
-Various spices. Whole spices, like whole cloves or cinnamon sticks, are especially fun, but you can get the same effect with ground spices. I like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and rosemary.
-Herb plants. In the spring and summer, I always buy a bunch of herbs, and I'm not going to lie, the main reason is to use the leaves in my simmer pots! There's nothing like min leaves, rosemary sprigs, or fresh lavender if you can get them!
I've tried a bunch of different simmer pot combinations, and they are almost always great, but there have been a few that I've written down because I liked them so much. I thought I'd share them over the next couple weeks. Here is one that I invented two years ago, and I'm going to re-create it today while it snows outside!
We had a wood stove at our old house, and I loved it so much. Whenever the power went out, we could stay cozy in that house with a roaring fire in the stove. I even cooked on that thing when the power was out! Having a fire going also makes the entire house instantly more cozy, and there is no better way to destroy the junk mail that you don't want to throw away because it has your name all over it.
After three years of living in this house (I can't believe we moved in three years ago now), the power amazingly hasn't gone out once. Our old house would get several outages each year, but this house didn't even lose power when we get hit by a bomb cyclone. Even though we may not need it for power outages, we are cleaning out the pipe on the stove and preparing to use it more regularly this winter.
My parents also live in the mountains, and one of the big trees on their property fell down last year. It's been sitting in the field, getting nice and dried out all this time. I asked my dad if we could have it for firewood, and he said sure, we could come chop it up once he was done haying for the year. I think it's going to be a mutually beneficial arrangement - he doesn't have to deal with the tree himself, and we get free firewood.
So a week ago, we spent an afternoon at my parent's house, in the crisp fall air, chopping up a tree and clearing out the dead branches. The aspen leaves were reaching the peak of fall color in the mountains last weekend, and they aren't just yellow this year, but orange and red too. My sister was also there with her kids, and all the cousins were running all over the property, crashing through the woods, and coming up with schemes to build boats and teepees with the branches we were cutting down.
When I was growing up, fall wasn't just about sitting inside by a cozy fire (though I clearly love that). We spent a lot of the fall outside, whether it was helping my parents pick up hay bales, going on a couple last horseback rides before the snow, cutting down trees so my dad could build spec homes over the winter, or hiking through the woods during hunting season.
As an adult I've had less practical reasons to spend time working outside in the fall, but spending a day cutting up fire wood was really refreshing. I felt like I was making the most of fall, getting outside and enjoying nature and the cool air while working with my hands on something that would benefit my family, just like we did every autumn growing up.
Anyway, I wanted to share a few pictures I snapped while we worked. It was such a gorgeous, satisfying, happy fall day.
We got a lot more firewood than this, but we have to go back and finish the tree in the next couple weeks!
Ah, January! The month when we all suddenly get the urge to organize and plan our lives.
Really though, every January I make a plan to get things organized. Sometimes my goals work out and I do make improvements, like the year I finally developed a morning routine. Other times my best laid plans for...well, planning better, fall through. Whatever happens, I will always love that fresh feeling that January brings. In fact, I am probably even more motivated to get organized after a roller coaster of a year in 2020.
These are three things I'm planning on organizing better in 2021:
Photos
For the past couple years I have been printing up the year's worth of photos in December, including the best ones of each of my kids to put into a little album for their stockings - and I take a lot of photos each year. It is a pretty huge project to sort through an entire year's worth of photos, get them printed, and get them into albums. In fact, I didn't even finish the kid's albums in time this year.
I'd like to handle photos differently in 2021 - my goal is to print up photos at the end of each month. This would help spread out the cost, and also keep me on track with only choosing the very best photos to print. (In December, I found myself getting a little lazy in the 2020 photo sorting and selecting too many to print - I was just tired of staring at a screen and wanted it to be over!)
Home Management
This year in my everlasting quest to find a planning system that actually works for me, I am attempting to organize my own home management binder. One thing I hate about planners, and that has hindered me from finding a planner that works for me, is that I hate wasted pages. I hate them so much that if I feel too many pages are being wasted in my planner, I end up throwing the whole system out. I am hoping in printing up only the types of planning pages I'll actually use, I can create my own planner/organization system that works for me. I am focusing on these areas:
-Cleaning Routines
-Meal Planning
-Budget Planning
-Address Organizing
-Blog Planning
I particularly wanted to focus on getting more organized with household chores and such, because I think I've been in a "survival mode" when it comes to homemaking for so many years (with all our babies and toddlers) that I have really become dysfunctionally disorganized in some areas.
My kids are older now, and I'm realizing I don't have to be in survival mode anymore - I actually have the time and energy now to do homemaking well. I want to do that for my family - I think it will make for a peaceful and more relaxing home environment for Derek and the kids, and it'll help me be a better servant to my family, which is something I feel the Lord is calling me to focus on in this stage of my life.
The Kids' Drawings
All these years I have been putting my kids best drawings in keepsake boxes that I have scattered around the house, but I have had no method of organizing their drawings at all. I write the name of the child, and the date, on the back, stuff it in a box, and forget about it.
I didn't even really think about there being another way until Christmas, when my grandmother gave me a keepsake binder with a lot of special papers she had collected over the years. It was a very special and sweet gift, and it also made me realize it doesn't matter if keepsake papers are put into a beautiful scrapbook, with decorations and photos. They are just as special and beautiful when using a simple organization system like a binder with page protectors.
So this year I am going to sort the kids' art into binders, and create a separate one where I can keep the notes and pictures they make for me. It's a more compact way to store things, and this way those papers can be protected better while also creating a better way to actually look at them occasionally!
I am excited to have a plan for becoming a little better organized in these areas in 2021! We shall see how it goes. Are you focusing on any areas for improvement this year?
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I also made a chatty video about everything I just wrote about, but I tacked on a little mini book haul at the end if you are interested in watching!
As I type, I'm sipping on a warm chai. I hear the kids laughing and chanting a rhyme outside the window as warm beams of sunlight angle across the grass. I'm in my cozy pajamas, and the twinkle lights are on.
I figured if I'm going to write about coziness, I might as well get in a cozy mood.
This sudden inspiration for coziness actually came at the end of a pretty rotten day. I checked, and there is a full moon right around the corner, so that might explain it (there is something to that). Everything was a struggle all day, and I quickly found myself retreating into "hide" mode - meaning I locked myself in the closet a couple times to calm myself. Let's just say the atmosphere of the home was not what I wanted it to be yesterday.
After working out and taking a shower, I put on an episode of Gilmore Girls while I fixed my hair. I'm rewatching the show this fall - the last time I watched it all the way through, Wyatt was a baby, so it's been a while. And I started thinking about how many times I've referred to Gilmore Girls as a "cozy fall show". What exactly made it so cozy anyway? And could I replicate that for my kids? A little coziness would be a nice reset for everyone.
After careful analysis (ahem), I pinpointed all the elements that make Gilmore Girls so cozy to me.
Warm Lighting
If you pay attention, you'll notice there is so much warm light in the show - everywhere you look there are twinkle lights or lamps lit - and I think that's a big part of what makes it cozy. It gives you the feeling of being tucked inside a warm house. Whether it's candles, lamps (of which I want to buy more), or twinkle lights, I think that aspect would be really easy to replicate daily in our home. I already do this somewhat with candles, but I want to get a couple more good lamps to illuminate the dark corners.
Good Books
Is there anything more cozy than curling up with a good book? If you are a reader, you can't help but love all the references to books in Gilmore Girls - I don't know if all the books mentioned are actually good, but you know the characters think they are good, and that's what counts. We've been adding more just-for-fun read-aloud time to our homeschool, and it's something I want to remember as a cozy way to reset.
Seasonal Decorations
They really go all out on the seasonal decorations in Stars Hollow, don't they? I'd love to know if any real-life town is like that. All I know is that my kids are always excited when I pull out the the fabric pumpkins and faux foliage that I keep in the box under my bed. When things are starting to get stale around the house, some seasonal decorations are a nice touch to make everyone feel like staying home!
Warm Drinks
Chai, cider, hot chocolate, and of course, coffee. Are the characters in that show ever not drinking something warm? I am blessed to be able to say that every morning I'm awakened by the smell of coffee, thanks to Derek, and it's glorious! But since I don't let my kids drink the stuff yet, I've been buying extra jugs of apple juice at the store lately, so I can periodically make hot cider in the crockpot. It makes the whole house smell good, and it's perfect for keeping everyone happy while we read aloud.
Music
There is so much music mentioned in Gilmore Girls, not to mention the town minstrel, and it sets the mood for the whole show. This is something I'm terrible at, but I would really like to get better at remembering to add some music into our day. I could start something in the morning while we do our Bible time, or I could play soft music over nap/quiet time. I think music would be a really great way to calm the house a bit and boost some moods.
A Busy Kitchen
This is one I never thought about before, but as I was watching the show last night, it struck me that in so many of the episodes, there is a busy kitchen scene (usually with Suki). Even if we don't see Suki, Lorelei and Rory are always ordering in good food. There is something about just knowing that there is something good to eat in the kitchen, or something bubbling on the stove, that makes the whole thing that much more comforting - like virtual comfort food.
I would like my house to feel like that for my kids, like anytime they walk in the kitchen there might be something good to eat waiting for them. I've never been good about meal planning, and even baking (something I love to do) has fallen off in recent months. I'd like to put a little more attention back into the kitchen this winter.
A Close-Knit Community
It's sad that so many Americans have never really experienced a close-knit community, isn't it? Stars Hollow, with it's host of eccentric characters that care about each other despite their oddities, is not exactly the norm anymore. We've lost something.
I think 50-100 years ago, more people knew what a small community felt like. But if you are lucky, you've been part of a close-knit community at some point in your life. When I was growing up, we went to a really small, close-knit church that almost felt like family, Even today, my own family has enough roots in the town where I live that occasionally someone I don't recognize will ask how a family member is. There are remnants here and there.
Even as it's harder to find a close-knit community for my children to grow up within, I am trying to build our own, with family, friends, and our church family. Even if we didn't have an option for those things, there is a sense in which a family is it's own little community, and if it's a Christian family, it is by nature a small cell of a larger community that stretches around the world - the church, the body of Christ. A family can support and love each other despite oddities, and even host their own "community events" in the form of traditions - and we can connect ourselves to the larger context of the church through learning about church history and heroes of the faith. So even as Stars Hollow towns are more rare, I think there are ways to still give our families that sense of belonging to something bigger. We just have to keep your eyes out for opportunities.
Is it worth all this effort to add some coziness to our life? Does this really matter?
I've been thinking about this a lot lately, about how we as moms can help set a good atmosphere for our home. I sincerely think it's something that is worth pouring into. For me, chaotic days like yesterday happen too often for my liking. But my hope is that, overall, when my children grow up, they'll hear the word "home" and think of a cozy, safe place, with parents, family, and friends who love them.
In a sense, a person's idea of home can even shape their idea of Heaven, and the God who reigns over all. I don't always reflect Him to my kids as well as I want to, within the atmosphere of our home (or in general, honestly). But in these small ways, I'm trying, and I'm praying the Lord will use my sometimes pitiful efforts and make something beautiful out of it by His grace.
What do you do to make your home cozy for the fall or winter? Do you feel like you are part of a close-knit community? And, most pertinently, what other cozy fall shows should I check out?
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