This page in my blog called A comfortable home was posted January 2015 and brought the most emails of the year. I am bumping it back up for those that may have not seen this page since it has moved so far down in my blog. I feel there is a stirring in many people to get back to basics and to make their nest so to speak.
I want to remind my visitors that this website has many older pages such as this one to read during the time I am not posting. If you look at the categories and click on the home page or main page there are sections, living like the past, cooking from scratch, pets and more. At the bottom of the main page of those sections are page numbers that will advance you to the older articles. I want to thank everyone that has taken the time to send emails and I have never received anything but lovely emails from my visitors which I consider my extended family.
A home can be a magical place, a place where you rest and eat good food, a place where you can recharge and be creative.
Many people dread housework and complain of clutter and laundry, dishes and dust. But if you truly live in your home you will always have dirty dishes and dust, you will have smelly things and laundry. Your beds will need to be made and your bathrooms will need to be cleaned regularly.
A home is a place to do those things we love to do. A child is like a sponge soaking in all that goes on around them. If we do interesting things they are noticing and learning even if they are sitting on the floor playing with a toy. So many families have stopped truly living in their home.
If we just open our eyes and minds, slow ourselves down and truly do the things that are important we would never need to look elsewhere for entertainment.
We should care for everything we own.
It is all in how you look at it. Truly it is mental. Organize to be comfortable, not perfect. The main thing about housework is attitude. Someone has to do it, either grumpy me or creative me.
I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so why not make it romantic. I love baking bread and anyone that comes into a home with fresh bread baking is instantly spellbound with the thought of warm butter and jam. Today there are alternatives in baking for those with gluten sensitivities so you can still bake those warm smell good, taste good foods.
A home should be a place for nourishment.
We should have some type of home management plan to clean the items that we have because the dust will settle and they will need to be cleaned because that is life.
I miss the days when things were more proper. People took more care in most everything they did.
Drawers need sorting several times a year because items will get out of place. No matter what you see or read in organizing books, you do not have to color coordinate or line it up perfect. Just a good sprucing up will do because you are living in your home being comfortable in your home, not living in a cold sterile perfect home.
If you cannot get to your dishes right away, rinse off the food and stack them.
When we cook most all of our meals at home we need more cooking items and I have found it helps to group items to have them handy.
Since we truly live in our home, my husband built a screen door for the inside of our home. We have it in the doorway of our sewing/guest room to keep our pets out of the room. I have concerns with pins dropping on the floor and this was the way to keep them out until I can make sure there are no pins.
I enjoy sewing and knitting, embroidery as well as many other things that were done in the past.
The screen door was here first, with the idea of being able to keep the guest cats in the guest room. but we decided a wood and glass door that would let light through when closed would be more appropriate.
My husband and I pack lunches, snacks and water when we go somewhere. If not there is that temptation to eat fast food which we all know is pricey and not necessarily healthy. Living in a comfortable and somewhat organized home allows you time to think ahead which will save you money. This is a gluten free blueberry muffin.
Our sewing room keeps evolving and now it feels right. The sewing room use to be a 2nd guest room and I have always felt shorted on sleeping space when we removed the bed and converted it to a sewing area. Recently we put a small bed back in the room to have an extra bed. I re-sorted all of my sewing items, downsized a good bit and now this room is turning out to be an excellent room to take a short nap.
Keeping nicknacks and keepsakes requires extra dusting so I try and keep only those items with special meaning.
There is always going to be temporary clutter as when I have clothes hanging in the house to dry after washing. I keep a couple of clotheslines in the guest room and a dehumidifier running while they are drying. Without a dehumidifier, moisture in the room can create a musty odor.
A lot of people like their counters completely cleared off and that is perfectly ok. I cook every day and putting away everything is not always what is best for me. I like to keep certain things easy to reach. It is all about what makes us comfortable.
This would make the most kitchen purist insane but constantly getting bags of flour and carrying heavy things around the kitchen is not comfortable for me so I choose to leave it on the counter.
Keeping it real, this is my kitchen hub area next to the stove. Once a week just pull it all back and give it a good wipe down.
It takes a lot of work to keep a house. It has always taken a lot of work. Our generations before us worked much harder in their homes than we do now because they did not have all the appliances that we have in this time. Housework is a constant thing and as we go through life we acquire many items and can become overwhelming.
If we want to feel settled and comfortable there must be some kind of order or our house will become a place that will drain our energy. If we change our attitude and let go of unnecessary items and continue to do that we will start feeling a sense of relief. All objects need space around them, too many things touching with no air flow will cause stuffiness. Try it, move one object away from another and you will see.
There are daily and weekly tasks that should be done or else it will compromise our health. If our activities outside our home are affecting our ability to get things done in our home then it may be time to make an adjustment in what we do.
I hope this gives you a different perspective, I hope you can lighten your home and feel more comfortable, more romantic and enjoy your space.
