Feeling Especially Grateful for Home

After having hurricane Sandy rumble through the east coast, I am feeling extremely lucky and grateful that we did not suffer any damages, or even lose power. My heart is going out to friends and family in New York and New Jersey, where they are still dealing with floods, power outages, and more.

As I sat at home on Monday with my little one, hubby, and cat all cozied up inside, I was counting my many blessings: the warm glow of lamps and fairy lights, my hands busy with a craft project I’d been meaning to do for ages, hot soup for lunch, baking jam sandwich cookies in the afternoon, and uproarious giggles coming from Bix throughout the day. The chickens, poor things, were huddled in their coop, but I promised to carry them in one by one and let them stay in the bathroom if things got too bad.

It’s easy to take for granted all of the little things that make our days sweet and meaningful, don’t you agree? A stormy day with everyone (safely) at home was a wonderful opportunity to slow down and just enjoy being with the ones I love. We read, we snuggled on the couch, we lit our jack o’lantern and watched it glow, and yes, of course we also watched the weather channel!

Something else that occurred to me as I was stuck inside all day was this: while our loved ones are of course the most important of all, our home also can go a long way toward soothing our spirits and mending our moods. It’s not about spending lots of money on your furniture, but about the feeling you create within the four walls. It’s the hard work you put into keeping things tidy, mending things when they break, baking yummy things in the kitchen, and keeping that feeling of warmth and family alive in the routines and objects you choose to surround yourself with.

The home I chose to share here belongs to Verena Stummer, in Vienna, Austria (found on decor8). Looking at these photos, I could really feel the warmth of this home, from the craft supplies scattered about to the worn wood, mishmash of art and handmade objects, even in the quality of the light. This is a place someone has made a home, and it’s more than the sum of its parts. In the last image above, did you notice the lettering on the wall? I love this idea, it’s so creative and different to put a favorite quote on the wall among framed art, and this quote felt especially relevant today: “the problem with doing everything is that you have no time for doing nothing.” Amen to that! Let’s all make a little time for doing nothing today, shall we? xoxo Laura

p.s. – Happy Halloween! I promise pictures of Bix in his costume (and pics of his new room with blackboard wall) soooon, I pinkie swear!

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