Creating Beauty In The Home

I was running about an hour behind that afternoon when I finally pulled into the driveway.  Cars lined the street in front of my house and the inside was filled with High School boys, laptops and my husband hosting a football draft party.

When I walked into the house it was a little gloomy looking.  The only light on was the overhead kitchen light.  They were already eating the buffalo wings and no one had a drink.  They were in there zones.  Football and Buffalo Wings.  As guys, it never occurred to them to create a little ambiance for the party.  All they needed was food and football.

The first thing I did was open the blinds, started turning on the lamps, lighting the candles, filling the drink glasses, passing out napkins, refilling the drink glasses and getting the oven turned on to bake some cookies.  Now that's more like it-a little homey atmosphere for the homies.

You know when you enter someones house who has taken a little time to create a nice atmosphere.  You walk in the door and it just feels like home.  Like the kind of place where you can kick your shoes off and stay awhile.  Creating this warm atmosphere does not happen by accident.

If you have a desire to create a home that is always warm and welcoming then join the club!

"Always treat your family like company and your company like family"

That quote is so good.  Keeping your house "company ready" for your family because you love them and they are worth it.  This morning as I looked at my calender I was looking into the face of a wide open month.

If you are wanting a fresh start here is how to begin.  Pull out a notebook or 7 sheets of paper-whatever you have on hand.  This is not the time to go to the store and buy color coordinated cutesy perfect things.  Trust me on this, just get 7 sheets of paper and a pencil.

Label the top of each paper: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.  The idea is to assign certain activities for each day of the week.  To divide your to-do list into days.  This is so efficient.  It becomes like clock-work. You don't even have to think about it.  So take a moment to think about it:  What do I want to accomplish on Mondays?  Keep the list with you all day.  As you move through your day, be thinking about what Mondays should hold for you.

I'm a big believer in the biblical principle, "You reap what you sow."  If you sow a little time into thinking about what every Monday could and should look like, you will reap a harvest of peace in your home in due time.

And guess what, your list is going to change as you tweak it so don't stress about creating a perfect Monday list!