Learning contentment has been a big theme of God’s heart-work in my life this year, and contentment with my home is one of the things I’ve been struggling with. When we moved here seven years ago, with three small children, the house seemed just right. Those children have grown and we have two more, and frankly, things seem a little cramped sometimes – especially when seven people are trying to come in at our very small and rather poorly designed entryway! 🙂 Sometimes I look longingly at the large houses that have recently been built behind us and think bigger would be better. But they have drawbacks, too, like smaller yards and young trees (no shade). Moving is not an option now, anyway, so I need to learn to make the best of what I have. That is where Love the Home You Have comes in. I came across Melissa Michaels’ new book a couple of months ago, and as hubby and I have been talking about our house, and possible changes and improvements we could make, it looked like a good source of ideas and encouragement. This is the first post in a series in which I hope to apply her ideas to my own situation, share home improvement plans and projects, and encourage anyone else out there who may be struggling to be content with the home they have.
The Love the Home You Have website has illustrations (which are also in the book) of inspirational quotes that are free to share, so I will include some of them in my posts. This quote is also the title of the book’s introduction in which Melissa encourages us to invest ourselves in the homes we have, accepting their limitations and learning to express our unique style within them. As we do this, we will find ourselves “falling in love” with the home God has provided for us. She suggests thinking of three things we love about our home. Here are the ones I thought of for my home:
- The good-sized, fenced, shady backyard.
- The rounded archways: a nice architectural feature that I probably could emphasize more with paint or something.
- The master bedroom, with its two walk-in closets.
We have been brainstorming ways to better use the space we have. We want to replace the carpet in the living and family rooms with laminate like the rest of the downstairs ASAP. We have outgrown both the dining room and kitchen tables, so we need a bigger dining table and dining area. The dining room will become the homeschool room, and the family room will be the dining/library area. At least that’s the plan now, and planning is probably the most fun part of any home renovation. 😉 First step: sell the dining room table and buffet (they’re a set) so we can put the money towards a new table and have room to put stuff while the floor is being redone!
I’m looking forward to this series. Knowing your family & home, I think this plan sounds perfect!
Thanks for the encouragement, Dawn!