10 Things...Quick & Easy Ideas for a Tidy Home

Need an easy way to get your home straightened up in a jiffy?

Company coming over in a minute or there's just no time in your day?

Here are some easy tips!

{Focus on a few main areas, and you'll be surprised how tidy your home can be!}

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1) Have a nice, clean entrance! Clear the entry table and floor area from all clutter. Put bills & mail away, shoes in the closet, and straighten the door mat/rug.

2) Wipe down kitchen counters and sink. No time to do the dishes? Pile them in the sink and place a pretty dishtowel on top to hide the mess!

3) Wipe off kitchen table and push in the chairs.

4) Fluff couch cushions and pillows. Your living room will instantly look nice & neat!

5) Straighten up the coffee table. Stack magazines neatly, plop remotes in a basket or on a tray, and take any stray snack dishes to the kitchen sink.

6) Place a fresh, clean hand towel in the bathroom, and wipe down the sink.

7) Grab a big basket and place all of the stuff left on the floor (toys, a book, slippers, whatever your family leaves all over!) inside. Put in a closet and be sure to have the family put those items away later in that same day!

8) Open your curtains and blinds and let in the light. If it's a nice day then open a window for a breeze and to hear the sounds of nature. This looks beautiful and makes your rooms seem brighter and bigger too!

9) Turn on a lamp or three for a nice, warm, welcoming glow!

10) Close doors to untidy areas, light a pretty candle, and greet those at the door with a smile!

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And Remember:

A Welcoming Home Begins With A Welcoming Heart!

This post brought to you by our sponsor Red Letter Words...faith inspired art.

Easy Ideas for a Cheerful Home

{photo of my old Lemon Daddy Hydrangea}

One of my very favorite flowers is the lovely hydrangea. And when it's tipped in blue...my heart skips a beat!!

So today I'm going to find some pretty cut hydrangea to put in a vase in my home. A spot of beauty to bring a smile to my face and brighten my day!

And I know that my Girls and Husband love to see fresh flowers in the house, too. :) They enjoy coming home to a place that reflects peace and beauty.

Everyone can use a little cheery lift in their home. It just makes "Home" a more Welcoming, positive place to be!



There are lots of simple, quick ways to bring a bit of cheer to your home:

Greet family members at the door with a big hug and a smile!

Frame a recent picture that brings good memories.

Add a new Spring wreath to your front door.

Light a candle at the dinner table tonight!

Write a special note on a chalkboard.

Put a single flower in a vase in everyone's bedroom.

Make a favorite treat!

Keep a positive attitude (even when it's not easy!)

Play a fun game together.

Snuggle, laugh, and talk together!

Put out a colorful kitchen dishtowel.

Enjoy your blessings!



So, for today...

How will you make your home a more cheerful, positive, welcoming place to be?

Share your idea(s) with us in the comments!

What Are You Saving It For?

Today I'm going to get on my soapbox.

Ever go to somebody's house and think, "Wow, this house is beautiful...but it certainly isn't very welcoming!"?? They have beautiful furniture, but cover it up with a sheet or quilt so it won't get dirty. There's hardly any light in the room, but they won't turn on a lamp. The dinner table looks nice, but the candles sit there unused, and instead of using dishes for a dinner party, the paper plates come out. The house you are visiting is large enough for a separate guest room, but the hostess jokes that she can't remember the last time anyone actually used it.

Ever think some of those things?
Would anyone in your family say the same about your own home?

ouch.

When you really think about it, does the truth hurt just a little?

Now, I'm not saying that using paper plates sometimes is bad, we all do it! But does there come a time when we just need to use, I mean REALLY USE, what we have?

What are we saving it for?!!

Are we so afraid to use our good china "in case" something gets broken? Are the flowers in your garden for looking and not for picking? Are the couple of dollars (or less) you spent on that candle so precious that you feel you can't burn it? Are you saving that perfume for a "special day"? Are those coveted white slipcovers too precious for your family to feel comfortable sitting on without another cover on top of the already slipcovered furniture?

What are you waiting for?

YOU are WORTH IT!
Your FAMILY and FRIENDS are worth it!

Why?

Because people are more important than "things".

And a lot of the time, Friends, in our own homes...
...we act as though the opposite were true.

So what if expensive dishes break? A newly painted wall gets splattered with food? A candle burns down till it's gone? Or, (the horror!) a white slipcover gets lived on & it shows?

It's just stuff.

It can all be fixed or cleaned or replaced. Even if it can't, didn't we buy these things to USE them? Aren't the relationships with the person who broke the item more important than the item itself?

If we keep waiting & waiting for that "Special Day" to come, think of all of the lovely times and experiences we would have missed by not blessing our loved ones with the use of these things in the meantime.

Think of the money wasted by having those items sitting unused and not being enjoyed.

You can't take these things with you when you leave this earth, so Why Wait?

Make EVERYDAY a SPECIAL DAY!!!


What Are You Saving It For?

Enjoy some flowers in your home!
Pick them from your garden, or buy them at the store!
YOU are WORTH IT!!!
Put that pretty vase to use!

Have a little accent lamp?
Turn it on!
Create a warm, welcoming glow that will lift your spirits!!
You bought it with every good intention of creating a cozy atmosphere...What are you waiting for?

Have a guest room or spare room that you never use?
Invite family or friends you haven't seen in a while over & bless them with your gifts of hospitality!
Volunteer to host a missionary from church at your home for dinner and a night or two of rest and relaxation while they are visiting the area.

If you are blessed with a room to spare, then please bless others by having them there!
:)

Got candles?
Light them up! Enjoy the pretty glow of the candlelight, or the soft scent wafting by!
Burn them every day until they are gone, then get a new one!

Use your china & silver at least once a month!
How about every Sunday for dinner?
Create a special tradition in your family that they will remember and pass down with their own families one day!
If things get broken, so what? Mixing & matching at the table is "in" now anyway! :)
Table linens get dirty? It's inevitable. Just wash!!

And, Oh, the white slipcovers!
If you have them, then enjoy them!

I've had them for several years, and yes, they have had children with runny noses and dusty shoes crawling and lounging on them. And yes, I've got a pet with dirty paws too. Food eaten on them...Yup!

They can be washed, and no, I don't have to wash them all of the time....hardly ever, actually.
Because I just don't care if a little mark is on them here or there.

We have white slipcovers because I love the beautiful overall look.... but more important than keeping them pristine white is having my kids and my friends know that they are welcome to sit and relax there anytime!!

(This was my old sunroom....I've got the couch in our new living room, and the chair with an ottoman in my craft room/office now!)

I guess my encouragement to you today from my little soapbox would be:

If you have it, use it and enjoy it! Because everyday can (and SHOULD!) be a "Special" day!
And you ARE worth it!

:)

{If you still can't bring yourself to really use the items in your home often, then I'd encourage you to give them to a young couple who would truly love and use those things.}

That's all.
Stepping down now.

Love you guys!

Home is...Easter 2010 Memories

Today I'm joining Sandy at The Reluctant Entertainer for her series "Home is..."



I love Creating a Welcoming Home, and this Easter Celebration was a fun way for our family to continue some Easter traditions we already had and also to create new memories in our home!

For our family, our celebration focuses on the Gift of Life that we have been given through Jesus. The fact that He has Risen!!!

So, after we attend Easter Morning church services, we spend the day as a family celebrating with food, fun, & fellowship!

We traditionally have an Egg Hunt for the children, and this year the weather was beautiful :) so we were able to have it outside.

The girls loved gathering tons of eggs filled with treats, new hair accessories, coins, and more treats!

Home is special because of the memories we make there.

Home is creating, and then continuing, family traditions that will bond your family's hearts even closer together.

Home is celebrating with family and friends!

Hubby's parents and grandparents came to town for the weekend, and we had such a fun time together! A huge family Easter dinner was prepared and enjoyed by all. We ate foods that are traditionally eaten by Hubby's side of the family, and laughed and talked the afternoon away!

Home is hearing the sounds of giggling children, feeling a warm hug, smelling an Easter ham in the oven, tasting sweets brought by Grandma, and seeing the smiles on your loved ones faces.

Home is making a welcoming, lovely place for your family and friends...not just because you can, but because you care.

A Welcoming Home begins with a Welcoming Heart!

I set a simple Easter table this year, using what I already had.

Bright ribbon in Springtime shades of green and pink gave a fun pop of color to the table, and complemented the pink roses in our centerpiece.

Votives filled with peanut M&M's gave the sweet-tooths something to nibble on!
(plus the colors went with the table!)

The wonderful memories we made here as a family this Easter made our little house feel even more like HOME!

For more ideas on HOME, please click on the
"Creating A Welcoming Home" link
(under Inspiration) on my left sidebar!

Decorating to EnLIVEn Your Home!

A very simple, inexpensive way to liven up your home and make it a more Welcoming place is to try to have at least one "live" thing in each room!

Live items could include:

Houseplants

Flowers (Cut or Potted)

Fresh Fruit or Veggies Piled in a Colander or Bowl

Beautiful Music

Pinecones

Shells, Starfish, Coral

A Flickering Candle

Breeze Coming Through an Open Window, Fluttering the Curtains

Nests

Branches

Things Living or Found in Nature

etc.....

Having "LIVE" things in a space really makes your Home feel warm & inviting.

Not to mention the joy these items bring because of their beauty!

I can't imagine that there is anyone who doesn't want to bring some

color
texture
beauty
warmth
& freshness

into their Home!

These flowering dogwood branches in our last home really made our breakfast room feel so beautiful and fresh and cozy all at the same time!

:)

Makes me want to have a friend over for tea & cupcakes just looking at it!!

Fresh fruit or veggies look so amazing when they're put in a pretty bowl or basket in the kitchen. Who wouldn't want to eat healthier when you're looking at such colorful produce?!!

{I'll admit that I even use real-looking but fake lemons piled in an apothecary jar....they are so cheery you can't help but smile when walking past!}

Even small rooms like a bathroom could use some "live"-ening up!

Here an old scale holds pretty soaps and a towel, but when I placed the coral & starfish on there -- LOVE it!!

The candles in the background can be lit for taking a relaxing bath.

Some moisture loving plants do very well in a bathroom too, due to the humidity.

Flowers are one of my very favorite ways to bring "life" to a space!

Whether they come from your garden or your local grocery store, flowers are a wonderful way to enjoy the Creator's handiwork up close!

Gorgeous!!!

But most of all, it's the love & laughter of family and friends being together that really makes a House a Home!!!

10 Simple Ideas For a Welcoming Home

I Can Do TODAY To Make My Home More Welcoming:

1) Sweep the front porch/entryway. Time to get rid of the winter dust & dirt and get ready to welcome spring!

2) Put some pretty flowers in the kitchen! I love to have at least one "live" thing in each room -- a plant, flowers, fruit, shells, etc. This will add SO much to your space!

3) Call a friend and make a date to have her over for a casual, fun time. It can be a spur-of-the-moment coffee time while kids play around you, or you can do a simple meal with both families and serve a big pot of chili, salad & cornbread -- perfect for an end of winter get together! Hospitality comes from the heart, not from having a perfect house, so warmly welcome your friend and let her know she's "Welcome" at your home anytime!

4) Go through that pile of papers on the counter -- you know the one! LOL!! What a weight that will be off your (& my!) shoulders. Plus think of the added space you'll have without the mess there!

5) Pick a corner of one room and work your Welcoming Magic! Add a comfy throw, change out a pillow, switch accessories, place a framed picture, or put a favorite book or magazine nearby.... Just focus on one small area and see the big difference it will make! Ahhhh!!

6) Have a positive attitude! You know, If Mama Ain't Happy, Ain't Nobody Happy is so true! Greet others with a smile, a hug & a cheery "Hello! I'm so glad to see you!".

7) Pick one room and just think on it for a bit to see how it could work better for your family and friends needs. Maybe you could use an extra chair in the living room for seating more friends, maybe board games could be moved to be more easily accessible for game nights, maybe the formal dining room you use once a year (what a shame!) could be made more casual for more frequent get-togethers or even be turned into a craft room (depending on your needs!). Take today to just brainstorm. Then, try to use what you have already to reach your goal!

8) Write a "love note" for each family member and place it on their pillow for a little Sweet Goodnight Surprise!

9) Light a candle & enjoy the wonderful scent and warm glow as you go about your day!

10) When you step outside make sure to give your neighbors a wave & a smile!

Hope you all have a blessed day! I'm going to be working in my kitchen (the new cabinets are in!) and working on some of these welcoming touches for my own family! :)

P.S. -- I'd love to shout out a big ol' "Welcome!" to our new friends/followers here at The Blessed Nest! I'm so happy to have you here! Please make yourselves at home and don't be shy, come & visit & share with us often!! :)

Which Came First ...The "Nest" or the "Egg"?

Home, the spot of earth supremely blest, A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest. ~Robert Montgomery

The Eastern Bluebird that built this nest in our old backyard had it right.

You see, I watched as the bluebird flew back & forth to the little wooden birdhouse, carrying bits of pine straw found in the woods behind our property, or tiny twigs or bits of animal hair in order to make the softest, most secure, most important spot for it's little ones to arrive. Building the nest was an all-consuming task, lasting for days as Momma & Papa Bluebird got things just right. Tucking in new pieces of pine straw here, pulling and fluffing over there, the bluebird had only one thing on it's mind...building it's nest. It had to get ready!

Soon, Momma Bluebird started laying eggs, one each day for several days. The prettiest blue color you ever did see! Guess what happened then? The focus changed from the nest to their new eggs! The Momma had to keep her eggs nice and warm so that they would soon hatch. The bluebirds stopped making their nest the #1 priority. Sure, it was very important to shelter them and keep them safe, warm, & secure, but it was the little eggs inside that moved to the #1 spot of importance.

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We all desire to make a wonderful, warm & inviting "nest" of our own, don't we? I know that I truly love to make a beautiful, welcoming home! It's something I really really enjoy! But what is our true priority when building our "nests"? Is it the "nest"? Glory for ourselves? Or is it the "eggs"?

Is our priority our "nest", our house? Do we spend too much time focusing on the counter that needs to be cleaned, or the pillows that need to be arranged just right, or (dare I say) looking for/writing about ideas on the web? Are we too busy to play legos with our kids because we're consumed with a decorating project? Do we spend so much time keeping house that we fail to notice those people in our house?

Or is our priority ourselves? Are we focused on keeping our house in tip-top shape because we want others who visit to be impressed with our amazing cleaning or decorating skills? Do we spend more time worrying about how our tablescape is a reflection of us as a homemaker than about relaxing and having a fun time with our guests, making them the most important part of the evening? Are we in a subconscious "competition" to be the best *fill in the blank* so that everyone will think we're the most awesome thing since the Dairy Queen Blizzard was invented?

What is your #1 priority when it comes to building your own nest?

I'll be honest with you all here (raising my hand sheepishly) and say that there are occasions when my priority shifts :/. Sometimes I start to care too much about what my living room curtains say about ME, wondering if others will think I'm a good decorator, instead of focusing on blessing my family with my loving choices. Sometimes I get a little annoyed when a family member wants my attention while I'm working on a blog post, or arranging my bookshelves. I'm not perfect. None of us are! :) Now, there's nothing wrong with making your home a beautiful place to be, I'm all for it! But I really try to make sure my top priority remains the people in my life! That's really why we do what we do! Making a welcoming, beautiful home is a wonderful act of love for our family and friends!

What's all this about an "egg"? Well, the "egg" in our own lives is where our #1 priority should be when it comes to Creating A Welcoming Home. It's the people in our lives that matter! Our family and friends and neighbors. Making a home for them to feel welcomed, encouraged, and loved. A home that, yes, looks inviting, but the most inviting thing about it is the smile on your face as you greet them with open arms, saying,

"Welcome! I'm so glad to see you! Please, make yourself AT HOME!!!".

Making my House a Home

Okay. I have a confession to make.

When we first moved back to Chicagoland at the end of July, I sounded a bit more optimistic about our "new" house here on the blog than I felt in real life.

Let's just say that downsizing from a big, brand new home that you built yourself into a MUCH smaller, older, more expensive (thanks to the difference in the housing markets between NC and Chicago) home sounds so charming and "can-do" in theory. Since we've moved A LOT before and fixed up several other older homes, I figured it would be a pretty easy transition. It really wasn't as easy as I expected in reality though.

Do you remember that Hubby picked out the house himself? An early 1980's english tudor split-level, to be exact. (SO NOT what I ever pictured myself living in!) All I saw were pictures on the internet until the day we closed on the house. So when I first walked through the house, I was doing pretty good thinking, "Well, this room is smaller, but it will work fine...I can fix this...We can re-do that....",

that is until I quickly reached the kitchen.

Let me tell you, friends, this kitchen is small. As in small. And awkwardly laid out. Not good for a family that cooks and bakes together every day (thanks to my Gluten-Free diet) and entertains frequently. So small that I may have gotten a bit teary when I first saw it. Small enough that visitors have actually said, "Whoa!" upon entering the room. THAT kind of small.

So, after wallowing in a small-kitchen-pity-party for awhile, I determined that no tiny kitchen was gonna stop me! This kitchen might be small and weird, but it's OUR kitchen. Time to make it work for our family!

Then, guess what happened? The more I started embracing my new house's good qualities, the more it felt like home. Things like built-in bookshelves, or an upstairs landing, or a beautifully finished basement with room for a craft studio (!) and playroom, or lots of windows looking out over a backyard just made for entertaining....these were things that I focused on.

Beautiful colors started going up on the walls, pictures were hung, family memories started being made. It felt less like a place we were visiting and more comfortable....more us. Before I knew it.....

....we were HOME.

Is this our "dream home"? Well, maybe not. Then again, maybe. Because whether a house is big and gorgeous, or small and in need of a makeover,

a house is just a house until you CHOOSE to MAKE IT A HOME.

And this girl is definitely having fun now DREAMing about ways to make this house a HOME!!!

{So today we're taking a step to make our house feel more like home by working on our "Kitchen Makeover"! I put together an inspiration board for the kitchen and we're going to visit some home improvement stores today to get an idea for pricing. I'll be sharing more of these steps with you next week!}

Creating A Welcoming Home...

{above awareness sticker from www.zazzle.com}

.....When You Have A Chronic Illness.


If you have been reading my blog for a while, then you know that my passion is inspiring women to Create Welcoming Homes! You may have seen a recipe or two that were gluten-free as well. But I've never shared with you my story. And I had done this on purpose. Ain't no disease out there that's pretty, people. However, I know that there are millions of women out there who have a chronic illness of some kind, who desperately want to Create A Welcoming Home for their family even though it may be difficult, and just might be inspired to know that they are not alone. And that's why I'm sharing with you today.

(And if you are blessed to be healthy, then read on anyway...it may give you an understanding heart for a friend.)


Hello, my name is Stacey...and I have Celiac Disease.

Here's my story:

I was blessed to be a happy, healthy child and teenager. I was active & energetic through college, when I first started noticing that something was definitely wrong with me.
I started to drastically lose weight. I had always been thin, but doctors were stumped. A couple of months later Hubby & I were engaged, & I had gotten down to 100 lbs, was drinking 3 "shakes" a day full of calories to put on weight (SO disgusting, by the way), eating non-stop, and could.not.put.on.weight.

They did all sorts of tests, checking everything from full-panel bloodwork to check my thyroid or for anemia, all the way to drinking barium and having scans done to check if I had cancer. Nothing showed up.
They said that they didn't know. And chalked it up to stress.

By my wedding day, I had gotten back up to 110.

Fast forward a year, literally just after our 1 year anniversary.
I had gotten terribly sick with "the flu". I couldn't keep anything in me, was passing out from dehydration, and had gone to the ER twice already. I was taking a medicine cocktail of several different things, but nothing was working.
I was having diarrhea up to 20 times a day. And I knew for sure that my husband of one year would keep his vow and love me forever "in sickness and in health" when he quietly and lovingly cleaned up a messy bed and mattress when I was too sick to even wake up to make it to the bathroom.
A week in the hospital, a colonoscopy, some unsure signs and symptoms, and once again....doctors said "I don't know" and sent me home. It took another 3 weeks before I was better.

In the years that followed, I had been told "I don't know" and sent on my way more times than I could count.

After my daughters were born (only 15 mo apart), I couldn't shake the tiredness and nausea that I had felt during my pregnancies. I felt sick to my stomach much of the time, and was exhausted, but we thought maybe it was just hormones out of control. But, it didn't go away after I gave birth.
In fact, it had gotten worse.


By now, my days were filled with 2 little babies...and then as time passed, 2 little toddlers...draining what little energy I had out of me. I spent most of my time at home on the couch, trying to get a migraine to go away, or trying not to throw up, or trying to catch a few minutes of sleep since I was just always so exhausted. Some days were pretty normal, and some were not. I put on a happy face for the world to see. Friends and family were mostly unaware that I felt so badly. Who wants to hang out with a "sicky"? I got really good at faking like all was well.

I had to teach my husband to cook, since I could no longer function well enough to do that everyday anymore. Some days I'd be so ill that I would tell my toddlers to "bring Momma a bowl and bring me some cereal/or a snack, and I'll pour it for you". I cried a lot about that.

After having finally had enough, I cried when I went to an allergist who said that I was allergic to several things, one of which was wheat. Praise the Lord! Finally, an answer!! After some more testing during the next 2 years, I was officially diagnosed by a gastroenterologist as having Celiac Disease.

How am I better now?
Well, I eat Gluten-Free. It's the only way to stay healthy. Gluten is the protein found in wheat, barley, & rye, and oats are avoided due to contamination issues as well.
I still have some health issues due to being undiagnosed for so long (around 10 years). But overall, I am lightyears better than before!
(for more info: www.celiac.org)


Why am I sharing this with you??

Honestly, I didn't really want to. But it was on my heart to share anyway!

I do want to encourage many of you out there who do have health problems, yet desperately want to create a haven for your family. You want a Welcoming Home! But I know that it may be harder for you than for others. I know. I understand. And I want to tell you that
"You are not alone!"

It is very possible to Create A Welcoming Home!
It takes LOVE, most of all. That's what your family needs most!!
Do what you can, when you can, the Lord knows your limitations & your strengths.
Don't fall into the trap of blaming your illness for not doing anything around your home.
Keep things simple & easy. De-clutter & simplify in every area.
Your "to-do list" for the day won't look the same as most people's list, and that's ok.


Whether it's arthritis, migraines, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, diabetes, cancer, celiac disease, etc. know that you aren't alone...that I care...and most of all that God cares about you!
If you desire a Welcoming Home, then He will honor that desire!!

Find a Bible verse that gives you encouragement!
Here's one of mine:
"...Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord". Deut. 8:3



Thanks for listening to me today! I know that this varies from my usual posts, but it was on my heart!

For more encouraging posts, check out (in)courage, a new incredible website, like a little home away from home, all for encouraging women!

Creating A Welcoming Home -- Summer

Yay, it's SUMMERTIME!!!

Enjoy this Summer by paying attention to these "little joys" in your life! :)

Sight: A flag waving in the breeze, watching the kids fly a kite, pretty blue hydrangeas in bloom, a "Welcome" sign on the front door, switching your decor to light and bright, sunlight sparkling on the morning dew, fireflies blinking in the evening, kids blowing bubbles and drawing with sidewalk chalk, waving to a passing neighbor when you're outside!

Sound: Listening to local marching bands in the town parade, kids laughing in the backyard, the slam of a screen door, free local concerts, the crackle of a campfire, the splash of water in the pool, friends chatting while gathered around your patio table.

Smell: Flowers fresh from the garden in a pretty vase, a fruit pie fresh from the oven, the tropical scent of sunscreen, freshly mowed grass, charcoals cookin' up burgers & brats, the salty air by the ocean.


Taste: S'mores made by the campfire, veggies fresh from the garden, a popsicle made by sticking a popsicle stick in a dixie cup with juice & freezing, fresh squeezed lemonade made by kids at a lemonade stand, herbs from the windowsill, slices of watermelon, pizza every Friday night with the family.

Touch: A vintage tablecloth covering your outside table, a cool glass of sweet tea, the breeze of a ceiling fan circling overhead, picking up shells at the beach, being wrapped in a warm towel after getting out of the pool, placing your hand over your heart in patriotic pride!

Take time this Summer to notice & experience the little joys in life!

{all photos courtesy of Country Living Magazine}