Creating a Cozy Home

Have you ever walked into someones home and instantly felt comfortable, sometimes even more than in your own home?  What causes this?  If you were to glance at the magazine rack in the grocery store you would surely see a dozen or more ads trying to show you how to make your home more ______ (you fill in the blank).  All these ads have a purpose and it's not to make your home perfect for you.  It's to constantly make you feel that if you had just one more "thing" you too could have a perfect home.  It really doesn't matter the size of the house, decor, or even your income level.  The 'comfortable' feeling comes from the people in the house and the energy they put into creating a welcoming environment. When I was a kid I could tell if something had come from my aunt's house just by the smell of it, and to this day the memory of sitting on the front porch swing while my grandmother read the newspaper and I laid my head in her lap while she swung us is some of the most comforting memories I have.

This is my grandmother.

Does your family have memories like this, and do they come from your house? If not they can.  All it takes is you creating a secure, loving, welcoming environment with the tools you already have.

First think about your space and what kind of life suits your family.  If you are outdoors people than you will want to concentrate on the yard, porches, patios, and outdoor entertainment areas.  If y'all are the bookworm family then you want to create an area that is comfortable to curl up at, good lighting, plenty of fluffy pillows and throw blankets, and heavens don't forget shelves to hold all the wonderful books!  If you are foodies well then the saying "the heart of a home is in the kitchen" definitely  applies to you guys.  I certainty haven't covered all the types of families out there but you get my general idea and focus here.  Create a home that nurtures your family, a safe haven from the daily stress of the outside world, a place where all is good even when it's not.  A place where there is a warm home cooked meal, clean bed, and plenty of love and support.  When it comes down to the basic survival and success of humanity that is all we need to be happy.

This is McCLane and I last New Year's Eve waiting for the peach to drop.