Home Sweet Home

Disclaimer: this is going to sound totally cliche, but I mean it 100% totally and completely. 

I have really been doing a lot of thinking lately about how very blessed I am. Like, seriously. I mean, I have my days just like everyone does where it is so incredibly easy to compare myself to others instead of realizing the great qualities I possess or the things that I have in my life. It is so easy with all of the gorgeous images online, the creative blogs, and the fabulous products to feel like you can never keep up or even get caught up with how beautiful and amazing the people and their spaces are. The clothes just seem to be getting cuter and the houses more incredible and creative. Those days of comparison actually happen a lot more often than I would like to admit. I actually hate that I have these feelings, but oftentimes they consume me.  I think maybe that is why it makes me that much more grateful when I think about the wonderful things in my life.

 A couple of weeks ago I posted this photo on Instagram when this idea was starting to formulate.

 

You see, I was cleaning house and dusting off my treasures when I realized how much I love all the pieces of my home. My house is not fancy...far from it in fact! It is definitely not perfectly clean, there are scuffs on the wall and dings in 100 year old hardwood floors. Most of the things I use for decor are either homemade or were someone else's before they were mine, but these are actually the things that make me love my home so much. No one came in and did a clean sweep with all new pillows and linens and matching table lamps. My home has been a labor of love [literally from the bare bones, but that is old news] made up of my collections of meaningful gifts and sentimental treasures. For example, in the image above, the hankies are from various antique excursions with my mister, and I treasure those times we get to spend together doing something we both enjoy. The accordion wheels are some that I created for my precious niece's first birthday party, and the chalkboard is an old baby bed that the mister helped me drag home from the side of the road. The worn and crooked chair belonged to my mother's grandfather, and the frame attached holds a photo of him. It sat on my parents' front porch for as long as I can remember until my mom gave it to me, and my daddy and brother took turns helping me weave the seat of the chair. The gallery wall is made up of images and mementos that are special to me such as wedding photos, a wedding shadow box from my sis, photos from my trip to Italy, and a print from the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum where my husband took me for my birthday a couple of years ago. 

Almost everything in my home has a story, and it seldom starts with, "Well, I was at Target and...". Don't get me wrong. I love Target as much as the next guy, but I wouldn't trade all the sentimental goodness of my home for all the gorgeous, trendy pillows in the world. I love that as I look around at the items in my home I could write page after page of stories from all the lovingly chosen gifts, childhood memories, or hours spent sanding in the driveway. I know that these things are just that: things. I don't mean to idolize them, but I am so thankful to be surrounded by things that I think are beautiful and hold so many beautiful memories and feelings. 

I think I will start taking more care to document these things and record their special meaning. Some days it may be on Instagram. Other days it may be a lengthy post such as this, but I only get happy feelings when I reminiscence about these things, so why not? Maybe I will try to come up with a clever name and make it an "official" blog series. Who knows? I just know I am ever so thankful for this warm and loving space that I am blessed to call my home. 

xoxo, 

Katie