One of the things I try to do on this little blog is to give you hope that you can improve your surroundings and create a place that feels like home. Whether you live in a dated house or an apartment where you can't touch the walls (with paint...that would be weird if you could never actually touch the walls), you can step out of the box and create an environment that makes you happy.
I haven't always had a house of my own. Back when I was a young single mom with a toddler (as opposed to the ancient 33 year old I am now...joking) I dreamed, and begged, and prayed every day that someday my son and I would have our own home. That dream wouldn't be realized for years, but I made the most out of what I had - which for a while was 2 bedrooms in my parent's house (sorry...I hope that isn't an overshare...just keeping it real here).
Even with those two little bedrooms I made an effort to create a home for us. My son's bedroom had a little loveseat in it where we could read together, or watch movies and munch on popcorn on our Friday night "date night". I would dim the lights and we would pretend it was a movie theater. I chose cute curtains and bedding for both rooms, and I even put up a Christmas tree in my bedroom each year that my son and I would decorate...sometimes with "ornaments" made from pine cones we collected in the backyard.
My point in sharing this is, we all dream of granite countertops, farmhouse sinks, and shiny hardwood floors....but don't get so wrapped up in looking to the future that you neglect the home you have right here, right now.
42 Suburbanites Said:
Wonderful post, and you are very wise. Home is where we are, today.
What a cute picture of you and your son.
What a sweet precious post. You are so right...not everyone has the ideal or to-die-for home. At this point in my life, I'm fortunate that I don't have to always work with a budget all the time but I still enjoy repurposing, searching and using what I have to pull my home together for a one-of-a-kind place.
The picture of you and your son is just priceless!
Hugs!
Judy
Perfectly said! And keeping it real is a good thing! You guys are too cute - love that little Christmas tree!
~Karla @ It's The Little Things...
SUCH a beautiful post and so true! I was also a single mother of 2 young boys at one time, and even though I managed to hang on to our little home, it was a cozy and warm and inviting as I could make it for them....the real meaning of "home". Love...
Lou Cinda :)
This was perfectly stated! THAT is what HOME is all about...even though just one slab of granite on my island would be wonderful about now. :)
great post, so true!
Home is what you make of it ~ what a beautiful post!
Thanks for keeping it real! It is nice to know that everyone is human and doesn't have the picture perfect life. I agree with being thankful for what you have at the time you have it. I myself need to remember that more often!
From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Reading all these beautiful home decorating and inspiring and creative blogs makes me feel, well, a bit, like I'm not quite measuring up or doing my creative share. And then I start wishing I was somewhere else, with a different canvas. Truth is, the canvas I have in front of me is perfect. Thanks for reminding me of it!
Kolein
velvette1216@gmail.com
True that.
I totally feel you on the Suburban cottage too. Thanks for sharing.
So very true and perfectly stated. And it is surprising how quickly our little ones grow. I wouldn't want to spend all my money and energy on making the 'perfect' home and miss the experiences with my kids. Thanks so much for sharing.
This was beautiful!!!
So true AnNicole! Beautiful. I've lived in some doozies. :) And many months I didn't even have a home. So mine, no matter what it looks like, is part of my heart.
Thanks for sharing...I, too, was (am) a young mom and it's taken us a while to get on our feet, but we are finally home owners! (yay!) Looking back, that awful apartment wasn't as bad as it seemed...it was home and we had SO many cherished memories there!
I totally agree!!! It's so easy to be caught up in what we *could* have, and then we just overlook the treasures that surround us :o)
Just tonight, I asked each of my kids to tell me one thing they were thankful for today and why. I was surprised at how quickly they answered!
What a great post. Since we move a lot (thanks to the Army), I try to live by this principle. We may not be there for long, but as long as we're there, it's home.
And 33? Wow, you're ancient. Of course I'm 36, so I'm practically dead. ;)
True! Love the comment about not being able to touch the walls, (apartment) I love painting so much now that it this is almost unthinkable, but your post reminded me of our apartment in SF with its all white walls. Who was the girl that lived there?! Couldn't have been me!
Janell
This is a very good point! My husband and I ave moved from our large 2 bedroom villa flat to a one bedroom, kitchen in the living room place, but we have spent time making it our own!
Lovely post. We live in a very small cottage and I have had to adjust to making the most of everyday life and accepting things are not always perfect but you have to do the best with what you have. This is a lovely reminder. xx
Good advice!
We had such different plans for where we live now - namely, that it was to be short term. With the economy, we've found ourselves stuck in a place we never really intended to be, in a house that has some good bones, but doesn't make us happy.
Thanks for posting this - with everything else crazy going on, we do need to have something that makes us smile...specifically, a home that we like to come home to (even if we don't like where it is!).
This is truly a wonderful post.
You are SOOOO right!!!!! I am always looking towards my next step....or next project.....and this is JUST what I needed to hear!
THANK YOU!
Well said! Thank you for that reminder!
Thank you for this post! It's a great reminder because that is exactly what I do sometimes - focus on what I don't have and what I want - instead of what I've already accomplished so far. Little changes are good, too, and sometimes more satisfying.
AnNicole, this was a wonderful post. :) We live in a 1970s Colonial with a floor that looks like, well, a 1970s Colonial. I have bunches of friends who live in spacious, beautiful McMansions and it is very easy to find myself comparing my home to theirs, finding fault with our place, etc. I guess I just need to be thankful that we HAVE a home and focus on making it work for US. :) Thank you for sharing!!!
oops...mean "floor PLAN" in that 2nd sentence.... :)
Beautiful thoughts...they are so true. I wish I had known this in my first house. I spent way to much time dreaming of a bigger, better home and not enough time on making what I had a home! Great post!
Beautifully stated AnNicole and what cherished photos of you and your dear son. :)
Enjoyed this post immensely! I can imagine what a sweet and precious time you two probably had in those two rooms!
Delurking to say that was beautifully written!
Amen! I have to work hard to remind myself of this every single day!!! Just when I think I've got "home envy" under control, I find myself blog surfing or looking at magazines/catalogs thinking I need better than what I have. My father has traveled to Africa twice now to help build houses with Habitat for Humanity. They build one room cinder block houses for single mothers in the midst of muddy, crime infested slums. The women they build for are so incredibly grateful for solid walls and a roof to help protect their children. I'm almost 100% certain they don't wonder when their Brazilian hardwood floors and granite counter tops will be installed.
Thanks for posting that! Elizabeth
I'm all teared up. You two look so precious. This post stirs up beautiful memories. Your son is so cute, and you're a wonderful mom. You must get that from your mom. Right!
Well said, my friend, well said.
Thank you for this! This weekend I am going to work on beautifying our home ~ thanks for the reminder to appreciate and work with what we have!
Very well said!! It makes life so much happier when you do as you just said in this post! Thank you!
I have been reading your blog for a while now, but never have posted. I really love it. you think of stuff I never would. I really liked this post especially. It is something I need to hear and remind myself of all the time. thanks for 'keeping it real' :)
Thanks for bringing up the most important aspect to what a home really is.
I rented for years before buying my home but even in the rentals, I always went all out looking back. I came into homes with dirt patches and left with full bloom gardens. Much the same transpired inside too.
It really is possible to make whatever you have homey and just right!
Donna
What a lovely, lovely post.
I love this and it is so true. Thank you for that! ox
I just discovered your beautiful blog. I love this post. As a military spouse I remind myself of this often. While we may not be able to plant roots in the same city as our family, we have a fantastic rental house in a more exotic locale. Sometimes you have to appreciate the blessings you have!
I think this is my favorite post ever. congratulations!
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