Hearth and Home

Create An Atmosphere to
Please The Senses

For after all the true pleasures of home are not without, but within; and the domestic man who loves no music so well as his own kitchen clock and the airs which the logs sing to him as they burn on the hearth, has solaces which others never dream of. ~ Sir John Lubbock

Most of What We Know of Love
We Learned at Home

My “city grandma” lived in Minneapolis. She was a single mother from the time my father was a small child and worked long weeks for the Burma Shave Company. My father and my uncle were some of the first hired to set up the famous Burma Shave signs across Minnesota.

Time to cook and bake was not part of her life but she knew where to buy the best Chinese take-out in the city. Her offerings to a hungry grandchild were frequently a slice of Wonderbread with jam or a lemon drop from the candy dish on her kitchen counter.

I felt equally loved in the homes of both my “country grandma” and my “city grandma.” My mother followed her mother’s example and spent long hours in the kitchen while her family was growing up. She is legendary for her creativity with even simple ingredients. I tend to follow my city grandma’s example and often use short cuts or purchased meals to feed both family and guests.

What makes a house a home? Many elements combine to enfold you, your family, and your guests in an atmosphere that is comforting, welcoming and pleasing. Some homes are so comfortable and inviting that we almost instantly feel “at home.”

It isn’t the size of the home or the cost of its furnishings that impart that ambiance. Creating a cozy and comfortable home is accomplished by finding a way to be organized, focusing on pleasing the senses, and thinking about ways to include all who will share your space as you create your special haven.

The Family Table

The more we change, the more we remain the same. A recent survey reveals that despite busy schedules, 51% of American women aged 25-39 still prepare almost every evening meal at home, from scratch.

"Despite all that we have heard about Americans cooking less and eating out more frequently," said Melanie Barnard, cookbook author and Bon Appetit columnist, "we still place a high premium on the importance of preparing family meals and eating together every night. And, truthfully, cooking at home is far faster and more economical than eating out or ordering take-out food--especially when you have children."

Nutritionally speaking, family meals make a difference. Kids who frequently eat with their families tend to eat healthier. That’s especially true when family meals include fruit, vegetables and dairy foods – and when families establish expectations for joining in and eating what’s served.

Family mealtimes promote social connections. Says culinarian Graham Kerr,“The home dining table is our last remaining gathering place. It’s a place for friends and family to nourish the relationships that are at the heart of homes, neighborhoods and communities.”

Especially when families linger over a meal – a practice more common in other cultures than the United States – family mealtime promotes close personal interaction. Benefits go beyond catching up on the day, building family ties and enjoying each other. Regular family mealtime also is linked to better emotional health, fewer risk-taking behaviors, such as alcohol and drug abuse and better school performance.

Some tips to help make family mealtime a priority:

• Set a regular family mealtime.
• Enjoy more table time by making simple meals. Be willing to use some convenience foods if your budget allows. Less time preparing allows for more time enjoying one another.
• Turn off the TV, cell phones, and internet. Let calls go to voicemail.
• Keep table talk positive. Everyone gets to talk and to listen. Sitting around a table, not side-by-side at the counter, helps.
• Keep table time realistic – not so long that the pleasure goes away.

As we pray in the context of the family, we learn that holiness is homemade. The earliest altar was the hearth whose open fire burned in the center of the home. Even today the family table can be a significant altar where meals are celebrated and all the great and small events of our personal histories can be recounted. Here mothers and fathers fulfill the priestly role. ~Richard J. Foster, Prayer, Finding the Heart’s True Home

Aroma

Smell is the first thing we notice in someone else's home, and usually the last thing we are aware of in our own home. Stale, musty odors can make a clean home smell grungy, while fresh, pleasant scents make a little dust and disarray seem less important.

Does the aroma in your home conjure up the fragrance of freshly-baked cookies or yesterday's fish fry? If someone dropped in, would they know you had a litter box, a hamper full of dirty socks, or a clogged bathroom drain?

There are lots of deodorizing sprays that will mask smells, but their effect is short-lived. It is better to seek out and clean up the source of odor, open the house to fresh air and sunshine, and use natural scents that last longer.

Following these tips will help your house smell inviting:

In the Kitchen:

• Don't let the garbage ferment in the disposal. Flush it away each time something is put into it.
• Pull out and rinse the accumulated goop off the bottom of the rubber sink stopper and the disposal gasket every so often.
• Put a cut up lemon through the garbage disposal to neutralize odors.
• Store a ventilated box of baking soda or a piece or two or activated charcoal in the fridge to absorb food odors.

• Don't allow smelly garments to enter a closet--odors in confined spaces tend to permeate everything rapidly.
• Keep closet doors open occasionally to promote air circulation.
• Spray cotton balls with your favorite fragrance, let dry, and tuck them into closet corners, nooks, and shelves. (If you share a closet, make sure it is an aroma that both parties will appreciate!)

• Freshen a smelly shower drain with a handful of baking soda followed by a vinegar chaser.
• Unwrap fragrant soaps and stash them in bathroom drawers or pile them in a basket. Not only will they scent the whole room, they'll harden and last longer.
• Keep a chunky scented candle on the back of the toilet to burn off natural odors. (do not ever leave a lit candle unattended.

• Air the place regularly.
• Change furnace and air-conditioner filters regularly so bacteria doesn't grow in them.
• Cultivate fragrant house plants and herbs.
• When you change your vacuum bag, drop in a couple of cinnamon sticks, a sachet, or a vanilla-saturated cotton ball.
• Clean up spills promptly and treat with a deodorizer-disinfectant product; a natural, organic product is best.

Mood enhancing aromas can create a sense of calm, well being, sensuality and intimacy. There is nothing else quite like the smell of chocolate chip cookies baking!

Color and Texture

• Balance is key: Mix light and dark, big and small, patterned and plain for decorative harmony.
• Shop in your own home: Gather up the things that you love now in your home and use them to create a favorite new space.
• Quick change: If redoing an entire room seems overwhelming, start with a small project. Success will give you the confidence to tackle larger projects.
• Make wise choices: If you use a dramatic color, use texture and interesting furniture arrangements to make the room's decor equal to its color.
• Don't be afraid of color: Neutral walls and window coverings may be a room's downfall. Warm up your space with a fresh soft wall color and dramatic window treatments.
• Details, details, details: Create a comfortable space using hand-me-downs and stray pieces from other rooms.
• Make it your own: Create a look that reflects your style and taste. From redoing a small entryway to moving every piece of furniture in a house, make sure you're creating something personal and comfortable for you. When you're tired of a look, you can always change it again!

Flowers

Music

I enjoy different types of music to enhance what I am doing:

• Relaxing and Reading: I love smooth jazz or classical music as background for "down time."
• Quiet Time or Devotional Time: My CD collection includes lots of great meditative and worship music. It can really help me to get to a place of stillness within.
• Cleaning, or Doing Other Projects: I highly recommend putting on some lively music to make it as much fun as possible. See how much you can get done with each song, and you may find yourself working faster and having more fun as you do.
• Stress Relief: This will be different for everyone. I have some wonderful "nature music" that includes recordings of waterfalls, bird songs, loon calls and soft breezes. These can almost always take me to places that offer wonderful memories. Places that were stress free!
• Romance:Love songs and songs of romance are not hard to find! What gives one person "that lovin' feeling" may not do it for another. A tune that evokes a special memory for you may not seem at all romantic to someone else. We all know what does it for us!

Sometimes the love that you feel inside
Gets lost between your heart and your mind
And the words don't really say the things you wanted them to.
But then you feel in someone's song
What you'd been trying to say all along
And somehow with the magic of music the message comes through.

The longer I live the more I find that people seldom take the time
To really get to know a stranger and make him a friend.
But the power of a simple song can make everybody feel they belong.
Maybe singin' and playin' can bring us together again.
Singin' and playin' can bring us together again.

~Music Speaks Louder Than Words, Payne/Pease/Scarpiello

Art

One of the easiest ways to stretch a budget when it comes to decorating a home is to create your own artwork.

• Frame What's Free
• Items from Mother Nature
• Use Your Camera
• Your Personal Library or Go to a Bookstore
• Hang It Up
Hang items directly on the wall.
• Creative Crafts

One may have a blazing hearth in one's soul and yet no one ever come to sit by it. Passers-by see only a wisp of smoke from the chimney and continue on the way.

~Vincent Van Gogh

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