No.705: Last Week at the Farmhouse // How to Love the House You’re In

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I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes a house a home.  So often I look at my house with a critical eye: that needs to be repainted, we’re going to have to get that repaired sometime soon, why did the previous owner pick that?!

During the blog break, I went on a cleaning spree and filled my days with cleaning and tidying, decluttering and straightening.  Is it too dramatic to say that I love my home even more now?  I don’t have the money for a kitchen renovation or floor refinishing or professionally skim coated walls.  But there’s something magical about the power of soap and elbow grease.  (Remember this “soap is cheap” article?)  There’s something beautiful about rearranging our belongings just so, figuring out ways to make our spaces work best for this specific time in our lives.  There’s something freeing to be able to say that while it’s not perfect (and will it ever be?), it’s still good.

A few other highlights from last week:

My Christmas cactus may be a Thanksgiving cactus this year!

Organization project of the week: I worked on my pantry with the addition of these command mop grippers.  Now my mop and brooms are up off the floor and out of the way!  (And mini frugal accomplishment: I shopped around for a good price for these clips and couldn’t find anything cheaper than $9 for one hook.  A quick look on Poshmark and I found someone selling four for $9!  Love a good deal, especially these days.)

I worked through The Tenant of Wildfell Hall most of the week for book club.  A good story, but whew…a slog to get through the middle!

A further consequence of my blog break cleaning spree was a new aversion for mass-produced decor.  I recently read an article that commented on the lure of materialism in social media and how it influenced home decor and design.  One woman was lamenting about a gold mirror in her baby’s nursery that was “all the rage” two years ago, but is now basically unnecessary and useless.  It’s fascinating how we can be so subconsciously manipulated!  Anyway, I’m discovering more and more that I love unique, old things and I want them to be a part of everyday life.  Nothing too precious to be kept in a cabinet collecting dust!

Some examples I’ve recently implemented/acquired: I used my grandmother’s china teacups to be “scoopers” for my flour/sugar/oats jars.  I pulled out an old dish (also from a grandmother) to hold my everyday jewelry.  I purchased a beautiful vintage (supposedly European) soap dish for my kitchen sink.  They’re all small little details that create a collected look all my own.

No photographic evidence, but I also:

+ woke up early to see the lunar eclipse and the “blood moon” on Tuesday.  Standing outside in the silence with a sky full of stars… it was so incredibly beautiful.  What an amazing Creator we serve.
+ did my yearly stripping of the processing clothes as my boys are done with farm work for the season.  So gross.  So satisfying.
+ continued applying essential oils to my (very large) pig’s hurt leg.  Fred’s been limping, so at the advice of a friend, I ordered and started applying Ache Away.  I never know what to expect with these homeopathic-type remedies, but it appears to be working!  He’s slowly getting the pep back in his step.
+ opened an electric bill informing us of another price increase.  I think this is #3 for the year?  It goes into effect in January 2023, so we’ll have to be extra careful with our heating.  Lots of fires in the fireplace in our future!