three quick ways to make your house a home
When I get home from work, a work out, or errands there are three things I always do to make our house feel like home. I have done them for so long now that my older children have learned to appreciate it and, if they get home before me, they do these things as well:
Light a candle: There is ALWAYS a candle in our kitchen. If there isn’t then something is really wrong…I’m sick, out of town, or worse 😂. Currently we are burning Village Candle’s Mulled Cider (we sell it at the Blue Nest Mercantile!). This is my favorite candle from October to December. Once December hits, we are straight up Christmas and NEST New York candles in Holiday scent are the signature scent in our house (we also sell this one at the Mercantile!). The rest of the year we burn either NEST New York Grapefruit (from the Mercantile) or Capri Blue candles in Volcano scent (smells just like Anthropologie up in here).
Turn on all of the lamps. I don’t love overhead lighting. If an overhead light is necessary, then I make sure it’s on a dimmer so I can control the mood, even the can lights in our kitchen are on a dimmer. We have lamps in the mudroom, living room, and dining room and they are on almost around the clock.
Play some music. Don’t get me wrong, there are times that I need some silence. A moment to breathe, think, pray without noise. But, most of the time, I enjoy a little background noise. Our Sonos or our Alexa is usually playing one of many stations. In the early morning, when I’m making coffee and putting together lunches, I usually ask her to play “Norah Jones” radio or “Lauren Daigle” radio. In the afternoon, homework time calls for “Greatest Hits” radio (or, I just say “Alexa, play good music” and she “gets” it). While I’m making dinner, “Chris Stapleton” radio and a glass of wine are my favorite. Once bedtime rolls around my younger girls ask their Alexa to play “Brett Eldredge” radio while Charlie requests Christmas music…even in July.
How about your house? What are some things that you and your family do to make it feel like “home”? Would love to hear!