The Making of: HOME

'She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness. Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her.' Proverbs 31:27-28 (NLT)

The Virtuous Woman that God so clearly describes, has several qualities that set her apart from the rest. One being her care for her home and her family. She 'carefully' looks after them and in return she is praised.

Unfortunately, many women have despised the importance of taking care of their home. They think it's something that bored housewives do, and that people with busy schedules just can't possibly be expected to do such a thing. Besides all they do is sleep there, so why bother?!
These women might as well move into a hotel. At least they would have room service and their beds would be made every morning.


Now, if you are reading this post and you are this woman who treats your house as a hotel BUT are willing to change, then please read on. If not, then STOP right here because reading this won't help. 


So as I was saying, we all have houses but not all of us have homes. Home is meant to be a haven, your corner of the world. It's the place you have power over and you can decided what goes and what doesn't. It's where you and your family can relax and regain strength for the next day.


No matter how busy I am, I always find time to invest in my home. It brings me joy to see my house in order and to know that everything has my touch. Just as God put his touch on everything he created, so we must be. 


If you are on a tight budget as most women are, that is still not a reason to compromise your home.


Here is what I do to make my house a home without draining my bank account (so my husband will 'praise' me as promised):

1.  Make a list of everything you want to get for your home. Include things that have worn out and need to be replaced, especially in your kitchen.
2. If you live with other families agree to a budget you can all stick to every month to get the items on the list. That will help you get things quicker.
3. Choose a color scheme for each room and work with that. Having the same color through out the house gets tiring quickly. Of course, choose colors that work well together so you don't end up with a rainbow. 
4. Other than cleaning your house every couple of days (or as needed) and spring cleaning it once a week, invest in a fragrance that will set the mood for each room and give it a fresh feel. Wall Flowers from Bath and Body Works are my favorite, but you can also choose from plug-ins or scented candles available at your local supermarket. These usually last a couple of months.
5. Make it a point to get the whole family to sit at the table for meals when home. Avoid having dinner on the sofa or while watching TV. Dinner time is family time. If it's just you and your husband, then breakfast in bed is something you can do occasionally for a special treat; if you enjoy that of course. 

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THE DIRTY TRUTH

I have come to realize that people tend to hide things in those "not so visible" places. You walk in to someone's house, everything LOOKS clean, but then you start looking behind the sofa, in the cabinets and drawers, in the closet, and what you find is the DIRTY TRUTH...

I want to focus on closets for today, so I found a picture that can illustrate my point a bit better. I mean, I'm sure there are worse situations than the one below, but I don't want to scandalize those of us who are sensitive to these images.

So here is a closet. It's a mess. I'm sure that it takes a lot longer for this person to find an outfit every morning since nothing has a place or an order. This also says a lot about the person; disorganized, clueless, doesn't care or love herself, and these just name a few.

If this is what your closet or any other area in your house/work/car represents, so it's time for you to have a reality check and start changing things. Here are a few tips:

• Develop an organizing system. Each shelf or area should be designated to contain specific items.This means, that everything should have a place and whenever it's out of place, you put it back in place.
• Thin out unused items. Many closets contain a lot of clothing or apparel items that simply are not used anymore. Sort through the contents of your closet regularly to remove unnecessary items.
• Add shelving or clear storage containers. Just by adding the appropriate shelving, cluttered closets quickly become manageable again. 
• Use clear containers, labeled with its contents. This makes it easy to see what is inside each container and helps make the closet more usable.

You don't have to spend a fortune to do this. Most major supermarkets with a "HOME" department, should have shelving and rods to supply your needs. In countries that have the IKEA store, try them. They sell great organizing solutions at low prices. The picture below resembles a well organized closet. Notice that everything has a place and an order in which it is stored. 

Give your closet a life. You won't regret it!

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