If you’re here, then you are probably someone who loves a beautiful home as much as I do. You want your home to be beautiful. Let’s face it, our homes all have strengths and weaknesses. Even if we have a list of improvements we want to make to our home, doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it right here, right now. I am here to help you create the home of your dreams. But I’m also here to help you appreciate the home you have and enjoy it as it is today. I’ve created a list of 7 things you can do every day to make you happy in your home.
No matter what your home is lacking, you can do some things that I hope will make you so happy every day. I do love a wonderful vacation, but my goal is to have a life (and home) that I don’t need a vacation from.
Here are a few things you can do to make you happy in the home you have now.
Notice the views
The sunlight is such a happy thing. It warms your home and brightens your mood. Notice how it changes the way your home feels. Try to enjoy how the light comes in your home. And how about that view? Do you see flowers when you look out your window? Can you see the green grass or shade trees? Is there a lovely home across the street you can see? Appreciate the things that make your view special. I love the view from the porch at our farm. You can’t see the ocean, a lake or a mountain in sight, but it’s peaceful and quiet.
Start with a glass of water
Every morning, I have a tall glass of water first. I think we get dehydrated overnight, and it’s important to get your body hydrated first thing in the morning. You may have a big glass of water later in the day, but I think that glass right when you first get up is very important for everything to function properly.
Set up a special teatime
After my glass of water, I make green tea and serve it in one of my prettiest teacups with a silver spoon. It’s a super small thing, but it really helps me to be in a good mood in the morning. If I don’t have my tea, I really miss it. If you have a pretty teacup and silver spoon, why not get them out and enjoy them? If they require hand-washing, then so be it. So it takes an extra 30 seconds when you wash dishes at the sink, it’s worth it to me.
Make your bed
I actually think making your bed is a good idea and it feels like you’ve accomplished something right off the bat each morning. Because my daughter likes to play with her markers on my bed, I’ve found it’s not a good idea for me to make my bed. She ruined some blankets, so I have to be careful about making my bed, so she doesn’t get markers on my bedspread. Still I think it’s a great idea to make your bed, and it’s worth trying it for a few weeks, if you don’t do it now to see if you like it.
Keep clutter at bay
If clutter is out of control in your home, then it might take awhile to declutter the entire house. If that’s the case, then I would focus on just one room, and declutter that for starters. Think about where you spend the most time or where the clutter seems to be bothering you, and focus on that room.
Give away something you aren’t using
You probably have a church or charity that you give to, and that is so important, but it’s not what I’m talking about. I am talking about giving some things to someone you know that would appreciate them. I had some costume jewelry that was really nice, but I just wasn’t using a bunch of it. I gave them to a young girl that I thought might appreciate them. Her mom told me how much she loved all of the things and about how this necklace would go with this dress, and these earring when with this outfit. Hearing that the items were appreciated and would be enjoyed made my week. I would much rather have someone enjoying them everyday, than to hoard them in my drawer only to use each item once a year.
Go for a walk
Okay, technically it’s something you do outside your home, but you’ll enjoy your home more when you get back home. Here we are taking a walk in North Carolina along the ridge of the mountain. It’s was a tough walk, but it felt great to get outside and breathe in the fresh air.
Anita,
I do not like going to the store for anything either,however,I feel the right thing to do is support local businesses. I fear there are not going to be any brick and mortar stores left. Shopping on the Internet is quick and convenient,but is this going to be our future??? Think of all the people who will be out of a job.
I agree. I live in a very small town, village actually, and while I have to travel 20 m. at least to get to the closest WM I feel I need to support our local grocery and hardware stores. I price watch but if I can justify local purchase versus gas/time I am saving somebody a job. Same with the automated checkouts
Diane, I do support local businesses, a lot! But you can’t find everything close by. The mop covers I needed are a specific brand and size. I could have spent all day looking for them locally and come up empty handed, but found them in less than a minute online. The blender I bought would probably have been bought at Target had I not bought it on Amazon. That is not exactly a local small business. I buy from local charity thrift shops and local antique stores and clothing stores. Some things are easy to buy locally, while others are not. I buy my fabric at a local store typically rather than online. And as for people being out of work, I think things shift a lot as the economy changes. When the horse and buggy was replaced by the car, blacksmiths lost jobs, but there were several new industries that took their places, gas stations, repair shops, car dealerships, etc. Yes some stores may have fewer employees and may have closed, but now there are many more delivery jobs for Amazon now that didn’t exist before. Things shift constantly in a free market. Near me, there are many, many new one of a kind stores and restaurants popping up. Three new grocery stores are being built.
I love these ideas. I do drink a huge glass of water when I get up. I love looking at my new views out every window. Have a great week!
Great tips all! And I do them all. I make the bed before I even use the facilities! But I climb back on top and use a throw, to read your posts, and lately employing my cat blanket!
Ohhhh, purple striped grain sack!!!
I’m retired and sometimes I think I “appreciate” my home too much. I do need to get out more and plan to make that one of my resolutions for 2018. I have two dogs inside and an entire colony of spayed and neutered semi-feral cats outside who depend on me, so it’s hard to stray too far from home. It’s nice to be needed by my “critters” but a break, especially after this winter (I’m in Midwest), will be on my to-do list.
I love your 7 simple things – all are do-able and make a lot of sense.
Such a wonderful Post. I loved it and agree with all of them! You and your husband are Adorable! I can’t tell you how much I love reading your Posts. I feel such a good match with your tastes. I really needed to be reminded about the water first thing in the morning. I stopped doing that and I know how good it is for us. Thank you!! Sally
Your ideas here are great…
while I have a hard time drinking water first thing in the morning, I do drink it all during the day…
I have to have my coffee ea and every morning and have several fun mugs to use.
and the tip of making your bed is a GREAT way to start the day…feeling like you are doing good before you even leave the bedroom is a good way to “get going” on other things.
Having lived in so many places where drinking water wasn’t good, I’ve never developed the habit of drinking it first thing in the morning. After the facilities, showering, dressing, and making the bed, the next thing is putting the kettle on for a pot of tea. I have many tea pots from family and friends and always enjoy choosing one to use during the week. Being Irish, I love sunny days, but absolutely adore rainy days and foggy days. Each type of weather is so wonderful and different as are each season. I enjoy quiet time in prayer and reading in the morning and tidying up…then, there is time for family and friends. It all makes for a great day – usually. We all know there are ups and downs all the time. It’s just important for me to remember that God is there in both.
I’ve told my husband that, upon returning home from work, if he wants to know how my day went without asking, he can just go check if I’ve made the bed. If the bed is not made, he probably shouldn’t ask. Ha! You have great tips! I need to work on that water one.
Thanks for the reminder. Things we know but forget.
Thanks Anita…great tips! Love your ideas for living and your creativity for making our houses…our homes.
Great tips I need to do this to be happy with our home since we rent Thank you
I love your suggestions and totally agree with all of them…..I am currently enjoying the Fall colors as I sip my tea in the mornings and peer out the windows from the coziness of my simple victorian cottage. I have an adopted daughter with Aspergers. She is now in her middle age but has always been so appreciative of nature’s details. She lives on disability income so does not have a lot of expensive “stuff” but neither does she long for it. Currently, she lives on the edge of a small town close to the mountains and is thrilled every day when the wild life critters come onto her property where she can observe them. I remember her as a pre-schooler when she would come running excited to tell me she had found the first violets of spring or watched our baby goats take their first steps etc. She has taught me so much through her struggles and ill health but also about being appreciative for the free things that God has provided. Enjoy it all!
Great tips and inspiration
Great post! Thanks for sharing.
Fun to see a pic of you and your hubby together!
Really helpful tips and ideas that home owners can follow through. Thanks for it.