Come on in! {summer decorating edition}

Happy Tuesday, Friends! I've been busy around my house and thought I'd share about what I've been doing. First up is in my laundry room. (I have never shown this room before because it's not very pretty.)

There are still things I need to do in here, like paint behind the washer and dryer and maybe even that door, but this room is so much better now than it was two weeks ago. Do you have a catch-all spot? I have a few places like that in my house and around the kitchen, because I hate clutter on the countertops. If things get left there for too long, I find "better" places for them and one spot was on top of the dryer. {As if that isn't bad enough that I give things new homes, then I forget where I put them.}  I cleaned that whole area off and I also cleaned the cabinets out that are above the washer and dryer. I just organized things, got rid of a few things that were old, like sunscreen that had expired, and what was on the dryer is now in those cabinets. I put a new tea towel on the top of the dryer along with a bowl that holds the dryer sheets, a candle and a small box that holds odds and ends along with the brush that we use for our German Shepherd. Our trash can stays in here because we have a German Shepherd that loves to dig things out.

Remember how I mentioned last week that I'm not really eating gluten anymore? Well not only have I been pain free since the day I quit gluten, I also have a lot more energy. The time I used to sit around at night, I now get up to do things around the house. I've been doing laundry later at night, like on this night when I did the small load I'd started that afternoon. I've found if I do one load of laundry a day from start to finish- meaning I wash the clothes, dry them, fold them and everyone puts theirs away- I stay caught up on laundry. Sometimes the boys do it all and other days I do it all.

I love to repurpose things in my home, meaning I love to take things I have in one place and move them to another place. This picture was in a hallway somewhere, and now it's in the downstairs half bath. {Ignore the extra nail holes.} I love the picture, the hymn and it's new home in that little space.

I also really love to for things to look pretty. I love little jars and pots of flowers, I love candles and for my home to feel inviting and warm and to smell good; I am like this partly because we have dogs and I don't want people to smell them when they come in my door.

{This little green plant in the picture above is new and from HomeGoods. I love their artificial flowers and arrangements and I bought this on Saturday when I bought the hanging plans for the outside.}

{This is the one I mentioned yesterday.}

Speaking of HomeGoods, I love their candles. My favorite brand is the DW Home brand and this one pictured above smells heavenly. It's very subtle. I love candles, but I don't like anything to be too strong or overpowering. I love their candles in every season, but I mostly love how inexpensive they are. This one was only $10 and the same one on their website was $16. I always find things when I go to that store, and it is seriously my favorite place to shop.

This is my dining room and this plant also came from HomeGoods....I bought some little flags over the weekend and put them around the downstairs. I also always keep lights up on my fireplace mantle. The current ones I have are some that Toddley bought me a year ago, that are red, white and blue. I love warm lighting and twinkling lights...I think it gives ambiance in a living space and it makes it seem cozy and inviting to people who come over. I love having people over and love being able to show hospitality to them, and I love the Bible verse that talks about that in Hebrews:

Don't neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it.  Hebrews 13:2

I've been told that my home is warm and inviting and I really believe it has nothing to do with the way it looks; I believe it has to do with those of us who live here and the Holy Spirit that is in us. I love the art of homemaking, and I do believe it is an art and a gift or a talent. We're all given gifts, talents or abilities, and I believe that one of mine is to show hospitality to others. I don't say this to brag; if you know me, you know that's not my intention. These are things I've been told by people I'm friends with. I love to pray regarding our home; my prayer is that our home would be a retreat or a haven that is filled with peace and that when people step inside the door, that they feel sense the presence of the Lord Jesus. Someone told us that once~that they felt peace here when they walked through the door. That wasn't us, friends; it was the Holy Spirit and ultimately that is what I want people to experience when they come into our home~the Holy Spirit and His peace that surpasses all understanding.

Aside from that, there are a few things I do every single day: I vacuum all the time. I mentioned we have dogs...there are three of them and Callie the German Shepherd sheds terribly. I also do laundry everyday. If I see a dusty piece of furniture, I dust it right then. I am always wiping off the surfaces in our home, whether in the kitchen or in the bathrooms~again, this is because of our dogs. Before I go to bed at night, I make sure things are picked up downstairs...if there are dishes laying around, they get put in the dishwasher. I fold the blanket I used, I make sure the kitchen table is clear, I get the coffee pot ready for the next morning. It's kind of like a nightly reset...and doing all of that makes my mornings smooth and enjoyable; I am also a product of both my mom and my dad and they are both very neat and orderly people. Their homes are NEVER dirty and when Mom says something was filthy in her house, I laugh. Her idea of filthy and my idea of filthy are two entirely different things. (I'm laughing as I write that.)

I know everyone is not like this, and that's fine...but I do think homemaking is a gift/talent, and it's definitely something I love and enjoy doing for the people I love who live here with me. I love creating a warm environment for them. I especially want my husband to be glad to come home everyday and a lot of that has to do with my own attitude. I've heard it said that the wife is the emotional barometer in the home and I believe it's true; his mood can be made better or worse by mine. I love cooking dinner for him and my sons and I love making things I know they love. Just last week Toddley asked for meatloaf one night, so you'd better believe I made it for him. He never requests anything, so when he or one of the others does ask for something in particular, I make it. Noah asks for things a lot, too...and I try to make what he asks as well.

I loved writing this post; I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse of my home. Thanks for reading! Love to all.