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Our family has always enjoyed spending time together and being home. Here lately we’re finding ourselves spending even more time at home than usual…We found out Friday that Dad had been furloughed because of the Pandemic. I initially panicked, but then Mom and Dad sat down and figured out a plan. Then they went grocery shopping Saturday stocking us up for the next several weeks. We’re doing good and for that I’m thankful.
It’s nice having him home. We’re able to go about our regular routine and he just joins in. Several projects that we’ve been wanting to do are getting done sooner because we aren’t working around changing schedules. But in the back of our minds there’s the nagging reality of WHY this is happening. A Global Pandemic and the uncertainty that is hard to escape.
SO, we’ve been doing things at home that we’ve always done, but now with intention to bring about a sense of peace and comfort.
I’ve had music playing in the background for as long as I can remember. My parents even had cassette tapes playing in my isolate when I was a baby. Once we started homeschooling we started playing it more…When we moved to this house in 2016 one of the first things that we set up was the record player. The very small record collection was in a box somewhere but we made sure the Christmas music was easy to find! While moving boxes in we had the music blaring!
On the cloudy days or when we aren’t motivated Mom gets up in the morning and starts some music playing. Sometimes it’s the radio, other times a CD, and occasionally a record. The Victrola Entertainment Center that we own plays Vinyl, CD, Cassette, and connects to our mobile devices via Bluetooth. I love coming downstairs in the morning trying to determine who is singing.
Then she goes around the house and turns all the wax warmers on. Our favorite scent regardless of the season is Apple Cinnamon. By the time we eat breakfast the house smells amazing! There’s music playing, a pot of coffee on, and the warm scent of apple cinnamon wafting through the air.
My Great-Grandmother had several blankets placed around her home. On the bed, draped over the chair, or along the back of the couch. All of her extra blankets and pillows were neatly placed in a HUGE pile in the hallway nook. Sadly, we don’t have the space in this house for a blanket corner, but we do have several blankets within easy reach!
We’ve always enjoyed cooking. In fact each one of us kids have been in the kitchen “helping” long before we could sit up on our own!
Here lately we’ve been trying lots of new recipes. We love the Gooseberry Patch cookbooks. They’re filled with super simple recipes using ingredients that you normally have on hand! They’re great for times like this when many of us are trying to make good food with what we already have in the pantry.
The evening is my favorite time of the day. All the work is done and we can finally sit back and relax. We like to light the lanterns around the living room and candles on the mantle. We buy all of our lanterns at Lehman’s Hardware. Most of ours use lamp oil and wicks but Lehman’s does have a kit allowing you to turn an oil lamp into an electric one. We have done this with a couple of ours as well. Usually, we’ll watch a little T.V., old shows on DVD like “Emergency”, “Hogan’s Heroes”, and “Duck Dynasty”, or listen to audiobooks or dramas.
I’ve always been thankful for the house that we have and our many blessings. But in light of the Stay-at-Home order and all the uncertainty that we’re facing I’m even more thankful for the warmth and comfort of home…
“And thus you shall say to him who lives in prosperity: ‘Peace be to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that you have!”
~1 Samuel 25:6
Until next time,
Bailey Sue
