On Being Thankful
Today is Thanksgiving and though, throughout the year, we all have lots that we wish for and want for when it comes to our homes, I'm happy to sit down today and take some time to be thankful for what I've already got--and as it turns out, it's quite a lot.
I am thankful for...my dishwasher. I have decided that no mother should ever be without a dishwasher. And ever since I got one myself, I never want to be without one again. It's one invention that I'm not ashamed to admit, I feel like reaching out and giving a well-deserved hug to at the end of a long day.
I'm thankful for...my dining room table. We don't have an eat-in kitchen and we don't have a formal occasion dining room (like my dream home does), but what we DO have is a modest, 6-foot, wooden table in a "kitchen slash dining room" space. It's weathered and worn and there's a long scratch down the middle it got when we first moved it in, but I love it. It's the table where my two-year-old daughter is learning to say grace each night before dinner and the one where my 6-month old is tasting her first foods. It has held 17 birthday cakes, three Easter dinners, and somewhere around 2000 family dinners over the years.
I am thankful for...my windows. There are quite a few things about the location of my home that are not ideal, but sunlight knows no gender, race, or neighborhood status. It seems that no matter where you live, it finds it's way to you. I am blessed with great light in my current home--and i don't know if it's the vitamin D or what, but it's amazing what a little electromagnetic radiation can do for the mind, body and soul.
I am thankful for...my front porch. Now this one truly is a luxury. This is actually a dream-home wishlist item that I could quite possibly never have again in a home. So I plan to enjoy it to the fullest. We always wanted a porch on our home and added one a few years ago. We spend a lot of time out on the swing, during all seasons, we decorate there for every holiday, and I truly love that it is the very first thing I experience of "home" each time I walk up to my house.
I am thankful for...my office. I am extremely lucky to have a very handy husband, and one who not only loves me, but loves to make my creative projects a reality. One such recent project was my home office. A former closet, this room has quickly become one of my most favorite spaces in the house.
I am thankful for...my old radiators. I live in an older home, built in 1924.This has brought its own collection of challenges over the years, but one thing I love is my toasty steam radiators. I grew up in a home where I was always cold (this is not hard as I'm easily chilled) but I have never felt this way in my current home. Low square footage in this case is on our side and when the heat kicks on, it's never long before I am cozy and content.
I am thankful for...the whole ball of wax. Okay, so you might have gathered by now, that while my home has it's quirks, I do love it and love being a homeowner. In fact, I am truly blessed to be a homeowner at all and to have any roof over my head, not to mention this one! When I'm flipping through magazines and making wishlists, it can be easy to lose sight of what's really important about my home and that is the family that lives inside it.
Happy Thanksgiving to all from the entire U.S. Inspect Family!
