Thursday, June 03, 2010

Waiting Gracefully: Create a Home

This is one of my very favorite things to do even now! But, as a single person - there is no reason you cannot begin creating a haven even for yourself!

My apartment was such a cozy nest, such a haven for me during my single days. It was a refuge from the 40-hr. work week and busy life. It was a place of peace and rest! And, a place I loved to be.

I started out with lots of hand-me-down, free or garage sale furniture. Then, as I moved and moved roommates something would come up that I'd need - so anytime I made a purchase I tried to make sure it would contribute something to my home one day.

I think one of my favorite finds during these days was my dining room table. The table and six chairs were in the "Bargain Dinette" section at a used furniture store. The stain (finish) was all kinds of water stained and everything in the section was 20% off. But, it had great character and potential and I bought it for less than $200.

During the next few summers - I worked on refinishing the table and chairs and I had two extra leaves made for it since it did not come with any. It now serves our family very well and has been such a great investment in my home. If I would have found that table now I would not have had the time to invest in refinishing it myself!

Food also contributes to our homes! I cooked and baked from scratch for myself. I'd make muffins about once a week and eat on those for my breakfast! Even if it is just you - you are worth good homemade food and why not eat the way you'd like to eat if you did have a family?

Placing candles on a wide windowsill, decorating for holidays, creating delicious smells and ambiance.

Even though we don't have someone to welcome us home yet - we can create a haven that welcomes us with its coziness and inviting spirit!

7 comments:

Ginger said...

I know what you mean. My home is my refuge. I can't wait to get home after a long day at work, and then I don't want to go back out anywhere.

Mary Ann said...

I totally agree! My sister and I lived together for a number of years before we were both married. So many folks seemed to be surprised that we would cook from scratch, desire to garden and preserve produce. We got a lot of comments from married ladies who declared that they would just eat cereal if they were single!

Those years were really when I learned the most about homemaking and making your home a haven. That training has certainly paid off! While I've learned a LOT since marriage, any skills one can learn early on will better prepare you for a later season when you may not be able to invest the time to learn. Like canning and preserving, sewing, freezer cooking, baking, etc.

We used to make a big pan of lasagna and then freeze individual portions for lunches. We'd often cook a huge Sunday dinner and then eat it throughout most of the week.

Jada said...

I'm single and have lived by myself several times over the years in apartments. But now that I've had my townhouse for 15 years, I love being home! I enjoy decorating and re-decorating (inside and outside) for the holidays/seasons and I've just now gotten "into" thrift stores and look for antique-y things with which to decorate. I especially like doilies (I do have some my great-grandmother made) and embroidered tablecloths. I like having a neat home - it's not necessarily always clean! Thanks for this post, Monica!

angie said...

I had to laugh...My first kitchen table was a card table and chairs. But I have managed to use it in every house since. Currently, it is my daughter's craft table in the basement.

Jenny said...

I agree with all my heart on this. I never lived on my own, when I was single. I lived at home, but did aspire to have a home that was a refuge from the world. I did things to prepare to be a mother, such as being a nanny. Learning to bake and clean.

Heather said...

I love your ideas, and this series. :)

Heather's Blog-o-rama said...

Thanks so much for posting this. I'm 36 and still single. I'm not sure why I haven't found Mr. Right for me yet...but God knows and I want God's best for me. You are so right about this...there's no reason to wait till you're married to make a beautiful home,cook from scratch...etc...
My aunt gave me my grandmother's wedding china years ago...and I kept it in boxes for a few years. I didn't want to use it till I got married. Then one day I decided I'm not going to wait to use pretty things. I want to have beautiful things in my home everyday. There's no reason to wait.
My dad and I share an apartment because it cuts down on expenses. I convinced him to give away our ugly dishes...now we have wedding china as our everyday plates. It's so much fun...and it actually looks really lovely in the cupboard :) :) I shared your blog on my Facebook page :) :)
Greetings from Oregon,
Heather H :) :) :)