Happy 2019!

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I feel like I say this in every post, but can you believe how fast 2018 flew past!  It is seriously like I blinked and the year was over!

I always seem to spend most of December sick.  I believe it has to do with my severe allergy to the beautiful cedar tree, because pollen from the cedar is really high in December.  It could also be because of our wonderful weather in Arkansas.  You know below freezing one day, 70 degrees the next.  There is a saying here, if you don't like the weather, hang around 5 minutes and it will change.  It is so true! Especially our winters.  Well the good thing about it is this, I am forced to stay home.  So, I evaluate our school year and see what is working and what is not.  I can put away the old and get out the new books and supplies. I will talk more about the new subjects when we start back to school next week.  I also have spent a lot of time thinking about the upcoming year, things I want to improve or change.

I read this somewhere a couple of years ago.  I cut it out and I have been using the article as a bookmark.  This is what it says:

A Real Home is....

A real home is a gymnasium.  The ideal of a healthy body is a basic one to give a child.
A real home is a lighthouse.  A lighthouse reveals the breakers ahead and shows a clear way past them.
A real home is a playground.  It is a place where the family can enjoy good, clean fun together.
A real home is a workshop.  Pity the boy without a kit of tools and the girl without a sewing basket.  They haven't learned the fun of doing things, and there is no fun like it.
A real home is a forum.  Honest, open discussion of life's problems belongs originally in the family circle.
A real home is a secret society.  Loyalty to one's family should mean keeping silent on family matters.
A real home is a health resort. Mothers are the natural physicians.
A real home is a cooperative league.  Households flourish where the interest of each is made the interest of all.
A real home is a business concern.  Order is a housewife's hobby, but order without a system is a harness without a horse.
A real home is a haven of refuge.  The world does this for us all: it makes us hunger for a loving sympathy and a calming, soothing touch.
A real home is a temple of worship.

-Ed Purinton

That spoke to me ya'll.  It spoke to me even louder this past month.  I have decided that is what I am going to work on in 2019.  I want my home to be those things to my family and to my friends.  The first step was to quit grieving our previous home.  The second step is to start turning this house into our home.  So, I am ready to let go of the past and move forward.  We have already started some remodeling projects, that are turning out awesome!!  I have also started redecorating rooms to be more cheerful, calming, soothing, and comfortable.

We have also already made the decision to stay home more.  So, we are having to let some things go.  That is hard.  There are so many opportunities out there.  So many fun things to be involved in.  However, our home, our health, and our relationships with God and each other are far more important.

We are also moving to using more natural products and less man made products.  So that means:

Less of:

More of:


Less:


More:


Less of:


More of:


I feel good about these changes. I know in my heart this is what our family needs right now.  I have a lot to learn.  I have a lot of work to do. I know it will be worth it all.

May the dreams you hold the dearest be those which come true.  And the Kindness you spread keep returning to you!

God bless you! Happy New Year!

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