Haven

"Picture yourself as an artist.  Crafting beauty, color, aromas, tastes, fun and humor, love, and comfort - these are all aspects of creating a life-giving environment in your home.  The point of keeping ahome is not to be a perfectionistic or neurotic about cleanliness and order but to create a life of balance that brings joy to your world and those around you. " ~Sally Clarkson

 When you live on a humble income, you learn to get creative... real fast.  But thankfully, due to some creativity, I haven't had to let my home scream "part time income for a family of four."  I hope to share those tricks, but for now, one of the more important aspects of creating a space that brings joy is fresh flowers.  They make me happy and lighten a mood on a gloomy day.  But when flowers aren't a priority in a budget, I scrimp and save some extra pennies (ok, more like quarters and dollars) and head straight to Trader Joe's or Fresh and Easy and swoop on their "almost-expired-but-still-on-sale" flowers.  Although the are on their last breath at the store, I can usually bring them home and revive them for another week or two.  And it's so worth it.

Because my home is where I spend most of my time.  And I'm a visual oriented person.  An artist at heart.  So my home is my haven.  It helps to have spots of beauty and inspiration around me to keep me sane in the chaos or lighten a cranky mood.  And, well, in a house dominated by girls, pinks and flowers are a must.