First Post of 2009

While writing my 2008 recap post, I came across one of the first posts that I wrote for A Soft Place to Land. It still resonates so strongly that I wanted to share it with you again.

I fear that I may have given the impression that my definition of creating a soft place to land for my family is simply to have a home that looks pretty. In 2009, I hope to share a more rounded view of what it means to set the tone in my home and create a warm, welcoming and safe place for my family to rest. (And while I'm sharing with you, I hope to do a better job of it myself.)

But, no worries! I've still got oodles of decorating ideas and projects too. That's the fun part for me.

So let's get on with it...

Living on the Roof
from April 2008

I've been thinking for the past few days about what it means to create "A Soft Place to Land" for my family. I know that I want our home to be a comfy place to collapse at the end of the day.

So how do I do that? What are some ways to make our home a sanctuary from the outside world? A place to feel peaceful and at rest even if the outside world is spinning out of control. I started thinking about things like...

• Keeping our home reasonably tidy. Not in a freaky "nobody-lives-here" kind of way but enough that I'm not scrambling around like a crazy woman to hide the clutter in my dryer if someone shows up unannounced.



• Planning and cooking healthy meals. Luckily, my family isn't terribly picky so if that just means sandwiches and canned soup some nights, no problem. I'd just like it if my kids didn't scream "PIZZA MAN!!!" every. single. time. the doorbell rings.



• Making sure the coffee pot is set up every night. Seems like a little thing but I know The Hubster loves a hot cuppa joe as he's leaving our little sanctuary at 6:00 in the morning.

So anyway, these are the kinds of things I've been thinking about for the past week or so. Aaaaaand then I went to my women's bible study this morning. Ugh.

We're doing a study on managing your moods. Today's chapter was on PMS'ing. Now, I'm a pretty lucky gal because this isn't something that I have to deal with too much. I know some women who deal with tremendous PMS and it's a real burden. I figured I'd just follow along with the discussion this week and maybe next week we'd cover something that really applied to me.

Theeeeeeeen we read some bible verses...Proverbs 21:9 - Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

Then this one...Proverbs 21:19 - Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife.

And my personal favorite...Proverbs 27:15 - A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day.

SERIOUSLY???? The desert? The roof? That's better than being inside with me? There's no toilet out there! Or coffee! Or potato chips!

And that's when it hit me. The biggest thing that I can do to make my home "A Soft Place to Land" is to change my mood. Stop being a grouch! For the most part, I set the tone in our home. If I'm in a mood, then our home just isn't a peaceful place to be.

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think I'm completely horrible. I'm pretty sure that The Hubster would choose to stay inside with me over sleeping on the roof. At least I think so. But I do have my days.

You know what I mean. It's been a long, busy day. I'm tired. The kids have been whining and arguing while I try to get dinner together. (I like to call that time of day "The Witching Hour") And what does my hubby get to walk into? A big hug after a long day? A pleasant "Hi sweetie!" Nope. He gets a big 'ole grouch. Me. Poor man. It's a wonder he comes home some days. I wouldn't want to come home to me on those days if I could avoid it.

Argh. Not exactly what I thought I was going to get out of my bible study today. Don't you just love it when God has other plans.