It has been a little difficult: the adjustment to living here. I think that is partly because is a very different situation than what we're used to, and partly because we still haven't completely unpacked and set up the house yet. I'm not whining about that at all; it's just the truth. I know from past experience that sometimes it takes a while to feel comfortable in a new area and a new home, and that's perfectly normal and fine. I'm confident that both Mr. Darcy and I will be just fine living here. We both miss home, but we're very thankful that we're close enough to spend plenty of time visiting our families and friends. The Lord has never given us any difficulty that is too much for us to handle. It is all in His hands; it always has been, and it always will be. :)
Today, I spent the morning with a new friend and her two children, and afterwards I went by the grocery store, returned home, and got down to the business of putting together dinner and tackling the laundry that I've been meaning to finish off all this week. While I was doing all of this, it occurred to me just how many things that I do around the house that I have learned from my mother. So, Mom--I know you'll read this sometime :) --I'm going to share some of these things on this blog entry.
#1: How to properly fold a man's shirt--be that a t-shirt, a polo shirt, or otherwise. When I did help with the laundry, growing up, I knew that there was a proper way to fold a shirt. Mom taught me that. The sleeves of the shirt were folded in towards the center of the shirt, along with a few inches of the shirt itself at its side seams. The hem of the shirt was folded up once--by a few inches--and then up once more, so that the hem was neatly tucked under the shirt's collar. The result? A nicely compact, smooth shirt that was almost a square shape, perfect for stowing it away in a dresser drawer.
#2: The stovetop potpurri. Now, I come from a family of women who love scented candles and other sorts of room-refreshing scented items, but Mom taught me a simple and genius trick to making the entire house smell absolutely fantastic. All it requires is a few kitchen spices, some water, an apple or orange, and a sauce pan. The mix that I used today is composed of ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, whole cloves, and a cored and sliced apple. I tossed all of these into the saucepan and added just enough water to cover the apples, and then set it on the stove. I let the water come to a boil, and then turned it down to a low simmer. And now the house smells like mulled cider...delicious and--I'm sorry, Pier 1, truly; I love your candles but you have no stores in the area where I live now!--every bit as nice-smelling as a store-bought air freshener, at no extra cost.
#3: Clean up your messes as you go along, as much as you can, and don't wait to do the dishes, unless it is absolutely imperative that you leave them to do something else. This is a practice that, as an impatient child, I found to be not quite to my liking--however, once I grew up enough to appreciate the logic behind it, I realized that it is an excellent habit. It is so much easier to clean up a sink that is only partially full--or empty--of dishes; it is also much easier to clean up freshly-used dishes than it is to let whatever was on them dry and get nasty and crusty. Yes, it takes a few minutes, but in the long run, I find that I'm always much happier that I forced myself to take care of the dishes right away than waited until later! Of course, the addendum is--as I've already said--clean up as you go along as much as you can, and don't wait to do the dishes unless you have something that is more important to do. That's another lesson that I've learned from Mom: having my priorities in the right order. And sometimes, the dishes aren't anywhere near the top of the list. :)
#4: It's nice to have music playing in the house during the day. When I was growing up, we had our first multiple CD-player, and my sisters and I loved choosing the albums that we would listen to. Later on, the CDs were exchanged for Pandora radio, but Mom and Dad's house is regularly filled with some kind of music, and that always gives the atmosphere there a welcoming, comfortable kind of aliveness.
#5: It's fun--and nice!--to rearrange the furniture (what we call "playing house", in my family) and change up the look of a room on a whim. We all tease my mom when we walk into a room to find that she's moved a couch, table, chairs, or whatever else--however, the fact of the matter is that she has always made the house look beautiful and comfortable, and she appreciates the creative capacity that furniture and accessories hold within themselves. My parents' house has always looked amazing, and now that I have my own home, I like to follow her habit every once in a while, and keep things interesting around the house by changing up its look every once in a while. Hey, keeping house is an art, however you choose to look at it and whatever you choose to do!
#6: Grow roses and grow lavender somewhere on the premises. It doesn't have to be a lot, but keep both in your garden. They're both lovely.
#7: Putting your heart's effort into something--anything--can really make it special. Whether it was a holiday dinner, a meal for another family, a dress that she sewed for one of us girls, a particular arrangement of family photos, a party, or a host of other things, Mom knew the value of giving things that nice extra touch that took it from being thoughtful to absolutely lovely. This doesn't mean that whatever you're doing has to be elaborate and difficult; it just means that you put some thought and work into it, for the benefit and enjoyment of others (and occasionally yourself too!) A dinner to take to a family that has someone ill doesn't have to be some lavish ordeal that demands attention to its maker. It can be the simplest thing, but finding some way to make it special can mean so much to the person who is receiving it. It isn't done in order to win praise for oneself; it's done to gratify and bless others, and that, in and of itself, is the most incredible reward. My parents have always been wonderful examples of this quality, and I both admire and wish to emulate it in my own life and home.
#8: Invest in a perfume by Lancôme. All right, perhaps this is not an absolute must for everyone--because not everyone is going to love the perfumes by that particular cosmetics line--but I can certainly tell you that it's worth giving it a try. To my knowledge, Mom has worn three perfumes by Lancôme at regular intervals through my life: Trésor, Miracle, and Poême. These days, I've worn the first two perfumes occasionally, along with another one of the line's scents, Magnifique--that is the fragrance that I have adopted as my "signature" scent. But Lancôme perfume, as a whole, is something that I was first introduced to by my mother's wearing it, and now I've developed my own love for it. Thank you for that, Mom. :)
Mr. Darcy is home now and my lasagna--my first attempt ever at making the stuff myself!--is just about ready to be taken out of the oven, so I should dash. However, before I do, I will leave you with some momentous news from both Mr. Darcy and I...
We're having a baby!
Our little prince or princess is due to arrive in January 2013.
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À bientôt!
Cait
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