The Four Elements That Make Our Home “Just Right”

With all of the home improvement projects and decorating I’ve been doing over here, I’ve discovered a trap I don’t want to fall prey to. It’s this belief that by doing all the things and making my house look a certain way I’ll eventually “arrive”. The house will be perfect and all I’ll have to do is sit back and enjoy it. Well, the thing is, that couldn’t be further from the truth. After a precious, out-of-nowhere conversation with my oldest daughter, I learned the four essential elements that make our home “just right” right now, in all its apparent imperfections.

To help visualize this I decided I would share images of my cozy corner. It’s my go-to place to have deep thoughts. What my daughter opened my eyes to required me to sit down and evaluate my heart in depth.

The Back Story

My parents are downsizing and therefore selling their home and moving into a condo. With all that going on, my 4-year-old told me she wanted to move into a new house with a neighborhood, like Mema and Papa. I told her if we did that we wouldn’t be neighbors with her best neighbor friend anymore. After that, she dropped the conversation and we moved on to something more pressing, like how uncomfortable her car seat buckles are.

Well, a couple weeks later, we were going shopping for some Fall decor, and she randomly told me “Mom our home is just right. Do you know why?” She then ran down this extensive list of things that make our home “just right” (Thanks Goldilocks and the Three Bears haha!!)

What Makes Our Home “Just Right”

Our Neighbors/Neighborhood

She told me one of the reasons our home is just right is because of the neighbors around us. We absolutely love our “neighborhood”. It’s not really a “neighborhood” in the conventional sense. It’s just a couple country roads with a bunch of active neighbors, but we all refer to it as the neighborhood.

We love all the neighbors. We do dinners with some, outdoor gatherings, we often visit one neighbor’s pond to feed the fish. Some of our neighbors even exchange holiday gifts with us. One neighbor is so sweet he comes and snow blows the driveway for us on super snowy days! The girls run to the window to watch EVERY. SINGLE. TIME! You guys!! Having great neighbors is absolutely a key ingredient to having a home that’s just right!

Our Community

Another point she made was how we are close to so many fun places. Her example was the library. (This doesn’t surprise you if you know her. My little book worm!) But she also loves the Blueberry Patch, the Apple Orchard, the reservoir, the bike trail, Kingwood Center, the Carrousel, and the parks! We love going and doing all the fun things at all these places.

I truly couldn’t agree with my daughter more. When we moved up here, we were a little nervous about leaving a place that offered so much to us. But the truth is, even in our small town we are NEVER short of fun places to go and fun things to do with the entire family.

Creating a Life We Love

She also said one of the things that make our home just right is the garden and the chickens. She loves going to the garden with me each morning and checking on the chickens every morning and night.

These are aspects of our home that we didn’t have when we arrived. But they were things we knew we wanted. These were contributing factors to our decision to move back home. We knew in the big city we lived in, having a big garden and chickens simply wasn’t an option for us. In fact, the space we use for our garden, apple trees, and chickens was probably equivalent to our entire backyard at the old house.

Our Family

Her last point was the people in the home. This is the point that stuck with me the most. She said our home is just right because of Daddy, Mommy, Sis, and all the animals. These were the best – although the garden got thrown into the best list too. (Spending too much time with Mommy haha!!) I don’t find it coincidental that the precious innocence of a small child made such a profound connection. The strongest factor that makes our home “just right” is family.

False Beliefs

All of this to say, I can Pin my life away, and follow all the best designers and bloggers. I can read books, and take classes. All of which would be/are very enjoyable for me. BUT…None of those things would make my house just right.

By getting the window I want for the kitchen, or painting the cabinets, or installing hardwood floors throughout the house I’m not making my house just right. When I do all those things do I increase the value of my home, and create spaces that are aesthetically pleasing, and potentially more functional? Yes! I absolutely do, and boy is it fun!! But none of those things will ever make my house just right. The aspects of my home that make it “just right” go beyond these things.

If our home was missing any of the four elements that my daughter pointed out, it wouldn’t matter how great my home functioned, or how beautiful it was.

How to Create A Home That’s Just Right

The best advice I can give you if you’re trying to create a home that is just right is to take a break. Take a break from all the things that cause you to think you need what someone else has in order to finally get where you want to be.

Ask yourself the hard questions. Then after you ask yourself the hard questions do something even harder. Turn everything off, except for some peaceful music if you need it, and think about the answers. Mull over the answers. Evaluate the answers. Then…write them down! This will help remind you what the goals and priorities are for you and your family.

But above it all, you must decide to make a mental shift. If you want your home to be just right, you have to decide that your home, in all its imperfections, is just right.

Kids say the darndest things, huh? I’m glad I didn’t miss this one. Sometimes I miss lessons my children share with me. But this lesson is a keeper for sure. She reminded me to keep the main thing the main thing! The way to make your home just right is to create a life you love. Needless to say, she no longer wants to move. Thank goodness, because I agree; our home is just right for us!

If you missed it, my daughter also taught me a lesson on doing my best even if it means putting forth a little more hard work. Go check out my DIY Boho Style Table blog post.

Don’t forget to Pin for later!

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Open Your Doors,
Aliya