Winter: Home Making & Hosting

I’m still relatively new to this “Home Making” business. Six years into marriage and the family season and I still don’t have a house cleaning routine; you can bet good money on me that I’m going to go over our grocery budget and the idea of waking up before my whole family (Proverbs 31 style), seems like that would NEVER happen for me. Hey, but I’m up for radical transformation: Jesus - change me,  Lord!  I’ve got a lot of learning to do yet, but I’d like to share some good things that are sticking for us. Maybe they will give you something new to try as well! And as per usual I’ll share some of Shirl-the-Pearl’s good ideas, too. Shirley Salazar was the Queen of hosting. Since we are spending more time in our home during these winter months, it seems like the perfect time to reorient our homes and our hearts to the important things.

Second-Hand  List: In the winter time I like to make a summer garage sale/thrifting master list. The wintertime  is a great opportunity to reflect on the big Holidays that just happened (The 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas etc.)  and consider what were the hosting items, decorations or entertaining items that you’d like to find for cheap at a garage sale, estate sale or what have you. This also helps my husband and I be on the same page financially about the items we are saving for and the things that are not as important but would be great to have if we can find them for real cheap. It’s also a good idea to share your list or bigger ticket items with a friend who knows your style and preferences so they can also keep a lookout at the sales for you.

Garden Plans: Get the kettle on, get some paper and start dreaming. I’m no green thumb but I love planning my garden. My goal for the last several years has been to save us a little cash by growing our own organic veg. Each year is a new learning experience out what the heck I’m doing! My other goal with gardening is gift our garden harvest to our friends and neighbors. One of my love languages is gift giving, but I can’t always afford to be buying people gifts right and left. SO growing good food and giving it away seemed like the next best idea. There is NOTHING like a ripe summer tomato and I love sharing that with others. It’s truly one of my favorite things about the summer.

The “Top Drawer”: My mom used to have a dresser in our house that was full of everything you could ever imagine. Cards, balloons, books, maps, toys, reading glasses, a package of unopened socks and more reading glasses. If you needed something, most likely it was in that top drawer.  “Where is it?” I’d shout! My mom would half sing and half shout back, “It’s in the top draaaaaaawer!”  This was the magic top drawer that was filled with all the things to give away. In a pitch when you don’t have time to buy a gift? Check the top drawer! My mom was a regifter and all those items also went into the top drawer.  I’ll be honest, I used to think that was not OK but I totally do it now as well - no shame. From a young age, I knew that if we needed a card or a gift for someone it was in the top drawer. This winter consider designating a box, drawer or section of closet that’s all about things you can give away.

New Year Meeting: My friends the Joneses inspired my husband and me to designate a day to reflect on the past year and plan and dream about the upcoming year. Last year we even took a long weekend out of town to pray together and make even more specific plans about what we hoped 2022 would be like.  This time has always been so precious to us and I honestly think everyone should do it. Some of the categories that we discuss are: Our individual relationship with God. Checking in on our personal goals. We discuss our longings in our marriage and what we appreciate about the other. We talk about family life, our children, etc. I love talking about the calendar and new routines or rhythms of a week that I want to try together. We talk about money and financial goals. We discuss our involvement in our church and  if we need to pull back from serving or make space for more, etc. And then we pray. We pray about all of the above and offer it all up to the Lord. 

Minimalism: If you have not heard of minimalism the last several years, you must have been living under a rock. Although I’ve observed that the trend of minimalism is slowing down, perhaps even fading away, I just can’t say enough good things about living with less. And that’s what minimalism is for me personally: Living with less on purpose. When my mom died and we had just had our daughter I was suffering from postpartum depression on top of grieving my mom and I just knew I had to make a significant change. My home and everything in it had become a burden. Our home was not a safe and restful place to live and I desperately needed it to be. I needed our home to be a safe, simple and beautiful place to dwell in the midst of so much pain and change. Minimalism was the key and I think God has really used it to teach me about living with fewer material items. The benefit for us has been less house cleaning and managing, less preparation for guests because the house now is always 10MN - 15MN away from being completely picked up and ready for guests. I could go on and on, but consider letting some things go this winter and see how you feel. 

Dinner Parties:  Winter time is one of the best times to have small, more intimate dinner parties. “Dinner Parties” sound really formal or fancy. But it doesn’t take hardly anything to make suppertime different than a little dinner party. My mom would light some candles, put on some music in the background, offer a cheese plate before the main course, use cloth napkins and you’ve got yourself a little dinner party. Some of the warmest, most gezellig memories I have growing up are the dinners my mom would host at the Salazar family home. My mom was an academic so all manner of highly educated people would come and linger at the table for hours talking about things I didn’t know anything about. But it’s beautiful when people stay and just talk because they want to. My parents pastored a small, racially and economically diverse congregation and when those families would come I observed they were served and loved on and inquired about just as lovingly as anyone else my parents hosted. This had a significant impression on me then and it does now. So I hope you can enjoy your own little dinner party this winter. 

Happy days to you in these winter months

-Sarah