A House That Is A Home

Posted onMay 15, 2025May 16, 2025 Reflections

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through links on my site, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

Some people want a big, fine house with all the bells and whistles, but I want a house that is a home.

Some people want a new car every four or five years. My car is 19 years old, but as long as it starts and gets me where I’m going, that’s good enough for me.

I’d rather have an old house and car and be debt-free. Knowing that I don’t owe anyone anything gives me peace of mind.

Little Things Make A House A Home:

A house that is a home isn't perfect. It an be blue and green like this one I live in and still need work.

What matters to me are the little things that make a house a home. A candle glowing in the growing shadows, a house plant with green leaves reaching toward the light.

I prefer an old house with character that is somewhat different from the other houses on the block, something that has been standing for decades. I prefer to live in a house that has been around so long that it’s seen more than I have.

This house needs the railings stained and the porch floor repaired, but this work doesn’t have to be done all at once. I might get it done next month or next year. A house that is a home always needs something done or restored.

Just because it isn’t a finished product doesn’t mean I love it any less. When is a home really finished and complete? It is constantly evolving.

I like color, substance, and texture. You might string beads for a necklace, or you might turn those beads into wind chimes that sing to you when the wind blows.

You could add those beads to the top of a plant’s soil to give it extra sparkle. Beads can also be attached to keychains, zipper pulls, and bags to personalize and decorate them.

Maybe you will make a friendship bracelet and gift it to your best friend.

Flowers In My Garden:

A house that is a home has pretty plants and flowers and garden art in front like mine.

I’d rather have flowers in my garden than a wrapped bouquet from the store.

Store-bought flowers only last a few days, whereas those in your garden sway in the breeze for much longer. They wave to you in greeting as you walk by.

I’d rather have a cozy little kitchen full of color than one that looks straight from the pages of Architectural Digest. A house that looks like it has been lived in and loved appeals to me more.

My red and white and green kitchen that resembles a diner.

My kitchen looks somewhat like a diner, full of red, white, and green. Old and vintage are blended with new and modern.

A house that is a home is a combination of things you’ve picked up over the years.

Pets & Chaos & Toilet Paper On The Floor:

I’d much rather have a house with furry pets. When you have pets, you sometimes have chaos.

But I wouldn’t trade these three sweet kitties for the world. They make this house a loving, lived-in home.

Simon has scratched the wall, and nail holes need to be filled. I will do this one day, but not today. It isn’t the highest priority on my list.

In A house that is a home, there might be silly cats that pull all the toilet paper off the roll, like Simon did here.

Daisy will look at Simon, and off they go, chasing each other all over the house. Ivy looks on like a slightly disapproving mother. She probably doesn’t remember being like these kittens, but I clearly remember that she was just as silly.

As I write this, Simon makes funny noises like a barking seal and dashes from room to room.

Occasionally, a dining room chair hits the floor while cats are playing. But I’m not alarmed or upset.

I don’t let it ruin my day if something gets toppled and knocked down. If a thread is pulled, a vase is broken, or a piece of furniture is knocked askew, it isn’t the end of the world. It’s just what kittens do when they’re young and energetic.

This house is full of life and laughter; nothing in life is perfect. Perfection isn’t what makes something beautiful.