Home is Everything to Me
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Home is everything to me. It is more than walls and a roof—it’s the soul’s anchor. A home holds the stories of who we are and the laughter that lingers in the air.
It carries the quiet sighs of relief when the world feels too heavy, and the comfort of familiarity when everything else changes.
It’s where love takes root, where traditions are born, and where we can strip away all masks and simply exist as ourselves. A home carries the scent of favorite meals and the warmth of cherished objects.
There are the echoes of voices that matter most. It remembers us at our best and forgives us at our worst.
Home is everything because it is both sanctuary and stage—the place we retreat to for rest, and the foundation from which we launch our dreams. It shapes how safe we feel, how deeply we connect, and how fully we thrive.
No matter how far we wander, the idea of home pulls us back. It reminds us that belonging and peace can live within four walls.
Everything is Home:
Coming home is better than leaving, because home is everything and everything is home. There is something innately reassuring about coming home, walking up the sidewalk, and unlocking my front door.
It is not just the key to my apartment, it is also the key to my heart. This little space is where I feel safest, and where happiness is nearest.
I am home. No matter how many times I walk up that sidewalk and unlock the door, I am gladdened by the sight of the inside of my apartment.
My things are as I left them when I left to run an errand. Ivy usually comes toward me from wherever she spent her time while I was gone. If she could talk, she’d probably say, “Welcome home, Mom.”
Decorating:
My paintings are hanging there on the wall, and my furniture is placed just so. There’s usually a lamp glowing in the kitchen or living room.
I hang my handbag on the knob of the hall closet as I always do. Then I put my keys on the coffee bar near the white mugs. I check Ivy’s bowls to see if I need to add more food to them.
The pillows are fluffed, and the groceries are put away. If I bring home books from the library, they are stacked on the dresser beside my bed.
I check the house plants to see if they need water or other maintenance. Then I open the patio door and step outside to take a look at my outdoor space.
Does a flower need deadheading outside? Does the water feature need more water? Do I need to sweep the patio floor?
“The magic thing about home is that it feels good to leave, and it feels even better to come back.” – Author Unknown
I like to sit down for a bit and take in the ambiance of my apartment, where the lamps are placed strategically. And where I change up the decor on the mantel from time to time. Because it is an ambiance I alone created to feel homespun and loved.
I look at the quilts I created many years ago, which have been taken from home to home over the last 30 or so years. Then there are the memories of sewing them.
When I look back at other places I’ve lived, the memories in my mind are a bit faded, like an old photograph loses brightness over time. I can see bits and pieces, but not the whole of the rooms I so carefully arranged when I resided there.
My Love Of Home:
My love of home has always been there—the constant in my life. I love houses, apartments, or wherever I might land because I will decorate the rooms and spiff up the walls with my paintings and quilts.
Home is anywhere you set up your things and reside for however long you’ll be there. It is where love lives and fills the rooms.
Every year, when spring comes around, I plant flowers outside on and near the patio. Then I sit back and wait for them to reward me with pretty flowers and healthy, robust plants.
You see, I didn’t grow up in a decorated home. I never even had my own bedroom as a child. My going to live there was like something tacked on as an afterthought. Like an addition to a structure that looks haphazard in its strange design.
It certainly wasn’t set up for a baby. Bringing a baby to live there was likely the result of a rather hasty decision.
“Chase your dreams but always know the road that will lead you home again.”
– Author Unknown
That house was like a faded photograph. It felt tired, like furniture placed in a room without much thought given to it beforehand.
Needing to Create a Cozy Space:
When I became an adult, I made it my mission to create a cozy home. My rooms would make me smile, and I would love coming home.
I would spend my time ironing curtains, sewing pillow covers, and creating quilts as a legacy for generations to come. And I would have all the things I yearned for back then—a home of my very own.
It didn’t matter how big it was or how fancy the rooms were. Somehow, I always instinctively knew what to do to make it shine like a brand-new penny.
Home is where I prepare meals, change sheets, and clean floors. It’s where I sit in my favorite chair and listen to the sounds of the water feature burbling in the water fountain. The sound is a soft background melody to the life I live here.
“The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”
-Author Unknown
My Beloved Pets:
Some of my beloved pets are gone now, having already crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Their ashes are in sturdy boxes tucked into a corner of my office, where I am reminded of my love for them every day.
The presence of their ashes in the little boxes gives me a sense of resigned peace. At least they are home with me, even though I only have their memories now.
Home is that magical place where you’ll never be turned away at the door. It’s where you’ll always have a key that fits in the slot.
But the best part is coming home again.
This is a beautiful post, and I enjoyed the insight into why your past makes it so important to create a cozy home. You’ve succeeded. One can feel the warmth of your home through your pictures. I love to travel, but I always say, if you aren’t happy to come home, then something is wrong. Enjoy the peace and sanctuary of your home, Brenda!
Brenda, I have had this post oped on my computer for days and I have read it several times. I feel as if I could have written it! I love my home and have always been a homebody. I have traveled the world and there is not place I would rather be than home. My mother and grandmother were very good at creating cosy spaces and welcome homes. Even though our house is currently in disarray I still smile every time I open the door.
You have a knack for decorating. The personal touches and having surrounded yourself with things you truly love is partly why your house rises up to greet you each time you put your key in the lock. It is a gift to be able to create a welcoming setting for yourself and you’ve done it so well! Thank you for sharing your feelings, it makes me wonder if I could do the same thing for myself?
I agree that coming home is the best. It is my nest and my safe haven. There truly is no place like home! You told about it so well.
❤️ H O M E 🏠 is 🏡 where 🏘 you hang your 👒 hat! 🎩
😘
Seems as if many of the bloggers I followed have turned to only paid subscription or have quit blogging all together. Do you still have a list of other blogs you follow? I searched but didn’t see it.
Today’s post is just lovely. A home we love is like a balm for the soul. We close the 20th on the sale of our 91-year old mom’s house. Even though it has to be done, and she has pushed to get it taken care of, she’s having a really hard time dealing with it, now that it’s just around the corner. Makes us all sad to see her so down.
There really is no place like home and yours is just lovely!
Lovely post!
Missed leaving a comment earlier today!
Home is definitely where the heart is. When I pull into my driveway I breathe a sigh of relief. I know my sweet Cooper is anxiously awaiting my arrival.
I’m in the midst of decorating and making it “MY” home without fear of judgement.
Your home is wonderful and you provide so much inspiration, Brenda.
Wishing you a blissful Sunday!
You should decorate your home just like you want to. Maybe you’ll switch the dining room to the bedroom or do something a little crazy. Doesn’t matter; it’s just you and Cooper. And I look forward to Ivy’s sweet face when I come home and open my door too.
I am happy for you that you have a safe and joyful cottage to come home to. There’s a product that is called Repels All that might deter your cottontail friend.
Now if your ankle was fixed everything would be right in the world.
Ann
PS I covet the largest painting on the mantle. We have so much in common!
Actually my ankle has been fairly painless for the past week. Haven’t mentioned it because I’m afraid I’ll jinx it. But if it continues like this, I’d like to postpone any type of surgery until fall so I can continue to take water out to the patio to water my plants.
We are in the process of remodeling l can’t wait until we are done! Love your new home
When I was a child we lived in military housing. Both my mom and her mother loved nice things, but they didn’t have their own money so they depended on their husbands for the money to make a nice home. Both of them did the best that they could with their meager budgets. I have always loved home. Even as a child I loved whatever humble home we lived in because that’s where my family was. My favorite childhood books were “Miss Suzy” by Miriam Young and “Miss Twiggley’s Tree” by Dorothea Warren Fox. Both of those books appealed to me so much because they were about home.
I guess we all here love everything “home” related.
One knows they picked the right place when feeling that way about their home. I love my little nook and feel that I truly “exhale” some days coming home to it. It’s a nice calm soft landing after a long day. I grew up with a bunch of crazy in my life and moved frequently. This is the first home I truly feel “safe” which I think makes all the difference. Happy for you that you were able to stumble across your little slice of heaven, too!
And I don’t have to worry about possibly having snakes drop from the ceiling vents…
Your blog today made me smile and feel cozy. I absolutely love your home and your knack for decorating is enviable. I love being in my santuary….there is much I would like to do to improve on it’s appearance but even as it I feel cozy, safe and comfortable here.
Decorating one’s home is an ongoing process. And then take into account that there are often constant changes. So decorating is never really finished.
You don’t know how much you’ve inspired me. I read your blog and see you change some thing up and it makes me want to do the same thing in my home. This is the first time I’m living alone in a long time and I am really enjoying it! Home is really where the heart is.
I happen to love living alone. And I’ve found that I enjoy sharing meals with Steve next door a couple of days a week. I never thought that would be true. But I also cherish my alone time with Ivy.
I am still working on improving and making order here…and that will likely take time yet. But your places have always looked so homey and inviting!! It IS great to have a spot to land where you feel free and are able to live as you choose!!
A soft place to land. We all need a soft place to land.
Coming home is just the best feeling! It’s my sanctuary where I can walk inside, shut the door and shut out the craziness in the world!
I feel the exact same way. When there was a mass shooting in Tulsa a little over a week ago, it occurred less than a mile from where I live. But it may as well have been a million miles away. I feel safe within the walls of my home. Everything that happens seems so random these days.
Another beautiful post and wonderful pictures. I can’t believe that is your patio! You have done so much already. I love how when you look out you see the greenery and other patios. It sort of makes your patio expand.
I too wonder if you will care for another little fur ball one day. One of my painting friends just passed and she had a kitty she loved. I immediately thought of offering to take it but I realize I don’t need to take in any more. I have two cats now and three dogs not to mention chickens and a horse!
If I lived out in the country and had the room, I would take in lots of pets. But then you have to think of the expenses you’ll face of course. I admire you for taking care of that many animals.
We are so blessed to have a cozy, safe home and yours is just that!
Yes, we certainly are. When I drive someplace running errands and see the homeless, I am so grateful to have my home to go back to. The other day on the corner there was a family with little kids running around holding a sign saying that they had 7 kids and couldn’t pay their rent. If they can’t pay their rent, I wonder how they’re feeding that many mouths.
Loved this post. I feel the same ..like you and Dorothy…”there’s no place like home”. I love your quilts..the red picnic basket is great..is it vintage? Your patio is so nice. Glad you have made your new apartment “your own”. I also have all of my doggies cremated as I told them I will always keep them with me. Enjoy your Summer coming up on the patio. :0) ps I hope you find a new doggie to love one day..I think that would be great for you.
Yes, the picnic basket is vintage. I probably shouldn’t have painted it, but I did that many years ago.
What a lovely post. There is a lot of truth in it for me also. The best way I can explain my teenage bedroom is sterile. Thankfully I have learned to thoroughly enjoy my home and always thinking of new ways to express myself inside as well as outside in my garden that I truly love. Thank you for your beautiful blog!
You’re right. Your home is the way you express yourself. Tell others who you are.
I have always loved your homes. I think this one is the best!
Well, that’s good. Because I don’t plan on moving from here unless something drastic happens!
Hello Brenda
I enjoyed this post. My thoughts exactly on “home”. Thank you for sharing the photo’s. Your garden area is lovely!
This morning I noticed that some insect or varmint is eating the leaves on my plants. They don’t look so good now. And the rabbit keeps eating the mystery plant’s leaves down to the stalk.
I feel the same way about home Brenda. I’ve had big houses and small ones. I’ve had lavish houses and plain ones. I lived in houses I couldn’t wait to move into. I’ve lived in houses that I moved into only because they met my current needs. But once I’m in and I call it home it’s the place I love to be. I remember years back looking for a new house with my former husband who was a builder himself. We knew where we wanted to live, on Lake Hefner in OKC, and there was no place to build so we looked at dozens and dozens of houses trying to find one that met his standards. I remember feeling exasperated because so many of them were right for me but not for him. I told him once to find a house with walls and floors and ceilings and I’d make a home of it. He finally did, he remodeled it, and I loved that place more than any I’ve ever lived in.
I would be perfectly happy in one large room without walls.
The picture at the top – I like the floor lamp. It looks nice there. Great apartment!
I currently have my lamps, or most of them, placed where they will give my house plants light.
You have made your home and very cozy, comfy and safe place Brenda!
Look at all the beautiful flowers u have on your patio too and u get to enjoy them with your nice neighbors and family! Now that’s what I call home!!!
I guess home is wherever your heart is. I’ve put a lot of myself in the homes I’ve lived in. I believe that even if you rent and don’t own your home, that is not a good excuse for not making it beautiful. Where you are is home.
Wonderful post. Thanks for the photos too.
I love taking photos. I truly never get tired of taking photos. I think they’re my way of putting a stamp on where I am. So I can say “I was here.”
Brenda, It wasn’t that long ago you agonized about moving to this new apartment. How wonderful it is to feel so much at home in your new place. It is no surprise that it is as lovely as your post today. I and many other followers are so happy for you. Sherry B
The older I get, the more I’m afraid of change. Yes, I agonized over moving. I was afraid I wouldn’t like it. I don’t particularly like the guy’s TV going upstairs. But the manager has given him two warnings and I’ve left him a note on his mail compartment, and it doesn’t change anything. But other than that, I’m happy.
Brenda, a while back, one of your readers mentioned getting a wireless headset to watch your tv. I think that’s a great idea! And when you’re not watching tv, you like to listen to your music. Those are both good ways to drown out your neighbors loud tv. As a last resort, try good ole fashioned ear plugs. Today was another delightful post! I tend to be a homebody. I enjoy going out, but nothing feels quite as good as coming home to my sanctuary.
This blog today is absolutely beautiful! I feel exactly as you wrote. There is no place like home! Your comfortable, safe place to be! Thank you for writing this today!
You’re quite welcome. I just looked down the hallway to the front door, and I realized how wonderful I feel when I open that door and tell Ivy I’m home.
I get tears in my eyes, when I see those tiny boxes lined up. All those sweet memories tucked away…
It breaks my heart all over again when I look at them. I still can’t let my eyes rest on the imprint of Gracie’s paw.