Hmmmm, What does make a house a HOME??
For me.....
#1 Our Heavenly Father....Our Chief Cornerstone....Our Foundation
#2 COFFEE ~
My husband is a coffee FREAK! He IS also GADGET GUY and had to have this particular coffee pot...the ONLY one that heats the coffee to the exact temperature that coffee SHOULD be brewed at. So he saved up for this coffee pot and every Tuesday he goes to a coffee house in Tulsa called DOUBLESHOT and purchases a pound a fresh roasted beans! He also purchased the grinder that is recommended so that he can get the same flavor that he does at Doubleshot. We all drink coffee in the morning and each have our own "special" coffee cup and way we like it. Brian makes us each a cup and brings it to us before he leaves for the day....we appreciate it soo much!
#3 Our Fireplace ~ We LOVE a woodburning fireplace. As soon as there is the SLIGHTEST chill in the fall air we are begging to "have a fire." We had our friend and architect come over when we were building our house and draw our fireplace for the mason, He did an amazing job! Then we were blessed with this wooden beam as the mantle from him. In Oklahoma, we have really cold winters and when we had the ice storm in 08' This was our saving grace because we had NO electricty for 7 days! We had the fire going the whole time, we gathered here, played games, talked, prayed, as the fire crackled and the peace and warmth allowed us to truly appreciate all of Gods blessings in spite of the circumstances.
#4 Our living room ~ This is where you will find us most of the time, we have our family meetings here, we read together, watch our favorite shows and movies...we laugh, we cry and yes we chat to each other on Facebook with our laptops on each of our laps. No we don't have 4 so we take turns :) We hear each others hearts, we worship the Lord together in this room and watch His hand on each one of us as He teaches us in His Word the plans that He has for us. This is also where you will find us rocking and playing with our new precious grandaughter Rylee Nicole. On occasion you may find us with the music cranked up singing and dancing a jig!
#5 ~ Our conversation Nook....
This is One of my most favorite places to be. This is where you will find my husband and I on most every Saturday morning and in the evening after he has had a long day at work or maybe a friend and I on any given afternoon before school is out sharing our hearts with one another. Some days the windows will be open letting in the warm Spring air or on other days you will feel the warmth of the fireplace and the wonderful aroma of coffee brewing but whatever the atmosphere it is always a place to sit and share.
#6 Prayer closet ~ When my husband and I found the Lord in 1992 I found yet another love..."prayer warrior." Spending time in the Lords presence has been so many things....a safe haven, a battleground pleading for lives of loved ones, friends, family members or marriages that are broken, and some times just a quiet place to be still and know.
No matter where we have lived I have a prayer closet and no matter where I go He is with me!
#7 Our pets ~ Tyson is our "Schnorkie" a schnauzer-yorkie. He was our Christmas puppy in 08. We also have 3 cats who have been with us for a long time. Each has his own story. Pongo, came on a rainy fall day just a TINY kitten meowing down the street crying out to be rescued. He had his sister by his side so we took them both in. We named her Perdy but a few yrs later a teenager accidently hit and took our precious Perdy. Pongo was really mourning the loss of his sister as were we so we began to pray and ask the Lord for another kitty who was as sweet and fun as Perdy.
We were pretty specific in our requests and even about the day we would find her. On our 10th anniversary we went away for the weekend and the day we were returning to pick up the kids, we had told them that we would get our new kitty. We set out not knowing how when or where we would find her. But we went to Petsmart in Tulsa to look and shared with an employee what we were looking for. One requirement was that she would be free! Well they didn't have any kitties that fit our description but the lady said "Come back here with me and let me show you someone" We went back and in this cage was a Huge kitten (actually 1 yr old) and as they let her out she immediately rolled over to play. She had been brought there by her owner to be de-clawed and spayed and they never picked her up so she had been living there. I asked "how much" they would want for her and she looked at us and said "If you would just give her a good home she is FREE" I asked for a moment with my husband and both of us KNEW at that very moment that not only had God brought us everything we had asked for but she was spayed, declawed and HELLO....FREE!! We picked up our kids and told them how the Lord Heard our prayers and answered us with more than we asked for! Then we got Cooper. He thinks he is a dog! He is the friendliest cat in the neighborhood and loves to gives head butt kisses!
#8 ~ Trampoline
We love our trampoline and it serves many purposes. Exercise for our kids or the many kids in our neighborhood. We also lay on it together as a family on summer nights to look at the stars, or just to talk while we listen to the musical symphony of frogs, locusts, or even the far off (I hope) coyotes that live in the canyon behind our house.
#9 ~ Kids!!! Lots and Lots of Kids! Any age will do. We love to have children here playing, laughing, running around crazy or being still and watching a movie. Playing a loud game of Nertz and eating all that we have in our pantry. Popping popcorn or making brownies and fighting over who gets to lick the bowl and spoon. They fill our hearts with joy and laughter. My husband always teases me...."He says, Honey you always said you wanted to have the house where all the kids in the neighborhood hung out" Well... You got your wish!
Last but most important to me that makes a house a home is LOVE, ALOT of understanding, compassion and forgiveness and a whole lot of teamwork! To me, our home is a training ground for life. We learn to love and appreciate one another, to respect each other and to help one another in this world and to remind ourselves this is a temporary place...Our real home is filled with streets of gold, a mansion that is being prepared even now. A place where we will have all the time we want to sit at His feet, to ask all the questions that we have been saving and to meet all the people that we read about and want to know!! Abraham, Esther and Paul to name a
few! Until then, this dwelling that the Lord has blessed us with is....Our home.
