Why are grandmas’ houses always so perfect? Why do they feel the most homey, the most welcoming, the most comforting, the most safe? It’s something I’ve been pondering lately as I’ve been digitizing hundreds of old family photos for a project for a very special lady (my own Grandma!), and seeing all of the “family houses” (there were three of them, all on the same street, that I spent basically my entire childhood in) from an adult perspective and for the first time in probably seven years. These were houses that, from my childlike memories, were limitless, vast places full of exciting nooks and crannies to explore, and the most perfect houses one could imagine — but seeing them with fresh eyes, they are far from large or conventionally perfect. The rooms were tiny, the hallways narrow, the ceilings low, the furniture mismatched, the cabinets crowded, the decor a hodgepodge rainbow of antiques and heirlooms and handmade pieces. And did I mention tiny? I can’t even tell you the number of times 8 or more of us crammed around Grandma’s 4-person kitchen table in her 8′x10′ kitchen to eat lunchmeat and tomato sandwiches off of paper plates in the summer, or how many extra chairs had to be pulled into the living room (which already had furniture for at least 7 people) at Christmas, or how darn small the counters were in that kitchen — no wonder she did almost all of her food prep on the kitchen table!, or how at my great aunt’s house not all of us would even be able to fit at the dining room table…but every memory of these homes is perfect.

And I realized: These houses are so perfect to me because of how much love was put into them. It’s not the size, or how nice the stuff is, or how much “sense” the storage solutions make (my grandma kept all her jewelry in a drawer in the china cabinet in the dining room!) or how modern and updated everything is, that counts…it’s how much love, how much family, how much history it’s filled with that truly makes it “home”. It’s about making do with what you have. It’s about filling every nook and cranny with history, with meaning. Instead of looking at everything with a critical eye (“that’s too small”, “that outlet is weirdly placed”, and so on), look at it all and think, “This is home.”

And so this is my new perspective as Jason and I continue to create our home. I’m putting away the polished decor blogs for a little while, because they just give me sensory overload. Instead for inspiration I’ve been subscribing to more and more personal blogs, and I’m drawing on the recently strengthened memories of my grandma’s and great aunt and uncles’ homes to give me direction. Because that is truly the kind of home I strive for — handmade, rich with history, and a kitchen that’s always open.

(P.S. — I skipped a week in my 365 because I just decided to give up, but now I really want to continue…so forgive me for skipping those days, but I’ve decided to pick up where I left off.)

Okay, I’m giving in and starting one of these. I see it on a lot of blogs and it seems fun. Plus, I have a bunch of random things I want to mention tonight and it is still Thursday for another 20 minutes, so…I’ll go with it.

Surprise money – Today I found out that I was able to keep a rather large check from my school, and I did my taxes with the help of a girl I know from school and BAM — I got almost exactly the same amount as that check for my tax return too! So excited. I’ve never gotten anything back from taxes; always had to pay, usually around $100. But not this time. To celebrate, tomorrow I’m doing some much needed clothes shopping.

Closet purging – Because of the sudden windfall and knowing that I can splurge just a little now, tonight I finally bit the bullet and purged my closet. I put aside a decent pile to donate/sell, and decided what pieces I want to replace. A lot of what I own is stuff from high school or my first year of college — so, it still fits and “works”, but it feels really stale. I’m in a new phase of my life now, I need new clothes! It’s hard to part with a lot of the things even though I know I could be dressing so much better…ah, the curse of being overly sentimental about everything. I’ll get there someday.

My crock pot – I made two crock pot soups this week, each one a full 5qt load. I’ve got soup coming out the ears! Our freezer is fully stocked for forever now. One was a bean, rice, and veg stew, and the other (my favorite) is the most magical vegetarian chili I have ever laid eyes/nose/tastebuds on. I really can’t even describe how good it is. I’ll post the recipe for it as soon as I can take photos in the daylight. I also realized that I said I’d post the recipe for the stew a few days ago and never did — same issue, no time to take photos during the day. I’m trying! (The soup in the photo above is actually corn chowder from Jason’s mom, not one of the ones I made.)

Meal planning – This is something I need to get better at, but I’m trying as hard as I can. I have enjoyed planning meals ahead this week, and putting in a little extra effort to make a huge batch of something so that I can eat leftovers throughout the week. I’m excited for Jason to get here tomorrow too because cooking for two really is more fun than cooking for one. Tomorrow we’re having chili leftovers and I’m making roast red potatoes to go with it, and Saturday will probably be stew with roast cauliflower on the side. Mmmmm I love winter food.

Family – This weekend my cousin is coming out to my dad’s house to scan old family photos! I’m excited to see what she brings — she said she has some from as far back as the 1940s, when my grandma and her siblings (my great aunts and uncles) were young adults. Should be fun!

Another find from the thrift store yesterday was a 20-photo collage frame that will go on this wall. Yesterday I was at my dad’s scanning old family photos, and I just have to digitally clean up some dust spots on some of them before I get prints made to fill the frame. That’s a project for this week.

Tonight I made slow cooker stew with chickpeas, black beans, onions, carrots, celery, and brown rice. I’ve made it once before and really enjoyed it, and one batch fed me lunch for an entire week and then some. I’ll post the recipe tomorrow. I try to take advantage of soup weather during the cold months, because it really is so easy to make and my favorite thing to take along for lunch (and thanks to Jason’s mom I actually have a proper insulated thermos now too!). Food during the summer is much more labor-intensive and logistically harder to make in bigger batches, so I’m savoring this while I can. I’ve got ingredients to make veggie chili in the slow cooker later in the week too.

Something I just thought of: spaghetti sauce in the slow cooker? I wonder if this is a thing. Jason and I have a favorite way of preparing spaghetti sauce with summer vegetables that involves simmering for an hour on the stove…I wonder if we couldn’t make a really huge batch of it in the slow cooker and freeze the extras? Must remember this for later….

Today we went to the suburbs to run some errands and have dinner with Jason’s parents. While we were there we stopped at our favorite thrift store. I found these two teacups, which were the exact same Corelle pattern that my grandma used to have (and possibly still does — I don’t know if she kept her dishes when she moved). I’ve eaten so many family dinners off of that pattern, I know it like the back of my hand. I had to buy them, and when we got home I reunited them with a pineapple doily — the quintessential doily pattern of my family. Feels like home.

Jason is on the couch and all I can hear is “naaanananananananana Katamari Damacy” and the weird “grabbing” sound effect (if you’ve played Katamari you know the sound I mean). I’m sitting with my feet propped up resting a broken toe and dreaming up craft projects. This feels like home too.

Today was so very spring-like out again. Temps in the low 60s and sunny, with pleasant breezes this morning turning to strong winds in the afternoon. I napped on the couch with the windows thrown open. Tomorrow, though, high of 37 and cloudy, followed by a week of freezing temps again. Sigh. When will the winter weather be over?

At some point in time a previous tenant at the house planted a small strawberry patch in the back yard. Today I went and checked on them, and they are still alive and green as ever, totally unfazed by being buried in snow for more than a month straight. I can’t wait to see if the strawberries they produce are any good. In fact I can’t wait for the backyard to bloom in general; it’ll be exciting to see what kinds of gardens have been left behind by people who lived here before us.

Tonight I’m cozying up with a large mug of mint tea and Lord of the Rings. Jason already went to bed and I am at one of my favorite parts in the books — the part in the Fellowship when they reach Rivendell — so I’m eager to spend this “me” time tonight reading further.