An apple scented candle is burning, dinner is cooking in the crockpot, worship music is playing and I have a cup of hot hazelnut coffee.  Life is good, life is peaceful…

Granted, I didn’t make my bed this morning and there is laundry all around waiting to get done.  But there is a load in the dryer and my shower/bath got a scrubbing like it hasn’t in awhile.  So after I just typed that, I thought, “That’s silly, I should make my bed.”  So I quickly made my bed and sorted the laundry sitting here.  It really takes no time at all, why is it that I am sometimes willing to let things go, when it only takes a few minutes to fix it up?

Anyway, I’m sitting here enjoying my coffee and thinking about how a couple of things really makes a huge difference in your home.  You can have the nicest, cleanest home but it feels sterile and cold like a hospital.  On the other hand, you can have a slightly messy home filled with secondhand furnishings but it feels warm and inviting.  (Don’t get me wrong, I know you can have a nice, clean home that is warm and inviting, and I also know that you can have a messy home that feels as though a hazmat group needs to be called in…)  My point is just that perfect doesn’t mean warm and inviting and ultimately peaceful.

So what does?  For me, it is definitely candles.  Candles set a mood, they offer a nice scent, and it seems to say, “Someone made an effort, someone cares.”  And if you remember from a few weeks ago, I was participating in a “Make Your Home a Haven Fall Challenge.”  (Read about it here.)  In that challenge, the author, Courtney suggested that we light candles to set a mood, but also as a reminder to pray for peace in our home.  So I’ve been doing that (although my autistic son gets a little worried about candles and he goes around blowing them out).  So perhaps for him, my peaceful setting is just adding anxiety, maybe I should reevaluate my fondness of candles???

The next week, Courtney suggested adding music to your home.  So I’ve been trying to be more purposeful in having music in the background instead of TV… which I’ve been known to have on in the background all the time.  But the idea is that music can definitely set the mood in your home.  Whether it’s a quiet mood, a fun/lively mood, a reflective mood, or a festive mood… you can create it with music.   For this, I love the cable Music Choice channels, Pandora and Spotify.

Right now, I’m hooked on Spotify.  (Click here to go to Spotify’s site.)  Basically for free, you can listen to any album you like.  Except unless you upgrade, you have to listen to the occasional commercial – but it’s no big deal.  You can create your own playlists… right now I’m listening to our sleep play list, so if all of a sudden there are a bunch of random lettersljkgjalkdfu;gv poufud[awkl’ , it probably means I nodded off while typing. 🙂

Spotify is great, they often have albums the day they’re released.  The problem with Spotify though is you usually need to know what you’re looking for.  If you’re not sure, Pandora is great.  Pandora is an online “radio” in which you design stations based on your music interest.  (Click here to go to Pandora’s site.)  For example if you like Taylor Swift (like me), you can make a Taylor Swift radio station and you’ll hear songs by Taylor in addition to songs that are in a similar genre, like Lady Antebellum or Jason Mraz, so you can get to know other artists as well.  You can also create a worship station.  We have a Chris Tomlin one that I love.

If you haven’t ever listened to worship music in your home, I encourage you to try it.  Why?  Because the lyrics of music get stuck in your head, and as you are going around singing, would you rather be singing something that glorifies God and draws your heart nearer to him or singing curse words about sex or girls kissing other girls???

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.” -Philippians 4:8 – I personally translate “think” to “think, talk, and sing”

I’m not saying that I listen to worship music exclusively, I already admitted to having a Taylor Swift station, but it is the majority of what we listen to.  And the added bonus is listening to your 5-year-old singing, “Savior, He can move the mountains, our God is mighty to save…”

Lastly to me a warm and inviting and peaceful home has coffee anytime you want it.  That’s why I love my Keurig one cup coffee brewer.  For you it might not be coffee, it might be tea, hot cocoa, or hot cider… but there is definitely something comforting about holding a hot mug of something in your hands on a fall/winter day.  Especially a rainy day like today.

Well, the laundry beckons and a friend is on her way over, so I’ll stop my babbling for now.  Thanks for reading.  As always, feel free to share with your friends by clicking one of the boxes below.  Also, I know that candles, music and coffee might not be your thing.  What do you do to make your home warm, inviting, and peaceful?  I’d love to hear.

♥Becki