Maybe it’s because volleyball is over and I’ve cleared up time and mental space or maybe it’s because it’s getting cold outside and it’s time to start feeling cozy. Either way I have ideas for the house coming on strong.

I want to handletter a wall of Andrew Peterson lyrics in the laundry room. It’s really a hallway and there’s no way anything can be hung there so it’s just blank. Don’t you think the words to “His Heart Beats” would be incredible with the laundry and the trotting the children in and out of the house? “He rises, glorified in flesh/Clothed in immortality, the firstborn from the dead/He rises, and His work’s already done/So He’s resting as He rises to reclaim the Bride He won/And His heart beats/So crown Him the Lord of life/Crown Him the Lord of love/Crown Him the Lord of all!” Of course they would be perfect. I might fist pump the air every time I swapped the towels.

I have a friend who is spectacular at interior design. And no, “spectacular” isn’t an exaggeration- her house looks like it belongs in an magazine. The extent of the decorating that I’ve done recently has been hanging some pictures and mirrors to make a gallery wall in the dining room.

There are generally two barriers to decorating or renovations: ideas or money. I have no shortage of ideas. But we keep our decorating budget small because, well, life. There’s nothing wrong with a good dose of contentment even with ideas. I have a long mental lists of projects and a vision for where I want it to go but I love our house as it is. I don’t apologize when people come over because I see all the things that aren’t done. I don’t invite people over to impress them.

Home matters. Not for a showpiece, although I love for things to be beautiful. Home matters because of the people. Home matters for the people who live here and that’s why we aim for a thriving home environment regardless of what projects I haven’t finished.

Home matters for our guests. The people we have over aren’t interested in inspecting our home. They want to be welcomed and loved. You can make others feel like part of the family without spending a lot of money. That comes from the heart, not your surroundings.