{Retreat}

 “A good wife is a good housekeeper.
I know well how unromantic this remark will appear to those whose dreams of married life
are woven of the fancies of youthful sentiment, but these frail dreams of sentiment will not last long amid the stern realities of life,
and then that which will prove one of the rarest elements of happiness and blessing
in the household will be housewifely industry and diligence.”
– Homemaking by J.R. Miller, 1882

It may seem old-fashioned – and perhaps, it is indeed in this feministic, fast-paced-experience-everything-society we are living in- but I truly enjoy homemaking. I love being a mother, I love staying at home, I enjoy schooling the children at home,  I love making the home a blessed sanctuary from the rest of the chaotic and unsafe world.

Our bedroom was the last to be painted and refreshed since moving into our home 2.5 years ago. I could put up with the mossy green colored paint for a while because it was not as bad (in my opinion) as the muddy/butterscotch paint that covered every room in the home when we moved in {bedroom green also pictured here}. So finally .. after everything had been painted … it was our bedroom’s chance to be refreshed.

It is refreshing to change things around, move furniture, give away the extras, sort through items and organize and tidy up a bedroom or closet in a proper way. {I’m certainly not saying my house is super clean. Usually in my home, I finish one closet and I need to tackle another one, or a kitchen cupboard needs organizing along with cubbies in the mudroom, etc. but let’s take it one step at a time…}

And sadly, I do not have before photos of our bedroom … but you can see colors of the walls in the above links … the bedding was changed to summer bedding and the walls were painted. It was not a terrible room, but it certainly needed to be repainted. Everything else was just re-arranged and cleaned, sorted or tossed and moved around. We always have a baby sleeping in our room so hubby’s dresser was moved to inside the closet (he did not mind) to make room for the tiny crib {found on kijiji} in the corner.

I choose the same paint color as the hallway that we redid a few months ago because we all appreciated the calmness and simplicity of the shade.

 

 

 

 

It is most fun to find treasure for decorating. Avoid the big box stores and the mainstream shops. Find treasures in thrift stores or garage sale and your style will be more personal. On the bed, the sweet pillows are hand-me-downs from my mom … the dresser from kjiji, repainted a few years ago … the shelf was a gift from my sister when Abby & I first were married … the bed frame was a gift from Abby’s parents. I spray painted it white a few years ago and should re-paint it again soon. (If you know me well, I usually have a spray can handy for makeovers.) The oil lamps are also from kijiji.

 

 

My favorite party of our bedroom is a little balcony that is accessible from our room… when we moved in, it had no railings. Abby had iron railings made for it, which made it use-able and oh-so-lovely. It has an odd shaped arch at the top of the framework so we have yet to find/make a screen door to fit. I love to sleep in the room with the door wide open. It’s rather silly as anything could come through the door (raccoons, mosquitoes, etc.) but hearing the wind in the trees, the crickets singing, the rain falling … that is the best music with which to fall asleep.

 

There’s just enough room for a little sitting area for two … a sweet lavender bush with some geraniums {which always remind me of my parents, as every summer, they planted geraniums in our garden} are some of my sweet pleasures.

“There are many reasons to ‘take to one’s bed’: heartbreak,
disappointment, irritating husbands, and possibly an illness. This is the reason that you should invest in a peaceful haven from the outside world.”
-The Art of Retreating to Bed

 

 

On the dresser, a picture of Abby & I, a few months into our marriage,  in Zambia on a short term missions project – the best trip ever …

Abby was not sold on this idea, but I took down our sliding closet doors. They were so outdated and ugly. I kept them in case we need to put them back on one day (but would surely need some updating of some kind). Lace curtains will do the job in a much nicer fashion, I think.  {A paint can holding open the door … freshly painted, I still need to put the can away.} It also made the room appear larger, which is appreciated. I did not realize the curtains were mis-matched until I hung them up – I will be on the lookout for matching lace curtains at thrift stores or garage sales this summer.

 

 

Do you enjoy making an old space new again? Do you ever retreat to your bedroom for quiet time? It is quite relaxing. You should try it sometime …