Three Little Words

Look around at your home. There are parts you love, parts that drive you crazy. Stop for just a moment and imagine your home in its perfect state--the home you dream of.

Now think of three words which describe your ideal abode. Any of these descriptors might also depict your house currently. In my case, my desire is that my home be a place of comfort, fellowship, and fun.

Comfort includes everything from physical ease to warmth in color. Our house also offers a place of emotional and spiritual comfort--we welcome those who are distressed and need a safe environment where they will be treated with compassion and confidentiality. Our furniture is casual and made for a relaxed lifestyle.

Fellowship includes the fact that we love hosting people, any time, any day. Our house is arranged so that friends can gather in the kitchen, around the fireplace, or all over the living area for the football game on TV. Our furniture and kitchen supplies were chosen with endurance and function in mind--hearty and hardy on all counts.

Fun is our goal in the middle of meals, cookouts, football season, and game nights. We love to celebrate events and each other. Any excuse to gather is fine by us, be it Groundhog Day or the dog's birthday. We love people and believe each needs to be encouraged and edified.

So the three little words at our house--comfort, fellowship, and fun--become our quick measuring sticks for how we buy furniture, food, dishes, how we arrange furniture, and how we schedule our time.

What are your three little words? Share how your house supports your words. I'd love to hear your descriptions!


(c) 2011 Sheri Smith Bertolini

My House: Recycling System

Part of our culture in our home is recycling. We have created a system which has become so natural and second-nature, it virtually seems effortless now. The household learned as we and develop what worked best for us.

From start to finish, here is our system:

Recycling Bin on the Porch

- We have a bin on our porch, just outside the kitchen door. It's very easy to toss items in the bin with 5 extra steps from the kitchen work zone.

- Once the bin is full, it gets emptied to the Sorting Station.

Sorting Station
- That's a fancy name for "designated containers."

- We originally purchased 6 duplicate containers with lids. After aging in extreme temperatures over a couple of years, the plastic becomes brittle and breaks. By then we had learned which containers seem to fill soonest and most often. So we replaced them with larger containers.

- The photo shows a large trash can on wheels. This is our plastics container. We use far more products in plastic than other materials.
- Once these containers fill, or even 2-3 of the containers, we make a trip to the recycling station nearby.

Simple solutions make a huge difference. Save yourself time and energy by putting a plan in place, then working the plan.

Think about any system in your home which brings frustration because it just isn't working. Do you have a puzzling problem? Call Sheri for a free consultation.

(c) 2009 Sheri Smith Bertolini