Tomorrow I will see my son and meet his lovely bride-to-be for the first time, unless you count skype. I’m walking the line between going crazy getting the house ready and not wanting to be stressed and only trying to impress. Let’s face it though, I want her to be comfortable and not run away screaming, so I am a little stressed. We don’t have a fancy, decorated house. We have a small, cottage-y sort of house with lots of books and pictures and yarn and food and pets and too much stuff and every single craft my kids have ever made on display. It’s a bit like the Weasley’s house in Harry Potter, but without the gnomes. It needs paint and some serious updating. Our spare room is an unfinished basement with fabulous foil insulation panels for walls. But, there are roses and petunias and iris blooming, and there are places to put your feet up and relax and there is often music playing and something good to eat on the counter, so I guess it will do.
There is nothing like looking at your home through the eyes of a guest to put things in sharp relief though, and it is a struggle to keep perspective. I have to remember that she is coming to see us, not the house, and we are so excited to meet her-it’s like she’s part of the family already. We love her even now. Hopefully our cozy little house will make her feel welcome and that she belongs. This is the house that helped to make Jeff who he is, so I hope she will feel that as well. My heart will always warm to when my visiting friend from far away said that our unfinished basement room felt like a home while they were visiting. That’s better than a compliment on the decor any day of the week.
Self-consciousness is a terrible thing, because when I’m not thinking about what someone else might think, or what sort of house I ought to be living in, I really like my house. Mrs. Weasley is one of my favorite characters in HP. The Burrow was the place where Harry felt the sensation of being home. My house does feel like a home and that always was the goal. It’s enough.
But I am going to go have a little late-night vacuuming session. Just for good measure.
My Red Door Days 