Hello there, friend,
When I was a child, my aunt had a sign in her kitchen that said, Dull women have immaculate homes. I had no idea what that meant, but I read and reread it every time we visited until it was imprinted in my mind. Her house was always homey. It was cozy and filled with very old things, but when I visited I never felt like I couldn't touch anything. It was more like everything was worn in and inviting me to come rest.
As a kid, I never paid attention to whether or not her house was clean. When we came over, it was clean enough since we were family and we were guests who drove an hour an a half to visit. It was clean enough to just hang out and relax. Isn't that the right amount of clean?
I think so, which is why my home is usually tidy but I don't spend much time cleaning. I abide by the adage that My home is clean enough to be healthy, but dirty enough to be happy. I don't want to spend a lot of time cleaning, so I don't. I don't like a lot of clutter, so I keep the amount of stuff my family has to a minimum.
Still, Saturday I spent two hours deep cleaning the first floor of my house. I took everything apart, dusted, reassembled shelves, took things to Goodwill, and tucked extra stuff into boxes that were shuffled away to the basement. This is the week our house is going on the market, and it's cleaner than it's ever been before. And yet it still feels so homey, everything worn in and inviting me to come rest. I like it that way.
xo,
L
