Getting into the Foreign Service Mentality - Part 1 - Homemaking

Welcome to Part one of my series entitled "Getting into the Foreign Service Mentality" This series started in drafts as one post, that got longer and longer as I started writing about the mental shifts needed in career, family, home, etc. So, I decided to break it into several posts.  Today I am going to focus on Homemaking.

It started in July - THE MOVE - the one that rocked our family to the core; and made us so much stronger. We left everyone we loved and began this adventure into the foreign service. The first move to our temporary housing in Falls Church was crazy, tiring, but in a way, it was a buffer for what was to come. We had five worry free weeks to ease into this fast paced DC life. The second move to Reston felt like a relief. It was calmer here. Although, even this little suburb of DC is still much more congested than our Alabama life, there is nature, and green space, and not as many crowds. We like it here. It took time to settle, to figure out the use for all of our spaces, to "decorate" our home just so, to find our way to the grocery store, find our favorite restaurant, but we did, and it feels good.

Hospitality, homemaking, community are so much a part of who I am.  It will be that way wherever I go. I am learning to redefine the way I think about each of those.

And what about home? I want to settle, I want to create spaces that feel warm and inviting! I would love to pick up a new rug for a room, or get a new lamp for a space, but for what? To store for the next ? years? How do you switch from the "permanent" mindset to the "temporary" all while trying to establish roots in your current situation?  How do you have roots and wings still to fly? I don't have the answers. I am hoping in the future I can refer to this post and see growth in this area of my life. I am hoping I can say that I was concerned for nothing.

This is what I've learned so far:
1. What you already have is beautiful.  Our home is filled with "hand me downs" - most of which came from Erik's family. Some are old antiques, some are just things they no longer needed, but we did, some are gifts from them to help make our home.  They are all beautiful, why? Because each was given out of love.  Some contained a story, some came from grandparents that are no longer with us, all were loved in another's home, and now they are loved in ours.

2. This is not the home we came from, our old home was a well loved brick ranch home, with a big yard on a street filled with neighbors who became family to us. BUT in some ways this home is better. It's bigger, and laid out better for entertaining and guests. It has the nicest kitchen I've ever had, and still feels cozy. And we are getting to know our neighbors (that's another post in this series)

3. It doesn't matter.  I don't like the mirror in our powder room, it doesn't matter.  My living room area rug has lots of stains, it doesn't matter. Our home is connected to 3 other homes, it doesn't matter. Our basement is a homeschool room, guest room, AND playroom, it doesn't matter.  It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. Those are all things, and if I believe the gospel, and I do,  those things will pass away, I am to store up my treasure in heaven. I'm to invest in other people, my family, grow myself spiritually. That's what matters.

So now that I have taken away all of the things I used to "need" to make my house a home, to feel I was ready for entertaining, to validate myself as a homemaker, what's left?  I'm learning to focus on my family, my guests, my friends.  I'm learning to meet their needs, to see to their comforts, to enjoy special moments with them, without wondering if they're gonna spill that glass of red wine on my carpet. Or thinking about how I wish I would have taken the time to pull out the other dishes before they came.  Now that we live here, away from loved ones, I am learning that their visits are precious time, and I want them to feel loved, welcomed, and enjoy their time with us. That truly doesn't require new lamps, rugs or mirrors.  It requires being intentional. I think I can do that!