Preparing Our Home for Lent

   I am a nester.  Thus the name of the blog.  I absolutely love fussing around the house, experimenting with different ways to arrange furniture, new combinations of decorations, adding seasonal touches here and there, just generally making things a little bit special for my family and myself.  It brings me great joy to feel like I have done my best to make my home welcoming and pleasant for anyone who may dwell here.  When I began observing Lent a few years ago, my first question (after I nailed down the fundamentals) was "How do you decorate for Lent?  Is that even allowed?"

   The liturgical color for the season of Lent is purple.  Traditionally, purple is used in the church during seasons of preparation and repentance, so it is also the color of the Advent season.  Okay, I can decorate with purple.  Now what?  Because Lent isn't really a celebratory time, per se, I didn't feel that elaborate decorations were entirely appropriate.  The almighty Pinterest showed lots of people incorporating elements of nature like tree branches without leaves that were sort of symbolic of a waiting for new life, crosses draped with purple fabric, and other items that remind us of Christ's sacrifice.  I hunted through what I had on hand, and here's what I came up with:

   This small dresser is immediately in front of our front door, in the living room.  You have to walk past it to get to almost every room of the house.  That seemed like a good place to set up a small vignette.  I usually decorate with my seasonal items here, so it was a natural choice for Lent as well.  I wanted to keep things simple, in the spirit of the season, but obvious enough to remind even a three year old what this season is about.  

   I started with a natural fiber table runner to ground everything.  It has nice texture for the decorator in me, but the color and roughness of the material lends to the feeling of dry, solemn, needing new life.  I don't have a cross figurine, but I do have this really pretty cross framed art that I draped in some purple fabric.

   I added this hurricane candle holder because lighting a candle always feels spiritual and anticipatory to me.  The candle is sitting in whole coffee beans that I reserve for this purpose (we aren't coffee drinkers). When lit, the heat from the candle makes the hazelnut beans smell great.  I tried to DIY a crown of thorns from a small grapevine wreath and toothpicks.  I must have done alright because Abby Kate instantly recognized it as "the wreath that hurt Jesus."  My favorite decoration, though, and a new element for us this year, is our purple prayer chain.  

   I want to be intentional about incorporating prayer into our Lenten season, as well as a sense of expectation and waiting for Resurrection Sunday.  This was another Pinterest idea, so please don't marvel at my creativity.  I used some purple construction paper to make the chain, and on each link is written the name of a person or concept we will pray for specifically that day, for example, our pastor, neighbors, policemen, family members, and countries that our family is involved with mission work.  

   Each morning we take a link off the chain to discuss and pray.  Not only do we have a reminder of the day's prayer focus, but as the chain grows shorter, we are aware of the nearing Resurrection Celebration!  It took almost no time to assemble, and Abby Kate thought it was super fun to get the link for the day.  If making paper chains is all it takes to get my child invested in the things of the Lord, sign me up.  

   Clearly, Lenten decorations are NOT something that is required to observe or benefit from Lent.  It's just something that I enjoy doing, and I've been surprised and pleased with how seeing our vignette refocuses my mind and reminds me to pray.  Colossians 3:1 urges us to set our minds on things above, and my simple decorations help this visual learner to do just that.  

   Do you have an area that guides your heart back to Christ?  Are there any special reminders you use to set your mind on the things of God?

Happy Fall, Y'all!

   Although the weather has been decidedly un-fall, I decided since Labor Day and come and gone, it is fall.  Fall, that magical time of year when I wear boots and scarves (sometimes regardless of the weather), watch more football than is healthy, and consume so much pumpkin I take on a fake-tan-orange glow.  I love it.  All the best things happen in fall.  State Fairs, college football, Thanksgiving, new school supplies, hearty warm dishes like stew and the aforementioned pumpkin, bonfires and hayrides, apple picking...need I go on?
 
   To celebrate the season, and to encourage it's swift arrival, I spend yesterday fall-izing the house.  That doesn't take long when your apartment is as small as mine.  I don't go all out, but a few changes here and there really go a long way to up the cozy factor.  Here are a few examples:

A collection of things for a centerpiece on the dining room table

I love the bumpy little gourds!  I buy real ones because I don't have storage for faux.

This $5 candle from Wal-Mart gives such a nice scent and glow to the space! It's Apple Cider scented.

Our favorite fall snack, candy corn and peanuts, looks so welcoming with some burlap and more gourds!

 

   In the living room, our rug and furniture are neutral enough to stay year-round.  I used to have a brown and blue patterned rug that I used for spring and summer, and a red rug that I used for fall and winter.  Since we invested in this "grown-up rug" as I call it, we use it year-round.  In spring and summer I have sort of grayed aqua blue silk-look curtains and pillows.  Now I've switched the curtains out in favor of these brown ones with a great nubby texture that just feel warmer, and the pillows are a red and brown plaid and mustard colored velvet.  In retrospect, I should have fluffed the couch cushions.  Oops.  I added a few yummy throws. switched the botanical prints on the adjacent wall (not shown) out for more fallish wildlife, and called it good. 

   I can't wait to make that first pot of stew, wear a scarf and boots without sweating (yeah, I already tried it), and continue rooting on my Cowboys this season!  Better start planning my Thanksgiving menu...

   Do you decorate seasonally?  Have a favorite season?  Get an orange glow too?  Let me know!