home is where...your winter snow gear is

My husband was actually home last weekend and we spent last Friday night in front of the fire, listening to records and laughing about life. Whenever I sit by the fire, I sit as close to it as possible because I just plain love it and feel very lucky to have one. One of my Christmas presents was a pair of Crazy Creeks (the portable camp chair), which I requested so I could sit extra close to the warmth of the fire, complete with back support. As I was nestled in my chair at the start of last weekend enjoying a White Russian, I gazed into our foyer and noticed something that made me really happy inside - the basket on our bench was overflowing with hats, mittens, and scarves. I remember when I put the basket on the end of the bench and it sat empty to pseudo-empty for many weeks. I kept wondering whether it would ever give off the impression that our home contained a family; though be it a small family, a family of people who weren't afraid to be out in the cold and could provide additional warmth to those that visited, if the need arose. It is definitely a simple pleasure, but it made me think about our lives and our home...and I smiled. Our home feels lived in and like it is truly ours. We have our routines down and our things are intermingled now more than ever.