Provide A Firm Foundation

Hey girlfriends! Last month we encouraged you to "bloom where you are planted." Have you been getting regular watering through God's word, soaking in the light through His truth, getting nourished through time with other believers, and allowing some necessary pruning of old ways of thinking and acting?

This month there are signs of spring: budding trees, tulips and daffodils popping, and warming temperatures. Have you noticed the birds singing and nesting outside your window? How are you coming along with building your own nest in your new home? Are you using quality 'nest-building materials' to give your home a firm foundation such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? I encourage you to! As you begin to build a foundation for your new home, reflect on the nest-building qualities you want to add that may never have existed in your old home.

To help you in this journey, a mover's survival kit is provided below with ten suggestions for docorating your nest and making your house a home. Select a couple of ideas and implement them this month. Happy nesting!

1. Put a welcome mat at the front door.

2. Start a tradition with something that symbolizes home to you and your family. When you move, put it out first; when you leave, take it down last.

3. Buy a flowering plant for the kitchen, the first time you go to the grocery store.

4. Make a list of "wanna-do's" for each room. Keep the list with you. It's amazing how you forget when you are out shopping!

5. Remember when you are decorating, less is more.

6. Keep a 3x5 card-file by your phone as a place to list resources. When someone recommends a service (florist, hairdresser, cleaners), jot the information down to file, or drop a business card in your file.

7. Go for a new look! Don't be a creature of habit. Just because you did it that way before doesn't mean you have to do it that way this time! Arrange the furniture differently. Add a new accent color.

8. Rearrange your accessories.

9. When you meet your neighbors, write their names and house numbers down so you won't forget who lives where. Call them by name the next time you see them.

10. Keep measurements, fabric swatches, paint chips, wallpaper clippings in an envelope in the glove compartment. Be prepared for a decorating sale!