Homemade

I love homemade things, especially now that I'm spending so much time at home. Seriously! Being home all day most days gives me more time to appreciate the quilt from my sister-in-law Tamiko, the paintings from my Grandpa and Stephen. The pillows hand-stitched by my mother-in-law and a good friend's aunt, the scarf from my sister, the diaper bag from Hannah, the hand painted picture frames (also from my Grandpa) and countless crafts from cousins surround me each day and serve as reminders that people care for us.

Right after Christmas -- this Christmas being particularly filled with handmade and thoughtful items-- Alan and I had a discussion about taste. A lot of times we receive gifts outside the usual limits of our tastes. But are our tastes so important, so sacred in their particularities, that we can't allow others to have a hand in shaping them?

I believe allowing a place in our home for the things people make us has opened the door for our tastes to be changed. First off, they weren't so great to begin with! And second of all, just as I'd rather have others enrich my life than be left to my own devices, so I'd rather my home be beautified with the handiwork of others.

Thank you to all who have labored in love on our behalf.