It is always nice to visit a vacation retreat or spend time away from home in a splendid, idyllic setting. However, some people find it too expensive or are not able to leave their homes due to pressing responsibilities of one form or another. In this case, it is best to create the kind of sanctuary and luxury you desire, right in your own home.
My friend takes a "Stay"-cation instead of a "Va"-cation, and enjoys her home in a different way. Vacationing at home does not mean that a woman must stay in her house or on her own property for her entire holiday, but it means enjoying the local things as a vacationer would.
My friend takes a "Stay"-cation instead of a "Va"-cation, and enjoys her home in a different way. Vacationing at home does not mean that a woman must stay in her house or on her own property for her entire holiday, but it means enjoying the local things as a vacationer would.
Home vacations can cost no money at all if they just require extra leisure and rest. On the other hand, spending money for a luxurious home holiday can still be much less expensive than going to a far-a-way spot. Buy some new towels or re-outfit your bed with new sheets and blankets. Some of the new sheets and blankets are made from natural fibres like bamboo, flax and natural cotton, and are designed to aid in restful slumber. Find pieces to your favorite china and add to your collection, for a special holiday treat, or find a new set of every-day dishes and change your tablecloth, for a new look. Paint your kitchen or get some special porch furniture.
Kevin Liang 
Shady Grove
Treat yourself to a patio set and new lawn chairs, or re-design your porch for maximum enjoyment of leisure time. Our ancestors created sun-porches and sleeping porches, both designed for leisure at home. They created special porches for star-gazing or for outdoor rocking chairs. Some rooms were built on to their houses for artist studios and music rooms. Every aspect of the Victorian house seemed to point to some activity at home.
Sometimes you can remodel and redecorate a room in your house for less than the cost of a vacation. Consider spending vacation money to improve your yard in some way or get some things you've always wanted to improve your home life.
Sometimes you can remodel and redecorate a room in your house for less than the cost of a vacation. Consider spending vacation money to improve your yard in some way or get some things you've always wanted to improve your home life.
Staying at home can be a good experience if you like to read, write, sew, or have friends over for tea-time moments. It will necessitate going out, however, to collect everything you need: plenty of food supplies that are high enough quality that you would feel you were on holiday, and even some special clothing that suits the season.
Whether you stay home or go away for a vacation, it is important to relax. Some people find this difficult to do on a formal vacation, and that is why the "stay-cation" can be so appealing. At home, you can do as you like and are not obligated to meet a time-schedule. If you learn to relax at home, even while you do your daily work, and learn to enjoy home life, you'll find that you will create a home that invites you to stay.
Summer Porch
by Kevin Liang
One way to motivate yourself to be an excellent keeper of the home is to plan for moments of leisure, seizing the opportunity when the weather is nice or in the parts of the day which are quieter.
Plan leisure activities that really relax you. Some women will enjoy painting, others will enjoy sewing or reading. Get a stack of whatever pleases you and enjoy feeling relaxed at home. Make a list on a special paper of the things you would really like to do, if you had enough time, such as taking an art course, a cake decorating class, sewing something you've always wanted to sew, or creating a special room. List all the things you want to read or write, and all the trips you want to take to places like rose gardens, house tours, and anything you want to see. From this list, you can plan your relaxation and leisure time.
When we were children, summer at home meant special painting books and yarn-craft activities, as well as photography, picnics and nature walks. Although it may cost extra money to put on a home holiday for your children, it will still be less than an expensive trip and will be worth the cost, for the improvements you make to your home and the things you buy to make life easy for a few weeks will still be with you.
Spring Morning
by Kevin Liang
Read about the artist Kevin Liang here: http://www.globalgallery.com/artist_biography/kevin+liang/ and see more of his paintings here:
13 comments:
What a lovely idea! Thank you! And what beautiful paintings.
Now that we are home all the time I think having a home vacation would be great! It would give our home a fresh look. I am planning on sprucing up the front room, bedroom and out doors. I have many things already collected and will combine many to redo what I already have. A can of paint and some rearranging and only a very small outlay of money will do it all. I have collected several beautiful pieces of used linens and other pretty things and this is just the inspiration I need to give our home a fresh look! Soon there is birthday too in our family and that will be the perfect time to have everyone here to celebrate outside. I will have just enough time to finish these projects! I am also collecting old board games and garden games and such for all of us to enjoy. And sheet music for singing. Joanna
This summer after we worked hard for weeks to get our home and yard ready for our son's outdoor wedding, we felt exhausted.
I'd been wanting a covered swing for our yard and my husband surprised me with a new fold-up, two person hammock. Its wonderful for a nap or reading a good book under the shade of the big tree. And it cost much less then the swing.
I've already enjoyed it and think I'd like to make a couple big fluffy pillows and light weight throw for it.
I also plan on a trip to a nearby town for a day of antique hunting. Probably won't spend a dime, but its fun to look and have a lunch out even it I make and take it with me.
Mrs. J.
What a great idea for a post! I very much like your suggestion of investing in nice things for our homes instead of spending money on a vacation away somewhere. My husband and I have taken to having occasional "formal dinners" at home, dressing up the nice clothes we'd wear out to a restaurant and making fine dining types of entrees at home. It's drastically cheaper than going out and we're never disappointed in the fare or service! :0)
I've grown to love simple, quiet, home life. Although we travel quite a bit, I have come to the conclusion that there is more joy staying home. We are moving away from always running off for this or that. I find that my work is my leisure and vice versa; it's hard to see where one starts and the other begins. I love to cook, sew, wash dishes and clothes, sweep, dust, vacuum, play violin, read, write, mentor mothers and scholars, and garden, when I'm well enough.
When I was little my sister lived in a home that had a sleeping porch and us kids just loved going over there and sleeping 'outside'. It was so cool and comfortable and she had a feather tick on the old wire spring mattress out there. Great memories...
We don't go away on every break we take, we often stay at home and enjoy sleeping in, watching movies in the afternoon, going for walks etc... I enjoy putting my feet up and relaxing even when at home.
My mother added a screened porch to her house this year. The porch is deep, with four comfortable wicker chairs and ottomans, side tables, and a ceiling fan. We spend so many early mornings and evenings sitting and talking together as a family on that porch. My children love to "camp out" on the porch overnight. My mother said she used money she had planned to use for vacation trips to build the porch. We all agree she did better to spend the money on the porch, which has made her home so peaceful and pleasurable.
My aunt and uncle also added a porch off of their kitchen. They made the porch big enough to accomodate both an eating area and a sitting area. There is nothing nicer than a simple meal served on the porch table, followed by an evening talking and laughing on the porch.
My husband and I want to add a back porch to our house because we see how much enjoyment this simple addition adds to family life. I would be willing to do "staycations" in order to reach this goal.
My mother added a screened porch to her house this year. The porch is deep, with four comfortable wicker chairs and ottomans, side tables, and a ceiling fan. We spend so many early mornings and evenings sitting and talking together as a family on that porch. My children love to "camp out" on the porch overnight. My mother said she used money she had planned to use for vacation trips to build the porch. We all agree she did better to spend the money on the porch, which has made her home so peaceful and pleasurable.
My aunt and uncle also added a porch off of their kitchen. They made the porch big enough to accomodate both an eating area and a sitting area. There is nothing nicer than a simple meal served on the porch table, followed by an evening talking and laughing on the porch.
My husband and I want to add a back porch to our house because we see how much enjoyment this simple addition adds to family life. I would be willing to do "staycations" in order to reach this goal.
I know a whole family who sleep on their back porch all summer long and they love it.
If I did that the mosquitos would have a feast and I'd need a transfusion by morning. :)
Mrs. J.
Don't forget about sporting activites. There are things the whole family can do; badminton , croquet, horseshoes, etc.. All things that are leisurely, fun and can be done outside.
Stay-cations must be making an impression on the economy. An advertisement I heard today was promoting anti-Staycations by inviting people to enter a contest to win a vacation. The announcer said about stay-cations: "You know, the way some people stay home and pretend they are enjoying it."
What a great idea! It is possible to do home improvement which will be more enjoyable, in the long run, than an expensive vacation - and at a fraction of the cost.
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