Curb Appeal

Chapter 5 - "My Desire for Curb Appeal"

Do we value our husbands and homes enough to offer curb appeal?  What do you do to make yourself presentable for your husband?  What do you do to make your home a inviting and relaxing safe haven for your family?

I will admit, this was a tough chapter for me.  I do value my husband, but do I show it? My house?  Well, let's just say I haven't valued it enough.  It's not my ideal house - it lacks storage, it doesn't have character.  When I read The Good Wife's Guide the first time, I realized I need to change my attitude about it.  This is the home that God has blessed me with in this current season of life.  It's up to me to make it a home for my family.

This quote in the book really spoke to me:  "From the moment he steps through the door, I want our house to feel like a home.  I want life inside that door to be a haven of comfort and rest.  And I want my husband to know I'm his help-meet.... This curb appeal not only boosts the beauty of our relationship, it signals the pride of ownership we share, and tells him that he's valued in our home."

I'm not a stay at home mom so I thought a lot of this chapter wasn't for me.  I was wrong.  I can still do things to create curb appeal.  Since I work full-time, I would say I am usually presentable physically when I come home.  Could I do a better job?  Absolutely!  Instead of pulling my hair back, I could take the time to fix it.  Make sure I don't forget to shave my legs?  Yep!  But more importantly, I need to make sure I leave the troubles of the day back at the office.  Coming home in an irritable mood does not make my husband or my children feel welcome.

When I really started thinking about personal curb appeal, this verse kept coming to mind:

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

We are God's temple.  We need to take care of our bodies and make them into the beautiful temples that they should be - inside and out.  So first and foremost, we should do it for God.  Then for our husbands.  We also want to show him that we value him enough to take care of the girl he fell in love with years ago.

I encourage you to look back at this chapter and really reflect on the things Darlene does to make herself and her home presentable.  I loved it when she said "We all love to come home to a clean and tidy house, but let's not forget that husbands also appreciate a clean and tidy wife."