House Blessing

Scattering herbs around our home.

Lighting a candle for passion and determination.

Sprinkling water to represent life and flexibility

Gold coin buried in a new house plant represents the richness of the earth

Burning incense to purify the air It doesn't seem possible but we have been out here in our new home for a whole year. Yesterday, January 19 marked the 1 year anniversary of the first night we spent here and what a night it was! In the middle of a West Virginia January, we moved in even though our furnace had not yet been installed...chilly but wonderful none the less. We slept on the sofa bed and the girls made a mattress nest on the bed room floor. Over the next few weeks we adorned the caramel walls with our art, hung plants in the windows and placed our furniture in the very best places to take in the breath taking view that lay right outside our door.

Watching all the seasons of this past year bring their own unique decor has been an amazing show, one that I will look forward to taking in again and again.

We have grown so much as a family now that we reside where family roots run deep. Laughter has echoed, tears have fallen, lessons have been learned and memories made.

To mark this important day in our lives we gathered some extended family for a brief but meaningful blessing of our home.

I have a large collection of herbs. I love their medicinal qualities, their soothing aroma and the flavor they bring to the pallet. I thought it only fitting to blend my most beloved herbs, throw in some goodies for the birds and scatter them, family in toe around the perimeter of our home. These are the herbs I used:

Mint for clarity and freshness

Basil for flavor

Cayenne for spice

Rosemary to revitalize

Anise for sweetness

Ginko to remember

Chamomile to calm

Red Clover to balance the female energy

Yarrow for healing wounds

Blessed Thistle for cleansing

Lavender for Harmony

After we came in and dusted the snow off, we blessed the interior of our home honoring the four elements. We all lit a white candle for fire to represent passion, perseverance and determination. We sprinkled lavender water in every room to represent life and fluidity. We buried a gold coin in a new house plant to represent the riches of our earth and burned a combination of sandalwood, frankincense and myrrh to purify the air and remember the freedom of the spirit.

Last but not least, Sam's mother, Janet read from the Bible and offered a prayer for Gods blessing on our house and our family.