Our Family Story
The Nowicki Family, last Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I can smell the turkey as I write.
I imagine myself waking up at the crack of dawn to prepare the feast for my family, while incorporating many of my mother’s cooking traditions and creating new ones with my family. It is a fine balance, a dance one could say, to remember and honor the old while being open to change. Within each family a story unfolds: The history and traditions, the dreams, the disputes, the tears, the joy, the love and the grace. These characteristics and others are embedded in the blueprints of our family stories.
Such a blueprint is firmly set in relation to our past, but can be changed in the present as a means to nurture our family dynamics. Every family story is different. Mine is filled with love and hope, God’s good grace, with a pinch of pain and struggle mixed in. And home is a place where each one of us is trying to develop into our best selves.
I married my husband almost two years ago. Our anniversary is November 23rd. I also acquired five children in the deal. Whew! I am exhausted. Just typing that sentence makes me tired. We continue to grow as a family, and it is important to me to celebrate our children (Christopher, Kevin, Abby, William, and Caroline) as well as my marriage with my husband as I "Organize and Create
Beautiful Spaces" (http://www.getorganizedwithtricia.com/).
The kids are so important to me and I want them to know that they are loved. I may not always express my love verbally but I can express it through my actions while my comfort level grows in verbalizing my feelings.
My hopes and dreams for my family are to create a cozy home in which love and joy and feelings can be expressed as we continue to build on our story together. It is not always pretty but it is unique to us. A few ways in which I have made a conscious effort to tell our story can be seen throughout my home. Here are a few of my favorites………..
How to display art work beautifully.
The framed piece is art work my daughter created last year. I took an old frame I had laying around to display and celebrate her creation.
Family Scrabble Art
My daughter caroline and I shared an afternoon together in which we created a family name board. We made two. One for her mother for Mother's Day and one for her father for Father's Day.
Wedding Gallery Wall
Various images are displayed in our dinning room depicting and celebrating our wedding day.
Photo Book
You can take your children's experiences and highlight them by creating a photo book.
Family Tree
I wanted to celebrate both sides of our kids family. Their mother's and father's. As a gift I made these family trees for each of the children.
Our Proposal
A display containing....
The bottle of wine my husband proposed with.A vintage ceramic head celebrating an engagement. (This was my mother's.) Tying together the new and incorporating my mother's memory into our home is important to me.
Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours. My grandmother made these ceramic pilgrims back in the 80's. My kids think they look a little creepy. I have to agree but I think I will keep them. It is something we can laugh about and I can honor my grandmother's memory.
