Countless TV shows, magazines, books, and websites that speak to some aspect of the concept of home. But women are looking for more than just storage solutions and trendy paint colors. They are looking for a place where they belong and where others can come for refuge from our hectic world. With warm, personal writing, Mary Beth Lagerborg helps modern women realize this dream. They can create a home that is both a haven and a starting point from which they can go out and face the world. Lagerborg has interviewed nearly seventy people who possess a healthy sense of home. She shows readers how they can make their dwellings safe and reengergizing places for themselves and those around them. Although Dwelling covers topics like decorating and dining, it doesn't stop there. Chapters on acceptance, making community, the changing dynamics of family, and even working from home make this book unique. Dwelling challenges readers to look beyond the superficial and into the true heart of home. EXCERPT FROM CATALOG: As I round the bend and our house comes into view, it doesn't matter whether the grass needs mowing, or the driveway needs shoveling, or even that the empty trash barrels--if it's a Tuesday--are tipped over in a jumble out front. I pull into the driveway. The drawbridge goes down. I drive in. The drawbridge goes up. I enter the house. Sigh. I'm home. After greeting family members and Gus the standard poodle, who is bouncing off the ground on all fours at once, I head upstairs to change. My at-home uniform waits on a hook just behind the closet door. The nylon soccer pants are the extremely comfy kind with a cotton layer inside and nylon outside. They have a small hole in the left knee from my falling down in the street, and, most importantly, an elastic waist. I add a t-shirt or turtleneck and sweatshirt depending on the season, cotton socks, and felt slippers smashed down at the heels. No matter what the day has been, now I'm all better. I'm at home. Home is first and foremost the place where we are accepted, where it's safe to just be. A place where it's okay to not wear make-up, and where cereal will work for dinner if that's what you have it in you to fix (or to let others fix). Don't we all crave such a place? Where soul and space meet . . . Home. A place of comfort and security, where you know you are accepted for who you are. The space where you feel free to give and receive love, be creative, have fun, and rest. You crave this type of home for your family and for yourself. But how can you make it happen? Creating a comfortable dwelling means being intentional about more than just the rooms in your house. It means cultivating the relationships that flourish there. In this book, you'll meet a rich mixture of women who have shared their practical wisdom, strategies, and stories of how they created the home they desire. You'll find fresh yet simple ideas on: • dealing with colliding decorating tastes or cleanliness levels • making mealtime appealing and meaningful to everyone • creating an inviting atmosphere for guests • making working from home work for you • reaching out to those beyond your walls With Dwelling, you can celebrate the home you have, its people and possibilities, and move onward in creating the type of space your soul desires. "This book offers inspiration and practical advice to anyone who desires a place where body, soul, and spirit can be refreshed."--Mimi Wilson, coauthor, Once-a-Month Cooking "Dwelling reminds us of the one thing that connects us to each other, despite our cultural, economic, or religious differences--the longing for home."--Jo Kadlecek, author, Desperate Women of the Bible and A Mile from Sunday "Gather the ones you love around you and use Lagerborg's ideas for creativity, fun, style, deeper relating, and expressed love to transform living spaces into soulful places that deserve to be called 'home.'"--Valerie Bell, author, A Well-Tended Soul Mary Beth Lagerborg is coauthor of the bestselling Once-a-Month Cooking, as well as several other books, and speaks nationally to help families realize the fullest potential of home. She lives in Colorado with her husband, Alex. www.dwellingspace.com Mary Beth Lagerborg is coauthor of the bestselling Once-a-Month Cooking, as well as several other books, and speaks nationally to help families realize the fullest potential of home. She lives in Colorado with her husband, Alex. www.dwellingspace.com Body, Mind, Spirit Women