I still remember the first time my neighbor waved over the fence with a plate of cookies and a paper heart she’d taped to her own front window. As a mom in my forties with two kids aged eight and twelve, our days are a collage of school runs, soccer practices, and hurried dinners that somehow become stories at bedtime. Small, homemade touches have become our family’s secret to turning ordinary afternoons into tiny celebrations. Between helping with homework and swapping laughs with the kids while folding laundry, I love turning simple materials into comforting accents that make our house…