The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

Student of the Word

Hey, friends! I'm popping in today to share what I've been using for my Bible study for this year. I hope to always be a student of the Word for all my life, no matter how old I get or how many times I've already read the Bible. It just gets better and better! Each year, starting January 1st, I either read through the Bible on a 12-month schedule or focus more deeply on a few books of the Bible throughout that year. When reading through the entire text, I enjoy the chronological method and have used a chronological Bible (a physical paper copy) for that in the past. Last year was my first year doing it through an audio app rather than reading an actual Bible. I joined a Bible Recap group ... Read more

Small Town Coffee

Something I love about living in our little town is that it’s part of a cluster of small towns all connected by scenic country roads. And the best part? They each have their own unique coffee shop! Here are some photos of a neat little coffee shop in a neighboring town. It's a fun mix of Bohemian and thrift store chic. If you're local and haven't seen this one, shoot me a text and I'll give you the name and location. This is a must stop! Below is an encouragement corner where you can leave uplifting post-it notes for others to see. The furniture and decor is full of interesting details. The coffee table below has coffee beans in it. And then there are all the ... Read more

February on Fast Forward

February went by so quickly! Here's a look at our February on fast forward. It’s kinda choppy. I'm actually going to start with how we ended January. We took our son and two of his friends out for his birthday. Mellow Mushroom for pizza followed by California Yogurt Craze for dessert. I can't believe he turned 14! On another evening when my son was at a youth event, Joel and I took our daughter out for sushi. My girl was back in the saddle this month. And these guys spent some Saturdays at the court. I haven’t posted about this yet, but we had a pool put in our bank yard after Christmas! There was still a lot of fence work and sod to be put down which drug out ... Read more

Valentine’s Day Touches at Home

Valentine's Day is such a brief little holiday, it's not really necessary to decorate for it, but it's such a sweet occasion that I do enjoy putting out a few pretty things around the house. Not every year, but when I can. You won't usually see me decorating in pink. I'm not really a pinky person, but I love the pinks and reds of Valentine's Day! We have had a LOT of work done in our backyard (more on that later) plus some repairs done inside our house which made the house a muddy, smelly, cluttered mess for the last month. The dogs had to stay inside a lot which just made it worse. Finally, by last Friday most of the work was done so my girl and I scrubbed the house and got things back ... Read more

Snow Day!

We got snow, y’all! The last time we had snow touch the ground and stick my son was 6 years old and missing his front teeth. Now he's 14, taller than his mom, and has all his permanent teeth, ha! Our woods were so pretty, all white and gray. We got a little more snow than what's pictured here. The dogs loved the snow! We took them down to the woods to run around and they had big zoomies. My daughter got the cutest picture of Liberty with snowflakes on her face. My son and his friends had a blast all afternoon long, running up and down our back hill, sliding on makeshift sleds of a plastic kiddie pool and sheets of cardboard, and having a snowball fight that turned into an ... Read more

A Winter Baby Shower

Friends, I have some sweet news. My daughter and son-in-law are expecting their first baby--a BOY! We are all just as tickled as we can be! They were here during New Year's week and before they headed back home, we had a little gathering of the ladies from our family plus a couple of close college "sisters" to shower the new mommy and her little one. As you can see, our girl is radiating the joys of an expectant mother! Poor thing had a rough first trimester but is now feeling better and able to eat (and enjoy!) more foods. Every January I like to have out my blue dishes, fresh oranges, and pine branches. Prior to the shower date my daughter mentioned that my usual winter decor ... Read more

New Year’s Day 2025

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Our daughter and son-in-law were in town for New Year's week, so we invited the grandparents to join us for a New Year's Day lunch. This was our New Year's Day table— natural country winter vibes. And this was our New Year's Day group! We made sure our meal included the customary pork, collards, and black-eyed peas, not so much for superstition but for good 'ole tradition. My husband grilled the pork, my daughter cooked the collard greens, and I made cheese grits, peas, and cornbread. I’ve got to share this new-to-me recipe for black-eyed peas because it was so good. I usually make black-eyed peas in ... Read more

And That’s a Wrap!

I love to wrap gifts! I think I get it from my mom because she always made gifts look so pretty with her handmade bows. And my sister, Allison, is the master of finding good deals at TJ Maxx and making them look like a million bucks with her lovely packaging. My sister, Katie, has always added a fun flare to her gifts with handcrafted pom poms and such. So, it just runs in the blood! I have loved wrapping gifts since I was a little girl, and my dream was to work at a store that had a gift-wrapping department. How cute. Well, that childhood dream came true in high school while I was working at Kirkland's. Does anyone remember when Kirkland's offered gift wrapping? It was a little room with ... Read more