The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

Snapshot Saturday

Hi, friends! We've been busy around here finishing one month and beginning another. Here are a few snapshots from our week. Birthday Trip! January ended with our son's 12th birthday and a special overnight trip to the Great Wolf Lodge in LaGrange, Georgia to enjoy their indoor water park and slides! More on this adventure next week but here's a sneak peek. We all got complimentary wolf ears at the lodge which my son just had to torment the poor cat with. But I must say, it was pretty hilarious how long Floyd left those ears on Our cats put up with a lot! ***** Blogiversary Also at the end of January was my blog's 4th anniversary! You can read my very first post ... Read more

Creating a Family Identity

Good morning, friends! As a follow-up to my post on the importance of family identity in a child's life, I'd like to share some ideas for creating that identity. I am in no way a trained expert; these are just some ideas that Joel and I have found to work for our family. And although I have given this post a lot of thought, I haven't been able to give it much time in the writing, so it's by no means polished and tidy. I'll just be speaking from the heart as if we're sitting here together over coffee or tea. Back when we went through foster care training, in one of the classes the topic of family identity came up as an important element to carrying your current family through the ... Read more

Cook by the Book: Three-Cheese (& Ham) Quiche

(Friends, I was not able to finish the adoption post planned for today because we were busy celebrating a birthday yesterday! So, instead I’m plugging in a recipe post that was ready and waiting and I will be back Thursday with the adoption post.) Last year I set out to use my cookbooks more often and to give my reviews here on the blog, and I have a few new ones to share this week! Today's recipe is a Three-Cheese Quiche from Joanna Gaines's Magnolia Table. My daughter and I served this at our Winter Wonderland Tea. I made the crust, and she made the filling. It was our first time making it, but fortunately, it was a hit! Three-Cheese Quiche 6 large eggs 1 cup heavy cream ... Read more

Snapshot Saturday: January 2023

I did not keep up with my weekly "Snapshot Saturday" posts during January so here's just a quick summary of the whole month. These are in very random order. I'll start with the pets. King Kat Floyd has a way of lounging on our beds with this expression of confident ownership. When he does this Joel calls him "King Kat". If I Fits, I Sits My daughter says this is Pumpkin's life motto because she tries out everything to see how it "sits". I had just emptied this basket in my bedroom, and she did not hesitate to fill it up with herself. Partners in Crime I left the linen cabinet open one morning while I was getting ready, and the cats couldn't resist jumping ... Read more

A Field Trip to Dalwhinnie Fields

Our homeschool group takes a field trip together once a month and January's was one for the books! We went to Dalwhinnie Fields in Marion, Alabama for a day of Medieval living history and I think it's got to be the coolest. field. trip. ever!! The program began in the Feast Hall with a brief history of knighthood and knightly virtues. This was followed by a demonstration of a knight's armor, the purpose of each piece, and how it was worn. Fascinating! Each piece of armor was passed around for us to hold and let me tell you they were heavy! Next was a demonstration of hand-to-hand combat strategies and there was no shortage of volunteers from our boys! We then were taken ... Read more

Winter Lodge Wedding

My nephew and his precious bride got married a few weeks ago and it was one of the sweetest and prettiest weddings I've had the pleasure of attending! Family weddings are just so much fun, and even sweeter when they're for people you've watched grow up. These two are perfect for each other and I believe my nephew was the happiest groom I've ever seen. They chose the Lodge at Monte Sano State Park in Huntsville, Alabama for their wedding venue and it could not have been any dreamier! They had a lovely vision for the wedding and with their ideas plus my sister's event-planning skills, it came together so nicely. My sister, Allison, recruited her friend as director and decorator, and then ... Read more

The Importance of Family Identity in the Life of a Child

As part of my ongoing (yet slow) series on adoption, I'd like to share today some about the idea of FAMILY IDENTITY. And if your children aren’t adopted, this concept applies to your parenting as well! Most of this post is taken from a speech I've given at some events for our adoption agency, so for those of you who may have already heard me speak on this, my apologies. Often when people find out that our son is adopted, a common question my husband and I get asked is, "How long did your adoption take?", meaning the legal process. The paperwork. Well, to answer that question I suppose I would calculate the time from the first day we filed a petition to adopt our son to our day in court ... Read more

Fluff the Nest Friday: The Evening Report

Hello, again! I don't know that I've ever posted twice in one day but if you saw my morning post, then you know I promised a follow-up post this evening! If you didn't catch my morning post, we got new carpet this week which caused a huge upheaval all around the house and we set out to finish or at least make some big progress in putting things back in order after school today. So, here's how we did today, and I'm going to give the "after " pics first and then the "before" pics. We got the den back in order and even put out a few new purchases I made at TJ Maxx this week: a few fresh throw pillows, a basket, and a new blanket. Since the Christmas decorations are packed away, I've got ... Read more