The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

The Simple Pleasures of Tea and Coffee

A month or so ago, a friend asked me how I was doing with the busyness and stress that comes along with this season of life. I told her that while it's been exhausting, God has been so kind to bless me with little pockets of rest and refreshment here and there. Nothing extravagant, but just a few minutes to sit in the van and return texts while waiting on a child at soccer, reading a few pages of a good book before bed, or listening to an inspiring podcast during my morning walk. Those brief moments of calm do me a world of good! One of my favorite simple pleasures is the opportunity to sit down with a cup of hot tea or coffee for a few minutes. Ahhh, the calm it brings to my day! Such ... Read more

Senior Recital Reception

My oldest just graduated from college with a major in music and a minor in Bible! As a requirement for her music degree, she performed her senior recital--the BIG one--a week before graduation and did a superb job! I love listening to her play piano and will always enjoy her playing for us when she comes to visit. For the senior recital, it's customary for the student's family to offer a reception after the performance. We've known throughout my daughter's four years as a music major that this was coming and we would mention ideas for food or tables here and there, but we didn't expect that she'd be engaged and planning a wedding during her last semester. It's a busy time! However, I ... Read more

Friday Five

Happy Fri-YAY! This is not the post I’ve been working on for today. Last night I was too tired and achy to finish that one, yet I really wanted to put up a post this morning. So, I decided to do something fun and quick and just select 5 photos from my camera roll that I snapped this week. So here goes.... Princess Pumpercot I definitely have more than 5 photos of Pumpercot from the week, but this is my favorite. She sticks to a certain room or spot for a few days at a time and then relocates. For the past several days she could mostly be found on my daughter's bed, sleeping like a little kitty angel. Cooking with my girl I was starting dinner late Tuesday afternoon ... Read more

Wake Up and Smell the Roses

Waking up and smelling the roses is exactly what I did Sunday morning! It all began Saturday night when I brought this arrangement home from my nephew and new niece's wedding! If you read my post yesterday about their spring barn wedding, you might remember this arrangement from the arbor by the pond. Well, this was just one of the arrangements from that arbor. My sister graciously offered it to me, and of course I accepted. I brought it home and it filled up my entire kitchen table. A table covered in roses? Don't mind if I do! As tired as I was, I went right to work disassembling it, clipping each flower, and putting them in fresh water for the night. The flowers had been ... Read more

Spring Barn Wedding

My nephew got married this past weekend! He married a precious girl he met at college in their church's campus ministry, and it is a match made in heaven. Their wedding venue was pretty heavenly as well! The couple selected a picturesque barn situated on a rolling hill with a little pond, and it was just perfect. The reception tables inside were so elegant! My sister worked with a wedding coordinator, who happens to be a long-time friend of our family, to pull these together. My sister potted ferns and other green plants for the centerpieces. The gold lanterns, candles, and soft blue runners were provided by the coordinator. The bridesmaids wore light blue dresses, and the ... Read more

Fluff the Nest Friday: The Norwex Mop

Happy Friday! I'm just jumping on quickly to tell you about a new cleaning tool that I recently purchased and can't wait to share. For the last couple of years, I've been gradually changing out my cleaning products to cleaner, chemical-free options in an effort to improve our overall health, especially in the areas of allergies and migraine headaches. I have landed on some pretty amazing products, and I'll be highlighting a different product each week in my FTNF posts. Ever since my sister introduced me to the Norwex products last year, I've had my eye on the Norwex mop! This mop is not cheap, but it gets rave reviews, so I've been watching for a good sale and finally jumped at a special ... Read more

When in Waco

In March, my oldest daughter and I took a trip out to Waco, Texas which will soon be her new home following her upcoming wedding! Her fiancé is in graduate school there for the next several years and since she had never been to Waco (we've been to other parts of Texas), a trip out to visit her new town was in order. We saw many interesting places while in Texas, but the Magnolia Silos are what I get asked about the most, so that's where I'll begin. I don't watch Chip and Joanna Gaines's show (I don't have cable tv), so I wasn't exactly going as a fan of the show, but I enjoyed the visit there so much because it was beautiful, pleasant, and loaded with many creative ideas for yard and ... Read more

Easter Blessings ’22

Good morning, friends! We had a busy and fun Easter week, so I just want to quickly journal some blessings today. I haven't had have much time this spring to get too involved with my yard, but one morning last week I ran to Lowe's to pick up some flowers to get started on pots and beds. I'd just been gifted a Dunkin' Donuts gift card by Whitney from Come Home for Comfort for answering a Bible-related question on her Instagram story (@homeforcomfort), and since our DD is conveniently located next to Lowe's, it only made sense to swing through the drive-thru and grab a latte to accompany me on my plant shopping trip. This was such a little treasure in my busy week! I mean, flowers and ... Read more