The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

What to do With Mom Guilt (or any kind of guilt!): Part 2

Today I'm continuing my two-part series on what to do with mom guilt, which can be applied to any kind of guilt really, whether you're a mom, aunt, friend, coworker, wife, etc. Yesterday I addressed dealing with misplaced guilt and you can read about here if you missed it. Today we'll look at dealing with guilt when we've truly done something wrong. When my first baby girl was just a newborn, I was so smitten, I'd cuddle her while looking into her little angel face with much pleasure, thinking, 'I don't see how we'll ever be upset with each other. I could never get mad at her or hurt her feelings. We're going to be the best of friends!' Are you laughing yet? Yep, my girls laughed ... Read more

What to do With Mom Guilt (or any kind of guilt!): Part 1

In the following posts, I use examples of motherhood to examine guilt because, well, I'm a mom. That's where I am in life right now, so that is currently where my life lessons often come from, but these thoughts and tips on handling guilt apply to ALL. Whether it's mom guilt, aunt guilt, friend guilt, wife guilt, daughter guilt, coworker guilt, church member guilt, or ANY kind of guilt burdening your heart, I hope to encourage you through this two-part series with my few humble thoughts on where our guilt might be coming from, and some helpful responses to that guilt. So even if you're not a mom, please keep reading! If the words "mom guilt" resonate with you, I assure you, you're not ... Read more

Italian Cream Cake

One evening last week, the mothers and daughters from our small group got together to celebrate the upcoming arrival of the baby of our friend Rivers. This family has been such a blessing to our group so we ladies wanted to celebrate with Rivers and her two sweet girls. We planned a meal of salads, followed by a few desserts: Italian cream cake, raspberry white chocolate almond bars, brownies, and coffee. This Italian cream cake is my most requested cake by my family or when I'm asked to bring a dessert to a special occasion. It suits any holiday or celebration any time of the year! It's unique from most other Italian cream cakes in that it doesn't call for pecans or coconut, so ... Read more

Independence Day!

I love the years that the 4th of July lands on a Sunday! It reminds me of two very important truths. First of all, we live in a country where we’re free to worship our God because of the sacrifices of our founding fathers and brave men and women who’ve fought to keep it! And, most importantly, that EVERY Sunday is our true Independence Day from the darkness and evil of the world and our sin because of the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior!! How good it is to be FREE in JESUS!! Enjoy your day of worship and your independence through HIM! “Therefore, if the Son makes you FREE, you will be FREE indeed!” John 8:36 (emphasis mine) ... Read more

Anniversary Trip: Last Day in Asheville

I've been journaling Joel's and my 25th anniversary trip this week which you can read about here and here. Our last day in Asheville would only be half a day before heading home so we wanted to make the most of our last hours at the Biltmore. Before I take you to our time at the estate, I have to share with you how our day started. I can say I've never had this experience on any vacation! While in a very peaceful and deep sleep at about 4:30 that morning, we were awakened by buzzing alarms going off in the hallways of our hotel and an automated voice repeating, "Warning! Warning! Exit the building! Exit the building! Use the staircase and exit immediately." We quickly changed into ... Read more

Anniversary Trip: A Day at Biltmore

Yesterday I began sharing about my husband's and my 25th anniversary trip to the Biltmore Estate. Today I'm back to journal our first day at Biltmore. A lovely day! Our vacation package with Biltmore Inn included breakfast in their dining room, an offer we were delighted to accept! Both days we were seated at a window table with views of the morning mountains. Such a soft opening to the day. I allowed myself some food indulgences while on the trip but balanced those treats with plenty of salads along the way. Here's food indulgence number one: for breakfast I ordered lemon poppy seed waffles with lemon curd, raspberry sauce, and maple syrup. Sigh. Joel ordered smoked ... Read more

Anniversary Trip: And We’re Off!

This month my husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary! To mark the occasion, we took a quick two-night trip to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC, one of our very favorite places. Our kids were excited for us and encouraged us to take the time away for ourselves while they took care of things back at home. Our girls did a lot of managing schedules and household tasks, and even planned a couple of surprises for us while we were gone which I’ll tell you about later. Joel and I two very blessed parents, let me tell ya! I’m sharing some photos from our trip in three posts, one for each day we were gone, starting with our first travel day. We enjoyed a gorgeous day of ... Read more

Good Monday Morning!

I walked into my kitchen this morning to see sunshine streaming through the blinds onto the leaves of this gorgeous fiddle leaf tree that some friends sent us home with the other night! What a fun gift from such wonderful friends! I sat at the table and made my to-do list for the day, which includes some cooking and baking, tidying up, and decorating tables for a baby shower we’re hosting tonight! I can’t wait! My sweet friend is expecting her 4th precious little one in the July and we’re celebrating tonight with the mothers and daughters from our small group. I’ll be sure and snap some photos to share in another post. But for now, I just wanted to pop in and say, “Good Monday ... Read more