The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

We Are God’s Children

The photo above is of my sweet little girls when they were about one and six years old. It's one of my favorites because it captures such a tender moment between sisters--one sharing and one listening. Doesn't it just look like one sister is spilling her whole heart while the other is fully engaged and encouraging her? When I found out our second baby would be another daughter, I envisioned their relationship exactly like this photo. Of course, I knew better than to think every moment of every day would be perfect, but I hoped and prayed they would be friends and love each other dearly. Now let me back up to the years before our second daughter was born and our first daughter was our ... Read more

Snickerdoodle Pie and Pumpkin Ice Cream

I wrote this post last fall but didn't get it worked into my posting schedule. Hopefully I'm not too late for this year either. At my house, we are still very much enjoying the flavors of fall and I'm trying to squeeze in every last fall recipe and tradition before Thanksgiving. But, now that I think about it, I make this dessert all through the winter too! Snickerdoodle Pie is like a extra thick, extra soft snickerdoodle cookie baked in a pie shell and it's sooo delicious. Add a scoop of pumpkin ice cream and it's over-the-top good!! Snickerdoodle Pie (I do not even remember where this recipe came from. I searched the internet to find the original source but only found other ... Read more

Scarecrow Treats and a Fall Bible Lesson

The following post is one I put together last year but did not get worked into my posting schedule before the fall season was over. I've just about missed it for this fall too! Today I have couple of fall goodies that my son and I have been working on for his friends and cousins. I started doing these when my girls were younger so it’s been a lot of fun to repeat with my son. Candy scarecrows are so cute to pass out to the kiddos for a fall treat! You just need a box of raisins for the torso, Smarties for the legs, Tootsie Rolls for the arms, a round candy for the head, and some raffia for the neck straw. Use hot glue to attach candy pieces together in the shape of a scarecrow. Of ... Read more

A Simple Sweet Sixteen Weekend

Last weekend our younger daughter turned Sweet 16! She's our quiet, low key girl so she's never one for a big fuss or for being in the spotlight. With that, plus all the complications with trying to plan a gathering during Covid, she opted for a quiet weekend with a few of her favorite things. Favorite Thing #1: Friday afternoon we finished school and headed for the barn. We lease a horse at a community barn down the road from our house and she rides two or three times a week. The fall weather has been gorgeous for riding lately! We just love autumn days at the barn!! Midnight is so cute and fuzzy right now with his winter coat coming in. He looks and feels like a soft stuffed animal. ... Read more

Hello, Pumpkin!

We've added a furry family member to our home! Meet PUMPKIN! We got Pumpkin a couple of weeks ago, and my daughter asked this week if I would write a post about her. Sweet. This baby girl is the softest and sweeeeetest little puffball. She came at a purrrfect time for our family for a couple of reasons. First of all, an orange kitty in October is such a lovely autumn blessing! Second of all, having her around the house has lightened our spirits during this busy and stressful season of life. She loves to be held and loves to play. The tension of the day melts away. My son's observation put it best, "Mom, God sure made cats really cute! Barney gets supervised visits with ... Read more

Happy Tuesday! Fall is Near!

Good morning, my friends. Well, this is not the photo I had planned for the second day of my Apple Week. It turns out the rest of my apple recipe photos are locked up on my lap top and can not be retrieved right now, despite my best efforts. So, Apple Week is on hold for now, and if I can't get those files opened this week, then we'll try gain next September. For now, I'm still enjoying all things APPLE and FALL, including the few touches of autumn decor around my house. The first official day of fall is next week and I am ready! I hope you all have a really wonderful day! ... Read more

Applesauce Granita with Maple Yogurt

Hello, friends! It's September and that means APPLES!! I adore apples. Their sweetness, their colors, and their announcement of autumn's arrival all delight my soul! On my old blog, I used to host an Apple Week each September when I would post a new apple recipe each day for 5 days. So today I'm bringing back Apple Week, starting with the easiest (and probably the healthiest) apple recipe I've ever made! Last week I was looking for a dessert that needed to meet three requirements: 1) fall flavors 2) healthy 3) refreshing (because it's still so hot outside!). I looked through my recipes and found this granita that covered the criteria. The crazy thing is that I've had this recipe in my ... Read more

Swiss Family Robinson Feast

For a summer read aloud with my son, I chose the unabridged Swiss Family Robinson. I LOVE this book. The unabridged version includes so many amazing details that abridged versions omit. It is packed full of inspiring adventure and countless character-building lessons. I’d need a week of posts to cover them all! We read this with my girls one summer when they were younger and concluded the reading with an island party that included a seafood feast, oceans crafts, silly lobster hats, and watching the Disney Swiss Family Robinson movie. We’ve held such fond memories of that summer read aloud with our girls, that I knew I wanted to read it again with my son. Of course, we repeated the ... Read more