The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

Are You a Chicken Salad Chick?

I love to eat at Chicken Salad Chick! It began in Auburn, Alabama which isn't too far from us, so it arrived in our city pretty early on (2012, I think). My brother-in-law gave it a try first and told us how good it was, so we went soon after that. After our meal, my daughter, who was much younger at the time, filled out a customer survey card and when it asked, “Who told you about us?”, she simply wrote “Uncle Derrick”. So cute! I'm sure the manager got a good little chuckle from that card, having no idea who this Uncle Derrick was. Since then, it's been a family favorite--yes, the guys too!! It's great for a night that Mom isn't cooking but we don't want heavy, fried fast food, and ... Read more

Summer Garden Recap: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

As far as gardening goes, I've never had anything more than what I call a little "kitchen garden"--some herbs and a few veggies and melons, at most. So, I'm still very much a beginner. I haven't even had a garden for the last few years (other than herbs), and I was ready to get back to it, but I also remembered how my gardens usually play out. The season always seems to start out strong and lovely and makes me feel like I really have a green thumb, ha, and then it starts going downhill about mid-summer with the onset of heat, bugs, and disease. So, here it is-- the good, the bad, and the ugly of this year's summer garden! The Good! Late spring and the first half of summer were a ... Read more

The Secret to Getting It All Done

Good morning, friends! I have a little thought to share with you today but first, how cute is Miss Pumpercot! She is actually photo-bombing here. I was trying to take a picture of my desk and she hopped up right into the very middle of the frame. Cutie. Do you ever have those days when you feel completely defeated by your to-do list? I used to always feel like such a failure at the end of every day because I couldn't finish my list no matter how motivated I was at the beginning of the day. One evening while going over my list and seeing all the items that did not get marked off that day, I expressed my frustration to my husband. He took one look at it and said, "That's all for ONE day? ... Read more

Fruit Yogurt Smoothies

Smoothies are a favorite in the breakfast rotation around here. My daughter takes hers on-the-go so she can drink it on her way to her preschool job. My son likes his with a muffin or some toast before we begin our school day. I'll usually save mine to sip on throughout the midmorning while we're doing school. I recently had a request to share my smoothie recipe (Hi, Laura!). I know some of you may already have a favorite smoothie recipe, but if not, here's our quick go-to smoothie! Fruit Yogurt Smoothie In a blender, combine: 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (regular yogurt works too--just use less or no milk) 1/4 cup milk (more if preferred thinner) 1 frozen banana, broken ... Read more

Peace in a Troubled World

I think we can all agree that the world is full of suffering, conflict, and disharmony, as it always has been since the fall of man. BUT, the words of Jesus himself spoken to his disciples in John 16 can reassure us that through Him we may have peace during these troubled times. "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble: but be of good cheer! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 Have a blessed Sunday! ... Read more

Snapshot Saturday: Odds and Ends

Hello there! It's Saturday so I have some snapshots from the week, just odds and ends really. Summer evenings will be coming to an end in a few more weeks but the summer garden already came to an end last Saturday when I pulled up everything except my herb bed and tea bed. It was such a mess! Next week I'll post a summer garden recap. While I worked in the garden, the guys worked on a different project. Earlier in the summer, my son and his friends built a raft to ride down the widest and deepest part of the creek which only worked for about an hour, but they were so excited. The experience inspired the idea to build a small boat which the guys have been working on the last few ... Read more

Fluff the Nest Friday: Dust Free for a Month?

It seems that as soon as I dust my house, the dust just starts to immediately collect again on every surface. We live in the country with a lot of dirt and dust getting tracked in the house and I always felt like that's why the dust collects so quickly. But I remember my husband’s grandmother telling me once that she had to dust a lot with her house being in the city because of all the traffic coming by and stirring it up along their streets. So, I guess homes are just dusty no matter where we live! Have you heard about the homemade dusting spray that not only cleans, disinfects, and leaves a shine, but also keeps the dust away for a whole month? Well, I gave it a try! There are many ... Read more

A Random Photo Post

Good morning! A couple of weeks ago (Aug. 5) I challenged myself to put out a blog post every day until the end of the month. After taking a long break through late winter and most of spring, I was ready to post again but couldn't get in my groove, so I thought this challenge would help me. I've never had a set posting schedule and hopefully after this month I will. I've truly enjoyed blogging every day this month, but wow my hat is off to those of you who consistently post several times a week and have done so for many years!! Ok, so for today! I have several longer posts in the works that aren't ready and we were out all afternoon yesterday and then late last night. So, I thought I'd ... Read more