The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

Summer Snacking

I’m popping in for just a minute today to share our new favorite snack: Ranch Snack Mix, adapted from Taste of Home! This is the easiest thing in the world to mix up, and has been perfect for snacking at home, pool, or lake. One batch makes SO much that I can put half in the freezer for another occasion (or two!). Then I have it ready for a surprise guest, to give as a gift, or to take to a party when I don’t want to go empty-handed. Ranch Snack Mix  1 (12-oz) package mini pretzels 2 (6-oz) packages plain bugles 1 (10-oz) can salted cashews (can substitute peanuts for a cheaper option) 1 (6-oz) package cheddar fish-shaped crackers 2 envelopes ranch mix 3/4 cup canola oil (vegetable oil is ... Read more

Independence Day 2019: Country, Community, and Church

Hello! I hope you all had a spectacular Independence Day last week! Our family enjoyed a day that offered blessings of country, community, and church. We were home throughout the morning, working on various housekeeping chores and projects, but stopped at lunch for our traditional 4th of July hamburgers. During our lunch, we got into a discussion about a podcast on Focus on the Family about our founding fathers, and the privilege of living in an America that was founded on Christian principles—principles that allow us freedom of worship, among many other wonderful freedoms! That afternoon, we had the honor of attending the 100th birthday celebration of a family farm! This farm is owned ... Read more

Colonial 4th of July Table

I’d like to wish everyone an early Happy Independence Day, and naturally I’m going to say it with a table setting! This is a table I quickly put together last 4th of July. We had some neighbor friends walking over for fireworks that evening, and since we were grilling hamburgers for ourselves, we asked them to come early and join us for dinner. The plan was to eat outside on the patio, but the heat and humidity were crazy high that day, so we decided to enjoy the meal inside and go out after sunset to watch the fireworks. With a change in plans, I started pulling anything from my cabinets that was red, white, or blue. Before I knew it, we had a very patriotic vibe going on in the dining ... Read more

Just Peachy! A Peach-Inspired Table and Dessert

My girls know me well, and always pick out such thoughtful gifts for me for special occasions. I’m one blessed mama! For Mother’s Day, they went shopping together at my favorite store—Home Goods! My oldest daughter bought me the wonderful rolling cooler bag you saw in my “Savvy Finds and Summer Faves” post. It gets used weekly, and has been a total game changer for lake and pool! Country Girl gave me this lovely tablecloth with an all-over peach pattern. It’s perfect for summer dining! Given my love for peaches, and for my daughter, I’m very excited about this tablecloth. I’m just loving it with my green dishes! It’s versatility lends itself to a fancy-schmancy Sunday lunch setting, or a ... Read more

Rosemary Pork Chops with Cherry Vinaigrette (Easy!)

Summertime cooking for me is inspired by two things: the grill and seasonal produce! I’m over-the-top delighted to have cherries, peaches, blueberries, melons, squash, okra, tomatoes, corn, and many more fresh garden treasures back in my life this summer! Our good friends have been gifting us melons and veggies from their glorious garden, and our local fruit farms have kept us in wonderful supply of peaches and blueberries. Cherries are finally back at the grocery store and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Last week I purchased a bag of cherries for the first time this season! In my book this called for a little celebratory meal, so I tried a new recipe for Rosemary Pork Chops with Cherry ... Read more

Fluff the Nest Friday: Chores for Children

Around here, Friday is the day to "fluff the nest", which is just a much cuter way of saying "clean the house". Am I right? So my Friday posts are all about tidying up and getting the house fresh and in order for the weekend. Some weeks my nest-fluffing comes more easily than others. I need motivation each Friday. ***** Last Friday I shared about the ABC Pickup which was one of three handy tools I used to train my young children in Nest Fluffing 101! Today’s post is about chores. I started following the Chore Packs system from the Titus 2 ministry about eleven years ago when my girls were about 8 and 3, and continued using them on and off with the girls, and then later when my son came ... Read more

Charity Lemonade Stand

Last Saturday Incredi-Boy and his sweet little friend ran a lemonade stand in our front yard for a very worthy cause! Our small group families are raising funds to purchase athletic equipment for the children of Mtendere Village in Malawi, Africa. We've encouraged the kids in the group to think of extra jobs they could do, or little fundraisers of their own to help contribute. Incredi-Boy’s friend and her family are also in our small group, and they live a few doors down from us, so a neighborhood lemonade sale seemed to be an ideal project for them to collaborate on. Both of our families sponsor children at Mtendere, so this cause is near and dear to our hearts. In fact, the other mama ... Read more

Mom’s Summer Reading List

Good summer morning to you! This one’s for the book worms out there! In addition to catching up on the household chores and projects I can’t get to during the school year, I’m working on catching up on some reading. I have several books I either started during the school year and didn’t finish, or couldn’t even get to altogether. And there are also books I’ve read in years past and have put back on my list for a reread. At the end of this post I’ll tell you what I’ve done this summer to try and reach my reading goals, or at least come close. So stick around! Don’t feel like you've got to read this entire list, but feel free to only look at the topics of interest for you. So here goes! The ... Read more