The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

Fluff the Nest for Fall

Too early to decorate for fall? Nah!! I usually try to wait until the official first day of fall to decorate for the season, but this year I just couldn't wait that long! My daughter and I have been longing for autumn days and have decided to just go ahead and jump in with some decorating and baking. I brought down my box of fall decorations from the attic last week and have put out a few things each day after school, beginning with the entrance. I added some fall stems and tan gingham ribbon to my front door basket but haven't done anything to the front porch so that will come later. I've got to get outside this weekend and do a lot of yard work, so I'll probably go ahead and ... Read more

Apple Brie Stuffed Chicken

Hey friends, I've got a delicious apple recipe today that you can put on your September "Apple Month" menu! Last night I was going to make a cheddar apple stuffed chicken recipe that is one of our favorite fall meals but decided late in the day to switch to a new recipe with brie cheese that I've wanted to try. This recipe is all over the internet so I wouldn't even know who to give credit to, and I made my own adjustments anyway. I'll give you a little run-through with photos and then attach the printable recipe. I washed and patted dry 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast and cut slits into them to create a pocket. Then I seasoned them lightly with salt and pepper, both sides plus ... Read more

The Story of Two Apple Cakes

Happy September, everyone! And Happy Apple Month!! I'm excited to have apples back in season and back on my table in the form of different recipes. My first apple post this year has a little history behind it so this is the story of two apple cakes which starts with the story of two cookbooks. In high school, I worked in the food court of a mall.  My manager's husband worked at a bank and so at Christmastime when she bagged up some goodies for the employees, she included his bank's cookbook called All Aboard, Alabama. I can assure you that I was the only 16-year-old working at that yogurt shop that was actually thrilled to be given a cookbook for a Christmas bonus, ha! I had cooked ... Read more

Goodbye, August!

I hate to wish any season away and I do enjoy so much about summer, but it's been so hot here lately that we're all just over it and ready to move on to fall. Every day we're looking for any sign of autumn's arrival. I've loved having this tree out my front window this week. But don't let the fall colors fool you; it was in the upper 90s when I took this pic. My husband had a business meeting in Atlanta one day, so my son and I rode with him because my grain store is just outside of Atlanta, and I needed to restock. It was a hot day, but a pretty ride and I had just received a new issue of Southern Lady, so I took that with me to read in the car. It's full of beautiful photos and ... Read more

Fluff the Nest Friday: Sprucing up My Blog Home

Fridays are for fluffing my house, so it's usually been the day I like to share anything having to do with housekeeping. But today I'm doing some tidying around my bloggy home, and I thought I'd share about a few little areas I'm sprucing up here. Ok, friends! I have one more day to finish my August challenge. Anything in particular you'd like to see me post? ... Read more

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