The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

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

Kids in the Kitchen, Part 2: Get Them Eating!

Maybe the title of this post should be "Get Them Trying" because I can't make any guarantees, ha! But I have something to share today that I found in my recipe binders while cleaning out. It was a fun little experiment I did with my girls when they were young and I was trying to find healthy(-ish) recipes they could enjoy. I made these cards that I called "New Recipe Survey" and placed them on the dinner table anytime I tried a new recipe. I found that my girls were more enthusiastic about trying a new food if they could leave a review. It was fun for them and gave them the opportunity to respectfully offer their input. Above is what a blank card looked like and below are some of ... Read more

Kids in the Kitchen, Part 1: Get Them Cooking!

As I was cleaning out my cookbooks and recipe binders this summer, I came across so many sweet memories of my children in the kitchen and I realized wow, my kids really liked being in the kitchen! From an early age they were all eager to "help" and were proud to get the jobs of washing fruit, peeling veggies, stirring pots, adding ingredients, and setting the table. Let me just gush a second and say my kids were super cute in the kitchen! I remember that my first daughter at age 2 loved nothing more than to scrub things with the vegetable scrubber while standing on a chair at the sink (Do kids still stand on chairs?). She was so happy doing her scrubbing and I was tickled to have a cute ... Read more

Movie Recommendation!

Good Monday morning! Just popping in for a quick movie recommendation. Our church had a theater reserved yesterday afternoon for The Forge and it was such a great movie! It's about a young man who is at a pivotal point in his life. Having just graduated from high school with no direction for his future, very little respect for others, and a father who left the family, he must decide if he'll go the way of the world or chose forgiveness and Godly manhood. Our family has enjoyed all of the Kendrick Brother movies, and we think this one is their best yet! And the very best part of all......the return of Miss Clara!!! (from War Room) If you have a chance to see this movie, you won't be ... Read more