The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

Winter Wonderland Tea

I hope you're all having a lovely holiday! I'm working on a Christmas recap post but for today I'm just going to share some pics from a little tea lunch my daughter and I hosted. We have a yearly tradition of sharing a holiday teatime with my sister-in-law and niece and another friend and her daughter. The girls don't get to see each other much during the school year so it's a sweet time to catch up with everyone while munching and sipping on delicious holiday yummies! We actually had this Winter Wonderland-themed tea planned with this group for last January 2022 but illness among half our group cancelled those plans. Since my girl and I already had most of the supplies gathered, we ... Read more

Wooden Clothespin Nativity

Hey there! I want to quickly show y'all this sweet clothespin nativity we made last week. Last Friday our dear little neighbor friends and their mama came for "Cookies, Cocoa, and a Craft"! I'd been seeing different versions of these clothespin Nativity crafts all over the internet and came up with my own version. I really wanted to do them with our co-op kids, but it just wasn't going to be doable with the number of kids we had and the short time frame to work. If we'd used wood glue, it wouldn't dry in time to take them home, leaving me only with the option of hot glue which I NEVER use with a crowd of kids. Those things are hot! I remember in one of my elementary art ed classes in ... Read more

Oh, Thrifty Christmas Tree!

Since I FINALLY finished my Christmas decor this week (only 2 weeks late of my goal for December 1st) I thought I'd share some snapshots of my "new-to-me" Christmas trees. This year we purchased our first-ever artificial tree! For the 26 years that Joel and I have been married, we've always had a real tree with the exception of one year when we were going to be out of town for a whole week in December and didn't want to leave a real tree alone to be a fire hazard. We borrowed an artificial tree of my mom's that she wasn't using so we could go ahead and put the tree up before our travel. Other than that one year, we've always gone to cut one down at a tree farm or pick one from Lowe's. ... Read more

Studio Christmas Dinner

This past weekend Joel and I hosted his office Christmas dinner. I love planning and putting these together! Some years we've booked a room at a restaurant and other years I've cooked the meal and had everyone come to our home. The last two years, however, the office Christmas party has been cancelled due to Covid, so Joel and I wanted this year's gathering to be a little extra special for his team and their spouses. He works with the most wonderful people, and we are so thankful! My dad and both of my brothers are all architects. One brother manages the Tennessee studio and my other brother and my dad are both here in Alabama at a fabulous studio which they converted from an old ... Read more

Dickens Christmas Tea

For several years now there have been three themes for Christmas teas that I've wanted to put together: Charles Dickens, Winter Wonderland, and The Nutcracker. This year I'm finally marking two of these off my list, one of which is a Dickens Christmas! One Sunday we were meeting with our mother/teen Girls' Club and the girls got to talking about a teacher that a couple of them have for a literature class at their co-op. "Fluffy", as she allows the kids to call her, requires all her students read The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Somehow the book came into our discussion that day so I said, "Hey, we should have a Dickens Christmas tea this year!" And since she has been such a fun ... Read more

Let the Festivities Begin!

Hello, Christmas friends! I’m up and at ‘em this morning getting ready for something fun and oh soooo Christmasy today! Can’t wait to share but right now I need to go whip up some scone dough and fluff the nest. Company’s coming! (Ahhh, I love that phrase!) Here’s a sneak preview….. Just wanted to give you all a quick hello and a Merry Christmas!! Have a wonderful weekend! ... Read more

Star Ornament Craft

My kids and I are part of a homeschool field trip co-op which meets once a month. The moms take turns planning the trips and activities and it's always so much fun! Each year my friend Kelli is brave enough to host a Christmas party for our big group in her home which includes some fun activities followed by a pizza lunch. The kids are divided into groups of 5-6 kids and rotate through 4 different activity stations: story, craft, cookie decorating, and games. I was in charge of crafts again this year and since making an ornament proved successful last year, I decided to do it again (plus, I know the mamas love a keepsake ornament from that year!). The challenge with this is finding a ... Read more

Are You Overjoyed or Overwhelmed This Christmas?

I have a confession to make. You ready? Here it is: Christmas isn't always my favorite holiday. Now I promise I'm certainly not a Scrooch, but if I'm honest, for the last few years I've actually felt a little inner dread as December has approached. First, let me say that I LOVE the reason for the season! I desire to celebrate our Savior's birth! Plus I enjoy giving gifts, making memories, and baking alll the cookies. But it's the stress of Christmas being overpacked, over-commercialized, and just down right overwhelming that can suck the joy right out of the season. Earlier this fall I began to pray and prepare my heart for the holidays. I wanted so badly for it to be that time of ... Read more