Yesterday was a full day in the kitchen, cooking and baking for the feast to come on Thursday. In addition to the the preparations for Thursday's meal with family, there were also preparations being made for another family meal. It's a meal we'll partake of on Sunday with our church family. Communion. Our church congregation has a rotation of ladies who prepare the bread, and I've been eager to take a turn. Working on the bread yesterday wasn't just another item on my baking list. As I mixed, rolled, and stamped the dough, I reflected on the meaning of communion, for Whom we partake it, and with whom we partake it. The Latin word for bread is "PANIS". It's the word from which our words ... Read more
Thanksgiving Week in the Kitchen
Happy Thanksgiving week! I've had several recipe posts in mind leading up to this week, but with our busy school schedule and a computer crash, I just haven't been able to make them happen. However, I'm excited to report this week that not only are we on our holiday break from school, but I'm also sporting a new computer. So, hold on to your seats because you're about to get several recipe posts in one! The table above is from last year's Thanksgiving gathering. We hosted my husband's side of the family and enjoyed so many blessings from the time together. This year, we'll be eating with my side of the family at my parents' home and are expecting a large crowd. My parents have always been ... Read more
Biltmore in Bloom
In my last post, I shared photos from our tour of the Biltmore house! Today, I'm offering a virtual stroll through the enchanting gardens around the estate's property. I captured these photos with my iphone, but now I'm really wishing I'd taken my "real” camera. Also, as with the last post, I'm fighting the urge to dive into the details and history of each image! However, I'll try and go through these in steady pace. Just the walk alone from the house to the gardens is quite a pleasant experience. There are so many beautiful areas to pass through, beginning with this wisteria-covered pergola. I’m so fond of this side view of the house when looking back after exiting the wisteria walk. The ... Read more
The Beauty of Biltmore
Oh, we had a wonderful time in lovely North Carolina two weekends ago visiting the Biltmore Estate in Asheville! And before I go any further, I have to say that I got so tickled when I previewed this post and saw my tagline "Looking well to the ways of her home" over the image of the Biltmore house! Well, I can't imagine looking well to all the ways of this massive home, but it sure is fun to visit! I would love to go through these photos with lots of detail and history, but I'm playing catch-up this week for a lot of time lost sick in bed this past weekend, so this post will be more pictures than words. Today I'll share photo highlights from our walk thru of the house, and my next post ... Read more
Jack-O’-Lantern Cheeseburger Pie
Our family is big on traditions and celebrating holidays and special occasions in big ways. However, Halloween is just not one of our favorites. The neighborhood we live in goes a little overboard on the spooky, gruesome side of Halloween and our kids have never wanted to be out in it all on Halloween night. So, we've made our own tradition of staying in and watching It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown while eating Jack-O'-Lantern Cheeseburger Pie! This has gone on for years and my kids still love it and look forward to it. They are not budging. Jack-O'-Lantern Cheeseburger Pie is such a tasty treat! You could easily replace the cheeseburger mixture with a meaty pizza filling, a bbq ... Read more
The Blog Balance
Happy fall morning, y’all! And I do mean fall! We are finally feeling it here in Alabama! My younger kids and I are taking a fall break from homeschooling this week (my oldest is in college), so I'm taking advantage of the time off to catch up on some writing I've been wanting to accomplish. Recipes have been my fallback posts in this busy season of schooling because they are easy and quick to post. I'm always excited over a good recipe, and love to share them, but I've also had other posts in mind that require more thought, and I'm happy to finally have a little more time this week to explore those ideas. One of the topics I've been wanting to address is the delicate balance of blogging ... Read more
Happy is the House
The following post is a piece I wrote for my previous blog several years ago. Our home continues to be blessed with the happiness others bring into it! Have a lovely fall day, friends! Above our family’s front door hangs a plaque that reads Happy is the house that shelters a friend--a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Although the plaque has hung in our home for over a decade now, I still smile every time I read it because Emerson’s words epitomize the blessings we receive when family and friends come to visit. Our family delights in welcoming people into our home and into our lives! You see, the joy begins with the anticipation of “company’s coming”— the planning, preparations, and excitement ... Read more
Cottage Pie
I’m in a cooking club that meets every other month with a different meal theme each time. Our group is called The Mixing Bowls. Isn’t that cute! I told my kids I must be getting older now that I’m in social clubs that have cute names like that. Haha. And I’m totally embracing it! It’s so much fun getting together with the ladies to eat, talk, and laugh for an entire evening! I love these women and I always come home with a full tummy and lots of great new recipes! We met last night and our theme this month was “Family Favorites”. I took Cottage Pie because, not only is it a favorite meal at our house, but it represents a favorite destination of ours as well: Disney World! We’ve eaten this ... Read more