The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

Family Bible Celebration

Bible study is important to our family, both individually and collectively. We each use our early morning quiet time for personal Bible reading, and then in the evenings we have family Bible time. Some years we’ve read through the Bible, taking a chapter a night to read and discuss (this takes a couple of years). Other years we’ve worked through a topical study together. We’ve done this since our girls were little, not perfectly, but somewhat consistently enough that we’ve read through the Old and New Testaments together a few times. Sometimes when we’ve completed a particular study, or accomplished a big Bible memory goal as a family, we’ve had a small celebration with a special dessert or ... Read more

Mama Poole and the Crooked Christmas Stocking

Happy Holidays! This post is just a quick little tribute to the precious lady who was my sweet and feisty great grandmother. My Mama Poole. As I'm starting to pack away Christmas decorations, I thought it would be fun to tell you all about my Mama Poole and the stocking she made for me when I was a little girl. There were five children in our family, and one year my mom asked Mama Poole to crochet some stockings for us kids, knowing what treasured keepsakes they would be for us after Mama Poole left this earth. I hang mine from my banister each year in her memory. You might notice that it is crooked in its construction and wonder how skilled she really was with her hands. Well, although she ... Read more

‘Twas the Weekend Before Christmas….

'Twas the weekend before Christmas, and all through the house... every creature was stirring, and you better believe my table was set! With new dishes! Yay!  I've always wanted a set of Christmas dishes. You know the ones with either a Christmas tree or a snowy scene or holly encircling the border of the dish? So when my husband asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year, I decided on the dishes! He told me to pick them out and he would get them. I know, he's a keeper, right! I searched the entire internet, looking at patterns, reading reviews, and narrowing down my favorites. But then, I saw something I wasn't expecting: the prettiest solid green dishes with a textured lacy pattern! ... Read more

Grinch Sundaes!

Our family loves ice cream! So naturally ice cream must be worked into any holiday or special occasion here at the house. One night last week we watched our favorite old Grinch movie with bowls of Grinch Ice Cream Sundaes! In a large bowl, mix a softened carton of vanilla ice cream with 1 teaspoon of mint extract and enough green food coloring gel to reach the perfect Grinch green. Stir until all ingredients are combined well. Pour back into the carton and refreeze. Serve scoops of Grinch ice cream with sprinkle candy hearts, whipped cream, and cherries! Isn’t that a happy little sundae! You know, maybe if the Grinch had worked a little more ice cream into his diet, he wouldn’t have been ... Read more

Breaking Bread in Good Company

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