The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

The Importance of Family Identity in the Life of a Child

As part of my ongoing (yet slow) series on adoption, I'd like to share today some about the idea of FAMILY IDENTITY. And if your children aren’t adopted, this concept applies to your parenting as well! Most of this post is taken from a speech I've given at some events for our adoption agency, so for those of you who may have already heard me speak on this, my apologies. Often when people find out that our son is adopted, a common question my husband and I get asked is, "How long did your adoption take?", meaning the legal process. The paperwork. Well, to answer that question I suppose I would calculate the time from the first day we filed a petition to adopt our son to our day in court ... Read more

Our Ornament Tradition

Having taken a little overnight getaway last week, I've been behind this year in getting my Christmas decorations packed up this year. But I'm almost done--woohoo! As always, I take a little walk down memory lane as I wrap and tuck away each item. This year I'd like to share our ornament tradition. Each year of our children's growing up years, starting with their birthyear, they get a new Christmas ornament for the tree-- something that represents their age, a special interest, or a trip we may have taken that year. After 22 years with our oldest, 18 years with our middle, and 11 years with our youngest, we have a very FULL tree! Plus, my husband and I will get a new ornament some ... Read more

Winter Overnight Getaway

We took a quick overnight getaway to Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia for my husband's birthday. His New Year's Eve birthday has always been a fun family time for us spent at home, but since our married daughter would be gone this year, we decided to do something a little different for everyone to look forward to. We were gone for just about 24 hours, but it was just perfect! Callaway is only an hour and a half away from us, so we usually just make it a day trip, however, last year we stayed in one of their cabins for a weekend and this year we decided to try their Lodge. We loved it! My daughter said this place had serious Hallmark vibes! Wouldn't you agree? It was nice ... Read more

Christmas Memories 2022

Happy New Year!! I can't believe it's 2023! We had a wonderful December, and everyone in our house stayed well this year! Last year we had Covid, so we were home for most of December, which was pretty cozy and a different kind of blessing, but this year we were able to get out, keep all our plans, and enjoy fun activities. I have an embarrassing number of photos, so I'll try and keep my comments brief. We kicked off the beginning of December with our favorite peppermint milkshakes from Chick-Fil-A. Our first Christmas party of the season was with our field trip co-op, and you can read about that here. The next day we moms had a special field trip planned just for our teens ... Read more

Thanksgiving Week Recap

Hello, friends! Hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving holiday! I did NOT do too great of a job remembering to take photos all week so what I have is so random. But here goes! The Saturday before Thanksgiving week, my daughter had her senior photos taken by a friend's daughter. My daughter wanted to have them taken in our woods and some at the barn down the road from our house. We were even able to borrow Midnight, the horse she used to lease, which made for some fun photos! They are still best buddies. Matty, the photographer, was so sweet and had such great ideas. Also that afternoon, our daughter and son-in-law came in from Texas! My son and I got his bedroom and bath ready ... Read more

Last of the Leaves

I love the autumn and Thanksgiving! I savor the season while it lasts. Our family went on a hike at a nearby trail yesterday and I made sure to soak up every last drop of fall because it seems that once Thanksgiving is over, fall is over too. We're supposed to get some heavy rains Friday which will most likely shed the trees of the last of their pretty leaves. It's okay because we treasured every minute of fall and its beauty, its color, its pumpkins, its bonfires, its hayrides, and its pumpkin spice! Still, I'm so happy we got one last long autumn walk! Leaves How silently they tumble down And come to rest upon the ground To lay a carpet, rich and rare, Beneath the ... Read more

The Bye-Bye Sisters

I was blessed to have grown up with sisters--an older sister and a younger sister! And let me tell you, it was FUN. And as adults it's still fun! Annnd I now also have the added blessing of sisters-in-law. I know some of you don't have sisters and always wanted one, so let me tell you a story in hopes of encouraging you in that longing. Our family has been part of a group of families we call our life group--a Bible study group that we "do life" with. God put our group together almost twelve years ago, and even as our number has fluctuated with some families moving on and new families joining, our bond has remained strong. Our children have literally grown up together, several now young ... Read more

Snapshot Saturday: Soaking Up Autumn

Good morning and happy weekend! Boy, these weeks sure pass quickly, don't they? I'm soaking up as much of autumn as I can because it'll be gone before we know it. This week we've been doing a lot of work inside and outside in preparation for some upcoming gatherings and just the holidays in general. It's exciting how close we are to the holidays! We have our daughter's soccer team coming this weekend and our life group coming next week. It's so much fun entertaining outside during the fall evenings so we're trying to finish some areas for sitting and doing activities. While working last weekend I noticed this fungus on a tree. Isn't it interesting! My friend told me it's called ... Read more