The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

Hello Again!

Happy Friday, friends! It's been a while since I've written in this space because I've been over at my new blog site Her Lovely Common Life. Over there, I try to keep a posting schedule of Tuesdays and Thursdays unless I have a tech issue or I just don't have anything in particular to say that day. Yesterday I shared details and photos of my latest little project: a book and tea cabinet! You can click here to read about it. It was a really fun post to write! Here's a little sneak peek..... So, I'm popping back over here today because I've had several friends tell me lately that they can't find my new blog. I know the big reason for that is because I don't have a built-in subscription ... Read more

Dining Room Refresh for Fall

I've been chipping away at a fall project list which included painting my dining room. I was ready for something fresh and colorful but not trendy. So instead of consulting Pinterest, I just went into a paint store and picked out a color that I thought was pretty. The color is "Retreat" by Sherwin Williams and it's a soft cross between blue and green, almost like a eucalyptus. I was happy to have the room finished and ready for a little company recently. Some friends came for tea and scones one afternoon and my daughter and I were excited to set a fall table in our “new” room. I love setting a table with fall colors and textures! Rustic woods with cozy knits. ... Read more

Summer is Here and This is Where You Can Find Me

Hello, old friends! It's been a while. It was a busy spring and now we're moving into summer, ready or not. I'm ready. Spring brought soccer season, travel to DC to see our nation's capital and visit family, the end of another school year for both my son and my daughter who works at a preschool, two trips to Texas, annnnd a new baby boy born to my daughter and son-in-law in May! He's the sweetest little thing and my daughter and SIL are just the best new parents! I won't be posting pictures of him here so if you'd like to know what he looks like, just imagine the most beautiful baby boy ever and there you have it! Parents and baby are doing well, and we are so thankful to add this precious ... Read more

And That’s a Wrap!

I love to wrap gifts! I think I get it from my mom because she always made gifts look so pretty with her handmade bows. And my sister, Allison, is the master of finding good deals at TJ Maxx and making them look like a million bucks with her lovely packaging. My sister, Katie, has always added a fun flare to her gifts with handcrafted pom poms and such. So, it just runs in the blood! I have loved wrapping gifts since I was a little girl, and my dream was to work at a store that had a gift-wrapping department. How cute. Well, that childhood dream came true in high school while I was working at Kirkland's. Does anyone remember when Kirkland's offered gift wrapping? It was a little room with ... Read more

Fluff the Nest Friday: Candle Making for the Fall Home

One thing I love to do after fluffing the nest is to light a candle! The flickering light reflects off of those freshly cleaned surfaces and the scent adds a pleasing aroma around the home. Sometimes when I need motivation to clean, I may even go ahead and light the candle before I begin my work just to get me inspired and moving. I found this pretty acorn dish at Home Goods a couple of weeks ago. What actually caught my attention was the fact that it's a dish for baking a wheel of brie in and I enjoy serving baked brie during the holidays. I loved that it's an acorn with a matching lid to keep the cheese hot until time to serve and little handles on each side to carry it. It's just so ... Read more

Summer Garden Recap: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

As far as gardening goes, I've never had anything more than what I call a little "kitchen garden"--some herbs and a few veggies and melons, at most. So, I'm still very much a beginner. I haven't even had a garden for the last few years (other than herbs), and I was ready to get back to it, but I also remembered how my gardens usually play out. The season always seems to start out strong and lovely and makes me feel like I really have a green thumb, ha, and then it starts going downhill about mid-summer with the onset of heat, bugs, and disease. So, here it is-- the good, the bad, and the ugly of this year's summer garden! The Good! Late spring and the first half of summer were a ... Read more

The Secret to Getting It All Done

Good morning, friends! I have a little thought to share with you today but first, how cute is Miss Pumpercot! She is actually photo-bombing here. I was trying to take a picture of my desk and she hopped up right into the very middle of the frame. Cutie. Do you ever have those days when you feel completely defeated by your to-do list? I used to always feel like such a failure at the end of every day because I couldn't finish my list no matter how motivated I was at the beginning of the day. One evening while going over my list and seeing all the items that did not get marked off that day, I expressed my frustration to my husband. He took one look at it and said, "That's all for ONE day? ... 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