The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

Fluff the Nest Friday: Purgo!

It's been a long time since I've posted a FTNF! But this post today is about more than a fluff. Let's talk New Year's PURGE! The Latin word PURGO means "I clean; I purge". It's not just a fluff. It's a total cleaning out. It's where our English word PURE is derived. And this week I've been working on purifying my 4-H: my house, my homeschool, my health, and my heart. We usually start our second semester of homeschooling the week immediately following New Year's Day, but having been out of town New Year's week, I wasn't able to get my usual mid-school year cleaning out and reorganizing accomplished. I know from experience that when I start a semester before my house, homeschool, ... Read more

Winter in Biltmore’s Conservatory

After having all our travel attempts cancelled last spring and summer, the Lord graciously allowed us to take two quick trips during December, and we are so thankful! Now that Christmas and New Year's are passed, I'd like to finish up some posts on our Biltmore trip. So, returning to Biltmore, today, I'm going to take you on a walk through the conservatory. Even in the winter chill, the outdoor garden areas were still inspiring and well worth the walk through, but not as lush and vibrant as they are in the spring, summer, and fall....and definitely not as warm as the conservatory! The double doors, adorned with their fresh, aromatic wreaths, beckoned us to come in out of the cold for ... Read more

One Year and One Hundred Posts!

This month marks one whole year of blogging here at The Work of Her Hands, and today is my 100th post! It has been a lot of fun to get back to blogging, even as simple as this little blog is. I blogged on my last site for 3 years and then prayerfully made the decision to end that blog and start fresh with a new site that would suit my schedule, my technical skills (or lack of), and my family’s privacy needs. With this blog, I do only as much as I have time for, and right now that’s pretty much limited to just writing posts. Promoting my blog is something I don’t have time for in this season of mommin’ and homeschooling, and I'm totally okay with that. My personality is more comfy with a low ... Read more

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

Chalkboards of Christmas Past and Present

I love all the cute Christmas signs and plaques around the craft and home stores this time of year, and for every holiday really. But to save on expense and storage of such holiday decor, I just use the quotes and pictures I see on those signs, or chalkboard ideas off the internet, as inspiration for my own chalkboard signs. This large chalkboard changes year round for holidays, birthdays, and other occasions (like first day of school, fun menus, Bible verses, family announcements, etc.). ***** Christmas 2019: “Joy to the World!” This year I’d been seeing the use of wreaths over chalkboards and loved this idea! I also needed to make this chalkboard an easy one this year for the sake of ... Read more

Smoked Salmon Spread

Smoked Salmon Spread is a tasty appetizer I like to sit out as guests are arriving when we hosts Christmas parties. I also take this to the Christmas supper my mother-in-law hosts on Christmas night where we all bring party foods (we eat Christmas lunch at my mom's). I love this stuff! It's great year around, but I find myself mostly making it during the holidays. Smoked Salmon Spread This recipe is from Ina Garten. I purchase my smoked salmon from Costco, and usually double this recipe so we have plenty left to snack on for a few days after Christmas. Ingredients: 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 1/2 cup sour cream 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 Tbsp. minced fresh dill 1 ... Read more

2019 Summer Bucket List in Pictures

Hello, friends! I still can’t believe we’ve started a new school year and summer break is in the books! At the beginning of summer I sat down with the kids and had them each name several activities they really wanted to get in during our summer break. Over the years I’ve learned that the best way to get the most out of each season and make lots of memories is to make a bucket list. If we put things on a list, we’re more likely to do it! So, we made a bucket list and then marked them off one by one throughout June, July, and August. Today I’m going to share that list in pictures and I’ll try to go through them quickly. So here goes! 1. Visiting cousins in North Alabama We all love going to ... Read more