The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

Snapshot Saturday: Sweet Blessings (with a smile!)

Good morning, friends. We had a week that was a mixture of sad and sweet. My sister-in-law's mother passed away and she was so special to our family. Everyone called her Momma Gay, and she was like an aunt to my siblings and me and like a grandmother to all our children. I'll share more about her in another post because she deserves more than a mention, but today I'm going to share some simple blessings of the week. Why? Because all week we've remembered that Momma Gay believed in looking at the bright side and always recommended, "Just put a smile on your face and you'll feel better!" So that's what we're going to do! I was blessed with some baking time this week. I've been working on ... Read more

Fluff the Nest Friday: Tidying the Blog!

Happy Friday! As many of you know, Friday is my day to fluff the nest and here on my blog, I share the ways I'm doing that around my house. Today, however, we're going to cover a little housekeeping for my "virtual nest"--my little blog! I've absolutely loved blogging! I started my first blog, "Happy is the House", in 2015 and was hooked from the very first week of posting. That blog ran through 2018, and for a couple of reasons I closed it and started "The Work of Her Hands" at the beginning of 2019. After almost 5 years with this blog, it became time for some updating. But I needed some help! I'm not naturally techy but I've really stretched and pushed myself over the years to learn ... Read more

Simple Pleasures of Homelife Lately

Hello, friends! First of all, I want to thank you for joining me on this new site! My time the past couple of weeks has been spent more behind the scenes as my website manager and I have been working to fix some minor glitches. Everything seems to be running smoothly now and I'll be back soon to give you the official "new home tour". For today I thought I'd quickly post some photos from life at home lately. With our schoolyear starting we've mostly been at home which is 100% fine with me, haha, so that's what I have to share today. I'll warn you now---it's all very random! It's still hot here but there are pockets of relief throughout the week when it's actually quite pleasant to be ... Read more

Welcome to My New Blog Home!

Good morning, friends! For the last five years I've blogged under "The Work of Her Hands" and today I'm switching over to my new site which has a fresh face and a new name: THE WAYS OF HER HOME! My content will continue to focus on all things HOME but with some updated features such as a recipe index and printable recipes, links to Instagram and Pinterest, a search bar, popular posts, and a few other things in the works. In addition to these new offerings, my "About" page has been freshened up so please take a minute to explore that in the menu bar at the top. I've been blessed to have a very talented social media manager, Madelyn Victoria Co., taking care of this whole techy process ... Read more

Three Things I’m Doing Now to Prepare for Fall Cooking and Baking

We’re still soaking up summer days here while looking towards autumn and all the delicious recipes we’ll enjoy during that chilly season! So even though our temperatures are soaring over 100 degrees some days, I’m going ahead and doing three things now to prepare my kitchen for fall cooking and baking. #1 Drying Fresh Herbs It’s so nice to cook with fresh herbs during the summer and I like to keep those same herby flavors in my fall soups, casseroles, and breads. So, I’ve been clipping and drying herbs in batches to enjoy all fall and winter. I clip my herbs in early morning before the hot sun draws out the oils from their leaves. This heightens their flavor whether you use them ... Read more

Make Your Own Flour? Yes!

Today I’d like to share about my wheat mill and how I make my own flour. In a conversation with friends, we got on the topic of food storage, preservation, and stockpiling, so I mentioned my wheat mill and the buckets of grain I keep on hand. That got into a discussion of how it works and the benefits of grinding my own wheat. And then I remembered that I once started a post on this very topic but never finished it, so I thought it was finally time to resurrect it from the files and offer it to you!  (You’ll notice some fall decorations in some of the photos because I started this post so long ago. Kind of gives me the fall feels.) When my younger daughter was a baby, she had ... Read more

Let’s Chat!

Good morning, friends! I hope you're in a chatty mood because I'd like to have your input! My blog is almost 5 years old and it's time for some sprucing up. I have a talented young woman who has come to my rescue and is giving my site a fresh facelift and I'm soooo excited! If you have a minute, would you mind commenting and letting me know what kinds of posts here you have found most helpful and encouraging in your homemaking? My blog's purpose will still very much be the same, but your input will help us in moving forward. Thank you! Have a lovely Wednesday. Wow, we're halfway through the week! ... Read more

Fluff the Nest Friday: Norwex Laundry Detergent

Happy Friday! Today let's talk LAUNDRY and Norwex's Ultra Power Plus Laundry Detergent! So, in my quest to reducing chemicals in my nest, I've been using several Norwex products for the last couple of years and absolutely love them. But I’ve always passed by the laundry detergent in the catalog because it was pricey, and I wasn't sure it would work any better than other "free and clear" brands I get from the grocery store. However, after recently watching my friend Crystal give a demo with this detergent, I was convinced enough to try it and was able to purchase it as part of a bundle. So, I've been using it for 3 weeks now and I have to say that, first of all, it works better than I ... Read more