The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

Snapshot Saturday: Hello, September!

Happy September, y'all! I love the start to a new month, don't you? Our Septembers here in Alabama are always still pretty warm, but this week the temps dropped a *few* degrees and we're seeing subtle signs of fall on the horizon! There's something about this time of year that the animals seem to have an extra spring in their step so I'm beginning with our crazy pets. Miss Liberty Loohoo This cutie pie puppy dog is growing so fast! We've had some beautiful days outside this week and she's really enjoying playing in the yard. Lady Pumpercot Sweet Pumpkin has been a more playful cat now that she has another kitty to run around with which means she needs more naps, ha. My ... Read more

No Cats on the Bed

How it started? Me saying, “There will be no cats allowed on the beds or furniture. Ever. Period.” How it’s going? I’ll let you see for yourself…. I’m just over here here loving my kitties and eating my words. Gracious, he’s just so sweet!! ... Read more

Cook by the Book: Mahogany Chicken

Labor Day is coming up this weekend so for my "Cook by the Book" challenge this week I decided to feature none other than something off the grill: Mahogany Chicken from Williams-Sonoma's Essentials of Grilling! This is a cookbook the kids and I gave my husband for Father's Day one year. He has used it many times, but I have not so I decided to flip through and get some inspiration for a good grilled chicken dish! Really, they had me at the word "mahogany" based on the idea of the color alone. The thought of a mahogany glaze made my mouth water, just imagining the tasty components that might go into it to produce a rich reddish-brown sauce! I skimmed through the ingredient list and had all ... Read more

Back-to-School Tea

Friday afternoon we had a few neighbor friends over for an after-school snack--a sort of "teatime" except I didn't call it that in front of my son and our tea was enjoyed iced rather than hot, perfect for our warm summer afternoon. This was really easy to throw together! When you have stuff in your stash to work with--tablecloths, paper goods, ribbon, baskets, trays, etc.--a simple table can come together without any prep or purchases. The chambray cloth was a hand-me-down from a friend. I made the red checked topper when my girls were little (I use that thing all the time). The green napkins were leftover in my party box, the ribbon and pencils were on hand, and I always keep apples ... Read more

Snapshot Saturday: B is for Back-to-School

This week was back to school for us. Well, mostly. I like to have what I call my "soft opening" to the school year. You know how restaurants have soft openings before the official grand opening? Well, that's how we begin a new school year. We start with some of the core subjects the first week just to get into the rhythm and then ease our way into the extras during the second and third weeks. When my girls were younger, we waited until September to get started but as they got into high school, they needed the earlier start to keep up during the spring activities. Back-to-School Blizzards We usually go out to eat for a back-to-school lunch or dinner but since we'd eaten out several ... Read more

Fluff the Nest Friday: Norwex Produce Products

Happy Friday, y'all! Today's Friday fluff post isn't so much about cleaning house but is related to housekeeping by way of food prep. I'd like to introduce you to two more Norwex products I've been using since the spring: the Veggie & Fruit Scrub Mitt and the Fresh Produce Wash. Neither of these products were on my wish list and I always passed them by when scrolling through Norwex's website. But after purchasing my Norwex mop I qualified for both items at $5 each! Let me tell you that I am the pillar of strength when it comes to add-on specials (the photo stores hated me when I would take my little girls for the $9.95 package, and they were assuming they'd talked me into an ... Read more

Cook by the Book: Scotch Eggs

Ok, friends! I mentioned a few weeks that my friend, Missy, and I were planning something fun and here it is: COOK BY THE BOOK! On several occasions during the last few years, Missy and I have commented to each other on how even though we have such great cookbooks, the convenience of internet has caused us to fall into the habit of quickly searching the web for a recipe rather than perusing the pages of our now dusty cookbooks. Anyone else? So, we're bringing back the cookbook! We're setting a goal to use our cookbooks (culinary magazines count too) regularly and post our recipe reviews on our blogs. For my first cookbook spotlight, I'd like to introduce you to A Literary Tea ... Read more

Snapshot Saturday: A Week in Waco

Happy Saturday! This post is coming to you a little late in the morning because I'm typing as we're heading home from Waco! We got to visit our daughter and son-in-law this week in their new hometown, and it was soooo good to see them! We enjoyed several fun activities with the newlyweds who gave us a tour of the town. Having more than just a few snapshots to share this week, I put them in collages so this post wouldn't be so long. OK, here goes! Magnolia Silos I'll begin with the one everyone is expecting from Waco: Magnolia! I've posted on this attraction before, so I didn't take as many photos of the property this time (Be sure and check out my Silos post from last spring!). The ... Read more