The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

Meet Liberty!

Ok, you're all going to think we have completely lost our minds since I just posted about our new kitten we got last week, but yes, we have a new puppy! She is my daughter's dog, and her name is LIBERTY because she came home the day before Independence Day. She's an Australian Shepherd and is utterly scrumptious and looks and feels like a stuffed animal. Just look at that happy face! So, are you wondering why we adopted two new pets in less than a week? Of course you are--because it's crazy. Let me explain. My husband and I have always tried to supply our kids with whatever resources they need to support their interests, hobbies, and ambitions. Whatever art supplies, books, tools, ... Read more

A Cracker Jack of a Snack!

Hey, Cracker Jacks! Hope you all had a great July 4th! We enjoyed several goodies for the holiday including the all-American snack of Cracker Jacks! I made a batch for the 4th and then a second batch for my supper club last night. We meet every other week for dinner and visiting with a theme for the meal. This week's theme was ballpark food! How fun! I signed up for Conecuh sausage dogs with homemade mustard sauce. There is also a sign up each time for someone to bring a takeaway treat for everyone to leave with. I thought the Cracker Jacks would make a fun takeaway treat so I signed up for that too! Homemade Cracker Jacks Ingredients: 16 cups popped corn 1 cup salted ... Read more

Snapshot Saturday: Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

My apologies if I've put a certain song in your head now just after reading the title of this blog, but we had a lot of changes around here lately, so I've been singing this tune all week, haha. Sunrises I'll start with a snapshot of something that does and doesn't change: the sunrise. I walk most weekday mornings and I snap a photo of the sunrise almost every time because each morning's sunrise is unique from the previous day's and the next day's. Some sunrises are bright and fiery, some are soft and purple, and some are muted with fog. But what doesn't change is the fact that the sun does still rise EVERY day! That's because it's kept in motion by an unchanging Creator. God says ... Read more

Elegant Woodsy Reception

Hello again and welcome back to wedding blog week! My apologies for dropping off for a couple of days after that first post. We've had a busy week! Anywho, Monday I began sharing about the wedding ceremony, flowers, and decor. Today's post is all about the food! As I mentioned before, my daughter's senior piano recital reception offered the perfect opportunity to try out some ideas before the wedding. Wedding Reception Menu Charcuterie Cups Cheese Straws Fresh Fruit Groom's Chocolates Bride's Southern Cream Cake Hot Tea: Scottish Caramel and Decaf Garden Blend Sweet Tea and Fruit Water Charcuterie Cups Salami/pepperoni/olive skewers ... Read more

Elegant Woodsy Wedding

My daughter is married! She married a wonderful guy in a lovely ceremony two weeks ago and it was such a happy day for all of us. Shortly after the proposal, my daughter began pinning photos and ideas for the big day, but it wasn't until she selected her wedding dress that a clear direction for the style of the wedding developed. Having an appreciation for the history, art, literature, and music of the Middle Ages, one particular dress with a subtle Medieval flare caught her eye! With additional nods to the groom's Scottish roots and the bride's Irish lineage (we actually have some of everything in our family--Irish, English, French, Cherokee, etc.--so she had her pick!), the wedding ... Read more

Snapshot Saturday: Hello, Summer!

Good morning! The wedding posts are still in the works and will pick back up next week, but for today I'm sharing a few snapshots of the week. When I did this several weeks ago as "Friday Five", I had several friends tell me they enjoyed it, so I've decided to make it a regular. Most bloggers post their weekly photo summary on Fridays but I'm going to make mine on Saturdays to keep Fridays open for "Fluff the Nest" posts. So here goes! With the wedding behind us, we feel like we finally began our summer break this week. The fun activities, slow mornings, summery foods, and evenings outdoors with crickets singing. Ahhh, I love it so! Summer Grilling We grill year around, but ... Read more

Engagement Showers and Celebrations!

Good morning, friends! Well, I've promised wedding posts and this is the week. Over the last week, I've had a little time to rest and dig out of the post-wedding piles so this week I can blog--yay! I'm going to start with all the fun showers and celebrations that were thrown for my daughter and her now husband. Taco 'Bout Engaged! My brother and sister-in-law, along with their son (my nephew) and his girlfriend, and my SIL's mother hosted an engagement party for my daughter and her fiancé plus another nephew and his fiancé! The theme was a Mexican Fiesta and it was so much fun! They served a full Mexican spread of nachos, tacos, salad, and dessert. The flower arrangements were ... Read more

Simple Summer Table

Happy Monday, friends! I promise the wedding posts are coming this week, but while I'm working on those, I thought I'd quickly share about our Father's Day meal. Our family hosted this year, and it was also my sweet sister-in-law's birthday so I wanted to put together some tables that would be pretty for my SIL but not too frilly for the dads being honored. Having just had the wedding the weekend before, I didn't even have a plan for the tables except that I would probably use some patriotic papers goods I had on hand and do an "All American Dad" theme. But then the day before Father's Day I noticed the 10 potted rosemary plants on my porch that were left over from the wedding (details ... Read more