The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

Happy Almost Fall!

Lately we have caught the fever--the fall fever! We are still more than a month away from the first day of fall and even then, here in the deep south, it'll be a while before those crisp, cool days make their appearance. So yesterday we had a "Let's-Pretend-It's-Fall" day! Nothing extravagant, just a few autumnal pleasures to tide us over for the rest of summer. We lit a deliciously-scented apple candle and whipped up some pumpkin muffins with butterscotch chips. I found some fall cupcake liners left from last year. I've been on a detox diet this summer so, sadly, no muffins for this mama. BUT, I did stir some pureed pumpkin and maple syrup into my steel cut oats and it was ... Read more

Tropical Fruit Salad with Honey Ginger Syrup

I don't know about you but I just can't get enough fruit in the summer! I buy so much fresh fruit every week and we gobble it up. We eat it all year long but love the summer's seasonal fruits the most. Fruit is delicious enough without having to do anything fancy with it--I usually just wash and eat it on the spot--but occasionally I like to make it into a salad, tossed in a lite and healthy syrup. Today I'm sharing one of my favorite ways to do that! Tropical Fruit Salad with Honey Ginger Syrup (This makes a huge fruit salad for a crowd. If you want to cut the recipe in half, you can still use the whole pineapple.) Ingredients: 1 fresh pineapple, peeled and cut up 4 ... Read more

What to do With Mom Guilt (or any kind of guilt!): Part 2

Today I'm continuing my two-part series on what to do with mom guilt, which can be applied to any kind of guilt really, whether you're a mom, aunt, friend, coworker, wife, etc. Yesterday I addressed dealing with misplaced guilt and you can read about here if you missed it. Today we'll look at dealing with guilt when we've truly done something wrong. When my first baby girl was just a newborn, I was so smitten, I'd cuddle her while looking into her little angel face with much pleasure, thinking, 'I don't see how we'll ever be upset with each other. I could never get mad at her or hurt her feelings. We're going to be the best of friends!' Are you laughing yet? Yep, my girls laughed ... Read more

What to do With Mom Guilt (or any kind of guilt!): Part 1

In the following posts, I use examples of motherhood to examine guilt because, well, I'm a mom. That's where I am in life right now, so that is currently where my life lessons often come from, but these thoughts and tips on handling guilt apply to ALL. Whether it's mom guilt, aunt guilt, friend guilt, wife guilt, daughter guilt, coworker guilt, church member guilt, or ANY kind of guilt burdening your heart, I hope to encourage you through this two-part series with my few humble thoughts on where our guilt might be coming from, and some helpful responses to that guilt. So even if you're not a mom, please keep reading! If the words "mom guilt" resonate with you, I assure you, you're not ... Read more

Italian Cream Cake

One evening last week, the mothers and daughters from our small group got together to celebrate the upcoming arrival of the baby of our friend Rivers. This family has been such a blessing to our group so we ladies wanted to celebrate with Rivers and her two sweet girls. We planned a meal of salads, followed by a few desserts: Italian cream cake, raspberry white chocolate almond bars, brownies, and coffee. This Italian cream cake is my most requested cake by my family or when I'm asked to bring a dessert to a special occasion. It suits any holiday or celebration any time of the year! It's unique from most other Italian cream cakes in that it doesn't call for pecans or coconut, so ... Read more

Independence Day!

I love the years that the 4th of July lands on a Sunday! It reminds me of two very important truths. First of all, we live in a country where we’re free to worship our God because of the sacrifices of our founding fathers and brave men and women who’ve fought to keep it! And, most importantly, that EVERY Sunday is our true Independence Day from the darkness and evil of the world and our sin because of the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior!! How good it is to be FREE in JESUS!! Enjoy your day of worship and your independence through HIM! “Therefore, if the Son makes you FREE, you will be FREE indeed!” John 8:36 (emphasis mine) ... Read more

Anniversary Trip: Last Day in Asheville

I've been journaling Joel's and my 25th anniversary trip this week which you can read about here and here. Our last day in Asheville would only be half a day before heading home so we wanted to make the most of our last hours at the Biltmore. Before I take you to our time at the estate, I have to share with you how our day started. I can say I've never had this experience on any vacation! While in a very peaceful and deep sleep at about 4:30 that morning, we were awakened by buzzing alarms going off in the hallways of our hotel and an automated voice repeating, "Warning! Warning! Exit the building! Exit the building! Use the staircase and exit immediately." We quickly changed into ... Read more

Anniversary Trip: A Day at Biltmore

Yesterday I began sharing about my husband's and my 25th anniversary trip to the Biltmore Estate. Today I'm back to journal our first day at Biltmore. A lovely day! Our vacation package with Biltmore Inn included breakfast in their dining room, an offer we were delighted to accept! Both days we were seated at a window table with views of the morning mountains. Such a soft opening to the day. I allowed myself some food indulgences while on the trip but balanced those treats with plenty of salads along the way. Here's food indulgence number one: for breakfast I ordered lemon poppy seed waffles with lemon curd, raspberry sauce, and maple syrup. Sigh. Joel ordered smoked ... Read more