The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

Fluff the Nest Friday: Blitz the House!

Around here, Friday is the day to "fluff the nest", which is just a much cuter way of saying "clean the house". Am I right? So my Friday posts are all about tidying up and getting the house fresh and in order for the weekend. Some weeks my nest-fluffing comes more easily than others. I need motivation each Friday. ***** My last two Fluff the Nest posts have been all about getting the kiddos on board with household chores. My first post started with the basics of picking up their own bedroom in “The ABC Pickup”. The following post moved on to daily tasks in “Chores for Children”. Today we’re going to talk about the big cleanups that need to happen that aren’t scheduled as part of the daily ... Read more

Summer Supper Menu for the Ladies

A couple of weeks ago, my girls and I enjoyed a fun reason to get together with some moms and daughters and grandmothers in our home. A dear friend of mine is a Noonday ambassador, and so we hosted a trunk show with a light summer supper. Since it was just us girls for the evening, I decided on a menu of what we like to call lady food! You know, the salads, crackers, veggies, dips, and fruits kind of meal? I’ve learned to eliminate some fuss by making some of the foods and purchasing the rest premade. There were two supper recipes I really wanted to make—Tomato Pesto Tart and Pimiento Cheese—so I made those and purchased chicken salad and spinach artichoke dip from Costco. I also added a ... Read more

Summer Snacking

I’m popping in for just a minute today to share our new favorite snack: Ranch Snack Mix, adapted from Taste of Home! This is the easiest thing in the world to mix up, and has been perfect for snacking at home, pool, or lake. One batch makes SO much that I can put half in the freezer for another occasion (or two!). Then I have it ready for a surprise guest, to give as a gift, or to take to a party when I don’t want to go empty-handed. Ranch Snack Mix  1 (12-oz) package mini pretzels 2 (6-oz) packages plain bugles 1 (10-oz) can salted cashews (can substitute peanuts for a cheaper option) 1 (6-oz) package cheddar fish-shaped crackers 2 envelopes ranch mix 3/4 cup canola oil (vegetable oil is ... Read more

Independence Day 2019: Country, Community, and Church

Hello! I hope you all had a spectacular Independence Day last week! Our family enjoyed a day that offered blessings of country, community, and church. We were home throughout the morning, working on various housekeeping chores and projects, but stopped at lunch for our traditional 4th of July hamburgers. During our lunch, we got into a discussion about a podcast on Focus on the Family about our founding fathers, and the privilege of living in an America that was founded on Christian principles—principles that allow us freedom of worship, among many other wonderful freedoms! That afternoon, we had the honor of attending the 100th birthday celebration of a family farm! This farm is owned ... Read more

Colonial 4th of July Table

I’d like to wish everyone an early Happy Independence Day, and naturally I’m going to say it with a table setting! This is a table I quickly put together last 4th of July. We had some neighbor friends walking over for fireworks that evening, and since we were grilling hamburgers for ourselves, we asked them to come early and join us for dinner. The plan was to eat outside on the patio, but the heat and humidity were crazy high that day, so we decided to enjoy the meal inside and go out after sunset to watch the fireworks. With a change in plans, I started pulling anything from my cabinets that was red, white, or blue. Before I knew it, we had a very patriotic vibe going on in the dining ... Read more

Just Peachy! A Peach-Inspired Table and Dessert

My girls know me well, and always pick out such thoughtful gifts for me for special occasions. I’m one blessed mama! For Mother’s Day, they went shopping together at my favorite store—Home Goods! My oldest daughter bought me the wonderful rolling cooler bag you saw in my “Savvy Finds and Summer Faves” post. It gets used weekly, and has been a total game changer for lake and pool! Country Girl gave me this lovely tablecloth with an all-over peach pattern. It’s perfect for summer dining! Given my love for peaches, and for my daughter, I’m very excited about this tablecloth. I’m just loving it with my green dishes! It’s versatility lends itself to a fancy-schmancy Sunday lunch setting, or a ... Read more

Rosemary Pork Chops with Cherry Vinaigrette (Easy!)

Summertime cooking for me is inspired by two things: the grill and seasonal produce! I’m over-the-top delighted to have cherries, peaches, blueberries, melons, squash, okra, tomatoes, corn, and many more fresh garden treasures back in my life this summer! Our good friends have been gifting us melons and veggies from their glorious garden, and our local fruit farms have kept us in wonderful supply of peaches and blueberries. Cherries are finally back at the grocery store and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Last week I purchased a bag of cherries for the first time this season! In my book this called for a little celebratory meal, so I tried a new recipe for Rosemary Pork Chops with Cherry ... Read more

Fluff the Nest Friday: Chores for Children

Around here, Friday is the day to "fluff the nest", which is just a much cuter way of saying "clean the house". Am I right? So my Friday posts are all about tidying up and getting the house fresh and in order for the weekend. Some weeks my nest-fluffing comes more easily than others. I need motivation each Friday. ***** Last Friday I shared about the ABC Pickup which was one of three handy tools I used to train my young children in Nest Fluffing 101! Today’s post is about chores. I started following the Chore Packs system from the Titus 2 ministry about eleven years ago when my girls were about 8 and 3, and continued using them on and off with the girls, and then later when my son came ... Read more