The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

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

Charity Lemonade Stand

Last Saturday Incredi-Boy and his sweet little friend ran a lemonade stand in our front yard for a very worthy cause! Our small group families are raising funds to purchase athletic equipment for the children of Mtendere Village in Malawi, Africa. We've encouraged the kids in the group to think of extra jobs they could do, or little fundraisers of their own to help contribute. Incredi-Boy’s friend and her family are also in our small group, and they live a few doors down from us, so a neighborhood lemonade sale seemed to be an ideal project for them to collaborate on. Both of our families sponsor children at Mtendere, so this cause is near and dear to our hearts. In fact, the other mama ... Read more

Mom’s Summer Reading List

Good summer morning to you! This one’s for the book worms out there! In addition to catching up on the household chores and projects I can’t get to during the school year, I’m working on catching up on some reading. I have several books I either started during the school year and didn’t finish, or couldn’t even get to altogether. And there are also books I’ve read in years past and have put back on my list for a reread. At the end of this post I’ll tell you what I’ve done this summer to try and reach my reading goals, or at least come close. So stick around! Don’t feel like you've got to read this entire list, but feel free to only look at the topics of interest for you. So here goes! The ... Read more

Creamy Orange Pecan Chicken

Happy Monday, friends! I tried a new chicken recipe yesterday and really liked how it turned out, so I thought I’d share it with you today. It’s Creamy Orange Pecan Chicken and it’s goooood!  I’d been saving this recipe for a Sunday meal because it’s a creamy dish and I try to avoid cooking creamy and buttery sauces during the week. I thought we might be pretty late eating lunch since I had not done anything with the chicken before church, but this recipe actually came together very easily once we got home. There was not much to it at all. Creamy Orange Pecan Chicken  Ingredients:  2 good sized chicken breast (or 3 smaller ones) salt and pepper  3 Tbsp. Butter  1 1/2 cups whipping cream  2 ... Read more

Fluff the Nest Friday: The ABC Pickup

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. ***** A while back, I was chatting with some mom friends, and a younger mom asked about chores for her young children. How much is too much or too little to expect from children of various ages? I’ve actually had some posts in mind for this topic, and my friend’s inquiry got me to thinking I should dust those ideas off and go ahead and share them. I’m certainly no expert on the ... Read more

Savvy Finds and Summer Faves

I really appreciate when other bloggers share their best finds and fun favorites of a given season. So that’s what I’m doing today! I’m calling this my “Savvy Finds and Summer Faves”. I’ll start with the whole lemon craze! Artificial Lemons: I’m not one to jump too deep into a trend because by the time there’s a place for it in my budget, I’m already tired of seeing it on Instagram. I’ve always liked lemons and the freshness they represent, but they are everywhere! So I’m using them cautiously as small accents that can easily be stored away later without losing a huge investment. I purchased a bag of plastic lemons at Hobby Lobby for $10. I added some to an old wreath, and the rest to a ... Read more

Coconut Cream Cake

  Good Monday morning! Blessings to you all for this fresh new week! I don't usually post on Mondays anymore, but we had such an enjoyable Father’s Day weekend and I want to share a part of it with you! And of course it’s a recipe! Haha. On Saturday we celebrated an early Father’s Day with my husband’s dad and mom. We took them out for lunch at a great Thai restaurant and then back to our house for dessert and visiting. Since my husband loves coconut, and I knew my F-I-L does too, I made this Coconut Cream Cake from Southern Living. I like that the toasted coconut adds a little brown color to the top of the cake. It went well with a burlap table runner to make the table display a tad ... Read more