The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

Snapshot Saturday: First Week of School ’24

This week began a new school year for my son in homeschooling and my daughter with her online classes and the preschool where she works. There are always a few things to iron out the first week, but all in all, it was a good first week of school! Smoothies and banana muffins have been the popular breakfast for all so far! We got back to our study routine, sometimes at the kitchen table and sometimes lounging on the couch, but always a candle burning and a cat sleeping close by. I think the pets are happy that we're back to homeschooling. Guitar lessons and tennis lessons will continue this year, and we have great instructors for both! A friend to teach guitar and my nephew to ... Read more

Fluff the Nest Friday: La Laverie!

It has been a really long time since I did a "Fluff the Nest Friday" post! They used to be one of my favorite posts to share so I'm going to try and get back to doing them. For any of you who might be new, I'll explain. Even though I do different cleaning chores throughout the week, Friday is typically my main cleaning day because I like for our nest to be nicely fluffed for the weekend. So, Friday just seems like a good day to post different housekeeping topics here on the blog. Today, I'd like to share something I learned about laundry.....from the French! A couple of years ago, my daughter gave me a very interesting book for Christmas. Home Sweet Maison: The French Art of Making a ... Read more

Recipe Binders

As part of my summer organizing, I knew I had to get my recipes back under control. They were such a mess! I've had a great system for about 10 years, but it was time to clean it back up. I'm not talking so much about cookbooks today although I did straighten them and take out a couple to donate. Instead, I'll be talking about those loose recipes you tear out of a magazine, print off Pinterest, or have on a recipe card. When we moved to this house 11 years ago, I came with all my cookbooks and a big basket of those loose recipes. There were so many that anytime I wanted to use a particular one, I had to thumb through the entire stack. This hadn't been a problem when I first started the ... Read more

Prepping the Kitchen for Fall Cooking and Baking ’24

Summertime brings a huge cleanout for me each year. This summer, I reorganized a lot of areas of my house, but definitely spent the most time in the kitchen! My cabinets and drawers had really gotten bad. We do a LOT in there. It's more than just a kitchen, really. It's also our school, our science lab, art studio, gift wrap station, and much more. One of the benefits a of good kitchen cleanout is that everything I do in there now works a lot smoother than before and I'm already looking ahead and seeing how much more enjoyable it will be for fall cooking and baking. Last August '23 I posted 3 things I had done that month to prepare my kitchen for fall. You can read that post here. Today ... Read more

Mongolian Stir-Fry at Home!

A restaurant that our family has come to enjoy is Yummi Yaki. Do you have one near you? We all love it! You pick your starch (rice or noodles) and then go through the buffet line to select your meats, veggies, sauce, and seasoning, and then hand it over to be stir-fried. It's comes to your table hot and savory and so delicious. It's a fun treat, but pricey for a family. But since getting a Blackstone, we can enjoy them at home! I do the prepping of the meats and veggies and my husband does the stir-frying. Everything is lined up on our kitchen island for each person to go through the "buffet" and fill their bowls with their desired ingredients. Then we take our bowls of ingredients ... Read more

Banana Pudding Cheesecake Pie

We love pie at our house so I'm always either on the lookout for new recipes or making up my own recipe. One weekend I decided to make a pie for Sunday lunch, and I wanted something fluffy and cheesecakey with a banana pudding twist. So, I came up with the "Banana Pudding Cheesecake Pie"! Doesn't that look delish?! Here's the recipe! You can also make your own whipped cream instead of using Cool Whip. Even though I make and enjoy fresh whipped cream, my husband actually prefers Cool Whip. It's one of his all-time favorites, so when I really want to treat him, I'll plop an extra double dollop of Cool Whip with his slice of pie and he's a happy guy! For this month, we're both on ... Read more

Don’t Throw People Below?

While visiting Mesa Verde last year we got so tickled over one little sign. As we stood at the railing of a cliff, we noticed a wooden plaque that seemed to read "Don't Throw People Below". Taking just a couple of steps back to view the sign from a different perspective revealed an entirely different message. Take a look! We couldn't see the whole sign the first time! And it reminded me of how quickly we jump to conclusions before we have all the information about a situation. Many years ago, I received a text from someone while I was baking cookies with my girls. It seemed like it needed a quick response, so I carefully pecked out a simple answer with my pinky finger since my ... Read more

Snapshot Saturday

Happy weekend! Just a few photos from the week! The cats love gazing out all the windows of the house, but the kitchen is their favorite right now. My son and his friend are taking tennis lessons from my nephew, and they are loving it. We go into the city for their weekly lesson, but I took them to a nearby tennis court one morning for some extra practice. It's in a neighborhood next to our neighborhood and there is a shaded sitting area for me to read or work in my planner. The zinnias in front of the gas tank had gotten so tall and were hiding that ugly tank so nicely until a heavy storm came and knocked them over....well, flattened them. I tried to lift them but that ... Read more