Catching up and Grace at Home

When I was younger, I sometimes felt that life seemed little dull, that there was too much same-old-same-old. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever wished something exciting would happen?

These days, I find myself longing for some same-old-same-old days. The past couple of weeks serve as perfect examples of how my heart can be yanked from one kind of event to the next, with scarcely a moment to catch my breath in between.

One of the events was a wonderful one: the high school graduation of my beloved niece Sadie. She's a tiny powerhouse: a brilliant mind and a glorious spirit housed in a beautiful person.

Here she is giving the valedictory address at her school:

To say that I'm proud to be her aunt would be a great understatement. I thought my heart would beat out of my chest as I listened to her.

But in the very same week as this celebration came one of the saddest events of my life: the death of my precious Aunt Laura. Aunt Laura was married to my beloved namesake, my Uncle Richard. She had just turned 70. Seeing my Uncle seated beside her casket rather than with her at his side nearly did me in.

Hundreds and hundreds of people came to the funeral home to pay their respects. Finally we got a photo of some of the family who had gathered:

To say that I'm sad at my aunt's passing would also be a huge understatement.

This is life, isn't it? We grieve and we celebrate. We mourn and we dance. And in the midst of it all, we try to make our homes places of grace.

I'm grateful that you've come here to share the ways you're making your home a place of grace, so even with my heart nearly bursting, I'm privileged to host this party. I invite you to link posts about

• DIY projects
• decorating
• recipes
• hospitality
• homemaking tips
• parenting
• marriage
• faith
• self-care
• soul care

Whatever you do to make your home a place of grace, I'd like to hear about it.  Here's what I ask of you.  Please include the permalink to your post, not your blog's home page.  Please let people know that you've linked up.  No more than three posts per person, please.  Note that if you link a post here, you are giving me permission to share your post, including a photo.  And visit at least one of the other party participants--that's what really makes it a party!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Grace at Home No. 339

Hello and welcome! I'm so glad you're here for this week's Grace at Home party. This party is a once-a-week chance to pause and celebrate all the ways we make our homes places of grace.

I haven't written about this yet, but my weekend was momentous. If you join me on Instagram or Facebook, you might have seen that my youngest son—my baby!—graduated from college. (By the way, I'm wearing heels in this photo—my "baby" is now 6'8".)

Happy times! But so many mixed emotions, as you might guess.

But we're not here to talk about me; let's look at what y'all have been up to!

Tiffany at A Nod to Navy remodeled her kitchen. Isn't this beautiful? Wait 'til you see the "before" photos!

We've been having absolutely gorgeous spring weather, so I'm excited to jazz up our outdoor spaces. I was so glad to get step-by-step instructions for creating a beautiful hanging basket from Pam at Busy Lifestyle Gal.

I'm always meaning to organize our photos, but never seem to get around to it. If you also struggle with this, you'll be glad to get this inspiring advice from Jen Wise at LifeTales Books and Personal Publishing. 

Do you struggle with meal planning? Me, too. I was glad to find these budget-friendly meal ideas from Robin at Fluster Buster.

And for my next meal plan, I think I'll make Instant Pot beef carnitas following this recipe from Corinne at WonderMom Wannabe.

If you need some inspiration regarding your relationship with God, read this post from Donna at Soul Survival. 

A big thank you to everyone who joined the last party!  I'm so grateful for each person who links up.

Now for this week's party! Grace at Home is a place for you to share anything related to making your home a place of grace. I invite you to link posts about

• DIY projects
• decorating
• recipes
• hospitality
• homemaking tips
• parenting
• marriage
• faith
• self-care
• soul care

Whatever you do to make your home a place of grace, I'd like to hear about it.  Here's what I ask of you.  Please include the permalink to your post, not your blog's home page.  Please let people know that you've linked up.  No more than three posts per person, please.  Note that if you link a post here, you are giving me permission to share your post, including a photo.  And visit at least one of the other party participants--that's what really makes it a party!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Grace at Home No. 338

Hello, hello! Welcome to the Grace at Home party, where we celebrate all the ways we make our homes places of grace.

Y'all, I can hardly believe we're in the second week in May. Believe it or not, my youngest son graduates from college this weekend. It seems like just a few months ago that my oldest son graduated from college. . . now we're about to celebrate the last college graduation! To say "time flies" seems cliché, but it's so true.

Now for some links from last week's party I thought you'd enjoy.

If you're looking for before-and-after inspiration photos for your house, you'll want to see this post from Kathryn at The Dedicated House. Kathryn transformed pretty much every room in her home, and recently sold the house after just one day on the market!

Now that it's May, you may be sprucing things up with outdoor planters. If so, you'll appreciate this tip for filling large planters from Jamie at So Much Better with Age.

Looking for a fresh new salad recipe? Check out this beautiful chopped margherita salad from Andrea at Living on Cloud Nine.

Mother's Day is coming up, but it can be a sad occasion for many. Michelle Bengtson offers encouraging words for mothers who have lost a child.

A big thank you to everyone who joined the last party!  I'm so grateful for each person who links up.

Now for this week's party! Grace at Home is a place for you to share anything related to making your home a place of grace. I invite you to link posts about

• DIY projects
• decorating
• recipes
• hospitality
• homemaking tips
• parenting
• marriage
• faith
• self-care
• soul care

Whatever you do to make your home a place of grace, I'd like to hear about it.  Here's what I ask of you.  Please include the permalink to your post, not your blog's home page.  Please let people know that you've linked up.  No more than three posts per person, please.  Note that if you link a post here, you are giving me permission to share your post, including a photo.  And visit at least one of the other party participants--that's what really makes it a party!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Grace at Home No. 337

Hello and welcome to the Grace at Home party, where we celebrate all the ways we make our homes places of grace!

This week I've been slow getting back into the swing of things. You may have seen that our beloved dog died last week, and the grief of losing her has been intense. The writer Thomas Lynch says that grief is the tax we pay for loving. Isn't that right? We loved Cocoa very much.

Meanwhile, many of y'all have been busy! Here are a few links from our last party I thought you'd enjoy.

If you've ever struggled with getting a room decorated to your satisfaction, you'll appreciate these instructions for creating a beautiful focal point from Yvonne at Stone Gable.

If you're wishing that a room in your home had some industrial charm, did you know you can create the look yourself? Check out this tutorial for a faux industrial brick wall from Ashley at Cherished Bliss!

If you're looking for kitchen inspiration, you might like to see the updates I've just completed in my kitchen.

If you have cherished family photos and wonder how to display them, you'll want to check out this post from Whispers of the Heart.

If you're a user of essential oils, you might enjoy these springtime diffuser blend recipes from Joy at Artful Homemaking.

I'm always looking for recipes that use chicken, so I was glad to see this post from Kit at The Kittchen--lots of ideas for using shredded chicken.

Last but not least, if you've ever struggled with doubting God's goodness, you'll appreciate this post from Marva at Sun Sparkle Shine. 

A big thank you to everyone who joined the last party!  I'm so grateful for each person who links up.

Now for this week's party! Grace at Home is a place for you to share anything related to making your home a place of grace. I invite you to link posts about

• DIY projects
• decorating
• recipes
• hospitality
• homemaking tips
• parenting
• marriage
• faith
• self-care
• soul care

Whatever you do to make your home a place of grace, I'd like to hear about it.  Here's what I ask of you.  Please include the permalink to your post, not your blog's home page.  Please let people know that you've linked up.  No more than three posts per person, please.  Note that if you link a post here, you are giving me permission to share your post, including a photo.  And visit at least one of the other party participants--that's what really makes it a party!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter