Grace at Home this special week

Friends, do I ever have good news to share!

Many of you know that my oldest son, Will, is an aviator with the U.S. Navy. And some of you know that he has been deployed since last October. 

Not only has Will been gone since October, but his wife had their first baby on December 31—and because of COVID-19 restrictions, he wasn't allowed to go home for the birth of the baby. 

Well, this week is the time our whole family has been anxiously awaiting. Will's squadron made it safely home, and Will got to meet his firstborn. If you follow me on Instagram (and I would so love to connect with you there—please say hi!), you might have seen this photo:

I knew, of course, that my heart would melt when I saw my "baby" hold his baby for the first time. But I'll confess that I burst into a torrent of tears the moment I saw this photo. 

You can imagine how hard it has been for me to concentrate this week. But I'm so glad to welcome you to the Grace at Home party, where we celebrate all the ways we make our homes places of grace and beauty. Here are some features from last week's party.

If remodeling a bathroom is in your future, you'll want to see the master bathroom renovation from Renae at Peacock Ridge Farm. Just wait 'til you see the "before" pictures!

If you're considering building a bunk room in your house, you really should see this space from Andrea at Living on Cloud Nine. Just think of how much fun kids would have in a room like this!

If you're planning to have overnight guests in your home sometime soon (thank God for vaccines that will allow more people to travel!), you'll be interested to see how Marty from A Stroll thru Life gave her guest room a refresh.

And for some wonderful ways to make your guest room a truly welcoming space, check out these easy tips from Denise at My Home of All Seasons.

If you're like me, you're always on the lookout for new recipes. Lately my husband and I have been trying to limit our carbohydrate intake, so I was tickled to find this low-carb chicken casserole recipe from LouLou Girls. (Confession: I'm not a fan of broccoli, so I'd leave that out, but otherwise this sounds delicious!)

If you're looking for some really good marriage advice, I highly recommend this post from Linda Stoll, who just celebrated her 45th anniversary. I have to confess that I giggled a little when I recently saw a marriage book written by authors who confided that they'd been married almost 20 years. I have two rules for marriage advice: I only take it from people who have made it through at least 30 years together, and I only take it from people who have been through some really tough times. Marriage is wonderful, but it's not easy!

Finally, if you're needing some encouragement for your soul as we continue to struggle through these long days of a global pandemic, read this post from Michele Morin at Living Our Days. 

Thank you to everyone who linked up!

Now for today's party.  Here at the Grace at Home party, you can link up any post you've written that demonstrates how you're filling your own home with truth, goodness, and beauty. 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, and during these difficult times, it can really make someone's day! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter