Imparting Grace: July 2021

Thursday, July 29

Grace at Home No. 431

Hello, friends! I am glad to see you here after some time away. If you follow me on Instagram (and I would love to connect with you there!), you may already know last week I hosted a reunion of two of my favorite college friends. What fun!

It had been 36 years since we'd all been together. . . so you can imagine how much talking and how little sleeping we did!

Meanwhile, many of you have been busy! I'm so glad to host the Grace at Home party, where we celebrate all the ways we make our homes and spheres of influence places of grace. Here are some highlights from our last party.

Want to spruce up your screened porch to make the most of these summertime days? Libbie at A Life Unfolding shows you how.

Got an old footstool that could use some love? Megan at Makeable Crafts shows you how to reupholster one.

Does your carpet need some midsummer freshening? Crystal from Crystal and Co. shares a homemade freshener that also kills fleas.

I love eating salads in the summertime, so I was glad to get this Cobb salad recipe from Carol at Comfort Spring. Doesn't it look delicious?

Need a story of inspiration? Check out "A Broken but Beautiful Smile" from A Day of Small Things.

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!

Thursday, July 15

Grace at Home No. 430

Hello, my friends! It's really and truly midsummer—can you believe it?

My husband and I have retreated to our little mountain getaway, and we're grateful for the cooler temperatures here than those in our hometown of Durham, North Carolina. Durham in July is hot hot hot and so very humid. What's it like in your neck of the woods?

Hot weather or no, some of you have been very busy, and I'm so glad to host you here at the Grace at Home party, where we celebrate all the ways we make our homes and spheres of influence places of grace and beauty. Here are some features from last week's party.

If you're on a mission to remodel or redecorate your home, it may help you to see the progress that can be made over the course of a few years. And even if you're not currently remodeling, I think you'll still enjoy this 3-year before and after home tour from Angela from Simply Beautiful.

If you're looking for a small DIY project that can make a big impact, you may want to consider changing a recessed light into a pendant light. Libbie from A Life Unfolding shows you how to do just that.

If you or someone you love is just getting started with being a homemaker, you'll want to check out

"Homemaking 101," a series from Joy at Artful Homemaking.

If you're at a point where your home needs to be decluttered and you just don't know where to start, I think you'll appreciate this post from Julie at Filling the Jars.

Need a sweet treat that's simple to make and doesn't heat up the house? You may want to try these Frito Bars from Paula at Sweet Pea.

If you're planning a vacation this August, you may want to consider visiting one of our beautiful national parks. Jamie from PhotoJeepers provides a treasure trove of national park vacation ideas for you.

Of course, a vacation won't be very useful if you or someone you love isn't really able to get away from work. Dr. Michelle Bengtson from Hope Prevails provides 8 practical tips for how to unplug on vacation.

Last but not least, you'll want to read this post from Michele Morin at Living Our Days about the importance of thinking well. Michele is a master at sharing wisdom from the Bible and her experience of walking with God.

Thank you to everyone who linked up!

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

Thursday, July 8

Grace at Home No. 429

Hello, friends!

Wow, what a busy summer it's turning out to be! In North Carolina, there are still a few signs that things aren't quite normal yet—for instance, when our church gathers for in-person worship, we all wear masks. But over the last couple of weeks I traveled to Georgia, Tennessee, and Mississippi, and things looked pretty much like they did before the pandemic. I wonder if we might be getting a little ahead of ourselves, since there's still so much about this disease that we don't understand, but I also understand that people are ready to just get back to normal life if possible.

Anyway, here are a couple of fun scenes from my trip.

This is me and my dad. We celebrated his 81st birthday.

And you might recognize this cutie--that's Traci Hutcherson from Beneath My Heart. Traci and I have been blogging buddies and real-life friends since 2010. I knew from her Instagram stories that she was at her home in the Nashville area, so I stopped by and surprised her. The look on her face tickled me pink!

Meanwhile, y'all have been busy, and I'm so grateful you're here for the Grace at Home party, where we celebrate all the ways we make our homes and spheres of influence places of grace. Here are some highlights from our last party.

If you've ever wondered how to transition a small child's bedroom into a fun space for an older kid, you'll love this transformation from Angela at Simply Beautiful by Angela. A kid who likes video games would love this space!

If you're expecting guests this summer (I am, and I'm so excited!), you'll be glad to get this wifi password printable from Jennifer at Satsuma Designs.

If the air in your house needs a bit of freshening up but you don't want to use artificial scents, check out this homemade air freshener spray from Joy at Artful Homemaking.

If you're looking for ways to spiff up your outside spaces, you might want consider buying concrete planters. Renae at Peacock Ridge Farm shows you how to add patina to raw concrete in a method that's both easy and inexpensive.

While you're at it, if you're looking for plants that will thrive on a shady porch, check out this post.

When you're welcoming guests into your home, you might want to consider setting up a bar cart to allow people to help themselves. Shelley from Calypso in the Country shares some great styling tips to help you make the cart a part of your summery decor.

Looking for a refreshing drink for these hot days? Michele at Walking on Sunshine Recipes shows us how to make fruit-infused water. I'm going to give this a try!