Thursday, February 27

Grace at Home No. 368


Hello, hello, and welcome to the Grace at Home party, where we celebrate all the ways we make our homes places of grace. I'm so glad you're here!

Here are some links from last week's party I think you'll enjoy.

Do you have a dark hallway space that needs some help? You'll appreciate the way Krista from The Happy Housie remade her space for not much money.


If you're like me, you struggle to keep your home as clean as you'd like. So you'll appreciate this cleaning schedule (including free printables) from Coco at The Crowned Goat.

I like to serve home-cooked meals for dinner each evening, but some weeks I just don't have much time for cooking. So I was glad to get these ideas for cooking once for FIVE different meals from Marty at A Stroll Thru Life.


Recently I've eaten several foods that included pickled red onion as garnish. It's so pretty and tastes delicious, so I was delighted to see this recipe from Carol at Comfort Spring.


One more food post--I just couldn't help myself! Do you enjoy the flavor of Nutella? If you do, I think you'll love this recipe for Nutella brownies from Arlene at Flour on My Face.


Last but not least, I was so grateful to read this post from Michele Morin of Living Our Days: "Can I Walk by Faith if My Faith is Small?"


Thank you to everyone who joined last week's link-up!

Now for today's party! Here at the Grace at Home 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


Thursday, February 20

Grace at Home No. 367


Welcome friends! I'm glad you're here for the Grace at Home party, where we celebrate all the ways we make our homes places of grace.

Here are some features from last week's party I think you'll enjoy.

Need a window treatment that will provide privacy when needed? Serena at Thrift Diving shows you step-by-step how to make a moveable window screen.


I used to do a good bit of sewing for my home, and I'd like to get back to that. I was so glad to see this tutorial from Kristi at French Creek Farmhouse for sewing a blanket stitch. Simple and charming!


Do you like to decorate for "small" holidays? This varies for me--some years I seem to do a good job of this; other years I just barely get the Christmas decorations up! But if you're looking for some cute decor for St. Patrick's Day (less than a month away now!), look no further than these cute printables from Allyson at Southern Sunflowers.


Looking for some new vases to hold spring flowers (soon, right??)? Common Sparrows shows you how to create these pretty marbled vases from empty bottles.


Spring is just around the corner, but it's supposed to be wintry and snowy here today. Makes me want to do some baking! I was glad to get this recipe for Cranberry Bread from Amy at A Day of Small Things. Doesn't it look yummy?


If you're looking for some nourishment for your soul, I think you'll love visiting with Amy from Wasteland to Graceland. She's starting a new series on practicing the presence of God.


Thank you to everyone who joined last week's link-up!

Now for today's party! Here at the Grace at Home 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


Thursday, February 13

Grace at Home No. 366


Welcome to the Grace at Home party, where we celebrate all the ways we make our homes places of grace. I'm so glad you're here.

One of the reasons I've always loved blogging is because it gives us a peek "behind the scenes" into one another's lives. Do you agree? If you do, I think you'll be glad to see some of my favorites from last week.

Jamie from Anderson + Grant is tackling a real-life fixer upper. She just completed the living room of her old house, and I think you're going to want to see it. Here's a hint:

Do you decorate for Valentine's Day? If you'd like just a little of that holiday cheer in your home, you'll love this tiered tray created by Lori of Dining Delight.


Need a sweet treat for Valentine's Day? Check out this recipe for easy Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake from Paula at Sweet Pea.


Do you ever feel weary in the small things you're doing? Read this post from Michele Morin at Living Our Days about the purposes of God; you'll be encouraged!


Thank you to everyone who joined last week's link-up!

Now for today's party! Here at the Grace at Home 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


Thursday, February 6

Grace at Home No. 365


The title of today's post startled me.

365 Grace at Home parties? What?

Blogging has changed so much since I started this party. In the early years, blogging was a way to "visit" with others. Then it became a place for bloggers to showcase what they were doing and for readers to get new ideas. Then it became a way for some bloggers to make money.

These days it's a hybrid of all of those, but what I like best about blogging is that it takes us "behind closed doors," so to speak. We invite one another into our homes virtually, and blog posts can be long enough to get more than the tiny snapshot of Instagram allows.

So here we are, still celebrating all the ways we make our homes places of grace, and I'm glad you're here! Here are some of my favorite links from last week's party.

If you want to add charm to your living room or den, you'll want to see how Jamie from Anderson + Grant built this beautiful faux fireplace. Yes, I said "faux"--but it sure looks real, doesn't it? Jamie includes full instructions for building your own.


Want to create some Valentine's Day decor? Check out these cute signs from Pamela at DIY Vibes. She includes free printables to make it easy for you to create your own!


Want to see how someone pulls out all the stops to decorate for Valentine's Day? Then you'll enjoy visiting with sweet Debbie from The Debbie-Dabble Blog.


If you're wondering "Where is winter?" you'll be glad to see this post from Amy at A Day of Small Things for some winter decor ideas.


Ever wonder why so many of our new year's resolutions end up being dead ends? Check out my post about gaining a new perspective.


Need some words of wisdom about trusting God? Read this post from Donna from Soul Survival.


Just looking for some inspiration for this new year? Check out this post from Andrea at Living on Cloud Nine.


Thank you to everyone who joined last week's link-up!

Now for today's party! Here at the Grace at Home 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


Tuesday, February 4

A new perspective


January is over, and we are here for it.


Think back over the social media posts you've read over the last few days. How many have said something like "January is the longest month!" or "Thank God January is behind us!"?

Isn't it interesting that we approach January 1 saying "Hurray for new beginnings!" but by the time February rolls around, we're sick of the new year? Some research indicates that 80% of new year's resolutions are broken by the second week in February.

It seems that our new year's resolutions, however well-intentioned they may be, aren't serving us very well. Why is that?

It's not because we don't have the right tools. With dozens of apps on our smartphones to keep us on track, we're able to keep up with all kinds of details.

It's not because we fail to write down our goals. In fact, even with the use of smartphone apps, the sale of paper planners and journals has skyrocketed in recent years.

So why are we failing to keep our resolutions? I think it's because so many of them start from a bad premise. It's because so many of our resolutions are based on comparison.

Think about it. How often does your new year's thinking run along these lines?

She looks so pretty! I need to lose 20 pounds so I can look like her.

Their house is amazing! We need to complete six projects to make ours look better.

He's in such great shape! I'm going to start going to the gym every day so I can get in shape, too.

Their life is so organized! We're finally going to declutter so we can be that organized.

There's no denying it: when we begin with comparison, we end up dissatisfied and disgruntled.

How to rethink your goals for the new year

There's a better way, I promise—and it all depends on where you start.

Instead of beginning with an eye toward how you stack up against others, start from a place of assurance. No matter what elements of your life you'd like to change, you are deeply loved and genuinely liked by God. You may not believe that you are loved and valued, I know. But disbelief doesn't alter the facts.

We compare ourselves with others because we're seeking assurance. We're unsure of ourselves, and we see that others seem to have what we want.

But comparison doesn't bring the assurance we crave. Comparison usually leads to one of two outcomes: either we feel less-than, which can lead to jealousy or envy, or else we feel greater-than, which can lead to arrogance and disdain. Those are all soul-crushing outcomes.

So we need another source of assurance, and we can find that in the God who loves us with an unshakable love.

If you want to lose 20 pounds or start exercising, that's great. That will be good for your health. No doubt it will make you feel better and will give you more energy. But you don't need to lose 20 pounds in order to be lovable and valuable—you already are.

If you want to get more organized and declutter your house, good for you! I'm trying to do this myself. But we don't need to get organized in order to be loved—we are loved already.

Let assurance, not comparison, shape your approach to this still-new year. Let the "new year, new you" pressure roll off your back. The old you is dearly, deeply, eternally loved.

Want to know more about escaping the trap of comparison? 
Read Mythical Me: Finding Freedom from Constant Comparison