Grace at Home No. 483

Hello, friends! Autumn has finally arrived in North Carolina, and I'm enjoying a hot cup of coffee as I write this, especially since the temperature is in the 50's. This time of year is always a little strange in the American South—is it Fall yet? Can we just look at the calendar and not at the thermometer? But now it's finally here. 

My husband continues to improve (you can read about what's been happening here), and I thank you so much for your prayers. It's been a long month, but we're hanging in there.

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 highlights from last week's party.

Do you wish you could update the look of your kitchen? Well, prepare to be inspired. Look at this beautiful kitchen from Angela at Simply Beautiful by Angela:

And now look where she started:

You'll want to read her post for all the details.

Maybe you'd just like to tackle a smaller DIY project. How about these end tables from Meagan at Decorative Inspirations?

Or perhaps you'd like to try your hand at a craft project this fall. Here are some ideas for you!

* an autumn leaf wreath from MaryJo at MasterPIECES of my Life

*decorative Fall plates from Carol at Blue Sky at Home

*4 different ways to transform Dollar Tree pumpkins from Wendy at WM Design House

Want a fun visit with someone who goes all out to decorate for the seasons? Then you should check out this post from dear Debbie at Debbie-Dabble.

Need a fun appetizer for an Autumn gathering? Nicolle from Our Tiny Nest shows how to make this beautiful baked brie shaped like a pumpkin.

If you're feeling a little weary and need to be reminded of the importance of your purpose, read this post from Lisa at Lisa Notes. You'll be glad you did!

Thank you to everyone who linked up! Now on to 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 space 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 or sphere of influence 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. 482

Hello, friends.

How glad I am to welcome you today. You might have noticed that there was no Grace at Home gathering last week, and here's why:

These are just three in a long line of Visitor name tags I received last week at Duke Hospital, where my husband was a patient from September 2 through September 11. It's really a miracle that he's alive and well: he fainted, fell, and hit his head, which caused bleeding in his brain. By the grace of God, we were able to get help very quickly and got the bleeding stopped, and he's expected to recover fully. But what a scare we've been through.

You know, the world is full of so much bad that it's easy to forget that God really does care about us. And, of course, none of us understands everything that happens. But I believe that God is at work in ways that we'll never know about. I wonder how many times God has protected each of us and we were never even aware of the danger we were in? 

Research has shown that human minds consistently display a negativity bias: we give more weight to negative events than to positive ones. We remember the bad things that happen, but often we don't even notice the good—for instance, that we and our loved ones have made it safely through another day. 

I'm hoping to become one who searches for evidences of grace rather than gloom, someone who notices the myriad ways that God has provided, protected, and otherwise displayed his great love for me. 

I believe that God continually displays his love for all of us, which is why I am privileged to host the Grace at Home party, where we celebrate all the ways we make our homes and spheres of influence places of grace and beauty. It's my custom to feature posts from the previous week's party, but our last party had just gotten started before my husband's accident, so this week I don't have any features to share. I'm sorry about that, but I'm so glad to welcome you today!

Here at the Grace at Home party, you can link up any post you've written that demonstrates how you're filling your space 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 or sphere of influence 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. 481

It's September, friends!

If you're from a warm climate, like I am, you might be breathing a sigh of relief right now. But when I lived in the cold North, September brought a different kind of sigh—the beautiful summer was over. 

Whatever feelings today brings to you, I hope it's a day filled with grace. And I'm glad to welcome you to the Grace at Home party, where we celebrate the ways we make our homes places of grace and beauty. Here are a few highlights from last week's party.

Are you ready to transition to Fall(ish) decor? Marty from A Stroll Thru Life can help you get started by adding texture and pattern to your home.

Meredith from Arts and Classy shares five ways to bring neutral fall decor into your home.

Transitioning to Fall decor can also yield some fun craft projects! Take a look at these.

Emily from Hunny I'm Home DIY shows you how to make fabric covered pumpkins using inexpensive materials.

Laura Kelly created this apple decor from a book. She gives complete instructions for you to make your own.

Beth from Creatively Beth made these cute pumpkins from wood slices.

If even the thought of the approaching winter depresses you, you might want to add some light to your home. Carol from Comfort Spring Station can help.

Looking for a new recipe for dinner? Kimberly from LouLou Girls shares one for a yummy-looking Nacho Casserole. 

Need some encouragement for your soul? Read this post from Pam Ecrement about showing love, not just telling about it.

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 space 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 or sphere of influence 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