Grace at Home No. 274

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

The past few months have been hard, haven't they? So much destruction, so much ugliness. And this week the church shooting in Texas, which strikes so keenly at our hearts. I don't know about you, but all the darkness in the world makes me long even more to make my home a haven of grace, a point of light, a sanctuary for my family and a beacon of hospitality for others.

Here are some links from last week's party I thought you'd enjoy.

Lori from Dining Delights created a beautiful tablescape for Thanksgiving. I really like the hurricane vases with floating candles.

Rita at Panoply also created a lovely Thanksgiving table. She used birch blocks from a fallen tree to make candle holders of varying heights. Isn't this stunning?

January—right after Christmas—is a favorite time for people to organize their homes. But I think that November is a good time to get a jump start on organization so that life isn't too crazy during the festive holiday season. Eileen from Just Measuring Up shares some common organizing mistakes and how to fix them.

Hungry for some comfort food? Carol at Comfort Spring Station gave us a recipe for rich pumpkin soup. Doesn't this look delicious?

Dr. Michelle Bengtson offers hope for those of us who are suffering. Having gone through a time of major depression herself, Michelle is especially equipped to help others. You'll want to read her words of encouragement of how God can use our pain for good.

A big thank you to everyone who joined last week's party!  I'm so grateful for each person who links up each week. If you've been featured, feel free to grab the "I was featured" button.  I'd be so proud if you displayed it!

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!

National Time Change Hangover Day

Did you know that there's a "national day" for practically everything?

A friend told me that this weekend I missed National Love Your Red Hair Day. Aw, shucks. But apparently it was also National Donut Day, and I didn't have any donuts, either.

Some of the observances are serious, of course, and I appreciate those. For instance, November is National COPD Month. My mom had COPD and died in November 18 years ago, so I am grateful for the push to raise awareness and to raise money for research.

Lots of the days, though, appear to be just for fun, and it seems that they spring up out of nowhere. So by the power vested in me by no one in particular, I am declaring the Monday after falling back to Standard Time

National Time Change Hangover Day.

Henceforth shall this day be filled with such observances as 

• drinking an extra cup of coffee
• staring mindlessly into space
• yawning until your face hurts
• changing into your jammies at 7:30 P.M.

Who's with me?

Grace at Home No. 273

Hello, friends! It's November, and for the first time in history, the Houston Astros are World Series champions! Wow, what a series.

Baseball aside, I'm so glad you're here for this week's Grace at Home party, where we celebrate all the ways we make our homes places of grace. Here are some links from last week's party that I thought you'd enjoy.

I know some folks are gearing up for Christmas decorating, but I like to keep my house decorated for Fall until after Thanksgiving. So I was glad to see this Fall Home Tour from Kendra at Joy in Our Home.

One thing I'd really like (and NEED) to get better at is meal planning, so I was glad to see this post covering the basics of meal planning from Laura at Fantastically Four.

Maybe I'll start with a new recipe! Joy at Artful Homemaking shared a recipe for Caribbean Beans and Rice that I want to try.

And Tiffiney from Welcome Home Ministries shares the truth of how God uses everything in our lives—the good, the not-so-good, and the bad. Nothing is wasted!

A big thank you to everyone who joined last week's party!  I'm so grateful for each person who links up each week. If you've been featured, feel free to grab the "I was featured" button.  I'd be so proud if you displayed it!

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!