hairspray giveaway

Hairspray opens next weekend at The Rep (Arkansas Repertory Theatre) and will run through May 8th. The Rep has had an incredible season this year.  Mary Polly and I have seen Hamlet and A Raisin in the Sun and we were blown away by both shows. We were already anticipating going to Hairspray when we were invited by The Rep and Little Rock Family to attend the Mom and me event that is happening next Saturday afternoon. There will be lunch. There will be shopping. There will be hairspray. (tiny little happy bottles of hairspray) And there will be a … Continue reading

thankful to be home

  We had an incredible time at Snowcamp 2011! As always, we’re exhausted and buried in laundry, but I am smiling every time I look out my window at my tulips! What a perfect welcome home! I have lots of pictures to share AND… I am so excited to be having my very first DRAWING on the blog this week, so check back later for something SUPER SPECIAL! I am so glad to be home.      

froggy days at the library

Simon and I try to go to storytime every week at the library. Simon is always excited if one of his friends is there too, so last week when we went and there were five people he knew, he thought it was a party. It was a rainy day.  Everyone was wearing their boots and we heard lots of froggy stories. We put the frogs in the parachute (pond) and they splashed and hopped all around. Who doesn’t want to dance around with a ribbon?  So fun! Also, the librarian had these adorable wooden frogs that make a croaking noise … Continue reading

red lentil soup

Does it feel like I have made too many lentil soups on this blog? (Daddy, don’t answer that.) Or maybe too many curried dishes? Well, this recipe combines the best of both, I promise. First of all, the recipe uses those split yellow and tiny orange lentils, so they practically dissolve by the time you eat them. So it’s not lentil soup in the traditional sense. It’s more like like a spicy warm-you-up-when-there’s-a-cold-snap kind of soup. My family loves it over rice with naan or just plain with a dollop of mango chutney and cilantro. Also, you can make this … Continue reading

rainy monday morning

My kids go to school in this beautiful building. This morning it was dark and rainy when I dropped them off.  Everyone was so sleepy.  The clock in the car said 6:30 because I hadn’t changed it yet for daylight savings. It was kind of brutal, but Mary Polly said at least it would still be light enough to play when she gets home from school. That’s something to be thankful for. Here’s a few more. Taido not being out of town this weekend sunny soccer fields an adoption celebration for a precious family walking to church faith, love and … Continue reading

dark chocolate peanut butter cookies

A few weeks ago my husband had a great idea for a fundraiser for his youth group kids to raise money for Snowcamp. They should sell cookie dough, homemade frozen cookie dough, like you have in the freezer, he says to me. I try to keep homemade frozen cookies in my freezer, ready to bake when I need them. So he enlisted three women to mix up three different kinds of cookie dough. I would take dark chocolate peanut butter, Whitney would take snickerdoodles and a gal at church we affectionately call Mama Flu took chocolate chip. He told the … Continue reading

flowers and finished projects

Here’s a few things I’ve been thankful for lately. Flowering trees in old neighborhoods.  I’ve been weaving through streets I don’t normally drive down just to see these tulip trees.  I also love the big fluffy white of the pear trees in our town right now.  They look like giant dandelions to me. Hyacinths smell like heaven!  I have a few blooming in my yard today. I pass pink tulips in Argenta every day when I drive to and from my kids’ school. I am also sooo grateful to be DONE with a huge project several of us did for … Continue reading

mennonite in a little black dress

I read this book on the plane to California last week and I laughed out loud.  I had to board the plane late because of strange tornado happenings at the Little Rock airport, so I didn’t get to sit by my Grandmother.   But I made the best of a bumpy ride with two armrest hogging seatmates by reading this book cover to cover. It’s a memoir of a girl who goes back to her Mennonite roots when her marriage falls apart.  She’s been away so long that the familiar traditions and idiosyncrasies of a life she could not wait to … Continue reading

Cinnamon Crust

My mom has been making cinnamon crust from pie crust edges since I was a little girl. Because the crust is my very favorite part of the pie, these little bits are like heaven to me. In fact, I could be talked into making pie crust just for this purpose! These are the bits from last weeks deep dish apple pie. I had them ready for an after school snack when the kids got home, and they disappeared fast. So easy to make.  Just put the extra pieces on parchment, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, and bake for 10 minutes … Continue reading