Doge’s Palace, Venice, Italy

A Visit to The Doge’s Palace in Venice, Italy This post is part of a continuing series about a Mediterranean Cruise I took with my thirteen year old daughter in the fall of 2012.  After wandering the city of Venice for several hours, we visited The Doge’s Palace. Overlooking the Grand Canal, Doge’s Palace was …

A Cup of Tea with A Side of Prayer

 I just need a couple of hours to myself. Do you ever feel that way? Since Spring Break, it feels like we have been in catch up mode.  Since my husband works at a church, sometimes Holy Week is really busy.  I have to be super intentional to pay attention on Easter Weekend or sometimes …

6 Favorite Cookbooks {Chino House Favorites)

A photo shoot at Argenta Market would not be complete without a few shots of us with our favorite cookbooks!  I have entirely too many cookbooks.  So it was hard to choose favorites, but here they are: My 6 Favorite Cookbooks! 1.The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman This one is the newest member of …

Us + Them

I mentioned this week that I LOVE that when Whitney Loibner takes our pictures, she takes some of just us. (Taido and me) And some of just them. (The Kids) True story: Before Whitney started taking our pictures, I never liked photos of myself.  I also had exactly ZERO framed pictures of Taido and me …

Walk for the Waiting {Ten Dollar Tuesday}

  Welcome to Ten Dollar Tuesday, where I give away a small amount of money ($10) to a worthy cause and invite you to join me! My small group is participating in the Walk for the Waiting in May, which is a walk benefiting children in Arkansas who need homes.  Here is a little bit …

Family Photos in Argenta Market

This year we went to Argenta Market for our family photos. Argenta is the Main Street District of our town and has been undergoing some revitalization for a number of years.  One of the most fun developments was the addition of this darling local market. We pass this market every day on our way to …

Easter Sunday

  Happy Easter! Today we will miss my sweet Grandmother so much. She always met us at the door at church to say HE IS RISEN! and then waited for our reply, HE IS RISEN INDEED! She (on the left) and my other grandmother wore silly Easter bonnets last year that they made at Woodland …

Oatmeal Cookies

Sometimes you just need cookies and milk. When it’s been a long day.  When it is rainy. When you need a little comfort. These oatmeal cookies are my elementary school day afternoons in one chewy bite. Backpacks thrown down on the floor, shoes kicked off in the entryway and the smell of something baking to …

Bread and Wine, Lent, Ash Wednesday, Lenten Reading, Devotional

Good Friday

For Good Friday, I have combed back through some of my favorite essays in the Lenten Reading collection, Bread and Wine. Several weeks ago, I underlined almost every paragraph of this particular one by Henry Drummond about Peter’s betrayal of Jesus. When I returned to it this morning, it touched me again so I chose …

Snowcamp in Taos

We’re always sad to drive away from the mountains, but we made so many wonderful memories last week at Snowcamp in Taos! I am posting loads of pictures so I can remember our Spring Break in detail in the years to come! Here’s a rare moment at the top of a lift with Taido.  Sometimes …

Taos {Town Visit}

On one day of Snowcamp we took a break from skiing and spent the day wandering around the town of Taos. Taos has a really cute downtown square area with all kinds of shops, restaurants and galleries. (LOTS of galleries) We ate lunch at La Cueva which was delicious.  I had shrimp tacos, which I …

crepe stand, taos ski valley

Taos Mountain Crepes and Coffee

With around 8 chairlifts (not including three beginner lifts), Taos Ski Valley is not a giant mountain, but there are still some great spots to stop in for a little mid-morning snack or a late afternoon coffee. Growing up I never used to stop while skiing.  My dad is of the throw-a-smashed-pb&j-in-your-pocket-and-eat-it-on-the-lift school of thought …

camp meals, summer sausage, cheese and crackers, blue tin bowl

Camping Menus

  Last summer, when we went on our annual two week camping trip to Colorado, I really tried to document our Camping Menus. We are always so hungry at camp from hiking and being outside, so the food is one of our favorite parts! This first picture is a standard lunch meal for us: a …

North Korea

Since reading The Orphan Master’s Son, I have picked up several other books on North Korea.  All of a sudden it’s like I CAN. NOT. LOOK. AWAY. I am obsessed.  The escape stories.  The starvation in camps stories.  The day to day COMPLETE LACK OF FREEDOM.  Every time I think I have read the worst …

Heifer Village

[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-UAVbq0XoGA8/U6p0db2aW8I/AAAAAAAAUZ4/DLhG3wrFP8I/s144-c-o/IMG_6246.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/100212479652479288017/201303HeiferVillage2012LRZoo#6028759100229835714″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”IMG_6246.JPG” ] One of Little Rock’s best outings is a visit to the Heifer Village downtown. Heifer Village is next to the main building for Heifer Project, an Arkansas based nonprofit working to end hunger. [pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-3lvMw_YcELQ/U6p1A41JLJI/AAAAAAAAUZI/eesosnAlNK8/s144-c-o/IMG_6256.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/100212479652479288017/201303HeiferVillage2012LRZoo#6028759709304564882″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”IMG_6256.JPG” ] Here is a description from their website: Heifer …

venice, venice from the bridge of sighs, venice architecture, canals, mediterranean cruise, carnival, cruise ports

Venice, Italy

Venice, Italy: A Few First Impressions This post is part of a continuing series about a Mediterranean Cruise I took with my thirteen year old daughter in the fall of 2012.  Today I am talking about Venice! You’ve seen Venice in movies, pictures and books all of your life, but still, there is nothing quite …

Let Freedom Sing

Let Freedom Sing is a new book this season about the Civil Rights Movement.  Vanessa Newton is the author and illustrator of this striking picture book. The story follows the major events of the Movement where individuals let their lights shine, beginning with Rosa Parks and ending with Lyndon B. Johnson’s signing the Civil Rights …