I'm just trying to walk myself home.
Today is Ash Wednesday. The beginning of Lent. The wait for spring. For Resurrection. This treasure of a book, Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter, has been my Lenten companion for several years now. It is a collection of essays by all different writers. It opens with this beautiful quote from Graham Greene: …
I am continuing a series of posts about a Mediterranean Cruise I took with my thirteen year old daughter in the fall of 2012. Today I am talking about The Lovely Port of Olbia, Sardinia, Italy Olbia is on the northeastern side of the island of Sardinia. There are several lovely beaches there, or so …
Month 1 of Seven: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess So, you may remember that in back in the fall, I read Jen Hatmaker’s book Seven. I mentioned then that a group of us would be tackling a similar project in 2013. Well here it is. We are a week into Month 1 which is FOOD. …
A Visit to K. Hall and Sons Produce Market for Shrimp Boil Saturday Our friend, Josh, has been telling us for a while that we needed to come visit him and his family and take a walk up the street to this local produce market where they have a shrimp and crab legs boil every …
I have found the most wonderful recipe for Crockpot Jumbalaya. I have used it now three times, because it is so easy. You throw everything in the crockpot in the morning, including the raw chicken and dinner is ready when you walk in the door in the afternoon. How easy is that? I served …
Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen was our latest evening read aloud at the Chino House. An old favorite, this book won the Newberry medal in 1957. It is a precious story of a family who returns to the mother’s ancestral home in the country when the father has trouble re-entering life after being …
I am continuing a series of posts about a Mediterranean Cruise I took with my thirteen year old daughter in the fall of 2012. Today I am talking about our One Glorious Day in Rome! (The Port of Citvitavecchia) First stop in Rome, The Colosseum. Pulling up to the Colosseum was one of those surreal …
Arkansas Hiking Trails: Tollantusky Trail A couple of weekends ago we were looking for a day hike close to home and we stumbled upon the Tollantusky Trail near Conway, Arkansas. The trailhead is at the Cadron Settlement Park, which is located on AR-319 W off of Highway 64. This park is also home to restored …
I finally finished The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson last week and I cannot recommend it highly enough. The Great Migration is such an important (and much overlooked) part of American history. So many individual stories of leaving gathered together into a movement that changed America. Isabel Wilkerson has taken apart the movement …
I have posted this wonderful recipe before but it just seems like the most perfect appetizer to make for your Super Bowl weekend, unless of course, it does not fall on the list of seven foods you are eating for the month of February. If you need an entire menu for your Super Bowl …
After a long hike last Saturday we were ready for a warm treat. We made this yummy Blackberry Crumble and ate it in the afternoon before dinner. Then we finished it for breakfast the next morning. I love how easy it is throw together a fruit crumble. It is faster (and healthier) than a pie …
Dorie Greenspan has been my hero ever since I had one bite of a World Peace Cookie, possibly the best chocolate cookie in the world. I am also a big fan of her carrot cake. So, when my winter cravings turned to molasses and ginger, I looked through the pages of her giant Baking book …
The Cruise Port Livorno was the next stop on our Mediterranean Cruise. Livorno is on the western side of Italy and from the port, one can access Pisa, Florence or any number of hill towns in Tuscany. Our original plan was to take one of the excursions to Florence, but the one we chose was …
So in celebration of the last Monday in January (Amen!), here are few little happy things! This seriously unbelievable Instagram from @jimmy_chin kind of makes me want to pack up my camping gear and head on out into the great wide world. Even in January. I have a serious case of wanderlust right now. …
I am still working my way through The Warmth of Other Suns. I even read a few stories aloud at dinner this week. I am in the middle of Part 4, which is the is the largest section of The Warmth of Other Suns. The section is entitled The Kinder Mistress, from the Langston Hughes‘ …
My sister introduced me to the wonders of a roasted tomato years ago, and we’ve been making this roasted tomato basil soup in huge batches ever since. It is such a consistent family favorite that recently my mom, Whitney and I all made it within the space of a week. Usually we use a large …
Perched atop cliffs, overlooking the Mediterranean sea was our favorite stop in Monaco, the Musée Océanographique. What is funny is that I probably would not have toured it if I hadn’t had Mary Polly with me. The Musée Océanographique dates from 1901 and was the brainchild of Prince Albert I. Jacques Cousteau was even the director …
I haven’t done a What I Wore Wednesday post since before my Grandmother died at the beginning of December. I think that might partly be because my Grandmother was one of the only people in the world who cared whether or not I showed up for all of life in jeans and a t-shirt. Actually …
In September of 2012, my daughter, Mary Polly and I went on a Mediterranean cruise on the ship, the Carnival Breeze. This post is about our first stop. Cruise Port: Monaco. We had attended our cruise director’s lecture on the highlights of the cruise port Monaco and he was not lying when he told us …
It’s important to me at all times of the year to be reading about a culture that makes up half of the town I live in here in Arkansas, but especially during Black History month, I try to introduce some new aspect of African-American history at the Chino House. This year we are looking at …