I'm just trying to walk myself home.
Friends, let’s talk for a minute about vegetables at the holiday dinner. Since we have to take the disadvantages of modern day life such as being constantly connected to everyone, being inundated with information, global pollution and not being able to live you know, in the Little House on the Prairie, then by all means, …
Thanksgiving is my very most favorite holiday. To me, it is full of everything a holiday should be. Quiet, gratefulness, stores closed and homes open, family, friends, cold weather, kids piled in spare rooms and basements, couches full to busting, and of course, food. Lots of it. A beautiful table, prepared by hands that have …
Cooler temperatures bring heavier sauces and warmer dishes to my table. In the same way that I cannot get enough salad in the summertime, I am ravenous for platefuls of pasta with rich sauces in the winter. This recipe for a baked pasta with chicken and creamy red sauce fits the bill perfectly for a …
After seeing Antoni Gaudi’s work in Barcelona, I have been reading books about him. I also found these two children’s books about Antoni Gaudi that I read to Simon and Ben about this amazing architect and his life. They both have beautiful illustrations of Gaudi’s work. I think it would be fun to use …
My kids’ very favorite dinner is Pasta Carbonara, a creamy pasta with bacon. They have called it “special pasta” for as long as I can remember. Somehow we tricked them at an early age to into thinking that this very simple pasta dish is actually a fancy delicacy. It is repeatedly requested for birthday dinners …
We made the cutest spider webs out of pretzels for an activity at Literacy Camp this past summer that would be a great Halloween craft and snack. This activity ties in perfectly with children’s book Anansi the Spider, the African folk tale about six spiders with different gifts for helping others. We also did …
Truth be told, I have never actually tailgated before. I’m sure this is partly due to the fact that I also don’t watch football. However, when the Arkansas Razorbacks play in Little Rock, tailgating takes up a good part of the town, as well as the local twitter, instagram and facebook feeds. So in …
The Good Life. What images do those words bring to your mind? For me, I picture my camp chair in a mountain valley, a campfire circle, warm mittens and a thermos of coffee. Or maybe it would be sitting in the warm sunshine around a farm table in Italy, covered with ceramic flasks of wine …
Fall is in the air and I am loving all things pumpkin! I have an affinity for pumpkin recipes that call for an entire can of pumpkin. They appeal to my practical side. I don’t love to save a part of a can of pumpkin puree for some undetermined use, one that usually requires that …
Barcelona was the first stop on my trip with Mary Polly to Europe in September. We spent two nights there, exploring this beautiful city before boarding the Carnival Breeze for a 12 Night Mediterranean Cruise. Read all about our first day in Barcelona here. Our second day in Barcelona started with a quick stop …
I am so grateful for a wonderful weekend at Castle Bluff with our middle school students from church. It’s been a couple of years since I made it to one of Taido’s camps so I had enough distance that I was able to wonder afresh at the experience. Lots of treasures on my Grateful List …
Looking for dinner ideas for tonight? How about stir fry? You probably already have almost everything you need to make some variation of this meal. I love finding ideas for dinners to make that are super easy. Fall is so busy for our family and even though we’ve taken some steps to make this year …
Barcelona was the first stop on my trip with Mary Polly to Europe in September. We spent two nights exploring this beautiful city before boarding the Carnival Breeze for a 12 Night Mediterranean Cruise. Mary Polly and I arrived at the closed metal doors of Santa Maria Del Pi Cathedral in Barcelona in …
Venice was our last stop on our anniversary trip to Italy in 2004. It’s one of those places you see pictures of all your life, but you cannot even believe it is real when you get there.
It is decadent and glorious and everything you could imagine. Even in December.
December 9, 2004
Venice Italy
Where do I even begin?
Venice is absolutely breathtaking. The whole city is just oozing elegance. From the very first moments on Vaporetto #1, I have been in awe.
Like a great maze, there is a treasure around every corner, a beautiful church, shops full of every possible color of glass and marbled paper, bright and elaborate masks, bridges, market stalls and gondolas. I have waked around in a dazed dream-like state.
Yesterday we just walked and walked and walked. We had the most wonderful sandwiches and cicchetti (Italian tapas) which we ate on a bridge. We went to San Marco and just stood there in the square.
We went back today to tour the cathedral and we took our time because I was enamored with every detail. The whole inside of the building was covered in mosaics and the pieces are tiny! When I got up close to them I could not believe all the tiny little quarter inch tiles.
My favorite mosaic was the one of Jesus sitting on the throne ruling His kingdom. Our guidebook said that Jesus was commonly pictured like this (instead of on a cross) in Byzantine cultures. I bought a postcard of this mosaic to remember Jesus this way–Sovereign over all, his hands stretched out in front of him, welcoming. Not to worry. He’s handling all things.
Why do we take these milestone trips with our children? It was on our trip to Italy in 2004 that Taido and I dreamed up the idea of taking our children to Europe one at a time. We delighted in the thought of our little ones running through the cobblestone streets of San Gimignano, and …
The Rusty Trusty Tractor Ben went through a phase of wanting to hear The Rusty Trusty Tractor by Joy Cowley every night when he was little. And now Simon is loving this story just as much. It is about a grandfather and grandson who are working to bring in their crop of hay with an …
What to Wear on a Mediterranean Cruise hello, Whitney here, posting for Alison today while she’s away on vacation. I took these pictures of her and Mary Polly as they were packing for their trip and thought they would be a perfect way to link up with Lindsey from the Pleated Poppy for WIWW. This …
A Day in San Gimignano, Italy Taido and I went to Italy for our 10th anniversary in 2004. We were married in December, so we chose to go during that month even though we were taking a chance on the weather. We did have some rainy, cold days, but the lack of crowds at all …
This is part 3 of a fun anniversary shoot that Whitney did with my parents. Here’s part 1 and part 2. I am so incredibly grateful to Whitney for these precious pictures of my parents! My parents started dating at North Little Rock High during their senior year. Daddy asked Mama to prom that spring …
I loved each and every museum we visited in Florence, but I especially loved San Marco. Maybe it was because I was just trying to check seeing Fra Angelico’s frescos off my list, but I wasn’t expecting as much from this experience as I was from the other places on my agenda. Maybe it was …