I'm just trying to walk myself home.
I’ve been trying to hold my eyes wide open this week to see the good in the world. Though I am constantly trying to cultivate a heart of thanks, it’s more than being grateful. I am also fighting to stay in the light. Praying for eyes to see and ears to hear. Beautiful things. Here …
I know mashed potatoes are almost just too easy of a recipe to even post on a blog, but for the sake of my children who will look this up when they go to college, I am going to go ahead and write down the instructions for making mashed potatoes. Just in case they don’t …
Pie is probably the most necessary part of Thanksgiving to me. Mother used to make 3 apple pies, 2 blackberry pies and 1 pumpkin pie for the big crowd at our Castle Bluff Thanksgiving gathering. We would leave straight from school and the van would be all packed with pies and food. One year I …
My grandmother has been making these rolls since I was tiny. And her grandmother before her. My mom and my sister have made a few changes to this recipe over the years, so I have noted where we all differ. They also have the rising and baking down to a science. My mom can even …
Last week I read Seven: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker, and thinking about this book is taking up the better part of my brain. The book is the storytelling of her efforts to do a fast of sorts for seven months, from seven different things. One month she eats seven foods. One …
Here’s a little secret about the sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving. I just make them for my mom and me. Everyone else eats about a tablespoon’s worth of sweet potatoes, but Mama and I eat them like they are the star of the show. I find most sweet potato dishes to be overly sweet. I …
Several variations of this Sesame Kale Salad, which is made ahead so the kale can marinate in a sour combination of lemon juice, soy sauce and sesame oil, have been appearing on our table for quite some time now. I love kale because it keeps longer than salad greens, and this salad is good for …
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 …