I'm just trying to walk myself home.
A couple of the books that have found their way into our home and hearts this spring are Chicken Boy by Frances O’Roark Dowell and Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu. I read Chicken Boy with my fourth grade reading club at my local neighborhood school. Tobin’s family loses their way after cancer takes their mom, and …
Every time I go on a field trip I am reminded of the fact that teachers are saints. I mean really, I’ve spent enough time in a classroom to be amazed by the simple fact that teachers’ heads don’t explode from the noise. So I can get excited about some appreciation for teachers. In fact, …
I’ve been reading the Chronicles of Narnia aloud again this spring to Ben and Simon at bedtime. Since this is Ben’s second listen through, he requested that we read them in the order in which the events occur (the new order) instead of the order in which they were written which is how I …
Last weekend, I helped several friends of mine throw a shower for a precious gal who is soon to marry the son of one of my very dearest friends. We had so much fun putting this party together, which we had at my friend Rhonda’s beautiful home around the pool. She and I love to …
This week I’ve been reading a memoir about reading. I’m all inside of books within books within books. My mind is sort of a wonderful twist and tangle of titles and quotes and all the ways books relate to life and characters mirror friends. Nina Sankovitch decides she is going to read a book a …
We make homemade pizza at our house almost every week. It’s a meal that can be adjusted to feed a crowd, can be tweaked to serve picky kiddos and it uses up leftover ingredients out of my fridge. What’s not to love about that? As long as I have flour and yeast, I can usually …
A few weeks ago, I happened upon a collection of short stories by Julie Orringer called How to Breathe Underwater. The last story, entitled Stations of the Cross, drew my attention and so I read it first. I was enraptured. The story drew me in and has haunted me in the weeks since. I flipped …
I love a really sharp citrus flavor in the spring. I think these cupcakes would be perfect for Easter. Since the cake is made with yogurt and oil instead of butter and milk, it is lighter than a lot of cupcakes. This airy flavor makes this dessert a perfect ending to a heavier meal. And …
NPR’s All Things Considered came to eStem Middle School to do one of their Backseat Book Clubs last month. Mary Polly and several other students got to meet local author Trenton Lee Stewart and ask him questions about his books. Mary Polly’s question was chosen for the program that aired this past Tuesday. (She …
This is the fourth in a series of posts about a super fun birthday cruise that was planned by my friends, Sarabeth and Rhonda. Read the the other parts here: part 1, part 2, and part 3. The Story of 12 Women Who Went on a Cruise, Part 4: On the boat! photo by Whitney …
Currently Reading: Books about World War II in China and Russia The Distant Land of my Father by Bo Caldwell The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean In the last several days I’ve experienced World War II from the cell of a Japanese war prison in China and from the cellar of the Hermitage museum …
Little Rock Zoo Days This past fall I joined the Little Rock Zoo on one of our days out of school. I realized I only had to come one other time to make it worth it to go ahead and join, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much we’ve used it. Our favorite time …
This is the third in a series of posts about a super fun birthday cruise that was planned by my friends, Sarabeth and Rhonda. Read the first here. And the second here. The Story of 12 Women Who Went On a Cruise, Part 3: Road Trip to Our Cruise Port The day finally arrived for …
This is the second in a series of posts about a super fun birthday cruise that was planned by my friends, Sarabeth and Rhonda. Read the first here. (@whitneyloibner‘s instagram) The Story of 12 Women who went on a Cruise, Part 2: Cruise Meetings OR How I went from being a Cruise Skeptic to a …
I love breakfast foods. When the kids were out of school on Monday, we ate breakfast food all day long. I have made several frittatas lately and this one evolved from Ina Garten’s Potato Basil Frittata, which is an old standby of mine. I love the potatos on the bottom, but I omitted the ricotta …
The Story of 12 Women who went on a Cruise: Part 1, The Planning OR How I went from being a Cruise Skeptic to a Cruise Addict In the winter of 2011, I was strongly encouraging two of my dearest friends to follow through on a dream they had about something that is near and …
Warm Winter Salad with Brussels Sprouts A lot of my cooking these days is being influenced by Heidi Swanson’s cookbook, Super Natural Every Day, which I happily added to my bulging cookbook shelf this past Christmas. She frequently mixes whole grains into her cooking, so I’ve added a few more to my pantry and am …
A sweet friend who knows me well put City of Tranquil Light in my hands over a month ago and when I texted her early this morning saying I had finished it and loved it so, so much, she replied, I knew you would love it. I read a lot of books. I read stories …
Talk It Out At Fellowship North: Conversations Across Race My church hosts this class once or twice a year called Talk It Out. And I want to invite you to be a part of it. It’s a class for anyone who wants to learn more about race issues inside and outside of the church. The …
Simple Chinese Chicken Salad I’m going to interrupt the Christmas baking posts with a salad. Taido and I have been eating many variations of this salad over the years, ever since we first had Chinese Chicken Salad at the Cheesecake Factory in Chicago, many, many years ago. I used to deep fry rice noodles to …