I'm just trying to walk myself home.
I love a true story. I am a total sucker for a real life story that is told well. I am amazed by people who can make me remember that the most minute details of this life are beautiful. Even breathtaking. When I finished Waiting for Snow in Havana by Carlos Eire, I was sad …
I have been laughing for a week reading Kyran Pittman’s memoir of that which is everyday and near. I knew I was going to love Planting Dandelions when I read these words from the introduction, I believe in seeking. I believe ardently that you should drop everything and run toward your true self, as far …
There’s a pizza + salad spot in Little Rock that I love, love, love called ZaZa’s. They make a Tandoori Chicken Salad that is super yum, and I’ve been trying to get it down for a couple of weeks now. Mine is sans chicken, but you could certainly add it in. It would be …
I’m so grateful for silence this week. It’s necessary to my sanity. I got to escape to the woods on Saturday for some quiet time. A silent prayer retreat with friends from church. My favorite part of the camp was a prayer garden that was a path deep into the woods with lots of little …
Grateful for Hope on Maundi Thursday! We studied Isaiah 60 in Bible Study Fellowship this week. Isaiah 60 is all about hope and light. Hope for our future. Peace for today. I’m so grateful for how the study of Jesus as our future light and present hope coincided with rejoicing at Jesus’ entry on Palm …
A couple of weekends ago my friend Rhonda and I had our first catering gig! Making food for people is something we have both enjoyed doing for a long time. And we’ve entertained trying to turn it into a job in about fifty different ways. But this gig just fell right into our laps, mostly …
Fresh Peach Cake I’ve had my eye on this fresh peach cake for a while. I really like my cake with fruit. And Ina Garten is the queen of cake with fruit. Her lemon pound cake is my favorite. Her flag cake is always a big hit at a party. So I knew when …
I’m not gonna lie. Simon’s favorite part of Spring Break was unlimited access to Mario Cart and Toy Story 3 on the Nintendo DS in the Ski Lodge. But, he was also pretty fond of the Magic Carpet at Copper Mountain. We spent 2 1/2 hours riding this baby one afternoon. Then we went back …
Does it feel like I have made too many lentil soups on this blog? (Daddy, don’t answer that.) Or maybe too many curried dishes? Well, this recipe combines the best of both, I promise. First of all, the recipe uses those split yellow and tiny orange lentils, so they practically dissolve by the time you …
Rainy Monday Morning Grateful. Cultivating Gratitude in the Morning. My kids go to school in this beautiful building. This morning it was dark and rainy when I dropped them off. Everyone was so sleepy. The clock in the car said 6:30 because I hadn’t changed it yet for daylight savings. It was kind of brutal, …
A few weeks ago my husband had a great idea for a fundraiser for his youth group kids to raise money for Snowcamp. They should sell cookie dough, homemade frozen cookie dough, like you have in the freezer, he says to me. I try to keep homemade frozen cookies in my freezer, ready to bake …
I read Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen on the plane to California last week and I laughed out loud. I had to board the plane late because of strange tornado happenings at the Little Rock airport, so I didn’t get to sit by my Grandmother. But I made the best of a …
My mom has been making cinnamon crust from pie crust edges since I was a little girl. Because the crust is my very favorite part of the pie, these little bits are like heaven to me. In fact, I could be talked into making pie crust just for this purpose! These are the bits from …
Monday Grateful: The key to the Mondays is always gratitude. I got home last night from being gone for the weekend at my cousin’s wedding in California. This morning has been a sweet mix of relishing both a great getaway and coming home. Even though a certain 4 year old woke me up at 5am …
I have book club this weekend and this month’s book is Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore. This sweet story about a girl trying to escape from a small town is a fun, light read. Perfect for the beach. Or maybe a cruise. Mostly I think I enjoyed it because …
I didn’t discover Brussels sprouts until late in life. They sort of have a bad rap. But they are absolutely delicious when prepared right. I toss them in olive oil and kosher salt, and then bake them on the top rack of the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. You can throw a …
So when I was going through backpacking pictures from Ben’s trip to Colorado, I realized that I have all these pictures of Cole’s trip in 2006. Since that pre-dates this blog, I decided to go ahead and post them this week. That way one day when my kids are looking for pictures of themselves, they …
For about three weeks, I’ve been reading John Lewis’ book, Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement. John Lewis was the youngest of a group of Civil Rights’ leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who were at the time of the march on Washington in 1963 considered to be the Big Six …
Chocolate Mint Creme Sandwich Cookies Last Saturday, my pal Bailey and I got together to do a little baking. Bailey is one of my cupcake sidekicks and it was super fun to do something a little more laid back than cranking out hundreds of cupcakes. We made a few dozen of these very special …
Remember all those different blog posts about our trip to Colorado last summer? I guess I got a little burned out on mountain pictures, because I neglected to put these up from Ben’s inaugural backpacking trip. My dad, Taido and Bobby take the graduating seniors backpacking every summer before they head off to college. They …