I'm just trying to walk myself home.
Banff Hiking Trails: C Level Cirque Our first hike in Banff was roughly five miles, with some pretty decent elevation gain. We had a beautiful view of Lake Minnewanka through the trees. We hiked around old mining shafts. We climbed boulders and chased pikas under rocks. We picnicked at the bottom of a great rock …
We are spending our Fall Break in the Canadian Rockies, and the Banff Fall Color is absolutely stunning. The trees are a sparkling gold instead of just yellow. Against the pine trees and the blue sky, the color shines so bright. As we are hiking through this part of the Canadian Rockies this week, we …
I’ve been trying to spare everyone the “my-baby-started-kindergarten” mommyblogger post, so I’ve been quiet about school starting. We are in year round school with a four to five week summer so everyone but Cole started back last Wednesday, including Simon. My grandmother also went into the hospital last Wednesday, so I found myself running up …
I’ve been back for a few days from our cruise (which we hashtagged #cruisazy), and the kids and Taido are back from camp. We’ve been buried in laundry and are all a wee bit tired, but this video that Whitney made with photos from our cruise is making me smile! I will be watching it …
The Monster in The Hollows by Andrew Peterson We have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the third Wingfeather Saga book since reading the first two last year. I promise I could not love the sweet children in this story more. They are beginning to occupy spots in our hearts next to Edmund and …
Chop Chop Salad. Perfect for Summer. The temperatures in Arkansas are staggeringly high. The heat index and humidity are out of control. We have basically moved in at the pool and when we wander home in the afternoon all sun-dazed and lightheaded, I simply cannot be bothered to cook. We have reached the season where …
How do you turn two bags of frozen black eyed peas into dinner in an hour? Start with a big vidalia onion. Chop it up small and saute it in the bottom of a heavy pan in a tablespoon of oil. Get a thick slice of Petit Jean peppered ham at the deli. You can …
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 …