I'm just trying to walk myself home.
At the end of December, Taido and I got to sneak away for our anniversary to a cabin at Devil’s Den State Park. It was like a little breath of fresh air after the holidays. The weather was warm the night we were there, too warm actually, causing a tornado to blow through about 30 …
My aunt Jeanne, with whom I share very similar taste in stories, sent me this recent memoir of a girl who grew up in a Hutterite colony called I Am Hutterite. I had never before heard of Hutterites, but the group is over 500 years old and live communally in parts of Canada and the …
I made a pan of gingerbread on our first snow day at home and we ate it so fast that I decided to make another one the next day. It was gone even quicker than the first one. It is crazy delicious. Lots of ginger and super comforting molasses flavor. Gingerbread Ingredients: 1 stick butter …
Beginning Grateful I made some goals last week. Today when I look at them, they just seem sort of comical. Almost as comical as my Christmas tree still glowing in the corner. But one of those small commitments was to be grateful every day. And to be grateful in this venue (the blog) on Mondays. …
My dad got a Kindle this fall and when I told him that there was a book I was wanting to read that was only available electronically, he immediately bought it for me on to read on his Kindle. When the Christmas crazy became overwhelming I would sneak away and devour a few pages of …
I have a little Merry Christmas Eve gift for ya! We participated in the Joy Project again this year, which made us laugh a lot throughout December. For me, the laughing and dancing together as a family is the value of getting out and bringing the joy! We surprised people with our joyful flash mob …
I made these on Sunday for our holiday shopping event at church and I sold them all. Honestly, I felt a little bad taking peoples’ money for something that is so insanely easy to make, but since all the money is going to buy flour, sugar, chocolate and lots and lots of butter for our …
Whitney asked me for my recipe for enchiladas yesterday, so I’m sharing here for all. Enchiladas are such a great meal for a crowd. You can make them the day before, which gives you more time to do other things on the day of an event, like scouring the floor for the tiny legos …
I’ve said before that we love the mountains. We love to be in the mountains. We love to hike and bike in the summer. We love to ski in the winter. Snow skiing tends to be a little (or a lot) hard on the pocketbook, but it was a huge part of both mine and …
Tomato and Cheddar Potato Soup Today we are moving very slowly. In fact, one little Chino missed the departure for school this morning due to an overwhelming need to despair in a puddle on the floor. She is now outside planting bulbs, because well, it worked for me. Next up, laundry and unpacking. We’re also …
I’ve been in a bit of a funk this week. And I do not like to be down around Thanksgiving. It’s my most favorite holiday. All that food, giving thanks, jigsaw puzzles and family, family, family. But we don’t really get to choose when the uglies come calling for us, or at least I don’t, …
Again with the pumpkin? Yes. It’s rainy and cold and my coffeemaker had an early morning meeting, so I might be swinging through Starbucks for a Pumpkin Spice Latte on my way to storytime this morning to go with my muffin. I make a plain pumpkin muffin for my kids that they love, but this …
Rosemary White Bean Soup Around August of this year, we decided that we were going to eat beans once a week this year to save money on groceries. The pot of beans has varied each week. We’ve had purple hull peas and cornbread many nights. Also, I’ve previously posted about how wonderful I find bean soup …
A couple of weeks ago, Taido and I went to Boulevard Bread Company for lunch and we had the best Mulligatawny I’ve ever tasted. We were leaving for camp that day so I filed it away in my head that I definitely needed to find a recipe for this delectable soup. I need a new …
This week, Simon and I got to escape to Missouri for a couple of nights camping with my dad, my sister and her kids. Anna’s kids were out of school Monday and Tuesday, so we all left on Sunday and met about halfway between here and Chicago at St. Francois State Park. We’ve only camped …
Apparently, I’m reading all books called Mockingbird this month. There was that delightful book that Mary Polly brought home called Mockingbird. Then my friend, Donna, gave me Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee. Are there anymore? Because they seem to be a safe bet for a good read. To Kill a Mockingbird is definitely next. …
Over the last few years the Lord has richly blessed me through my sweet friend, Diane. I’ve known her a very long time, but recently, our friendship has evolved. The best way I know how to describe it is: I can not live without her. Healthy, I know. Let me tell you how this happened. …
At the end of July we had a homemade ice cream party at the apartments behind our church. A big old fashioned ice cream social. It was all kinds of fun, and the ice cream was definitely the highlight. Before the event Daddy and I were making our ice cream together at my house on …
Today was wonderfully cool. I spent a lot of the day outside, and it was as pleasant as its been in weeks. When the temperatures drop about 10 more degrees, I’m going to make this soup. Unfortunately, I think they are going back up this weekend, but soon, very soon, we’ll be eating soup! I’m …
Almond Biscotti After a long summer (maybe longer) of eating whatever I wanted I am really trying to cut back. Plus I’m trying to add consistent yoga back in to my life. My living room is evolving into a mini yoga studio, which is a mini fulfillment of one of my life dreams! Super exciting. …