I'm just trying to walk myself home.
Vegetable Barley Soup Made with Bob’s Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix In honor of the fact that I have gone back to work full time after 12 years of not working for money, I am quickly posting a recipe for Vegetable Barley Soup that I am currently …
How we got to Spend a Surprise Day in Nashville So where were we in our trip? That’s right. Broken down a little bit past Nashville. Simon was asleep when we first broke down and the other kids were watching a movie on my computer, so for about an hour we sat while Taido tried …
We recently returned from a rainy week in the Smoky Mountains with my entire family. The last time we all camped together was five years ago in Colorado. Since everyone remembers that week as being very cold, we decided to meet somewhere a little warmer. And a little closer! We have been planning this trip …
My husband has taken each of our kids along on a backpacking trip in Colorado. Mary Polly’s big climb was Mt Blanca in the summer of 2009. This summer has been a whirlwind of adventures. In June, Cole went to discipleship camp with Taido and 80 other middle school students. Mary Polly went to Chicago …
potty training Boba Fett. It’s a dangerous job, but somebody has to do it. Hat tip to my mama who got him started by spending his first day in big boy pants with him! Did you enjoy this post? You can subscribe to the Chino House via RSS feed or by email and never miss a …
The Heaven Tree Trilogy is our summer selection for our boxed lunch book club. We are discussing one part of the trilogy during each of the summer months. Set in Medieval England on the border of Wales, the story is a complete departure from anything we’ve done so far in our book club. Kings and …
We’ve only been out of school for a week, but we are in the thick of summer for sure! Even though this much activity makes me a little nervous, I am trying to adjust, hang on tight and enjoy the ride because I know it will all be over in a few short weeks. We …
Summer Berry Tarts: Sweet Crust + Berries = Delightful! Here’s a recipe for the most delicious summer berry tarts! I bought new tiny little tart pans this year so everyone can have their own! Win! Summer Berry Tarts (makes twelve four inch tarts) Sweet Tart Dough 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room …
Boxed Lunch Book Club Today! My discussion questions are a little slim, but mainly we are just going to talk about sisters! Sisters are the best…and the worst. I love my sister, but we hated each other for several years there before we realized we couldn’t live without one another! I’m hoping that reading this …
I fell in absolute LOVE with rhubarb last summer in Vancouver BC, so when I heard through the grapevine that they had some at the store, I added it to my list. Taido went to the store for me after returning from his adventures in Canada. Perhaps he was feeling a little guilty about being …
Parenting Advice: Don’t Ask Me. I’m just winging it. Someone recently was asking for parenting advice because a first baby was about to arrive. Specifically, he asked What one piece of parenting advice would you give? Now I know that I have no business handing out parenting advice. In addition to the fact that I …
Our Boxed Lunch Book Club meets tomorrow from 12-1. This month we are discussing Carol Shields novel, Small Ceremonies (1976), which is about a biographer named Judith who collects details about people and events. Interestingly, in the novel, Judith is writing a biography about Canadian pioneer Susanna Moodie and in the same year that this …
Community Garden: Planting in the Dirt with Friends Yesterday we put a vegetable garden into our backyard with lots of dear friends. Each family has made a past effort to have a vegetable garden with varying degrees of success, so this year we decided to put all our efforts together. The whole project has already …
Granola We make two kinds of granola at our house. The first one is a recipe I have used since my early married days in Chicago and the second one is a more recent discovery. Both are delicious and make great gifts in mason jars for your friends who needs an easy breakfast! I also …
Anticipating Easter: Waiting for the Silence to Break On this night before Easter, I wonder… how did those friends long ago those who called Jesus friend, brother, son– How did they wait for Easter morning? Each year I find myself anticipating Easter morning, even though I know what is coming. I know the story. But …
Today is Good Friday. I had some plans that worked and some that didn’t quite pan out. I tried to pull away enough today to remember. And I had some plans to help the kids to remember. I fought through conflicting interests to pull our evening together. There were compromises. We broke homemade bread together. …
Most Loved in All the World: A Sweet Children’s Book Oh mama, I think this is the sweetest book in the whole world. That’s what Mary Polly said after she read Most Loved in All the World by Tonya Cherie Hegamin. I brought it home from the library last week, and after she read it, …
Several different bunches of spring greens have found their way into my kitchen in the past week or so and I have now twice made this very simple dinner that with a slice of cornbread will fill your tummy for very little money. Especially if your greens are from a friend’s garden. We got Swiss …
If you’ve been with me for a while you know that once upon a time, I had a very bad day and I bought a pot for my front doorstep. And if you know my house, if you grace us with your presence, you also know that apart from this pot and a flower bed …
The last two days finally slowed down enough for me to recover a little from spring break. I’ve been catching up on my reading. In between laundry loads. I picked this book up at the library when I went in search of the documentary by the same name. Anna told me I needed to watch …