I'm just trying to walk myself home.
In the past few weeks my precious grandmother has moved in with my mom and my aunt in Nashville. She’s going to split time between here and Tennessee because if there’s one thing my grandmother does not mind, it is a change of scenery now and then. In fact, her eyes light up when someone …
for my mama… Every year on Mother’s Day I remember how grateful I am for my mama. But this year I happen to be doing a lot of reading about marriage and I have to say that what I am most grateful for about my mom today is her undying commitment to my daddy. Recently …
Creaky Old House , a children’s book by Linda Ashman, arrived in Simon’s Easter basket and we are loving it! The whole story about how to fix a very loved old house when a doorknob breaks is told in bouncy rhyming verse. Michael Chesworth’s illustrations are gorgeous! I love this one at a local hardware …
I’ve posted my homemade salsa recipe before, but here it is again. We’re going through it quicker than ever these days! Somehow, hot weather just calls for salsa and guacamole. For the tomatoes, we use a big (102 oz) can of tomatoes from Sam’s wholesale, so it is super inexpensive to make. My Mama’s Salsa …
Five Little Ducks So remember last year when I posted silly videos of Simon singing his favorite songs from Bible Study and you all humored me because of the many purposes this blog serves, one of them is to be a sort of scrapbook of memories. Well, it’s time for one of those again. Simon …
On Friday evening, Whitney took Taido and me to one of our favorite places along with many of our favorite delights to do a photo shoot that was so uniquely wonderful. We packed up some of our favorite books, a new notebook, a yummy picnic and a borrowed quilt. The whole evening was dreamy and …
Simon came home with fever yesterday so I had some time at home today. Today was a good day for cleaning out. I have been putting away winter and pulling out spring. I was happy to find a flowing spring skirt to put on since the spring sunshine is warming us up. Unearthing an old …
Happy Friday! One of my most favorite things about Fridays is that I get to watch the gal I teach alongside every day do one of the things that she was just made to do. Teach art. She is an artist, and she is a wonderful art teacher. And on Fridays, we need art! We …
Homemade Playdough: The Only Use I Can Find For Kool-Aid Someone recently asked me for this recipe for homemade playdough that I used to make long ago when I worked with preschoolers at church. Now I serve with the middle schoolers and as I typed out this recipe it struck me that maybe a little playdough …
Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me… Whenever I read a book like Little Bee (Long Way Gone, God Grew Tired of Us and The Other Side of the Sky also come to mind), I …
New Baby Dinner: What to Take to Parents Who Have Just Had A Baby There are a few seasons in a person’s life when people rise up around them. When a community of people who enjoy loving in ways they can feel with their hands gather around to make life a little easier for …
I discovered Little Bee by Chris Cleave on someone else’s top books of 2009 list. I think the cover might have hooked me actually, as much as the recommendation. Which should show you that I’m kind of an easy sell for a book. School was called off because of sleet today and while Taido walked the …
When I read a book I love, I usually want the whole world to read it RIGHT NOW! I’m not really trying to be demanding. I just want you to be able to share this beautiful experience with me. But sometimes I love a book so much that I am reluctant to lend it out …
I picked up January’s Sparrow by Patricia Polacco from the library yesterday and I cannot think of a better way to start the season that we remember so many who have paved the way for change for the better with their blood. Patricia Polacco’s books never disappoint, but when I saw this cover I just …
Every year I choose my five best books, a few favorites out of all the books I read. It was hard to narrow it down. So…here goes! Ok, The Willoughbys is a children’s book, but I read A LOT of children’s books so I had choose at least one. I have made all the adults in …
I finished Donald Miller’s new book, A Million Miles in A Thousand Years shortly after receiving it in the mail this week and what hooked me into reading it so quickly was probably the introduction: If you watched a movie about a guy who wanted a Volvo and worked for years to get it, you …
So I have had a little extra time this morning for cooking since I am home with a sick child. I’ve been making apple pies all morning and I am realizing that cooking makes me generous. As soon as I start chopping, my heart begins to just pour out of me into whatever I’m making. …
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 …