Book Discussion Guide: Sound of Waves

            Here’s the book discussion guide I used for our boxed lunch book club back in February The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima. 1. Love at first sight. Here’s a quote from Chapter 2 (p.13) right after Shinji has seen Hatsue for the first time. Shinji always went to …

Simon Sings His BSF Songs

Simon Sings His BSF Songs Today is Wednesday, so Simon and I should be together at Bible Study Fellowship. But instead I am in Colorado and he is in Arkansas and BSF is off for the week because it’s spring break. In honor of not going to BSF, here is Simon singing his two favorite …

Chocolate Pecan Cookies

Chocolate Pecan Cookies made with Dark Chocolate and Whole Wheat Flour Chocolate Pecan Cookies are not your after school snack cookie.  This cookie is for book club, for your valentine, for your late night trip to the cookie jar.  In other words, this cookie is for adults.  Or mature children, mature being defined here as …

12 Homemade Treats, Christmas Cookies, Holiday Baking

Snowball Cookies

For our New Community dinner this month, I signed up to bring a soup and salad.  I landed on my newest creation, sweet potato coconut soup.  And then I also brought these snowball cookies.  They are a family recipe that we make every year at Christmas.  There are several variations around this cookie that is …

Book Discussion Guide: Wisdom In The Waiting

Book Discussion Guide For Wisdom In The Waiting by Phyllis Tickle Tomorrow is our Boxed Lunch Book Club at church, and I have been working on quotes and questions for our time together.  I am looking forward to chatting over lunch about the spring stories in Phyllis Tickle’s Wisdom in the Waiting. Here’s the discussion guide. …

Raspberry Rugelach

An Easy Recipe for Raspberry Rugelach That You Can Freeze For Later Raspberry Rugelach Ingredients: 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature 1/4 cup granulated sugar 2 cups sifted bleached all-purpose flour 1/2 cup raspberry or apricot preserves Make dough:  place cream …

ancient practice series

Last summer I wrote about reading this lovely book that is the introduction to a new series of books on ancient faith practices. Then I read the first book of the series, In Constant Prayer by Robert Benson.  That was when I ordered The Divine Hours. Then I sort of forgot about the series. But …

Breath of Joy

Breath of Joy: A Series of Yoga Poses I guess that I could go to yoga for the rest of my life and still, years from now, be learning new poses. I am always amazed that there is something new with each class. A position I haven’t heard of before. Or a new way to …

Sinners Welcome

I’m home from church with a sick little girl, so I’m rereading Mary Karr’s collection of poems, Sinners Welcome, in lieu of corporate worship this morning.  Not the same, I know, but there is no avoiding sickness in this town right now.  Class attendance is down everywhere due to multiple strains of the flu and other …

coconut sweet potato soup, what's for dinner

Coconut Sweet Potato Soup

Taido and I had this wonderful coconut sweet potato soup in a restaurant on a date recently that we loved.  It was so dreamy that we sat at the table a long time and tried to figure out everything that was in it.  We made a list so later I could try to duplicate it. …

Field Trip: Little Rock Nine

Last Friday I accompanied the fourth graders at Pike View on a field trip that included stops at Little Rock Central High School, the Old State House and the Arkansas State Capitol.  The trip came on the heels of units for Black History month and a social studies unit on the federal, state and local …

Fresh Ginger Dressing

Fresh Ginger Dressing

I love the fresh ginger dressing that comes on top of some lettuce and shredded carrots at the beginning of your meal at sushi bars and Japanese steakhouses. I don’t get to get out and eat sushi as often as I would like, but I can now at least have the salad because I have …

Books For Valentine’s Day

My favorite valentine is a book of course. And because the outpouring of sweets is abundant at school, I give my kiddos books for valentine’s as well.  This year Cole is getting Inkheart, Mary Polly a new Ivy and Bean, Ben a new My Weird School and Simon a new Mr. Putter. In case you …

Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup

Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup

Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup I saw Slumdog Millionaire this weekend.  Everyone should see this movie.  I would love to see it sweep the academy awards. However, two days after seeing it, my thoughts are a little too raw to be coherent so instead of talking about this film, I am giving you a recipe …