I'm just trying to walk myself home.
One of the many great joys of reading The Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket is the cleverly disguised vocabulary lessons throughout the entire series. The oft repeated phrase, a word which here means, followed by a definition of the word just used, introduces a word or phrase that might be unfamiliar to the …
I promise you I did not stage this picture. We have finally reached the end of The Series of Unfortunate Events, a collection of books that we have loved together as a family this season. When I came down the stairs yesterday morning, very sleepy still at 6:30am, I found sweet Mary Polly on the …
Today is Ash Wednesday. I love this day. I love it in a I really want to unearth every possible spiritual blessing from this significant day kind of way. Which means I love it, but I don’t necessarily rejoice in it. For me, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of a season that will end with …
Finding My Hiding Place in Monday Morning Mantra Chanting Starting monday morning (and therefore my week) with yoga is one of the most sane choices i make in my schedule. And this morning, it did not disappoint. Our instructor worked us hard, but in yoga, you don’t realize how hard you are working. You’re just following…moving, …
i finally finished snow by orhan pamuk. my head is still swimming a bit from all the quotes i want to save up there. it is set in turkey…i was drawn to reading it because i have a friend who is over there right now and it made me feel like i’m sort of traveling to …
more quotes from snow…i know you can’t get enough… on a poem ka writes during a major political upheaval in the city (artistic excuses!): one of its important ideas was the poet’s ability to shut off part of his mind even while the world is in turmoil. if this meant that a poet had no …
this week i am reading the shaping of a life by phyllis tickle. i am embarrassed to admit how very long ago i borrowed it. a shameful amount of time has passed. but now that i’ve begun it i’m sure i will be returning it soon. it is precious. i’ve talked before about how much …
Isaiah 58 1 “Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins. 2 For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what …
Back to school after Christmas break this morning. I got up at 5:30 because I so wanted our first morning back to school to be a smooth one. It’s just so brutal if we end our break with a rushed morning and everyone yelling. So, I made raspberry bran muffins, a new recipe from my …
A Story about Reading Children’s Christmas Books Thursday night after yoga I went to a bookstore and sat in the children’s section for a long time with a pile of newly published Christmas books for children. I do this every year. Well, every year since I worked in a bookstore in Deerfield, Illinois while Taido …
today i want to tell you about my very favorite novel of all times. resurrection, by leo tolstoy. i have given it away like twice in my life for a gift because i just cannot bear for it to not be read. and let’s face it. not everyone is going to read a 600 page …
Oven Baked Three Grain Oatmeal This is my new favorite (and easy) hot cereal: Three Grain Oatmeal. I’ve added it to my breakfast arsenal, especially for when guests are in town. You put it all in a casserole dish (or in my case, a cast iron skillet) the night before and set your oven timer …
Here are all the reasons I can think of that I am currently making a vichyssoise. It’s simmering on Anna’s stove as I write. 1. It’s cold here in Chicago. 2. I’ve been reading Barefoot in Paris, which is the book in which this recipe is found, and it’s cheaper than actually going to Paris. …
A Story About Teaching A Child Not To Throw Food My youngest son, Simon, and I spent an hour today learning not to throw our food. Of course I already know how to not throw food, except for maybe the occasional flinging from vigorous stirring. But Simon. He throws food at every meal. So we …
Lately, I have been defying the 90 degree weather by making soup. I mean, it’s OCTOBER for crying out loud. It is supposed to be fall. I am forcing my children (and friends) to eat soup while sweating in my kitchen, made hotter by turning on the oven to make bread. Cruel really. but I …
i have been reading eat, pray, love by elizabeth gilbert for several weeks. i started it because hello, anne lamott has the endorsement on the cover, and i love her. i would love to loan it to you, but it’s overdue at the library and someone else has it on reserve, thereby blocking my ability to …
My newest yoga instructor’s name is Jeanie. She is precious, I tell you. But honestly, I think I have yet to meet a yoga instructor I didn’t like. Jeanie has blond hair, the usual yoga body and, get this, she’s had seven children. You heard me. Seven. They are all grown, and so now …
Last night Taido warned us all that he would be waking us up very early for the final adventure of our Crested Butte vacation: Climbing Mt. Crested Butte. He and the kids made a list of everything we would need to take for our climb. The big kids (ages 6, 8 and 10) picked out …
my sister has been in town this week with her kids, which makes nine cousins at my parent’s house when you add four chinos and peter and whitney’s two. we have crammed a lot into nine days with nine kids. and i am tired. but i love the whole family all together. i love to …
while sitting in church on sunday morning, i played a game with myself to try to get the pit in my stomach to settle down. i had already cried through our pastor’s prayer for a family who lost their 19 year old daughter in a car accident on saturday, and i was driven to distraction …