Christmas is over and as much as I love this season, when it is over, I’m ready for it to be cleaned up and put away. We came home yesterday from our tour-o-families for Christmas and hauled in all of our bags, dirty clothes, and gifts as well as the sacks of day-after-Christmas-sale-Target finds. I … Continue reading Post-Christmas Sorting and Repurposing: Peppermint Pattie Brownies
Ruth Williams was my paternal grandmother. She was a classy lady. She did things with style. My mom credits her (her mother-in-law) for teaching her to celebrate the holidays with intentionality and creativity. My grandmother had some great traditions. One of them was what she called "heritage gifts". As they were down-sizing in their … Continue reading A Legacy of Heritage Gifts, Ham Balls, Sand Tarts and Much More
It has been a full week. December is here. It's nearing the end of the academic semester – wrapping up classes and grading and grading and grading. We decorated for Christmas. I did some baking. We went to Knoxville for a quick trip last weekend for me to speak at a Women's Brunch at the … Continue reading Plum Spice Cake & Advent
Thanksgiving is only a few days away! I love a holiday where we enjoy special food & express Gratitude. A favorite November treat of mine is Gingerbread cookies. My mom often makes these in the shape of little pilgrims for Thanksgiving weekend. The cookie cutters she has are the plastic ones with the detailed … Continue reading Gingerbread Cookies and Gratitude
In the last post I wrote about our love for pumpkin spice everything. Since then, I have been working on making pumpkin spice whoopie pies in my kitchen. My new friend, Hannah, from church, made them for an event in September and we were all wowed by them. Have you ever made Whoopie Pies? I hadn't. … Continue reading Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
This week I got the news that my beloved 3rdgrade teacher, Mrs. Stookbury, died after a valiant fight with cancer. It saddens my soul that this bright shining light in the world has passed on. I know her family and close friends must be aching with loss. I heard that her last months were painful … Continue reading In Memory of My Beloved 3rd Grade Teacher
I have cooked several things lately that I am excited to share with you: Pulled BBQ, Black Bean Torte, Homemade Sushi, Chicken Salad, Rosemary Parmesan Muffins and thick French Toast, to name a few. I was deliberating about which should be this week's post and then Cracker Toffee (A.K.A. Crack) resurfaced in my life and … Continue reading Cracked Out on Cracker Toffee
My husband and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary last week. I have never been good at keeping up with people's anniversaries, celebrating people's anniversaries, (even my parents), or even doing a great job with my own anniversary-honoring. However, there have been a couple of people in my history who have honored my anniversary in really … Continue reading Anniversary Lemon Berry Poundcake
the accidental heart that Lainey bit into her apple last week It’s back to school time. Our big kids started back early this year: August 1. Our preschooler still has a couple of weeks of summer left. Last year, she didn't start until after Labor Day, which she appropriately called "Later Day". Ironically true for … Continue reading Back to School – Lemon Bars
I've been packing my bag, marking things off my lists, leaving instructions for my family, and preparing to leave for India today. I'm headed with 2 friends from my church to spend a week with our friends who live in Northern India. We will be seeing their world and learning how we can support and … Continue reading An Inspiring Book and Easy Dessert (before I leave the country)
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