Here's a foolproof menu to get you going for any gathering in your kitchen. This one is Italian-themed. Most of it is pretty simple to throw together, but I've added a few options that require more technical kitchen skills if you are feeling like a challenge. Therefore, we have three levels: Little League (easy with … Continue reading Recipes to Nourish the Body and Soul

If you think about it a bit, I'll bet you can conjure up some defining moments in life centered around mealtimes. Perhaps an important announcement in your childhood home. Maybe a proposal at a fancy restaurant. An epic fail turned legendary via embellishment over the years. A crafted masterpiece. How about a life-giving conversation. Trying … Continue reading Come To The Table

This is sooooooo utterly extravagantly slow & real. TKU!!!

Confession: I don’t like going to movie theaters. And by "don't like" I do mean detest. I know, I know, some of you are already wondering how we can even be friends anymore. But I just cant stand it, y’all. It’s too dark and too loud, and the screen is too big and it hurts … Continue reading Two Things I Learned From Fred Rogers

So in the last couple of weeks, I participated in a really cool challenge called #10thingstotellyou on Instagram from Laura Tremaine. Every day for 10 days she posed a discussion question and thousands of posts were submitted. Some responses were funny, some heart-felt, some tear-jerking, others downright heart-breaking. I was so, so proud of the … Continue reading #10thingstotellyou

Wet hair hung limply around my face as I hunched over the steaming soup, a feeble attempt to channel every bit of its warmth into my frigid body. Even though the sun was shining, it would be hours before my tense muscles could relax and I would feel truly warm again. This is the story … Continue reading How I Didn’t Die One Time and Why it Matters

There he was. On the deck of a friend's apartment overlooking the canals of Venice, salt-n-pepper hair swept casually across his forehead. We were so excited to see him, one of us even wet our pants. It's true. We were finally reunited with the baby daddy, aka Ben, and no one was happier than me. … Continue reading Adventures in Breaking Spring…Part Four

The parking lot. The 405 parking lot, to be precise. That is where we spent the majority of our trip from Carlsbad to Santa Barbara. Now if you've never had the joy of experiencing daytime standstill traffic for hours without reprieve on a SoCal freeway, let me be the first to tell you it is … Continue reading Adventures in Breaking Spring… Part Three

Their eyes met. Immediate and unmistakable recognition. Like a long lost brother and sister, they ran with abandon toward one another. Locked in an embrace, their eyes seemed to ask without words, "Where have you been? I've missed you so incredibly much!" Immense joy literally permeated the air and for three days they were absolutely … Continue reading Adventures in Breaking Spring…Part 2

Inner monologue for the last 6 months: Me: “How bad do you want to get out of the cold and the snow?” Also me: “Real bad.” Me: “Like, how bad?” Also me: “Like, bad enough that I am willing to drive with 3 kids as the sole responsible(ish) grown-up guardian adult person across 5 state … Continue reading Adventures in Breaking Spring…Part One