First off, how pretty are granola bars wrapped in parchment paper and twine? It's not necessary. It's not really practical, either, because, what? The center of the granola bar is the only part worth protecting? However ... just the sight of that wrap makes me happy. So I was sitting with my friend, Cindy, at Starbucks awhile back, and she mentioned that she had just made and sent a care package of these granola bars to her son in the military, at his request. I thought, If granola bars are THE ... continue reading...
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How to Write a Gift Journal That Says, “I Love You”
I've kept all sorts of journals over the years: bullet journals, a journal of my odd dreams, food journals, art journals, travel journals and regular old "Dear Diary" journals. But by far, my favorite of all is the gift journal I gave my husband one Christmas ... the journal that told him in hundreds of ways, "I love you." The idea to start the journal came to me because of an observation, an overheard conversation, and a message on our answering machine (yes, these were pre-voicemail ... continue reading...
Dreamy, Creamy Potatoes au Gratin
For years I've been making my mom's version of Potatoes au Gratin (which my family always called Scalloped Potatoes). It was simple fare, and we loved it: potatoes, onions, flour, cheese, milk, salt and pepper. No complaints there. But a few years back, I got a little jiggy with that original recipe, and came up with something a bit dreamier/creamier. So sorry, mom ... but I can't turn back now. You may notice I am finally calling this by its proper name: Potatoes au Gratin. It's time. ... continue reading...
Grocery Shopping for a Quarantine
Is a mandatory quarantine around the corner? It's looking likely. Here's how quickly things are changing: When I started this post, I wrote this: "Here in Washington State, our governor just banned gatherings of 250 or more, and required gatherings smaller than that to have a 6-foot buffer available for attendees. He didn't out-and-out mandate that schools close (he's leaving that decision to county government for now), but that could change. According to the Washington State Department of ... continue reading...
One Year Bible: November 26
Wild Kingdom To read today's portion of scripture, you can purchase The One Year Bible or find the following in your Bible: Daniel 2:24-3:30 1 Peter 4:7-5:14 Psalm 119:81-96 Proverbs 28:15-16 I suppose it's all relative. Little prey, little predators. Big prey, big predators. Felix (the cat) runs around the outside of the house all day long, waiting for one of us to open a door. He wants in. And when he finds that one crack, that one split second when our legs are scissoring through the ... continue reading...
A Simple Advent Celebration
I know what you’re thinking ... We haven’t even had Thanksgiving yet! But this is time-sensitive information. If you’ve ever considered holding an advent with your family (or even if you haven’t), here’s a handout I wrote for the ladies of our women’s ministry. I can’t even begin to tell you how restful this is during a ridiculously busy month. It helps you pause and contemplate the One we’re celebrating. I wrote about our first Advent in this post Many good books exist on the hows and whys of ... continue reading...