My Favorite and Most Simple Pasta Salad (In Case You Have a Baby Shower to Attend This Weekend, Which I Do)
When bringing a side dish to a party, don’t forget the power of capers. My favorite pasta salad recipe involves capers. They pack a real punch; they offer so much flavor in the tiniest little space. If you’re going to move forward into true Italian cooking, you simply cannot forget the capers. Make a pound […]
Another Way to Shine
You know that I love taking photos of trees that brag over vibrant autumn leaves. I love the equally boastful cherry blossoms that make the neighbors stop and stare. In winter, I don’t bother; those trees are stripped bare, humbled, and hiding from any big show. They really have nothing to offer, so let’s just […]
Just Hope for Sausage
I am brushing my daughter’s hair, and I ask her what she thinks about as she wakes up in the morning. Was she worried about anything? Was she nervous? She says she just loves waking up because of the possibility of sausage for breakfast. No worries. No concerns. Just hope. I wish that for every […]
The Hill Hasn’t Changed
Some days, the long climb up the hill to school just seems so steep. I’m lagging behind the rest, hunching over, and methodically placing one boot in front of the other. I can’t make it, people! Come carry me! I do make it to the top. We all do. We always do. For five years […]
A Second Look and a Recipe
I love banana bread today. I learn that banana bread recipes first became popular in cookbooks during the Great Depression when nobody wanted to waste anything. Some wise soul took a second look at useless, overripe fruit and realized it was good for something after all. That’s right: Banana Bread represents taking a second look […]
Like Myself
Today my youngest tells me why she likes a certain friend. She says, “I just feel like myself when I’m with her.” Yes, that’s good. That’s so very good. I recall the times I’ve used the phrase, “I just feel like myself.” I said it after I met my husband. I said it after I […]
A Foothold
Today I consider what it means to “give the devil a foothold” from Ephesians 4:27. I read that a foothold is a secure position from which further progress can be made. I think of common footholds that allow more and more destruction into my life: bitterness, unforgiveness, and jealousy. I think of the footholds of […]
When I Showed My Daughters My Middle School Year Book (Warning: Photos)
Since I’m visiting my daughter’s classroom today to talk about what school was like when I grew up, I pull out my old middle school yearbook just for laughs. Ha ha. I haven’t changed really. Yes, I was voted Most Talkative. Yes, I won a Young Writers award. Yes, I was dramatic, and here’s proof: […]
The Most Beautiful Sounds in the World
We’re talking about what we take for granted when we hear things, and my students compile a list of the “most beautiful sounds” in the world. Suddenly, I find myself thankful and joyous over simple things: The sound of a lawnmower on a summer day.The sound of horses galloping.The sound of coffee percolating.The sound of […]
In Unlooked-For Directions
Today, the sun comes out after many dark days. It’s so bright that my mood cannot help but flutter up to that sun. I stand and bask in it. It’s not warm, really, it’s just so bright. I think of a line in a Walt Whitman poem. He writes, “The sun bursts through in unlooked-for […]