Latest Posts

What If They Had Said ‘NO’?

Here we are – a new year. A new 365-day sequence of days, each one holding a bucketful of choices to be made. Some choices we make unconsciously. They are habits or uncompromisable preferences; the choices to brush our teeth…
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Roasted Vegetables

roasted vegetables

“Eat your vegetables!” That phrase has stricken many children with fear and disgust throughout the generations, so I’ve heard. Vegetables have gotten a bad rap for a long time as something not to be enjoyed, but rather eaten only because…
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Homemade Syrup

waffle with pecans, homemade syrup and coffee

This syrup. Is. Delicious. And so easy. And it can taste like anything you want it to. We eat a lot of waffles and pancakes at our house. I am not of fan of the syrups from the grocery so…
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Not Just For A Season

Deck the Halls lyrics

Joy to the world, peace on earth, ’tis the season to be jolly, goodwill to men …… this is the time of year that we hear these lines sung on our radio stations and piped into stores, malls and restaurants,…
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Chicken Corn Chowder

chicken corn chowder

Soup, I would venture to say, is the ultimate comfort food. It comforts us when we are cold, tired or ill. It comes in so many varieties and flavors – it is universal. I can’t think of a culture that…
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Nailed It: Volume I – Featuring Desserts

pinterest parade

In case I’ve failed to mention it to this point – I am a Pinterest junkie. I guess it helps that I am a cooking-baking-crafting-gardening-decorating-shoe junkie. So, despite the fact that I already possess enough recipes to never cook the…
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Daughters and Horses

daughter and horse

Many years ago, I came across this piece. I don’t think I have ever known the author’s name, (so if you do know, please let me know). I love this and have shared it many times over the years. For…
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Unfailing Love

love never fails children and horse

I’m a problem-solver, a fixer, a mender-of-all-things-broken. It makes little difference to me if it’s person, place or thing. If all is not well, everything in me yearns to facilitate restoration. For many years, it made little difference to me…
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Not-Your-Mama’s Mac and Cheese

mac and cheese

Who doesn’t love mac and cheese? I don’t think I know anyone who doesn’t. I do know, though, that everyone has a preferred recipe. I think we are all mac and cheese snobs on some level. At least that would…
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The Ultimate Thankfulness Challenge

thankfulness

‘Tis the season … for leaves turning colors, pumpkin patches to be raided, bundles of cornstalks and bales of straw and pots of mums to be displayed, gift shopping lists to be checked off, family gatherings and holiday parties to…
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Banana Chocolate Chip Bars

banana chocolate chip bars

Oh, the brown-banana-dilemma ….. no matter how well we plan, there seems to be at least one in the bunch that ends up too ripe. As much as I enjoy a nice slice of banana bread on occasion, eventually I…
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Chicken Bundles

Chicken Bundles

One of the all-time most requested meals from my kitchen – chicken bundles. In fact, the last time I made these, my husband mentioned that he could eat these every meal and be happy. I’m going to credit that statement…
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Battle in the Garden

battle in the garden

Music is and always has been a very important aspect of my life. I began banging on the piano before I could hold myself up. We had family sing-a-longs around that piano throughout my childhood.  I sang in choirs at…
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Black Bean Salsa

black bean salsa

Black bean salsa is an all-time favorite of ours year-round and always a hit with a crowd. Fresh, flavorful, crisp. Actually, I love the black bean-tomato-corn combination and use the trio in a lot of dishes. This salsa is a…
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Sweet Mustard Sauce

One of my family’s favorite ways to eat ham is with this sweet mustard sauce. During grilling season, it can be brushed onto a ham steak on the grill. In the colder months, I make it a little thicker, slather…
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Are Your Filters Catching The Toxins?

Have you ever heard someone talking and thought to yourself, or shared with someone else, “that person has no filter.” Usually what is meant by that is that the person ‘without a filter’ speaks their mind without regard to the…
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Almond Apple Pie

I would like to blame it on the fall season – this strong desire I suddenly had for pie. In fact, I would like to blame all my dessert issues on some season or other. Alas, I cannot. The season…
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From the Cradle to …… the Cradle?

I have heard and been party to many conversations about “What does ‘saved’ look like? How many bushels of ‘fruit of the Spirit’ must one produce before they prove they are saved? If someone is oppressed or in the grip…
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Potluck for the Soul

One of the best things about growing up in the farming Midwest was the carry-in meals, aka ‘potluck dinners’. Carry-ins at church, after funerals, before bowling, for sports banquets, for new mothers, family reunions – just about every occasion was…
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Garlic Parmesan Potatoes

I adore potatoes – all potatoes. The big drawback for me is that they usually take awhile to cook properly. Oh, sure, you can whip up a bowl of instant mashed potatoes in a few minutes or pop one in…
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Latest Posts for Heart

What If They Had Said ‘NO’?

Here we are – a new year. A new 365-day sequence of days, each one holding a bucketful of choices to be made. Some choices we make unconsciously. They are habits or uncompromisable preferences; the choices to brush our teeth…
Read more

Latest Posts for Home

Roasted Vegetables

roasted vegetables

“Eat your vegetables!” That phrase has stricken many children with fear and disgust throughout the generations, so I’ve heard. Vegetables have gotten a bad rap for a long time as something not to be enjoyed, but rather eaten only because…
Read more

Latest Posts for Hospitality

Roasted Vegetables

roasted vegetables

“Eat your vegetables!” That phrase has stricken many children with fear and disgust throughout the generations, so I’ve heard. Vegetables have gotten a bad rap for a long time as something not to be enjoyed, but rather eaten only because…
Read more