A Garden Tea Party Birthday
I’m a big fan of destination birthday parties. We’ve done the whole amusement part thing a couple of times, and then there was last year’s trip to the American Girl doll store. No fuss, no mess, no work. Mommy likey. But this year, Gigi wanted us to throw her a birthday party at home, so she could enjoy the time with all of her friends. She specifically wanted a garden tea party. And today, it was totally our pleasure to host a dozen... Read More
I Don’t Want to Be Celebrated on Mother’s Day
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. (Luke 12:48b, NIV) It’s an odd feeling, dreading a holiday in one’s own honor, but dread-filled is exactly how I’d describe my emotions about Mother’s Day. Don’t confuse my words here–I am very excited for the gifts–but it’s not what you think. My family can save their... Read More
Chocolate Hazelnut Heart Tarts
I’m feeling all lovey dovey. We have no over-the-top romantic Valentine’s Day plans. Only papercut fingers and adhesive gummed-up tongues from folding and sealing fifty-nine valentines for little grade school-sized hearts in search of one thing. Candy. Man, how I love those grade school-sized hearts. They’re what make my own heart beat. Not to mention that great big thirty-six year old-sized heart I’m quite familiar with... Read More
When Love Comes Down
It’s the last few hours before Christmas. I’m not wrapping. I’m not baking. I’m not fussing over the last few details. I’m not trying to set the most ideal scene or find the perfect gift. The last few hours before Christmas, I’ll be spending right here. The details don’t matter. The most ideal scene is the one that is filled with the faces I love. The perfect Gift is already on His way. So let the noise of... Read More
Pizza Pockets
I’m in love. With Christmas Break, that is. No lunches to pack. No homework to (grab a calculator and) check. No ballet, no carpooling, no swimming. No formal bedtimes (unless you count “when Home Alone is over”). Lots of kitchen helpers. Lots of Christmas crafts. Lots of dancing and singing and laughing and sneaking stale candy off of the gingerbread house when no one is looking. Lots of parties. We have an impromptu gathering... Read More
Gnosis Chocolate Giveaway
My heart still hurts from Friday’s tragedy, as I’m sure yours does too. It just doesn’t feel natural for me to post like nothing happened. Because I haven’t stopped thinking about it. And frankly, I just don’t want to. I want that constant ache. Every time that I instinctually want to snap at my child for fighting with her sister or drinking the bath water or forgetting her lunchbox. Every time I’m working with a “difficult”... Read More
Christmas Candy and Cookie List
I have lots of people I love and want to make feel special this year. If you haven’t noticed, cooking is my love language. The plan was to make chocolate-dipped pretzel rods, grab a few Starbucks gift cards, write a heartfelt note and call it good. There are no pretzel rods. Seriously. Within about a 60 mile perimeter of my house there are NO PRETZEL RODS. So I’ve got to dip back into my bag of tricks. And should there be a pretzel... Read More
Eggnog Scones
I’m already thinking about Christmas morning. I wish I was more of a go-with-the-flow mom a lot of the time. The one that leisurely makes her way downstairs in a pink feathered robe (do they sell such things?) and ruffles her child’s head as they each independently and politely pull things from their stockings, one item at a time. I wish. Unfortunately, I am the mom who’s up at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning, complete with... Read More
Follow The Star
Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21 I am a planner. A color-coded-calendar, checklist-on-the-white-board, multiple-alarms-set-for-ungodly-hours, scheduled-it-two-weeks-ago-and-set-a-reminder planner. It goes without saying that the next few weeks leading up to Christmas are meticulously planned so things go off without a hitch. Tonight, our plans got hitched. Tonight,... Read More
Peas and Thank You Prize Pack Giveaway
I do love Christmas. I don’t love Christmas shopping. Maybe you don’t love Christmas shopping either. Maybe I can cross someone off your Christmas list for you. My publisher is getting things ready to go for More Peas, Thank You (to be published in late March), and discovered five PEAS AND THANK YOU PRIZE PACKS in their midst. Each prize pack contains: One 11 ounce ceramic mug w/ sealable lid, An apron, A reusable shopping bag and A... Read More
Advent: Days One and Two
I can’t think of words that are beautiful enough. Words that are thankful enough. Words that, on their tippiest of toes and with outstretched arms, even start to touch a single branch of the joy I feel in this Advent season. Days One and Two were a precious beginning to preparing our hearts for the celebration of our Savior’s birth: Our church’s Advent Night, complete with Gigi’s reading of the meaning of the Christ candle in the Advent... Read More
Candy Cane Crinkle Cookies
I know, another cookie recipe. It’s not my fault. It’s Joe’s. I want to quit you, Joe. I make up my mind that we’re going to take it easy on the treats this year. We’ll enjoy sweets in moderation. We’ll eat lots of broccoli. All of us. (Yes, that means you, Lulu. I know you’re reading this over my shoulder. Quit telling me that every sentence needs a subject and a verb. And not to start a subject with a preposition.... Read More
Snapshot Sunday: Alley Cats
I’m a big fan of new traditions. Oh, we had the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. In fact, we’re having it for the third time tonight. Can I pack stuffing and mashed potatoes in a lunchbox? Watch me. But I think my favorite new Thanksgiving tradition is going to be where we spend our Black Friday. You can keep your crowded malls and packed stores. I get itchy just thinking about them. No, from now on, come the day after Thanksgiving... Read More
The First Thanksgiving
This year, I feel blessed to have discovered the Lord’s secret weapon to finding the joy in our lives. Simply said, giving praise and thanks is life-changing. I hope that today is great practice for making giving thanks a part of your daily routine—the best habit you can have. Let’s live Thanksgiving out loud. Today and everyday. Happy Thanksgiving, friends. Originally ran November 23, 2011 Translation: “The First... Read More
Our Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes
Wow. How is Thanksgiving only one week away?! Didn’t I just devote a week’s worth of posts commiserating over the end of summer? For our holiday, we’ve got ourselves an invite to my aunt’s house, and I’m pegged to bring the cranberry sauce. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. I dig it. And with the week off of school for the girls, we’ve got a full calendar of sleepovers, library dates and bumper bowling all lined... Read More
Snapshot Sunday: Worth It
Halloween was never my favorite. There were a lot of things not to like. Wet, muddy clothes from the Pumpkin Patch. Wet, slimy pumpkin guts on little hands and clean kitchen surfaces. Wet, freezing, shivering me from trick-or-treating. Candy negotiations. Wrapper hiding. (Guilty as charged.) Even this year, so much of it is kind of yucky. But somehow, I’m enjoying so much. The post pumpkin picking muddy puddle stomping. The post pumpkin... Read More
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Nutmeg Cream Cheese Frosting
Boo! The countdown to Halloween is on around here. Lulu has tracked down all of the parts of her WordGirl costume, including her massive vocabulary. As she walked into the kitchen with a broken crayon yesterday, she remarked pitifully, “Mama, I’m crestfallen.” You are also five and I don’t know what that means. Fetch Mommy the dictionary. Gigi, per the usual, has managed to find complete joy in the most basic... Read More
Postcard From the Peas: 4th of July in St. Paul
Rather than taking a family vacation to Disney, the Grand Canyon or San Francisco this week (all ideas we threw around, priced out and rejected), we decided instead to take a series of day trips around Oregon. After all, I’ve lived here my whole life and there are cities and events I’ve never even seen. Some just a few miles from my front door! So for the next few posts, I’ll be sending you some postcards from our daily excursions. ... Read More
Triple Berry Pie for the Fourth of July
I’ve always had pretty good instincts. I like to observe my surroundings. Take stock of what’s happening. Then think three steps ahead to the most logical conclusion to these circumstances. Only later do I realize that what usually ends up happening is a million times less logical. For example: What could possibly happen if go out with the guy with the autographed picture of George W. Bush hanging in his dorm room and who referred to me only... Read More
Sangria For All
I’m having a hard time knowing what to say about this drink. It’s an unfamiliar feeling, this not knowing what to say. Me, the one with the ability to bring grown men to tears with my greeting card inscriptions. Two for two today, baby. Happy Father’s Day! (…was not all I said…) But what to say about this sangria. Hmm. I could simply say it’s hard for me to make a beautiful pitcher full of sweet juice, sparkling water and... Read More
Postcard From the Peas: Seattle Edition
Hope you are enjoying your Memorial Day Weekend! Here are some snapshots from ours, with explanations as needed for both educational and entertainment value. Though likely neither. a) breakfast on the road: coconut “n’oatmeal” with PB & blueberries (recipe coming!). b) manicure done at 75 mph. Notice I didn’t show you the right hand. c) destination: SEATTLE! More accurately, destination: “place I could... Read More
The Bedtime Routine
Even though Sunday won’t be my first Mother’s Day as a mother, it still feels very strange to me that there is a holiday that honors me for getting to experience the greatest blessings of my life. For someone to give me a gift on top of that feels a bit silly. That’s not to say that motherhood hasn’t had its difficult, gut-wrenching and even nauseating moments. I can recall far too many ER visits in the past seven years. An ill-timed blowout... Read More
It Bears Repeating: Sunrise Service
Originally posted April 24, 2011 Overheard on the stairway this morning. Before the sun had completely risen. Before a single plastic egg had been hunted. Before a single jelly bean had been eaten. Before a single chocolate bunny lost his left ear. A quiet little voice squeaked out in the silence. “Thank you, Jesus. For all you did for us.” –Gigi, Age 5 Amen. Read More
How to Make a Peep Wreath for Easter
I love Easter. I’m hosting this year, and I’m pretty excited about it. I’ve never had my whole family over to my house for a holiday gathering. Never mind the fact that there are going to be at least 14 people in our teeny, tiny little house. And our coffee table is broken because Lulu was using it as a boogie board. Understandable, since it cost $14.99 at IKEA. And we don’t have a dining room. How many people can you seat in... Read More
Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter
I know what you are thinking. “Another asparagus recipe?” “I don’t even like asparagus!” “If I see another asparagus recipe I’m going to gag myself.” “With an asparagus.” “But should I peel it first?” “Are thinner asparagus less gaggy?” “And why are there songs about beans and their bathroom side effects but not about asparagus?” I have no clue on that last one, though I do have a few salty lyrics in... Read More
21 NATURALLY Green Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day
It seems like this time of year, everyone’s slipping a little Green Dye #3 into everything. I totally get why people like food coloring. It’s pretty! But I don’t want to eat it. And I don’t really want my kids to eat it either. Lucky for us all, there are a lot of delicious green things we can still eat without tartazine (aka coal tar). So I’d encourage you to eat as many green things as you’d like this St. Patrick’s Day... Read More
Pea Sighting: Valentine’s Day Treats on AM Northwest (VIDEO)
First, a few things: 1. Happy Valentine’s Day! 2. There were four Pinterest-inspired Valentine’s in Lulu’s valentine bag and three in Gigi’s. The girls just ripped the superhero masks and flower petals off of their suckers and ate them without a second thought. This means 20 lips and 21 mustaches are in a landfill somewhere thanks to me. 3. One should never stay up to watch The Bachelor when one has to get up at 5 a.m. to be... Read More
Last-Minute Valentine’s Dinners and Desserts
I’m making a mad dash today to get ready for a last-minute appearance on AM Northwest tomorrow morning to bake up some Valentine’s Day treats. In order to get ready for the show, I’m prepping ingredients, props and the different baked goods in their varying stages of readiness. Talk about a test of willpower. It’s hard explaining to the girls why they can’t eat these. Sometimes I call my stomach and my mouth “the girls.” ... Read More
Jolly Lolly Valentines
When I was growing up, we would never have dreamed of making homemade valentines. We ran down to the grocery store and grabbed a package of Popples and Star Wars cards. My brother and I would pick out the best ones to give to our best friends, teachers and secret crushes first and then we’d fly through the rest, scrawling our name on the bottom of each. Ahh, Brian P. You always got my best Popple and my best penmanship. We’ve become a crafty... Read More
Smoked Sea Salt Kissed Maple Donuts
Do you love Valentine’s Day? Yeah, me neither. When I was a kid, it only reinforced how completely not popular I was with the fellas. I’d tear through my Valentines box at school, scouring each flimsy little pre-written card for the one that might just hold a message cryptic enough it could possibly mean that the boy that gave it to me actually liked me. “Like” liked me. Nope. All I ever got were clearly platonic statements like “Bee... Read More
25 Vegan Recipes for Your Super Bowl Party
I had to make a mad dash to the store last night for pineapple rings for our very last photo shoot for the new book: Pineapple Upside Down Muffins. Only I forgot pineapple on my massive grocery run. And then again on my second massive grocery run. And then again on my mini-grocery run. I am brilliant sometimes. As I walked the aisles of the store, blurry-eyed, cranky and on a mission for perfectly round rings to top my muffins, an older... Read More
