Category Archives: Kitchen

There is a well-known quote from a Tennyson poem that states, “In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.” I would suggest a corollary that states, “In the Winter a man’s fancy turns to thoughts of soup.” At least, when the temperature starts dropping, I know I dream about tucking...

As I write this article, it is the eve of Christmas break! The Christmas spirit was in the air at school as we had the opportunity to go Christmas caroling, and preschool students were greeted by Olaf this morning.  Following a Christmas chapel tomorrow morning, we will watch “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.” I am...

The calendar has officially flipped to the winter months and with that comes a mix of feelings. On one hand, I love the magic of the Christmas season: The twinkling lights, the decorations on the tree, and the smells of cinnamon rolls and cookies. But on the other hand, the shortest days of the year,...

What snow we had recently! The kids were giddy with excitement as the flurries started falling. They spent lots of trips outside, in short bursts. No one could have prepared for how long it takes three kids to get dressed in their snow attire, nor prepared for how little time they would spend outside. Either...

One of my favorite places to go is the library. I first started using the public library in Orange City while I was in college and found it to be a wonderful resource for books and movies. Later, when Lynnette and I moved to Davenport, we frequented the Bettendorf Public Library, sometimes several times each...

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope the turkey is delicious, the memories are sweet, and you remember to thank the cook(s)! Thanksgiving for me usually entails a trip to northwest Iowa to visit my parents’ house, where my mom is definitely the queen of the kitchen. She’s excellent at planning meals for large groups of people (a...

What are you thankful for? This is a question that is asked often during the month of November, but an important one to revisit each month, if not every day. We ask this question (almost) every night before we eat supper as a family, and I love to hear what our kids are actually thinking. Our...