(smaller button below)Here at the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—though we love to try new dishes, your post doesn’t have to be a recipe.If you want, you could simply describe Christmas leftovers and New Year's Eve snack plans OR join the book club at TheHighCalling.org; because, you see, we’re pretty relaxed over here. Posts like … [Read more...]
Intertwining Lives
“Do we need to be here?”I posed that question at TheHighCalling.org (THC) today. It originated with Simple Country Girl, actually. She was kind of thinking out loud in the comments last week, wondering if she “needs” to be in cyberspace, or if flesh-and-blood relationships are the ones we really need to invest in.But we read an amazing story by Brock Henning, describing … [Read more...]
Food on Fridays: We Are Real (and so is the food)
(smaller button below)Here at the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—though we love to try new dishes, your post doesn’t have to be a recipe. If you want to tell us about the first person who taught you to cook, that’s great. Posts like that are as welcome as menus and recipes. … [Read more...]
Ann's Ambitious Summer Reading List
Oprah's got a summer reading list. So does Swarthmore College.My High Calling Blogs colleague and friend L.L. Barkat has a sort-of summer reading list, too.Knowing I'm a word-girl, L.L. assumed I had one, too.And I guess I did. Informally. In my head.In fact, L.L. suggested we HCB folks all share our summer reading lists, so I started assembling and grouping the titles I … [Read more...]
Time for Yes
Throughout spring, my kids would come to me with requests to join their friends on outings such as sleepovers, birthday parties, and a production of “The Three Musketeers,” but I had to say no to almost everything. Something was already scheduled 97 percent of the time. With spring winding down, however, our schedule is opening up. The kids and I recently reviewed the … [Read more...]
Ten Random Things I Haven't Mentioned
Sometimes my posts don't reflect my daily life.It's not that I'm hiding anything; it's just that I sometimes don't take time to write about what's happening while it's happening. Instead, I might write about something I've been thinking about or something I've learned. … [Read more...]
An Atmosphere of Affirmation
At HighCallingBlogs.com today, Bradley J. Moore of Shrinking the Camel explores the question, "When is Negative Feedback Too Negative?" He spotlighted my post "Reward the Good and Ignore the Bad: Does it Work?"He asks: We know that unhealthy criticism for no good reason can demoralize. But how do you point out negative behaviors if you want to develop people, to help them … [Read more...]
The Collision of Work and Family: Bump
In A Circle of Quiet, Madeleine L’Engle wrote:During the long drag of years before our youngest child went to school, my love for my family and my need to write were in acute conflict. The problem was really that I put two things first. My husband and children came first. So did my writing. Bump.The conflict—or collision—of work and family summed up in a word: Bump.Ouch. … [Read more...]
Sam Van Eman Makes Me Think
Like all of the HCB people I've gotten to know, Sam Van Eman makes me think. I recently conducted an interview with Sam that I published at NotSoFastBook.com, in which he got me thinking about advertising, culture, Earl Grey tea...and biscotti.Intriguing, eh?Here's a peek at the post:Sam Van Eman is another of the HighCallingBlogs.com people I’m getting to know.Culture … [Read more...]
Merci, Belgique
(for the Belgian Wonder, on the occasion of our 19th wedding anniversary)Merci, Belgique,Pour tes bicyclettesHe salvaged tires,A chain, gears,Handlebars,And a frameFrom three different bikes,Maybe more.Piecing it all together,He painted it blackAnd pedaled down canalsFor milesThrough the countrysidePast fields of sugar beetsOr flew downhillRumbling over cobblestonesPast … [Read more...]
Food on Fridays: Go Greek with L.L. Barkat
(smaller button below)Here at the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—your link could be a recipe like your favorite Colts blue Superbowl party dip, but it does not have to be a recipe. If it’s about shopping at Trader Joe's or your review of "Julie & Julia," go ahead and link up! Think of it as a virtual pitch-in where you can sample … [Read more...]
The Lecture: Healthy or Harsh?
Three of my kids take piano lessons from the same teacher, so they take turns going first. They determined the order themselves several months ago. I thought it was all settled. It shouldn’t be difficult to maintain who goes first, second and third, right?At the start of a recent lesson, they argued.“You go first.”“I went first last week.”“No, you didn’t!”“Yes, I did!”The … [Read more...]
The Season of Getting, er, Giving
Well, it's starting: The season of getting—I mean, giving.I think it's hard to help our kids focus on giving when they're bombarded by commercials, window displays, newspaper inserts, catalogs and radio spots whose sole purpose is to awaken a desire to get.It's hard for us as adults to focus on giving, too, because we're bombarded with all those same enticing messages to … [Read more...]
