Some of the greatest acts of kindness aren’t expensive or complicated. Sometimes they begin with a bottle of cold water, a bag of chips, and a heartfelt thank you. Which is why I’ve been toying with the idea of putting a blessing basket on the porch for people stopping by my home. Because here is Texas in the Summer it can reach 100 degrees and I was thinking about all the people who quietly take care of our family each day, I realized how often we take them for granted. The mail carriers, UPS drivers, FedEx drivers, Amazon drivers, and other delivery workers keep our lives moving. They show up…

I am a avid dessert eater and would live on desserts if I could but with my diet I’ve tried to quit eating as many desserts as I used to But that is hard because there are hundreds of desserts in the world, but for me there are really only two that can tempt me every single time—an old-fashioned apple pie and a chocolate cream pie with graham cracker crust topped with plenty of Cool Whip. Apple pie has always felt like home to me because as a child my dad would allow us to have a slice for breakfast. Did my mom agree no, but she would just look…

In our home Summer has a way of changing everything about our home, especially our kitchen. Even though during the school year, I don’t have children we often have schedules, routines, and meals planned around activities, and work, and busy evenings. Then summer arrives, and suddenly the rhythm of our days changes. Breakfast might happen later or it might never happen, lunch may be eaten inside or outside or not eaten at all because the kids ie young men are still sleeping, and before you know it, someone is opening the refrigerator asking, “What can I eat?” I have learned that a summer kitchen is not about having a perfect…