Christmas always comes early for us, whether it’s with the Miller family or the Crall family. (We decided early on in our marriage to establish rules a schedule to keep our own sanity.) So, with all of my siblings and their families in town, we celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday and then celebrated Christmas on Saturday, […]

It’s chaos. A kind of mad, undiluted chaos. But a chaos that I treasure. I breathe it in and let my mind enjoy these moments of screeching and clamor and tripping over one another. Because the truth is I wouldn’t wish it any other way. I have always spoken of my large family with a […]

I had called my mom last year around this time because I couldn’t remember what the name of the cookies are with the chocolate stars in the middle. My dad answered the phone and had quite the chuckle when he said, “Well, they’re called star cookies, of course!” I was like, “No way, that’s too […]

It was this past spring when they went shopping for an engagement ring. But as summer rolled around, she still had an empty ring finger. Then came fall and she began to get impatient. He had planned several separate attempts for a proposal, all foiled by her, unusual work schedules, or innocent friends. Finally, in […]

Rains earlier in the week had blown leaves to the ground and they crunched underfoot with the familiar sounds of fall. The day dawned beautiful; crisp but not uncomfortable. Their families were at the church early, still in comfortable clothing, putting last minute touches on the decor and relaxing in the couches the church lounge. […]

Another brunch item from my mom’s 60th birthday party. To prep these beforehand to eliminate as much day-of work as possible, I made the dough and the filling and then that morning, my sister put them together to bake. Simple and delicious! And cute. Because everything mini is adorable. This is what you need: 1¼ […]