In the spirit of Valentine’s Day: Walgreens has won my heart. Well, along with these two: There is a Walgreens located approximately 14 blocks from my house at the corner of Happy and Healthy (which happens to coincide with Walnut and Dixieland), and you have no idea how relieved I was when this became reality. … Continue reading »
Inspired by the Twelve Days of Christmas, I’ve got some Twelvers (my concocted word for lists of twelve) to share with you this month. As if The Little Magpie weren’t already random enough… Without further ado: Twelve Random Awesome Things 1. My visit yesterday to Acumen Brands, the home of Country Outfitter. This is one … Continue reading »
Last night I sat around smoldering embers with the child of Arkansas. She asked for another torch and then settled for sticking a branch into the flames and writing smoky letters using the night sky as her canvas. She bounced restlessly from chair to chair under the half moon, and finally settled down on the … Continue reading »
Or, What I Wish I’d Known About Parenting and Ancient Sea Monsters Circa 2003. When I was pregnant for the first time nearly a decade ago, I went through what I’ve learned is a common ailment affecting many new mothers-to-be: behavior best defined as psychosis. First, I grabbed copies of What to Expect When You’re … Continue reading »
When I was a kid, we lived in Jamaica… and yes, it was a phenomenal experience. My Dad has always been intrigued with the cosmos (it’s worth reading the origin of that word, in my opinion), and so I thought it was common during childhood to be pulled from bed in the middle of the … Continue reading »
The lithe girl was handed a torch by her father, which seemed poignant and appropriate. It was formerly a substantial silver maple branch downed by a storm, resurrected for noble duty. Stuffed with coco liner remnants from an aging flower basket and wrapped in twine, it was doused in fuel and lit. She reached for … Continue reading »
I have a chalkboard affliction. Mason jars are an illness as well, but that’s a discussion for another day. I did a recent tally and found nearly a dozen chalkboard surfaces in the space of four rooms. Honestly, I am most certainly married to the most tolerant man on the planet. There’s this one, near … Continue reading »
The eight year old and I were recently near-death with the flu, and we spent the better part of ten hours splayed out on opposite ends of the same couch without the will to live. Our century-plus old house has a nifty chimney, but it’s now too risky to burn a wood fire in the … Continue reading »
After resolutely avoiding trendy newfangled things like Facebook for years, I finally plunged (after being repeatedly chastised by my far trendier sister) and plunged hard, quickly accosting my employer nearly five years ago to hop on the social media bandwagon. Since then, I’ve learned my lesson. If I was an early advocate of those newfangled … Continue reading »
I’m sitting next to the eight year old on the couch. Her toes are tucked up under me, because it is December and she is wearing a wisp of a summer gown that is about two seasons too small. She has been working on a drawing of me most of the day, and I don’t … Continue reading »
Another new post on Arkansas Women Bloggers today re: incorporating wassail into your holiday traditions! Let me know what you think: read it here. If you have a chance, check out my cousin Kimberly’s great post about the history of frankincense (well worth the read) as well as the post from earlier this week on … Continue reading »
In late 2010, I made one of my typically insane, random phone calls to the gals of Arkansas Women Bloggers: Fawn, Julie and Stephanie. They welcomed me with open arms and I’m now fortunate to have joined them as one of four founding editors of the site. Since then, we’ve hosted the first AWB Unplugged … Continue reading »
When the cool-as-cucumbers mamasitas over at nwaMotherlode allowed me the opportunity to contribute a regular green column, I was chomping at the bit… mostly because I knew their devoted following of northwest Arkansas moms are a lot like me. You know: full of exceptional intentions, determined to be the best mom on the block, and … Continue reading »
As the holiday season arrives, I push myself every year to slow down a bit and do a better job of not being caught up in the fray. It’s a struggle – as a mom, wife, downtown resident and employee I want to do it all and do it all well. That doesn’t mean sheer … Continue reading »
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to visit Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art with two of the art world’s most astute and unbiased critics: my eight year old daughter Sophie and her eight year old cousin Jayson. I intentionally skipped all the grand opening hoopla to have the chance to visit the museum with family … Continue reading »
The thing about dads is that the good ones are silent, steady and striking in their parenting. Their tactics sort of sneak up on you. I, for example, am a rather predictable mom. And, my mom was also fairly predictable in her expectations of me (although by no means ordinary or predictable overall, as you … Continue reading »
Hopefully, you’re already familiar with the fantastic mamasitas over at nwaMotherlode (www.nwamotherlode.com). If not, may I enthusiastically suggest you subscribe to receive their emails (or keep up via RSS)? They do a wonderful job from deals to devotionals, and are the best to be found at keeping northwest Arkansas moms informed and inspired. I was … Continue reading »
Please read on below. This month, I’ve been honoring my Mom and posting a series of (Foodie) Life Lessons from Mom over at The Food Adventuress. Honestly, if you like much of what I post here at Little Magpie, I think it will be right up your alley. And either way, you should call your … Continue reading »
Yippee! If you’re reading this, it is October 14, 2011 and I am officially checked out in preparation for our Coastal Bike Trip. It’s been a busy twentieth anniversary month for the Ozark Natural Science Center, and I’m excited about taking off on vacation and returning refreshed and reinvigorated. As a self-indulging aside, this will … Continue reading »
Hey there, friends! Throughout the month of October, my links will send you here as a quick landing spot and tribute to my Mom, and then you can read the current post at: http://www.thefoodadventuress.blogspot.com. Thanks for reading! Today is October 12 – it’s my Mom’s birthday. She hails from Mena, Arkansas – and it stuck … Continue reading »
