grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

  • Home
  • Bio
  • Backyard Phenology
  • Publishing
  • SHOP!
  • Garden
  • Reading & Books
  • Sunday Letter

2014: Top Ten Blog Posts

December 30, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

As we approach the end of 2014—wha?—I’m looking back and recapping my top ten blog posts from the past twelve months. I did this last year too. You can see top posts from 2013 HERE.

While these posts are considered top ten based on page views, they may not necessarily be your favorites. Or mine. But I will say, these top ten blog posts make me believe people love to eat while cheering for the underdog. And apparently someone out there must enjoy decorating for fall. Or porches. Or both.

And by the way, if you make it to the end of this post, I have included a few of my favorites that apparently flew beneath the blog statistic radar. It happens.

No. 10

Spicy Baked Okra

“a more slender version of fried”

Spicy Baked Okra

 No. 9

Ashlie Wilson – Meth Recovery Update

“proof that change is possible”

Ashlie Wilson Meth Recovery

No. 8

Wilson Cafe

“for a moment I forgot I was home in the Delta”

Wilson Cafe, Wilson Ar

No. 7

Milky Way Cake

“the importance of handing down recipes”

Milky Way Cake

No. 6

Grilled Basil Burger

“Italian inspired with sun-dried tomatoes, red wine and Fontina cheese”

Grilled Basil Burger

No. 5

My Fall Porch Decor

“most anything rustic, scary or harvest related will work”

Fall Porch Decor

No. 4

7 Life Lessons from Charlie Brown

“some girls do indeed talk too much”

Life Lessons from Charlie Brown

No. 3

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings

“sure to be a crowd pleaser at your Super Bowl party”

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings

No. 2

Meth in Arkansas 

“the problem is real and impossible to ignore”

Meth in Arkansas

No. 1

Glazed Salmon with Spinach Salad

“your guests will think you slaved over this meal”

Glazed Salmon

And now a sampling of my personal favorites that you may have missed. In no particular order…

No. 1 

I May Never Get My Book Published, But I Can Grown the Perfect Onion

“THAT onion came from our garden?”

Perfect onion

No. 2

A Voice

“it was the only voice that could save me”

The Voice

No. 3

What Every College Freshman Needs to Know

“you are not a rock star”

what every college freshman needs to know

No. 4

Thrill Hill

“do it again, Uncle Woody!”

Thrill Hill in the Delta

No. 5

Things We Find, Things We Keep

“a landslide of memories”

Things We Find, Things We Keep

To those who read and comment and share and pin and tweet and encourage me to keep blogging, THANK YOU.

Do you have a personal favorite?

[tweetthis]Recipes and Meth. Top posts for 2014. #HappyNewYear![/tweetthis]

Happy New Year!

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language
And next year’s words await another voice.”
― T.S. Eliot

on the Fifth Day of Christmas…six movies, one little word

December 29, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

Fifth Day of Christmas

On the Fifth Day of Christmas, the sunrise is glorious, and I’m happy to be on the tail-end of the crud. During this last week of 2014, I’ve done nothing but watch movies and guzzle cough medicine. The good stuff with codeine. John’s been supportive of my movie-watching even though he’s officially on vacation and probably had more exciting things in mind.

So far we’ve seen Nebraska, Divergent, American Hustle, 12 Years a Slave, The Words, and The Book Thief. Probably more even.

Obviously, I haven’t been writing. But, I’ve been thinking about writing. And I’ve been thinking about my One Little Word for 2015.

Are you familiar with the One Little Word project?

Bottom line: find One Little Word for the upcoming year—a word with heartfelt significance—and use that word to help push you toward desires and goals both personally and professionally. Sound cheesy? I think it has merit. (Learn more about it HERE from my friend Jacqueline Wolven.)

I’ve never had a word before. But I’ve followed along as several of my friends have selected words that subsequently shaped their years. Words like Focus. Fearless. Dream. Thrive. Journey.

One little word can have a huge impact.

I do believe in the power of positive thinking. Small gestures. Good deeds. One little word.

I’ve narrowed my word choice down, and now I’m toying with three. Stay tuned.

Do you have a word for 2015?

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

[tweetthis url=”http://wp.me/p58902-1f1″]One Little Word can have a huge impact. What will your word be for 2015? [/tweetthis]

Musical Pairing:

Natasha Bedingfield, Unwritten

Dear Santa – My Christmas Wish List

December 23, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

dear santa - my christmas list

I’ve been thinking about my Christmas wish list. A list with a bit less. A list with a bit more.

Moving from Dallas to Fayetteville put me in touch (literally) with every single item we have collected through the years. Every juice glass and dinner plate I carefully packed in wrapping paper. Every dirty garden tool—many duplicates because you can’t have too many garden tools. Every book—those memorized and those waiting to be read—every candle stub and picture frame. Every Dallas Mavericks t-shirt. Every.Single.Thing.

So.

This year’s list is different. I’m still too close to the move to get excited about anything new, other than the fence going up in my backyard. Plus, I need nothing.

I want less.

Less hustle and bustle.

Less stress over selecting the perfect gifts.

Less glitter and glitz and jingle all the way.

Less casseroles on the Christmas buffet.

Less.Less.Less.

Yet I wish for more.

More peace and quiet and relief for those struggling to survive each day. More time with family and friends and people who make me laugh until my sides hurt. More flickering candlelight and fireside chats. More silent nights spent wrapped in a good book, warmed by faithful dogs curled at my feet.

On a cold December morning, I want to walk through the woods and enjoy the raw, silver beauty of winter.

I want to watch for Santa’s sleigh among stars that went dark long ago.

This Christmas, I want to hear heaven and nature sing.

Let Heaven and Nature Sing

morgueFile

 

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

[tweetthis]This Christmas, I want to hear heaven and nature sing. #Less #More[/tweetthis]

Musical Pairing:

Pentatonix – White Winter Hymnal

 

« Previous Page
Next Page »


Hi! I'm Talya Tate Boerner. Writer, Reader, Arkansas Master Naturalist / Master Gardener, Author of

THE ACCIDENTAL SALVATION OF GRACIE LEE (2016)

GENE, EVERYWHERE: a life-changing visit from my father-in-law (2020)

BERNICE RUNS AWAY (2022)

THE THIRD ACT OF THEO GRUENE (coming 2025)

Recent Ramblings:

  • Sunday Letter~ 05.17.26
  • Sunday Letter: 03.29.26
  • Sunday Letter: February 22, 2026
  • Our Garden Mission Statement
  • Goodbye, 2025. Hello, 2026.

Novels:

Coloring Books:

Fiction-Themed Coloring Books

Backyard Phenology:

Children’s Nature Book:

Never miss a blog post! Subscribe via email:

Looking for something?

Categories

All the Things!

A to Z April Blog Challenge Autumn BAT Book Reviews childhood Christmas creative writing prompt Dallas Desserts Fall Fayetteville Food Gracie Lee Halloween Hemingway-Pfeiffer holiday recipes home humor Johnson Family Keiser Lake Norfork Lucy and Annabelle Mississippi County Mississippi Delta Monarch butterflies Munger Place Nana nature Northeast Arkansas Northwest Arkansas Osceola poem Reading Schnauzer simple living simple things spring spring gardening Summer Talya Tate Boerner novel Thanksgiving The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee Thomas Tate Winter Wordless Wednesday

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!

All content and photos Copyright Grace, Grits and Gardening © 2026 · Web Hosting By StrataByte