grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Dear February,

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Dear February

Dear February,

When I think of you, I remember Valentine’s Day parties with classmates and cards with silly sayings and lots of homemade sugary treats.

I think of heart-shaped boxes—the (now considered) vintage ones covered in lace and satin—boxes that were typically more exciting than the candies inside. I poked my finger into the bottom of each chocolate piece until I found one filled with caramel or nougat or the rare smooth milk chocolate one. Over time I came to realize oval-shaped chocolates were to be avoided at all cost. Oval chocolates were always filled with orange cream and butter fudge and other “old people” flavors.

Flavors that taste good to me now.Continue Reading

Comfort Books

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Comfort books

Do you have a stack of comfort books? Books you return to time and again, especially in the winter months when your body only wants to crawl beneath a cozy quilt and read, read, read? Or it that just me?

I call these my macaroni and cheese books, rich and satisfying to the soul, and as comfortable as an old pair of jeans. I can easily slip into the pages and lose hours. Much like comfort foods, comfort books satisfy some deep craving. The good news? Books are fat free (unless you snack on chips while reading). In fact, you’ll burn calories while reading. I know because my Fitbit tells me.Continue Reading

Dear January,

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Dear January,

Dear January,

After the explosion of holiday glitter and year-end festivities, you provide a place of calm and quiet. We humans love to mark everything in stretches of time, and for those of us fortunate enough to see another new year, January provides a fresh start.  A new year. A chance to do things better during the next trip around the sun. I hope to build on the positive and leave behind the negative.

Painted in silver and white and shades of winter, January, I welcome the honesty you bring, your landscape real and raw. Continue Reading

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!