Dana Burland

I've already forgotten the half hour sifting through gear in the basement closet, then looking for the right bag for it all, having "helpers" undo all the packing, making everyone sandwiches for lunch they would later reject for ski lodge chicken tenders and $273784 hot chocolate, being called to help with getting dressed while trying to get myself dressed--and the pièce de résistance--reminding boys they were in charge of packing themselves toys for the car because "we have a long drive to the ski slope" just to get 15 minutes away from home and hear "Mama, did you remember to pack our toys?" Nope, I've forgotten it all already. Instead I'll remember a 4-year-old attempting to thumbs up in silly big mittens while we rode the magic carpet up the bunny hill, watching my brother patiently coach my son in ski lessons then hearing my son say "Uncle E is a great ski coach", all of us going down the bunny hill together and celebrating our s...

Welcome, winter. We seemed to have gotten it all in two days. This is the deep West Michigan snow that piles up past your knees, puts you in a meal/shovel/meal/shovel pattern for days on end, the kind that keeps a heated blanket on for hours. There’s a lot of cozy, lounging, lack of motivation, hibernation vibes going on over here. I found myself inspired to cook up something new anyway. Soup! I wanted warmth without being gut-bombingly heavy. I needed to use what I had on hand because, well, we couldn’t get a car out of the driveway for a good while. I found a recipe online to inspire me and then switched it up from there. I’ll be happily eating this on repeat. And repeating another activity along with it. Soup, shovel, soup, shovel. Lentil & Farro Spiced Winter Soup Inspired from Life is But A Dish   Ingredients 2 T Olive oil 1 small onion chopped 1 cup chopped carrot 5 cups chicken broth ½ cup farro ½ cup green lentils 1 teaspoon turmeric ½ teaspoon cumin ...