Family

Hacking Thanksgiving

Preparing Thanksgiving dinner never gets easier. I always start with lofty culinary goals based on recipes from “The Pioneer Woman” that include truffles and capers but end up scraping scorched gravy into a dish and hoping the turkey won’t give anyone food poisoning. Because of my poor cooking skills, I’m always looking for Thanksgiving hacksContinue reading “Hacking Thanksgiving”

Christmas Unwrapped

It was the Christmas season as I wandered the aisles at Gibson’s Discount Center with a $5 bill crumpled in my pocket. It was 1975 and parents didn’t care if their 7-year-old wandered alone through a store. I’d earned money to buy my parents Christmas gifts and I had to find the perfect presents. IContinue reading “Christmas Unwrapped”

Tomorrow is Another Day in Quarantine

As soon as COVID-19 hovered in the air we breathe, I went into full-on “Gone With the Wind” Scarlett O’Hara mode, ripping up bedsheets to make toilet paper and stockpiling moonshine for antiseptic. Of course, Scarlett was useless in an emergency. For the majority of the Civil War, she whined and married rich men. I’mContinue reading “Tomorrow is Another Day in Quarantine”

Children Without Borders

I just learned that when I was a child, my parents were criminals. That’s a lot to take in when you thought your mom and dad were law-abiding citizens—more or less. I had no idea my parents hid a dark side until I heard that parents in Maryland were charged with neglect for letting theirContinue reading “Children Without Borders”

Happy Mother’s Day

It’s been five months since cancer took my mom. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of her and thank her for the opportunity I had to be her daughter. My mom could be. . . how do I put it. . .stubborn. But she taught me how to love being a mom, andContinue reading “Happy Mother’s Day”

Things Driving Me Crazy Today

I can usually get through the week without experiencing too much mental trauma. But for some reason, this week has pushed me over the edge of psychological stability. Too many meetings? Not enough sugar? Who knows, but EVERYTHING this week makes my teeth grind. Here are the top culprits today: The pointy sponge on myContinue reading “Things Driving Me Crazy Today”

Pardon My French

If you heard vast amounts of cursing coming from the west side of the valley for the last few days, that would be me. You see, I’ve been trying to get this &#&%ing blog set up and if it weren’t for chocolate chip cookies and Southpark episodes, my computer would have been crushed under my garageContinue reading “Pardon My French”