I ventured into the world of book (and blog) writing to fulfill a promise to my beloved mother-in-law. Sue's bright light was extinguished on December 2, 2010, after a valiant 13-year battle with breast cancer... just five month's after her first grandchild (my daughter) was born. Now as a mother, entrepreneur, friend, sister, daughter, wife, and torch-bearer of a legacy, I paddle my boat, one wave at a time, toward that promise to her—and now to myself. In death as in life, Sue continues to motivate and inspire me. Follow me, and I'll do my best to pass the inspiration along. To life!
It’s my birthday, and I’ll do what I want to. Therefore, I’d like to personally recognize a few special moments I hold in my heart, all of which are far greater than any gift I could receive today or tomorrow. These are a few of my favorite things—36 for my 36 years. What would yours … More These Are a Few of My Favorite Things
Does your Christmas morning devolve into a flurry of wrapping paper with gifts tossed into a heap? Do you leave family gatherings with no idea of who gave anyone what? I have a theory: We open gifts too fast to enjoy them! In our race to get each other more more MORE, we appreciate everything less less … More Delayed Gratification
Top off the perfect gift with the perfect gift tag — something that doesn’t just say “To” and “From,” but recognizes those things that make your recipient so gift-worthy. You can make a game out of it, too …
Struggling with something you wanted to do this year or would like to achieve in the next? Why not make it a holiday present to yourself to get it done? In the words of Nike, “Just do it.” Or to continue my philosophy from stop-motion holiday classics: Put one foot in front of the other.
The holidays can get confusing if your birthday (or the birthday of someone you love) falls in the middle of them. I consider myself somewhat of an expert on this, since I’ve had a Christmas Eve birthday for, oh, 30 odd years or so. People with a holiday birthdays grow up with a love-hate relationship with … More Holiday Birthdays
No, not a table of contents for a book or even this blog. A table of contents for you and your life. Last weekend I attended a creative writing workshop by Janie Miller, and that was one of the exercises:
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s worth bringing up again, especially during this time of giving. Have you ever considered donating to Locks of Love? It’s a non-profit that gathers hair donations to make wigs for kids who don’t have their own, due to illness (commonly cancer). I recently donated for my second time. … More Locks of Love
I recently posted a “Top 3” about blogs for moms, and my friend Christa (talented author of the Lexy Cooper Videogame Mysteries, I might add) asked me to feature my Top 3 kids’ apps. The category is rather broad (from age to interest), so I’ve narrowed it down to my picks for traveling with a toddler. I … More Top 3: Apps for Traveling Tots
Ah, the present treasure hunt. Brings back fond memories of me and my sister, scribbling notes to each other with scented gel pens, racing around the house in paper crowns. All you need is a pen, bits of paper, a gift, and a little imagination. (It’s particularly handy if you have a gift too big … More Present Treasure Hunt
Two years ago a lot of people lost their rock, friend, confidant, and biggest cheerleader. One of those people was Mae. Sue and Mae were best friends for more than 40 years. Mae wrote a piece about her friendship with Sue, and it gives me comfort to post it on this two-year anniversary. Mae was … More Best Friends
My Castle Heart Publications 