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Oh, Nellie. Operation Bonnet is Nellie’s story, and it’s a doozy. Nellie, an academic smarty pants with rough social skills, desperately wants to become a private investigator. Her small town in Ohio, however, is too sleepy for any case worth its salt. So when her first break comes from an ex-Amish guy who needs some …
The title of this book has made many a man squirm in my presence over the years. I’m not sure why. I think of stretch marks as completely benign, a part of life. Like freckles. Or hangnails. Or a dilated cervix. OK, maybe not the cervix. Stretch Marks is a modern love story about a …
Let’s be honest: when you write a novel about a Christian lingerie pyramid scheme, you should expect some pushback. After all, those poor publishers! They’d just found out Christians had sex, and now this! Cute clothes to wear and that even ENCOURAGE the having of the sex! Do you see why it’s always been touch-and-go between …
Hi, all. And by “all,” I mean Mom. Thanks for sticking with me, Mom. And for the lovely scented candle for Christmas. You’re the best. I’ve been away, doing all sorts of things, like laundry, and never-ending dishwashing, and parenting, and spousing, and writing a novel that I buried under a tree in the backyard, …
Hello, dear people. Despite all those Internet rumors, I didn’t die. Wait–that rumor was about Johnny Depp. He isn’t dead either, though he is against showing his teeth in photographs. I, however, am not! Listen, I’ve missed you people. I’m sorry for my long absence, but I have found I cannot multi-task. That’s not true: …
Have you people heard about this woman? Her name is Diana Nyad. I first knew of her after I read a fascinating article about her in The New York Times a couple years back. Miss Diana is now 64 years old, and this week, after 35 years of pursuit, she swam from Havana, Cuba, to …
A few weeks ago, Judith Warner wrote this fascinating article for the New York Times magazine. The gist: Moms who, a decade or so ago, jumped off the corporate ladder to stay home with their children now want back into the work force. The piece was interesting and provocative and well worth a read. Warner’s …
Will the big invisible finger pushing the fast-forward button of our lives please step off? I’m serious. I’m getting irritable. When did this happen? Is anyone else hearing me on this? Four days ago, we brought Ana home from the hospital and Marc stood in her nursery in the wee hours, listening to her weep …
We’re careening around the bend to summer’s finale and I really don’t want to think about that. So I’m going to write about something even more alarming: Working Out. If you have been following this blog for any length of time or if you have run into me EVER, you know I am aging. I …
We are recovering from a bit of nasty over here. All three kids came down with some version of, as Thea calls it, “the pukes.” As in (to her terrified VBS volunteer): “I wish I would have been here yesterday when you had popcorn for a snack. But I couldn’t because I had THE PUKES.” …
Can we get an amen and huzzah and nice-bloody-work for this woman? Photo Credits Not only did Kate Middleton-come-Duchess-of-Cambridge become pregnant while the whole world speculated on her ovarian activity, and then carry that pregnancy past her due date while the whole world stalked her, she then birthed the child and had to appear on …
Remember pop music? Yeah, neither do I. But I did watch the Grammy Awards show this year, which made me FEEL like I know pop music. I didn’t exactly recognize 98% of the artists sitting in the crowd in their astonishing fashion choices. I looked for some fashion highlights to post here, but most of …
Anybody else putting on the miles in the minivan this summer? Listen, I didn’t ASPIRE to own a minivan. I didn’t exactly aspire to own any particular vehicle, as cars are not at the top of my Most Interesting Things List. I very much appreciate a car that runs well, has a functioning radio, cools …
Happy Fourth! What a great holiday. No need to shop, unless you include going to the store for brats and the fixings for a root beer float. No pressure on making the best dessert or the loveliest centerpiece. Heck, you don’t even need to shower if you don’t want to. Just jump in a pool, …
Last weekend we traveled north to attend the best birthday party ever. It was for Hannah. I, for one, am so glad I get to write this story instead of speak it as I can’t seem to talk about Hannah without going into the snort-cry. We are long-time friends of Hannah’s parents, Sandi and Dave. …
1. I don’t know how you do it. Really. I suspect you rely heavily on caffeine, liquor, and/or steroids, but perhaps I’m projecting here with what kind of medicinal support _I_ would need. Photo credits 2. Your kids might not say it every day or even once a year, but you’re doing right by loving …
And so it begins! Summer va-cay, people! Lemonade, sunshine, sunburns, aloe treatments, sibling bickering, heatstroke…whoops. Sorry. Nobody likes a realist. So let’s pretend instead, shall we? Let’s pretend that you are actually going to have hours and hours to devote to your favorite hobbies. Basket weaving, macrame, gnome whittling. Photo credits And, for those of …
Oh, summer. I am so happy it’s here. Just when I thought I would lose my ever-lovin’ mind, summer arrived. And I am grateful. But let’s just be honest this year, Kim. (Danger! Danger! when I start speaking in the third person!) Summer is full of false promises in the area of fashion. I love …
Tornadoes hold no glamour for me. Photo credit I hated the movie Twister (and only partly because the lame-o script made me whimper). I’ve had to talk each of my children down from the ledge during tornado warnings. And yellow skies and temperature drops will always make me nervous. I come by this aversion genetically. When …
We went to the library today, the kids and I. Do one’s library habits reveal deep and dangerous things about one’s personality? Say no. Because if my library patronage says anything about me, it’s that I love paying late fees, particularly if there is a DVD involved. I live less than a mile from our …
And the winner of the very cute 31 Bits bracelet that I have been tempted to steal is….. Joanne Schneider Ripple! Congrats to Miss Joanne, and may she wear her new bracelet with joy and only a little bit of guilt that she didn’t just let me keep it. I am happy for Joanne. It’s …
When you were a little kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? Firefighter? Mail girl? Astrophysicist? I wanted to be a singer, but I couldn’t say the word very well, so I would say I wanted to be a “seener.” And I would wear pink turtlenecks and sing along to records, …
Yesterday morning, when only fourteen people in the Midwestern time zone were awake, I arrived at the studios of Life 107.1 to substitute on the morning show. I had a blast. And I kept things clean, not one smoke break in sight. Photo credit. I tried looking professional with the big-honker headphones, but I’m pretty …
Listen, I tried to be Wonder Blogger Girl. I really did. For awhile there, I was posting three (THREE!) times a week, which easily shattered any previous record ever set here. And I enjoyed it because I like you people and I like hearing from you. Turns out, however, thrice weekly was too much. I’m …