I speak in front of people every weekday. Granted, it’s mostly 20-30 teenagers (some would say that’s hard enough), but I do speak in front of people. I’ve also spoken in front of groups of 50, 300, and — in one nerve-wracking moment — several thousand people as a faculty speaker at a graduation. One…
Kids often collect more candy than is good for them during the Halloween season. Rather than having your kids — or you — gorge on the candy, and rather than throwing it away because it’s just too much, consider these other good uses for Halloween sweets. Donate it. You can donate unopened candy to troops,…
My husband and kids love a good glazed, spiral-sliced ham to celebrate Easter or Christmas, but my husband is not a fan of the traditional ham and bean soup that is often made from the leftover ham bone. Last year, after I placed our Christmas ham bone in the freezer, I was determined to find…
Many years ago, a college friend and I were walking just a few blocks off campus when a teenage boy stepped onto his front porch and started loudly proclaiming how “hot” we were. As we hurried away down the sidewalk, he went on to describe all the unmentionable things he wanted to do to us….
When I was a kid, I heard stories about “Tupperware Parties,” where people would gather together and experience the joy that is Tupperware, all while cooking and doing other stuff. As a boy, I didn’t know much about them, since these parties were predominantly hosted and attended by women. I also remember my mom talking, with…
Autumn is on our doorsteps, and so I present this recipe for Pumpkin Bread. It’s a favorite in my house, whether my family wants a snack or something to tuck into a lunchbox. I am not a big fan of traditional pumpkin pie. It’s slimy. But this pumpkin bread? It’s totally good. It encompasses what…
Fall is here, which means apple-picking season is upon us. Everything about fall makes me feel sentimental and poetic, and I especially love taking my kids to one of our many local orchards where we ride a wagon out to the fields, roam through corn mazes, maybe pet some farm animals, and of course pick…
I start nearly every morning with a cup of tea. It’s mostly herbal, so I don’t have a caffeine addiction. I just like tea. I value the centering, calming effect it has on my early mornings. Also, if I make it at home rather than buying it at a local drive-through, it’s very inexpensive. My…
Fall is synonymous with apples. But, you can easily pick more apples than you know what to do with during a brief outing to a local orchard. You can make classic desserts like apple pie or apple crisp, but one of my favorite things to do with fresh apples in the fall is to make…
When I published my first novel back in 2016, I had more than a few people tell me that they wished they could write a book. Many of them said they had ideas in their heads but could never make a book out of them. This story plays out to other authors every day; author…
