Life Out Loud

Live and learn

If my kids complain about homework — “We aren’t ever going to need to know this in real life!” — I have three words for them: Dewey Decimal System. I remember standing at the card catalog, sweaty palm clasping the nub of a golf pencil and a piece of scrap paper that still smelled faintly [...]

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In with the new, out with the old

I don’t generally pen “how to” columns. “How to be a dork like me” is not a life lesson that is much in demand, generally speaking. Then one day I realized I was living a lie. I maintain a fresh and clean home and pose as if I am a very tidy person. Actually, we [...]

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Storm warning

I don’t think there has ever been a doubt I don’t have the ability to take care of myself, but now it’s official: in case of emergency I will die. During the last big storm/possible power outage scare, I finally felt a responsible adult would probably figure out what it is everyone stocks up on [...]

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New magic new year

By the time you read this the holidays, in all their glory, should be far enough behind that you can reflect on them. As you look back on the past six weeks or so, I have this to ask: Was it worth it? If your days were full of family and fun did you give [...]

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In a sense, our world ended Dec. 14

If you can read this then I’m presuming the world didn’t end on Dec. 21 and I didn’t waste my time paying the cable bill in advance. I’m hoping we all had a blessed and lovely Christmas or appropriate holiday of your choosing. Me, I love the entire season of Thanksgiving through Christmas. I’m sorry [...]

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Bad Friday

We had a particularly bad Friday morning here. A book bag was dropped, lunch was forgot, and by the time we reached the school all three of us were at each other’s throats full of bickering and blame for how the morning had spun so out of control. Taking a deep breath, I wished them [...]

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Elves gone wild

Sometimes I’m just glad my kids are old enough that I can still fake being an adequate parent with a minimum of effort. At 13 and 15 they are still willing participants in the magic of Christmas gifting, albeit with a wink and a nod. To bring about Christmas magic I need only bake the [...]

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Renovation amnesia

When we saw this Grande Dame of a house it was love at first sight. Three stories, original woodwork, pocket doors, soaring ceilings, a front and back staircase! Such charm! I knew what I was getting into in that way that mountain climbers think “oh this hike will be fun and we should be home [...]

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I’m making that list

The official season of giving of gifts is upon us. This is embraced by the people who are gifted at giving. Their gifts are always creative, thoughtful and perfectly tailored to meet the needs of the recipient. I am not those people. I am the person who causes those people crushing disappointment when their lovingly [...]

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Hitting the wall

If more home renovation products were catered I think things would go much more smoothly. Why is it that in the pursuit of better living — or at least working plumbing — we first have to live in squalor? In the past week we have been tearing up our bathroom (and everything even remotely connected [...]

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Peeling the layers of hearts, horror and remodeling

When it became apparent that we had no choice but to renovate the bathroom in our 108-year-old house, I had the same sensation you get when any idiot in a horror movie hears a strange noise and decides that the best course of action would be to “go investigate.” My entire being was screaming “No! [...]

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Halloween boo (hoo)

This Halloween was the first in 15 Halloweens that I had no little ones to force into a ridiculous costume and cart around town. The fact that it is 40 degrees and raining seems a special gift to make me feel a whole lot better about missing out this year. Still, it’s difficult for me [...]

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Counting blessings and counting candles

“How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were?” – Satchel Page It’s an interesting question and one I know the answer to instantly. I would be 28. 28. Twenty-eight was a very busy, very wonderful year. Sure we were close to broke (that’s always cuter in hindsight than it is [...]

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Hoarder on wheels

“You know those people who get lost in the mountains and have to live on ice for three days? That will never be you, you have a buffet in the back of your car.” This came from a friend after she was unwittingly exposed to the interior of my vehicle. I’m not offended because she’s [...]

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She’s come undone

It has come to my attention after 16 years in residence in this particular old house, I can no longer refer to any project we undertook in the pursuit of making our home habitable (and they are many) as “done.” Old I am shocked at the rapid decay of our upstairs bath, namely because we [...]

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Parenting imperfect people

Every once in a very great while I receive the kind of mail that says something along the lines of “Your family is so perfect.” First I read through all the way to the end to see what kind of scam the sender is peddling. If you claim to regularly read my column and what [...]

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In sickness and health

There is a common misconception that women are stalwart in sickness while men take to bed with even a minor case of the sniffles. That may be true in the lives of others but around here I fully admit I am the big crybaby and Mr. Wonderful is the hardy, rugged type. Before we met, [...]

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Tech talk and Siri

I would like to thank modern technology for that awkward moment when I was conducting very important business and Brick House piped out of my purse, courtesy of Siri, the voice activated assistant firing up the music on my iPhone without permission. The next song on my playlist was She’s so Mean which, considering my [...]

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Putting on your game face

Our son is a brand new freshman soccer player and, as a result, I suspect the entire team feels like they are being hounded by the paparazzi. I take roughly 300-400 photos per game. They play up to three games per week. Of those, roughly 10 percent will actually make the cut. With those averages [...]

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Call me. Maybe.

I don’t know when our home phone got demoted, but it did. It used to be the ringing of the home phone was like the bell to Pavlov’s dog. We would jump to attention. Who might it be? Is it family? Friend? Nowadays we know who it is: The National Rifle Association, political call, or [...]

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