When I was growing up, my grandmother owned some property in a small town in Tennessee, and my family went there often for weekend getaways. There were almost 100 acres of woods surrounding a narrow valley, and on the edge of the valley my grandparents, along with my dad and his brother when they were … More Beef and vegetable soup
When I was young, all I knew of cranberry sauce was that it was slightly jiggly, shaped like a can, and could be cut with a butterknife into jelly-like slices. We had it once a year, on Thanksgiving at my Mammaw’s house, where it sat, untouched, beside the asparagus casserole on my styrofoam plate. I … More Cranberry Sauce
Since Wednesday morning, when most of the world woke up to the shocking news that Donald Trump had secured the highest office in the nation, I’ve been reading and hearing cute little phrases like “It’s time to lay aside our differences,” “No matter if your candidate won or lost, we must respect the office and … More No, Actually it’s Not Time to Stand Together Behind Donald Trump
Last week, the kids and I took one of those Buzzfeed quizzes to find out which Hogwarts house we’d be in if we lived in Harry Potter World. Contrary to my prediction, Noah did not end up in Slytherin, but in Ravenclaw. Well, ok, he is really smart, I’ll concede. Violet was a Gryffindor. I … More On Bravery
I wrote this a couple of months ago, and I’ve had really good days for quite awhile. It was therapeutic to write it and I didn’t feel like I needed to post it, because it was just for me. But yesterday I started feeling this bullshit again, and it hasn’t gone away yet today. I … More Well, Depression
The first time I had lunch with my friend Caroline, she said “I’m only friends with people who are beautiful, talented, or smart.” I left that lunch feeling more than a little intimidated, but (to my surprise) we became friends! It was good for my ego. She explained to me later that we all operate … More Caroline and the City
I have been feeling lonely this summer and yes, a little sorry for myself. I tend to retreat so that I can feel even more sorry for myself when that happens. I know it’s not healthy. Whenever I feel myself turning inward I try to do something to break out of the cycle. While I’ve … More Concerning Friendship
I think of you every day, every single day. So much reminds me of you; you’re in my little things and my big ones, too. Almost every memory I have is tainted by you; those that aren’t make me think of you simply because I want to share them with you. Your voice is in … More Dear One
I asked Noah what he wanted for dinner this week, and he predictably said “spaghetti and meatballs.” Which we had last week. And the week before. And for leftovers. I was like “DUDE. NO. There are more foods in the world than spaghetti and meatballs. Pick something else.” So then he was all like “Ok, how … More Weekly Menu – Yup I’m Still Here Edition
I have the hugest hands in the world. Seriously, they’re Man Hands, like that episode of Seinfeld. It’s rarely a problem, except when I go bowling, which is never. I hate bowling because it’s a sort of sport that people do involving crappy beer and mediocre music and me walking in front of people with big slippery clown … More Big is Beautiful and Bowling is Boring
hardly exaggerating at all 