In Lieu of Flowers

It's Memorial Day here in the U.S. We went to the cemetery. It's a family tradition that we've never been able to celebrate beca...

The List Revisited

It's still technically today. Phew. I still have time to fulfill my obligation of posting a follow-up about my BIG DREAMS post  from yes...

The List

I came across this list in one of my old journals. I wrote it almost ten years ago. The title is: BIG DREAMS. Date: January 2nd, 2001 Live i...

I Recommend: Swing Otto Swing

Swing Otto Swing is the epitomy of Ready-to-Read books. David Milgrim uses the spirit and simplicity of classic  See Spot Run early reader...

Verse Novel Challenge: Far From You

She did it again. I picked up This book And could not Put it down Until I was done. Started at 9p.m. Ended at 10:30p.m. That's Far From ...

The Gift

I didn't feel like walking to gymnastics. I felt like staying in the car. But the rain had stopped, so I didn't have an excuse. I pu...

WIP Wednesday: Doubt

Guys, I'll admit something. I'm in a funk and I'm not even querying! Yeah, I'm still working hard, hammering out edits to th...

A Story A Week: Rattler

The valley lay in a patchwork of golds and greens backed by tawny hills. She traced the meandering river, mirroring the sky, bright blue, on...

FitG Update: City of Bones

I finished City of Bones by Cassandra Clare a couple weeks ago. Overall, it was a fun read. You can read my full review over at The Fill in ...

Wanna Vote?

There's a little contest going on over at Kate Testerman's blog. Click here to check it out. It involves voting. Now, I'm not ...

WiP Wednesday: Critique

This has been an incredibly weird week. A week with eyes and teeth and lots of green snot. But then it grins, and it's kind of cute. Eve...

A Story A Week: Joyously

She despised the way he made cookies, baking them until the edges were a dark, crinkly brown. And he left his mess in the kitchen Without Fa...

Sugar Dolls and Sunshine

Blog awards! Reading this post will almost be as good as watching the Oscars on TV. Maybe better. First, the Sugar Doll, from the fantastic ...

Flipped, Not Flopped

I love it when expectations get turned upside down. Everything you expected is absent. Still, JOY is there. How is that possible? Yesterday ...

A Few Reasons to Snore

Yes, Friday. It's really, truly Friday. I'm sorry for my sporadic blogging. (Friends often tell me I apologize too much.) I know I h...

Did You Ever Wonder?

Did you ever wonder? I do. Did you ever wonder why the sun always rises, But the stars never fall? Why dry land is never satisfied by water,...

WIP Wednesday: Another DUH moment

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm in the home stretch of editing my WiP. I'm at 61,000 words (yes, this one's longer!) with probably...

The Look

I'm in the last quarter of my second draft of the WiP. It's going well most of the time, but I'm realizing something. I care WAY...

A Story A Week: Peter & Paul

Two little dicky birds sat upon a wall, One called Peter and one called Paul. Fly away Peter, fly away Paul; Come back Peter, Come back Paul...

Happy Birthday, Anna!

Yesterday was my sweet Anna's fourth birthday. We celebrated at Chuck E. Cheese with the aunt and uncle, paternal grandparents, and cous...

Verse Novel Challenge: I Heart You, You Haunt Me

I'm participating in Caroline Starr Rose's  Verse Novels challenge , which means that I have to read five verse novels by the end of...

Casting The Gods Adrift

Guest Blogger: Olivia Sonnichsen Eight-year-old Olivia is an avid reader. She enjoys any kind of chapter book she can get her hands on. Her ...

I Recommend: The Baby in the Hat

The Baby in the Hat by Allen Ahlberg is one of those picture books you and your kids (if you have them) will fall in love with. Set in colo...

WIP Wednesday: Plugging Away

I've made some progress this week. I'm about half-way through my second draft of the WiP -- up to the 32,000-word mark. I know there...

Challenge Me

When I saw my aunt last week, we were talking about one of my Story A Week stories. I was telling her how increasingly difficult it's b...

A Story A Week: A Nurse Named Dale

Kendra had been watching Michaela’s face, but now her eyes darted to the desperately bleeping monitor. The regular rolling hills of Michaela...

We're Back!

Yes, we're back in Prosser. My brain might take a few days to catch up, but my body is home. Olivia's surgery went well. Thank you! ...