writing

Christmas Vacation

A couple Christmas seasons ago, after hearing it referenced and raved about year after year, my husband and I watched National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation for the first time. Confession: We didn’t think it was that funny. There are many Christmas movies I love to rewatch, but it’s not joining the list. (Before I get in trouble for that opinion, as far as cult classics go we are all for The Princess Bride. Our three-year-old, in random moments of quiet, will quip, “Anybody want a peanut?” I’m confident he’s a future fan.)

I’ve slowly gotten back into posting this year and I’ll be back next year, but I’m planning a pause for the month of December. I love this time of year and we try to slow down and keep things relaxed in our house. As much as we can anyway with two energetic kiddos who react to all holidays like Buddy the Elf ready to greet Santa.

May the season bring comfort and peace, and may it have the fun of cozy pjs and favorite Christmas movies, be they of the comedy, classic, or Hallmark variety. (No judgment.)

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Nothing

I didn’t know what to write about this month. I even had a break from other projects that gave me a little extra time to sit and figure it out, but all my ideas stayed filed under “maybe later.” To be honest, I really wanted that extra time to relax, so I did. After all, inspiration often strikes when I’m not looking for it. This time? Nope. So here I am, on the final day of May, writing about nothing. Continue reading →

Restart

Two years and two kids later…

Hello, poor neglected blog. Life has been full.

Repeatedly, the busier my schedule, the less writing I accomplish. One of my goals this year is to get back to writing regularly, beginning with reviving my blog. I’m starting small, aiming for at least one post a month (sneaking in at almost the last minute, January). I’ll be wrapping up topics and ideas started before my break and am considering a fresh look in addition to new content.

Although a brief check-in to start, I’m back.

Returning to Stalled Projects

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There’s a room in our house empty of furniture, its walls displaying patches of tested paint color and spackled over imperfections. It’s the first of several interior painting projects we planned in winter and started to work on in late spring. Since then, other events and projects have taken priority and the room has sat, prepped and full of potential, awaiting a fresh coat of color with an eggshell sheen.

It’s become a bit like this blog. Continue reading →

On Fiction: Feeling Too Much?

Maybe I’m a sympathetic crier. Maybe, as I’ve grown older, I understand more and empathize with more situations. Either way, it doesn’t matter — if there’s a tearjerking moment in a film, television show, or book, I better have the tissues handy.

It sounds silly. We’re talking about fictional characters here; it’s not like they’re real people experiencing real moments. Is it feeling too much to shed tears of joy and sorrow along with people who don’t exist?

I say no. Continue reading →

The (Real) End of Summer

Well, here we are — the official end of summer.

Even when I lived by a school calendar, I never bought into the Memorial Day to Labor Day summer mentality. For one thing, my pre-college school days didn’t break for summer until almost a month after Memorial Day. I also recall enough hot and sticky September days that evidenced summer’s refusal to be pushed aside early for school buses, last week’s frost, or pumpkin spice lattes. Continue reading →

Starting Fresh

In the last couple years, I tried to start a blog … or two. I wasn’t very good at it. Mainly, I lacked focus in my purpose for a blog. I think I have finally figured that out, and the best answer to move forward is to start over completely. Fortunately, I lacked so much dedication in my previous blogging attempts, this doesn’t mean scrapping tons of writing or abandoning countless readers. 

Here’s to keeping with it this time!