“If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” — Carl Sagan We got busy with the fondant over the weekend. And the fondant smoother and the lazy susan that lets you turn the cake as you ice it with the special spatula so it looks perfect, like […]

My little girl is getting so big. Sophie dressed herself the other day —  in a red tee shirt, black capri pants and sparkly Mary Jane tennis shoes — and it took me several hours to realize that not so long ago, those black capris were black pants that dragged well past her ankles. It’s the thyroid […]

I’ve told you about it before — the family tradition my sister began when I turned 40. I keep my framed list of “40 Things We Love About Aunt Amy” by my desk at work, and look at it every day. My mother is celebrating a birthday today — as part of her gift, I […]

The girls and I were watching Fear Factor (Ray’s idea — anything to keep the Disney channel at bay) tonight when I interrupted some disgusting act or another with a request: “Annabelle, you need to practice piano tonight.” She fired back immediately: “What about Sophie?” “Sophie, you need to practice, too,” I said, not really […]

I found myself humming the old Sesame Street tune last night as I reflected back on the trip the girls and I took last week to Denver. Don’t get me wrong: It was a fantastic trip. Denver has a lot of things Phoenix doesn’t — including fabulous summer weather, a cool restaurant with a “pajama […]