If Annabelle remembers anything about the fifth grade, I hope it’s the bright red wig I bought her one Friday after school. I wouldn’t typically indulge one of my kids like that (have you bought a wig lately?! expensive!) but she’d been asking for weeks — said she needed it desperately to complete her Halloween […]
Mark your calendars, folks. Sophie has been cast in the Snow Queen, December 3 and 4 (matinees only) at the Herberger Theater in Phoenix. She will be appearing in the role of Sprite. This is big. And scary. Not scary for Sophie — she’s thrilled. Scary for her mother, and probably (though they aren’t saying) […]
I looked down the grocery checkout counter yesterday afternoon, right into Sophie’s face. It’s not so jarring anymore. Megan has worked at our Safeway for years, quietly bagging groceries and avoiding eye contact, clearly well-versed in the concept of Stranger Danger, even if the stranger is a frazzled-looking mom type complimenting her cute headband. Of […]
Ah, the wonders of modern medicine — not to mention modern mothers. My mother had her hip replaced last week. The surgeon came out of the operating room and announced that she has the tissue of a “very muscular man.” When my father made a face, the surgeon amended that to “the tissue of a 39-year-old.” That […]
There once was a babe from Tempe, Whose parents called her Anna B. ‘Cause they just couldn’t tell If the name Annabelle Would fit their girl quite perfectly. With that name, see, they took quite a risk, For they knew other parents would tsk. It would be hers for life, Would it bring joy or […]
I wouldn’t call myself a morning person or an evening person — I tend to droop at either end of the day. But lately, waking up hasn’t been so bad at all. Ever since she got out of the crib and into the big girl bed, Sophie’s been crawling into bed with us — at […]
“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 […]
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 […]
It was a Big Weekend. The cousins were here, visiting from Denver. Aside from the fact that I spent a little too much time studying my (adorable) almost four year old nephew and comparing his cognitive abilities to Sophie’s, it was a truly lovely time — beautiful weather, grand company, and my baked French toast turned […]
Spring is here, and the fig tree in my front yard is covered in fresh green leaves. Phew. Not long ago, the yard guy told Ray that the tree won’t last much longer. It’s got some sort of incurable something. We’ve grown accustomed to losing our favorite trees. Fourteen years ago, when we moved into this […]
