Fixin' Leaks and Leeks

“After the soup, it was over,” could either be the title of a rom-com that ends in culinary horror, or it could be Nate’s exact words as we left a restaurant that we chose for his birthday a few weeks ago.  If you guessed the latter, you win a free bowl of soup! (Don’t get… Continue reading Tapas Crawl

Venturing into highly dangerous dog poop territory means that I need to sound the craft alert—for myself.  I’m on high alert as I gather leaves from a red maple tree in the front yard that every dog in my neighborhood loves to claim as its own in so, so many ways.  I probably should wear… Continue reading Craft Alert: Setting the Dining Room Table for Fall

The Fixin’ Leaks and Leeks Team recently sent one of its most precious members to the hospital: Nate.  For many years, Nate has had the resting pulse rate of a full-time Olympic athlete who might also relax on the weekends by scaling the Scandinavian Mountains and lifting large bricks.  In reality, Nate is a thoroughly… Continue reading From Underpants to Fake Plants: The Dos and Don’ts of the Hospital Visit

Picking a pepper from the potted patio plants puts me in a perfectly perplexing position.  Nate has planted plenty of particularly identical peppers in one pot, so picking a pepper is puzzling.  If I pick the wrong pepper, the family salad becomes an overpowering ring of fire that sends everyone to the kitchen sink—fighting to… Continue reading Pepper Problems

The size of a suitcase is only limited to the size of my imagination, when I pack for the annual family Sun Mountain Lodge vacation.  I imagine that, if we’re staying four nights, I’ll need about four bags:  two big bags, a smaller bag, and a purse that’s stuffed to capacity.  The family Subaru is… Continue reading Reckless Packing

Blueberry muffin treats, in my house, have the power to transform my entire family into butter knife-wielding animals that make crumbs of defenseless baked goods. The primal sounds of “More butter!  MMMM” have alerted the neighbors more than once.  Some think we are watching a horror movie at full volume. Others think we are truly… Continue reading Gluten Free Muffins and Face Yoga

Watching a whopping number of exercise videos (five to be exact), led me to theorize that squats were the gold standard of low-impact fitness—and that perhaps, they were “safe” enough to do repeatedly in different variations for 30-40 minutes each day. Only part of this theory is true, for me at least.  I run on… Continue reading Create a No-Squat Zone