After a snowstorm forced us to forego banana splits for days—and eat a Valentine’s meal of frozen TV dinners —I turned to Nate and said, “Now that the snow has melted, let’s get OUT of this house! Let’s just go crazy. Really crazy! We’ll just tear up the town—you, me, and Alex.” And that’s how… Continue reading Things to Remember on the Boeing Factory Tour

Bananas and ice cream are missing from the grocery store shelves in the Greater Seattle area because we are experiencing an extremely rare, but “catastrophic” snow event that has turned nearly everyone stark raving mad. And I am one of them. Without bananas and ice cream, Nate, Alex, and I are left alone in this… Continue reading Emergency Preparations for When the Sky is Falling

Breathing into a paper bag is the only way I know how to welcome an air fryer into my kitchen. I’m just so darned “hyperventilating excited.” Nate bought me an air fryer for my birthday last month and I. Cannot. Control. Myself. It’s like I’m in the studio audience of a daytime talk show and… Continue reading Ode to the Air Fryer

The “Spring Break, Do Not Enter” sign is on the home office door, along with a Hawaiian lei for special effect—because I have a sun lamp. I’m hoping this lamp will be powerful enough to project an in-your-face “beachy sun,” which is extremely rare in the Pacific Northwest this time of year. Sometimes, I spend… Continue reading “Light Therapy” of Spring Break Proportions

The Fixin’ Leaks and Leeks kitchen, over the years, has squirmed with live shrimp, bubbled with casseroles of outlandishly cheesy proportions, and ridden out the “flournado” storm of pie-making attempts. Time and again, I swear that the kitchen appliances have looked at me as if to say, “What in the *!!## are you doing and… Continue reading Made My Dish Award!

Pizza Pasta Panic is a chaotic, yet tasty blend of bow-tie pasta elegance and pepperoni pizza. It also perfectly describes my state of mind when I was making this casserole: Confused. Very confused, but determined because I signed up to bring a pasta dish to a swim team pre-meet potluck, which is very, very intimidating.… Continue reading Pizza Pasta Panic

When bowling teams cry out in desperation, “Help! We’re winning too many points! Who will save us?”—I know just what to do. Bowling like a wild tornado that rips through gutters and puts a hole in the floor is my superpower. But I’ve not used my powers often enough and I’ve felt this gnawing feeling—like… Continue reading Bowl Like Everyone is Watching