How to Make Boiled Peanuts

1. Stop at roadside stand and buy a $5 bag of boiled peanuts.
2. Eat just enough to realize they’re not fully cooked, and not salty enough.
3. Go home and put them in a large pot with a lot of salt and enough water to cover them.
4. Bring to boil.
5. Reduce heat to simmer and cook […]

Ladies’ Slips and My Insecurity

Years ago, ladies wore slips. Slips are generally made of a delicate lacy material, and are intended to (a) help maintain the fluidity and motion of a dress, (b) skim the body to prevent a dress from unseemly bunching or clinging, and (c) prevent anyone from seeing the outline of a woman’s body through her […]

A Love-Hate Relationship with Words

I love words. Ask anyone who knows me at all and you’ll find out quickly the truth of that statement. I really do love them. Consequently, I use a lot of them. Frequently. Ad nauseum, sometimes. Maybe that’s why I link to Merriam-Webster online.
I especially have a love for the right words. By “right” I […]

What is a catbird and why am I in his seat?

Main Entry: catbird seat
Function: noun
: a position of great prominence or advantage
The catbird is a member of a group of birds called the mimic thrushes; these birds are skilled at imitating other birds, animals, and according to my source (http://www.worldwidewords.org), even telephones. It’s specifically called a catbird because one of its most impressive imitations […]

Make Friends with a College Student

Let’s face it. College students are great. They are a study in contradictions; at once both fearless and apprehensive, cerebral and emotional, cocksure and self-doubting, impetuous and thoughtful, innocent and jaded. They dream big, love big and worry big. They tend to have a zest for life that we thirtysomethings have long given up on. […]

7 Lessons I’ve Learned Teaching Sunday School to Teenagers

I love to teach Sunday School. Love it. Sometimes I’m good at it, and sometimes I flop. But because I believe in it, I keep at it; consequently I have learned a few things over the years. So in the spirit of not wanting others to fail in ways that I have, here are a […]

Naptime = Me-time doesn’t it?

Naptime = Me-time doesn’t it?
Elizabeth had 3.5oz of bottle, we had stared into each other’s faces and made cooing sounds, and she had been in the bouncy seat listening to good music while I folded clothes. I realized she was getting a little sleepy and thought to myself, “I’ll swaddle her up, put in her […]