Summer storm

One afternoon the weather quickly went from, “Hey mom, can we get in the pool?” to “I don’t know, I think it might rain” to “Hold on. Is it hailing? It’s hailing!” Ice is falling from the sky, grab your cameras. These kids are growing up on a tropical island where the temperature rarely falls below

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Jalapeno poppers

Jalapeno poppers

Even though we have a small garden we seem to be overwhelmed at harvest time. What we want is the exact amount of basil called for in the recipe I’m making, not a basil bush that will bolt and turn brown at the fall breeze. In the spirit of overwhelming fresh produce (I know, what

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We out

We out

So far this summer we’ve taken a few long weekends here and there, but we haven’t gone on a vacation quite yet. Oh, wait. I’m a stay at home mom; every day is a vacation… For the first part of our vacation, Tom is going on a hiking trip with a good friend. They’re doing

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So much indecision about a shower curtain

I’ve mentioned before that I don’t have a great eye for decorating. I’m indecisive, and have a hard time imagining the final product. When I see finished rooms in magazines and other people’s homes, it’s easy for me to pick out what I like and don’t like. But putting it all together is a whole

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How to propagate and transplant tomato plants

Check out my new tomato plants. They’re actually not new, they’re suckers I pinched from my other plants. My first year gardening, I sent my parents a photo (below) of my tomato plants and my dad took one look and said, “Amanda needs to get rid of those suckers.” And I responded, “What are you

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Cross strap flats

Berkley Grace was born July 1 in the middle of a heat wave, so it’s unlikely her sweet baby feet will be even a little bit chilly in the next three months. But I made these bootees for her anyway. I used this pattern, which was quick and easy to read. I’ve made several pairs

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Eleven months

Every month after I write an update I’m haunted for days by things I wish I’d included. Last month I forgot to mention that his favorite place to be tickled is his thighs and that at bedtime, instead of hugging me and leaning into my chest as I sing a lullaby, he now hurls his

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The hair issue

The other day I was buying some stakes at Home Depot and the cashier commented that, like David, her daughter was bald as a baby. She said she started washing it more and, guess what? Her hair grew! Maybe I should try that! Strangers make comments all the time. No, I don’t cut David’s hair.

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Running: That old familiar pain

I’ve been doing yoga. Runners only do yoga for one reason: they have no choice. Here’s the deal: for almost four years I’ve been dealing with a hamstring injury. I think of it as a running injury, because it hurts when I run, but it’s really not a running injury at all; it happened while I

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