Last fall, on the advice of the Happier podcast hosts, I finally read Gary Chapman’s classic book, The Five Love Languages. I put off reading it for so long because although I love books that help me know myself better, this book seemed cheesy and unnecessary. I know how to love myself, and I know […]
Why I Chose A Summer Uniform
Before I had kids, I would have scoffed at the idea of wearing a uniform. One of my favorite things to do was choose my outfit for the day. I often planned them out the night before, taking into account the weather, the image I wanted to project, and the amount of travel I’d be […]
Quote/Discussion: Do Our Choices Make Us Who We Are?
“We all create the person we become by our choices as we go through life.” -Eleanor Roosevelt Do you think that’s true? Do our choices shape the person we become, or does the person we already are dictate our choices? Does it work from the outside in, or the inside out? I’m not sure, myself. […]
What’s Making Me Happy In May: Nostalgia, Book Clubs
This month, I’m into… Nostalgia podcasts. I’ve been listening to The Babysitters Club Club (that second “club” is not a typo) for awhile, but I only recently discovered that’s it’s part of a whole realm of nostalgia podcasts in which the hosts dissect past books and television shows. My new favorite is The West Wing Weekly, […]
Writing Process: 7 Productivity Boosters
Draft 2 of Blizzard, my novel set during the Blizzard of 1888, turned into something of a beast: it was a complete re-write that took very little material from the first draft. I worked almost exclusively on it from mid-January to mid-May. Along the way, I adapted my writing process and learned some new tricks to help […]
100 Books: Winter/Spring Favorites
In 2016, I read just over 90 new books. I decided to set a goal for 100 books in 2017, knowing that I’d be home with the baby for much of the year, nursing with Kindle in hand or taking walks with my Audible app. 100 books is a true challenge, and I’m not sure I’m […]