We began our Christmas morning at Rachael and Andrew’s house in Covina, where we’d spent the night after an all-day Christmas Eve celebration with our family, most of Andrew’s immediate family, and our son-in-law Ron’s mother, Cindy. We had coffee and Thai food leftovers from Christmas Eve, then drove 30 miles to Hollywood to celebrate…
Growing Up with an Annual Post-Midnight Mass Bash
My parents hosted a Christmas party every year in the wee hours of Christmas morning after Midnight Mass at our tiny Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Bonham, Texas. This party was for all the church people and anyone else who happened to be awake and available for a party that began around 1 am on…
Tasty Stuffed Shell Recipe: Perfect for a Christmas Meal
Stuffed shells are a favorite in our family. They are pretty, full of flavor, and can be made the day before, which makes a major holiday a lot more fun for the cook. Below is what I do. I feel certain you will be happy with this recipe. It is tried and true. First, I…
Happy Anniversary to My Nieces, Leslie Leatherwood and Haley Broussard Leatherwood
I wrote the post below in 2015 to celebrate my niece, Leslie Leatherwood’s marriage to Haley Broussard. Leslie is the daughter of my late brother and sister-in-law, Sandra Adams Leatherwood. Since their wedding day, Leslie and Haley have had twin daughters, Sierra and Marina, who are now 4 years old. I just want to reach…
Real Women Write Anthology: The Power of Friendship
I have two stories in the newly-released Story Circle Network’s Real Women Write Anthology, The Power of Friendship, Volume 23, and I also had the honor of writing the Foreward for the book. The anthology is an incredible compilation of friendship stories that I highly recommend. As I wrote, ““The essays, memoir pieces, poems, and…
Flash Fiction: Hidden Benefits
I wrote this a while back but saw a dandelion today and thought of this story. I found it tonight and decided I’d share. I sink the trowel into the soft ground, digging down to sever the root of the offending dandelion. I can’t help but feel half guilty removing these vivid yellow flowers from my brown…
Poem: Sweet Like Gardenias
Today, I learned that two of my students were accepted to UCLA Dental School, which was their first choice school for their graduate education. My heart is happy. I wrote this poem a while back but its sentiment greatly reflects how I feel this celebratory day. Congratulations to Lona T. and to Ethan K!A long…
5-Star Homemade Baklava Recipe for the Holidays
For years, I made this special treat for my great-niece and great-nephew, my sister Leslie’s grandkids, for Thanksgiving when they came to LA. We cooked up the syrup and constructed this delicious baklava together. This recipe calls for regular sugar, but I have added my tried and true honey and maple sugar ingredients in parentheses…
The Value of a Good Wander in Personal Essay Writing
I referenced this piece in a class I was teaching today. I think this applies to not just writing but life in general. A good wander serves many good purposes. Any of my personal essay students will tell you that I often say, “It’s important to use writing as a form of discovery.” I contend…
The Benefit of An Extra Set of Eyes on Writing
I recently received an impromptu call from a student applying to law school. “I just need two minutes of your time to read over my essay, ” he said. Two hours and twenty minutes later, we said goodbye. What happened in between? We went line by line and unscrambled any confusing sentences, removed redundancies, looked…
20 Minutes a Day 