Yesterday I drove to the Dailey Method studio to take class and as I got out of the car I put my gloves on and secured my hat and scarf to make sure I was protected from the sub-zero temperatures. I squeezed my keys in my right hand a couple of times—a habit that has kept me from locking myself out of my car for as long as I can remember—and then quickly shoved them into the pocket of my jacket as I walked. I heard something fall to the sidewalk and realized that the keyring that has an easy release, the one that makes it easy for me to…
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Don’t Try This At Home!
So let’s say that sometimes you wear those nasal strips at night, the ones that help you breathe easier and keep you from snoring. And let’s say that one night you go through the same face-cleansing routine you perform every night, paying special attention to your nose because the nasal strips stick so much better when you have properly cleansed your nose. And then let’s say that you apply the nasal strip, pressing it down tightly to create the seal it needs in order to stay put all night. And then let’s say that shortly after you apply the nasal strip you rip it off in anger (the reason for…
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The Best Of 2013, As I See It
Let’s face it: not everything we bloggers put out there is a gem. In fact, if I had to estimate my gem to non-gem ratio, I’d say it’s about 10% gem/90% non-gem, and that’s probably on the generous side. Anyway, I thought I would comb through every post I published in 2013 to create an end-of-year wrap-up list, in case you want to do a little reminiscing on the cusp of the new year, or maybe you’re just looking for reading material. By the way, just so we’re clear, each post I qualify as a “gem” must satisfy one or more of the following Melisa-determined requirements: 1. well written 2.…
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The Listmaker Doesn’t Fall Far From The Tree
As my boys have grown, it’s been very interesting to see which personality traits they’ve inherited from Jim and me. While I have felt terrible when we’ve discovered certain that some of the less desirable characteristics have been passed down—cough, cough, procrastination, cough, cough—I have laughed a little bit at others. Here’s an example. This conversation happens several times a week in my house, year-round: Jim: “What do you have going on today?” Me: “Ugh, so much. My to do list is miles long.” This conversation happened on Tuesday: Jim: “What do you have going on today?” D: “Ugh, a lot. My to do list is six and a half…
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Pomegranate Smacking: Not An Olympic Sport, Yet
Today was the second annual “Jew Help A Christian Day”, i.e. the second consecutive Christmas Eve I’ve driven across town to spend a few hours helping my friend Jen get ready for her big family dinner. (Last year’s recap is HERE.) I had a BLAST, which is something I don’t normally say when I’m cleaning and cooking in my own house. Something to work on. Anyway, last week I asked Jen what was on the menu for this year and it came up in conversation that, among other things, she was going to have me remove seeds from a pomegranate. I was clueless about the task: to be honest, I’ve…
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I’m A Giver.
If you were to ask me to name a few things in life that I absolutely adore doing, I would say that gift-giving and doing other nice things for the people I love would be rattled off right up there with travel, writing, and of course, BEING with the people I love. The gift-giving thing? I really love it. Really, really love it, in fact. I’m really, really good at it, too. (So is my sister, as a matter of fact!) I put lots of thought into it, which shouldn’t be a surprise to you if you know me because I’m always thinking. I’m the type of person that will…
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Liveblogging the Latke-palooza
Wow, November 30th already?? I can’t believe NaBloPoMo is over today: I’ve blogged every single stinkin’ day (sometimes twice!) for the entire month of November. This has been the best NaBloPoMo/NaBloPoMoFo for me personally and I’m not sure why. I’m ending the month with almost all of my “just in case” drafts still snug in the draft folder, and I never once felt like I was struggling with finding something to write about. (Most of the time, LACK OF TIME was the problem!) Of course, it helped that I did a little traveling this month: it’s always easier to write about things when you’re not living the normal routine. Anyway,…
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Easiest Muffin Recipe Ever (You’re Welcome!)
In my never-ending quest to confuse my readers about my niche as a “Life Blogger” by tossing in a Food Blogger-ish recipe every now and then, today I present you with another family favorite around here: the muffin recipe I use ALL THE TIME. My Mom calls them “Sweeter Muffins” but the title I copied into my recipe book is “Twin Mountain Muffins” and I don’t know if that has a double meaning or not (Get your mind out of the gutter, OMG! And take mine with you!) so I’m just calling this recipe “The Easiest Muffin Recipe Ever” because I’m at a loss and that title describes it very…
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Something Wonderful
Something wonderful is happening around here. (Indulge me while I brag for a moment. Thank you.) Although it seems like yesterday that we were in the midst of his college search, D is finishing his coursework a semester early. He’ll be done with classes in less than a month! It’s a pretty spectacular accomplishment: he achieved it via a combination of some AP testing for college credit, testing into (and then passing) an advanced German course which earned him the credit for that class plus the year he skipped, and mostly due to his staying the course with his major and getting awesome grades (Dean’s List all the way!). Did…
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Somebody’s Gotta Do It.
It’s probably not news to you, but I’m very extroverted. I can talk to just about anyone, I’m very comfortable in group situations, and I do tend to, as my sister calls it, “always choose the Fun Pass”. (My sister ORIGINATED the Fun Pass, by the way. We’re good at Fun.) A dear friend I’ve known since high school is not extroverted. (Nothing wrong with that!) In fact, we’ve had countless conversations over the years about how anti-social and introverted she is, in direct comparison to my place on the other end of the spectrum. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard her say, “I’m just not…