When I was 15, I was working at the local grocery store to earn a little cash. I really didn’t care for that job much. So, when I saw a sign in the window of a newish downtown restaurant (a second location of a local favorite) for a waitress, I went in to apply. The [...]

So, if you’ve looked around this site, you may have guessed that I like ladybugs. My mom would say, “Valerie, you have a ladybug problem.” She likes to say that when I own too much of something. When she helped me pack up my apartment last summer, she informed I had a sheet problem, a [...]

This website is one of my great loves—the combination of so many of my “things:” writing, crafting, and just plain life. But, it has gotten the shaft recently. Life has gotten in the way…not just of this website, but of my writing and crafting in general. Two moves (plus helping my parents with two moves) [...]

In theory, I love Spring. In actuality, I dread the allergies that come along with all that beauty and growth. It is impossible, though, to not revel in the joy of Spring when you work with children. Well, I suppose it is possible, but it is unpossible for me. Their joy is contagious, and it [...]

When I was a kid, I had this fantastic child’s roll-top desk with a matching chair. Dad says it was my Aunt Ruth’s desk originally. Aunt Ruth wasn’t really an aunt; she was a good family friend who was called Aunt Ruth. I loved that desk. Actually, it was more than love. Some kids have [...]

One morning last week, I was having a quick chat with my boss on instant messenger. She asked me what I was doing up so early. As is often the case in instant messaging, I was typing an answer to her question as she was typing the question, so they posted at about the same [...]