The Phones

When I posted pictures of the room we redecorated this summer for the girls, many people commented on the Red Phone on the wall. Heather Kelly wanted to know if it was a direct line to the President, and J.E.M. wondered if it contacted Batman. That’s the look we...

PAYA 2011 and Irene

This Saturday was the second annual Bring More YA to PA Book festival (also known as PAYA), held in West Chester, PA and squeaking in just ahead of Hurricane Irene. Sadly, a number of authors had to cancel due to the weather-related difficulties, and some of the...

Ta-Da! The Girls’ Lounge

One of my goals for the summer was redecorating “the playroom” upstairs into a teen/tween lounge where my daughters might hang out with their friends. For the seven years we’ve owned this house, “the playroom” over the garage was a...

Summer Goals Assessment 2011

At the beginning of the summer, I posted goals for all the things I wanted to accomplish during my vacation. Today (probably while you are reading this), I am sitting in faculty meetings, preparing for the start of the 2011-2012 school year. For me, summer is over, so...

Mystery Fish (from Outer Space)

Can anyone identify this species of fish? About three years ago, approximately 2 dozen of these fish appeared suddenly in our pond. They were about ½ inch long when we first spotted them, and in the past 3 years, they’ve grown to 7-9 inches. Before anyone asks, our...