• Favorite Things,  Shameless Promotion

    New Here? Get To Know Me!

    BlogHer recap? Sure, sure. I’ll get to it. Hopefully tomorrow. In the meantime, I have a feeling I might be entertaining a few new visitors here at the Scrawl over the next couple of days, because I handed out a bunch of business cards at the conference–AT LEAST 15 of them (*insert rimshot here*)–and if you folks are anything like me, you are checking out new blogs written by new conference friends as you slowly come out of your weekend stupor. Or something like that. So I thought I’d toss out a big “I MISSED YOU!” to all of my readers who couldn’t get to NYC for various reasons, and…

  • Do I Really Want My Readers To Know This?,  Favorite Things,  I've Got Mad Skillz,  Travels

    Aaaaand…This Is How It Begins.

    I did it. I “broke the seal”, so to speak. I like to do many things, but planning and list-making are definitely up there at the top, that is, if I were to prioritize (by making a list, of course!) my most favorite activities. After all, I make lists for everything, and I sometimes put the most simple of tasks–non-listworthy ones, for sure–just so I can cross them off when I complete them. The act of striking through something or checking a box makes me insanely happy. If I can combine list-making and planning for a trip? WOW, Mama like. And the results are usually pretty good. I planned my…

  • Favorite Things,  Reflections on Parenting

    Rolling Out the Red Carpet

    When I was growing up, I remember hearing stories about how our mom’s entire group of friends was constantly at her house, listening to 45’s and hanging out. Her house was the go-to house; she said it was always crawling with teenagers there. Although I’m sure my mom was a vivacious teenager and had great qualities that drew people to her, my grandparents must have made visitors to their home feel very, very welcome: teenagers typically don’t linger where they aren’t comfortable. Mom really wanted the same sort of upbringing for Julesie and me, too, and she was always open for visitors. Our dad? Well, he felt the same. And,…

  • Best Thing Ever,  Blessings,  Favorite Things

    Happy Birthday, Bijoux.

    It occurred to me with a start last night that twenty years ago today, my beloved beagle (and subject of the book I wrote) Bijoux was born (may her memory be for a blessing). She died in April 2003, and the idea that she’s been gone nearly seven years floors me. She impacted my life in ways that only a true dog lover will ever be able to understand, and as I type this, my eyes are misting over, even after all this time. I wanted to honor her by re-posting some stories about her from my book blog. I wrote about her entire life from the week she arrived…

  • Favorite Things,  I've Got Mad Skillz

    The Best of 2009

    My friend Scary Mommy posted a month-by-month list of her favorite posts from this past year, and I thought that was a brilliant idea, so I’m joining in. This is also, I figure, a pretty good way for any relatively new readers to get the general flavor of Suburban Scrawl. Unfortunately, in looking back over my posts from 2009, I discovered that most of my writing is total crap, so I feel the need to issue an apology: sah-ree! I did find a couple nuggets of goodness, however. So without further ado, here are MY favorite posts from this year: January: Breaker One-Nine, What’s Your Handle? February: When It Works…

  • Favorite Things

    Hiding

    Over the past couple of days–but especially today–I’ve been a cleaning fool. I’ve even put away Hanukkah decorations (I know it’s not over til tonight at sundown, but I didn’t want all that stuff to be in the way of my dusting efforts, and we’re having a house full of people over on Sunday after the older boy’s Eagle Court of Honor, so it had to go away anyway.). When I got to the kitchen, I had to take a little extra time dusting my perpetual calendar, which IS currently on the correct month, thank you very much. The two Hot Wheels cars on the shelf were gifts from the…

  • Favorite Things

    Know Why I Never Lose My Marbles?

    Because I keep them in a small wooden bowl on my bedside table. Seriously. See? This stone marble collection is one of my favorite things. I found them in Knoxville, Tennessee a couple of years ago when my mother-in-law and I were browsing an antique shop. Supposedly they were made by Native Americans in the area and found in the Tennessee River (or maybe the Little Pigeon River? I can’t remember.). They were in a breadbox-sized container at the antique shop, which makes me a little skeptical about their real history, but regardless of their age, I think they are pretty cool. I bought them that day and when I…