Best selling English author Elizabeth Haynes is coming to the US in September when she attends Bouchercon, the mystery/thriller fan convention in New York as well as signings at the Rust Library and One More Page Books in Virginia.

“Watch out for Balls” reads the sign in the private, ocean-front, golf-course that I pass through on my long runs. In addition to posting a sensible fear, this sign is also a signal for me to literally speed up.  My mom’s best friend was once struck in the hand by a golf-ball as she ran through this course. Her hand swelled and was black and blue for weeks. The warning sign reminds me to train at varying intervals and not be lulled by the beautiful scenery into a slow trot.

Woman On Top by Deborah Schwartz is a compelling account of how two men had an impact on the female heroine, Kate.  Jake is Kate’s late husband, who succumbed to cancer at the all too early age of thirty-five. The author describes him as Kate’s soul mate, best friend, and lover.

No more "I can't" or "I'm not sure I can do it" or "I'm not talented enough" or "I'm afraid" in my house. Anyone and everyone can do whatever they want if they put their mind to it. But the first step is having the right mindset. 

This school year is going to be one of the most positive years in my children's and my life. And the way we're going to make that happen is by creating and saying affirmations daily.

Time to get out of the kitchen and move to cooking outdoors on the grill. Otherwise known as time to turn the cooking duties over to my husband while I sit back and enjoy a cold beverage. As much as I enjoy having burgers or turkey sausage hot off the grill, sometimes I want something a little lighter and more colorful on my plate.

On a scale of 1-10, most days, how stressed are you? If you asked your partner (and kids) the same question, what would their number be?

Is kale the new “it” vegetable?  Well, if you ask most, it is certainly the talk of Tinseltown.  Hollywood Stars like, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Kourtney Kardashian, and many celebrity chefs are both praising and partaking in kale’s health benefits.  It’s no wonder why this, age-old, green has soared in popularity.

It looked so far down.  With my hands in the air and me contemplating my first cartwheel in at least two decades, the ground look so far away.  My incredulous family didn’t believe I could do it and suddenly I didn’t think I could either.

For the first time, I felt old.

Fear had taken over and I cursed myself for having a kid so late in life. I kept my arms up as I argued with myself.  I am not ready to feel old yet.  I still have too much daring to do.  They don’t believe you can do it and besides, who cares if I can’t.   

I can’t begin to tell you how many articles I’ve read about managing stress.  I’m constantly on the lookout for what will help me with my particular pressure points.  I, like many other working mothers, have a multitude of stressor

Recently our family was invited to visit friends for the weekend at their cabin on the river a couple hour’s drive from our house.