In the waning days of 2010, I made a gorgeous spreadsheet for my 2011 goals. It was a thing of beauty. I even did a pretty good job of checking it every month to see how I was doing–up until August. There are a few things I didn’t end up accomplishing, but I did meet …Read More

I’m not even going to show you a photo of our old front door. It was green and ugly and had no glass. When we started this latest remodeling project, the contractor said that he thought the door was fine–it just needed to be painted. He didn’t seem to notice that it belonged on a …Read More

For a moment there, I forgot to breathe. Has that ever happened to you? I used to worry about breathing a lot when I was a kid–suddenly remembering that I had to take a breath every few seconds, or I would die.  I would take control of my breath, think about breathing in, breathing out, …Read More

I’m desperate for a pickle fork. When I mentioned this on Twitter recently, a woman responded with shock: “How can you call yourself a southern girl if you don’t own a pickle fork?” It’s true. Pickle forks come with proper sets of silver, and preferably come to you handed down from a grandmother named Gammy. …Read More

Food is love. I’ve tried to fight it, but it’s endlessly, hopelessly true for me. This weekend, my beloved in-laws came for a visit. What did I plan? Hikes and family bowling tournaments? An afternoon of firearms fun on the family range? A Monopoly marathon? No. I planned meals. Many of them. I kept the …Read More

Love this water bottle for hiking and taking walks. When the water is all gone, I can roll it up, stick it in my pocket, and refill it later. I agree with the reviews that say the water can taste a wee bit plasticky when it heats up, but it’s a small trade-off for total …Read More

I’m trying something new here at Notes From the Handbasket. It’s been a while since I’ve had a novel out, so my writing can be a tad hard to find. But I am so excited for you to get to know it, if you don’t already, or to see what I’m doing now, if you’ve …Read More

I want to tell you about something that made me feel sad and frustrated. Recently, a friend and I stopped by a nearby drugstore to pick up some evening supplies–beer, some ice cream, chips and some candy. The Benedicts were having a small, impromptu party after a very pleasant dinner with friends and colleagues. I …Read More

I know. You’re thinking, there is no such thing as the perfect method for making hardboiled eggs. No, really. This is almost magical. I promise. 1. Take eggs out of refrigerator. It helps to have purchased the eggs a few days ahead of time. You don’t want them super-fresh. 2. Fill a pot or pan …Read More

It’s finally that time of year! (No, not that time of year.) We Benedicts have taken the wraps off of our latest spooky-but-also-beautiful literary baby, Surreal South ’11.  It’s ready to jump into to your arms and delight you with twisted tales of ghosts and monsters told by some of the smartest, most devious writers we know. …Read More