Go-Go Boots
I wanted white go-go boots so bad. I wanted to look glamorous and tough. I wanted to sing and dance and strut. I wanted go-go boots. Knee-high. Long zippers, from […]
Tag Archives: parenting
Hillary Clinton is not a thing.
I was scanning Facebook this morning and saw a photo of Hillary Clinton. The photo linked to some online content, and the summary pointed to a speech Clinton made this […]
One quiet weekend nearly drove me crazy
This past weekend, I had way too much alone time. My son is in Africa, my daughters were with their dad, and my husband was on a seven-day business trip. […]
Writing is good
My 16-year-old son is in Rwanda. He is there with 16 other people from our Lutheran congregation—a mix of teens and adults—to learn and serve people whose lives and communities […]
Make Something: Rainbow
We are a blended family with six children, ages nine to nineteen. Every other weekend, we are all together—eight people under one roof. Jim and I live in our home always […]
Make Something: Letter to a Fictional Character
Dear Alice, I am writing in hopes that you will entertain a new career opportunity. I’ve seen your work, and I’d like to offer you a position in my organization. […]
Make Something: Narrow Focus
Here’s today’s make something prompt: Pick a small area indoors or outdoors and inspect it very carefully. Use the details you would normally overlook to inspire you. I chose the […]
Make Something: Crayons
I have always loved to color. Show me a brand new Crayola box, all green and gold and sharp-cornered and tidy, and my fingers will twitch at the possibility of getting […]
Make Something: Holes
This day’s make something task was to cut holes in a magazine or book page, revealing what’s underneath, to create something new. I sliced into a page from Sports Illustrated, […]
Make Something: Impossible
When Noah Scalin wrote today’s prompt—make something impossible—he clearly had in mind something visual: “Can you trick the eyes into believing they’re seeing something that they’re not?” I thought of […]
Make Something: Orange
Work only with orange materials today. Try working on an orange surface for a real challenge. I enlisted my eight-year-old daughter’s help for this Friday evening creation. We hunted the […]
Make Something: Piñata
After the papier-mache experiment earlier this month, my shoulders slumped when I saw today’s make something prompt: “Make a piñata and destroy it.” I simply could not face papier-mache again. Determined to stay […]
Make Something: Soap
Use a bar of soap to make something new. I’m going to bend the rules again. Rather than using soap to make something new, I’m going to use it to […]
Make Something: Back Story
Today’s make something assignment is unlike any thus far: Make up a name and write a back story for a stranger you see today. As a person who works from […]
Tractor: Simple Shapes Convey Complex Ideas
Daddy taught all of us to draw a tractor. We drew tractors every Sunday in church, sitting beside him or on his lap. So when our Sibling Discovery Project turned up […]
Beth Nyland 