Author Archives: Ann Kirsten

My mom’s name was Dorothy.  And, like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, she faced many challenges in her life.  But, somehow she also managed to have grand adventures and befriend some pret...

I remember watching my eldest get on the kindergarten bus on her first day of school.  There was fear in her eyes and she looked way too tiny to be heading off to face the world on her own. ...

Can you believe that July is here already?  Seriously, what happened to June?  (Or, the rest of 2015 for that matter).  In the spirit of being unprepared and in denial, I have gathered ...

The summers of my youth were different from those of today.  For one thing, we never, ever took a family vacation.  I never even thought to ask for one.  We didn’t have the money ...

I live in Washington State.  To be more precise, the western side of Washington where the saying goes: “We Don’t Tan, We Rust.” Yes, we are famous for our rain. ...

She was crabby.  Again.  She was always crabby.  My heart sunk in my chest as I ordered my coffee.  She made me feel like I had done something wrong every time I approached her cou...

The news about Josh Duggar was shocking to say the least.  For those of you who haven’t heard, the firstborn son from the popular TV show 19 Kids and Counting was charged with molesting you...

When I received my first Bible as a child, I was told that it was God’s Holy book.  As such, I treated it reverently.  I opened and closed it carefully and always made sure my hands we...

How is it that I always seem to end up with uneaten, overly-ripe bananas?  I’m sure there is a metaphor for life in there somewhere, I’m just not sure what it is.  I know there a...

Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and blogging sites are full of them; smiling moms in pretty outfits, sitting in lovely homes, cooking healthy recipes and raising wonderful kids.  Some even have a ...