did you learn a "life-skill" as a child? who taught you?

My mom taught me how to cook, how to clean, sew buttons, iron, and to value a good bargain. When I was in Kindergarten I would invite friends over so I could show them how I could iron (little things like cloth napkins, placemats, pillowcases, etc.). And I could make macaroni & cheese (from a box) in 2nd grade. I still love a good sale, and have a knack for finding great deals others might not see...and I love to share them!!

My dad reinforced cooking skills, gardening, and how to be a story-teller. Grandma May was a gardener ~ flowers and vegetables. I am still working on my veggie skills, but I seem to have a pretty good "green-thumb" when it comes to my flower garden (I wish I could grow grass!).

tell me about a place where you loved to spend time as a kid...

We moved around so often that it's hard to pinpoint one place.

We lived with Grandma May in her "old white house" a couple of times. I loved the big willow tree she had in her yard. We would climb under the canopy of branches and set up a little table and chairs and play house. It smelled very earthy and musky. When we lived there I could tell when it was going to rain because it "smelled like rain."

When we lived in Sandy, UT, our house had a 3-story tree house in the backyard ~ it overlooked the Kentucky Fried Chicken drive-in and the smell on the third-story was so tasty!! Over 30 years later, when I smell fresh Kentucky Fried Chicken I am 8 years old in a tree house.

The one consistent place I loved was my bedroom. I would read in my bedroom and get lost in the pages. I had my own bedroom in 3rd grade...it was in the basement and had wood paneling. One time it rained a lot and the floor flooded, but since it was old cement-like linolem, nothing really got ruined. In 4th grade I shared a bedroom for a year while we rented a home. Then from 5th grade until the middle of my sophomore year in high school, I was lucky enough to have my own room again. I liked having my own space.