Books

The Birth of Home Matters

My husband and I were married on April 7, 1990. Three months later, I became pregnant with our first child. Just a few months after his birth, I got pregnant with our second child, who was born just thirteen months after the first one. Needless to say our status as Newlyweds was short lived. I went from being a college educated career woman, to staying home with two babies. Talk about culture shock! Although I read everything I could find on being organized and creating a happy home environment, resources were scarce. Of course that was before you could simply “Google” your question! Paul and I went on to have two more children, bringing our total to four children, all under the age of seven when number four was born. To say life was chaotic is a gross understatement.

I learned quickly to develop strategies to help make life manageable. Things such as creating a meal planner to help me quickly plan the week’s menu were a big help. Always having been a writer, I began chronicling the things I did that worked, and also those that did not. One day, I thought, I am going to put all of this information into a book. I even named the book “Home Matters” many years before it actually came to fruition.

When our youngest was three years old, I began sending writing samples out to local newspapers and magazines, hoping to find a way to break into the business. I truly believe I was in the right place at the right time. Our local newspaper, The Forsyth County News, liked my recipes and food columns I sent them. They hired me to write a weekly food column and that launched my career. After establishing a solid readership, I pitched another column, titled “Home Matters” to my manager and editor. I would talk about everything from organizing your refrigerator to my frustration with many of the movies Hollywood produces. They liked the idea and my second weekly column was born. It still took me seven years (and hundreds of columns later) to publish Home Matters: The Guide to Organizing Your life and Home, in 2008.

My latest project is to finally publish my cookbook.  Dinner Matters: Heartwarming Recipes to Share with your Family. At our home, the dinner hour is my favorite time of the day. Even when our evening schedules were crazy with four children involved in sports and other activities, we have always tried to make eating together a priority. Breaking bread with your family is incredibly important for so many reasons. We share stories, talk politics, talk about friends, school, our favorites with my readers. Happy eating!!!! 

Go to Home Matters.