Author: Karen

I am an RN, Author, Coach, and Speaker. I write novels about relationships to help people find insight into their own. I guide people to create comfort, clarity, and connection in their lives. By combining metaphysical tools with over twenty-five years of nursing experience, I infuse the 'art of nursing' into my practice by providing partnership and resources help people compassionately honor their health.

Baking bread

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, baking, books

  Years ago I had tried baking bread from scratch. It was a many-houred affair, what with the kneading, and the punching down, and the multiple rises (unless you're making beer bread, but that's another story)...well, I discovered that this is not the only way to make bread at home.  A coworker told me about a book that explained … Continue reading Baking bread

Eat, Pray, Love

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, books, italian, movies, no fear

  Eat, Pray, Love came to theaters in movie form on August 13, 2010.  If you read the book by Elizabeth Gilbert (published by Viking in February 2006) like I did, you may have been eagerly anticipating the release of this movie. I know I certainly was.   Then I saw a trailer for the movie, and … Continue reading Eat, Pray, Love

A child’s “firsts”

by Karen, posted in family, good grief

I had my first child when I was 29 years old. I started back to school and back to work when he was 8 weeks old. As a full-time student and working mother, I missed a lot of my child's "firsts". Certainly, I knew it was going to be a trade-off; get better educated to get better … Continue reading A child’s “firsts”

Hey, we’re not ALL tourists!

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, restaurants, tweens

Here in southern Maine, our population multiplies exponentially in the summer. Some of the more popular restaurants are overrun, especially the good ones, so I usually am very forgiving. On Sunday morning, my daughter and I went out for doughnuts to our favorite donut-making restaurant, which I typically would avoid doing on a weekend morning in the … Continue reading Hey, we’re not ALL tourists!

Plans that don’t work out

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, local fun, restaurants, tweens

We decided to head over to Shaw's Ridge Farm Ice Cream, BBQ, and Mini-Golf a few days ago. I'd been wanting to go there for weeks and we finally had a day off together to go. I looked it up online, got directions, and saw that it opened at "11AM daily", but somehow missed the … Continue reading Plans that don’t work out

Signs (from the dead relatives)

by Karen, posted in family, good grief, tweens

Ever wrestle with a decision, wondering what is the right thing to do in any situation? Sometimes when that happens to me, I'll think, "What would my mother or father do?" or "What would Nana think about this?". Well, the other day I was going back on forth about something, then made my decision and … Continue reading Signs (from the dead relatives)

Exercise? Ugh!

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, fitness, gardening, health, local fun

Some people love exercise; I am not one of those people. I like to eat big, however, so I have to (at least sometimes) engage in physical activity of some sort to avoid doubling in size. I subscribe to the idea that little (read: bearable)  increments of exercise throughout the day that add up to a half … Continue reading Exercise? Ugh!

Late summer date night

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, local fun, restaurants

When you have a babysitter, it's a shame to waste the opportunity to go out with your spouse.  We only had a little lead time (once we knew we had the babysitter) to organize the date, but we put our heads together and came up with a plan. First, we headed to Scarborough Downs. We … Continue reading Late summer date night

Fun with friends

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, baking, family, italian, local fun, restaurants, tweens

What could be better than a great day spent doing fun things with your friends?  Not much; especially if it involves good food.    This past weekend, my daughter and I did just that. We started off at The Good Table, a wonderful restaurant in Cape Elizabeth.  Sunday brunch is the day to go; that … Continue reading Fun with friends

Conscious eating (WF&G week 2)

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, books, education, family, health

There I was,  in week 2. Here is what I've learned:  conscious eating is hard. Applying those 7 principles is hard.  Regarding principle #3:  It is very hard to not do another blessed thing when you are eating, ever. Plus, I totally miss reading while I'm eating if I am eating alone. Regarding principle #2:  It also is hard … Continue reading Conscious eating (WF&G week 2)