A LIFE OF LEARNING, CREATING & GROWING

I didn't begin college planning to become a teacher. I entered as an accounting major, certain I had chosen a practical path. One course that encouraged me to look more closely at my interests and strengths changed that direction and ultimately changed my life.

For 32 years, I taught elementary students from first through sixth grade. Those years shaped not only how I think about children and learning, but also how I write. Teaching taught me to listen, to look beneath the first answer, and to recognize how much can happen through encouragement, patience, and one small step forward.

Writing was always somewhere in the background. I kept ideas, imagined stories, and thought that perhaps someday I would have time to pursue them.

“The future became now.”

FROM THE CLASSROOM TO THE WRITING DESK

Retirement gave those saved ideas somewhere to go.

My first published work grew naturally from the lessons I valued throughout my years in education: helping children develop confidence, resilience, emotional awareness, good decision-making, and a belief that growth happens little by little. That became the foundation for Growth Mindset Lifestyle: Grit by Design and the books and resources that followed.

But writing for me was never going to fit neatly into one category. I love children's stories just as much as educational resources, and creativity has always been part of my everyday life—from woodworking and handmade cards to gardening, cooking, and making things for the people I love.

That is why this website has grown into something broader than an author page. The General Store brings those parts of my life together in one place: books, learning resources, creative projects, and ideas for home and garden.

WHY I CREATE

At the heart of it all is something quite simple: I believe small moments matter.

A few minutes spent encouraging a child. A story shared together. Learning something new. Making something with your own hands. Growing something in the garden. Preparing a recipe that becomes part of a family's traditions.

Those ordinary moments have filled much of my life and now they find their way into the things I write and create.

I'm glad you've stopped by. I hope you find something here that helps you learn, create, connect, or simply enjoy one of life's small moments.

Small Steps in Learning. Big Steps in Life.