Frequently Asked Questions (slightly more than you asked for…)

This was supposed to be a simple FAQ page. It spiraled — like it’s mother. You’re welcome.

Let’s be honest. I sat down to write a nice, normal “Frequently Asked Questions” section. You know — bullet points, rapid-fire answers, a quick little peek into my world.

But the thing is…
I don’t really do “quick.”

I do meaningful.
I do layered.
I do “oh wait, that reminds me of a story.”

So here we are.

This is part short list, part backstory, part invitation to come sit on the porch swing of my life for a minute. You’ll find a few fun facts, a few deep truths, and more than a few things that make you go, “Wait… same!!!”

This page is for the curious, the kindred, and the ones who don’t mind a little detour. (Honestly, the detours are my favorite parts.)

So whether you’re new here or just looking for a few puzzle pieces to understand how my brain, heart, and pantry operate—here you go:

Slightly more than you asked for. (Exactly what I’d give my people.)

Come back often, there will be updates. (Imagine me here: one long wink with a warm cup of coffee. 😉☕️)

The “FAQS ” (If You Can Call It That)

• I’ve got three kids: two grown, one still very much in the thick of sass, skin care, and snack requests…that’s so Alpha…
• I’ve lived in Dallas for 40 years and still say “y’all” like it’s both a punctuation and a curse word.
• Divorced, yet still forever the hopeless romantic. Still believe in second chances (and third cups of coffee). And hopeful that the one is still out there. (Someone told me he has yet to be born… and that’s just soooo wrong…)
• I’ve been a teacher, worked in real estate, started a recipe archive, and have a secret dream of writing full-time on a twinkle-lit porch.
• I collect mixing bowls (it happens!), mugs, and memories—especially the kind that surprise you mid-laundry.
• I once bought a couch that didn’t fit through the door. It stayed in my garage for three months like a very stylish regret.
• I hate lipstick but love a good gloss. I believe in messy buns, beautiful lashes, handwritten notes, and hot coffee as spiritual practices.
• My favorite movie is The Family Stone. And Love Actually. And The Notebook. And Steel Magnolias. And Past Lives. And Before Sunrise. And Under the Tuscan Sun. And Eat Pray Love. (I contain multitudes. Just don’t ask me to pick a favorite song. Start with Taylor Swift’s discography and we’ll go from there.)
• I am hopelessly attached to my best friends. Once made a Spotify playlist called “In Case I Die, Play This at My Celebration of Life.” It slaps. Thank God they love my slightly dramatic Enneagram 4 heart. Bless it.
• I’ve written entire essays in the Notes app at red lights and in the middle of church.
• I once reorganized my pantry at 3am because a song lyric broke me wide open. (You get it, right?)
• I’m both a night owl and a morning person. (Because FOMO is real, y’all.)
• I believe in spiritual synchronicities, second breakfasts, emotional metaphors, and not wasting beautiful ingredients — or hard-earned wisdom. (Preach!)
• I’m not for everyone. But if you’re still reading this? We’re probably already friends. 😘

Now that we’ve bonded over coffee, couches, and Taylor Swift metaphors…
here’s everything else you didn’t ask—but might be glad you know. 💛

“Monie Moments”

Because life keeps handing me scenes that feel like they were written by Nora Ephron with a splash of Lucille Ball.

These are the everyday, oddly cinematic, slightly chaotic, occasionally sacred moments that make up my life.
The ones that don’t always fit into a blog post or a poem—but are far too good not to tell.

Think of it like a highlight reel with bloopers.
A soft place for the hilarious,
the heartfelt,
and the totally human.

Because if you know me, you know:
It’s not a crisis—
It’s a Monie Moment™️.

This is the part of the site where I collect the stories that make people say, “Wait… that really happened?”

Yes.
Yes, it did.

A Monie Moment^™️ is when I:

• Once sang ‘Shallow’ in a Walmart aisle because it came on over the speakers. A stranger clapped.
• I was a swimmer in High School. My senior quote printed alongside my Senior photo in the ’91 yearbook was: “Swimmers do it with their boots on.” I thought it meant swimmers were just that tough—like, swimming with boots on. They came to kick bootie! I had no idea it was about S-E-X. And now… that lives in e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e’s yearbook forever. (Hi, mom. Hi, kids.)
• Still haven’t returned the library book from 1997. (I think about it weekly.)
• Once, I spent Christmas Eve making Santa cookies—peach rounds, pink glaze, little noses in the center. Adorable, right? Wrong. I woke up to a table full of very perky, glistening NIPPLES. Took ’em to my Gran’s anyway. Tits the season, y’all!
• Once I convinced my brother, sister and our kids to dress up in full high school spirit gear—foam fingers, glitter, face paint, pom-poms, the works—only to realize I had the wrong day for the homecoming parade. We just stood on the curb waving at everyone that passed like we were the halftime show for a team that forgot to show up. We we in our 30s. (I lost a lot of trust that day).

Consider this a living page —
it grows with me, so pop in now and then for new confessions.
I’ll update it whenever the Spirit (or sarcasm) moves me.