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Leanne Shirtliffe

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Un-Ironic Moments

The Quest for a Christmas Tree

  On a Saturday in December long ago, my dad and I drove into Winnipeg in search of a Christmas tree. The temperature hovered around minus thirty, and the wind, unimpeded from Hudson Bay, whipped through the Manitoba prairie. Driving east on the Trans-Canada highway, I was hypnotized by the snow swirling across the highway, […]

Announcing a New Chapter in My Writing Career

Four years ago in August 2007, I filled out a Teacher’s Professional Growth Plan at work. My goal was to write. So I joined a writers’ group and read books on writing. And I did something even more radical for me: I wrote. Fast forward two years to October 2009. My friends Trish and Elena […]

Reading: An Autobiography

It’s Monday and I’ve shoved irony under my bed to party it up with the dust balls. Before I coax irony out with a vacuum cleaner (which is a machine near extinction in my house), I thought I’d direct you to my “other blog,” where I”m posting today. It ain’t funny, but you might learn […]

Grace Is Free, But It Sure Ain’t Cheap

Last week, this “guy” named Bill Sergott–who I’d seen around the internet before–left a comment on my post, When Your Child Wonders What Age To Have a Baby, Ask Facebook that took by breath away. Within the first paragraph I could tell that he was witty, intelligent (Hello, String Theory), as well as a loving […]

On Being a Farm Girl and a Younger Sister

Autumn 1996 I walk onto my apartment’s balcony holding the cordless phone to my ear. “So,” I tell my brother who’s taking his PhD in Agriculture in Manitoba, “I’ve signed up to take a six-week self defense workshop.” “That’s cool,” he says. “Any particular reason?” “No, not really. My friend wants to take it, and […]

StuffKidsWrite.com: The Father's Day Edition

A few days ago, I posted my ineptitude as a daughter and a wife when it comes to Father’s Day. Well, today I am pleased to present to you a heartwarming poem written by a fantastic boy named Cameron. If the poem doesn’t remind you of all that is good in the world, then the […]

Contests, Submissions, and Winners, Oh My

THE CONTEST Last week, I celebrated my 200th post and offered to give away some swag. If you haven’t read the comments on “What’s in a Name?”, I encourage you to do so. My readers are hilarious. Just skip what I wrote. Seriously, the comments are where it’s at. THE WINNERS I was originally going […]

Remembering School Dances and the Uncertainty of Adolescence

The 1980s I loved getting ready for school dances. My best friend, C, and I would try on outfits, style each other’s hair, and apply make-up. This was unusual for us since we were jocks. Our normal school attire consisted of jeans, sweatshirts, runners, and barrettes or ponytails. Playing dress-up was fun, even if we […]

I Hope: a birthday letter to my 7-year-old twins

Dearest William and Vivian, Today you turn 7. Happy Birthday, my darlings. I hope you think being 6 has been a lot of fun. You know I’m not good at the big things. I’m not good at planning birthday parties, taking you on a zillion outings (or even two—unless they involve a bookstore and a […]

Joplin and the Blogging Community

Sunday was one of those weird timing days. My partner at StuffKidsWrite.com, Chase McFadden, was preparing a post for Monday morning. The submission was a humorous letter (to a butterfly) that was written by the son of our blogging friend, Amy Stevens, who lives in Joplin, Missouri. I likely needn’t say more. Most of you […]

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