If you write under the Babies sub-channel of our Parenting and Pregnancy channel I may be looking over your work and feeding you some encouragement or praise soon. I happily accepted the responsibility of acting as the Site Steward for that sub-channel here on Helium.com in December of 2007.

I hail from Indiana where I live with my husband, Tad. Tad is another Helium.com writer and also another Sub-channel Site Steward (Astronomy). We have both been active Helium.com members since October 20th of 2006. (I regret daily that the invite a writer option wasn't in effect yet, because it was I who found the site first that day and introduced it to Tad!) We have one very sweet but strong-willed, two-year-old daughter (she was born a preemie of four pounds) and we now have a second daughter that arrived even earlier weighing in at 2 pounds, 11 oz. So, babies are both a very recent experience for me and very much on my mind as I experiences the highs and lows of being a preemie mom for a second time. As a sub-channel steward, I look forward to connecting with writers here on Helium.com in my sub-channel area and throughout helium as a whole.

Aside from my presence here on Helium.com, I work full time as a Marketing Coordinator for a large technology corporation where I assist with both writing and designing advertisements, newsletters and technical fact sheets, as well as, assisting with trade show and event planning. In the writing I do for my career, I strive to make the technical readable by the average person and cut through all the 'tech jargon' and 'corporate speak' to get to the core of the message. (Not always an easy task.)

I'm often asked to write on things for my work that I've never even heard of before. I've learned that I have to ask a lot of questions to make sure I truly understand the topic I'm writing about - and if I do get to where I understand it - usually my readers will too! (...that and I make my sources check it when I'm through to make SURE I got it right.)

Most sources are very willing to help a writer - especially if it means they won't have to write the article if you are doing that for them. My advice for writing interviews is to never be afraid that a question you need to ask a source will reveal your lack of knowledge on a subject, though you should do your research to ask as intelligent a question as you can. Instead, focus on that the asking of your question will show your source an eagerness to learn about something that is possibly their favorite subject.

I additionally write and design as a freelancer from home. To increase my writing skills for both my freelancing and my work projects I am also participating in the Apprenticeship writing program of the Christian Writer's Guild. Writing articles for Helium.com is great practice for my lessons!

I also hold a Bachelors degree from Indiana State University, with completed majors in both English, Liberal Art and Fine Art, Graphic Design.

I enjoy spending time with my family above all, but reading books, watching movies, playing various types of games and scrapbooking are my favorite hobbies - all of which are subjects I occasionally write about here on Helium.com. Well, those topics and a lot about babies and toddlers. (Go figure!)

My passion is ...

Reading - just about any bit of fiction I can lay my hands on

I know too much about ...

Multiple Sclerosis and Pre-eclampsia

My parents always told me ...

To eat lots of vegetables and keep the oil changed in my car

My childhood ambition ...

To be a writer!

My favorite memory ...

When my husband first asked me out...and then I asked him out.

Why I write ...

Because I'm not great at public speaking - he he. Seriously, just love to!

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

Lots of Children's DVDs with my toddler/The Left Behind series

My first job ...

Dairy Queen ... and then I created full-color yellow page ads for my first post-college job.

My best moment ...

A three-way tie. My wedding day and the day each of my daughters got to come home from NICU.

My inspiration ...

Jesus and my family

Relationships & Family > Christmas Tips for organizing a Yankee swap (white elephant gift exchange)

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What is a 'White Elephant', exactly? According to legend the kings of Siam used to give actual white elephants - yes, as in the animal - to visitors. The theory was that the upkeep of the animal was so expensive and time consuming that it would cause great difficulty both financially and with the effort of care for the recipient of this extravagant gift. What does this have to do with a gift exchange you might want to host? Well, the standard dictionary also defines a white elephant as "a possession that is useless or troublesome, esp. one that is expensive to maintain or difficult to di...

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