I identify first and foremost as a mother of three married to a father of three. We each have a child living abroad, so hope to do some traveling in the next few years.

I grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan (Canada) and attended a one-room school through grade four. I was already reading when I started school, so had lots of time in class to listen to what was going on with the older kids. I heard most of the story "Jean val Jean" (more commonly known these days as "les Miserables") read aloud four years in a row before I later studied it in grade eight. We had a fresh box of library books delivered to the school at regular intervals, and by grade four I was able to read most of them before they were replaced by a fresh box after a month or six weeks. For grades five through twelve, my siblings and I rode the school bus for an hour each way because our neighbor was the bus driver. This too was a good opportunity to read (when there weren't enough card players available for a game of kaiser), and I read everything in the school library by the end of grade twelve, including several novels that were being banned from other libraries at the time.

Right after high school I did a biology degree, married, worked for a year, and went back to university for another year, followed by Teachers' College. I taught in the K to 12 public school system in Saskatchewan for five years before starting a family, and then stayed home raising kids for twelve years. During this time I operated a nursery school in my home for a few years and spent six years as a public school trustee. I spent almost a decade as student counselor at our local regional college, escaping from the stress of counseling for several brief periods by taking on term positions as an instructor and a program coordinator. When the colleges in the province partnered to develop an electronic student information system, I offered to represent our college in that project and ended my time there as registrar.

I currently work with my (second) husband, doing property development and social/economic development with First Nations.

I enjoy gardening, interior decorating, sewing, and reading, and recently, writing. Teaching is still my passion, so I'm hoping that I can mentor some writers on Helium.

My passion is ...

teaching

I know too much about ...

disappointment/anger

My parents always told me ...

"Do it right the first time."

My childhood ambition ...

to be a teacher

My favorite memory ...

Make that plural: the joys of parenting.

Why I write ...

for pleasure (and ratings)

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

tv movies every evening (my husband's a homebody)

My first job ...

weeding the garden

My best moment ...

realizing that my son at age three had the most profoundly developed conscience of anyone I knew

My inspiration ...

my parents

Style & Beauty > Clothing Tips & Advice Buyer's guide to plus size dresses

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Finding a flattering style and a good fit in plus size dresses can be a challenge, particularly if some of your measurements require a plus size and others do not!
Some of the women's wear at Wal-Mart, Zellers and Sears is offered in XL and all carry a few labels in plus sizes from 1X to 4X. In addition to dresses they carry several lines of mix and match separates - skirts, tops and jackets - with which to create two-piece outfits that will satisfy most office standards. All of these retailers also offer some more formal dresses.

Addition Elle fashions begin at size 14, and you'll find l...

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