Kimberly Dalferes | Author

Crazy, Southern, Irish Gal, Author

Can You Judge a Gal By Her Pyrex?

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Imagine if you will, a standing freezer, an appliance you’ve coveted for years but just couldn’t afford. Now envision your glee when a used, yet still well-functioning, keeper of all things frozen comes available at a neighbor’s garage sale. Score! Majorly awesome find for just $30. The only catch is that the contents are being donated to the local church for a Sunday school project and you will need to wait until the volunteer parishioners come to clean out said freezer in the next week. Seems … [Read more...]

Always Take the Cannoli

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Can you believe Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is thirty years old this year? Yepper, that teenage oracle of wisdom and guidance has reached the milestone of no longer being twenty-something. To celebrate, because how can you not celebrate Ferris, this weekend in Chicago folks will gather at Ferris Fest. If you’re in the area, put on your Ray-Bans, hop into your Ferrari, and go check out the fun and report back to us. Looking out from the perch here in The Middle-Aged Cheap Seats, I’ve come to … [Read more...]

The Small Moments of Motherhood

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(Updated from post of May 2014) Awhile back, on a day when I was walking my dog Taz (I sure do miss that wonderful fella), I passed a mom and son waiting for the school bus. As we slowly trotted past, I overheard the boy, I’m guessing about nine years old, regaling all the fascinating intricacies of the silk worm. Mom listened intently as he displayed his prowess in all things silk-worm-esque. As he finished she smiled and said “I think you’ll do fine on your test today.” His little face … [Read more...]

Can I Ask You a Question?

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I love to be involved in interviews. I have friends who hate to be subjected to the “dreaded” author interview. Not me: no question is too weird, too off topic or bizarre. It’s most likely because I’m Irish: we have an opinion about everything, will discuss anything, and we never meet a stranger who we aren’t soon chatting up about all things political, religious, or pop culture-esque. It’s in our DNA – it’s just science. Over the years, I’ve had interview questions that have stuck with me. I … [Read more...]

Can I Quote You On That?

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What happens when 350 people, predominantly women, truck in from all across the U.S. to spend three full days laughing (and a little crying), eating (mostly desserts), and baring their souls to each other? Magic. In a place called Dayton. That’s not a punchline. Last week, the tribe of Erma gathered once again for the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop. This is a bi-annual event and we had not been summoned since 2014. That’s a long time for tribe members to be out in the world without their … [Read more...]

Have You Seen the Signs of Spring?

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Spring 2016 has started to arrive and I believe I speak for many of us when I give a big ‘ol “Halleluiah!” shout out. This Florida Girl is not a fan of Old Man Winter here in VA. I become downright morose each February when I begin to feel as though I haven’t been warm since before Halloween. I can see why many of us hanging out in the Middle-Aged Cheap Seats are beginning to eye Florida as a viable retirement option (with yours truly often contemplating during the winter months why I ever … [Read more...]

What Do You Know About the Irish?

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Come next week, for at least one day, EVERYONE will be Irish. Thanks to the festivities of St. Patrick’s Day, we’ll be awash in green beer, bad leprechaun costumes, corned beef sandwich specials, and the sweet lyrical sound of “Oh Danny Boy” drifting out of every over-packed bar on Main Street. I’m not complaining: few ethnic groups have an entire day dedicated to a nationwide celebration of culture and heritage. I’m happy to adopt all who want to belong to my tribe. However, let’s dish a bit … [Read more...]

Do You Like to Watch?

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It’s become a time honored tradition, up here in the Middle-Aged Cheap Seats, to kick up our feet toward the end of every February, cocktail in one hand and popcorn in the other, and tune in for a favorite annual event: the Academy Awards, or as they are also known as, The Oscars. I host a fun little virtual viewing party over on Facebook: our gaggle of movie geeks and nerds slog through 3 to 4 hours of what can be some of the best, and worst, entertainment for the masses. Do you also … [Read more...]