Author Archives: Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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About Andrea R Huelsenbeck

Andrea R Huelsenbeck is a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and a former elementary general music teacher. A freelance writer in the 1990s, her nonfiction articles and book reviews appeared in Raising Arizona Kids, Christian Library Journal, and other publications. She is currently working on a middle grades novel and a poetry collection.

How to Practice the Piano: The Warm-Up, Part I—Preparatory Exercises . . .by Andrea R Huelsenbeck  

Posted on February 24, 2015 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

This post started as a response to Jeff Goin’s 500 Word Challenge. The writing prompt was to explain how to do something, step by step. Although I am not a piano teacher, I know a lot about practicing the piano. … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Piano, Practicing, Practicing musical instruments, Practicing piano | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Longing for a Fashionable Lunch . . . by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

When I was a girl (in the late 50s, early 60s), my school lunch didn’t look like the other girls’ lunches. I brought my lunch to school in a hand-me-down boy’s metal Roy Rogers lunch box. The other girls had … Continue reading →

Posted in Lunch, Memoir, Nostalgia | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

I Resolve . . . by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

Posted on December 26, 2014 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

Many years ago I gave up on writing New Year’s resolutions. It seemed to me like an exercise in futility—by February I’d forgotten whatever good intentions I had the month before. It also seemed incorrect to call it a New … Continue reading →

Posted in Holiday, New Year, New Year's Resolutions | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

The Eight Best Christmas Books Ever . . . by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

One of the traditions in my family is the reading of Christmas books. We put out our special basket of books around December 1 and read them throughout the days leading up to Christmas. For several years the books were … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Christmas, Christmas Books, Holiday | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Ten Best Christmas CDs Ever . . . by Andrea R Huelsenbeck  

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

It’s the day after Thanksgiving—let’s put on some Christmas music! For me, music is an essential element of the season. Whether you’re preparing for Christmas by meditating on the miracle of the birth of the Christ, decorating your house, or choosing the … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas music, Holiday | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

6 Ways to Earn my Vote . . . by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

Posted on October 24, 2014 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

The phone rang for the sixth time that evening. “Your turn,” my husband said. Sighing, I extricated myself from the love seat where Greg and I sat watching TV, and picked up the phone. I didn’t need to say a … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Landing in Paradise . . . by Andrea R. Huelsenbeck

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

A green, rocky jewel surrounded by sparkling blue was my first glimpse. As we flew closer, my heart pounded. My dream was coming true. About two weeks after my mother passed away in 2004, I attended the famous Maui Writers Conference. … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Preserving Family Stories . . . by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

The autumn our daughter Carly was two and a half, we admired the fallen leaves together. “But, Mommy,” she asked, looking up at bare branches, “how do the leaves get back on the trees?” Our old house in New Jersey … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Life | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

The Day Milo Went AWOL . . . by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

  As I was readying to leave for work one day many years ago, my daughter Erin, then fifteen years old and the last of our children to leave for school in the morning, breathlessly announced, “There’s a snake in my … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Memoir, Pets | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

The Garage of Doom . . . by Andrea R. Huelsenbeck

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

  Please don’t judge me. I am about to share a source of great embarrassment for myself and my family. In August of 1988, my husband and I and our then four children moved from New Jersey to Arizona. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Decluttering | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment