thebluemuse

So the thing where I swore the Christmas tree would be down before Easter? Lies.Granted, I've been a little busy doing dissertation things, but I really did think we'd get the 9-foot perpetually perfect pine into the garage before it came this. Th...

Post-dissertation defense presentation and discussion, awaiting the verdict. I am so grateful to my dear friends who attended the defense and supported me, especially Max and Geeta who drove over from SoCal. (And of course, Mr. T who was taking picture...

Some of my most vivid memories of church come from when I was a little kid and we attended Bethel Lutheran services. What I remember best (aside from being an acolyte in funny robes!)--Easter egg hunts on the church lawn (where my sister and I would we...

It all started with the desire for home grown tomatoes. Somehow, that little goal morphed into a full veggie patch and a veritable obsession with growing things. First veggies, then trees and flowers. Some day, fruit trees and berries, too!It's hard to...

Why, yes. Yes, I did!I am utterly thrilled to announce a new arrival in our household. Affectionately known as The Big D, the fruits of my labor were born March 14, 2013 at 6:32 p.m., weighing in at 217 pages of prose, 58 pages of front/back matter, an...

Hello! In case you wonder, despite being deep inside dissertation land, I am, in fact, alive. Barely, thank you sleep deprivation and hay fever, but still breathing.To prove it, please enjoy Thursday 13 photos of life lately. To keep this blog within m...

Some days, dissertation writing is exciting/productive.Other days, it looks like this! "Onnneeeee, twoooooo...""Rock!" "Rock!""Onnneeeee, twooooo...""Paper!" "Paper!""Onnneeeee, twoooooo...""Rock!" "Rock!"(Giggles)"Onnneeeee, twoooooo...""Rock!" "...

Before heading up to Reno, I spent a few minutes poking around my front yard flower bed. I checked on the itty bitty ranunculus shoots and assessed the results of Slug War 2013's first skirmish. With admitted satisfaction, I noted a nice fat snail slur...

It was a preemptive strike, my dressing the still-up Christmas tree in paper hearts of various sizes and shades. You leave the tree up for more than a year ONE TIME and all of a sudden people act like it will become a habit.With my dear friend and bigg...

Luckily, I only have braces on the top rowand only on those front teeth. And if you mustknow, my braces match my earrings andfingernails today. I swear it wasn't on purpose!So I went to the dentist today hoping to retrieve my last set of Invisalign tra...