Every year since we met (with a couple exceptions…sometimes I suck at keeping up traditions), Mark and I have given each other an ornament.  Often, the ornament reflects a theme of the year, or a season in our lives.  Sometimes, it’s just cute or silly or pretty. The first Christmas after we were married, I slogged my way through a bout of major depression.  And I mean Major.  I boycotted the holidays.  I didn’t want a tree.  Mark and his sister both took a day off work, got a tree and decorated the house while I was at work. I […]

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If you are a radical Environmentalist, please stop reading.  Skip this post and come back on Thursday. ….waiting….waiting….. OK, they’re gone. It’s safe. Me: “Hi.  My name is Christine, and I’m a Tree-cutter.” You: “Hi, Christine!” Every year, we visit a local tree farm and cut our own real pine christmas tree. In my head, this happens on the day after Thanksgiving.  I think we’ve actually hit that schedule a grand total of once.  This year.   But growing up, the Day After Thanksgiving = Holy Tree Acquisition Day, so in my imagination, that’s still when we get the tree. […]

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Every blog has to have a Thanksgiving post.  It’s the law. Ever since we finished the kitchen ceiling (and many other renovations), we’ve been honored to host the Niles Family Thanksgiving Extravaganza at our house (that’s Mark’s family, for those of you playing along at home). Over those years, I have honed a very carefully choreographed project plan for the morning (shocking, I know….).  The turkey goes in at about 8:30 AM, and we hit the table with all food hot at 12:30.      (if anyone wants a copy of the plan, I’d be happy to share it. it’s magical. […]

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Our house was an ugly duckling. Looked like it popped right out of That 70’s Show.  Antique brass everywhere.  The fake kind. Instead of popping a champagne bottle, we popped a paint can. But we didn’t stop at paint…. The kitchen ceiling, for instance, was lower than everything else by about nine inches.  It was covered with a textured wallpaper to mimic an old-fashioned tin ceiling.  Then it was painted cream. A 3×4 hole in the ceiling held a fluorescent light fixture that you’d expect to find in a dungeon.  The whole thing was “trimmed out” with strips of some […]

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Reactions to the new blog have been enthusiastic, but the thing that sticks out most to me is how each one of you brings a different perspective and asks a different question. A couple people wondered if we really moved to a new house.  Nope.  It was a metaphor.  Maybe not a very well-spelled-out one.  Sorry for that. A couple people asked if I got fired.  Quit?  Planning to quit?  Thankfully, no, I still have my stressful but important day job. To Quit or Not To Quit Even though I complain about it a lot, I have a pretty good gig.  (Yes, […]

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