Keeping Burnout at Bay, One Holiday Tree at a Time
“Is that a Christmas tree?” the Dean of the College of Arts and Letters asked me during a Zoom call. “Absolutely not,” …
Anna’s Cinco de Mayo Tree
At the end of 2020, I decided to keep the Christmas tree up until pandemic lockdown ends, decorating for each new holiday. …
The 2021 Valentine’s Tree
Happy stupid love day, ya’ll! While we’ve endured pandemic birthdays and quarantine Christmas, this socially distanced Valentine’s is hitting me kind of …
#100HappyDays: Real smiles
My niece Adelynn is cornering the market on cuteness! I’m pretty well floored by how fast babies learn. Having not grown up …
#100HappyDays and 24 Hours of Happy
Image from 24 Hours of Happy. He snoozed his loud alarm twice. Then he flopped over on my stomach. Then he took …
Spring joy in photos
Blooms from a flowering pear tree, which while beautiful, smells, ahem, indecently musty. If you’re like me (and most of the people …
A grateful heart: A marriage full of playfulness and joy
In lieu of a sweater picture. “Good night, sweater.” Snerk. “Good night, sweater?” I’d said “Good night, sweetheart,” intending to kiss a …
A Grateful Heart: Christmas cookies and other traditions
Decorating cookies at Shannon’s is serious business. Sprinkles, seven frosting colors, mini-marshmallows, red hots, spice drops, coconut, colored sugar (my fav!), M&Ms and …
Allergic to Christmas shopping?
So I’m in Target yesterday. It’s four days until Christmas. About half-way done with my shopping overall, I meander through the madness …