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Class Trips
My son is on his eighth grade class trip to Boston this week. Thanks to modern technology and a savvy teacher who tweets frequently, I’ve been able to follow along on their adventures. I’ve never been to Boston, but I … Continue reading
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Who Do You Want on Your Household Staff?
For my current manuscript, I’m researching life on a Russian country estate. I already knew Russian landowners had an obscene number of household servants (think upwards of three or four hundred for one family), but today I came across an … Continue reading
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My To-be-Read Pile
My To-be-Read (TBR) pile is getting out of hand (and this doesn’t include all the ebooks I’ve downloaded onto my iPad). I’ve started referring to it as a mountain, but I think I’m going to have to switch to a … Continue reading
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Spring Break, Flu Ache
As a follow up to a previous post on the Winter Palace, I planned to post a blog about Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo today, but all of my plans for this week have been derailed by forces beyond my … Continue reading
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At an Impasse
The hero and heroine in my current work in progress have reached an impasse. Secrets have been revealed, deepest fears have been realized, and both are too stubborn to take the first step toward reconciliation. Though the circumstances weren’t nearly … Continue reading
Adding to the Menagerie
Back in September I foolishly allowed my husband to take our children to a reptile show without adult supervision. The result: four (yes, that says four) lizards. Two uromastyx and two crested geckos. [Side note: there seems to be some … Continue reading
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James Madison’s Montpelier
I recently took advantage of the opportunity to visit Montpelier, President James Madison’s home in picturesque Orange, Virginia. The property is owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and managed by the Montpelier Foundation. In 2001, the Montpelier Foundation embarked on a mission … Continue reading
Things My Pets Give Me
If you thought this was going to be about how our pets give us unconditional love, loyalty, companionship, etc., you were wrong. My pets do give me all those things and more, but today I’m talking about the actual … Continue reading
What Do You Put in Your Dishwasher?
I took my son to the orthodontist recently, and while I was waiting, I picked up a copy of Real Simple Magazine. It’s a lovely magazine, but I could never implement even half of the suggestions they give in just … Continue reading
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What Did You Name Your Wireless Network?
You might be surprised how many people know. If you’re like me, you didn’t put much thought into naming your wireless network. I just set it up as quickly as I could, hoping I wouldn’t have to read too much … Continue reading
