PhDone

1

12.6.13

A big congratulations to my husband, Dr. Eric Niven, who completed his PhD and convocated last week. The last five years have been a roller coaster and I am so proud of Eric for all of his hard work.

Although the ceremony was long, it was surprisingly emotional to watch Eric watch across that stage. I shed a couple of tears and beamed with pride during the ceremony. I am so grateful that Eric is done and that his hard work has finally paid off. Eric’s parents, Dave and Brenda were also there to help celebrate.

Obtaining PhD and life in academia are often romanticized, however, it is a gruelling career path. If you want an idea of what grad school is actually like check out PhD Comics. Naturally, my favorites are the PhD widows. Let’s just say these comics are funny because they are true.

Congrats Dr. Niven! Promise me no post-docs are in the works!

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Let’s Do Fifty-Two: Week One

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04.1.13

As part of my new year’s resolution, I decided to take and edit one photo a week. The theme is Evening Ritual, an idea inspired by Paint the Moon’s Let’s Do 52 lifestyle photography project.

I felt really nervous posting this image. I must admit, it makes me feel rather vulnerable. I decided to post this image because I can’t think of a more blissful evening ritual than soaking in a hot bath.

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How To Grow Tulips Indoors

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03.1.13

Last autumn, my grandma and her friends, who we affectionately call the golden girls, set out on a trip to Amsterdam. When grandma returned from her big vacation, she brought over 100 tulip bulbs home. I dropped the bulb (hehe) and didn’t get the tulips planted in time. I was thrilled to come across a pin on Pinterest that showed tulips grown directly in the vase.

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New Year’s Resolutions 2013

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02.1.13

First off, Happy New Year! I hope your Christmas season was full of wonderful family, friend and food! Today marks my first post of 2013 and I want to start off with some of my goals for the upcoming year.

While many people grumble and groan about the tradition of the New Year’s Resolution, I enthusiastically embrace it. Making New Year’s resolutions is one of my favorite things to do at this time of year. I love the optimism and possibility that lies ahead, I love reflecting back on the year before and love thinking about where I’ll be this time next year.

Between now and 2014, there are many things I’d like to accomplish. I’m excited to embark on this journey and starting today I will be working on:

Cleaning Out My Yarn Stash

Back in November I was looking for fun facts and stats to include in our infographic Christmas card, so I counted the balls in my yarn stash. While I knew there was a lot of yarn in the stash, I didn’t realize the extent of my problem. If you can believe it, I currently have 63 unused balls of yarn! Over the next year I intend to work through my yarn stash and make projects with what I already have. This should help clear out some of the clutter in the office and save a little bit of cash.

Improving My Photography
Three and a half years ago, Eric bought me my first DSLR as a wedding gift. In 2012, I finally learned how to use my camera in manual mode, and this year I want to push my skill set even further. To do this, I am going to take one photo a week for all of 2013. By completing this project, I hope to push my creativity, develop my technical ability, and keep track of what’s new in my life. If you are interested in following along I intend to post my photos on the blog every friday.

Getting Organized
To make sure my house stays as clean as possible, I am looking to clear out the clutter and find a place for everything. This is going to take a while (Ask any of our friends and family, Eric and I are messy people) and will only happen bit by bit over the course of the year. In case you are wondering, the photo below is what the desk in my kitchen looks like right now. Cleaning this desk might be a good place to start getting organized.

Throughout the next year, I hope to share my journey and the progress I make related to these goals. I know it won’t be easy, but I am sure it will be an interesting year full of excitement and milestones. Stick around to see what I accomplish and how I make these goals a reality!

Enough about me and my resolutions. Did you make your own resolution? If so, what are they? If not, why not?

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I like my Christmas kitschy

2

13.12.12

When I looked at high-style Christmas trees where everything matches perfectly, I am impressed. While these trees are lovely, they are not my style. At the end of the day, I like my Christmas with a little kitsch. For my, Christmas is about memories. So instead of buying new fancy ornaments I hold onto things, even if they don’t match and are no longer fashionable.

Example one has to be, Rudy and Wreath. I cannot remember a Christmas without Rudy. My mom made him over twenty years ago and I would say, Rudy has seen better days. While Rudy looks a little frumpy these days, he brings a smile to my face every time I leave the house.

This one is from Eric’s past. He made this little stocking back in grade school. How cute is this? I love to think of little Eric with the white glue and glitter!

Next up is one of my first Christmas ornaments. I has been hanging on the tree for 29 years and I am not about to take it down now! For as long as I can remember, I was the only one allowed to hang my baby’s first Christmas ornament. It has belonged to me my whole life and there are very few things that I’ve had my whole life.

Here’s another gem from Eric’s childhood. I like to call this guy bonhomme.

Bonhomme brings us to the next piece of Christmas kitsch. A little book I made back in the 1980s called “Mes Phrase de Noel”. I think it was probably a book I made at school to practice printing. Fun fact: I went to French immersion and learned to read and write in French before English.

While these decorations may not be super fashionable, they encompass what Christmas is all about for me. Fun, family and happy memories!

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PhDone

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12.6.13

Let’s Do Fifty-Two: Week One

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04.1.13

How To Grow Tulips Indoors

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03.1.13

New Year’s Resolutions 2013

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02.1.13

I like my Christmas kitschy

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13.12.12

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