New uses for waffle blocks

Please don't look closely at where the tub needs re-caulking. Hey! That's something I can do! I'll add "caulk the tub" to the list!

Yesterday's biggest accomplishment was figuring out how to take a shower. I was lying in bed trying to envision any sort of waterproof seat in the house. Too impatient to wait for one of those bath seats from the medical supply place. We had one for our dad and I recently gave it to a friend for her 90-year-old mom, who is getting to be slightly unsteady in the bath.

Then it came to me: Waffle blocks! Brilliant! We use them for seating the kids around the coffee table for craft projects and snacks. As long as they prove sturdy enough to hold me, we'd be golden. Lizz listened patiently to my plan and agreed to help me set up a dry run.

After the dry run, I was ready to go solo. Just sat on the edge of the tub, wrapped my leg in a garbage bag, tied it snugly above the knee and swung around so the bag-covered leg stretched in front of me. Perfecto.

Oh, my shower was heavenly. I wanted to stay there forever.

Gee - I wonder what shiny new discovery I'll make today?!

Simple joys

Baking cookies with kids is one of the most chaotic, yet simply joyful, experiences you can have.

When Ashton and Sammy showed up for cookie baking on Saturday, they were ready for action. Thankfully, so were we. Mostly. The table was covered with brown paper and rolling stations were set up for each. The dough was already made, and all the necessary equipment was strategically placed on the table.

The boys mastered the techniques of flouring, rolling, cutting, re-rolling (after limbs were inadvertently cut off by improperly positioned cutters or too-thin cookies that broke during their transfer to the waiting cookie sheets) and spatulating. Not too surprisingly, they were best at the eating part. We'd planned to make blue and purple frosting (at Ashton's request) but got distracted doing other things and before we knew it, realized more than half of the unadorned cookies had vanished. Oops. Well, there's always Valentine's Day.

Kay's Butter Cookies
This is simply the best recipe for cutout cookies, in my opinion. Only a few ingredients and no chilling required. (Although the dough can be made in advance and chilled until ready to roll, if desired.) This recipe is so versatile ... and the dough is perfectly suited for baking with kids since it's easy to work with and can be rolled, re-rolled and re-rolled multiple times. The results are always delicious. My dear friend Kay shared the recipe with me when our kids were small, and I've relied on it for baking thousands of (often last-minute) cookies for school, church, Girl Scouts and holiday events over the years.

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp real vanilla or almond extract
2-1/3 cups unbleached flour

Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and vanilla or almond extract. Stir in flour until well combined. Roll out on floured surface and cut with floured cookie cutters. Bake at 350F for about 8-10 minutes or until ever-so-slightly browned at the edges.

Frost cooled cookies with favorite frosting. We like buttercream (there's usually a recipe on the back of the powdered sugar bag/box). Drizzling with or dunking in melted chocolate is also yummy.

Essential hardware for healing

I know this photo doesn't seem to exactly match the headline. It's an antique ornament from my grandmother's house. After Mama Darkey (our special name for her) passed away, the ornaments were divided up among the children and grandchildren. I love the unique, delicate shape of this one. Its fragility. Its subtle coloring. The mingling of shiny and dull. The rubbed off bits and the slightly corroded hook at the pointy end.


I wonder whose it was originally and how old it is exactly. I pull out this ornament and the other I received and imagine Christmas celebrations of long ago reflected in their surfaces.


This minor setback has given me lots of time for reflection. Steel plates and screws in my ankle will stabilize my foot and my walking eventually. More time spent with loved ones will strengthen essential relationships. More attention to those nagging to-do projects (the ones I can do from bed anyway) will build a firmer foundation in some critical areas of responsibility. More rest and exercise will help me physically, emotionally and intellectually ... and more time spent in prayer and in the Word will reinforce my faith life and my continued walk with Jesus. 


So friends ... I need your comments more than ever now. Please share your thoughts on "essential hardware" and/or an experience where good things came from less-than-ideal circumstances. Use the comment section below or send me an e-mail. Happy Tuesday! 

On the second day of Christmas ...

... my true love gave to me: Two turtle doves, la la la la la la la la la la ...

The day after Christmas was a good day ... mostly. And part way through it the working title for the post was along the lines of "Cookie baking as contact sport." The short tale of baking cookies with Ashton and Sammy with the later addition of Molly for a wintry trip to the zoo and dinner at Mickey D's was sweet and largely devoid of drama. High on energy, for sure, but surprisingly drama-free.

After Molly was delivered to her parents and Sammy and Ashton to Lizz for tucking into bed (she was babysitting them) and after cleaning up the remains of the plate of cookies Dooley ate ... I zipped home to take the neighbor's son's dog out for a walk.

My dear neighbor, C, had knee surgery a few weeks back and she was dog-sitting while son and husband had gone off to Ohio for two days. My job was to help with outdoor doggie duty so C wouldn't risk slipping on the ice.

Oh ... we had a lovely walk! First a full tour through the neighborhood. Then, as I passed our houses I decided we needed to a bit more - perhaps past the court house and its pretty lights before circling back home. So we trotted up the street, meandered past the displays in front of the court house - up and over the steps (pausing at the top to look at the Christopher Columbus statue and ponder why it was in Saginaw) and at the same time marveling at the beauty of the evening and making an early New Years resolution to find a way to take nighttime walks with the dog more often ...

What happened next sort of changed the plans for the evening and also the next few months. So let's focus on the positive, shall we? Beautiful day with some of my favorite small and medium-sized people.  A lovely walk. Good deeds exhibiting God's love. Quality time with my sister ...

I'll give you a hint: Go on over to today's post on Tuna on Wheatley to see why I've been benched for the season.

A very merry Christmas!

As usual, I'm up way past my bedtime on Christmas Eve. Lizz commented that I've been uncommonly calm. And my state of unpreparedness is, well, amazing even for me.

But we enjoyed baking today. And creating a few surprises. The sticky buns are rising for our traditional family brunch. I'm looking forward to spending time with family and friends these next few days.

A very merry Christmas to all!

Grandma Wahl's Butter Balls and other important traditions

I remember Grandma Wahl always made pineapple sticks – in large quantities – for every occasion. Graduation? “I made the pineapple sticks! Forty seven dozen are in the freezer!” Family reunion? Happy Easter Esther? Christmas? First communion? Wedding reception? Yep, those pineapple sticks were baked and stashed away. Because Grandma Wahl planned ahead.

But pineapple sticks doesn't rhyme. And those butter balls were a Christmas tradition for many years. When I came across the recipe in my big tin box last night I knew it had to be the headline for something.

You'll be happy to know I finally made the gingerbread cookie dough. Yesterday evening I searched for over an hour for the cloves I'd just purchased. Almost broke down and used allspice and then found the new container of cloves still in the bag in the closet. Oh yeah. I'm a planner, I am.

Every year we look at all the possible cookie recipes ... so many cookies, so little time. But for me, the gingerbread people are essential. We have to get that smell into the walls of our house. Just doing it a bit late this year.

What are your essential Christmas traditions? Care to share? Oh geez. There go the bells.

Sereni-tea Wednesday

I just can't make myself do it. Get into the Christmas-urgency mode, that is.

Why is that? Why this year more than any other in my crazy life?

I typically avoid the mall (shudder) during this season. Well, any time of year. Don't get me wrong: I love love love to buy people presents. I'd just prefer to do it in the comfort of my home, in my monkey pants. And this year I'm not even doing that. I'd like to, to be sure, but resources (funds and time) are particularly limited.

And I'm uncommonly calm.

You know what I should do - not today, because I have to go get ready for work - but perhaps this weekend ...? List all the things I'd buy/do for the people in my life if I could. If I had all the money in the world (which I clearly don't). That's sort of the complete opposite of the point of today's post, but it might be a fun exercise.

The point for today? I'm seeking serenity in the midst of chaos - and wishing it for all of you in this busy season. May you find a place in these next few days to breathe. Enjoy a cup of tea - or other serenity-inducing beverage. Inhale. Exhale. Ahhhhhh.....

Tuneful Tuesday II

So it's certainly POSSIBLE that an elephant could have been at Jesus' birth, right? You don't usually hear about the pachyderms right over there next to the ox and ass. Though this elephant looks kind of fancy. Maybe he/she transported one of the Wise Persons.


I love crèches. I love the variety of interpretations of all those likely to have been there to welcome the savior of the world. My sister and two of my nieces have fairly elaborate crèches that depict not only the key players but also all of the others who may have been nearby. Like maybe an elephant - there to trumpet the Good News.


Doris is the winner of the Muzyka CD - last week's Tuneful Tuesday offer. I've been pondering what to offer this week ... and have to go get ready for work now so will have to post the plan tonight.


Happy Tuesday!

Jingle bells

The bells are a tad late today. It's 7:46 as I begin writing this and the bells usually start at 7:30. Wonder what's up with that.

How do you like my festive avocado plant? Isn't it purty? I watered it soon after snapping the photo. I think it really needs fertilizer or something. This one is the oldest and healthiest looking of the three I sprouted.

OK, now I've just gone off on at least a dozen tangents in the last 30 minutes - all part of the behind-the-scenes activity of the writing process, I guess. I had to go look up fun facts about Jingle Bells and fertilizing avocado plants and guacamole, and now I really need to get ready for church. And now the bells are ringing again. Different ones. Maybe it has something to do with a special service today, the last Sunday of Advent.

Looking out my window, I don't think there will be too much dashing through the snow here in mid-Michigan, but wherever you are, I hope you're taking time to appreciate and enjoy the blessings of the season.

Brown paper packages ...

hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm ... these are a few of my favorite things!

I've decided I'm going to use sentence case for all my post titles here on out. I know all of you are angsting over the fact that I keep flip-flopping between title case and sentence case. When I look at a list of posts, I get a little itchy when it bounces back and forth. I'm sure it's making Annnnnnonymous itchy, too. It might be a little over the top, though, to go back and correct all the past titles. So I won't do that. Today.

So back to the brown paper packages. I hung out with the boys the other night. And next to hockey, baseball, football, SpongeBob, Batman, Spider-Man, the excitement of Dooley eating candles (and needing to go out 47 times to eliminate them) and playing house ... Christmas preparations were the hot topic of the evening. I do not know how we squished so much into about two hours, but we did. I think M. Beteh must have used her magic shoehorn wand. Oh yeah, we also played Chutes and Ladders. And read bedtime stories. And had a snack. And certain people were almost nestled in their beds somewhere reasonably close to their prescribed bedtimes.

So the packages. Ashton decided it was very important that we wrap presents. So we rounded up several items and found some brown paper and wrapped. And wrapped some more. And of course Sammy wanted to help when he had finished playing hockey, football and baseball. We practiced the finer points of wrapping - like covering odd shapes and trying to disguise the shape of the item. And using as much tape as possible. That's important. And decorating with stickers. And inserting as much love and thought into each teeny-tiny item as is possible. I think that is the most focused I've seen those two ... ever.

Oh yeah, Sammy is absolutely CONVINCED he's getting a drum set on Friday morning. Just thought Santa should be really completely clear on this.

It's all under control

Thank goodness Claudette has this decorating thing under control. 

She has properly tested the lights. Y'know, for safety and stuff.

And has fully investigated the ornaments. They've all been found to be adequately shiny.

Ta da.

Star Girls

Some of you may remember the year Lizz and I were the Crazy Star Girls. I'm not exactly sure why we started the star thing. I think it had to do with coming up with an e-mail address. But still ... why?

Anyway, let's see, this would have been in about 2004. We decided that to earn extra dough we'd create all sorts of shiny star-themed things. Dad taught me how to use the scroll saw and the jigsaw on his Shopsmith MARK V.  (That's for you, D and K!) I made all kinds of stars out of nifty scraps of wood I found in his shop - bits of walnut and cherry and some wood species I'd never heard of that he got as samples over the years. We drilled holes in the "arms" of the stars and I made hangers out of wire onto which I'd threaded pretty beads. You can kind of sort of see some of them hanging there on the left. I also made swirly beaded bookmarks with heavy-gauge wire, plus some with gauzy ribbon, copper wire and beads. I made stars out of recycled cardstock to hang the earrings Lizz crafted. Those are on the right. I think I was into mass production and she mastered the detail work. Oh, and I made some bigger stars for tree toppers that I spray-painted gold.

Then we displayed our pretty things at the church bazaar. It wasn't a profitable money-making scheme, but it was fun. And many dear friends, family members and co-workers supported our endeavor (and some also were gifted with our handiwork that year).

I came across some of the doo-dads from our star-thing activities this week when I was attempting to decorate (bad bad tree with defective lights) and enjoyed the memory. And was reminded that my Star Girl is coming home for break tomorrow. Hooray!

Tuneful Tuesday

The birds are at it again. I just read on my neighbor's Facebook page (?!!!!) that they're crows and have been alighting around here every year about this time for many years.

But those aren't the sort of tunes I'm thinking of.

Hi, everyone, did you miss me the last few days? I got out of my daily habit. I may bore you with the details in the next few days, but not today. Because it's Tuesday! Today I want to invite you to go on over and listen to Muzyka, my favorite local music group composed of some of my favorite people. They never fail to lift my spirits.

I finally sent Annette her Lobster Butter Love from Roos Roast ... she should be getting that in the next couple of days. Maybe Annnnnonymous and I can bake a pie this weekend? That'll catch me up on my commenter awards so I can announce the next one: I'd like to gift a lucky commenter with Enter In, Muzyka's new CD of folk and gospel classics. So ... let me know you're out there, drop me a line, tell me what's happening in your life, share an Advent/Christmas thought or three ... Let's see - I guess the deadline will be Sunday night (Dec. 20). Sound good?

Happy Tuesday! (Oh, there go the church bells - yikes! Gotta get ready for work.)

Christmas Present

I met my sister for dinner last night ... one of my favorite things to do any time of the year. Our lives are so busy - especially in this season, it seems - it's tough to squeeze in those moments.

But those moments - the ones we spend with the ones we love - are the ones that carry us through our days.

For me, the best Christmas present is not something wrapped up in a box (although I do love shiny paper and sparkly bows and surprises - who wouldn't?) ... it's experiencing that feeling of Christmas in the present moment.

Not the hustle and bustle. Not the scurry and flurry. Not the buying the right thing. But the moments. The memories imprinting on my soul.

How about you?

Always follow directions

... even if they don't quite make sense?

Another photo from our jaunt to Traverse City a few years back. I remember the sign made us laugh. Partly because it was so ... seasonal (we were there in August) but also ... slopes? Adjacent to the highway? Really? Although it's possible every slanted surface offers ski potential up there.

Hey, why don't "they" make those tennis shoes with the pop-out wheels for grownups? I want a pair of those so I can roller skate when the mood strikes.

Years ago, when I worked at the health department, a group of us used to meet to roller blade at lunch. One day, I decided to just put my blades on in the office, surreptitiously skate the dozen feet or so to the elevator and then the dozen or so feet to the back door ... figured nobody would notice and I would save time and wouldn't have to carry my shoes. My plan worked perfectly ... except ... wouldn't you know? The safety director was on the elevator on the return trip, and was quite concerned about the hazard I posed. So if there's now a specific safety policy over there, I guess we know who to blame. 

It snew!

Slushy mushy gushy snew spew from the sky.



Stay warm and dry today ...

A matter of balance

Was just going through photos from my trip to Barcelona in early 2005, seeking inspiration for this morning's post. I'm not sure why this one spoke to me ... or why I cannot remember the name of the sculptor! But this is a rather famous sculpture, installed at the beautiful monastary of Montserrat.

I'm seeking balance today. It's only Tuesday and I'm already feeling ... a bit off center.

What helps to center you? Please share in the comments section or send an e-mail to me at javamama42@gmail dot com. I'll share all centering thoughts here next Tuesday.

Keeping things in perspective

Good morning, friends! Is everyone looking forward to Monday and the week ahead?

I found this photo among a batch from our trip to Traverse City right after our exchange student, Midori, arrived a few years ago. Midori, who initially seemed rather shy, was immediately thrown into our lives and survived with flying colors. We decided to go "up north," but hadn't exactly chosen a destination. I remember her being a little bit concerned about that uncertainty. By then end of the weekend, she was fully initiated into our ways.

When I came upon this image last night, I was struck by the patterns and textures and the order of it. Doesn't it look like all the elements have just been placed there, just so?

You know, the photographer could just as easily have angled her camera this way:

The elements are all still present - just angled upward, putting a different slant on things, so to speak.

Isn't if funny how we say things like, "it's all downhill from here" (meaning the "uphill battle," or tough part, is done and the rest is easy) and things are "looking up" (meaning the future isn't so bleak after all)? I guess the lesson is that life is full of ups and downs. And keeping it all in perspective is key to how we handle those ups and downs.

Happy Monday ... and here's to looking up at a week full of good things!

---
The commenter who won last week's special offer is Annette, to whom I'm sending a pound of calorie-free Lobster Butter Love from Roos Roast in Ann Arbor. (Don't worry, it's not lobster-flavored coffee.) I first discovered this roast in the fall of 2008 at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market on one of my visits to see Lizz. I was about a "quart low," having run short on my coffee supply at home and was feeling blurry. After sampling a cup of the brew, I stocked up on a few bags ... and then re-stocked for self and others when we were at the market again just before Christmas last year. Even the artwork on the bags is fun - hand-inked by the artist and his fellow roasters.

Online ordering is easy at www.roosroast.com.

Birds and Church Bells

Those are the sounds I heard upon awakening today.

A ginormous convention of some bird species was engaged in very loud debate about something before flying off ... most likely in a southern direction. (I wonder if they'll go as far south as this
Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, the last of M. Beteh's vacation photos I've been sharing this week.)

Moments after my feathered friends departed, the church bells began chiming. There are, lemme see, six churches within a few blocks of our house. Seven days a week, the Lutheran church across the street, which is attached to an elementary school, chimes at 7:30. In four years I've not figured out which of the other churches join in at various times on Sunday - it's now 8:45 and a slightly more distant one just chimed. But one of these days I'm going to figure it out.

In any event, both are pretty nice sounds to hear.

I had thought I'd reflect some on birds of peace today, and wondered if herons, like doves and certain cranes, have been associated with peace. In my shiny wanderings, I came across a new treasure - the Tiny Aviary, one of the nesting places of Chicago illustrator Diana Sudyka. Both destinations are delightful.

With that discovery, I decided to cut short my own reflection ... and invite you to share your thoughts on symbols of peace. And may you experience peace in abundance on this Sabbath day and always.

And now for something completely wrandom

Why do we have a silent w in "write" but not in wrandom? Do you think it used to be there and just fell off as part of the normal evolution of language?

M. Beteh also shared this photo from her Sanibel trip with me. She told me the story behind the pretty little display with delicate flowers entirely made of shells - these and others like them were created for servicemen during the war. I'm not sure which war that was ... I was guessing WWII since the song was first published in 1924 and I was thinking was probably very popular in the early 1940s. I just did a wrapid (that one could have lost its w too, wright?) scan on Wikipedia and didn't see Frank Sinatra's name on the list of recordings until the 1970s. Wreally? I always associated that song with him.

But my point - seemingly wrandom as my wramblings are, I usually get to one eventually (and it truly is often a surprise even to me) - is to share the incredible hopefulness in this artwork. Whether WWII or Vietnam or Afghanistan ... this represents the hopeful anticipation, even expectation, of a loved one's return to peace from a place of discord. And whether that discord is on the other side of the world, or closer to home or even in our own spirits, there is always reason to hope.

May you find many sources of hope in your lives today, dear friends.

Baking Memories

There is a benefit to having some photos on hand where you can't quite see faces, but you KNOW the subjects and situation clearly.

I cannot believe this first one was taken almost three years ago. Our budding hockey player was about 2-1/2 and I'd decided he needed an apron for Christmas so we could bake together. He seemed the right age to learn the basics of rolling, cutting, decorating ... Baking with my mom was such a favorite Christmas-time memory for me. The day after Christmas, he arrived at our back door wearing his apron and oven mitts, ready for action.

Here we are again this summer, baking a cake in between dips in the pool (not my kitchen). I love how Mr. "I'm gonna check you into da boards" is so serious about his work ... and how Dooley is right in the middle of the action down there in the left of the photo.

This year, I'll need to plan for three baking apprentices. Whoaa ... better go get ready.

Introducing Carol the Christmas Croc

Look! I decorated!

This is our new friend, Carol the Christmas Croc. And I keep finding new shiny things in the photo, specially enhanced by my dear friend M. Beteh, who met Carol when she was vacationing in Florida. I was going to wait to introduce her but I was so excited, I couldn't wait one more minute! Please forgive the jumbo size of the photo in the header today. I hope to have that fixed by tonight or tomorrow.

So I thought perhaps we could talk about Carol and how she's celebrating Advent and preparing her heart for Christmas.

No? What about what's on her wish list? If she's been naughty or nice? Tips on how she keeps her teeth so white? M. Beteh told me that you can tell she's a crocodile (and not an alligator) because of the way her fangs go up and down, instead of all in one direction. I did not know that. I always thought it was something to do with their noses. I guess that's part of it too.

But all fun with Carol aside, I would be interested to know how you are celebrating Advent and preparing your heart for Christmas. Can we talk about that over the next 21 days?


P.S.: You may have noticed some things missing on the site. I can't really talk about it here, but I hope everyone will continue to visit and keep me company. Just post a comment now and then or send me an e-mail or smoke signals to let me know you stopped by.

Important Work

"Mowli, what are you making?"

"I'm dwawing a beeeg punkin, Samwi! Butwe gotta hurryup cuz we gotta go to da park and ride in da wagon and jump up and down and eat lotsandlots of CAKE!"

Oh, don't I wish that was next on my agenda today? I'll just think of the proposal and four site maps I'm finishing as cake. With lots of frosting.

Oh yeah. Frosting. It's supposed to snow tomorrow.

She sees seashells at the seashore

About a million years ago, when I was in college (the first time), I went to Fort Myers and Sanibel Island on Spring Break. I traveled with one of my housemates (yes, Julie, from that house with the macaroni on the kitchen ceiling). A dear friend just returned from Sanibel and shared this photo with me, which brought up the old memory.

We had had a really rough two trimesters - MSU was on trimesters then - and looked forward to a very atypical college student experience. My friend's grandparents were our hosts in Fort Myers for a couple of days before they left to go on a cruise. But it was rainy in those first days of our visit, so her grandfather taught me how to knit. I know! Comme c'est bizarre! He had had a stroke earlier in the year and knitting was one of his therapies. As I have had the habit of doing pretty much my whole life, I made great plans for this newfound hobby. I was going to make sweaters and socks and afghans and scarves. I bought some really pretty yarn. By the end of the trip I was really good at knitting, purling and unknitting and unpurling ... I found that yarn recently with the needles still in it.

Oh hey. Not my point.

Shells! I really love shells. I have little displays of them all over - in the bathroom, library, the counter around the funny little sink in my bedroom ... on the wood-burning stove in the basement, in the kitchen, in my office, even in the car. They're my little piece of the ocean in my Michigander world. When I'm at the beach, I can wander for hours picking up shells and inspecting each and every one. Marveling in the perfect symmetry of some or the perfect way others have weathered various types of damage. And I'm continually astounded at the infinite variety I find in these calcified protective coverings for sea creatures.

Interesting. It's not completely unlike the infinite variety of our individual faith experiences, is it?

Meet Claudette and this week's special

I'm sure nobody could tell at all, but this morning I suffered from severe writer's block. I sat down at my computer and had no. idea. what. to. write. at. all.

At 6:36 I began to panic. I've been trying so hard to post by 7:00 a.m. for my six readers who are up at that time anxiously waiting for what I have to say. I don't know who you are, but I know there are about six of you joining me for my morning coffee. It would be nice if y'all said "howdy" some time!

Tonight I thought I'd introduce those of you who haven't met her to Claudette. She's feeling very Ansel Adams-y here in her black-and-whiteness.

But introducing Claudette is not the real reason I decided to write again tonight, though. It's to announce this week's special. You thought I gave up, didn't you!?!

The cookies from our first week have been delivered to Hulk and Elizabeth. I've made contact with Anonymous and we'll be having a pie-baking lesson soon. This week I thought I'd do something completely different. Ready? I have picked out something very special - and calorie-free - that I will award to someone who comments here or on Tuna on Wheatley by Saturday, Dec. 5. All comments will be entered in my drawing, so comment early and often to increase your chances! Tell me a story. Share something shiny. Give me some constructive criticism. Just talk to me.

All righty. Sweet dreams, friends. I'll see some of you bright and early.

Infinite Possibility

Aren't babies great? Beyond being little snuggly bundles of cuteness, I love how the potential to change the world is wrapped up in each little package.

This is my dad being shown off to the world by my grandma about 79 years ago. It would have been around this time of year since he was born on Nov. 19. Perhaps this was my grandparents' Christmas card photo. I wonder what they did when they went back in the house. After the photo shoot ... what did they do next?

Well, here we are at that beginning of another Christmas season. I just heard on NPR that retail sales from this weekend are up over last year. (I don't read the paper but I do listen to NPR.) Today is Cyber Monday - the biggest online shopping day of the year. I'm seeing Christmas lights popping up all over town, and know many people spent time this past weekend decorating their homes for the holidays. Lizz took down the petrified pomegranates, so my house is decoration-free at the moment. Perhaps I'll work on it next weekend.

But beginnings. I think that's what I'm trying to reflect upon. Whether it's getting ready to face a new work week, start a new project, prepare for a busy holiday season, welcome a baby ... right at this moment, the paper is blank. What will we find written on it tomorrow?

Perfect Design

Look at the way the sand, sea and sky blend so beautifully and harmoniously in this photo of one of my Florida bird friends gazing out over the Gulf of Mexico. What do you think it is thinking ... (other than "I wish the crazy lady with the camera would go away")? I'm not sure, but I think this one may be a young Great Blue Heron. Kind of tough to tell from this angle.

When I pulled out this photo this morning, I saw in it the enormity of God and the perfection of His design. The placement of elements is not symmetrical, but the overall effect is perfect. Every piece of this image contains both history and untold stories. I see hope and infinite possibility. Do  you see it?

Today marks the beginning of Advent - when we celebrate the coming of the Prince of Peace into our world. An event that fit perfectly in God's design more than 2,000 years ago and still does today.

Pie for Breakfast

I know this is not a photo of pie. Or breakfast. I need to work on my photo gallery. But I love this pic from a writers retreat I helped chaperone (high school) a few years ago.

This is how I'd like to feel today. I just finished my post-Thanksgiving pie breakfast and wish very much that I could be in that chair.

I don't have anything illuminating to share today. There's a pretty substantial "should do" list I'll need to prioritize. I'm not ready to tackle that yet, but know I can't put it off too long longer.

Oh! But yesterday was lovely. We slept in. Deliciously late. Then, y'know, had a little bit of pie for breakfast. But not too much since we were going to go out to lunch with my sister and nieces. Did a bit of laundry, homework (Lizz) and paperwork (me) in the afternoon, had leftovers for dinner (yum!) and then went to the youth program I've been attending a couple of Fridays a month. One of the leaders was going to conduct a Bible study in Spanish and I knew Lizz would like that. After the study, there was pizza, volleyball and a few rounds of Cranium until about 11:00. And then? When we got home it was time for our matching monkey pants, a movie and popcorn.

Ever since I was a kid, we always enjoyed pie for breakfast in the days after Thanksgiving. Like the  slivers of pumpkin-nut, apple and pecan combining in my mouth, I just love that easy, unhurried feeling of each moment gently unfolding into the next. Why can't every day be like that?

Tryptophan Overload

Not shopping.

Not making lists.

Not drinking coffee - not yet.

I love long post-holiday weekends. It's still dark outside. I'm way too cozy in my monkey pants and fuzzy socks. Claudette says it's OK for me to go back to bed.

Oh, almost forgot ... Anonymous is our pie winner! We'll work out logistics later when I get up, all righty?

An Abundance of Blessings

I promised to share more thankful thoughts today. Here they are ... and may you be blessed and thankful to the One who bestowed the blessings -  today and always, my dear readers.


This photo shows just a portion of the feast our Japanese exchange student and her sister prepared for our family a few years ago. Being a host family was such a lovely opportunity to extend our blessings to a young woman who ventured across the world from Japan to experience America. In so many ways, she knew more about our country and customs than we did! Midori experienced the full spectrum while she was here - school, sports, welcoming new babies into the world and saying good-bye to loved ones. Holidays. Birthdays. Weekends. Life. She truly became a part of our family. Seeing our lives and the little piece of our world through the eyes of someone from another country helped me to appreciate the abundance of blessings we're surrounded with here. For example, Midori was continually astounded at the wide-open spaces. I could go on, but I'll let others take a turn now ...


I am thankful that my daughter survived her parents' divorce without too much crap to deal with. She is still a very happy child, doing great in school, with lots of friends. I am thankful for her happiness. Anything else is icing on the cookies...
- Hulk 2.0


Oh my. What am I NOT thankful for. I am blessed beyond measure. Healthy children. Loving husband. A few dear friends (including one of whom might teach me how to make a decent pie crust?). Home. Food. Clothing. Not just enough, but plenty.
- Anonymous


I am really thankful that I get to spend the day at home relaxing. However, there will be many men and women in foreign countries, fighting so that we may continue to have freedom to stay at home and relax, that won't have this luxury. I am thankful to all of the service men and women---past and present---who so proudly represent the USA.
- CP

1. I am thankful for the many memories of my childhood - especially when I lived with my grandparents (Mama and Papa Darkey) in Virginia, and   with my Aunt Linda and Uncle Norman.

2. I am thankful for a brother that would have done anything in the world for me when I was young. He was and is still one of the kindest guys I have ever known.

3. I am thankful for a sister that is 14 years younger than me and has been a special part of my life since I was 14.Her intelligence and imagination has always amazed me. ( She got the brains and the creativity in the family)

4. I am thankful for her daughter lizzie that is in her second year at U of M. She is so smart and such a hard worker. I was thrilled to have them live so close to us fo so many years. Lizzie  and Nancy taught me so much.

5. I am thankful for my husband  John of almost 37 years that truly has loved me unconditionally and puts up with my crazy work schedule

6. I am thankful for the blessing of our three children that mean everything to us. And I truly was blessed when my daughter and son met their mates. Not only am I lucky I am extremely thankful. Their love has given us the most precious, normal and healthy  grandchildren that we have.

7. I am thankful for our three wonderful and beautiful grandchildren that are truly gifts from God.

8. I am thankful for a job that I love and for the people that Iwork with.

9. I am thankful for the gift of all my friends that had over the years.

10. I am thankful for the gift of each new day that I am given. I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to live in a country like ours and to be me.

- SrShare

Happy Thanksgiving!

Over the river and ...

... through the woods, to grandmother's house we go!

We used to always sing that on the way to our grandparents' house in Bancroft, which you can partly see in this family photo. Even though I'm not in the circa 1964 picture, I love this photo. It reminds me of Sunday dinners - and other Thanksgiving-like food fests ...

Watching Grams make pie crust and biscuits in her kitchen with the slanted floor and the built-in flour bins ...

Naps on the davenport ...

Ernie Harwell's voice, heard throughout the house, commentating on the Detroit Tigers ...

Watching Gramps or Dad or Uncle Lee carve the turkey ...

Eating apple pie with slices of cheddar cheese ...

Playing with all the little doo-dads and knick-knacks in the curio cabinets ...

Frolicking in the yard or running through the small town with my Maryland cousins ...

Listening to stories from the recent and distant past, not realizing new stories were being written in those moments ...

Gratitudinous Tuesday

Last week was Snoozeday Tuesday ... Gratitudinous is a word, isn't it? Oh my cow. Go Google it. It IS a word! It's officially my word of the day now.

This photo must have been taken about five or six years ago. I can tell because it's in our old house (we moved into our new old house four years ago) with our very old oatmeal sofa. My dad is there, holding the pillow Lizz made him for Christmas. (That's not Sparty, that's Butch, right, Hulk?) I know it's Christmas morning in this photo, probably just before my sister's family trooped over for sticky buns and presents. We lived in my sister's back yard (hey, Scott! one word or two?) for about 15 years. Well, not literally in the back yard. In a tiny house behind her house. There's so much to be thankful for in this whole memory - I'll just mention a few things right now. I am thankful for my sister and brother-in-law, who provided a home for us for so many years. I'm thankful that we had a warm, safe place to live, but most of all, for the nearness and love of family.

That old house was about 800 square feet. That's about the area of our entire second floor now. Maybe less. It was enough. I am thankful to have always been blessed with enough.

Right now, the second floor is serving as the Something Shiny B&B. Claudette and I got a wonderful surprise last night! My dear friend Ardeth Frangipani was in the area and spent the night. I hope she's sleeping comfortably up there. We had a nice evening drinking tea and chatting. We've been friends for just about forever. And even if we go weeks or a month or more without communicating ... we're able to just jump in and start in the middle of the conversation. I am thankful for Ardeth, and I could take decades of posts sharing all of the ways her steadfast friendship has sustained me over the years. I am thankful that I have ample space here at the B&B to be her "port in a storm."

Hulk has told me he doesn't "need" any pie, although he's enjoying his cookies. Seems he's quite the pie chef himself. I'm still waiting for his sour cream apple pie recipe. Ahem. In any event, I'd love to share some more thankful thoughts here on Thursday. So I'll extend the deadline for this week's special to Wednesday (tomorrow) night. When I wake up Thursday morning, I'll run all the thankful thoughts here ... and I'll randomly select a pie recipient. We can work out logistics on Friday.

Which reminds me: I'm thankful for short work weeks! I'm thankful for my work family. I'm thankful for ...

The Write Word

When I first started my job as a copywriter about nine years ago, I learned early the lesson that my writing didn't need to be Pulitzer-prize-worthy ... just appropriate to the job at hand. I had to adopt a "just do it" mentality - just put some words on paper. Get them out there and then deal with them. I've become braver and braver as time goes on - allowing clients to sometimes experience a bit of the creative process and see some of my early drafts. I throw some combinations of words out there - like tracer bullets, as Scott used to say - and see if I'm headed in the right direction. Or if I even have the right target in my sights.

When I began blogging early this year, believe it or not, I took a little more time with each post. Drafting, writing, editing ... and sometimes I'd go back after I posted and change a word or fix line spacing. But part of the global appeal of this genre - the Web Log (aka blog) is its authenticity. I'm just writing from my own perspective, of course, but I think it's partly the fun of being part of a conversation. Creating community and making connections. 

I'm sure all of the Internet has been waiting anxiously for me to announce the winners of Cookie for Your Thoughts. Let's give a round of applause to Elizabeth and Hulk! I delivered Hulk's cookies yesterday (remember we went to elementary school together?) and Elizabeth will get hers when she comes home this weekend. 

(Can you believe Hulk didn't think I was seriously going to bake him cookies? As if. Cookies are no joking matter.)

I had no idea what responses - if any - I'd get when I offered up the challenge nine days ago ... but I applaud these two brave souls both for their perseverance in commenting (I've discovered it's not easy and I'm still working on it!) and for getting their words out there.

An acrostic from Elizabeth:

Mmmmm

Obviously

My favorite!

Scrumptiousss

College

Often

Offers opportunities for missing your cooking

Kisses (and hugs) are your return for baking

It's as

Easy as that

Say yes

! <3

And from Hulk 2.0:

There was a blog-er from the 'Naw

Who wanted comments from Y'all

She offered a prize

Chocolate chip would be nize

For a snack on which I would chaw.

This week's offer: High Time for Pie

Happy Monday!

Paying Attention

For a lot of my life, I think I forgot to pay attention. Life just kept zipping and zooming along and happening to me. But a little over seven years ago, I took a deep breath. And I stopped. And closed my eyes. And prayed. And made a conscious decision to pay closer attention to the blessings in my life. To find ways I can be a blessing to others. To appreciate the small, simple things of life. And to be thankful.

Every day presents new challenges. There are those yucky grown-up to-do lists. (Or in my case, should-have-done lists.) And I miss the mark so many times it's just not even funny. But every day presents another chance to do it right. That's one of the ways grace works.

But if I have a choice between dusting the living room or putting away the clean laundry (and finding matching socks in the process) or raking the leaves ... and getting all chalk-covered creating a giant hockey-rink-basketball-court-waterfall with a great nephew ... guess which one I'm going to choose?

My Sunday morning prayer for my dear readers: That you remain open to slight course changes in your plans to make room for the most important things. And that you remember to pay attention.

High Time for Pie

Pie is the typical birthday treat of choice in my family. This is a photo from my dad's 76th birthday. I think this was right after a small boy blew out Great Grandpa's candle because he was thinking too long about the wish he wanted to make. For my whole life, we knew we'd have chocolate pie on Nov. 19. Dad would have turned 79 this year.

Dad liked chocolate pie - with real pudding from scratch (not a box). That's DJ's favorite, too. My sister loves key lime. Julie's fav was always apple. Mary asks for pistachio ice cream pie on her birthday. I'm not sure if John has a favorite - maybe sour cherry? Rhubarb? Pecan? Depends on the season? David loves pumpkin with all the "gooey nutty goodness on top." Lisa likes the raspberry-chocolate concoction we got from Murrrrriel. Actually, everyone likes that one. Ruh roh, Rizzu, which one is your favorite?

Yesterday I promised I was not going to award anyone with my petrified pomegranates, knowing I'd have to come up with something equally appealing to offer. Plus, they're serving nicely as my holiday decorations on the bannister upstairs there.

To bake or not to bake? That is the question for what is typically one of my biggest baking weeks of the year. So I asked myself: Self? What's one more pie?

Now I have thought of the logistics of this week's offer ... what if the winning entry is long distance? And I have to ship a pie? Well, I'll burn that bridge (what an awful expression) when and if I come to it. That'd be a good problem to have, I think. I will send a frozen pie to Virginia or elsewhere if I have to. I know it can be done. We have the technology.

So here is how to get a pie - your choice (within ship-ability limits of course) - of your very own that you could potentially have in time to share with others on Turkey Day:

Please tell me - by commenting below or by e-mail - something for which you are particularly thankful. That's it! So easy! Anyone can win a pie! Please send your thankful thoughts to me by end of day Monday, Nov. 23. I'll randomly select, notify, consult with and bake a pie for the winner on Tuesday (or Wednesday) and then share all of the blessings here next Thursday.

Petrified Pomegranates for Your Ponderings?

One more day for Cookie for Your Thoughts ... I'm wondering if this offer would have elicited more responses if it wasn't so close to Thanksgiving?

So now I'm baking for Elizabeth (is it OK if I give you your cookies when you come home?) and Hulk, who has been such a good sport with commenting and with responding to my first weekly special in such a timely manner. I'm accepting entries until end of day tomorrow for one more cookie recipient. End of day means midnight EST. Whatever I find when I wake up Sunday morning when I have to get ready to bake. But this is your last reminder because tomorrow there will be a new special!

You know, November is National Pomegranate Month. I bought these lovely specimens back in October. And now they're petrified. Oh, don't worry. That won't be the special tomorrow. But if you have a hankering for petrified pomegranates, just let me know.

Happy Friday! Two weeks of posting daily! Are you more informed, inspired, enlightened or is your life otherwise positively impacted?

P.S. If you've been reading comments below the posts or in the right margin, nobody is swearing. I swear. At least not here. Or there.

Vital Information

I was just skimming through an older issue of Smithsonian magazine in, uh, "the library," and saw that Pete Seeger was turning 90 in May.

It's a good thing we don't count on magazines as a vital source of up-to-the-second news. But this little example is a good illustration of why I am personally responsible for the downfall of the newspaper industry.

I admit it. It's all my fault. And I'm really really sorry. Now, please take a moment to appreciate how shiny our dearly departed cat, Pierre, is. Was.

When I used to get the Sunday paper, you know what I'd do? Dump all the ads into the recycling bin. Or put them in the vicinity of my current painting project. Move them out of the way so I could read THE NEWS.

I also do not watch TV. At home, that is. If I am in a place with a TV ... I will watch it. And very soon, drool will begin oozing out of the corner of my mouth because of all the shiny things to be found. And the clicking. And I ignore everyone around me ... "Shhh! Watch this! Just a second! Shhh!" Until they thwack me on the head and drag me back.

Somehow, though, the television folks are doing just fine without me. Why is that? But back to the newspaper ... I really think we will see a return - in a new form, to be sure - of the local newspaper. There's that wide-eyed optimism Ann always accuses me of being afflicted with. What do you think? How do get your vital information ... other than from my pithy posts, of course? (I just love the word "pithy" and was looking for a place to insert it today!)

A peek at my office

At lunch on Monday I felt inspired to take pictures of my office. And Sabrina, my wandering Israelite plant. Isn't she pretty and purple? I gave her a trim a while back so she's kind of fluffy instead of long and pendulous like her sister Wanda, who lives on a high shelf in my kitchen. The youngest sister, Bernice,  is at college getting smart with Lizz. The other siblings wandered off.

In case you were worried, I did find matching socks on Monday. It's kind of hard to tell, but these are my very special butterfly socks. You can sort of see a full butterfly shape there on the little piece of my left leg.

As you can tell, I like to surround myself with all sorts of important things at work. Like the Bill Ding guys, the words to the Lumberjack Song, photos of special people and baby Claudette in basket (there's a glare so it's tough to tell), formulas to calculate RSI and roof slopes just in case ... all my stuff.

I think the piling and clutteredness is a family trait. Like having a little turntable with spoons and spices and knicknacks in the middle of the breakfast table. After my last visit to my family in Virginia I realized I needed to get back here and put that thing in the middle of the table. I'd reached a certain age, and it was time.

Remember how sleepy I was yesterday morning? It just got worse through the day. I had that odd feeling I used to get when I pulled all-nighters in college. Where my skin felt funny ... like it didn't fit right.

I stayed up as late as I could, which was 9:30. I kept looking at the clock thinking it must be at least 11:00 ... and it was 8:15. Ugh. I knew if I went to bed too early I'd wake up in the middle of the night again. But I slept until 6:00 and am feeling better in my skin today. Thanks for asking.

Don't forget ... cookie for your thoughts ... so far I'm making cookies for Elizabeth and Hulk!