News Trend Gracie On A Rainy Day|Actual

An hour later, she woke up and ambled into the kitchen to watch me make dinner.

I smiled at that wild hairdo, too.

Gracie and I just got back from a long walk in the dark. The winds blew fiercely, the rain pounded down, and we both got completely soaked. Once we got home, she went straight to the backyard to eat her dinner and have a lie down in her icy cold swimming pool slash water bowl.

Then she came back inside and after a good toweling off, she began to run in wild, exuberant, crazy circles all through the house. After five or so minutes of pure insanity, she threw her soggy self onto the couch, curled up in a tight red ball, and fell sound asleep.

My dog makes me smile.

News Trend Food Coma|Actual

I woke up disoriented. Sleepy and confused, I slowly gathered the facts.

There was a blanket over my head.

The TV was blaring a football game in process.

I felt my dog curled up against my feet.

Pulling off the blanket, I saw the bricks of my family room fireplace right in front of my face.

Oh right. I was awakening from my Thanksgiving food coma.

I rolled over and looked at the clock.

6:55 pm.

I'd been literally crashed out on the floor for over an hour.

Like most Americans, I'm usually sleepy after a hearty turkey dinner, but this was extreme. I wondered what on earth I had eaten today to cause such a dramatic effect.

Act I - Dutch Babies

Despite the bizarre name, a Dutch Baby is soft and simple, somewhere between a crepe and a souffle, made of nothing more than butter, flour, eggs and milk. Its crowning glory, other than the obvious golden puffy goodness, is the sprinkle of powdered sugar and splash of lemon juice that takes it from good to great. A perfect tide-me-over to power me through the cooking process and hold me steady till the feast.

Act II - Cranberry Mules

Lime juice, ginger beer, cranberries, lime, and vodka. Because no one needs an inebriated holiday chef, I made mine without the vodka and it was deliciously refreshing. I drank two, and thanked the gods of cocktail trends once again for the copper cup craze.

Act III - My Heaping Plate

I thought I exercising restraint. I honestly believed this was a reasonable amount of food, and though I'd surely be full at the end, I calculated that it would be the good kind of full, satisfying and indulgent in all the right ways.

Well. I was wrong. Possibly my body is still recovering from some wicked jet lag after my trip to South Korea. Or perhaps my eyes were way bigger than my stomach. Maybe I'm just getting old.

But this plate of food brought on the biggest food coma of my life, and I have promised myself I will never, ever, ever overeat like this again.

* * * * *

The house is quiet now. Everyone else has gone to bed. Gracie is lying near my feet. The kitchen is spotlessly clean and the dishwasher is humming through one last load.

And through the silence, I am beginning to hear whispers. "Come," call the gravy and mashed potatoes, "heat us up.". "We're perfect for a sandwich," promise the cool slices of turkey. And two cheesecakes - pecan and pumpkin - speak no words but sing in the tones of angels from the fridge.

So please excuse me but I need to go to bed immediately. One food coma was enough for today.

News Trend Never Have I Ever|Actual

Never have I ever imagined that I would spend a sunny but decidedly crisp and cool November Friday outdoors on my hands and knees, scrubbing the mold and mildew out of my dog's plastic swimming pool so that she could continue to lie down in this oversize drinking dish and cool her furry red belly while she laps up water throughout the winter months of the year.

But yesterday, that is exactly what I did.

Which just goes to show that life is always full of surprises.

Not much I wouldn't do for this girl.

News Trend Julie Swims|Actual

Julie (far right) and her team of crafty babes.

My friend Julie just got back from twelve days inChengdu, China.

She and three other women from her church crossed the Pacific Ocean to make crafts. Supported by established missionaries on the ground, Julie and her team held seven events designed to give the Chinese women a rare opportunity to experience creativity, get their DIY on, and receive their first taste of Christian love. The team also broke bread with these ladies and tried to build bonds over a sizable language gap. By the looks of the dozens of photos I've scrolled through, it seems that Julie and her team accomplished those goals in spades.

And I'm proud of Julie for that.

But laying mission and ministry aside, I'm proud of her for something much more simple and yet much more profound.

I'm proud of Julie for saying yes to this trip.

For taking a chance.

For trying something new.

For stepping far outside the bounds of her happily ordinary life and putting herself into an unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and undeniably vulnerable place.

I'm proud of her for committing to the trip before she knew how she would pay for it.

I'm proud of her for trusting that her family - including her four-year-old boy - would be fine without her for two weeks.

I'm proud of her for taking a deep breath, stepping out from the safe shore of ordinary, and throwing herself  headfirst into the deep, dark waters of life experiences.

Chinese taxis are not for the faint of heart. But Julie (far right) survived.

By taking this trip to China, Julie swam through some high waves and powerful undertows, and came through it all with a smile on her face and buoyant spirit. Now that she's home again and back to her routines, she looks like her usual sunny self.

But  Julie has swum in deep waters now. And in her heart, I know she will never be the same.

* * * * *

Photo credits to Julie, the ladies on her team, and their missionary support in Chengdu. <3

News Trend December Days|Actual

As December flies by and Christmas waits just around the corner, here is how the holiday preparations are coming along at my house:

^ My Christmas cactus is totally on point. Brilliant pink buds began to open exactly two weeks before the big day, and the cascading blossoms could not be more festive. So glad I moved this baby closer to the window last August; she has never looked better.

^ With wild enthusiasm and an immodest pat on the back, let me report that all of my Christmas packages hit the post office by December 13. That is a world record for me; my annual ornament workshop often runs straight through till the twenty-fifth, and my shipments often straggle out until the six, seventh or even eighth days of Christmas. Feels so good to finish early and get that monkey off my back. Huzzah!

^ As I was digging through the disheveled holiday bins at Target, I came across the last few stragglers of these geometric designs. Always seeking inspiration for my own annual ornaments, I decided to snatch them up though I wasn't keen on paying even the displayed sale price of $12 for the lot of them. At the self-check-out, I noticed they carried no bar code, no price tag, and I knew for a fact that these were the last of their kind in the entire store, so I whistled over the supervising staff member and asked him for guidance.

He looked down at the treasures in my hand, paused a beat, and said, "Just take them."

"Thank you," I said, "Merry Christmas."

"Same to you," he smiled.

And that was a very nice moment.

^ Gracie has not been impressed with my late nights of ornament making and package preparing. By midnight, she is ready to go tuck herself into a warm comfy bed, and wonders why on earth I insist on standing out in the cold garage over my table full of paints and glitter throughout the wee hours of the night. Thankfully, some of my tasks can be done in the warm house, and my pup is grateful for her cozy spot on the couch.

And I am thankful for her company and her patience.

* * * * *

Despite all these holiday preparations, I remind myself once again that Christmas is more than just a single day in late December.

I remind myself again that Christmas is

an attitude,

a mindset,

a commitment to peace on earth and goodwill toward man,

every day of the year.

May your busy December days be filled with the true Christmas spirit.

News Trend Something New|Actual

[ The rare gift of a Pacific Northwest White Christmas fell upon us this year,

a secret whisper of goodness to come.

The snow faded in just a few days but I still remember and give thanks for every sparkling flake.]

A new year is a fresh start.

A crisp white laman.

A bright light in the window.

A tiny star twinkling in the night sky..

And I am very much in need.

For me, 2017 was a black and bumpy ride. I'm sure I'm not the only one. I won't complain about what happened because life is made up of light and dark, but I refuse to ride that train any longer.

A new year is here. And I am ready to begin something new.

* * * * *

If you enjoy stories about snow and new beginnings,

check out my very first post, written back in January 2010,

Snow Makes All Things New.

News Trend Red-Headed Soul Mates|Actual

Red-Headed Soul Mates

2016

They are good for family outings on crisp, sunshiny days.

They are good for taking some exercise and exploring nature.

And really quite excellent places for portraits.

But as Gracie and I learned this year, a visit to the Christmas tree farm is a great place to meet other like-minded creatures. You might just stumble across your red-headed soul mate.

* * * * *

More Christmas tree farm adventures:

2018 | Christmas Absurdities

2017 | Red-Headed Soul Mates

2016 | Christmas Tree-Hunting Blues

2015 - Tree Hunting

2014 | Hunting the Perfect Christmas Tree

2013 | A Vegan Murder

2012 | The Christmas Tree Farm Revisited