News Trend Good Advice|Actual

Lately, I've noticed that my life has been feeling overwhelmingly complex and maddeningly complicated. Small tasks turn into overwhelming burdens, and frustrations freeze me in my footsteps.

Yep. It's definitely time for an attitude adjustment.

So I'm taking a few lessons from my desert hero, the saguaro cactus:

Stay calm.

Focus on what truly matters.

Do only a few things but do them well.

Make the most of what you've been given.

Try to be strong.

And enjoy the sunshine.

* * * * *

I've been lucky enough to visit the Sonoran Desert and the magical cacti who live there. Read more about my adventures:

A Two-Day Trip To Tucson In Three Acts

Among The Saguaro

Among The Giants

Heaven

Desert Blooms

Good Advice

Reading About The Desert

News Trend Joyful Flags|Actual

When I was in India, I made lots and lots of art.

Correction. The Indian princesses made lots of lots of art, and I stood back in awe. I also ran for extra paper and washed the paintbrushes in the end, but that's no matter.

And within just a few days, the girls of Joy Home had produced a perfect storm of beautiful paintings, more than their walls could hold. So in my never-ending quest to string the world with garlands, I took a heap of extra artwork and converted the masterpieces into paper flags.

We festooned them all around the house.

But I also held a few back; just enough to make kecil-garlands for foster mom Natty, myself, and the three other women who were visiting at the same time.

Mine is currently hanging above my American front door.

Although I am far, far away from the love and laughter of Joy Home, the memories of my days there flood my heart each time I pass underneath.

And that is a very nice feeling indeed.

* * * * *

Here is the full story of my trip to Hyderabad, India and my visit with the Indian Princesses:

Under The Same Sun

Indian Princesses

Art Is Art

Puzzles

Primary Colors

A Meal To Remember

Do Hard Things

Rooftop Supper

Getting There

Trust Me, This Will Work

On The Balcony

At The Market

Content

Water And the Word

Sanctuary

Walks In The Sun

Playing With Sticks

Indian Sunset

Charminar: The Mosque And The Monument

Charminar: The Shops

Full Circle

Oh So Special

Priyanka And Me

Together

Three Fantastical Deserts

Three Things About India

News Trend Happy Golden Birthday (Part One - An Idea And A Baby Are Born)|Actual

Day before yesterday, I found myself in a real pickle.

My third-born daughter's Golden Birthday was fast approaching, and I needed to plan some fanfare-filled festivities fast.

A Golden Birthday, I might explain, is the birthday in which one turns the age that matches to the date of her birth. I was born on the first of January, so my Golden Birthday was spent wriggling through diaper changes and dribbling strained plums onto my bib, I suppose. But my daughters all had the good sense to appear in this world around the end of the month, and have thusly spent a good many years anticipating the arrival of their Golden day.

Complicating these important celebrations considerably was the fact that the birthday girl is currently living in Vietnam.

Dang.

I had just been to visit her, but I didn't have the foresight to bring gifts.

The hour was far too late to send anything, plus the Vietnamese postal service is notoriously ineffective and sticky-fingered.

And sadly, Amazon does not deliver to Danang.

Desperation consumed me as I pondered my shocking lack of options.

I wasMacGyver on a mission with nothing but a match.

Outtake #1: At four months, she's too old to be a newborn but not even close to that first birthday. And there's a tiny bit of rash left on those cheeks. So this photo did not make the cut, that though smile is awful cute.

The inspiration did not come over me piecemeal. It knocked me off my feet with a full force of fabulousness.

I would spam my daughter's face all over social media with a wave of pictures from her life.

Twenty-four years old

Twenty-four hours of photographs.

I would post the first shot of her newborn adorableness at the exact moment of her birth, adjusted to her current time zone in Asia.

With each passing hour, a new shot would be posted, documenting her growth through the years.

And in the end, she and I would both enjoy a digital album that captures who she has been and what she stands for, at this Golden Moment in her life.

Hallelujah. I was so relieved by my brainstorm that I promptly forgot all about it. Assuming I had plenty of time to thumb through photo albums and choose my favorites, I did nothing to prepare. Predictably, the pre-birthday days quickly slipped by and the crazy fourteen-hour time difference almost caught me off guard. At 4:30 pm, in the midst of a backyard weeding frenzy with a dog that was giving me the usual pre-walk "don't-you-dare-forget-me" stare-down, I suddenly realized that the first photo was due at 6:44 pm.

I wasHarry Potter facing the second Triwizard Tournament Challenge

Outtake #dua: Crazy vacation fun but the sun made for some squinty eyes. Plus this one is way too hard to crop into the mandatory square; I could never chop off those beloved white sandals.

I have to admit, the process of choosing photos was tougher than I had blithely anticipated.

First, I wanted most of the pics to be solo shots of the birthday girl. As any parent of three or more kids can attest, individual portraits are tough to come by at this stage of family life.

Second, my goal was to choose photos that were taken in the same season as her actual birth date, in order to best capture her growth from year to year. That knocked a goodly percentage of the archives out of contention.

Thirdly, variety was essential. Spamming the internet is one thing, but subjecting her friends and mine to several dozen photos of my girl staring at her birthday cake was not my intention.

And last but definitely not least, she had to look good. We all have those photos of ourselves that make us cringe, especially ones taken during the pesky middle school years, and the last thing I wanted to do was inadvertently post a double-chin shot that would fill my daughter with a murderous rage.

This was supposed to be fun.

So, with a huge stack of photo albums and the entire family archives at my fingertips, every digital device in my arsenal, and an unrelenting 24-hour challenge before me,  I set to work.

I wasChloe at CTU on a crisis day.

Outtake #tiga: You can never go wrong with a pack of Streichers, but sometimes a girl just needs to be alone.

In the end, I survived. Twenty-five Grade A shots, culled from the files, edited and posted exactly one hour after the next, telling the tale of my third-born's life. Go here to see them in all their chronological glory, along with a few notes about why I chose each one.

* * * * *

See more of my Golden Birthday stories and photos here:

Part Two - The Photos And Lots Of Commentary

Part Three - The Idea, Like Helium, Expands

Part Four - More Photos, More Commentary

News Trend Backyard Herbs|Actual

I used to set my potted herbs directly on the top step out the back door. But Ranger loves an easy sasaran, so we built this bench to get the edibles up out of his range, if you get my drift.

I've got great news. Summer can officially start now. Because I finally got my herb garden whipped into shape.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm way behind in tackling this annual project. Let's blame it on the Asian flu.

As I pass in and out of my back door somewhere around ten thousand times per sunny day, I often pause right here to admire the happy green faces of my herb dudes.

But let's be honest. If these fresh green leaves growing from the terra cotta pots nestled together on my green wooden bench look familiar, there's a good reason for that.

I do this every year.

Thyme has sweet purple blooms and I love it for that reason alone.

However, this season, I have a major twist to this familiar plot.

I plan to actually use these babes in my kitchen.

Quite a few years back, I acquired a rosemary plant entwined around this wire heart. Thus a tradition was born.

Oh sure. I tell myself that every year. My head swims with visions of me snipping here and there, tucking tiny fragrant sprigs of greenery into the pockets of my flowing apron, then breezing into the kitchen where I whip up fabulous homemade pastas and hand-turned pizzas bursting with the flavors of my backyard herbs.

To be honest, that never happens.

Clockwise: chive, mint, thyme.

This time around, I've scaled back my fantasies considerably.

Clockwise: cilantro, oregano, rosemary.

For the past couple weeks, as I'm tossing together the evening meal, I challenge myself to use one of my herbs - just one - in whatever I'm preparing.

Skip the flowing apron.

Forget the dainty sprigs.

And sigh,

Let go of the rustic Italian hidangan.

A few years back, my fourth-born created name tags for all the herbs. She's amazing.

Though my new approach may be less romantic, it takes me no time at all to toss a handful of mint leaves into an ordinary fruit salad,

And only a few extra steps to fetch some fresh oregano for my everyday spaghetti sauce, instead of hauling the dried version out of the pantry,

Not to mention the easy snap and sizzle that a handful of chopped chive adds to the top of my tried-and-true potato salad.

And if those are not reasons enough to encourage me to make that five-step trip out to the herb bench, here is one more incentive:

Cedric the Protector guards the herbs.

My three cats love to nap in the cool shade underneath, and almost always greet me with a special hello when I come to harvest some backyard herbs.

News Trend Fresh New Year|Actual

On New Year?S Day, after a solid week of Christmas festivities and fabulous food, I am ready for a break.

Nothing soothes my holiday-saturated soul like a trip to the beach.

Lucky for me, I happen to have one close by.

So this afternoon, despite our horrible colds and the temptation to stay curled up in front of the never-ending stream of holiday football, three of my daughters and my furry red dog and I drove down the hill to take in some fresh air at our very own Mukilteo Beach.

As usual, the beach worked its magic on me.

Pale clouds floated soft and high in the sky.

The salty breeze was gentle and almost warm.

Islands and mountains merged with the sky in subtle tones of blue and gray

Waves lapped to the shore, ducks swam by, the ferries continued their endless game of back and forth.

But one look at my camera proves that my eyes were mostly on Gracie, who enjoyed herself immensely.

I wish I could have captured every move my dog made.

Stretching her neck to scent the breezes.

Watching the ducks bobbing in the waves.

Wading out into the chilled waters and quickly dodging back to shore.

Attempting to jump every fence and sea wall she encountered.

But when we are at the beach, I?M so busy trying to keep up with her that there?S no time to take photos on the fly.

But trust me, we both had a wonderful half-hour of fresh air and freedom.

Which is a lovely way for us both to start the fresh new year.

News Trend A Walk On A Wet Day|Actual

^ Once the walk is over, Gracie is ready and rarin' for her dinner.

^During the summer, I usually sit out in the sunshine. But on rainy days, I huddle up on the porch.

^Brisk wet winds blow the tree tops and send the clouds scudding across the sky.

^ My neighbors' house is a cozy oasis of light across the street.

^While most of the world takes down Christmas lights promptly after the new year, I like to leave mine up. They make me happy.

When your cold has you feeling low and the last thing in the world that you want to do is go out into the cold, blustery rain.

But your dog looks up at you with her trusting amber eyes, believing that you will always come through for her.

So you get the leash and put on your jacket and the gloves with the rubber palms because it?S going to be a wet one out there.

And you take your dog on a walk.

When you get home, you give your dog her dinner and drop down onto your porch swing, amazed that you powered through and happy to be alive.

And you are glad that you went for a walk on a wet day.

News Trend Gracie At Four|Actual

Four years old at Mukilteo Beach

Today, Gracie is four years old.

She's had quite an interesting life, jetting across the country and throughout the Pacific Northwest, eventually settling into her forever home with me. Sometimes, I feel sad for her years of wandering; my heart aches with compassion for the confusion and longing that I imagine welled up inside of her as she was handed from one owner to the next.

But when I'm feeling a bit more sensible, I remind myself that this sad scenario is likely not true at all.

Because Gracie is not a delicate soul.

Three years old at the Kamiak play fields.

In a word, Gracie is exuberant.

She's always full of life and up for fun; eyes shining expectantly, tail swinging an easy, friendly wag.

She's a woman of simple pleasures: food, walks, and rides in the car.

And she loves her family.

Two and a half years old in my back yard.

Keeping track of the six of us is a full time job for Gracie.

When she first came to live with us, there were five of us living here under the same roof.

In the eighteen months since then, two more daughters have moved out, and all three of them come and go in highly unpredictable ways.

Gracie doesn't seem to mind. She's used to riding to the airport to pick up the one whose luggage smells like Asia, or road trip to Ohio to spend a week in another's new apartment, or wagging happily when the local daughter pops in for dinner.

She seems to understand that we all belong together.

One year old on the horse farm in Oregon.

After the first few months of frantically chasing them at every opportunity, Gracie has also adapted to living with cats. To be fair, the cats were calm all along because they're accustomed to living with big red shaggy dogs. But now they are all quite calm together, gently touching noses as they pass in the hall, snuggling up together on the couch, sharing treats with one another.

Yes, our cats love dog treats and Gracie, who has never met a food she didn't instantly adore, lives for cat treats.

Four weeks old in Florida.

It's a joy to see Gracie out in the world. She's friendly and trustworthy with strangers, both those who enter our home and the people we meet on the streets.

Sometimes they stop and tell me that she looks like a shaggy red bear, and I totally agree.

Other people walk by, pretending not to notice us. But I see their smiles.

Gracie has that effect on people.

She's a bouncy, sweet, happy and devoted soul, and I'm thankful every day that she loves me.