the most satisfying christmas ever...

in reflection during the last few days, i believe i can say that our efforts to simplify christmas {in order to avoid the post-holiday letdown} seem to have worked. as we fell asleep christmas night, matt said "so what did you think?" and i think i can say honestly, it was perfectly satisfying.

we had dinner, games and opened presents at mom's christmas eve. it was just the five of us {including bob's mom}, and felt very simple. we took our time with gifts - one present at a time, so we could each watch and appreciate what the others opened. made it home, and in bed, around 11pm.

christmas morning, i was up just a bit before matt, and made us a nice breakfast. we read from Luke by candlelight to enjoy the christmas "story" together, while the snow fell from the sky in the most blizzard-like display i've ever seen. after opening our stockings, we decided that if we wanted to get out of seattle, we'd best go now, so we loaded up and headed for the boat.

at dad's, our side of the family shared a relaxing dinner. new for us this year was dinner around the dining room table {with the TV off}, as their new house finally has room for everyone. i loved the conversation, the relaxing atmosphere. no hurry, no stress. we opened presents - again, taking time to enjoy eachother's gifts. we even had time to squeeze in some family photos {you could really tell dad was humoring us though}...

so if i had to determine the recipe for success, i would say it's a combination of several things:
~lessening my focus on gifts during the season.
~lessening my focus on my own wishlist.
~displaying fewer decorations.
~really thinking about each gift we give: would this suit the person i'm giving it to? will they use it?
~paring down my own belongings during the season - giving well to goodwill.
~giving to others.
~slowing down to enjoy the celebrations of the actual holidays - instead of making the season one {very} long celebration.

a {rare and unnecessarily} white christmas

it was cute when it started about a week and a half ago - the snow, that is... then it got old really fast - about last Sunday, when we had 5 inches fall in one night (we average 3 inches of snow a year). that was about the time we tried to make it to church in my little aveo, getting stuck a block from home and having to be rescued and towed home by a friend with a 4WD.

then i figured out matt could drive in it in his stick-shift, and we've been mostly mobile - as long as i don't need to drive myself. thank the Lord for don, who has picked me up and taken me to the office - and home, and sometimes carted me on church-related errands every day this week. a more understanding and generous boss i can't imagine.

we canceled our annual Christmas Eve candlelight service. i kinda can't believe it, but it was the wise choice - knowing that temperatures below freezing would make the parking lot more treacherous than the roads. still - it doesn't feel like Christmas without starting with the candle-lighting.

my grandparents canceled our annual Christmas eve dinner at their place - which we've done as long as i can remember, since my parents alternated holidays, and i figured out that i liked Christmas eve with mom and Christmas day with dad. not heading directly to the farm after church... sure, it's less rush - but sometimes i relish the busyness.

so we'll have dinner with my mom tonight, and then celebrate Christmas morning in our own home - for the first time ever. we'll make breakfast and open our stockings together, then pack up and head to my dad's, where i hear the roads are wet, but clear...

simplifying christmas: halving the decorations

another key for us in simplifying Christmas was putting out fewer decorations. i realized that there's simply no reason to put out everything we own - it just breeds clutter, and then there's no place for real-life stuff. so, we pulled out our favorite ornaments, my cute little tree collection, a simple berried-stem arrangement, stockings and two wreaths, and called it good. add to that the collection of christmas cards we received, suspended from a christmas ribbon, and our house is perfectly cheery. less work, less maintenance (dusting, rearranging as cats knock things over, etc), less clean-up. decorations simplified.

simplifying christmas: giving handmade

many could argue that giving handmade actually complicates christmas - and in a way, it probably does. but the simplification comes in other ways: 1. spending less. 2. giving more of your heart, your energy, and thus - more meaningful gifts. 3. less waste - both in packaging and in unused gifts (assuming you think through what you're giving before giving it). 4. better use of your time - i would much rather spend half of a day making a present than two hours stressing out about what to buy, going to the store, finding it, standing in line, etc. the emotional taxation is far less.

i could probably come up with more reasons to give handmade, but you probably get the idea. i had considered taking the handmade pledge this year, but i knew i wouldn't be able to give handmade to everyone on my list, so i'll promote this great network of artisans and others who value handmade gifts. i'm with them in spirit.

simplifying christmas: skipping black friday

one of the first steps we took in simplifying our christmas was to decide to skip black friday. the alluring sale prices have always been something of a tradition in my family - up early, in town early, and standing in line... all very early. black friday shopping isn't necessarily a bad thing when exercised with self-control and a modicum of good stewardship, but neither of those virtues come particularly easy for me, and so black friday has always been about buying stuff rather than buying gifts. and goodness knows i don't need more stuff, especially the kind rooted in the materialism and greed to which i am prone.

so we're skipping the shopping today, with the exception of an early morning run matt made to home depot, to pick up some tools he needs for his new job. we will go out for a leisurely breakfast, pick up a few groceries, and then clean the house and pull out some (simple) christmas decorations.

thankful for...

1. a pretty great husband.
2. a calling i love.
3. more family than i can shake a stick at (and they seem to like me!)
4. a warm home, with warm kitties.
5. starbucks.
6. good friends to share life with.
7. hobbies that bring great satisfaction in the use of my free time.
8. a new job for my husband.
9. hope.
10. the love of Christ.

happy thanksgiving.

simplifying christmas

the holidays - which, for me, begin when the school supplies line the shelves at target, yellow buses again traverse the streets and the weather turns crisp - have always been my favorite time of year (how cliche!). that, i suppose, is why i "begin" in september, drawing out the season as long as i can, with the culmination at christmas, and tapering off to my early-january birthday. but i have noticed in the last several years, that the "post-holiday letdown" always hits hard. sometimes right after christmas, sometimes not till my birthday. every year i've tried something new to avoid it - starting earlier, so i can enjoy the season longer (and thereby be emotionally 'done' with it by new year's); doing it up bigger, hoping the decorations bring on adequate feelings of festivity; doing more things outside the house, candy cane lane, painting ornaments, fancy dinners, holiday parties, assuming events are the key to celebration... but nothing has ever worked - there seems to be no solution for the post-holiday letdown.

in the past few years, it's become increasingly clear to me where it comes from. (and if my parents are reading this, i truly hope they won't take offense at my hypothesis, because i really don't blame them at all.) i know my love language is gifts. i like presents. (who doesn't?) but i really like presents. and i do love giving (almost) as much as receiving, but honestly - i reaaaally like presents. as a kid, even when we had less money than usual, we always had very "nice christmases". gifts were rarely in shortage, and even if quantity was seemingly lacking, it was because quality was present. in other words, through no fault of my parents, because i know they didn't plan it that way - i've been trained to like presents. top that off with a natural bent toward materialism and greed (thanks, sin-nature!), and i believe we have the perfect recipe for the post-holiday letdown cocktail.

you see, the focus on wishlists and building it all up to one moment (okay, 3 - we open presents 3 times when you account for our whole family) creates for that one moment (or 3 moments) unfair expectations, which opening presents can't possibly meet.

so i recognize this tendency in my heart - and i don't like it one bit. my efforts this year will not be about length of season, or well-planned wishlists, but instead will revolve around the attitude of my heart, celebration of the Reason, and not allowing our country's over-commercialization of christmas to suck me in, chew me up and spit me out depressed after my birthday has come and gone.

you'll see more posts from me over the next month or so, sharing about how we're simplifying christmas this year. i still don't know how it'll all work - or even if it'll produce the desired effect, so it'll be something of a journey.

anxious...

my heart is anxious today. i'd like to say i don't know why, but that's not true - since i can't stop thinking about matt's job situation, and worrying about finances, i would hazard a guess that this is the source of said anxiety.

had lunch with another children's pastor-friend of mine yesterday, and on a totally different subject, she mentioned that pain is what brings growth. amen, sister. i know i'm growing in all this - and i know matt is too. sometimes i wonder if he's not experiencing as much pain as i am. if he is, he's keeping it to himself. doesn't seem all that worried. but then, he's always been the rock.

i have pictures to post, but just have to be at the computer and in the mood to post them at the same time. seems like the two never do line up. more later...

in port gamble...

here for the weekend for a family reunion and celebration of my grandparent's 50th anniversary. got in late last night, having caught a ferry after the kids' halloween event. arrived in time to suggest a late-night halloween walk to the local cemetery (struggle to resist the urge to call it a "graveyard" on halloween!). wish i'd had my camera - how the mist highlighted the dark silhouette of the mid-1800s headstones... might try again tonight...

it's been quite the week. matt has been out of work for exactly a week, but we're seeing God provide in little ways every few days that just add up so quickly... everything from an easy refinance on his car loan, to a request for additional web design work for an old client, to an unexpected blessing from some dear friends. it's still not the situation i would choose for myself, but He's teaching us something - total dependence on Him.

this weekend, we'll celebrate my grandparents' 50th anniversary with a family reunion. several family members are in town for the whole weekend, others will visit just for the sunday-afternoon party. we've put so much thought and planning into this weekend... must go charge camera batteries...

still finding time to enjoy my hobbies, which provide a cathartic relief i so need right now. getting ready for a craft fair in december, and i just added a few more things to my etsy shop. i've been exploring some christmas present ideas that i'd really like to post, but i can't risk recipient readership... maybe i'll post it covertly.

i'm back.

hello, ol' blog. i've missed you, really. please accept my most profound apologies for leaving you. i've thought of you often and today i know, returning to you was the right thing to do... if you'll have me...

blogging got put on hold a bit after i left Groupee last march for full-time ministry. i love my "job", but don't often find myself with time to look for things "to do", so blogging took a backseat.

but lately i've been longing to record the events of life, if not for posterity, then simply just for myself. this week has brought me to a full realization of how therapeutic journaling is for me - and i need it now.

about four weeks ago, matt was offered the job opportunity of a lifetime - via a friend of a friend, he became an electrical apprentice. it seemed like God's will - what a blessing. he worked for three weeks when the company that had contracted them cut the project. suddenly, there was no work and matt, being the apprentice with the least amount of experience, got cut first.

we're in shock. he struggled to admit that he was unemployed at first, and i feel the pressure of all of our expenses riding on my paycheck. but most of all, i felt myself reeling, with the question "am i even able to discern God's will at all?" looming in my mind.

so we're two days into it now. filed for unemployment - thankful it's there, yet disappointed that we have to use it. matt's searching, but our concern is that his lack of experience will exclude him from being considered for any apprentice positions. the big catch22.

the most ironic part of the whole circumstance is that we've been working through the story of Joseph (Gen. 37-50) at church, in both "big church" and kids church. this sunday, we wrap it up with our final lesson: God uses everything for good... it's just amazing how God chooses to teach us even as we teach. sometimes i want to tell Him i'm not in the mood for His sense of humor...

so i'm just trying to wear my "brave" face and let this be a crisis i face with faith. i know that God has a greater plan in all of this, because God uses everything for good.

the next chapter...

(originally posted on my blog at the original groupee.com social networking site.)

words usually come easily to me (just ask my mother), but this is proving more challenging to write than i expected...

today is my last day at groupee. for the last 15 months, i've been directing the kid's ministry at our church, and monday i will start there full-time, continuing my work with the kids and working in the church office as well. three weeks ago, i was offered this position, and knowing that my calling in life is to be a pastor, i knew that this was a step in the right direction.

so there you have it. it feels rather strange still - i've spent so much of my life with groupee (just shy of 8 years). i'll still be "around" of course... i have connections, dontchya know. but here's to new adventures!

25 Things: 11. Sew an article of clothing.

(originally posted on my blog at the original groupee.com social networking site.)

i doubted this one after the list was set in "stone" (ok, ink), recalling the unfortunate fate of past sewing projects, and the grandiose ideas that always fuel the purchase of patterns, but never actually materialize. (heh.)

a few weeks ago, a great idea presented itself - we're going on a cruise in less than two months, and i need "the perfect" top to wear over my swimsuit when we're out and about. a friend helped me pick out the perfect pattern, and the perfect fabric, and in a handful of hours later, i had a perfectly wearable top. i love it!

february in review

(originally posted on my blog at the original groupee.com social networking site.)

i used to be in the pattern of posting "month-in-review" blogs, but i fell away from it. life has changed so dramatically since the beginning of february, i can't help but post.

* began Lent, giving up eating out, determining to eat from our home (groceries), being better stewards of our resources, and taking better care of our temples.
* superbowl party at kids church.
* welcomed my long-distance friend, steven, to the Groupee team.
* saw the church come to financial crisis, resulting in major cutbacks.
* accepted a job offer at the church to fill essentially 4 positions in one.
* gave notice at Groupee, after more than 7 1/2 years.
* saw God's faithfulness as He provided for the big and little things - like health insurance and a second vehicle.
* celebrated valentine's day.
* went to a huskies game with mom.
* already late to apply for our passports, we realized we'd lost our birth certificates, had to order new ones.
* applied for our passports.
* filmed my last (...or is it?) paranormal office episode.
* noted spiritual growth in myself as the turmoil of the church brought me to praying that God's will would be done, instead of a more selfish prayer like "God give me this job". thank you Lord for spiritual growth!!
* today's leap year!

whirlwind! next month promises to be just as exciting...

25 Things: 19. Celebrate Lent.

(originally posted on my blog at the original groupee.com social networking site.)

when i set out to celebrate lent, it was to sacrifice something that might give me a greater understanding of Jesus' 40-day fasting experience in the wilderness, to prepare my heart for the Good News of Easter, to celebrate life after death.

what i didn't know was that lent would be a life-changing period of time for me.

when i felt prompted to give up eating out, i thought at first that it was just me thinking, that it was too hard, that i couldn't do it, that matt wouldn't agree to it. but i couldn't really let go of the idea. matt was opposed at first, but then had a change of heart. together, we agreed to sacrifice eating out. Jesus spoke of cutting off the appendage that causes you to sin, and that was what we were doing, as eating out has always been an area of sin for us - 1. leading to gluttony, 2. a poor use of our resources.

so we wanted to take better care of our temples (bodies) and be better stewards of our finances.

we noticed the financial savings almost immediately. balancing the checkbook was easier to do, because there were substantially fewer receipts. what we didn't realize was that God was actually preparing us to live within our means in such a fashion that our means would lessen, and we would still continue to live comfortably within them.

then there was turmoil at the church. financial crisis happened, my paycheck - which i should've received the day before lent began - was held a week, and the church was facing a $20,000 deficit. giving was down 25% and expenses were up. i knew that our elders had decided to perform our annual reviews (instead of just Don) this year, so as to make sure we were in the "leanest, meanest shape" we could be in when we move to the campus, this fall. i knew some things in the office were inefficient. i reminded Don that i was willing to do office work.

then the Spirit told me "march 1st". i didn't really understand what that meant. was it just my own selfishness wanting to get out of Groupee before we packed up and moved locations in march? or was God telling me something. i prayed. i pondered. i asked for clarification. He said "get your affairs in order". so i started tying up loose ends, not really knowing what else might happen.

on february 10th - 4 days after lent began - Don asked for my resume. i emailed it to him, and asked a week later for an update. he worked very hard to play things down, so i would not get my hopes up. i was told there was a 60% chance that they'd be making changes, and a 50% chance that it would even be me that they hired. but a week and a half later, he asked me to meet with him so he could make me an offer.

the church has nearly matched my salary at groupee - more than i expected. however, my overall take-home pay will still be less, as i will be losing the extra $525/month from the church to which we've grown accustomed. but through this lenten season, i have seen that we are capable of living within lesser means that we currently do. we trusted God in the big things, and we will trust Him in the little things too.

God's blessing, of course, didn't stop there. one of our biggest concerns was finding a second car, now that we'd be driving opposite directions to get to our respective workplaces. saturday, we stopped by the bank to talk about loan options, then did a little car shopping, knowing we were shooting for $6k. we didn't find anything we loved, but got a good idea of what we wanted. sunday, matt found his dream truck online in marysville. new enough that the bank would finance it, 83k miles, and only $6k. i felt in my heart that *this* was the truck we would buy. we decided we could run up and look at it that afternoon, so we scrambled to get driving directions and such online. first the internet connection wouldn't work, then the computer froze, then the connection wouldn't work again. had we not encountered these problems, we'd have been out the door 20 minutes earlier.

then my dad called. he told me that grama & marv were planning to sell their 3rd car, and they wanted to sell it to us for $1. all at once, i realized how God was providing for us, and how those earlier circumstances that seemed to delay us only prevented us from making the wrong decision. we had trusted God in the big things, He came through. we trusted Him in the littler things, He came through.

matt was understandably disappointed that he wouldn't be getting a truck right away, but knowing that the buick was God's provision, i persisted. this car will allow us to take our time getting a truck, make sure we get the right one, and hold out for exactly what he wants.

my two biggest concerns - my job and the need for a second vehicle - were taken care of, just like *that*. "all things work together for the good of those who love Him." this verse is usually applied to unfortunate situations, to show the silver lining, that God is working. but today, i see this as God allowing difficult circumstances to be a positive change in my life.

before lent is over, i will be starting a new job, driving a new car, and focusing all of my life on a mission that my heart has been in for the last 14 months. part of me wonders if any of this would have happened if we hadn't chosen to sacrifice something so dear to us for lent. only God knows.

tech confessions.

(originally posted on my blog at the original groupee.com social networking site.)

this morning, i was writing something out (by hand), and as i wrote a word i doubted my spelling of it... so i glanced back at the completed word, waiting for the little red spell-check squiggle to tell me if it was spelled incorrectly...

the great quilt conservation project

(originally posted on my blog at the original groupee.com social networking site.)

years ago, when my great-grandmother passed away, (1991) my family let me choose something from her estate by which to remember her. i chose this quilt.

since i moved out on my own (2001), this quilt has been in loyal service: folded at the foot of my bed, slung over the back of the couch, and used for snuggling. even the cats have enjoyed it's warmth. but because it is so very loved, it's beginning to show signs of it's age. a few years ago, i tried putting it "away", so it would last - but what's the point in storing something if you can't appreciate it? i brought it back out, and it continues to be appreciated daily.

but i know that it won't last much longer. already the edges are tearing off, and some of the individual pieces have holes worn into them. it makes me sad to think that this piece of my family won't be keeping me warm forever.

so begins the great quilt conservation project. rather than "preserving" it, which implies preparing it for storage so that it will last, i'm choosing to "conserve" it - keeping it in use, even if it takes a different form. april and i did a little brainstorming this morning, and the ideas are percolating. i have more ideas than i do fabric, of course - so i have a little decision-making to do...

anticipating one very disappointed easter bunny...

(originally posted on my blog at the original groupee.com social networking site.)

just got off the phone with gina. at a tumultuous staff meeting this morning, it was decided that we do not have the budget for easter this year. our fabulous idea for an outreach is being shelved (we'll lose the $75 deposit i placed to hold the date after it was originally approved), and we'll have to do easter cost-free this year.

the news is that giving is down 25%, and expenses have gone up. there is literally no money to be had. we should've known that it would get harder before it got easier... maybe we did, and i was just in denial.

while disappointed on the surface, deep in the bottom of my heart, i feel a stirring, perhaps God whispering. perhaps this is an opportunity to highlight the true meaning of Easter, without the distraction of bunnies and eggs and chocolate. perhaps this is God calling us to a more focused celebration. "do this in remembrance of Me," i feel in my heart. Lord, what does that mean here?

and yet, the hardest part awaits: gently letting down our easter bunny.

cat CSI

(originally posted on my blog at the original groupee.com social networking site.)

an unfortunate event took place at our house this morning... immediately, there were only two suspects, no dependable witnesses. i was in my studio, matt in the living room, when we both heard the unmistakable sound of a half-full coffee cup falling from the counter to the linoleum floor.

a discussion of suspects, alibis, and motives ensued. matt stated that he had watched fugue skitter from the kitchen, (have you ever seen a 15lb cat skitter? it's a sight.) but he had an alibi - he had been with me in my studio just moments before. i was pretty confident there was not enough time for said 15lb cat to maneuver his way onto the kitchen counter and then frame a coffee cup for suicide, which left only one other suspect. and boy, did she look guilty. (and a little shell-shocked.) motive? she'd been picketing for better dining selections all morning, and had already been rummaging in the kitchen garbage. and if there's one thing i've learned from watching tv crime-fighting shows, it's that the guilty party always returns to the scene of the crime.

luckily, the coffee cup sustained no injuries. but like many victims, i believe our suspect has intimidated it into not talking. there is no word if charges will be pressed at this time.

and i watch too much tv.

january in review

* celebrated my 25th birthday.
* wired the dollhouse for electricity. (25 Things)
* picked up jewelry-making again.
* made awesome jewelry hanger/organizer.
* toured preschool at ECA and brainstormed for adding a preschool to Creekside.
* babysat betty, the cutest little toddler (under 2).
* was asked to perform heather's wedding in july.
* had french food at cafe de paris, in edmonds. (25 Things)
* ate a cupcake named kate. (25 Things)

25 Things: 7. Wire the dollhouse for electricity.

(originally posted on my blog at the original groupee.com social networking site.)

this was quite the little adventure... quite simple, just tedious.
flat wire tape, engineered specifically for dollhouses, is run through the house, connected at joints by little brass nails, which conduct the electricity into the intersecting wire. pretty neat. the hardest part (aside from handling the teeeeeny tiny brads) was deciding where all my lighting would go and wiring accordingly. it all felt so permanent (even though it's not, really).

the photo shows the initial test of the first run of wire - just to make sure the junction splice is properly set. the real trick is in testing each additional run after you connect it, to make sure that you set the nails properly, and that electricity is still flowing. there was some serious cheering going on when i tested the final run in the attic with success! Smiler

(now i just have to buy and install lighting. eek.)

a new fascination

(originally posted on my blog at the original groupee.com social networking site.)

i've discovered a new fascination: pinhole photography.

possibly the least complicated form of photography there is: a simple "camera" - usually a homemade box - with no lens and only a tiny hole in the front (hence the name) exposes one frame of film for several seconds, resulting in a dreamily soft image.

i always liked the look, but it's hard to find a lab that will process single frames of film, so i've never tried it. recently, i heard of a method for the dslr: drill a hole in the body cap, put the cap on the camera (no lens, of course), do some math to figure out the exposure time (or skip the math and just mess with the shutter speed until you like it, like i did), and shoot!

here are my two favorite takes from last night's experiment - can't decide which i like best. darned cat kept moving in the middle of each 30 second exposure... both have been minimally processed - noise filter to smooth some excessive noise, and a vignetting to add to that old-timey look. next, i'm venturing outside to try it in better light. Smiler

birthday in review

(originally posted on my blog at the original groupee.com social networking site.)

with a little forethought, i managed to celebrate my birthday every day from sunday - 1/6 through friday - 1/11 (albeit lightly, on some days). pretty clever, if i do say so myself. unfortunately, it seems old age has set in, because i can't for the life of me remember what i did monday or wednesday of that week... ah well - here's the rest of it for posterity's sake.

thursday, 3rd:
perhaps we started a little early, but it was all that would work with our schedules. visited matt's mom & sister for dinner & cake. discovered that my age no longer fits into 1 box of birthday candles, as my mother-in-law rummaged to find the 25th birthday candle.

sunday, 6th:
part 1: determined to locate the highly-sought-after cupkate, allie and i ventured into ballard to ruin our appetites and a do a little window shopping. no cupkates, had lavendar instead. bought a really fabulous hat.

part 2: dinner with family at a fabulous new thai place. we celebrated three birthdays - mom, aunt jodee and i. first time that's happened, i think. opened our presents together, blew out candles together, oohed and aahed over eachother's gifts. savoring a few of the last hours of jodee's visit, enjoying her company.

tuesday, 8th:
part 1: day off from work. met denise at the delicious new papersource in bellevue. went home and played in my studio. resisted the urge to straighten, tidy or clean anything.

part 2: picked matt up from work, who greeted me with starbucks and dark pink roses. yum. went to dinner at the melting pot, which is an event in itself. so fun.

thursday, 10th:
gift from dad arrived, for which i had been practically stalking the fedex guy. i was elated to find a new mobile hard drive, which will allow me to download photos directly from my memory cards for storage, without the use of my computer. great for traveling, which it seems i'll be doing a bit of this year.

friday, 11th:
there was this great restaurant in seattle - where i'd never had anything other than dessert, because it was served in the form of a 27 foot dessert buffet. i hadn't been there in a couple of years, but i drove by it a few months ago and thought "we should do that sometime". so i decided to have a birthday party with my friends there. made the invitations, had a 100% rsvp rate, and i was totally excited. due to a long day, i forgot to make a reservation for the 11 of us, so i was scrambling at 7:15 to find the phone number. our friends had just arrived to carpool down there, and we were still scarfing dinner. they called the make the reservation - but the line was disconnected. a little more research showed that this restaurant had closed, and was replaced by a restaurant that definitely did *not* have a 27 foot dessert buffet. bummer.

it took a few minutes to formulate the backup plan. my house was not clean enough for serious company, so we bumped the start time to 8:30, and called the guestlist. matt & mike were sent to hunt & gather (dessert) while allie, lani and i tidied, cleaned and decorated. white christmas lights were hung, miscellaneous ribbons were hung, candles were lit, coffee was made. we pulled it off. the rest of the party arrived just as the mighty hunters returned. the boys went out of their way to bring a true dessert buffet - fruit tart, 2 flavors of ice cream, frosted brownies, cheesecake sampler, tiramisu, a box of cupkates (at last!) from cupcake royale, and a special little chocolate "coffee cup" filled with mousse and decorated to look like a cappucino. our friends showed up with yet more dessert, and even after all 11 of us had had our fill, each went home with a box of leftovers. we were up late playing games, talking, laughing, taking pictures. in all honesty, plan B was better than plan A would've been, and my friends made me feel truly special.

25 Things: 15. Eat a cupcake named Kate.

(originally posted on my blog at the original groupee.com social networking site.)

A small vignette in a rather eventful evening celebrating my birthday with our friends last night (more later)... I have officially checked my first item of my list! Last night, I had a rematch with the cupcake named Kate ... aka, cupkate.

25 Things in my 25th Year

tomorrow marks my 25th birthday, and i think a quarter of a century is a pretty big milestone. if i were a car, i'd be an antique!

since my birthday falls so close to new years, i decided to skip resolutions and go for something a little different this year. with a little help from my family at my birthday dinner last night, i've compiled a list of 25 things i want to accomplish in this coming year... so, here we go:

[deep breath]

1. Read a classic novel.
2. Scrapbook our honeymoon.
3. Organize my music room.
4. Participate in Project 30: a photo a day for 30 days.
5. Finish my last year of Bible School.
6. See Seattle exhibit at MOHAI.
7. Wire the dollhouse for electricity.
8. Scrapbook my 2003 cruise to Mexico.
9. Upgrade my camera.
10. See Allie graduate in Boston.
11. Sew an article of clothing.
12. Grow two new herbs in my herb garden (total of 5).
13. Cook a new dish for each new herb.
14. Frame 6 of my favorite photographs.
15. Eat a cupcake named Kate.
16. Finish the interior of the dollhouse.
17. Watch 5 movies for AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies list.
18. Reinvest our stocks.
19. Celebrate Lent.
20. Learn to swim properly.
21. Create my family tree on canvas.
22. Vote.
23. Grow peonies.
24. Eat at the Space Needle.
25. Try three new foreign cuisines.

so there it is. lots of thought and discussion went into this, and i'm excited to get started.

mini-renovations: ready for christmas

i wanted to post this *before* christmas, but in all honesty, the ...ahem... fresh-fallen snow on the roof-line just ...well... fell. Wink

so here we are - a little fun in time for christmas. everything is handmade, but the fencing and the kitten. the garland is made from green tinsel pipe-cleaners. the snow in the yard and on the fence-line is glittery white felt. the pink retro wreaths are pink pipe-cleaners, decorated with pearly beads and silver cord (they don't exactly "go", but they'll be replaced before next year anyway). i wish i'd put the christmas tree in the window, but i didn't get that far.

compared to the last album, we've come a long way (baby). new coat of paint, finished the trim. i have a few flaws to cover, and i think i'm going to add some more trim above the doorway/front windows. and figure out what to do about a front door, since none of the manufactured doors will fit the doorway (beaded curtains perhaps?)

oh, and to put it into perspective - the wreaths are about the size of a quarter.