AdventWord::Open

Open

When we open our hearts enough to truly love, our enemies can open up the possibility for our healing. It’s not just about treating our enemies a certain way; it’s about the fruits of relating to each other, to everyone, in the fullness of Christ’s love. When we practice loving fully, our great reward is being free from holding onto feelings like anger and hatred.

-Br. Nicholas Bartoli

And when we open, we can be beautiful. We afford others the opportunity to grow and blossom too.

AdventWord::Awaken

Awaken
Jesus calls us to live into the fullness of our humanity, to embrace what we, in our brokenness, experience as physical, psychic, or spiritual limitations. Jesus urges that, rather than seeking to be cured of our limitations, we ask God to heal us in them, and waken us to the spiritual gifts hidden in them.

-Br. Jonathan Maury

Not unlike the unfolding of the Narcissus. These were tucked in a bag, purchased in November and forgotten with a couple of ornaments. They tried to sprout, to grow. But they needed the light. They needed the water. 

A perfect day.

I wait for this day every year. It doesn't always get here. This is a downside to living in beautiful Southern California. Rainy days? Not so many.

But today is just lovely. It's not too cold. The rain is constant and just a drizzle. Things are in a beautifully chaotic state with Christmas being packed away for another year.

The Narcissus is blooming.

And my big dog? Well, he can't decide if he wants to be in or out, so we pass in the kitchen, often.

The pup and I were up very early to pick up papers from the vet so she could go to obedience school. Then school. Coffee in the rain with my friend and her doggy. I just said coffee in the rain. Ya really can't say that very often here in our town. But we sat outside at the Starbuck's with our poochies until the drizzle turned to drops and got a bit soaked walking the dogs back to our cars.




The first part of the day had Lucy and me just a bit exhausted. I made a fire out of our wonderful cedar firewood. Crack! Pop! Good night right there on the living room floor. I snoozed a bit and was joined by both Lucy and my girlie. At this point, I'm heading back to Christmas while the two of them nap.  I'm in and out with boxes (and my big old German Shepherd) and just enjoying every minute.

Crackling fire. Raindrops. Naps. Reorganizing.

This is my idea of a perfect day.

A nice cup of tea is in order, don't you think?

Joy at Christmas:: a birthday

I'm so happy to have the cake 

and the plate

 and the kiddo who wants to decorate

 even when she's called out of bed

as we celebrate 

one we love so very dearly

before and through the Christmas holiday

 

We continue to celebrate the day you were born my Dear.

Joy at Christmas:: the pomegranate

I do love the sweet and tart beads of fruit peeking out of the beautiful pomegranate.

Perfect in a kale salad.

Perfect on the plate.

And a long-standing family tradition. I can recall purple fingers for days when I was a kid.

My 85 year old mom loves this new technique and seeds every one from her tree. Then she shares them with her pastor! Mom, bring them by!

Joys of Christmas:: My neighbor's tree

It's very sweet that my neighbor has his tree up early and the lights on for my enjoyment at 6 AM. He had it up the day after Thanksgiving and asked how I liked it. He let me know that he's aware that I'm up early and thought he might send me Christmas wishes every morning.

That's a kindness I wouldn't have asked for.

November 29 - Giving Thanks:: the Kale Rose

And, as a garden lover, I will say, I'm always grateful for the plant someone else started. I will love these well as an addition to my front garden, welcoming friends; and to the life of my just-started Potager garden. (Can you hear the delight?)

The last bits of Christmas

We're on the last leg today. The tree is gone, the ornaments careful nestled into tissue and to their nooks and crannies in boxes. Today the house lights will come down* and I'll finally gather and sort all the things that need to be in the big gift wrap box and away it will go until next year. (Perhaps next year I'll share all the things I love gathering for gift wrapping purposes.)

I love beautiful ribbon and well considered wrapping and tags. This year I found the most beautiful tags at Blossom & Twig on Etsy.

These:

This pretty red bird,


















and this fellow with his crown. 









Oh! And these three:

Pears

God Bless Us

Stickers

I purchased a few for next year and look forward to using them. When they arrived in the crafted envelope I was excited and even more excited to find such gracious packaging inside -- I felt like I'd received a gift rather than receiving a purchase.

So before the Lovely Season of Christmas, it's joy, it's busyness and the brilliant Spirit we celebrate is behind us, I say go and gather for next year.

Me? I shall do as Charles Dickens and "honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."




*My neighbor John, who left for Thailand with friends with his Christmas lights on a timer and doesn't come home until Monday will win the leaving-the-lights-on-longest competition this year!

The Gift at Christmas: Christmas around the world.

I suggest you enjoy this as I did.
Such rich pictures. You'll almost think you traveled.

Enjoy!

A perfectly lovely Christmas

I love the season.
I loved the day.
As I reflect, it was a perfect day.

We gathered simply at my house, my sister's family and mine for Boeuf Bourguignon, Christmas potatoes, brussel spouts a la Joan and sauteed haricot vert.

We had wandered, in the morning over to the neighbors for coffee and breakfast yumminess, a tradition that just started one Christmas years ago and is as ingrained in my our lives as the big man and the chimney.

After the family was gone, the neighbors gathered for coffee and egg nog at our house while the many kids played Just Dance on the Wii.

Loud fun is good.

I can't think of a better way to enjoy the holiday than with the people I love the very most.
I just can't.

How was yours?

These beauties are homegrown.
Last year Elizabeth told me to pot my poinsettia and put it in one place and leave it. Lo' and behold, it became a flowering poinsettia. The little red leaves became flowers in a surprise appearance in December. The rest of the year, it was just green foliage.
I'm thrilled. I've seen those planted in the ground and they get tall and leggy and not so easy to see in the Christmas transformation.
I'm delighted.
And I have a couple of new ones to pot for next year.
Ah, the garden.

Just busy, and you?

We're wrapping and baking and cleaning today.
Christmas is coming!
How is coming along for you?

Sharing Christmas - These are a Few of My Favorite Things - Three

The day alone. Shhh. It's a day out of the office. The day to work on the details. The house, wrapping a few gifts, sometimes cards, but really, a day to regain my footing during the busyness. The busyness of finding a concert dress and shoes and then going to the concert, and on and on.

A day to breathe a bit or catch my breath while I do some organizing of what's ahead.

It's one of my favorite things. A day where the outcome is for everyone else...and me.

How about you?

A season of tenderness

I'm reminded, speaking with several friends and spending time with my own self, this is a season that calls for tenderness. The wounds and ghosts of Christmas past, our longing for belonging and to be loved, seem to rise to the surface at this time of year.

For me, Christmas music can warm my spirit or bring me to a memory of loss. I'm aware that my awareness is higher than normal. I for one am glad. I want to see the ghosts a little clearer, question my agreements, understand what's at the base of my operating system. But none of it is easy.

Four good friends are looking at their families (of origin) and wondering if they really have to continue to behave the way they do. I'm right there with them. Faced with the family I have and love while longing to drop the messages of the past for a present of kindness and love and trust.

Magical child thinking.

Hard work for the adult I am. And in this season, I need tenderness while I'm in the midst. So, I'll stop, take the beat and decide the next behavior or response without reacting. I'll also pray, slow down to light candles and do some quiet things that warm my own heart.

And I promise, at least for this year, to be very aware, that you just might need some tenderness, too.

Now I know how my mom felt

These toes need a big bucket of water.
Yesterday, we went shopping for the Christmas Program outfit.

How many levels does Forever 21 have, I ask? Up the escalator and then back down we went, in search of a simple Christmas dress. Then, off to the rest of the mall because there wasn't a simple or darling outfit in the place. It had to be one or the other.
So we kept going.

With great wisdom, we stopped at the Nordstrom Cafe for a Caesar salad, a Coke and a chat.

All in all, a good day. With great success.
We ended up with a cute dress and and a pretty shrug.

Now the concert will be perfect.

Quotable Sunday - Charles Dickens

 

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.  ~Charles Dickens

Sharing Christmas - These are a Few of My Favorite Things - Two

I don't have an exact picture, but we had a slow, Christmassy Saturday morning breakfast (with this tablecloth) that lead away from bowls of cereal to a Bacon and Cheese Frittata.

Over low heat and in a covered skillet, I tossed:

• six eggs
• six pieces of bacon coarsely chopped
• half a cup of half and half
• and a little more than half a cup of shredded cheese

The kitchen smelled yummy with some Trader Joe's Winter Blend coffee dripping, and the oil of the orange I sliced wafting past our nostrils. We have much to do, but no great hurry today. A morning, gathered around the table is one of my favorite things.

Sharing Christmas - These are a Few of My Favorite Things - One

Carols and all kinds of Christmas music are wildly important to me during this wondrous season. And for some reason, this one is snugly wrapped around my ears and heart.

It's an unexpected combination of big orchestra music, Art Garfunkle and Amy Grant. The Frog, approaching the Baby Jesus is a favorite but, really, I can't address Christmas cards without listening.

And, while we're at it, I have to hear the Alfred Burt Carols and I just love sitting around with the candles burning, lights on the tree and, oh yea, the cards, with James Taylor singing his way through my night.

This year my son brought home the dazzling acapella fun of Straight No Chaser. These post college funsters met at the University of Indiana and have been singing fabulous harmony ever since. At our house, we love the 12 days of Christmas and the Christmas Can Can. My Dear bought tickets for the family to see them last weekend. The boy was beaming as Dad told the story was told at the Thanksgiving party table of procurring 3rd row for us all. Unfortunately, darling boy turned out to be darling fluish boy for the weekend, so he and I stayed home. His younger sister accompanied Dad and Uncle Scotty to the event. The next morning she came out to the living room where flu-boy lay, wearing a big T-shirt signed by all 10 members of the group. "Do you like my shirt?" she said. Of course he thought it very cool and responded with a quiet, "yes". At this point she peeled that layer and tossed it to him saying. "I got it for you Big Brother."

Check these boys out on iTunes. The big album is worth every penny - you get videos! You can also find Straight No Chaser on iTunes and YouTube, and their website is pretty fun.

So there it is. A few of my favorite Christmas music albums (and a sweet story of Christmas love).

Fa la la la la la la.

Another's Creative Brilliance.

I love etsy.com and the population it features. I love the ideas and the creative productivity. And I love it when my needs and someone's brilliance meet. So, when COUNTRY LIVING hit my mailbox, and ecovintagevegan's lovely paper boxes were on the cover, my heart might have skipped a beat. I needed a new way to package the Christmas treats we share. I loved the cover full of fabulous boxes and read the short article and hurried to etsy to order. I was thrilled when the boxes arrived and even more thrilled when they perfectly housed the neighborhood cookies. This year we baked lots of different kinds, 1-2-3, Peanut Butter, Orange Meltaways, Chewy Chocolate Chip, et al and all of the same size. They fit p-e-r-f-e-c-t-l-y into the boxes. On their side. In stacks. Both. I had flexibility and lovely all at the same time. 
All in a box.
All because of someone else's brilliance and creativity. 


You'll find ecoveganvegetarian@ etsy.com and the exact listing for the boxes is:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=36306302&ref=sr_list_9&&ga_search_query=country+living+boxes&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title