They’re going by too fast, these wonder filled festive days. Here’s my latest Saturday Special: our homespun Holiday Sampler

Nora Christmas morning with her long coveted pillow pet. Ez drew her name and was so excited that he “got” her. [continue reading…]

Interpreting dreams is a risky prospect. At the very least, one risks lapsing into Much Ado About Nothing; at the most, crazymaking.

Nevertheless. I love trying to figure out just what my dreams are telling me, because I actually do believe there is meaning in them.

For instance (Yes, I’m going to share). I was relieved to wake up this morning, with an easier reality dawning on me than the uncomfortable one I’d been dreaming in. It was an embarrassing naked dream, especially embarrassing because the setting was church. Especially embarrassing because I had (in my dream) none of the usual excuses for my nakedness, such as theft (I often dream my sister has taken my clothes), forgetfulness, or excessive gravity. No, in my dream I had actually chosen to disrobe, the idea of gradual bareness seeming (in the initial microseconds of my dream event) comfortable and convenient and inconsequential. (Don’t you love the rationality of the subconscious brain?). But I wasn’t so lucky. Once I realized (thanks to an incensed member of the congregation) that nakedness really wasn’t convenient nor was it comfortable, I discovered that there were no good places to hide my naked self in a church full of people (this conflict comprised the bulk of my dream). I woke up just after I’d made my way to the parking lot, sorrowing that I would never be able (or allowed) to show my face (forget any other part of me) in my congregation again. Well, maybe I could, in future, arrive late and leave early? [continue reading…]

We’ve been picking favorites at my house this last week…favorite meals, favorite desserts, favorite moments, favorite people. I think I’ll go for “Still, Still, Still” as my favorite Christmas song.

(Made these sheep ornaments with cardboard, paint, and yarn when my big girls were little. Memories…)

“Still, Still, Still” was my favorite Christmas song 22 years ago, when Frank and I shared our second Christmas. I was pregnant with Michaelyn (just barely past the extreme morning sickness stage). We had a tiny studio apartment, with a stereo system we bought for ourselves as an early Christmas present that year. With towering speakers and a cute little cabinet to house the cumbersome stack of components (it was the early 90’s; stereo systems then were comparable in their monstrous bulk to primeval computers). One of the first CD’s we bought as a couple was a Mannheim Steamroller Christmas CD; I remember feeling positively transported (to tears) each time I heard their rendition of “Still, Still, Still”.  I love the spareness and simplicity of the melody.  It could be ancient; it feels immediate. It embodies the stillness, the quiet instructive peace, that I feel sometimes when I pray.  It reminds me of the beauty of the mountains in sunlight or the sweetness in the curve of my child’s face. [continue reading…]

A very brief glimpse of Cynthia’s Hawaiian Christmas…

I caught a very brief glimpse of Cynthia’s Hawaiian Christmas when I stayed with her during my Mother/Daughter rescue in Hawaii last week. Cynthia is my aunt; she provided safe haven for my daughter Maurya while she lived her BYU Hawaii adventure. Cynthia has also provided safe haven for me more than once. I love my aunt; I love her home. While I rested there and waited for Maurya’s finals to finish so I could help her check out of her dorm and fly home with her, I enjoyed the serenity of Cynthia’s home and company. I loved (very much) how she has decorated her home for her Hawaiian Christmas. Both simple and festive. Sadly, my laptop was dying during my adventure; I lost many of the pictures I downloaded to it from this last brief stay in Hawaii. But. Here are a few images of Cynthia’s Hawaiian Christmas. I wish I had all the pictures I’d taken on that quick trip.

Living Room Vignette

Holiday Side Table in the Lanai [continue reading…]

Remembering how stressful finals combined with checkout at the end of a semester could be, I thought I’d rescue my daughter last week.

Rescue? I’m not sure just who did the rescuing in that little adventure we shared.

Craving independence, abundant culture, new relationships, and an excellent music program, my daughter Maurya chose BYU Hawaii as her launching destination last fall. She got all the things she was most craving…and more. But not in the idyllic way that she expected (isn’t that always the case?). I think we could safely say that Maurya’s first semester was one of the hardest times of her life. [continue reading…]

A little over a week ago, our neighbors Sonya and Andrew invited our family over to their house for some Christmas sugar cookie decorating.

This is one of their family traditions, and as simple as it sounds, I was so grateful to be a part of it this year. We had fun. We bonded. Especially my kids—Nora, Ez, and Meisha (Michaelyn and Maurya were off being more grownup in far flung places). The decorated cookies might not win any awards, but they sure are sweet. [continue reading…]

I had a root canal.  I feel much better now.  Hence, “Root Canal Wonder”

Why on earth would someone post about dental gore in a pretty lifestyle blog?  Yikes!

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