Cabin Fever

In case you were wondering what cabin fever looks like!

Christmas Ain't Christmas...

... till somebody cries.

That's my favorite new Christmas quote, from Shrek the Halls.

Thing is, despite being snowed in together for over a month (okay, okay, it was only a week), the only one who cried was the 5 month old. And that's allowed.

Christmas cookies baking (7 kinds in under 2 hours), ornament decorating, family talent show, lots and lots of games (favorites were Farkle and Time's Up!), sleeping on the floor, snowball fights, fondue night, and more. It was a Christmas to remember.

I hope yours was as happy as mine.

God bless us all.

Family OD, Blog Withdrawal

The promised snowstorm finally arrived after a week of promises and threats. We decided to hunker down with the whole family... and I mean the WHOLE family. My parents, siblings, and all the spouses and kids, in one house.

Thing is, with so many of us under one roof, no one has time to blog. And with no one blogging, we're all going into blog withdrawal.

So, this is for you, family. The title about family OD is not true. (Yet.) It's fun hanging out together, staying up too late, and seeing the appreciation we all share for the next generation. There's some pretty special kids in this house.

No one's starving. No one's cranky. And no one smells too bad.

Yet.

Hope 2 Others

Back in May, our family attended the Rebelution where teens challenged teens to do hard things, to stop living up to the low expectations our society puts on them.

Our kids took up the challenge. They ran with an idea to make H2O bags, a project originally started by some other teens in a nearby city.

These bags are just lunch sacks filled with a nutritious lunch- tuna, peanut butter crackers, fruit leather, a bottle of water, a mint, some tissues and hand wipes, a Bible verse, and a pair of socks.

The kids distribute them at church to adults who are willing to pass the bags out to panhandlers who frequent major intersections. For $3 a bag, it's a way to give a little help, both physically and spiritually, without handing money to someone who might not use it wisely.

Since May, the kids have made and distributed about 250 bags. Yesterday, they were invited to share their project with our local Council for the Homeless. They made enough bags for the whole council and prepared what they wanted to say, then were greatly relieved when our preacher, who is on the council, did all the talking for them.

Their project was well-received and the council members spontaneously gave them enough money to make another 25 bags.

I hope the project has been a blessing to others. I know it has been to us.

s'no snow day

Won't my kids be disappointed this morning to wake up and find it is not a snow day? Despite grand predictions of inches of snow, the streets are dry and bare. The icy winds did, however, arrive and are seeping into the house under and around doors.

In all my years of schooling, I remember two snow days. But that was up north where drivers and road crews are accustomed to dealing with winter.

Here, it always seems to come as a surprise. The news crews come on and tell us how cold it's going to be, how much snow we're going to have, and how to prepare ourselves. Then they come on telling us how surprised they are that we didn't get snow, how much warmer (or colder) it is than they expected, and how we shouldn't stop worrying. Something's bound to go wrong. Just wait and see.

Hope y'all have a great day. And remember - don't stick your tongue to the flagpole. Then we'd really have something to report.

Uwajimaya

There are some things that are best done with someone who appreciates them. I'm thinking Uwajimaya is one of them. This giant oriental grocery store is full of delightful (and not so delightful) foods and other products.

I'm sure that if I'd taken my kids with me, they would have been begging to leave after 10 minutes. So I didn't take my kids, I took my dad.

The two of us spent 3 hours walking up and down the aisles, looking at packaging and trying to guess what was inside. Dad is curious about everything and knows a little about most things, so the slow trips up and down the aisles came with much discussion. I bought a few things, but I'm wishing now I'd picked up a package of umeboshi plums.

Oh, well. I'll just have to go back.

A Lot of Hot Air

Our government has had some stupid ideas over the years, but this one might top them all.

The EPA has proposed a cow tax on the notoriously flatulent beasts because of their carbon emissions. Are they kidding?

Are cows causing global warming?

I can just imagine where this could lead. You start taxing cows and you kills the dairy industry and the beef industry. Those food production projects go overseas, like to China, where safety regulations are much less strict.

If all the cows go to China, do they emit less carbon? Do Chinese cows have fewer digestive problems?

Is it just me, or would said cows still be emitting carbon into the air, only on the other side of the world? And what of the fossil fuels we'd be burning to import our beef and milk and cheese?

I know we have a lot of things to worry about, but I honestly don't see how taxing cow farts and burps makes us better off as a country or as a global society.

Jesse Tree Instructions

I've had a couple requests for info on how we do our Jesse Tree. There are many ways to do it, but here's the adaptation we've come up with through the years. We've borrowed heavily from The Voice.

December 1 - Set up the tree. We use a small one with tiny ornaments we've crafted out of Sculpey clay. You could use paper ornaments or have your kids make their own each day.

1 Sam 16:1-13
Isa 11:1-10

2 - Creation

ornament - the earth

Gen 1:1-2:3

3 - The first sin (man separated from God, God promises that Eve's offspring will truimph)

ornament - apple

Gen 2:4-3:24

4 - The Flood (God redeems mankind and makes a promise)

ornament - rainbow

Gen 6-9 (or just tell the story)

5 - God's promise to Abraham

ornament - stars

Gen 12:1-7

6 - God saves Isaac

ornament - ram

Gen 22

7 - Jacob receives the promise

ornament - ladder

Gen 27:41-28:22

8 - Joseph 

ornament - colored coat

Gen 27-50 (paraphrase this one. It's long!)

9 - Passover

ornament - lamb

Ex 12-14

10 - God gives the law

ornament - 10 commandments

Ex 19-20

11 - The fall of Jericho

ornament - trumpet

Josh 6:1-20

12 - Samuel crowns Saul King

Ornament - crown

1 Sam 3:1-21, 7:1-8:22, 9:15-10:9

13 - David

ornament - shepherd's hook

I Sam 16-17

14 - God proves his power to Elijah and the Prophets of Baal

ornament - stone altar

I Kings 17-18

15 - God delivers the Faithful

ornament - a tent

2 Kng 18:1-19:19, 32-37

16 - Isaiah's call to Holiness

ornament - tongs with coal

Isa 1:10-20

17 - The Exile

ornament - a tear

Jer 1:4-10, 2:4-13, 7:1-15, 8:22-9:1-11

18 - Waiting

ornament - watchtower

Hab 1:1-2:1, 3:16-19

19 - Return to Israel

ornament - city wall

Neh 1:1-2:8, 6:15-16, 13:10-22

20 - Mary

ornament - white lily

Luke 1:26-38

21 - Zechariah and Elizabeth await their child

ornament - tablet with "John" written on it

Luke 1:57-80

22 - Joseph trusts God

ornament - hammer

Matt 1:19-25

23 - The Wise Men come to worship

ornament - star

Matt 2:1-12

24 - The birth of Jesus

ornament - manger

Luke 2:1-20

We top off the month with another reading of the complete Christmas story. You can have another devotional on Christ using John 1:1-14 to wrap things up, if you choose.

Advent

We have many Christmas traditions at our house, some from my childhood and some we've introduced as our kids have grown. One of my favorites is one that is new to this generation - the Jesse tree.

The Jesse tree starts out the month of December bare, but each day it gets an ornament and each ornament has a story. We'll start today by hanging the tiny ornament representing light. We'll talk about God speaking light into existence and we'll talk about how this points to Jesus, the Light of the World.

The Jesse Tree takes us through the entire Old Testament as God weaves his prophecies through the fabric of his people's history. Just as the Israelites had a sense of expectation for the coming Messiah, our family builds a sense of expectation for the memory of his birth.

This little tree gets its name from Isaiah 11:1. "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a branch will bear fruit."

Jesse, father of King David, ancestor to the long-awaited promise.

Don't You Wish!

I was informed this week by a very Christmas savvy little girl that you only have to good from the beginning of December until Christmas for Santa to deliver the goods.

Listen!

I couldn't sleep last night. All my ideas and projects and things to do drove me from my bed. After working on a couple of things, I curled up with a blanket in the recliner and tried to rest.

Tick.

Tock.

The living room clock and the dining room clock played ping pong with each other. Back and forth. Back and forth.

I don't hear these sounds very often. The quiet click is drowned out by the noise of life - kids, TV, music, talk. Yet underneath the clatter, the clocks mark time, steadily and silently doing their job whether I take any notice or not.

In the craziness of December, I want to remember the clocks. Not for their sake, but as a reminder that God is constant. He doesn't scream for attention, but speaks in a still small voice.

Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10) 

The Deadly Sins

As I drag myself out of bed at 8:45 this morning, I wonder...

Is sloth a deadly sin if it only lasts for a day or two?

The Price of Parenthood

You makes your choices, you pays your prices.

And one of the prices of having children, even homeschooled children, is attending their recitals, open houses, and various other performances.

It can be painful. Not to watch your own children, of course, who are the most talented, the most brilliant, the most beautiful and amazing kids on the planet (after mine). But you know your child's performance will take 17.3 seconds of the evening. And then there are the other 14 hours.

So, last night we went to a showcase of what the kids have done in our homeschool co-op for the past semester. And you know, it wasn't bad.

Strike Out!

You've probably heard by now. Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska has conceded the race. With the highest seniority among Republican senators, Stevens was and is a mainstay in Alaskan politics. Honestly, I can't imagine him not being in Washington D.C.

I predicted he'd be acquitted of fraud charges.

He was convicted.

I thought he'd step down from running for reelection.

He ran.

I said he'd be reelected.

He wasn't.

A swing and a miss. A prophet I am not.

Just as well. The senate was set to kick him out if he was reelected. Rough week for him. Happy birthday, anyway, Senator Stevens.

Face Lift

Some people like change, and some people don't.

I think I'm one who likes change, for the most part. I like to see things get a fresh new look, especially a less cluttered look.

That's what I was going to for when I went with a friend to get my eyebrows waxed. My husband doesn't like it much. He says it looks like something's missing.

That's what I was going for when I redesigned the church bulletin. Mostly people like it, but not everyone.

That's what I'm going for today as I tear apart our home office and try to make it appear more spacious and less cluttered. (Wish me luck!)

And that's what I'm considering for my blog. Do you think it's time for a face lift?

announcing...

We've still got a ways to go to get that counter to 20,000. But I'm eager!

So... whoever bumps it up there and is the 20,000th visitor will get a prize. Maybe it will happen before Christmas!

We Regret

Two of the hardest words to hear are "We regret..."

The first thing that comes to mind, and by far the most serious, is the military or police chaplain that shows up at the door of a spouse.

"We regret to inform you..."

But there are other kinds of messages that say "we regret." Apparently, it can substitute for "I'm sorry," when you don't want to apologize. Consider how this statement about Fannie Mae mucky-mucks spending $6000 on a golf trip this month.

"We do regret that the activities surrounding the customer meetings in Dallas may be perceived as excessive," company spokesman Brian Faith said in an e-mail message.

"We regret" are dreaded words for us aspiring writers.

I got a "we regret" letter this week on a piece I had high hopes for. Shortly afterwards, I got news that a friend of mine was chosen as a semi-finalist in the same competition.

I'm happy for her. I really am. And for the three others I know who have signed their first book contracts this month.

At the same time, it makes me wonder if all the hard work and sacrifice is worth the constant rejection.

What if I pour years and years into becoming a better writer and no one ever reads my books? What if I've wasted all this time and money on what might just be a lonely and expensive hobby? What if I pour myself into something I will never succeed at?

Questions born out of insecurity. They don't mean a thing because, whether I ever "succeed" or not, I have to write. I have to tell stories.

I have to.

Around the World In 80 Days

Every four years a grand event takes place that sends my family to the computer several times a day for updates. It's not the Olympics and it's not the election, though those also got some coverage.

It's the Vendée Globe. I'm sure you're following it, too. (Click the little British flag in the upper right for an English version.)

The Vendée Globe is a solo sailing race around the world. The 30 skippers in this year's race left the coast of France on Sunday and already three are out of the race. Names like Moitessier and Gautier will pepper our conversations for weeks and we'll pull out Moitessier's memoir, La Longue Route, for story time.

This year, the kids are racing their own boats in a virtual version of the game. Don't imagine a Wii or X-box. This is a real-time game with little blips on the screen that will take 80-100 days to make it around the world. Maybe longer, depending on the winds. Even the six-year old has a boat and has rounded the northern tip of Spain.

Can you imagine actually doing this race? All the way around the world without touching land and without any face to face conversation? If you want a picture of how harsh it can be, I suggest The Godforsaken Sea.

We might be the only ones on our block checking Vendée Globe stats instead of football scores, but I think it's part of what makes us unique.

Water's Edge

Did you miss me? I was only gone two days, but thanks to a very generous invite by a friend to hang out with her at the coast, I come back refreshed.

From our room, you couldn't even see the ground. The mighty waves crashed up against rocks below. The sky shifted constantly from blue to gray to white and back to blue.

A verse kept running through my head during the two days and this morning I looked it up.

"Who shut the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, 'This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waters halt'?"

If not for those invisible limits, the condo on the rock would be swept away. But the creator holds back the seas with his invisible breath.

What beauty. What majesty. What a treat.

Leaf Dump

One of the most frustrating aspects of having neighbors is living with their choice of trees. The cottonwoods just over our back fence constantly drop either cotton or leaves into our yard to be cleaned up. I suspect the neighbor trained them to do that so they wouldn't make a mess in his own yard. On the few weeks a year when they're not dropping junk, they're busy sending up little shoots, recognizance spies who plan to infiltrate our grass.

In front is the brilliant yellow maple tree whose personal mission is to lay an even layer of leaves on the street and mask any hint of asphalt. Nice special effect until it rains. Then it turns to an even layer of brown sludge.

This tree law goes both ways. When some neighbors moved in behind us, they thought we were throwing grapes at their dogs. No, it was our cherry tree throwing cherries at them.

Sorry 'bout that.

What are You Doing Tonight?

*artwork by B and J

Teachable Moments in Civics 101

Togo wasn't officially a dictatorship when we lived there, but any country that has had the same president for more than 30 years might have a dictator.

Elections there were always hairy - hairy enough that UN task force sent in to monitor would throw up their hands in defeat and leave the country before election day saying, "Whatever happens, it's not our fault!"

We were often advised not to travel during elections in case of riots. And on the last occasion, our teammates were evacuated from the country for their own safety.

Any country that requires its citizens to vote and threatens them if they don't vote the right way has lost the meaning of democracy, or was never striving for it in the first place.

So, treasure your right to vote today. But also treasure your right to not vote. It's a sign of true freedom.

Happy Election Day!

An Opinion

I've been told this week that I don't have enough opinions.

Not so, I say. I have plenty. I just like to chest my cards.

Here's an opinion:

I think we should do away with Standard Time. I don't need light in the morning. I need it in the afternoon when the light fades away to darkness and rain and I have to do all my errands in the dark.

So there.

0 for 1 so far

I'm shocked.

Ted Stevens was convicted.

Shocker #2: he's still allowed to run for senate.

This has got to be the most exciting Alaskan political season since Soapy Smith roamed the streets of Skagway.

So, I'm 0 for 1. My second prediction was that he would be re-elected.

Wouldn't that be interesting?

Friendship

Martha Stewart and I don't get to hang out much since she's usually whipping up a fourteen layer cake or trimming ferns while I'm schlepping around the house in my sweats and trying to get the kids to finish their math assignments.

A couple of weeks ago, I did catch a few minutes of her show. I can't even remember what the subject was about, but the guest started talking about Amish friendship bread.

Martha had never heard of such a thing.

When the guest went on to explain how you get a starter from a friend and how you care for your starter for several days before baking bread for yourself, dividing the starter into more bags, and passing it on to a friend, Martha pooh-poohed the whole process as too complicated and time consuming.

Well, it is, a little. On the other hand, maybe no-one loves Martha enough to give her a mushy zip-loc bag of friendship.

I got a friendship bread starter this week and you know what I thought?

I HAVE A FRIEND!

Granted, I have to plan my trip this weekend around getting the bread baked, the starter divided, and all. But I might just be richer than Martha!

Pride Cometh

Ted Stevens, republican Senator from Alaska, has been in office my whole life. He was already a senior Senate member when I met him in 1985. This week, he may take the stand in his own defense in his trial over corruption charges. He's up for election next month. I'm predicting he'll be acquitted and re-elected. It'll be interesting...

This one you might not know. He's Frank Murkowski, junior senator from Alaska at the time (1986). He's probably best known right now for being the republican governor that was beaten in Alaska's most recent election by Sarah Palin.

And this one... I'm tempted to let you guess. Here's a hint - this photo was taken BEFORE another famous picture of him in May 1987.

Recipe

1. In early spring, prune grape vines.
   
2. As new sprouts grow, train them along existing wires
   
3. Water generously.
   
4. Shoo away birds, squirrels and children.
   
5. Wait for first frost.
   
6. Harvest grapes.
   
7. Rinse and remove from stems.
   
8. Fill dehydrator with stemless grapes.
   
9. Dry 12 hours, then 12 more, and probably another 12 after that, turning each grape by hand periodically.
   

Yield: 1 cup of raisins.

Missions Sunday

Tomorrow is Missions Sunday at my church. Missionaries are a special breed of folks who sacrifice a lot (sometimes more than they know) to live in a different place, speak a different language, eat different foods. They deal with homesickness, illnesses, and power outages, and they count all of these things as light and momentary troubles.

Tomorrow we'll try to raise the salaries for two missionary families. I'm trying not to worry, but it's a tough time to be asking people to give beyond their normal giving. The up side is that because of the global nature of the economic crisis, the dollar is, ironically, strong compared to other currencies.

Filling the Little Boxes

I haven't even flipped my wall calendar over to October yet and I know that all those little boxes are already filled.

Appointments, commitments, activities, projects. You know the feeling.

A daily appointment for me this month will be with my computer. I want to crank out another draft on a novel manuscript. That's 3000 words a day for 30 days. I'm already way behind. If it doesn't turn out right this time, I've got to retire it and work on something else. But I hate to shelf something that has such great potential.

It's like throwing away one of those plastic containers sliced meat comes in now.

So if you don't hear from me much this month, I'm chained to the other computer (the one without Internet). If you hear from me more, I'm avoiding my other project  'cuz I have writer's block.

"They're flying so fast," Tom said swiftly.

My dad gets a kick of of word games, plays on words, and birds of all sorts. The title of this blog is a nod to the first two (look up Tom Swifties if you don't know about them), and the subject is a nod to the third.

It's a bit out of order, a leftover from last weekend, but I thought it deserved to be posted. I took my dad to see the Chapman Swifts - not the rock group, the birds.

These west coast Vaux swifts gather and flock into a huge chimney at Chapman Elementary School every night in September. It's quite a sight to see and hear the thousands of birds gather and dive into the chimney.

Most of them fit with no trouble, but the last hundred or so would dive in, then sort of bubble out of the top of the chimney. They'd regroup and dive again.

The last bird to make it in got a loud cheer from the gathered crowd and the poor swift who became dinner for a peregrin falcon who swooped in for the kill got a sympathetic "Ahh!"

The Harvest is Plentiful

I must admit, I pick each tomato now with the wistful understanding that the harvest is nearly over. Two buckets full today, but by the end of the week, I expect winter to arrive.

But for this week, I'll keep enjoying the harvest. Here's what I've picked and processed lately.

Garden Salsa (8 quarts medium, 4 quarts mild)

Garden Spaghetti Sauce (simmer away right now)

Dried pears

Shaffer corn (8 quarts)

The last of the beans

This week I plan to pick grapes, pears (from the folks), potatoes, green chilies, and sweet onions.

You should come over. I'll make you a salad.

Descent

Coming down off the mountain into the valley, both literally and figuratively, I found that the ideals of the tea ceremony don't always translate to life outside the garden.

Along the banks of the Willamette River is a memorial to the Japanese Americans who were kept in internment camps during World War II, a sort of too late apology for the injustices placed upon them.

There was a palpable irony in the park, though, as it was inhabited by twenty or so street people eating the meal provided by the Portland Rescue Mission. From the tall, thin man who muttered constantly through his remaining 3 teeth, to the couple entangled beneath a blanket, to the man who had managed to cram more stuff in his shopping cart than I have in my house, each one has a story. Each one has suffered and offered injustice.

I heard someone say recently that history is being treated as an open courtroom where we can constantly go back and apologize for past wrongs, as if that makes a difference. As if it's our responsiblity to atone for the sins of our forefathers.

Might I suggest that a better way to atone for the past is to make a better future?

Chado

Chado - the Way of Tea

Wa - Harmony

Kei - Respect

 

Sei - Purity

 

Jaku - tranquility

Harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility are the four principles of the Urasenke method of Japanese tea ceremony. I found a bit of each in the Portland Japanese Gardens.

If you were to distill your life to its four basic principles, what would they be?

Oktober Already?

Christmas toys show up in the stores in August. Halloween sales start soon after. And Easter starts on Valentine's Afternoon.

Now it seems they've moved all the local Oktoberfests to the middle of September.

I'm sorry. I can't celebrate Oktober when I'm still picking peas from my garden.

Time flies fast enough. Why do we have to rush it?

More Perspective

 

Perspective

If you look closely, you can see the bi-plane I caught as I was wading up a canyon last week. A pretty cool shot from a narrow piece of ground.

My brother has a different perspective. He's a pilot and he takes some great photos from the air. You can see some of his pictures on his blog. Or you can check out his new aerial photography business at aboveallaerialphoto.com.

From my perspective, it looks pretty good.

A-Space

Despite the show's warning to not use it as a primary news source, I can't help myself. I love Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz.

They always give me some little tidbit of useless information to store away in case conversation lags. This week's tidbit?

A-space.

Apparently, spies and secret agents are left out of the myspace/facebook social networking loop. At least they were! There's a new social networking system launching this week just for them.

In truth, it's probably a lot drier than it sounds. Still, it's kind of funny.

Disposable Clothing

If someone invented a soft disposable fabric that was disposable, I would so buy it. The way my wardrobe works now is that I buy two or three shirts at a time, wear them the first week I own them, wash and dry them, and then discover a stain down the front of each one.

I bought a new shirt last week and when I took it out of the laundry basket to put it away, I found I'd spilled something on the shoulder. I think it's olive juice. How is that even possible?

Maybe instead of a disposable wardrobe, I need a huge paper tent to drape over myself. Or maybe a hair stylist's cape.

Or maybe I should scotch guard all my shirts.

I don't think it's a reach to compare this to life. It's a mercy God's mercy is new every morning or I'd be walking around a complete mess all the time.

Midwife

There's nothing like bringing a baby into the world. Nothing. The birth of my three children is at the top of my list for wonder and joy. I've also been privileged to be in the delivery room for the birth of a friend's child. And I've been on hand for countless kittens. There's something incredible about new life breathing for the first time.

In a similar way, seeing a new book born makes me proud. Inspiration is, in a sense, the Spirit breathing through the author. I haven't yet seen one of my own books born, but I've had the chance to play midwife for a couple of them. Jessie, my mom's book, may be getting a new incarnation with a new distributor soon. 

I got to hold this little gem last night for the first time. Bon Voyage is the first in a series of devotional books for Christian travelers. This one's for cruise ship passengers. I've seen it in a bunch of incarnations for a couple of years, but there's nothing like holding a book you've waited for in your hands for the first time. 

Congratulations, Laurie!

Another Look

You know how there are things you drive by all the time without really seeing them?

There's a place on the sidewalk between my house and the mall that I've driven past a thousand times. It's a little platform with something sticking up from it and something fluttery wrapped around it, like a tattered flag.

Without ever putting words to it, I've always assumed it was a little voodoo shrine. That's not completely illogical considering I used to live in a place with shrines everywhere you looked, enough that I eventually looked past them as they became part of the larger landscape.

But this is suburbia. In America.

This week, I walked past that spot on the sidewalk for the first time and was surprised to see it was not a shrine at all, but a broken utility pole with warning tape wrapped around it.

Another piece put in the puzzle of what my surroundings look like. Another piece of the African me lost.

Learn From My Experience

It was a beautiful day, the last day of summer vacation. The perfect day for a walk. I parked the van in a sunny parking lot near a well-used trail and shooed kids and dogs onto the path. I grabbed my purse to take with me, along with a bucket in case we found berries. On second thought, I tucked my purse back in the car and hid it under some stuff between the seats.

You know where this is going, don't you? We returned to the van 15-20 minutes later to find a window smashed in and my purse gone.

Another car was also burgled - they lost a wallet.

I called my bank first to cancel my debit card. I knew to do that much. (skip 3 hours of phone calls, police reports, etc.) Dad and I hit the trail and started searching the bushes. Dad found purse and wallet less than a quarter mile down the trail behind a stand of trees. The only things missing were my cash and about $200 in gift cards - my birthday.

I spent a lot of time today trying to recoup those gift cards. I've had about half the cards replaced so far. Some of them I can't replace since I have no receipts or information about where and when they were purchased.

Here are the lessons I've learned:

1. Take your purse or wallet with you. It's way better than getting your window smashed in.

2. If you carry gift cards, keep the original receipt in a separate place. If you give a gift card, give the receipt as part of the gift or hang onto it.

3. Most people are nice. Despite the one bad apple, everyone I talked to in the parking lot yesterday was sympathetic and every customer service person I talked to today really did want to help me. Some went above and beyond what I expected of them. Judy, Mom and Dad, and a city worker named Tim all went out of their way to help.

Thanks for all the help. And thank God - seriously - that no one was hurt.

Perpective

Any illusion we have that we are in control is just that - illusion. It's like trying to tame the wind.

Hang on and enjoy the ride.

Trade-offs

Time is money.

At least that's what they say in America.

In other parts of the world, time is time and money is money. There's no practical way to trade one for the other.

Even after being back in the states as long as I was gone, I still find myself struggling with converting time to money. Maybe that's why I find such pleasure in doing things that don't necessarily pay for themselves.

Take gardening. The payoff for hours and weeks and months of work and waiting comes in a crop that would be cheaper at the farmers' market. But the satisfaction I get from harvesting and eating food I planted is worth the work.

Take garage saling. There's no guarantee you'll find a treasure every time you go out, but the pleasure of the hunt makes the day worthwhile.

Take dumpster diving, Sara's term for digging for treasures at our Goodwill outlet store, which we did yesterday afternoon. We dug and sorted and looked and laughed. It took a good part of the afternoon, but I found enough clothes for the kids to get us through the next season, some books for some missionary kids, a fun Christmas decoration (still in its box), and a radio headset for my husband to wear while he works.

Price: $20 + 3 hours
Payoff: the thrill of the hunt

Girls Night Out

It's amazing to me how a group of serious, composed women can transform itself into a pack of silly gigglers when the kids and husbands aren't around.

That's what happened last night when I joined 6 of my friends (aged 30-something to 60-something) at the theater to watch Mamma Mia! First off, let me say that Pierce Brosnan in a musical was exactly what I dreamed it would be. But Meryl Streep was great and the humor in movie had us all cackling like a bunch of hens. (side note: there was enough inappropriate content that I was glad my mother wasn't watching it with me.)

No, more like giggling like a bunch of teenagers.

It felt good to laugh. I should do that more often.

In Memory

Mom's only brother, Sam, passed away today after and long, traumatic illness. To the many of you who prayed for him over the past few months, thank you so much.

I always thought it was cool to have an Uncle Sam. We used to shout, "Uncle Sam! Uncle Sam! May we cross your river dam?" in the dusky midnight of Alaskan summers. Maybe no one else was thinking about a real uncle Sam, but I was.

I didn't grow up around Sam and his family, but on our summer visits to California's Central Valley, I collected a heart full of memories. Two smells come to mind - cows and chocolate. It was fun to visit Sam's farm and drink goat milk like Heidi of Switzerland fame, pet the chinchillas in the barn, and moo to the cows. To drive between Grandma and Grandpa's place and Sam's place, we had to go right past the Hershey factory. I'd always look up at the kiss-shaped streetlights and gulp in great big breaths of chocolate air. Sometimes we even got to go in the factory and watch them make delicious wonderments like Hershey bars and Reese's Pieces.

I don't think the temperature ever dropped below 100 on those summertime visits. But in the winter, the valley is damp and foggy. Early morning light barely presses its way through the mist to reveal the silhouettes of hundreds of birds nesting in the trees about the farm. But inside Sam's house, it was always toasty warm.

And Sam always had a special way of greeting us. A special treat, a trip to the fruit stand, a cherry picking trip, a breakfast out at Brian's place, Sam loved to share the things he loved. A favorite memory is of going out to a restaurant when our twins were 2. We'd just come from Africa and the kids had never seen helium balloons before. Sam got them each a balloon and they thought he'd hung the moon.

In recent years, it's been fun during our rare visits to share book recommendations. Sam loved a good read, both for himself and for the many young minds he guided as a school librarian.

I'd appreciate continued prayers, especially for my mom and for Sam's wife and children. And if you've got anyone in your family you haven't hugged lately, do it soon.

The Day After and the Elixir of Life

I awoke this morning to an impressive symphony of lightning, thunder and car alarms. A peek out the window tells me the 100 degree weather this week is doing wonders for pinking up the tomatoes. A cool breeze sneaks in through open windows.

I'm going to go make a pot of tea (thanks, M & D!) in my new French press (thanks, L!) and dream about sharing more cups of tea or coffee at Starbucks and Peet's (Thanks, P, G, D and E!)

I have an unscheduled day ahead of me (Thank heavens!) which I hope to spend with family and with a manuscript that needs polishing.

What are you doing today?

Black Streamers and the Kiss of Death

It's my birthday.

I came home from lunch to a house covered in black crepe paper streamers and signs announcing my age to the world.

Nice.

Thanks, oh sibling who might receive the self-same signs in the not-so-distant future. You shouldn't have. No, I mean it. You SHOULDN'T have.

Can I really be halfway through? Is this mid life? Or is it true what they say? Is this the new 30?

I know some of you are approaching some milestones. How are you feeling? Is it just a number? Or is it the beginning of the end?

The Social Scene

This has been a very social couple of weeks for us. We've had people drop in from out of town... and from out of country. We've had kids spend the night and company over for dinner several tiems.



And we've been graced with a visit from a little guy who will be part of our lives for a very long time to come. Meet Elijah.



Eli is a month old now and completely portable. (My brother's first child and the first grand-SON on my side of the family) We took him to REI and Powell's books yesterday.

You never saw so many Portlandians so eager to hold doors, step aside, even gawk.


One woman with an Andy Warhol book the size of a small office building did a complete about-face to get a closer look at the baby.


At this age, even the screaming and diapers are cute. At least they are when you're the auntie who always has the option of handing him back.

Making Lemonade

At a birthday party last night, the guest of honor opened a gift that had already been used. Not just used, used up. I'm guessing the gift came from a garage sale and the givers didn't know it was already used. When the birthday boy discovered it (after the givers left), all the other adults made suggestions of how he could enjoy the parts that were left.

Lemonade.

The squirrels are back. Technically, they never left. They've spent the summer preparing places in the garden to bury walnuts. And now the fantastic feat of removing every single walnut from both huge trees begins. Maybe I could try loving squirrels more than I love walnuts. Or carnations. They eat those, too.

Lemonade.

My friend came home from Alaska with 50 pounds of halibut. 3 of the vacuum sealed bags didn't seal, so that fish needs to be eaten right away. Darn. We're having halibut for lunch today.

Lemonade.

I love the redemption themes that run throughout the stories God writes, both in in the Bible and in the lives of his people. He takes things that are broken or missing parts and makes them whole. He takes garbage and makes it into art. He restores, renews, refreshes, redeems, recycles.

He takes the bitter and makes it sweet.

Life Lessons

I bought the wrong brand of toilet paper.

24 rolls.

It was on sale.

Whaaa!

In Memory

I may have learned more from Angie Long than from almost anyone else, though I don't know if I ever had her as a teacher.

In a culture where all adults went by Mr. or Mrs., I can't remember ever calling Angie anything but Angie Long - first and last names together, always. She was the woman at church who was happy to let me sit by her.

4th row back on the gospel side, Angie Long always had gum in her purse, as well as a pencil stub and paper and a little metal number puzzle. A little girl's dream.

She'll probably be best remembered for her pies, especially her chocolate cream pie. And I'll always remember her for her hospitality. Whenever we went to dinner at her house (fried chicken, mashed potatoes and, of course, pie), she made us kids feel welcome. I remember playing with the legos in the basement, match-box cars, and a huge plastic coke bottle. Even if Mom and Dad talked forever, Angie Long had things for us to do. A game of aggravation could last the whole evening.

It's hard to imagine Juneau without Angie. She lit up those dark winters. Our love and prayers go out to her family, both physical and spiritual. She'll be dearly missed.

the More Things Stay the Same

This is my favorite picture of my husband from the olden days, snapped at a picnic not long before I met him. I think it captures his smile and his ease.

Our youngest was looking at this photo the other day.

"I never saw this picture of Daddy before," she said.

I was surprised she recognized him.

"Does it look like him?" I asked.

"A little. And I recognize his shirt!"

Pretend Money

When I went to upgrade my cell phone the other day, the salesman went on and on about what a great deal I was getting, saving hundreds of dollars. Thing is, I expected to get a free update, so in my mind, any money I spent was more than I planned on.

So, even though I was "saving" money, I was really spending it.

Have you ever seen Deal or No Deal? It's interesting to watch the way people react to the numbers on the board. Say a player gets an offer of $120,000 but opens some cases that drive the next offer down to $90,000. Invariably, the play feels like he's lost $30,000 and has to keep playing until he gets that money back.

The money was never his in the first place! Until it's in hand, it's imaginary money. My advice... take the deal! (One of many reasons I'll never be on that show. I wouldn't be able to sustain the drama.)

It's been interesting to watch reports on the high price of gas. I know it's affected us all and has driven up the cost of groceries and other goods, but it seems like our thinking on gas prices is warped. People will drive across town to save 3 cents a gallon, easily spending more on fuel to get to the distant gas station than they're saving.

Buy One, Get One Half Off! The posters at the shoe store scream. What a bargain. I'm saving so much. Only I don't need two pair of shoes. So I can spend $20 for the pair of shoes I need, or $30 to go home with that pair plus another that wasn't on my list. Why can't I just take 25% off the first pair? That's the same thing, right? But psychologically, it feels like I'm getting a good deal.

Only as soon as you hand over the cash or swipe the card, it's not pretend money any more.

Decompression

I'm one of those people who needs margins in my life, plenty of time and space to separate activities. I'm making a margin right now.

I'm coming down off 4 days of learning, talking, encouragement, and reconnecting at the OCW Summer Coaching Conference for Christian writers. I sat at the feet of Melody Carlson for hours on end, gleaning from her wisdom and experience. I sat at the dinner table with editors from publishing houses like Kregel, Bethany, Focus on the Family, and Harvest House. I talked with agents and writers and teachers, Christians all.

These conferences are always so charged with emotion. It takes courage to take a story out of your head, put it on paper and hand it over to be either enjoyed or rejected. Vulnerability doesn't always feel good.

But these words are treated gently at OCW. Gently and with grace.

Tomorrow I will start back to work, polishing, creating, writing again. But for this afternoon, I'm just going to breathe.

50 things about me

This one's from Shelli. Play along if you want.

1. Do you like blue cheese? yes
2. Have you ever been to Yellowstone Park? Yes
3. Do you own a gun? no.
4. What are your favorite songs? Be Thou my Vision, Blessed be Your Name, Before the Throne of God Above
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? no
6. What do you think about hot dogs? It's my goal in life to never eat one again.
7. Favorite Christmas song? O Come, O Come Emmanuel
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Irish Breakfast Tea
9. Can you do push ups? the girly kind
10. What was the name of your first pet? Yoyo
11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? the necklace my husband got me in South Africa
12. Favorite hobby? writing, scrapbooking, gardening, reading... how am I supposed to choose?
13. Secret weapon to get the opposite sex? apparently, all I had to do was exist :-)
14. Do you have ADD? nope.
15. What one trait do you hate about yourself? lack of self discipline
16. What's your middle name? Kay
17. Name 3 thoughts you are thinking at this exact moment? my foot itches, I need to call the massage therapist, how did our bank account empty so fast this month?
18. What did you buy yesterday? Nothing!
19. Favorite vegetable? anything fresh out of the garden
20. Current worry right now? next week's writing conference commute
21. Current hate right now? the constant mess
22. Favorite place to be? on foreign soil
23, What did you do to bring in the New Year? pretended it was Christmas Eve
24. Name three people who will complete this? Sandi, Dad, Lori
25. Believe in God? Absolutely
26. Do you have an unusual skill? not really
27. What shirt are you wearing? blue t-shirt
28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? I don't think I ever have
29. Can you whistle? yes-but not a dog whistle, which I'd love to learn
30. Favorite color? greens and blues
31. Would you be a pirate? no, but my kids would
32. What songs do you sing in the shower? it varies
33. Favorite girl's name. I'm not allowed to show favorites on this one.
34. Favorite boy's name? right now it would have to be Elijah Hugh
35. What's in your pocket right now? no pocket
36. What made you laugh last? sliding down the water slide with my daughter
37. Best bed sheets as a child? well-worn
38. Worst injury you've ever had? I might have broken my ankle, but it's up for debate
39. Who is your loudest friend? Shelli :-)
40. Do you like where you live? mostly
41. How many TV's do you have? 2, soon to be 1
42 . How many dogs do you own? one
43. What would you do if you hit a deer while driving? I've done this while driving a borrowed car. I think I waited to see if the deer would get off the road (she did), then I drove to where we were staying muttering "Oh no, oh no, oh no" or something like that until I saw my husband and then I started bawling.
44. What is your favorite book? I can't choose.
45. What is your favorite candy? I like a bunch of kinds, but right now, Whoppers
46. Favorite Sports Team? the USA in the upcoming Olympics
47. What were you doing at 12 am last night? reading
48. What was the first thing that you thought of when you woke up this morning? Good-bye Honey
49. What songs do you want played at your funeral? You choose. Do you think I should donate my body to science?
50. Does someone have a crush on you? I hope so.

The High Dive

Watching the kids at swimming lessons this week reminds me of my early times at the pool. I was afraid to get my face wet, afraid to open my eyes under water, afraid to jump off the edge of the pool.

And the queen mother of all, afraid to jump off the high dive. From the water, the high dive didn't look so high, but as I climbed up the ladder, I found myself questioning the decision to climb. Once someone else started climbing the ladder behind me, it was too late to turn back. You don't want to known as the kid who chickened out on the high dive.

From the end of the board, it felt like the world was swaying. The bottom of the pool looked so far away. So many thing could go wrong. What if the water didn't slow my fall? What if I did a belly flop? What if I accidentally inhaled?

I fear a lot more things now that give me that same feeling. Boring grownups things like what if my husband loses his job or what if my kids don't turn out right or what if homeschooling was the most colossal mistake?

I think the high dive reminds me that often the fear of something is worse than the threat. As far as I know, no kid ever died jumping off the high dive at our pool. And in my past experience, there's never been a time, no matter what my circumstances, that God didn't sustain me until my feet could touch the bottom.

A Blast from the Past

Ever have those moments that remind you of way back when? Like when you hear a song you haven't heard in a while? Or smell hot tar that reminds you of summer walks with Grandpa?

I stepped into my childhood yesterday at the Bonanza Shooting Gallery. It was exactly like the gallery I used to love to shoot at down at the Olde Tyme Mall. Only both of us are about 30 years older. I've got to say, much as I hate to see myself age, at least I'm not musty, dusty, and threadbare like the skunk that kept spraying me every time one of the kids hit his target. In the scheme of things, I've fared better than the animatronic, state-of-the-art (in the 70's) shooting gallery.

The grand prize, then and now, was to hit the target on the player piano player and make him have to play.

I'm not sure the kids caught on to the wonder and charm of this blast from the past. The fun of it was not in the actual experience, but in the memories.

Third Place Causualty

Most Americans have a third place. Your first place is your home. Second place is work (though my second place is church). And third place is that home away from home where you feel comfortable hanging out.

My third place closed down.

Cafe D'vine was a coffee shop connected to our local Christian bookstore. I could get a cup of chai or a blackened chicken wrap and type away at my work in progress. Or I could meet a friend there for a leisure chat. I could walk next door to the bookstore without stepping foot outside. It had a fireplace, a lending library, and a whole room full of smiling faces.

I was in there a month ago. The place was full. But today when I went, the sign on the door said that because of the economic downturn, Cafe D'vine is closed.

Where will I find another third place that's so perfect for me? Will it be Bubble Fusion, the funky east meets west tea shop? I doubt it. The purple suede psychiatrist couches don't exactly lend themselves to open conversation. Another tea house up the street just closed down, too. Brewed Awakenings is too far, Starbucks is too noisy, the library doesn't encourage visiting.

I'll probably end up at Barnes and Noble, though its corporate feel lacks the homey atmosphere of Cafe D'vine.

Do you have a third place? Tell me about it. And enjoy it while you can.

Genetics

I've confessed to being a list maker before. I love the sense of accomplishment when everything gets crossed off the list. I like the security of knowing I'm not forgetting anything.

Turns out, my youngest is a list maker, too. Before she even knew that words required vowels, she was scrawling out lists. I'm constantly finding scraps of paper around the house.

One recent list read:
pizza
mlk
brush

Another, an 8 1/2" x 11" paper, had one small word in the center:
BELT

The other day, she was going to spend the night with a friend. "Pack enough clothes for 2 days," I said.

"Why don't you just write down what I need on a list?" she suggested, "Then you won't have to keep saying it over and over."

Why don't I just do that? So, I did.