December is here...

December seemed to arrive with out me noticing.  When we travel for Thanksgiving, preparing for Christmas is shifted a week later or more.   Depending on how cold it gets and how fast, sometimes the outside decorations don't even get put out these days.

But yesterday the family went out and chose a live tree, rearranged furniture, installed the holder and tree, wound lights around it, and put our ornaments up while listening to our traditional Nat King Cole Christmas CD and sipping hot chocolate. The tree emanated cold when we first brought it in, and as it soaked up the warm water we gave it, the scent of fir tree filled the house.  It really is a pleasant aroma.

Every year our kids get a new ornament, and so from youngest to oldest they get to put up their personal collections before we fill it out with shiny purple and teal globes.  Now that Deven is 12, he takes objection to his first year ornament, which for all of them is a photo of their infant or toddler selves, but he happens to be adorably naked.  At his advanced age, he is not amused.

I think this will be the first year that Emmett leaves the tree alone, and is old enough to look at the gifts without touching.  He really wants to give gifts too, and has already put some homemade items under the tree :).

It's fun and comforting to keep the traditions each year, to listen to the same music, drink hot chocolate, pull out collections of things we've seen year after year.  I think it is interesting how we humans (animals too I guess) like our traditions.  For Nat and I, Christmas is not a tradition we carry on from childhood, it is one we established in our lives when I was pregnant with Eliana.  But it has come to mean a lot, add great enjoyment to our lives, and give us a special focus for worship, tradition, correspondence, family, togetherness and fun.

A goal met...

The final blog of the National Blog Posting Month. I met my goal of posting every day in November--yippee!!  And my inspiration, my daughter Elli, met her goal of writing 50000 words for NaNoWriMo--You go, girl!!  It has been fun to check in every day and spend time expressing life in words.  I'm not sure yet how frequently I plan to blog going forward, but it's likely it will be more often than before forming the daily blog habit.

During this past month, I enjoyed more time at home than months prior, due to my henna business experiencing its seasonal slowdown.  I dedicated time not only to writing, but to exercising, managing at least 16 workouts in the month, which is a vast improvement to months (years) prior.  Some deep cleaning, organizational and decor ideas for my home were implemented, and I'm enjoying the changes, and plan to keep the ball rolling.

My writing and home energies have been met mostly with appreciation and supportive attitudes.  But one friend expressed confusion about why a person would possibly want to blog, and who on earth would read it anyway?  Furthermore, her opinion was that someone who uses the computer often and dedicates time to writing a blog must not be wholly engaged in living, and essentially, should 'get a life.'

Though I generally dismiss views from such an obviously closed minded place, this made me examine why I want to blog, who I want to read and why.  Mainly, I just love writing.  It's something I enjoy doing.  Will any of the world's problems be solved by reading my thoughts expressed in the written word?  No.  But I got to create, I got to think, remember, and string words together to express things that mean something to me.  If I didn't 'have a life' there would be nothing to say.  I have no delusions of grandeur.  I'm just about the business of writing and sharing.  Perhaps something I write will resonate with you, or bring a chuckle, or just bring a friend or family member close when proximity is not an option.

So I finish this my last blog in November by quoting wise words from the Dalai Lama that can benefit us all, whether we are on the same page or from opposite ends of the book:

"Only the development of compassion and understanding for others can bring us the tranquility and happiness we all seek."

Here's to happiness, tranquility, compassion and understanding for us all!

Tuesday, Henna Day!!

Today I got the chance to spend time in Rochester with a bunch of my favorite peeps--my lovely henna girlz!

We filled up a van this morning (many thanks to our fearless driver, Amy, and our priceless navigator, Beth!) and headed down the highway to Rochester where our hosts (many thanks to Jazibe and her sister!) had reserved a beautiful party room for henna playtime.  As we are wont to do, we shared a delicious and nutritious potluck grazing buffet which we visit freely in between doing henna designs.  Some of us brought our wee ones, and some of us brought our yarn (though the yarn didn't see a lot of action this afternoon methinks), and there were design books, henna cones, alcohol bottles, lemon sugar sprays, cotton pads, face paints, brushes, cameras, and above all, CHOCOLATE!  From Switzerland no less, mmmm.

During six hours together, we chatted about a wide variety of things, personal and general, and got to know one another better.  We created beautiful designs on each other, planned future dates and activities, made a mess and cleaned it up again.  It was good for the soul.  I love my henna dearies!  Maybe some time you will join the crew, eh dear reader?

Here are a few pictures from today's meetup:

My work on Amy, Have fun in Cancun!

Her daughter applying her first ever henna to our lovely hostess

My work on Jazibe, angle 1

My work on Jazibe, angle 2

Two of the adorable wee ones present, making their own fun

Victoria Welch's gorgeous design on me

My work on Tasia

Home Sweet Home

Has this ever happened to you?  When I am away from home for a period of time, I return with a fresh eye and fresh enthusiasm for projects and goals at home.  Maybe it's the fonder heart due to absence syndrome.  Whatever it is, I'm glad for it!  I've experienced this many times over the years.  It leads me to the conclusion that it is really good to leave home periodically.  I wonder how else this can be applied in life.  How else might it be a good idea to completely step away and focus elsewhere and come back fresh to the matter at hand?

This morning my handy dandy notebook is populated with ideas for home improvement.  I have errands to run at places like IKEA and Home Depot, and some measurements to take before I leave. 

I'm enjoying the fresh energy vacation gave me, and intend to use it along with inspiration from spending time in Sarah and Tahru's new home to freshen up our old one.  Now that I slept in quite luxuriously of course.  Emmett did too--he slept 3 - 4 extra hours this morning.  So now, well rested, off we go to make some simple, revitalizing changes!

Home again, home again, jiggety jog...

Glad to have made the 1000+ mile return trip again and to be safe and sound.  I'm happy to report there was no inclement weather and zero vomit on our return trip, and we made it in 90 minutes less than the GPS projected at the beginning of our venture, so therefore it was an ideal journey.

I write better in the familiar surroundings of home.  Sitting on the settee by the bay window, looking out at bare trees, brownish grass, and the milky grey lake today, I'm happy to have been in Texas and happy to be back again.

We made good time on our return trip, the kiddoes were able to sleep for most of it, watch a couple movies, eat and take a few stretch breaks and they were home.  Us drivers had a little more difficult time of it, but really, with cruise control, chewing gum, stiff coffee and the iPod going, taking four hour or a little more stints behind the wheel is manageable.  And very worth every minute of it.

Emmett was a little shy and out of sorts away from home at times.  He's very happy to be back in his home environment, he's bright eyed and bushy tailed, and was very compliant and happy on the trip home.

When you have been away for some time and you round the corner and see your home still standing, it is a feeling of relief.  When you enter and everything is as you left it, safe and sound, and the kitty greets you, purring, all is well.

Now time to prepare for the holidays, and the happy week when our gracious Thanksgiving hosts come to see us, and it's not too far off!

Parting is such sweet sorrow...

It has been a wonderful visit, full of relaxation, exercise, yummies for our tummies, sharing, learning, entertainment and togetherness.  As always, it is bittersweet to say goodbye.  Sweet because the time together has been precious and we are looking forward to the next time we meet.  Bitter because it will be a while before that happens, and we don't prefer there to be such distance between us.

Many thanks to my sister and brother (in law) for hosting us this week and showing us wonderful hospitality in their beautiful home.  We feel home when we are with you, and we love you very much!

MASSAGE!!!!

I LOVE MASSAGE!!!  Amentahru's Mom is a massage therapist, and tonight she gave me a wonderful session, using me in order to demonstrate how to use elbows and the meat of the arm to get into the sore spots.    I've developed bad habits of holding my body while doing henna and sleeping that have given me very tight shoulders, and she showed how the neck and chest muscles and around the collarbone, under the scapula in back and all the way down to the elbow...  All these are factors in my achy shoulder.  Now that she is done working on me, I feel soooooo great!!  Many thanks and much love to Leela!

And dear reader, here's some advice she gave me.  Explore your own muscles and sore spots, and when you find one gently rub it out.  Don't be afraid to use deep pressure on your neck, it does a lot of work all day long and can really use the release.  Regular massage work can really make a difference.  I know I feel wonderful now, and I intend to get a massage more regularly in the future to help me keep my shoulder up to snuff.