Saturday, January 26, 2013

Whatcha doin?



I’m watching…


Call The Midwife
If you haven’t been watching this on PBS, you can watch
online at the PBS website (and you really should).  I had read the book the series is based on but hadn’t watched until my dear friend (thanks Liane!) loaned me her copy of the dvds.  Oh My.  It’s so well done. 
Last night I bawled my eyes out.  Watch out for episode 3.


I’m reading…

Bathsheba by Jill Smith
I don’t normally enjoy biblical historical fiction (is that a genre?) but this gave me a completely different look at King David and at the title character – I had never thought about this story from her point of view.


Love Does by Bob Goff
I’m still working on this one.  And honestly, I don’t know what I think.  I know - that's not a very helpful review.  All I knew about the author before was that he owns a home next to Young Life’s Malibu Club in Canada.  He has an office on Tom Sawyer’s island in Disneyland.  What? 
Have you read it? What do you think?



I’m listening to…

Not For A Moment
by Meredith Andrews

Jesus Culture
I heard them at Passion this year (live stream) for the first time –
awesome worship!

Come to Me by Jenn Johnson
Favorite song.

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Monday, January 21, 2013

Snowflakes in 3D


I have seen these beautiful snowflakes on the internet here and there but it wasn’t until recently when I was looking for a January craft I could do with my two nieces that I took the time to find directions to make them.  You wouldn’t believe how easy they are!

Directions for making them are found here so I won’t type them out but I did make a pattern so that the girls could easily cut them out.  I’ll post the pdf of my pattern at the end of this post in case you’d like to try these yourself!

First, though, we made some focaccia bread…


and of course it couldn’t just be round!  Olive oil, pizza seasoning and cheese went on top before going into the oven.



Then after dinner, the cutting and taping began in earnest!



These two each made a snowflake in about 10 minutes flat.


Then it was into jammies and watching ‘The Borrowers’ movie!




Click here to download the pdf for the snowflake pattern!

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Weekend in Leavenworth

We had a wonderful splurge of a weekend earlier this month – in Leavenworth, Washington.  It’s a small town in the Cascade mountains sitting along the Wenatchee River.  It began as a logging and sawmill  town but when the railroad was rerouted and the sawmill closed, its townspeople knew they needed to think of some other industry to prevent it from dying altogether.  The snowy mountains look much like the Alps so the city leaders decided to create a Bavarian-style village to attract tourism. 

Nope, that’s not a postcard!

Everything in town - and I do mean everything - is Germanized.  We laughed about Der MacDonalds and Haus Starbucks but most everything is German in some way.

Back in the days before we had children, we spent a December weekend in Leavenworth with two other couples who are very dear friends from college days.  We rented a chalet back then so we could cook our own meals and cross-country ski right outside our door.  This time we opted for a bit more pampering and stayed at the Enzian Inn, which includes a fabulous brunch each morning. 



The view from our breakfast table!

 
This man blows the alpenhorn twice each morning, wearing lederhosen and a felt alpine hat with a feather in it.  Very cute.

The weather that weekend was absolutely perfect, though a tad bit cold.  Our temps never got higher than about 27°.


BUT… the highway was clear, the skies were blue, there was almost no wind and snow was everywhere!  The scenery was breath-taking.






We walked up to the Sleeping Lady Resort where there are trails to follow next to the river.


Along the way, you come upon these large fish sculptures that crop up randomly.


Liane, Karen and I thought we’d pose next to a fish covered in glass beads. We are smiling but our noses were freezing off our faces here.


The Breams brought snowshoes and we used the free cross-country skiis from the hotel to follow a path along the river, right in town at Waterfront Park.  There are also places with groomed trails to ski and snowshoe but we opted for the low-cost (no-cost) route.  What a perfect place!

Here is everyone getting their gear on…


I started out in snowshoes but the boots I was wearing were brand new and apparently not suited for snowshoeing.  So I walked and it was just as much fun.

Again, God’s creation was stunning!




At night we walked into town for dinner – first for authentic German food (I had spaghetti) and then to a place specializing in crepes (I had French Dip).  (I have food issues.) 

The Christmas lights are world-famous and they leave them up until mid-February.  The town is just gorgeous at night in the winter!  Here are some blurry artistic photos taken of the main street at night:






You really had to be there, I think.  It was fairyland!

My favorite little shop…



I was going to buy this Christmas tree, which you can’t tell from the picture but tiny balls of ‘snow’ were spraying out from the top and landing all over the tree and into the giant basin at the bottom.  How cool is that?  But I decided I probably couldn’t live with the mess.  That and the unreal price tag.  But it went right along with the whole feel of the weekend.  Delightful!

The time was especially great because of the company – which far eclipsed the scenery!  We laughed and reminisced like old friends do.  I’m so thankful for those relationships that now span over 3½ decades!  Together we’ve celebrated each of our own weddings, the birth of nine children, all of the ups and downs of raising families, and now these years with grown kids.  God has blessed us indeed!

Well, thank you for watching my vacation slideshow.  You’ve all been very polite.  Now I owe you one – send me a link to your post about your trip to the Grand Canyon or the time you went to the N. Carolina pickle festival.  I promise to oooh and aaaah!
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Saturday, January 5, 2013

Starting a new year




We’re doing a few ‘January’ things today – emptying out the toaster crumb tray, vacuuming the back of the refrigerator, getting rid of the container of Trader Joe’s bruschetta labeled ‘Best by 12/25/12’.  (I love that stuff - why didn’t we eat it?)

It’s a time for fresh starts, cleaning out, and organizing.  But I am feeling sort of ‘meh’ today.  Too tired after packing Christmas decorations that I only have enough energy to leaf through the ‘Real Simple’ magazine titled “A Year of Organized Living.”  My eyes glaze over at the photo of the woman standing in front of her wall of shoes lined up by high heel color or the one of the spices filed horizontally in the drawer by genus and phylum.   

I’m starting off in Ephesians this month and thinking about the things and people I am called by God to be involved with.  I’m preparing to do Beth’s ‘Wising Up’ series with my small group of young women.  I’m challenged to let God shape me in some areas I know need His Spirit’s attention.  I don’t need resolutions – I think crucifixions are what’s called for. 

What about you?  



A few sites to share:

The Real Design Trends for 2013
@NestingPlace
Loved these!

Let The Truth Be Told
@SMARTGIRLstupidworld
I find it interesting that although Mimi’s 50-year secret was a dark burden to her, and eventually ended her first marriage to the father of her children, she admits she ultimately does not regret what she did. “It was fun,” she admitted.  Wow.

25 Free Android Apps to Get You Started
@TimeTech
I love articles like this because us newbies need all the help we can get!  My favs so far?  Flipboard, Stitcher Radio, Price Rhythm and Where.  And I didn’t anticipate how addictive games on your phone would be.  I like word games so for me it’s Boggle, 7 Little Words and Word Drop.  Oh, and Flow isn’t a word game but is very habit-forming.

Why People Think Christians Are Fake
@stuffchristianslike
We tell each other we’re not prone to wander.  We act like our days of falling down are forever behind us.  And we create environments where no one can be honest.  You can’t share your whole life with somebody when the expectation is that you don’t fail.

Pinstrosity
This isn't a site to just laugh and make fun of projects gone wrong (although occasionally giggles and guffaws do come out), but also to help troubleshoot and learn from the Pinterest Fails we all have.
If you find yourself on Pinterest, a bit overwhelmed at all the projects, this blog might give you some perspective.  It features a photo of ‘The Original Pin’ that shows what the project is supposed to look like and then another photo called ‘The Pinstrosity.’  It will make you feel better about yourself – trust me!

Clever and Creative Instagram Photos
@mymodernmet
I haven’t joined Instagram because I can’t figure out why I should but these are clever and creative for sure.
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