Life as a Christmas Elf

Today I mailed off my last packages. Here are a few things that I included as handmade gifts, some of which might be quick for you to make as last minute gifts if you need ideas! (If you're a family member and have secretly discovered my blog, I guess your surprises are ruined! ;-)

Desk calendars for those with office jobs (4x6 inches), using wallet-sized prints of my flower photos and free yearly calendars downloaded on the web.

Beaded earrings - copper, glass, minerals, sterling silver.

Guilty pleasure - pretzels in almond bark with sprinkles.

Typed, printed, and bound booklets of the favorite family recipes my MIL wrote out by hand for our wedding.

Herbal sachets (many of these are for my own closets, fabric stash, etc.) They do contain lavendar, but also whole cloves, thyme, mint, and rosemary. They smell wonderful! I tried out a few decorative stitches on my sewing machine for embellishment, and even broke into my vintage hankie collection for a few of them.

I also did some simple scrapbook pages, easy cookie cutter clay ornaments, pottery for one lucky person, and made a pile of photo notecards. I haven't been able to craft much this year with study and travel, so it has been rather fun to get back into it. The hardest part of Christmas prep remains: cleaning and straightening my house before visitors arrive! I hope your Advent season is going well.

Magical Surprises

Last Friday, the very unexpected happened: it snowed in Houston. All day long. The flakes here were fat and fluffy, and enough accumulated to turn the yard white. This is a rare gift that I very likely will not see again in my time here. It made me quite happy and very tickled - what a joyful treat!

Today, looking at these pictures, I can't help but think about the unexpected snow as a metaphor for other unexpected good things: the upcoming feast of the Nativity, when God took on human flesh and was born in a manger, for one. I'm also thinking of changes that I've seen in people's lives and how heartwarming it can be. And even some changes in my own life. Spiritually, if you would have told me eleven years ago that I would soon become an Orthodox Christian and spend afternoons like today listening to the Paraklesis service sung by Eikona, I would have not taken you seriously. But God and life can surprise us - just like the snow did a few days ago!

Are you enjoying any unexpected events lately?

Advent Calendar

We're back from yet another trip, this time to attend the wedding of my husband's sister in Ohio and then to celebrate Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania with our good friends and adorable godchildren. But more on that later! I've admired the envelope-type Advent calendars that I've seen on many craft blogs (the envelopes are often clipped clothespin style to twine along a wall, etc.) and so I decided to whip up a quick one to take to our godkids. It's pretty self-explanatory from the photos, and it was a lot of fun to make. Using a packet of 20 icon cards about the life of Christ as the envelope inserts (available from the Greek Archdiocese website) was a good way to keep the focus on the reason for Christmas. For the other 5 days, I inserted photos of my husband and me and included little notes to the kids. There are countless ways to vary this idea.

I'll be trying to whip up some more Christmas crafts for gifts in the next week or two. Will you be crafting?

Thankful

{A purple coneflower from my barefooted afternoon shooting flowers in Rapid City in early October}

I find myself thankful for so much these days: the blessing of growth through God's grace, my husband's new job, finishing my master's exam (yay! passed with an A - what a blessing to be finished with it!), our sweet little dog, slightly cooler temps and time to plant some winter annuals and cabbage seedlings in my garden, our fall travels, all of our friends and family who are expecting little ones, finding courage to face my flight fears, and another Thanksgiving upon us.

I hope that you have much to be thankful for this year. I suspect that most of us do, if we just know where to look!

Impressions

I have been playing with solar print paper this week, trying to capture my ornamental grass before I chop it back to move it to a different part of the yard. I love the way the paper captures the grass so accurately and magically, the process set in motion by the bright sun. Even after the grass is bagged and gone, its delicate seeds will stay with me, captured in blue tones. It's easy to jump from noticing actual physical impressions to thinking about things that have left an impression on my heart, soul, and mind, leaving wispy traces to remain long after the events themselves have occurred. I was reminded of this yesterday at the pottery studio as I was playing catch up on glazing after my absence to study and travel this fall. The staff there uses Pandora to provide our soundtrack. All of a sudden an old Paul Simon song came on, one that I hadn't listened to in many years, and it immediately took me back to high school, when I listened to it often. I suspect music leaves such traces on many of us - along with countless other things in our years.

Capturing any impressions yourself lately?

My October Magnolia

Pink magnolias bloom in February or March down here, sometimes January. They bloom once a year. I thought I was seeing things last week when I looked out the window and saw a few blossoms on my poor trees. They have seemed rather confused since Hurricane Ike stripped their leaves off several months early a year ago. But then one of my favorite books from childhood came to mind, Leo the Late Bloomer, and I had to smile. My magnolia may be blooming late (or early), but at least it's blooming. And that is pretty spiffy.

{Speaking of children's books, there's another favorite I can't remember the name of. It was about various bugs getting ready for bed with adorable little illustrations. One of the bugs always dropped their shoes on the floor at bedtime. I must have been reading it in the early 80s. Does anyone recognize this?}

Smiling

I'm taking a break from Analyzing Prose for a few minutes - so many things from my trip to SoDak and from Maine! that I keep thinking about. (We just returned from Maine yesterday; I've survived another flight and handled it ok even though it was quite bumpy at times. Lots and lots of photos from that trip.)

But for now, here are a few things from my time in SD recently that really made me smile. I spent a rushed hour helping a friend harvest all of her tomatoes before the first freeze. This box is only a small part of what we picked; I'm guessing the total was around 40 lbs. I love getting my hands in the dirt and in the garden, so this was a fun treat for me. And they tasted as good as they looked.

My stepsister has acquired a new Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy (along with two goats and two little ponies). Here, he's only 4 months old and 45 pounds! Obviously, he will be huge. He's all legs, and quite a mellow little guy. I loved meeting him, and seeing him try to get the rat terrier to play with him. Makes me want another puppy...

On my last Saturday in Rapid City, my sister, little nephew, and I went down to the first annual Pumpkin Fest. Have you ever seen a 713-pound pumpkin? I can now say that I have! We were suitably impressed. The best part was watching my nephew's excitement at the tractor parade and grinning at one old very authentic farmer who waved at us from his perch.

Something that is not making me smile right now is trying to deal with my mail-order pharmacy, an option that we were forced into by our insurance company. Has anyone else used them? I have had more problems than I can list right now, but it has been a very frustrating experience. Communication issues are only the tip of the iceberg and I now asked to be transferred to the American continent immediately upon connection.

But I'm smiling today because it has finally cooled off in Texas!

What are you smiling about?

My Feet on the Ground

I was blissed out to spend 9 days at home in the Black Hills and Rapid City. Taking flower photos at the city gardens, I couldn't resist taking off my shoes and going barefoot while I clicked away. The grass up there is so tender, soft, and sweet; my toes were very happy. (I don't dare go barefoot on our rough St Augustine grass full of fire ants in TX!) I had many great little adventures that I hope to share with you later - hikes, fall colors, friends, family, a George Winston concert, a fender bender, pumpkin fest, and more. For now, I should return to my studies! What autumn pleasures have you had lately?

One Year Anniversary of Ike

I am amazed that a year has passed since we survived Hurricane Ike. Seems like a significant anniversary to note! There has been a lot of news coverage of the rebuilding of Galveston and other coastal areas. Let's hope we make it many more years without another one.

Withered

I was going to announce an official hiatus today, but realized I may stop in a few times throughout the fall. I am quite overwhelmed with studying for my master's exam while also having scheduled a few trips this fall that are much desired but certainly won't help the studying! I have been trying to limit all other activities that I can, putting off allergy testing and subsequent shots, downsizing volunteer editing projects, stopping pottery classes for the time being. Some of the texts I'm studying for the exam, particularly on style and stylistics in writing, teaching basic writing, and teaching ESL writing, are ancient (40 - 50 years old) and while interesting, I'm not sure they're even that relevant anymore to the field. I considered postponing next week's neighborhood association's craft group activity (which I lead) and waiting to jump back into our writer's group until winter, but the women in both of those groups are so fun and inspiring that I don't want to miss our gatherings. Yesterday I scheduled necessary and helpful tasks, even if they took time away from my studying: tea with a friend that I hadn't seen in two months (I found a new favorite at Barnes & Noble, Harney & Sons Green Tea with Coconut), an appointment at the post office for expedited passports should we go into Canada on an upcoming trip, and a visit to my doctor for sedatives for flights and concentration strategies for studying. I am so blessed to have found this doctor; she has made a huge difference in my life. I've never used exercise videos, but I'm actually enjoying walking at home (more like low impact aerobics) to burn off stress after studying.


I listened to Allison Krauss sing Graceland and Carolina several times last night, dear favorites; it was remarkably soothing. Perhaps significantly, both of these songs speak of travel, yearning, and grace. How did I not realize that until this moment? I am aching to be home in a few weeks for autumn in the Black Hills and time with my family (my sister is in England visiting her in-laws and I really miss our long weekend chats; there is no one else with whom I regularly have 60-90 minute phone calls!) I have to say that things like my master's exam really don't seem all that important when I think about home. (Hubby, unfortunately, will be staying here to work, and has been working lots of weekends, including today, as it's a very busy season.) All my worries and anxieties also seem lessened when I remember volunteering a few hours at a local day shelter the other week, handing out laundry bags and folding clothes for people without homes. It was humbling; I don't let anyone else touch my laundry and I couldn't imagine having to hand all the clothes I own over to a complete stranger to be washed. Perspective helps.

How do you handle stress? Any study tips? Please cross your fingers, keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I study and face my flight phobia! I am looking forward to catching up on your blogs when I can!