thoughts from the deep recesses

We drove home from our extended family Christmas on Sunday... As we were coming through the Columbia Gorge, we enjoyed very little traffic... seems most people had done their traveling in the days leading up to Christmas Eve. There was the occasional car in front or behind us, and of course, Asia made it his goal to pass them all. (It is, after all, a race, I'm told.) At one point, we were passing a little blue car. I glanced over, as I often do. I'm always curious about who's on the road and what kind of life they might lead. Asia must have glanced too, because I heard him say, "Oh GREAT!" at the same time that I yelled, "SHE'S ASLEEP!" The driver was fully out. Eyes totally closed. Face completely relaxed. Sound asleep. What do you do? Asia didn't want to honk and scare her awake when we were right next to her, in case she veered or swerved when she awoke. So we went a little past her, and he honked. Really honked. A lot. We, of course, could...

Boxing Day is lovely, I think. Especially if you don't have to go out in the crowded stores and can just be home and revel in the done- ness of all the Christmas rush. I love Christmas, but I also love the calm of after Christmas. No more cookies to bake. No more presents to wrap... that's good. Picked the dog up from the kennel this morning. She was one happy pup. She's sound asleep in her chair now. Good to have her home. The kids missed her bunches - especially since we got home on Christmas eve, but couldn't get her until today, since the kennel doesn't do pick-ups on holidays. Asia totally surprised me with new bee- yoo -tee- ful lamps for Christmas. I've been in desperate need of new lamps, since two of mine have been broken for some time... He bought gorgeous lamps - one from Bombay Company (see it here ) and one from my very favorite local furniture store. I'm so happy with them. They're way nicer than anything I would have bought myself. The...

2000 years ago in a dark, damp stable a baby was born. A baby who contained all the power in the universe and beyond. This baby created it all. And yet could not lift his head to see His own creation. He became immobile. Helpless. Fragile. Dependant on us, the ones who turned our backs on Him. He grew. In stature, and in wisdom. And he loved. He loved the shunned. The rejected. The lonely and hurting. He avoided the trappings of religion and instead embraced a new kind of LIVING. A living full of grace. Humility. Service. Justice. He took a ragamuffin band of blue collar workers and used them to change the world. Has he changed yours? Christmas is about revolution. Love. A new way of facing the world. A tiny baby. The Savior of the world. Merry Christmas, friends. I love you.

So, I'm sneaking in here quickly to post some festive photos of our holiday preparations. The kids and I have been having a blast together this year getting ready for Christmas. I'm in a bit of a hurry, so all my pictures will be posted as a flickr badge. Love me my flickr. I was sick - flat on my back with a stomach virus - for two whole days, and really needed their help to get everything ready. So on Tuesday, we finished up the Christmas cards. I must tell you, I totally copied my design from the wonderful Stacy Kingman. I thought her cards were totally genius, in that they used scraps of paper, instead of purchased paper bought all new and shiny to coordinate. I'm all for using the gazoodles of paper scraps I've got stored in my studio... And then yesterday was cookie day. Lots of butter. Lots of flour. Lots of sprinkles. Yum. And so now we go to my brother's house for the annual Carson family Christmas celebration. Good times. (Break from the break now officia...

So, I'm sure it's rather obvious, but I must take a bloggy break. There just aren't enough hours in the day... Look for me after Christmas. And have a lovely holiday, friends. Thanks for contributing friendship and good thoughts and love to my life.

1984 - My sister-in-law (before she was my sister-in-law) did the twelve days of Christmas for me. I would come out from work and find a treat on my windshield. Or get something special delivered to me at school... it was quite the mystery and is still one of my favorite holiday memories. 1980-something - It snowed so much we could not make the trip to my Grandma's house for Christmas eve. We had never missed it before. I remember driving around our little town looking for a place we could eat Christmas dinner... and the only place open was Andrew & Steve's restaurant. Not the best food, but still, a memory... Early 1970's - we had a white, blow up Rudolph the red nosed reindeer. I loved that silly thing and used to really wish I could sit on it, but of course, being blown up, it couldn't support my weight. I can still remember his plastic-y smell and the seams running down his neck and back. Early 1980's - Polariod pictures everywhere! This was great, because ...

The dog is snoring. I just helped make an Egyptian pyramid out of those long, skinny wafer cookies with K. Russ Taft is singing White Christmas. Everyone else is downstairs trying to advance to the next level of E.'s new Lego Star Wars 2 game on the Game Cube. Lots going on these days, eh? And we're not even busy with major Christmas productions and parties... still, with three birthdays in the six weeks before Christmas, and a trip in the works to see extended family, I'm feeling the crunch. Gotta finish my application for Tejan... like, yesterday. Am I going to start baking, ever? The kids only have 5 more days of school before Christmas break... agh! Rainy, rainy, rainy outside. Lots of slushy, melty snow. Yech. Went to a local church's christmas program last night... smarmy is the best word I can come up with to describe it. It was well done, but oh, so smarmy. I love that word smarmy. And glom. As in, "I held a baby in church this morning who immediately glomm...

Seven years ago today I was in the hospital. Three days overdue. I can't remember exactly, but I imagine by now I'd had my epidural. My Mom was with me, as well as Asia. K. and S. had been picked up in the middle of the night by some friends and were snug in their beds at their house. I was having a baby. I anticipated an easy labor. My labor with S. had been so easy... I only pushed for about 20 minutes and had a beautiful baby in no time at all. Seven years ago, it wasn't quite that easy. I had been going to the doctor weekly, like you do at the end of your pregnancy. When they measured me each week, I couldn't believe what the nurse said each time. I was growing 2 or 3 centimeters a week. I didn't gain any more weight with my third pregnancy, but I was bigger than I'd ever been. I asked the doctor "Is this baby going to be big?" He assured me, "Oh, you'll be fine. He may be around 10 pounds. But don't worry about it." *** I rememb...

Tomorrow is E.'s birthday. Just got home from buying his last two presents. I even got them wrapped. And guess what? The scrap left over from the first present fit perfectly around the second present. Little things like that are exceedingly cool to me. Asia is on week two of a three week-in-a-row travel schedule. I usually don't mind him being gone, but three weeks in a row is a bit much. Especially when he's missing a birthday in there. I've been desperately missing involvement in a formal music program this Christmas. Last year I was okay with it, having just found our church and still being in the process of healing from the ex-church. But this year I just want to get together with my singing friends and make harmonious, beautiful Christmas music together. I've shed a few tears over this, which has surprised me. I really do love music. And I'm missing it's presence in my life... what's a girl to do? Christmas is expensive. Even with being extremely th...

Every year, abc family channel has Christmas shows every night of the month of December. But let me tell you, these are some pickin' obscure Christmas shows. Having dealt with cramps all day, I managed to get up and make pancakes for the kids for dinner, then figured since all the homework was completed and the piano practicing was done, we could watch a classic, traditional Christmas show. Tonight's show? "Rudolph and the Island of Misfit Toys." What a terrible excuse for Chrismas programming this show is. It has a purple hippo, for heaven's sake. I'm generally not a big fan of children's programming, but this is the worst ever. I just had to pick up my laptop and complain a wee bit. Now I'll go back, and watch the giant pink bumble bunny crying on his iceberg. And no, I'm not kidding.

Usually I wake up empowered on Monday mornings. Ready to tackle the messes made over the weekend... organize my week... catch up on blogs... This morning, however, I was totally caught off guard by my period. (Sorry, male readers.) So I'm staying in my jammies. And drinking coffee. And maybe, I'll fold some clothes later. But for now, I'm tired. Some months it just hits me harder than others, and I feel like I've been hit by a Mack truck. Back to bed sounds like a great option. And I've got some great European chocolate... Thank goodness I don't have to be anywhere today. I just had a silly idea. Tell me your best joke today. I'll start: What did the duck say when he went into the drugstore? * * * "Give me some chapstick and put it on my bill." Okay, friends. Make me laugh.

It seems like each day this week has just flown by... and I don't feel like I can account for much... not sure why that happened. I am enjoying the season though. Added some Christmas decor pics for ya'll... just wanted to share a little piece of my home and surroundings. We are in the process of being considered as a foster home for an African boy who needs to come to the US for nine months for a couple of surgeries at our local Shriners Hospital... I'm in the middle of a huge application. It asks all sorts of questions the likes of which I haven't had to answer in years. I'm plugging away at it. And we're getting very excited about the possibility of having this little boy in our home... I'll keep you posted on the progress. I've had Africa on my heart for the last year, and this feels like one little tangible way we can be involved in God's work there. It's just one child, but it feels like a good fit for us, considering our experience with fo...