holly jolly

allspice berries fresh picked from a friend's tree

This is the star for the top of our Christmas tree. I made it the year Gary and I were married - fashioned out of cardboard, painted gold and lined with handmade paper beads, rolled from glossy magazines. It was getting flimsy so this year I added more to it and strengthened it with layers of clear glue. It is now two sided -- handmade paper beads on one side, tiny glass beads on the other. The "stem" is collaged. We all love how it turned out.

Christmas morning. Hard to read but Sky made me a "Home Sweet Home" sign in ceramics.

This year's Christmas consisted of unwrapping gifts, playing with gifts, and a cookfest. The hit was a new recipe for squash soup with a "magic" mineral broth made by slowly cooking whole washed veggies and herbs with skins, leaves, and all, in a large pot of water. Christmas evening we hosted two families for dinner. We had a wonderful time enjoying everyone's cooking, then the kids all played while the grownups talked. After desert we gathered around the piano to sing Christmas carols, some in two and three part harmony, which of course, reminded us all of why we were celebrating in the first place. "O come let us adore Him..."

december in our neck of the woods

balinese gender

Annie and a friend, Wei, came to play Balinese gender for a wedding. They stayed with us for a couple of days and we had such a great visit. They rehearsed in our back yard and then the kids got to try. It is impossible to describe this beautiful sounding instrument...

girls in the rain

It's hard to believe that rain is so rare here that it is a cause for celebration.

It is.

artistic expression

This is what has been happening at home lately. Above collage by Skylar, age 12.

ah, california

We had a blast.

kid antics

weekends, jammies and legos

The repeated pajama patterns in blue were not planned. But I thought it made for a cute series of photos. Legos are a new obsession over here. Kind of fun!

surprise

Today I received the most fun package in the mail: an 8 x 10 envelope with a typed letter signed in orange ink from someone named Amy, a photocopied picture of a group of people blowing bubbles with 2 pieces of Bazooka Joe bubble gum taped to it (the kind with the comics in it), and this...

It's hard to explain. All I can say is that I have been crowned an Ambassador of Lovely and you really need to watch the short 17 Things I Made video, and the followup The Beckoning of Lovely to further understand. Both are on Youtube. If it moves you, soon enough, you too might find yourself an Ambassador of Lovely. It's kind of a fun title.

ten things i'm loving

1. Creative ideas, making stuff with the kids...often from nature - driftwood, dried flowers, dried vines.

2. The weather is cooling. We don't need to run the air conditioning much anymore. It sort of feels like fall!

3. My little garden, with my first crop -- the cutest jalapeno pepper.

4. But this is by no means cuter than my cutest husband. He is Mr. novel writer, songwriter, dad extraordinaire, especially when I had the flu this weekend and he did everything!

5. All of my girlfriends, which actually include my mom and sister. I never tire of the specialness of female connection.

6. My daughters, and often my son as well, helping in the kitchen. We have been doing a lot of baking lately. Recently we had folks for dinner and the girls jumped in to help with cooking, cleaning setting the table, carrying chairs up the stairs, arranging the desert tray.

7. Five-year-old-ness. Boy-ness. (Elastic strap to hold helmet in place made by older sister.) Today I was on the phone and he snuck behind some furniture and began launching sponge rockets at me, spying on me with his mini plastic binoculars, throwing small bouncy balls in my direction.

8. Twelve days til we leave for California. Oh my, I need to begin packing! I can't wait.

9. This gift from Skylar. A ceramic lotus flower that she made just for me in her pottery class.

10. This gift from my friend Barbara. Prayer flags. Every time the wind blows prayers are released into the universe. I love this thought. Wanna say a few? Why not?

art and obama

I did this painting years ago during my abstract painting stage. It started out as something totally different, and then I painted entirely over the original image. I wanted to add representational imagery, which was new for me. So Gary and I had an art lesson with our dear friend Dario Campanile, an Italian artist. Dario gave me some tips on adding the flowers. I used to grow poppies in California when we lived there. I especially love red ones. We have one of Dario's originals and several of his prints in our home. He is the most esteemed artist in the eyes of our family. We have my painting hanging in our home. A few days ago Shawn insisted that Dario painted this. I kept telling him I did it but he insisted that Dario did it. I know he's five, and willful, but it was a fun, although undeserved compliment. Click on this link to see Dario's AMAZING work. http://www.campanilefineart.com/

By the way, in no way an afterthought: I am stunned, and very proud of our new president, Barack Obama. I am proud of McCain and Bush's graciousness in wishing him well. May Obama's intelligence and skills help our country. We sure need it. And may God bless Barack Obama.

alpenglow

Alpenglow
written by Gary Marks © 1976 Arewea Co. ASCAP

Running away like the sun setting cold

with only a remembrance of alpenglow

and its hundreds of miles between.

*

There are times I’m the clouds

and times I’m the sun

but it always just depends upon the afterglow

and that's when I look to you

*

Colors of a windy evening

fade into the mist of distant blues.

*

All of the colors I've felt from you

seem a mere reflection of the ones that don't shine through.

And they've finally darkened you.

*

Colors of a windy evening

fade into the mist of distant blues.

*

Running away like the stars growing old,

with only a remembrance of alpenglow.

And its hundreds of miles between.
*

This is one of my favorites of Gary's older songs. He wrote it when he was in his 20's.

Click here to hear: http://www.garymarksmusic.com/gary-marks-music.html#

go to "Listen to Gary's other CDs", then cick on "Gary Marks Anthology I (1972 - 1976)"

second song (Alpenglow)

school harvest festival

Annabel, years ago at age 5, once remarked "What if the whole world were a carnival? Wouldn't that be great?"

She is pictured above at the school's "Harvest Festival," after a pie eating contest in which she joined to get the pie, not to win. She ate slowly, on purpose, happily finishing last.

We all went to the festibal. (as Shawn called it) It was great fun and my favorite part was the creative projects that the parents came up with. And someone gave me 2 scrip and I bought an enormous papaya from one of the teacher's family farm. It was as long as a football.