Several nights ago I had the pleasure of attending a concert by The Piano Guys at the Paramount in Seattle. Have you heard of them? Jon Schmidt on the piano and Steven Sharp Nelson on the cello are the performers, with two other guys that handle the promotion, sound, videography, etc...all from Utah. They actually became known by posting videos on YouTube and eventually were picked up by Sony....playing a combination of classical and contemporary hits, often in awesome settings.

According to Julia Child, "A party without a cake is just a meeting." I would have to say that I agree with that statement! When I attend a birthday party or wedding or shower of some sort and there is no cake, it just feels like something is missing. I know, I know...there are those of you who say you really don't like cake and prefer pie or some other dessert, but that only makes me wonder if your cake experience is limited to "store bought" cakes with little flavor, no texture, and sugary, tasteless icing. I do feel sorry for you if that's the only cake you have ever tasted. A good cake is so much more than that! 

I love coffee...

I love the aroma...the taste...the color of coffee...

When I get up in the morning, the first thing I do is hit the brew button on my coffee maker...before I do anything else. The aroma fills the kitchen and I sneak my first cup out of the carafe...a happy moment:).  The day is off to the right start as I head to my chair for quiet time in the Word and prayer. 

Last summer several friends and I met once a week in the early evening to kayak into a quiet corner of Lake Stevens called "the Cove." My husband had given me a kayak for Mother's day several years before but I had not used it that often since I had to kayak alone. I'm one of those people that believe exercise and enjoying the outdoors is always much more fun with a friend! Case in point, after years of running alone for the most part, I met another runner who ran the same route I did at about the same time. We've been running together now for over 13 years! So, back to kayaking....several other friends of mine had kayaks too but we often seemed a kayak short...the more, the merrier, right? 

I love fresh fallen snow....but we don't get much of it here in the Puget Sound area of Washington. I know, I know, those of you who live the Midwest or the East or Alaska are thinking...she wouldn't feel that way if she lived where the winter is long, and cold, and snow becomes a nuisance. Just to let you know, I did live in the Midwest for 6 winters and in Alaska for 5 so I do know what your winters are like...still, I like fresh snow. We had snow for a day or two in December....that's it so far. Those of us who love snow have to go to the Cascade mountains to see  and enjoy it in the winter. I'm thankful that's only a 90 minute drive for us...to enter a winter wonderland. There's just something about the white, pristine beauty, the sense of quiet hush when snow is falling. I love the words of Psalm 147:16, "He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes." Isn't that a wonderful word picture?

Yes, I know, Christmas is only a week away. I had high hopes of posting picture of our home decorated for Christmas much earlier....sigh. I have not been sitting around eating bon bons....a few Frangos here and there, maybe. All I can say is the house is decorated now....want to take a peek? We live in an old craftsman style house with beautiful box beams and built ins....so fun to decorate around at this time of year. Here goes....

Several weeks ago I was standing in line at Bartell's Pharmacy, and I heard the woman in front of me tell the cashier, "Well, this is the last Christmas gift I need to purchase. I'm all done!" I stood there in shock and a little bit of awe...or maybe it was envy.

Do you send out a Christmas photo card every year? 
Though we missed a year or two in the early years of our marriage, we have faithfully sent one out each year since our first child was born. Some years choosing a photo for the card was easy…maybe from a family vacation, or an impromptu family picture that was actually good of everyone, or a “milestone” moment, like a graduation.  Other years, I went into a slight panic mode in November and we staged a family photo shoot somewhere around our house. My sons and husband, fortunately, tolerated this fairly well….as long as the photo shoot did not last very long and we were not changing to multiple locations.