As hard as I try to keep the Advent season sane and sacred, just moving along at an easy pace...things always get hectic that last week before Christmas. Somehow I end up feeling exhausted and depleted, in spite of how much I thoroughly enjoy all of the Christmas traditions.
Read MoreI was at a party the other night, and I overheard someone asking a friend, "Do you have a Christmas that is most memorable for you?" Though the question was not directed at me, it got me thinking as we drove home
Read MoreAre you having guests coming to stay over the Christmas holiday? A friend of mine, Lois, was having some company during the Christmas break and decided to make her guest room more festive.
Read MoreAre you almost ready for Christmas? Can you believe it's only a week away? It feels like December flies by faster and faster every year! I always feel a bit sorry for those with birthdays in December, because their birthdays are often overshadowed by all the Christmas hustle and bustle and festivities.
Read MoreYesterday, as I was washing some dishes in the kitchen, I kept smelling a sweet, spicy, scent and wondered where it was coming from. There were no scented candles light. Then it dawned on me...the gingerbread houses! I love that they are not only fun to look at, but share this lovely scent during these days of preparations for Christmas.
Read MoreOne of the things I love about Christmas is the smell of gingerbread. My mother was an expert at baking very thin, crispy, delicious gingerbread cookies, and I have yet to perfect that skill. Loving gingerbread, I also love gingerbread houses.
Read MoreLast Saturday evening, we took part in our church's progressive dinner. As you probably could have guessed, the last stop...the dessert course...was here! The evening began with appetizers in our church fellowship hall.
Read MoreI love the season of Advent, pure and simple. You see, I grew up in a home where Advent was celebrated more than what we have come to know as "Christmas"...the tree, the decorations, the lights, the baking, the activities, the stockings, the presents, or any idea of Santa.
Read MoreThis past weekend, my cousin's wife, Lois, and daughters, Rachel and Noelle, hosted their annual Lefse Sweat Shop. I'm not sure how many years we have been making lefse together, but it's quite a few. You see, Lois's mom, Dorothy, was an expert lefse maker from Grafton, North Dakota. She would often come to visit around Thanksgiving and coach us along as we followed her prize secret recipe.
Read MoreAs I mentioned earlier, last week my cousin Lyle's wife, Lois, and I had a wonderful visit with my cousin, Kirsten, at her lovely home on Camano Island. She and her husband purchased the home a couple years ago and have done some significant upgrades and remodeling. Kirsten has a good eye for design and has incorporated many fun details in her home.
Read MoreYesterday was a wonderful day. My cousin's wife, Lois, and I drove out to Camano Island to visit with another cousin, Kirsten, who has moved back into our area of the Pacific Northwest. She and her husband have remodeled a lovely Craftsman style home...I took lots of photos so I will be sharing them soon! We had such a great time visiting and catching up on our lives in the past few years.
Read MoreA little while ago I was scrolling through my blog history and realized that November 20th, my blog will celebrate it's first birthday! I know, I know...I should have baked a cake to celebrate, but then I would probably eaten way too much cake all by myself since most of my family is away from home. So, this picture will have to suffice...Happy Birthday, blog!
Read MorePerhaps thinking and writing about the experiences of my dad and his brothers in WWII has caused me to to get stuck in a bit of time warp. I love reading about the stories and history from the 1930's and 1940's. As I was sitting in my chair out on the chilly front porch early this morning, I thought, "Wouldn't it be nice to be cozied up to a fireplace?
Read MoreLast night I made a trip to Seattle on an important mission...to meet a new little man and deliver a very belated baby shower gift. You see, I had to work on the day of the baby shower so I missed it...but so did the mother to be! She ended up going into labor just prior to her guests arriving at the door, but she stayed just long enough to greet them before her husband whisked her away to the hospital.
Read MoreWhile the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer. "
God Bless America,
As much as I want to resist it, even the small local gift shops are decorating for Christmas now. Do you remember back in the day when Christmas decorations didn't appear until early December? And it seems unfathomable to think that in many more years past the Christmas tree was not brought in and decorated until Christmas eve!
Read MoreSeveral years ago I read a book called, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp. The book chronicles her personal journey to learn to give thanks for the seemingly mundane, the daily things of life, and yes, even the hard times
Read MoreWaking this morning to the sound of rain...and a glance at the weather app on my phone shows a whole week of rain ahead. My first thought was, "Well, it is November."
Read MoreHappy Halloween! Just in case you are loving all things pumpkin like me, I want to share with you a recipe for a Pumpkin smoothie! Did you know that pumpkins are low in cholesterol and calories, yet rich in dietary fiber and certain vitamins, especially A, C, and E? So you see, you really can't go wrong with loving this vegetable.
Read MoreIt all started with a table...just a battered and scarred and water stained little end table, that had originally come from my parents home. This little table had been used in a cabin and gotten a little beat up. Then, the table ended up in our son's room and got a little more worn out.
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A blog by Gracia Gilbertson, owner of Gracious Offering, an interior design company.
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Last weekend my cousin, Kirsten, and I journeyed to Idaho to attend the Memorial service for one of our dear Aunts. As we took the back roads through Duvall and North Bend to avoid the Friday morning work traffic, we reminisced about family reunions with our large extended family.
In anticipation of Norway's Constitution Day, on the 17th of May (Syttende Mai), I decided to bake a Verdens Beste Kake...World's Best Cake. Apparently in 2002, Norwegians voted this cake be their "national cake", beating out the famed Kransekake (Norway's Ring cake). If you've ever tasted Kransekake, you know this was quite a feat!