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.

Are 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.

Yesterday, 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.

One 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.

Last 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.

I 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. 

This 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. 

As 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.

Yesterday 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.

A 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! 

Last 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.

While 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!

Waking 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."