I was planning one of those introspective posts that are so popular at the start of a new year, but I have the rest of my life to subject myself to analysis. Instead, I’m giving away two vintage aprons! Here they are:
Today’s view from the office
The snow-capped peaks of the Olympic Mountains in the distance, and Puget Sound in the foreground. (Photo under the cut.)
Some Sundays are nearly perfect
Had I not turned off my alarm at 6:30a and then accidentally slept until 9:08a, this would have been the most perfect of Sundays. Despite my proclivity of alarm avoidance (third time this long holiday weekend), I managed to have the kind of Sunday that truly prepares me to deal with commuting and general ridiculousness on Monday. Continue reading
Merry maudlin Christmas!
Merry Christmas! To anyone that reads this, I hope that your Christmas (if you celebrate it) was beautiful and completely free of stress. As for us, we couldn’t have asked for a more low-key holiday. Honestly, as the sun slips away and darkness arrives once again, I find myself maudlin. Continue reading
Recipes of Christmases Past: Nutmeg Logs
I made these today and was instantly whisked back to my childhood. I was full of memories of watching my mother make these for the holidays, the scent filling first the kitchen and then the whole house. The rich smell of the nutmeg was a signal to me that Santa was coming soon!
That bumpy spiritual road
Let me preface the following paragraphs by saying this – I’m not just writing this to share my thoughts out into the faceless, endless black hole of the internet. I would love comments/thoughts on this topic. I’m inquiring because I’m truly, honestly curious and I want to have a real discussion (not a debate or argument) on this topic.
I’ve made no secret of my spiritual challenges on this blog. I’ve moved around and I’ve left churches and I’ve explored others, and at the end of the day, I end up right where I was when I started – frustrated and confused. Over the past few months, I’ve been too worked up and busy with the move and my role at work to really focus on thing of the spiritual nature, but it’s the holiday season now and things are slowing down. I can breathe again, and I can think about things besides bus tables and traffic patterns and all those other things that dictate my life out here now. Naturally, as we finally get “settled” here, we want to find a home church. It’s important to us, not only for worship but for the community it fosters and that we so desperately need in a region where we have no family and only a few friends.
First, some facts I can deduce from my Christian journey so far:
Lila’s Macaroni and Cheese
My grandmother, Lila, is one of those old school cooks. She’s from that generation where they made due with what they had and learned how to squeeze rich, flavorful foods out of every possible part of the garden haul. (Proof of this is the fact that the only reason I love cabbage is thanks to her. She’s found ways to make the lowly cabbage plant blossom into delicious dishes that has elevated the vegetable to my most favorite.) She’s also of the generation that never wrote a single recipe down. Her macaroni and cheese is incredible and the most-requested thing she makes and when I originally went to get the recipe from her, the response I got was, “Well, let me think about it for a minute. Get a pen.” So now, Mamaw’s recipe is written down. I make it whenever I can and, since I hosted Thanksgiving dinner here yesterday, I got to make it. I thought I’d share it here.
Christmas trees, musicals, and making a community
I’m taking a break from dinner preparations to get this post up. I’m having a “Transplant to Seattle” Thanksgiving dinner today at my house, and I’m hosting a few of my co-workers and their spouses who also uprooted their lives this year and moved out here to join our team. Being two thousand miles from home means that, if we let ourselves, we can become very insulated out here. With no family and no “community” to speak of, it would be very easy to say that we live here, but do we live here? Continue reading
Life on Wild Hare Farm 