Merry Christmas To All

More evenings spent getting in the Holiday mood this last weekend.

We experienced a few more light festivals.

We took in the Oregon Zoo Lights - a festival I haven't attended

for over 20 years as.

My, my, my - that little light festival has certainly grown up!

We treated ourselves to dinner out one night and dessert on another.

We listened to beautiful choirs and attended a Christmas concert.

Santa's helper (disguised as my husband) wrapped presents while I completed some last minute orders.

We sat on the couch in front of our tree and watched Christmas movies.

I think I am officially "in the mood".

I wish I could have felt that way about 2 weeks ago -

Then I wouldn't be feeling like I have to go without sleep over the next few days

while I try to finish everything up -

but I will take what I can get at this point.

I will trust that everything will work out just as it always does.

I don't know that there will be another post before the holiday . . .so just in case -

may you all be blessed with peace and happiness.

May you all feel the spirit of the season, whatever your beliefs are.

May we all remember to carry the feeling of love and generosity on into the new year.

May you be surrounded with people that you love.

Merry Christmas . . .

The Lights of the Season

Now that the Holiday shows are complete, it's time to engage in some Christmas magic of my own.

This truly is my favorite time of year.

I just can't get enough.

I'm not talking about the chaos - I could do without that for sure.

But the lights, the music, the cold walks outside, the wonderful yearly activities . . .the MAGIC!

It really does feel like magic to me.

Last night we attended the Grotto Festival of Lights.

I remember the first year I attended this festival. My oldest daughter was 4 and my son was 2.

My husband was working at a job that required crazy hours into the night.

I wanted to do fun things, but found myself sitting at home feeling sorry for myself.

Afterall - I couldn't do these events by myself. I had small children.

And then, I realized - that attitude was going to lead to a very dull existance. So I packed myself and the kids up and we headed out for some magic.

The Grottw features all kinds of lights decorating the property, choirs perform every hour, a petting area and a spirit of Christmas that can't be explained.

Our youngest daughter now gets to sing in the HS choir and they performed last night. The performances are in a large Catholic chapel with stone floors and walls, high ceilings and some of the best accoustics around.

Every year, I look for the angels that seem to be singing with the choirs.

As we strolled throughout the grounds, I was reminded again of the meaning of the season.

It felt good.

It felt magical.

It felt peaceful.



Where Has Laurie Gone?

Has anyone seen Laurie? She is tall, short dark hair, dark eyes, generally a happy person. . .She seems to have gone missing.

With the craziness of the last month, some things had to be neglected and this blog was certainly one of them. We have been crazy busy in the studio, at home, and with work and family. Sleep has become a "if there is time" part of the day. More than one mini-breakdown has occured. It has not been a pretty sight.

But we have successfully completed the Holiday shows, made our way through Thanksgiving, and are well on our way to Christmas and the New Year. My number 1 man and I have spent many, many hours talking about our needs, wants and goals. We have come up with plans and new directions to pursue. I am happy with the progress that we are making.

So here is a quick run-down . . .

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family.

Our day started with our family tradition of turkey bowling.

Now I know that for most people, that implies a muddy game of football. But neither my husband or myself have any patience for the game. We neither watch or play football. Instead, we went bowling . . .

We started this tradition several years ago when we found ourselves alone on Thanksgiving day. All of the extended family had gone out of town. Once the turkey was cooking, my children looking sad and destitute.

So we did what any loving parent would do. . .

We loaded them in the car and headed for the nearest bowling alley.

We were one of 2 or 3 other families rolling our balls down the lanes.

And the tradition has stuck for nearly about 10 years now. And it has grown to include at least 2 other families. We laugh at our pathetic skills (I only bowl once a year!), we do our best to distract each other, and we peruse the sale ads in order to plot out our shopping for the next day. A good time . . .

Even the youngest got in on the act . . .

Later in the day, we joined together with extended family and gathered around the table for our Thanksgiving feast.

Next on the calendar was our trip to Seattle for the Phinney Winterfest. This is one of our favorite shows.

The sale is well attended, fantastic artists attend, and we get to blend our time with a visit to Seattle, Washington. Although most of the time is spent working, we did manage to enjoy a few new restaurants.

Our favorite was a little cafe called Chocolati.

We stumbled onto this little jewel after a wonderful dinner up the street. Having seen Chooclati on our way to the restaurant, we made it a point to "save room for dessert"!

We ordered a plate of 4 truffles and delicately cut them in half. A small taste for each of us. They were chocolate covered cashews, peanut butter and chocolate, mocha and my favorite . . .a cinnamon chocolate truffle. Heaven!

To compliment our truffles, we indulged in a European style hot cocoa spiced with cayenne pepper.

Oh my!!!!

We watched the barista spoon ladels of thick dark semi-sweet chocolate into the bottom of the cup. Then he poured steamed milk in and topped it with ample whipped cream.

Truly one of the richest things I have ever tasted.

The first sip was sweet and chocolatey . . .then at the last moment a hit of heat from the cayenne lit up the back of the tongue.

A perfect combination.

But oh so rich - we ordered only one small cup to share and had a hard time finishing it.

Highly recommended

After Seattle, we headed to Salem for the Salem Holiday Market.

This was the first year we participated in this event but it definitely won't be our last.

Salem was very welcoming of our designs.

The rest of our season will be spent filling custom orders.

And enjoying the Christmas season.

We will see lights, and wrap presents and spend time with family.

Now it is on to the next project . . .

Studio Goings-On. . .

Life in my studio has been crazy busy! I have a long list of custom pieces I have been working on and was able to complete a few of them this weekend. These were FUN! Both were so unique for me - the first . . .

Lazy Susans. . .

Now granted - Lazy Susans are not a new item for me. In fact this one is similar to designs I have done

before. And it is a standard lazy susan. But this one . . .

 is different. Although you can't tell by the photo, this one is over 2 1/2 times larger than the standard piece.

It was like painting on a large canvas.

So enjoyable!

So fulfilling!!

The customer had recently bought a new table and chairs set and this was included.

This thing weighs about 25 pounds and is solid.

What fun it was!

This next project was truly unique.

The customer did a great job visualizing what could be . . .

After buying a new home, she has been working on remodeling her kitchen. She has found that she doesn't have a place for a garbage can.

And we all know how attractive garbage cans are.

Through some thrift shopping, she found a tall wooden box.

My guess is this was originally used as a potatoe bin or something like that.

It's sturdy and solid.

But it was . . .shall we say . . .ugly!

I don't think it is so ugly now. . .

I would love to have this sitting out in my kitchen.

On a sadder note . . .

this past weekend we said goodbye to a member of our family.

Murphy was our 14 1/2 year old Golden Retriever.

He lived a wonderful, full life and filled our home with unconditional love, loyalty, and laughs.

These last years, as he has aged, he body began to let him down.

His spirit was still that of a puppy -

but his was aging.

We made the difficult decision that it was time.

It truly was a very difficult decision and one that every member of our family weighed in on.

I remember bringing him home as a 15 pound puppy - golden and covered in a his fluffy puppy fur.

His first night in our home I held him and rocked him like a baby.

I slept on the couch, my hand rubbing his tummy in his box, so that he could adjust from being away from his mommy.

He was one of the most loyal animals I have known.

He seemed to think of our children as his own and didn't care where he was, as long as he was with one of us.

He will be missed.

And he will forever remain in my heart.