This Doesn't Look Like Christmas Shopping...

I was going to do some Christmas shopping tonight. I thought I'd be doing it last weekend, but then The Engagement happened and Drew asked if I could host a dinner for oh, 50 people (twenty didn't show) on Sunday night - so Christmas shopping got moved to the back burner.

But then Heather suggested we walk and talk tonight, so, yes, let's do that.

But then Terry texted and wondered if I'd like to come and watch her ice a batch of sugar cookies...
and that was a definite yes, please. And could I bring a friend?

(In early December, after Terry posted this pic to Facebook, I asked she could teach me how to make this kind of icing.)

I asked Heather if she was interested in learning how to decorate sugar cookies and she was so in. Yay.

Then this afternoon, Shelly texted and wondered if I wanted to hang out tonight. So I asked her if she was interested in learning how to decorate sugar cookies and she was so in.

They both were so enthusiastic they baked batches of cookies to bring along.
Sadly, I did not. I worked all day yesterday, then hung out with Clint who was doing a shoot in our building and I didn't get home til late. And then I had an early morning meeting (8 am) and worked all day today - so no cookies for Jane. Which, all things considered, is probably best.

Anyway, Trish was there too, because the more the merrier. And she had a batch of cookies as well.

An abundance of sugar in that kitchen this evening...

OK. First of all, make a batch of royal icing:

Divide it up into small bowls, then seal immediately so that contents don't turn to concrete.

Using one bowl at a time, add water by the drop, stirring carefully til it's the consistency of runny honey.

Using the back of a small spoon, 'float' the icing evenly over the entire surface of the cookie, going right to the edges. Like this:

Ta.
Da.

And with that demonstration, armed with small spoons, everyone started floating thinned royal icing on their cookies. Some with more success than others.

Then, about half an hour later, non-watery royal icing can be piped onto the cookies. Practice making dots on your counter. It can be easily cleaned, don't fret.

I asked her if she could make some heart cookies for me.
She made me a moose.
And iced him white. So, Polar Moose.

Thanks, Terry.
You've always been a great teacher.

Three things I'm thankful for:

1. Fun evenings with friends.
2. Kitchens. And everything that takes place in them.
3. Answered prayer.

Choose Wisely

Whenever I go to an NA meeting, the one theme that flows through the evening's shares repeatedly is the Value of Friendship. And how your best shot at staying clean is to surround yourself with people just as committed as you are to living a drug-and-alcohol-free life.

And if you're new to the program, you're to look around and watch the guys doing recovery. Who do you admire? Who is inspiring? Who has a good support system in place? Who gives back? Become friends with those people. 


Which sounds alot like a pinterest quote, no?

I just spent the evening with a group of friends who inspire me.

Each of them came into my life at different times and not all of them knew each other until, well, one day they did. We meet about half a dozen times a year and talk. And eat. And every time I drive home, I remember one of two of the conversations during the evening that makes me smile. And spurs me on to be a better person. More forgiving. More generous. More fun. More creative. More patient. More tolerant. More better.

I am lucky indeed.





Three things I'm thankful for:

1. Pinterest
2. Wisdom
3.  Friendship


Shalom,
xo

7 Lists That Will Change Your Life. #5 Will Shock You.

Just kidding.

No lists.

Nothing shocking here.








This is an experiment to see if a tantalizing title entices more people to click the link. I'll let you know my findings in the next day or so.



OK,
Bye.








Wait.
Maybe I do feel a list coming on....


Yes,
OK.



A List.


How To Survive December:

1. Get plenty of rest.
2. Watch every single holiday movie ever made; especially ones produced by Hallmark or the W Network. Two or three per night is not excessive. PVRs were invented for exactly this purpose. They are relaxing and allow your brain to sleep while viewing.
4. Prioritize your time and budget your available energy. Be diligent about setting up boundaries. Say "no" more than "yes".
5. Plan ahead so that the bulk of your Christmas shopping and seasonal baking are completed before the first of the month.
7. In anticipation of the heavy meals and yummy desserts coming your way on the 24th, 25th, 26th, 31st and 1st, make sure you diet beforehand, losing 10 pounds before the Christmas meals are served. This is wise advice. Take heed.
8. And for fun? Exercise daily. You will not regret the hours spent doing sits ups and squats when everyone else is wearing their 'Turkey' pants after The Big Meal.
10. Be as inflexible as possible regarding the day you celebrate. Christmas is on the 25th.  Period. Make sure everyone knows, years in advance, so there are no misunderstandings. Easy.

On the other hand, this is How Jane is Surviving December.

I:

1. Sleep 5 - 6 hours a night. More on weekends. I'll catch up on those missing hours in heaven or at the care home.

2. Spend time with people; one on one. Friends or family, either, or. Doesn't matter. There's always someone who needs to laugh. And someone who needs to cry. I'm up for either. Then come home and spend time by myself. To recharge.

3. Am outside every time the rain stops. Fresh air is a good thing.

4. Go to my happy places every chance I get. It helps that I have a long list of happy places.

5. Am spontaneous. It's surprising how extending last minute invitations are sometimes EXACTLY perfect. (Like today. At 2:45:
Me: You busy?
Her: No.
Me: I have an idea.
Her: I'm listening.
Me: Vancouver? Look at the big Christmas Tree display. Walk around downtown. Get a hot beverage when our hands get cold?
Her: Yes,
Me: I'll be there in 15 minutes. )

6. Avoid holiday movies like they are fattening.
Me: I can't watch them.
Her: They are so perfect. IDEAL entertainment.
Me, to myself: I don't think we can continue this friendship.
Me, out loud: They are so predictable. Single woman gets the guy. Broken relationships are restored.
Her: Do you want me to take notes for you?
Me: WHaaaa?
Her: Might learn something about getting the guy. You probably have to be prepared to sleep with him though.
Me: Whaaaa?
Her: Jus sayin like.

7. Ingest massive amounts of Vitamin D. And something else, called Happy. Or Joy. Or Smile. Or something. Trust the lady from the Health Food Store.

8. Change traditions and Christmas dinner plans so that everyone gets a piece of the kids and all 129,874 family members are happy. Feel like a fricken bawse once negotiations are successfully concluded. Celebrate with chocolate and tuna casserole. In that order.

9. Determine that surprise gifts are over-rated. Arrange a shopping date for those you care about most.  It's a win-win solution; time spent with loved one and perfect gift purchased.

10. Pray. Cover the whole month in prayer and hope for the best.

Boom.
Two lists done.
Like a boss.


And one more for good luck:

Three Things I'm Thankful for:

1. People and places.
2. Thick, warm bathrobe.
3. Songs that affirm the feelings.

Shalom,
xo

Sat errrr Day

I'm on a roll.

Christmas shopping with Clint on Thursday night.
Christmas shopping with Max today.

Pretty much done now. Haha.
That was easy.



We were finished by 4, so as he drove east to go back home,

I drove west to watch the sun set ....

and to think about a few things ...

Someone who I've been praying for, someone I celebrated clean time with, someone who had chalked up a number of sober years, got loaded, made a mess of things, ended up in jail and I am just sad.

And I read a HUMANS OF NEW YORK profile on Facebook where a young man's interview piece includes:
“She settled me down for a little while, but soon my demons caught up with me. I started getting bored, so I started going out in the evenings. Ever since I was young, I always had this fear that if I stayed home for the night, I was going to miss out on something. So I’d go out drinking, then I’d wake up the next morning with her wagging her finger at me, and I’d feel bad, which would make me start drinking again. The final straw was when her six-year old son saw me drunk. He’d never seen me drunk before, and it scared him. So she broke up with me. That’s when I really went crazy. After a couple years, I checked myself into rehab. After I got out, I met a new girl. But after awhile my demons caught up with me.”

... and that makes me sad too.

I guess I'm just going to keep on praying for the folks I care about who are struggling with drug and alcohol addictions.

I don't know what else to do.

I also had a bit of a chat with God out there on the beach.
2014 is ending soon.

Am I where I'm supposed to be?
Am I living my best life?

Is this what He had in mind when He created me?

It's a little embarrassing to admit but I had this niggling of an idea that when I ended up here, at my mom's place, with all my books in boxes and all my assets in the bank - that God was preparing me for a grand adventure.
Or death.


I was OK with either.

:)

Haha,


I read too many books. I understand story arcs. It felt like the plot of my life was moving towards something significant.



Life in Surrey isn't so much of an adventure. It's mostly just ...
well, living.

24 hours at a time.



Which is lovely. And awesome.
And, 16 years ago, I would not have expected it.
("It" being a good life.)

It's just that it felt like I was being prepared for something different.

So, I daydreamed a little. About all the possibilities.
And all the options.

And I tried to be realistic, (yes, I was attempting to control my daydreams and keep them realistic) but my imagination can be creative when it sets its mind to and my daydreams turned to fantasies and well, OK, they were crazy.

(And example? Well, this isn't it, but would be considered just as outrageous... I'd be working for a magazine publisher, as a part time special projects manager and part time as a photo journalist, writing articles on travelling as a single woman. And I could choose the locations. So I would only go to interesting ones. .Where I could wear flip flops and tank tops.  And I'd have a flat stomach. And I'd do 6 features a year. And I'd live in a penthouse. Near an ocean, lake or river. And it would never rain again.)


Like I said, that wasn't one of my daydreams. (This is why I loved the Walter Mitty movie so much. I SO get the 'zone outs'.) But probably just as silly.

Anyway, this week, my favorite fantasy came to a crashing halt. I think God may have been fed up with the amount of time I spend living in an alternate reality. This week, He said 'no'. "No, Jane. That is not the life I have in mind for you. Please stop thinking about it."

Arrrgh.

I may have cried a little.

I know He's not being mean. He has a plan specially designed for me. And it probably involves staying in Surrey, working at Focus, living with or near my mom, visiting my dad, spending time with my kids, walking and talking with friends, and praying for everything I can't control. Like I said, a good life. But not one that includes teaching folks on cruise ships how to create photo books with the pictures they've taken.

Anyway, there at the beach tonight, (pffft. "Tonight". It was barely 4:30 in the afternoon) I gave it all back to Him.

"OKFINE. I'll trust You in this. My life is in Your hands. Could You give me a new daydream? Something fun to think about?

And to confirm. I am living the life You want me to, correct? I am where I should be? Doing what I'm supposed to do? Because if I'm not, just go on ahead and make some adjustments. If I'm not moving through a door You opened, then give me a push. Or if I'm pushing against a locked door, then pull me away from it. YOLO, so I want to do it right."

Three things I'm thankful for:

1. Beaches in winter
2. Tonight's entertainment: Frozen. (LOVE this movie. Hahaha.) A Long Way Down. (Quirky and painful at times, but hope-filled and inspiring.) (Side note. I tweeted that I'd enjoyed the movie and added one of the star's names to the tweet. He tweeted back, "thanks, x.") (Cheap thrills on a Saturday night.) And I Capture the Castle (which I LOVED as a book.)

3. I am loved by He who created the heavens and the earth. That's no small thing.


Shalom,
xo

And December Marches On

And so the season begins.

That chaotic season of never-ending busy-ness...

Work has been crazy. SO many unexpected challenges on every project.
(Aaack! Twenty five thousand yellow BRE's are stuck in Winnipeg! Forty thousand letters were printed with only 95% black ink! Thirty thousand magazines were delivered to the wrong warehouse! Six hundred, but possibly thousands of shells are missing the red ink! And so on.)

My days have been filled with looking for good Plan B's.
Exhausting I tell you.

Thank goodness my evenings are fun.

......


My favorite moment from this week was the hour I spent at Vivid having Danica pamper my head. When I arrived, she was working on Emma's hair:

OH MY GOODNESS, I absolutely the colours.
SO vibrant.
SO rich.
SO playful.

I loved watching her work.
Such confidence. Such skill. Such joy.

After Emma left, she did mine.
Way more boring.
But age appropriate.

From there I popped in to see Drew:

He had a decorated tree all set up and a Christmas village on display. Hockey game on the TV, and a pizza on the way. He's a pretty happy camper in his basement suite.



From there, I went to my first Christmas party with Focus.

Food was delicious. My table mates were awesome. And it was over before 9.
Everything you'd want in a work party.
:)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


My next most favorite moment.
Eating Mac and Cheese from a FOOD TRUCK.
Oh, My. Goodness. SO, so, so very tasty.

There were about a dozen trucks to choose from, all parked outside the PNE forum which was home to the Vancouver Make It show. (Which was pretty incredible. Seriously talented artisans selling their unique creations from creatively decorated booths. I was time warped back to the '80's when my mom and I used to do all the local fairs, looking for products for Billie's Country.)  Anyways, those food trucks? All sold meals that looked and smelled divine.

And now that I've tasted a sampling?

I will be keeping an eye on where those trucks park this summer, and plan my weekends following them around. Because the food is worth it.

And I have a shallow life. Following food trucks around? YES PLEASE.

Haha.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh.
Speaking of food...

Today?
Mandi and I walked to Guildford to buy a loaf of bread.
Her idea.
And I needed the exercise.

So we bundled up. putting on way too many layers and walked for an hour to get to the mall.
And then we bought that loaf of bread.
It was from Cobb's.
And it was their Cinnamon Loaf. WITH NO RAISINS.

She handed me a slice before she put the loaf into her backpack.
oh.
OH.
OH MY GOODNESS.

That bread? Tastes like heaven.
I could've eaten half a dozen slices right then and there. But she didn't offer.

I will go back to the mall tomorrow.
And buy my own loaf.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Three things I'm thankful for:


1.Got to play around in the photo studio at work this week, using the white back drop and those big lights. Realized I have so much to learn about taking head shots.

I took a gazillion shots of the kids above (not kids, really. Very talented designers is who they are. Very patient people, too. They moved lights, adjusted settings and were Extremely Kind about my lack of skills.

In the end, the goal was to get one good shot of this guy:

2. I am thankful for the kitchen tables at friends' houses. So many good conversations take place there. And, well, the food on those tables is pretty fine as well...

3. I am thankful for answered prayer. And I'm surprised by answered prayer too. WHY IS THAT? And I'm thankful for church. And Advil. And washers and dryers. And clean sheets. And fresh air. And long walks with wonderful nieces, who carry home the Christmas present you unexpectedly bought after she got a loaf of bread. And I'm thankful for this warm house. And left over soup from last weekend's Bake Off with my kids. And I'm thankful for Christmas Cards. And words. Oh my goodness, I love words. So thankful for people who know how to use them wisely, creatively, purposefully, carefully.

Shalom friends.
xo