over and out

christmas happened so quickly, in a blink, over and done with, 50% off sales, and the onslaught of valentine's day. i am still savoring the quiet moments, alone in my apartment, watching the snowy drizzle fall, gazing upon all of the perfect little gifts, my dear sweet family and friends thought to give me.

one pleasantry has been my introduction to the decemberists via kate, 'my crane wife' has been the perfect addition to my holiday music soundtrack. along with gnarls barkley and sufjan stevens, seems a fair variety. i have received some of the most lovely birthday and christmas cards ever, they seem to still be trickling in, along with another beautiful ornament. i think i'm still waiting to get another one or two more ornaments and a couple christmas postcards too. it is completely alright. i have plenty of other things to focus on now.

i never have gotten around to making granola! i never put my christmas tree up and i never decorated. i have the first two days of the new year off. i should pull my easel out and start painting again...nothing is holding me back now. i also should write my thank-yous and research the printing and button making companies...there's a host of things i ought to do.

several months ago hannah sent me this beautiful paper and i finally put it to good use. i thought kate would appreciate the non traditional wrap. she's also so good at recycling the tidbits leftover. i also wanted to make a note of whipup. i noticed this post on paint chips and so wish people knew how easy and wonderful these little colorful pieces are to work with, create, recycle and most of all inexpensively share beauty. after all there is recycled air.

munch-kins

i finally got around to making these little guys, my favorite christmas cookies of all time. they've only been apart of my little tradition for a couple of years, not many of them were eaten this year. wonder why? noticed a plate of them at the wards/knutson family home on christmas eve. not too sweet and just enough spicey, yummy crunch, sort of like a spice shortbread.

i have had an incredible holiday, i'm not ready for it to be over quite yet only having to come back to work makes it all vanish so quickly. i have received an enormous amount of love over the last few days, i'd so like to feel that all year long. more so i'd like to carry out and boldly have the christmas spirit all year long, the giving patient spirit. i'll probably take more break time. i have load the majority of my fav christmas photos though.

woodland whispers

only one more day of this medical and pharmacy business and i'm off to celebrate with family and friends, good eats, good times, listening, talking, wishing really really hard for snow, tasting the greatest joy, giving until my pocketbook hurts. or my fingertips become raw from wrapping. this year is closing up so quickly, i think eventually i will get around to a recap of the greatest moments of my life this year. i have never actually listed these sorts of things out before, i'm thinking many of you reading may not want to pack and take a two year trip through my archives. so it might be a funny journey. i don't feel older, hesitantly younger with more energy and insight screw the physical signs of maturation, wrinkles are for elephants.

i am so lucky, in the last couple of days i've gotten some really unexpected emails from my grandparents and my aunt and an old friend. so special, so very interesting here at the end of my year. are you listening? i so love martha stewart's woodland specs this year. couldn't ignore or resist the temptation at the old kmart at the foot of the mountain.

um...i must say. infradig's clinical indifference rocks! so very clean. so nice to hear this band push the envelope and surrender some of it's "jam band" qualities. i appreciate the precision and knock on wood quaility, magic or superstition, i'm not so sure which but it's barely important. the album is split both in it's willing able body participants but also in it's music-al divisions i'm still hearing some of the old echoed sounds but with new rhythms-beats as in slick flashy breaks. and what about those keys. i'm glad to hear a stable melody in lower tones, maybe that was the electric guitar from before that made it sound a little twangy. i don't mind that they've been influenced i feel like we who love(d) radiohead, aphex twin, squarepusher and others were all influenced as if on a musical high. the sounds are fairly original and gosh so far better than what you'd hear if you were listening to 98.1 or 91.5 the WAWL! thanks guys for working so hard on this album, i for one appreciate seeing that production is still apart of your thoughts and goals, also very nice to see my brother's name in there. hi-five!!! chris a. did a phenom job on the art direction, geez! people should be knocking your doors down!

i'm outta here.

book of mercy:star of david

almost thirteen years ago i designed a tattoo for someone and in return she paid for me to get a tattoo of my own. even though it took some time to draw the design, when the day came for her to get the tattoo i wasn't prepared with an idea or design for myself. at the time, leonard cohen was one of my very favorite musicians and authors and i may have been in the middle of reading book of mercy.

i remember carrying around this tiny little blue book from the local library and happened to have it in my bag that day. it was an easy design and simple enough for most people to see and comprehend. although i have gotten the common question of "what is it?" most everyone is surprised when they find out i have blue permanent ink on my body, or i forget and someone sees me in a bathing suit and are curious. i don't think i got the tattoo out of rebellion or anger even though i was very much both at eighteen.

i know my mom wasn't exactly pleased and felt i was crossing an 'off the shoulder' wedding gown off my list when the time might present itself. but i've been in four weddings and it never once was a concern of the bride's aesthetic plans. as far as i can tell it isn't in a place that that will get really, terribly wrinkled as i get older, i only have to lay on the sunscreen to protect from the dreaded melanoma. agh! didn't think of that when i was eighteen. i suppose in the long run it doesn't even really set me apart that much. it's just a little something that goes along with me. it does remind me of my youth, it reminds me of love and the links we have with others, it reminds me of faith and the star of david is just an added-secondary symbol of the jewish faith. i'm reminded that in the confusion and hysteria of youth there is passion and profundity too and that time heals the scabs of weird or off putting events in everyone's lives. i really don't know what happened to the women with my design on her back. with that tree and eye design, my original work is out there. for her. for others to see if she is so inclined.

the tattoo may be important because it marks a time that's past, it is a connection i have to my old self, to my old dreams and flimsy faith that thrusts me into the future. it has nothing to do with the impending holidays, just another reflection of where i've been and where i am going. going. going. gone.

to the world

all is getting down to the niddy griddy now. i have a little less than half my shopping left to go with seven busy days to go. this week it is all about the crunch, with brightness between. this weekend was a working one in which i let the apartment go. i have taken a different approach this year and wrapped as i went. so even though i've got the last minute shopping to go, things are only looking half way like holiday. i have shrugged off decorating so far. the harvest tablecloth and garland are still very much apart of my daily-view. i'm wondering about my little bird tree this year and about pompom garland. or the paper bird garland...as yet another option.

it's funny how much i want the decorations hanging above at target. that alone would be the perfect christmas gift. the window seals are removable and reusable {i checked}. i'd like to hang the large paper cuts/sheets inside my windows, i'm wondering, if i timed it just right if i could get some of the decor?

i am thoroughly addicted to the color accent feature on my canon powershot sd450. ahh the blues at christmas time can be so rich and festive. and red. i love martha's woodland wrap, to be a red bird at christmas.

this past friday night i went to my brother ethan's first annual collier construction christmas party. seeing my brother in that context was incredible. the meal was nice, the wait was really great and being with mary was so very nice. she and i are growing closer and i appreciate her so much. i haven't got sisters but because of mary and laurie, suzanne and emily i have been given four sisters. and then there's kate and jen and erin p. holy cow!