Now that all my decorations are up, welcome to the 2013 Christmas tour of my house!

Last year my dad hung hooks under the eaves of my house so I could easily put up lights on my own. It only took me about twenty minutes. He did help with the additional blue icicle lights, though!

When I first set out my deer (in the top photo), only the torso was lighting up. My dad said he’d come back later to work on it. The next night, I was backing out to go somewhere and noticed that the whole deer was aglow. I called my dad to thank him, only to find out that he hadn’t done anything. The deer healed on its own. CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!

This year’s Christmas wreath: Inspired by this pin (and then this one), I saved paper towel rolls for months, then cut them, hot-glued them together, and spray-painted the whole thing gold. Once the wreath was dry and set, I glued on the small ornaments (from Hobby Lobby) and hung it with ribbon. It’s not exactly what I envisioned, but I’m still happy with it. I just wanted a change from evergreen.

My interior decorations are simpler this year. I wanted to add some garland or lights to the mantel, but worried that the cats would somehow yank it down and break everything. So this is as good as it gets. Even though it’s not perfectly arranged, it makes me happy to look at it!

I scored this holiday dish at my clothing swap, and it’s the perfect accent to my Yankee candle. I put it all on a Christmas cloth from India. (Don’t mind the weather station, it stays out year round.)

I like to mark my travels with ornaments (and refrigerator magnets), so I bought this gold-plated aspen leaf in Steamboat Springs to remember my time there. I thought of my Gathering friends as I hung it on the tree.

Meanwhile, the cats are extra adorable at the holidays.

I’ll be back next week to start the end-of-year wrap-up posts!

1 Comment + Posted in: christmas, domestic

I regret to do two fashion posts in a row, but in all the hustle and bustle, my brain is too cluttery to produce deep thoughts. And in all the shopping, I’ve wished for many clothing items, most of which are out of my price range. So just for fun, here’s what I would add to my wardrobe this Christmas if I won the Mega Millions… and if these clothes were still available! I’ve been stalking them so long that most of them are sold out now.

 

J. Crew Factory Graphic Dot Dress // ModCloth Twinkling at Twilight Dress (perfect for New Year’s Eve)

Madewell Shirred Silk Dress in Hazestripe // this entire Moorea Seal ensemble

 

PJK Patterson J. Kincaid Sweatshirt (similar) //  Limited Striped Shirred Front Sweater

 

Gap Camo Always Skinny Jeans // H&M Faux Leather Skirt

A neutral pattern like a subtle camo is the only way I’ll participate in the patterned jeans trend. I was converted after Hollywood Housewife posted about a similar pair.

 

Fossil Erin Satchel in Real Red //  Nine West Flax Pump in Peacock (other colors)

 

Steve Madden Heaven Star Flat (sold out everywhere) // Wallis Gray Platform Ankle Boot

2 Comments + Posted in: fashion

Two weeks ago, I won a giveaway on my favorite fashion blog, Wardrobe Oxygen! I’m pretty sure it’s the first blog giveaway I’ve ever won, and it was a great one – a $100 credit to Ruth Barzel Jewelry Design. After I got the happy news, I had a hard time choosing just one or two of Ruth’s gorgeous pieces, and figuring out whether to stick with the credit or put it toward a larger investment. I was very tempted by the Starfish Necklace and the Mixed Chain Necklace. But eventually…

…I settled on the Long Turquoise Pendant and the Mint Amazonite Earrings. I’ve been on the lookout for more yellow gold jewelry, and I like the simplicity and boldness of the turquoise square.

6 Comments + Posted in: fashion, jewelry

On the last night of the Soulation Gold Gathering in September, Jonalyn did a fascinating presentation on different Christian faith traditions. She talked about the contemplative tradition, the charismatic… the evangelical. For the first time, it thoroughly hit me that evangelicalism, the tradition that has dominated my life, is a channel within Christianity and not Christianity itself. It’s a way to know and experience Christ, not the only way. The implications of this continue to unfold in my life, and I have to say, I feel freer.

Evangelicalism is characterized by a focus on Scripture – working to understand it and interpreting all of life through its lens. In keeping with that world, the denomination I’m part of is very academic. The Bible is studied and analyzed intensely. As a scholarly person, I was majorly drawn in by this approach and dug in happily for over a decade. But over the last couple of years, my ESV Study Bible with its endless footnotes has gotten heavy. My individual Bible study has dwindled. When I started losing interest, I buckled down and bought books, books with study outlines and questions for reflection, expecting them to solve my “problem.” They sit in a dusty pile on my nightstand, barely written in.

In my hundredth attempt to get  back “on track,” I signed up for another YouVersion plan – chapters delivered to my inbox five days a week. I went to the preferences page to switch the version to ESV as usual. But as I scrolled down the list of options, I hesitated over one. The translation I’ve raised my eyebrow at for my entire adult life. The modern-language favorite of hipsters, emergents, and greeting card writers: The Message.

I decided that if The Message couldn’t make the Bible feel fresh again, nothing could, and I selected it before I could change my mind. So here’s my confession: for the past month, I’ve been reading the New Testament in The Message… and loving it. Paul and Timothy and the gang seem like real people. I can clearly picture the events described. I’m comprehending things I never have before because they’re in plain English. I’m experiencing a story, not dissecting a textbook. Maybe every word isn’t precisely translated from the Greek, but it feels refreshingly real, and that’s what my worn-out soul needs right now.

I’ve had a chokehold on my faith for a long time, and this is one way that I’m finally letting it breathe a little. At times I’ve even been afraid for my salvation because I’m growing and questioning and don’t believe or behave exactly as I used to. But I maintain that a messy but alive faith is healthier than a solid but stagnant one. I’d rather grow to be an oak tree, though it can be scary and uncomfortable, than to stay locked up in my safe acorn in the ground.

4 Comments + Posted in: faith

We had a small ice storm last weekend! It shut down most of the city, even though the roads were generally okay. I lost a few tree limbs but thankfully never lost power.

To me, a perpetually overextended introvert, a snow/ice day (or weekend) is the greatest gift. It means I don’t have to go anywhere. It allows me to slow down for as long as the ice lasts. On Friday morning, I was mentally composing a list of what I really need this Christmas – a lot of things that you can’t put on an Amazon wish list. One of them was the gift of time. Yes, every once in a while, you get an answer to prayer immediately. My Christmas panic was already building, but this weekend pushed the reset button before I was too far gone.

5 Comments + Posted in: winter