Our House in the Middle of Our Street

"We all have a secret pain. We all have a tender place. We were born to want more and no I'm not meant to live alone, but this is the life I know." ~ India Arie I've been reflecting a lot this month on my own, and sometimes, luckily or intentionally, with others.  It's been a strange month, one that started out overly emotional, and will end with raw emotional. I've run the gamut this month from trying to go slowly, to take care of myself to taking my emotions out on my family, using their proximity as an excuse. Then, just like that, an email came that broke me in half.  People get bad news every day. This was just too close. It was too hard. Too unfair. No .  I've been inside myself reflecting on this maybe a bit too much. I went outside. I folded laundry. I wrote. I pretended not to notice my eyes welling up washing the dishes. This feels stuck, and it feels long, and I want to give it back . This 'another' day, would be o

For the last number of years, every November, I get blog-giddy (see what I did there?) because I like to participate in a friend's challenge: post 25 pictures, one per day, starting December  1st. This year's December Photo Project has a beautiful banner (above) and badge (see sidebar).  I don't feel the need to post very often, but I do love a challenge every once in awhile, and the December Photo Project *  seems to get me back into the posting mood after the new year. I like that it's a community project, and with the 2012 addition of a facebook page , the group has grown by leaps and bounds.  I love this project alongside Advent because it helps me slow down, be quiet, and enjoy what's happening around me. If I'm going to practice living in the moment and noticing the details, I might as well do that in my favorite season, that can be one of the most hectic throughout the calendar year.  Will you join me?   * DPP from here on out

As the Christmas and gift-giving seasons are approaching, I wanted to share what I'd been thinking about regarding this topic. Since the kids have been little, we've had a simple approach to gifts: something to Read, something to Wear, and something to Play with. This has suited us well over the years in keeping expectations low (remember Dudley in Harry Potter ? ), putting forward quality over quantity, and lessened space taken, packaging thrown away, and mountains of toys that can accumulate. We still follow this rule, and follow it (sometimes, not always) with our sweet nephew and nieces, too.  In the past I've often made a lot of our gifts, because I like doing it, and it obviously saves us money. Gift-giving the gift-card way is outrageously expensive if you even have more than five people on your list. We have many more than that. I also love getting people gifts. I like to think about each person and tailor make (or buy, at times) a gift they will find both