Last Minute Lovin'

I have completely blown through my Christmas money already (even some that I'm hoping will come in the mail next week), but in case you need to do some last minute shopping, here are some goodies that make me pitter patter.

Charley Harper Prints, hold me back. And they are sold by his adoring son, so it's a family business kind of thing.

(Giant-looking) towels by Amy Butler. In the words of Rachael Ray, YUM-O. Fabric designer gone gazillionaire.

I love Rex Ray because he might be the only artist whom I discovered while he was still alive. And his art is psychedelic and friendly at the same time. Five framed postcards hang happily on my wall. Buy his book and learn from his genius.

Channeling Anne Lamott: Things (Hypothetically) Overheard While Working at a Church*

WARNING: May contain high levels of Christian cynicism and/or irreverence. Do not proceed unless you're in a light mood. I like my job, I love it, even, and the people I work with are great. They just have a mysterious lingo that needs to be ribbed.

1. "What is your growing edge?"

Translation: What are your weaknesses? How do you avoid looking like a loser in the workplace when you've make a huge mistake? OR Do you doubt God's existence? How much so? Would you admit that to a congregant?

2. "Why don't you speak into that a little bit?"

Translation: You didn't explain your point very clearly, so can you please be more articulate?Get to the point.

3. "I don't feel called to participate/The congregant didn't feel called/The elders didn't feel called..."

Translation: There's not enough money in the world to lead me back to the hell of bulletin-stuffing. Get a life.

4. "God put it on my heart."

Translation: I can't get this out of my mind, and although it sounds obsessive, I need to talk about this again.

5. "How can I pray for you?"

Translation: You look awful. Awfully tired, or pale, or worn out, or uninterested in responding to emails about marriage licenses and Baptism Sundays in June.

6. "You shared _______."

Translation: You spoke/told me about/reported/explained ______ in an especially spiritual tone of voice.

7. "God has a plan in all of this."

Translation: Wow. You really blew your budget. But I have a feeling there will be some good promos at Target this month, and if we time the announcements correctly, maybe we can rake in some extra cash to cover those Christmas decorations.

8. "I spent some time in the Word."

Translation: I brag about the fact that I spent time reading the Bible because more often than not I forget to do it, or I hit snooze, or I fall asleep mid-parable.

9. "This is God's Will."

Translation: There is no good reason that your child got cancer, you were fired after 40 years of service, or that racism keeps digging its heels into our community. Life sucks, and all we have is the glimmers of goodness that point us back to Someone Bigger.

10. THE CHRISTMAS SHIP JUST SAILED BY MY HOUSE. AS I TYPED. CHRISTMAS SHIP TRUMPS ALL! :)

*In no way does this post reflect the views of the church I work for, or the people who work there, or the level of sincerity in their collective expressions of faith. They're legit.

Welcome to the neighborhood...

(thank you, Seattle PI)

We were driving a friend home from our super fun(!!!) Christmas party this weekend, and behold, stumbled across what has to be my new favorite Seattle tradition. Candy Cane Lane. An entire street of already gingerbread-ish houses are decked to the nines in cheesy lights, blow-up Grinches, and even a Christmas merry-go-round. There are conscientious objectors (with whom I completely sympathize), but I could overlook the gawdy factor because of one thing.

Every house on the block has a small wooden sign with the word PEACE painted on it. And at every house, it's a different language! It has to be one of the most beautiful signs of solidarity I have ever seen. Even if it was doused in commercialized crap from Target. I cried.

And you know what? My favorite house had three little signs with quotes from famous peacekeepers--Gandhi, MLK Jr., and Jesus.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." Matthew 5:9

Merry Christmas.

Christmas List Item #2

Since I have recently lacked the internet service/will to blog, I am posting yet another bit of fluff. But baby, it's some goooooood fluff.

"Go forth and strike fear into the hearts of the clueless, the careless, and the punctuation impaired."

Christmas List Item #1

Kate Spade is working with Women for Women International, and these mittens were made in Bosnia by women who are rebuilding their lives after the destruction of war. Cool cause, cool mittens!