RockTheDesert

The Table

We are table people. End tables. Coffee table. Game table. Console table. Kitchen table. Dining room table.

Unfortunately, our tables tend to be overtaken by things that love to accumulate on tables. Coffee cups. Laundry. Fruit bowl. Mail. Books...lots of books. Keys. Remotes. Xbox controllers. KIeenex boxes. Xbox games. Movies. Cereal boxes. Notebooks. Centerpieces. Photo albums. Extra socks with no match. Receipts. Laptops. Purse. Ribbons, tape, gift wrap. Newspapers. Coupons.

All this to say, we'd be in sad shape without our tables. I have been searching for the perfect table for our tiny little dining nook for two years. When we bought our darling little ranch house, we were looking for a yard with grass, at least one huge tree, and three bedrooms. All other amenities were secondary. So, no surprise, we ended up with a miniscule dining area which is really just a cozy corner at the north end of the living room. Some friends gave us their round, glass dinette set when they upgraded. This set was a definite upgrade for us. I could have lived with that set forever. Really.

As circumstances played out, a few weeks before Thanksgiving, Dan and I walked to Acacia Cafe for coffee and Sudoku as is our usual Tuesday routine. On the way home, on a whim, we decided to browse through the antique mall about 2 blocks from our home. I'm not a big shopper, but I just thought we might find an interesting table for the TV in our bedroom. We did find a table, but we didn't buy it. Instead, I became completely distracted by this fabulous, vibey, totally retro, round table with 6 matching upholstered chairs in aqua, turquoise, avocado green - my colors!. It was love at first sight...it was The Table! The price was astonishingly low, like the-price-of-one-brand-new-chair low. I decided we should put it on a 24-hr hold so we could measure our space, just to be sure. The next day I took my mom and Alyssa to see it. Alyssa loved it. My mom, not so much. I decided to not get it. The next day, I took my good friend Kelly to see it. It was gone. Someone bought MY table. I was incredibly disappointed, but took the stoic, "it wasn't meant to be" approach. Alyssa was actually quite upset that I hadn't bought it while I had the chance.

Fast forward to last Saturday. Alyssa and I were Christmas shopping. Urban Outfitters. Sur La Table. Borders. Anthropologie. Crate and Barrel. I have to say, I love Crate and Barrel. And I found the most fantastic retro (think The Dick VanDyke Show) living room set there. If I were a little more impulsive and could justify the purchase, a Petrie sofa would be on its way to my house right now. And the matching big chair. And definitely the groovy green leather chair. Definitely. Oh, and the awesome coffee table. So cool. I kept thinking about that living room set while Alyssa drove me home. Even seriously considered looking on Craigslist for a used set.

I walked in the door with stars and retro-vibe in my eyes. Walked in the dining room. Discovered an early Christmas present. Someone went back to the antique store and bought The Table and hid it 'til it couldn't be hidden anymore. @daninreallife, my favorite twitter buddy and husband, actually came up with the surprise gift of the century. It fits in the dining room just perfectly. I absolutely love it and, of course, @daninreallife is my hero. He's the best. I might love him just a tiny bit more than The Table.

Table In Real Life

 

Table With The Best Centerpiece - Ever!

Christmas Strategy

I'll admit it -  I struggle to maintain my sanity during the Christmas season. It's such a busy time, especially for a musician, and even more especially for a church musician. There's usually a ton of rehearsals and meetings and planning and purchasing and decorating - all for church stuff. Then there's the additional "yesses" I usually love to commit to - little holiday shows, recitals, parties, open mic nights, etc. Don't get me wrong - I love all this stuff, otherwise I wouldn't say yes. But after awhile it takes a toll on my soul. Oh yeah, don't forget to throw in 5 family birthdays. And the fact that Christmas Eve service pretty much takes up all of Christmas Eve day and night. That leaves me dreading Christmas morning because that's the only time I've managed to set aside for wrapping presents, making brunch, and doing Christmas with the family. It's an unhealthy pattern of life that has evolved and snowballed for the last 20 years. After much counseling and a pastor (Randy) who's committed to family first, church second, this year I'm not going to be a part of "Christmas" Sunday or Christmas Eve. I'm deliberately filling my life with tasks that are inspiring and help me focus on Jesus and family and, well, JOY! I found this picture of Snoopy and was really inspired by the simplicity of his life. Just a simple little house. A colorful little tree, and some lights. Nothing overwhelming or huge. Just what he can manage. Just what I can manage.

Here's part of my strategy:

• I'm reading the daily devotional posts at http://krellfish.typepad.com. My friend, Audra (I'm sure I've mentioned her before) is the author. She is a great writer. Inspirational. Cleverly funny. Very real. She is doing a series of Christmas devotionals, counting down from 25. Theme is "Relationships." Click here to go to her first post. Enjoy!
• I'm posting a series of Christmas devotionals at Fellowship North's website. As I write each one, I am trying to really experience the words and thoughts and emotions that they evoke.
• We're incorporating Advent into our December worship services. This is a beautifully simple "ceremony" where we focus on Christ as the coming Messiah through reading scripture, lighting candles, and praying.
• I'm trying to make Monday a R & R day as much as possible. Today I plan to drink hot chocolate with whipped cream while I read a new book I bought a month ago called "Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible" by Liz Curtis Higgs.
• My mom has offered to help me with Christmas shopping. I am officially the worst shopper ever. I get overwhelmed with crowds. My mind goes blank and I can't find even the simplest thing on my list when I'm surrounded by all the chaos and clutter of the season. She's even given me a huge bag filled with beautiful Christmas gift bags to cut down on the stress of wrapping gifts!
• I'm walking for 1 hr with Dan every day - great time for dialogue and laughter - we will hopefully end up at La Grande Orange for coffee and cupcakes at least every other day!

Big Weekend

We had a big weekend. My parents, along with Sandi & Di came out to visit. They stayed at the Residence Inn not too far from our house. We did a lot of eating. Of course. And a lot of shopping. Of course. But it was a really good visit. Here's a picture of us all at Chino Bandino's in Phoenix. Di is taking the picture. Dan and Steven decided to have lunch on their own at a sports bar so they could watch the football games.

On Friday night, while the family was enjoying pizza at Patsy Grimaldi's in Scottsdale (see pic to the left of Alyssa & Joshua outside the restaurant in front of the fountain) Dan and I were being treated to a sumptuous dinner at Ruth's Chris Steak House. Luckily, I had found a sparkly, long-sleeved brown shirt at Nordstrom earlier in the day, along with a pumpkin-colored tank which went perfectly with my favorite jeans and the 2-inch wedge sandals Donni gave me for my birthday. I somehow found time for makeup and my hair was surprisingly under control. We met Sharon & Scott at the restaurant. The meal was spectacular. I had the perfect caesar salad and a ribeye seared at 1800 degrees until perfectly medium well, served sizzling hot on a 500 degree plate, topped with butter. Yumm...we shared garlic mashed potatoes, and asparagus with hollandaise sauce. And then, we had to top it all off with white chocolate banana cream pie, topped with caramelized banana slices. We drank coffee and talked for hours. Fortunately we had a gift card which paid for 1/2 of the meal. Meeting Scott for the first time was a real treat. Dan and I really enjoyed meeting him and it seemed as if we had known each other for a long time. The conversation never had awkward pauses and I don't think we ever talked about the weather or the local sports teams (standard filler topics). We look forward to many more good times together.

Shoe Shopping

 

I took my 13 yr old son shoe shopping today. We went to Sports Authority. 1000's of pairs of shoes were stacked ceiling-high. It was an overwhelming sight. Nike. Asic. NB. Adidas. Walking. Cross trainers. Basketball. Running. Tennis. Golf. Hiking. Cleats. Whyyyyyyyyyy meeeeeeeeeeee??????

Now, when I go shopping for shoes for myself, I go to my favorite shoe store, head straight to the clearance rack, pick out the 3 pairs in my size, slip each one on for the 30 second comfort test, then I purchase the one that is the least ugly. OK, so I know that I have a terrible shoe wardrobe. I admit it. It's pathetic. Again, this is an area of my life that needs assistance, so fortunately my mom and sisters come to the rescue a few times a year with at least a couple of cute pairs of shoes.

Today's experience with Steven was the perfect example of why I don't shop. For anything. Least of all for shoes and clothes. It's so frustrating. The walls start closing in on me. I desperately want to lay down on the floor and cry 'til my mom takes me home in shame. Oh, yeah. I'm the mom. SO, I sit patiently on the cold metal bench watching Steven peruse the selection of shoes. And of course, the $149 shoes are the coolest ones - these are the ones that have technology built into the shoe designed to interface with your ipod nano. Unbelievable. These shoes transmit info like calories burned, distance walked, etc. It's like an electronic pedometer. And if your pace is slowing down lower than your goal, you can hit OK and a Power Boost, High Energy song will come blasting at you through your nano, motivating and inspiring you to pick up the pace and finish strong!

We did not purchase the $149 shoes. Steven knew not to even ask. After trying on what seemed like endless pairs of shoes, Steven decided that all the new shoes looked too, well, NEW. When you're going into 8th grade, the last thing you want to do is call attention to yourself with bright, shiny, perfectly brand new shoes. Shoes need to have a casual amount of wear and tear at all times. We almost left the store several times. OK, I almost left the store several times. Steven was a ruthless shopper. A real professional. The Nike swoosh was too red. Girlie almost. The clear, blue plastic heels - too preschool. The gray - not gray enough - too silvery. Black and gold? No. Gold and white? No. Orange shock absorbers in the heel? No. Lime green? Heck no.

We settled on the gray Nikes. With the red swoosh.