My fun siblings

It was high time for my dad to receive a handcrafted gift this Christmas. No more ties or tee shirts under the tree from me!

So.... in this project, each one of us siblings has a little theme going on. I love dogs & the wiener dog represents Tony, the beloved dog we had during our growing up years. Younger sis, Kim, is a fashion diva who loves polka dots, pink & high heels. Chris, who lives in casual attire, works for the forest service in the 'tree' department. And feminine Debbie loves gardening & fresh foods.

This turned out to be a wall hanging and I think it was a hit!

Photo book

I filled this chipboard book with photos of Cooper and gave it to Nick & Courtney as a Christmas gift.







I think I'll have to start duplicating such projects because I want one too...

Pure love

This year, we had something extra special under our tree: Cooper!

Although he is only 6 months old (and far more interested in the outer wrapping of the present than what is contained therein) having a child present added another dimension to our festivities. The love and joy of the season is heightened as one glimpses the innocence, sweetness and wonder caught in the eyes of a child.

Thanks, little buddy, for making our Christmas all the more special.

Sometimes I succeed even in amusing myself.


Stephanie and Matt arrive tomorrow, flying from Colorado. So begins our holiday week, full of festivities, merriment, food, sibling rivalry (all in good fun - after all, they are adults) and lots of warmth & good cheer.

Merry Christmas to all!

gift tags

It was a s l o w day at the office today. After completing a few housekeeping tasks, I set out to make some gift tags.

Here are a finished few:




Creativity is the way my soul speaks.

Thank you, mom, for gifting me with an artistic, 'creative' gene!

One more birthday book

If you are wondering if I'll ever get tired of making these little birthday books... probably not! It's just too much fun tailoring them to the recipient's personality.

Here's the latest, send to my darling daughter.

'Piece of cake'

This time of year, the words 'Christmas Shopping' cause a sheen of moisture to form above the brow of most men.

Not my Glynn. You will not find him in a mall or at an electronic super store this holiday season.

When I asked him recently how his Christmas shopping is coming along, he smiled contentedly and told me that all his Christmas shopping would be done at Lincoln Creek Lumber/Ace Hardware. "Piece of cake", he heartily exclaimed.

Many women would panic at hearing this. "Here we go again... a new coffee pot."

What I did not know (until Glynn began his contractor salesman career at LCL) is that Ace Hardware has a 3"- 4" thick catalog listing thousands of items to order. Appliances (no thank you, dear), clothing, bedding/linens, furniture, electronics, even jewelry ... the list goes on.

It's enough to make a grown man cry happy tears.

Thank you, dear friend

Yesterday, a 30-year-old friendship received a needed tune-up.

Many years ago, while young and single and living in Anchorage, Alaska, I met a beautiful, free-spirited yet introverted girl named Kathleen.

Webster defines anomaly as 'deviation or departure from the normal or common order, form, or rule'. Kathleen was my anomaly. Where I was a people pleaser, she didn't appear to give-a-rip. I followed the rules (and, in the process, made a few of my own). Rules were momentarily considered by Kathleen but quickly discarded if they were irrelevant in her thinking. Kathleen had an esoteric mystique surrounding her that intrigued yet simultaneously frustrated me because I couldn't quite figure her out.

Somewhere, somehow, in spite of our vast differences, we became close friends. We have buckets full of memories that bring about great merriment when we meet. We have mementos in the form of handmade cards and little gifts and each of us has a large manila envelope stuffed with letters from the other written throughout the years. Although intangible, my friendship with Kathleen is one of my most highly esteemed and treasured possessions.


Which brings me back to the present....

Wise Kathleen gently exhumed skeletons of past behaviors which could be hindering the current flow of our friendship.

As we mature into the beautiful souls we are, we discard attitudes and habits which, at one time, determined our perception of reality. Like the sticky residue left from a label that resists being peeled off a product, we find ourselves unintentionally judging another based on repetitive behavior from long ago. "I can never depend upon him - he's always late." Or, "Don't tell her - she's a terrible gossip."

People do change. If we do not give forward momentum to said change by allowing it to be, then we thwart the growth in the life of another.

Let's celebrate that growth by freeing each other from the confines of old behaviors.

Thank you, dear friend, for continually showing me grace in this area. I vow to do the same.

Let me tell you about reality

Hysteria has overtaken the storage world.

There is a new program on television called 'Storage Wars'. It follows individuals in Newport Beach, CA who purchase the contents of storage units which have gone through a foreclosure procedure because of non-payment of rent. These individuals, in turn, resell the contents, hoping to make a profit.

Because of this show, I have received more calls in the past 3 weeks than I have all year from people asking to be added to my 'auction list'.

I decided to watch Storage Wars tonight to see what all the fuss is about. Disgusted, after about 15 minutes I turned the program off because it totally distorts the reality of what I see in my storage business. Storage Wars needs to mention that the ratio of units having valuable content such as antiques, sports memorabilia or rare art vs. units containing junk must be somewhere around 1:100!

During fifteen years of managing my storage facility I can count on perhaps 3 fingers the number of foreclosed storage units that contained what I consider 'quality' belongings. The majority of people who store valuables pay their storage rent! The opposite of these good units, what I call 'crap' units, are much more the norm.

Last week I attended an auction at a competitor's facility - just for the fun of it. Greg had 4 units to auction off and approximately 50 bidders showed up, hoping to find that elusive treasure hidden in the bowels of a storage unit. I watched with interest as the bidding process began. It soon became obvious who were the rookies vs. the regulars. The rookies bid on and won the crap units. A bid on a 'good' unit began at $100, jumped to $500 then $1,000 and.... sold! The shocked (and hopeless) expression on the faces of the rookies was sad....

Once a unit sells, the buyer is expected to empty the unit within 24 hours. If it is a large unit, say a 10'x20', stuffed to the rafters, emptying it out requires time, strength and expense. Will you have to rent a truck to haul the contents to your home or garage? Where will you put the contents of the storage unit? (You can always rent a unit!) How will you re-sell the contents? Are you prepared for the time and expense of trips to the dump as well as hauling items to a donation site?

Acquiring the contents of a good storage unit is a lot like winning the lotto. The odds are not in your favor! Are there treasures to be found in a foreclosed unit at a storage facility? Absolutely! Can one make money re-selling ordinary items. Yes! Just do your homework before you decide that this is your path to fortune.

Twinkle light heaven

Yesterday, I had the good fortune of benefiting from my brother-in-law's chest cold.

Kim had purchased 4 tickets from Clipper Vacation to ride a coach bus to Leavenworth to partake in the annual tree lighting ceremony. When Jason became too ill to attend, I was invited to fill his seat.

I've visited the Bavarian town of Leavenworth a few times in the past but never during the holidays. Its annual tree lighting ceremony is ranked among the top ten in the nation.

Good fortune was smiling upon us as we boarded the bus in Kent and were greeted by jolly Ken and bus driver, Russ. Gorgeous weather ensued and, as we traveled over Steven's Pass on Highway 2, the view was breathtakingly beautiful.

We were told that attendance would be 'lighter' this weekend than had we waited to attend the ceremony on the weekends closer to Christmas. Then, tour buses number in excess of 150 and the Amtrak train is 100% full of ceremony attendees. The little town of Leavenworth swells in number when 25,000 tourists are added to its small population of only 2,000 residents! (A tip worth considering: Ken claims that the Sunday tree lighting ceremonies have only a fraction of the attendees compared to the Saturday events.)

No one seemed to mind the occasional elbow-in-the-ribs and getting close and personal with complete strangers. A collective holly jolly, festive attitude was present.

The Hat store was so popular. A line of at least 30 people, waiting their turn to shop, snaked into the street ALL DAY LONG. Perhaps it's part of the 'Christmas in Leavenworth' tradition to purchase an amusing holiday themed hat? We observed crazy hats complete with twinkle lights, decorated gingerbread houses, 'Cat-in-the-hat' type of top hats in grinch green, etc. etc. etc.

The actual tree lighting ceremony began at 4:30 pm. I think it should be called The Town Lighting ceremony because each business on the main street turns on their outdoor Christmas lights in succession - like a domino effect. The trees, in the center of town, are the last to light up.

A lederhosen for Cooper. Oh, my son would kill me!

Braziers are set up around town to warm one's limbs. The temperature was in the 20's. By evening, delicate snowflakes began to fall, only heightening the overall effect of the experience!

Riding home, I felt satiated with holiday delight.....

Breaking free

Feeling foolish, I must confess that I am often a prisoner of my own making.

Here is a fictional scenario:

I am driving in town when suddenly the car ahead of me and to my left decides to abruptly switch lanes, causing me to slam on my brakes to avoid a collision.

Adrenaline racing, I hear myself yelling (in my head), "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHY DIDN'T YOU LOOK IN YOUR REAR VIEW MIRROR BEFORE CHANGING LANES? YOU MUST HAVE FLUNKED DRIVER'S ED! OR, BETTER YET, YOU NEVER EVEN TOOK DRIVER'S ED! YOU NEED TO PARK IT AND THROW AWAY THE KEY!"

Before long, my non-verbal conversation begins to calm and is replaced with a more civilized muttering. "Why do people do that?" "He must have been talking on his cell phone or unwrapping his Big Mac. " Geeez.....

Without knowing it, I've wrapped myself tightly into a vortex of roller coaster emotions ranging from "I really don't need this added stress in my life right now" to "if 'they' don't get this talking-on-the-cell-phone thing under control, soon it will not even be safe to drive". (Be aware that I'm not even sure if the driver was actually talking on his cell phone. Perhaps he abruptly changed lanes to avoid hitting a huge pot hole or a DOT worker!)

The way I label reality is where I get stuck. By declaring a situation to be 'bad' or a person to be 'difficult', I end up with that exact result.

Using the above scenario, imagine this response:

"Wow! That driver nearly caused an accident. I'm sure glad I was paying attention and not talking on my cell phone just then. This is a good reminder for me to stay focused when driving."

A bit Pollyanna, I admit, but by responding instead of reacting, I avoided falling into the potential emotional quagmire of the experience. Be being in this calm state, my head is clear and I can take the next step forward.

This is HUGE for me! The art of allowing reality vs. fighting against it will allow me to move on after being smacked along-side the head with one of life's lessons.

Those were the days....

A cell phone conversation I had with Glynn this morning:

Glynn: 'Are you going to the store?'
Me: 'Yes.'
Glynn: 'Could you buy me something? It's called Appian Way Pizza mix. Apparently there's a can of sauce in the box and all you do is add water to the mix for the dough. Nolan swears by it. He says it's the ONLY way to make pizza.'
Me: 'You've got to be kidding me! I grew up on that stuff! I didn't know they still make it.'

Unless you were a member of the Jensen household in the late 60's and 70's, this post will leave you scratching your head & muttering, 'huh?"

Every weekend (on whatever evening The Lawrence Welk Show and The Wonderful World of Disney was shown on TV) my dad would cook an Appian Way pizza. He had a way of using the ball of his hand to inch the dough to the edge of the pizza pan without tearing a hole in it. His pepperoni slice placement was as near to perfect as could be done without using a ruler. Unfortunately, mozzarella cheese was either too gourmet or too expensive because our pizza was topped with a bland cheese. Occasionally, a can of mushrooms would be added for variety.

A huge treat with our weekly pizza was a bottle of Coke, only one apiece! We'd kneel around the coffee table in the living room where our one TV was housed. Home popped popcorn finished off the meal. (Wow! Much has changed in the decades since my childhood as not only do many kids drink more than one soda on a daily basis but they have a their own TV in their room, too.)

This tradition was nothing fancy but it evokes many good memories.

Christmas is coming!

As I consume the last remnant of Thanksgiving day (pumpkin pie), my fingers begin itching to deck my halls with Christmas spirit!

Scrooge may grumble, 'It's too soon'.

I heartily disagree. The happiness of the season; the bright colors, the twinkle lights & universal love enfold me in a blanket of perpetual happiness.

Wouldn't it be fine if there were a way to bottle the spirit of the holidays? That way, during one of those gray, soggy days in January when we're sloughing through the blahs, we could uncork the bottle, take a long snort of holiday cheer & drift away on a seasonal high!


Thank goodness for a storage unit that houses my Christmas paraphernalia during the year!
It seems to multiply each year....

A little seasonal vignette...


Some favorite baubles on the tree and this Santa figurine from my childhood. He must be at least 45 years old.

Last, two lonely present under the tree... time to get busy!

Stephanie and Matt will celebrate Christmas Eve with us this year as well as Nick, Courtney and Cooper.

Children + Christmas = happy combination.