Here in Copenhagen, at roughly the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska, the days are dark in Winter. The sun makes her weakened appearance slowly around 9:30am and leaves us a mere 7 hours later around 4pm. During the time the skies tend to be grey, the cloud cover low, and the mood somber. Thankfully, Winter Solstice is just around the corner. But there are still plenty of dark days to come before Spring burst through our doors.

What do you do during this season to make it through the darkness? How do you fight S.A.D.? What parts of the season can you embrace with honesty? What *8Things  do you enjoy in the dark? (Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink.) I’ll tell you mine, if you’ll tell me yours…

1. Sleep: We turn into bears around here and hibernate, hibernate, hibernate. Studies show that you can “catch up” on lost sleep, and accumulate the rest you need. Why not stockpile some snoozing while the days are dark?
2. Read: I love curling up in my bed on a winter’s night, or on the couch during a slow grew weekend – if I have a good book.  It’s also a great time for creative journaling and working through things like Keri Smith’s How to Be An Explorer of the World: A Portable Life Museum, or Carrie McCarthy’s  Style Statement: Live by your own Design. What are you reading these days?
3. Knit: Now is the time for hand crafts. I learned how from Stitch and Bitch, and with the help of one yarn-shop class. Now I’m working on this and this, and have made all of this.
4. Bake:Now this one is a little dangerous, because all that sleeping and reading, plus the baking can make me a little rolly polly. But I do love to bake muffins and cookies in the winter time. You can find some of my favorites here. This year I’m learning to cook gluten free. Hopefully I’ll find some new favorites soon.
5. Board Games: We keep trying to institute a family game night. But who wants to play Risk when the sun is shining? But in the dark evenings it’s nice to turn on some tunes, get out a bowl of nuts, and play a few rounds of something. This year the girls are becoming card sharks: Rook, Flinch, Gin Rummy and Texas Hold ‘Em are all getting practiced ‘round here.
6. Walk in the Dark: My city is very safe, and I love walking in the pre-dawn hours. Let’s face it, if dawn was earlier than 8am, I’d never get up early enough to see the light grow. So this time of year is special, private treat of walking the lake alone in the dim.
7. Bundle Up: I love scarves and hats, so this time of year is fun for me. I like picking the right combo and layering away. And with my pledge to go A Year Without Clothes, I’m also layering my regular clothes more to make my Winter wardrobe stretch.
8. Oatmeal: I adore hot cereals, and in the winter they seem like a must. Oatmeal, varmt museli, risengrol, and cream of wheat are my cold season favs for stick-to-you-ribs warmth. (Have you tried it baked? Yum!)

What is your list of *8Things: To Enjoy in the Dark? Tell us in the comments or grab a button and play long by putting your permalink in the list below.

Today we found out some long-time friends of ours may have to leave their dream jobs in Thailand because the NPO they work for is out of funds. Their salary has been reduced by half these past few months, and with their savings depleted their only hope is to return to the States and look for work. Another friend is living with her in-laws, while a third has had to relying on his to help make ends meet. Still another had to take her child out of his beloved preschool because of financial strain.

Even when times are tight, there is part deep within us that longs to give presents to our loved ones. Not just because it is “the thing to do,” but because generosity is an impulse that cannot be denied – a part of our deep humanity. If we are made “in the image of God,” then perhaps generosity is a Divine attribute which longs to shine out from our core. If we are followers of the Light, then we can see this impulse as something which contributes to the glow we want to nurture in ourselves and others.

Even when times are trying, we want to give. So here are *8Things you can offer to someone you love. Many take little more than a piece of paper and postage stamp. All of them are simple enough that you can accomplish them without elaborate plans or loads of time. May one of these allow you to bless someone with your generous heart this season, and may abundance ride besides you every step of your journey.

Much Warmth,

Rachelle

1. Sing me Song, Piano Man: Can you croon, strum, tap the keys? Give your loved ones the gift of a candle lit song this season.
2. *8 Days A Week: Got 12 favorite quotes that inspire and sustain you? Write them on some nice paper and give someone as a year’s worth of encouragement.
3. Stuck on You: Need a gift for a child? Got stickers floating around in your craft gear? Little one’s don’t mind if you snip off the used bits and give them an envelope full of extras. In fact, the LOVE it.
4. I Hope You Don’t Mind, That I Put Down in Words: I have an envelope full of notes and printed-off emails from people who took the time to tell me true things about my life, my character, and my work. I need them to carry me through the dark. Give the gift of a letter. You never know how deeply it may matter.
5. Brand New Day: Do you have some favorite tunes that help your day get off to a good start? Make a list (or a CD) for someone with all your favorite morning songs.
6. No More Bread and Butter: I love discovering a new recipe! Write down a few of your specialties for your friends, or create a list of your favorite food blogs.
7. Workin’ for a Living: Do you know someone who has a dreaded chore?  Maybe they hate washing their car, or don’t know a thing about mulching the garden. Personally, I hate polishing shoes.  Taking a chore off their to-do list would be a lovely gift.
8. All I Ever Get for Christmas is Blue: Are the same cheesy Christmas songs driving you batty? Maybe they’re making your friend’s nuts too. Make ‘em a mixed tape of some not-so-traditional tunes. (Songs from Over the Rhine and Harp 46 are a nice start.)

What are your ideas for *8Things: Generous Gifts for Trying Times? Put on your thinking cap and give us your tips in the comments below, or grab a button and play along by putting your permalink in the list below.

It the Christian tradition, the season before Christmas is called “Advent,” meaning “to come.” It is season of preparation, and a time to wait.

Regardless of your spiritual tradition, this time of year is indeed a time of waiting. Waiting for the Light, for presents, for the arrival of loved ones. Waiting to see the smile on your child’s face when gifts are opened. Waiting to kindle the candles of Hanukkah, or for the return of the Light at Solstice. Waiting to pass on traditions at Kwanzaa, or for the arrival of baby at Christmas.

But all too often this Advent season turns into a season not of waiting, but of rushing. Rushing to the store, to make cookies, to clean house, to wrap, to rehearse,  to dress-up, to attend.

I love a little hustle and bustle. It’s fun!  But a little holiday bustle can go a long way.  Over all, I like the holiday season to be peaceful and intentional. I want it to be ripe with meaning and lush with memories. 

Over the years I’ve developed a trick to help keep our holidays happy, but not hustling; joyful and peaceful. You guessed it, it’s a list! Each year I write out the *8Things we must do this holiday season. Writing a list of the most important moments empowers me to say “NO” to the rest. Every time my eager-beaver mind draws me to another craft project or an additional adorable downtown Christmas event, I return to my list. If that new thing threatens my ability to make one of my essentials happen, I say goodbye. I wait for another year. After the season is over, I tack my list to my calendar for the next December — when we’ll keep some items, and trade out some others — adapting our traditions each year as our household alters.

Here’s my *8Things for a Peaceful Holiday  list for this year. 

1. Make a meaningful gift for the immediate family members. (Hello Burb.com!)
2. Bake Paul’s favorite Christmas cookie.
3. Sing with the Copenhagen Gospel Singers, and the Jr. Gospel Singers.
4. Bake muffins once a week to get Catie out of bed through the dark season.
5. Light the Advent wreath. Pass on the story.
6. Dole out the Christmas picture books at the breakfast table, one each day through Advent.
7. Show my parents the hyggliet bits of a Danish Jule.
8. Decorate the tree and set a pretty table Christmas Eve.

What’s NOT on the list:stay up too late making a zillion kinds of cookies; attend every cool event in town; make an elaborate meal and collapse with a migraine before I can eat it; stress out trying to finish handmade gifts at the last minute (tho I will buy handmade as much as possible!); spend more than I can afford on presents; stress out trying to get everyone dressed and out the door to a zillion church services.

What’s on your *8Things for a Peaceful Holiday list? What do you need to do to make your holiday season meaningful? What would make it something to savor? And just as importantly, what can you leave off the list? Do tell us in the comments, or grab a button and play along by leaving your permalink in the list below. Thanks for being here, and Happy Advent!

One of the more challenging parts of living a creative life is discovering your best working rhythm. We all have a work pattern that suits our energy levels and nurtures us with alternating periods of work and rest, gathering and creating.

I have spent plenty of time trying to force myself into a “productive” work routine that ended up being anything butproductive, simply because it didn’t match my natural habits. Like lifecoach Jena Strong always says, ”It’s all about function.”  That’s why this week’s  *8Things is all about uncovering your creative patterns. The rhythm is already there, you just have to pull off the blanket and see what is there waiting for you.

How do you like to work? When do you like to start, how long it takes for you to get into the flow, do you like to work in silence or with music? Your intuitive voice will help access the information you need to uncover a work rhythm that supports your creative pursuits. Write down *8Things you know about Your Creative Rhythm and put them in the comments below or grab a button and play along by putting a permalink to your post in the list below.

Special thanks to this week to Sarah and at Creative Lessons who gave me the idea for this *8Things list; to Jen Lee for her excellent “Making Soup” metaphor about the ebb and flow of the creating process; and to Dee Wilcox at the Creative Perch for sharing this *8Things list with a wider audience. Thanks for being here!

Rachelle’s *8Things: Creative Rhythm

1. Embrace Your BioRhythm: There is no point in me trying to write before noon. I do administrative work in the morning in my PJ’s, shower after lunch, the get to writing.
2. Manage Your Downloads:  Just because I have a huge download of creative ideas doesn’t mean I have to do them all at once. I can suppress the hyper-mania if I remember they’ll keep.
3. Know Your Tender Spots:After announcing a project or sending it out to the world I’m virtually guaranteed to have a bout of self-doubt and insecurity. I enlist help.
4. Trouble Shoot Your Wheel of Work Weak Spots:  I like generating ideas and starting things. I’ m not so good with the middle and the finish. During that part of the a project I have to write out an hour by hour daily schedule to get it DONE.
5. Don’t Isolate:  I live abroad and work at home — so seeing another adult IN REAL LIFE at least once a week is imperative!
6. Know What You Need:  It’s true, I’m a feedback whore. I like immediate reaction to what I’m working on. Thus, I blog.
7. What’s Your Addiction of Choice?: Facebook and Twitter I can manage, YouTube and Hulu suck me in like a black hole
8. Your Nutrional Needs. Must. Have. Input. Artists dates are a must. I try to go to a gallery, garden, or performance once a month.

I was away on Dia des los Muertos, but when we got back on the first the girls and I put up our annual altar. This year as we arranged our icons and sugar skulls I noted how this practice, once so unfamiliar, has become increasingly rich for us a family.

This year I turned a postcard of Vincent VanGogh  into another icon for our memorial. It made me wonder, who would you put in a shrine of *8 people who have influenced you? Here are my *8 Saints and Sinners. (God love ‘em!)

1. Vincent VanGogh - a soulmate who helps me journey through pain and creativity.
2. Rosa Parks – an icon made by my husband, who is always inspired by bravery for the sake of justice.
3. Simeon David Chapman – our first child who was stillborn. The girls love putting his tiny tin shrine up for All Souls.
4. Pauline Jarrett Mee - my Grandmother, making her second appearance this year at the shrine.
5. John Everett Mee – my Grandfather, who’s been on our shrine since just after Cate was born. The last thing he did was fly to Seattle to meet her. When he landed back in California, he went straight to the hospital and never returned. But he was determined to deliver Cate’s traditional pair of baby cowboy boots–black with silver sparkles. That was my Buddy.
6. St. Catherine of Sienna — my favorite historical saint and the woman Catie is named after.
7. Mama God – a tiny clay sculpture helps me remember (and regain) the Feminine Divine.
8. Jesus — I firmly believe that “Jesus got ‘jacked.” I miss the real guy, don’t you?

Who are your *8 Saints and Sinners? Tell us in the comments below, or better yet, grab a *8Things  button and play along. Don’t forget that we need the unique permalink in the list. Thanks for playing!

Love Magie Girl? Want to get in on more play alongs like *8Things? Interested in upcoming books and on-line Soultribes? Sign up for the mailing list to get news about special events and offers. Thanks for being here!

*8Things is on vacation for the next two weeks. If you miss it dearly, might I suggest that you click here and fill in some of the lists you haven’t done yet?

I can’t wait to play when we get back!

-Magpie Girl

Here at Magpie Girl we like things that nurture the soul. There are not many things that can rock you to your soul’s core like the idea (or the reality) of losing your home. But for many it’s a reality that’s either knocking at your door, or one that’s already made itself at home. So this Monday at Magpie Girl I’m pleased to welcome Stephanie Walker, who’s unexpectedly become an expert in offering soulcare to those who are facing economic crisis. Stephanie blogs at Love in the Time of Foreclosure, and offers soulful advice for those who are facing financial crisis. Today she offers us *8Things that will help you turn crisis into opportunity. This value-added post is practical, inspiring, and just down right helpful. May you find companionship for the journey in Stephanie’s words today.

*8 Things that Helped Us
 Turn Our Personal Housing Crisis into an Opportunity
By Stephanie Walker

Last year at this time, our house was on the market, our bank account was negative and my husband Bob and I were both unemployed. Things were not quite going according to plan. The plan, when Bob’s high-paying contract got cut short, was to sell the house, pay off our debts, rent and start over again. We didn’t want to sell our house, but it was the only way out. We were sinking way too fast. We needed a new plan. The new plan, we agreed, was to turn our financial disaster into an opportunity. Somehow. You know, the whole idea of never letting a  good crisis go to waste. Our crisis, we firmly believed, could be an opportunity to reinvent ourselves, to learn, to re-prioritize. A challenge, indeed. But a worthy challenge. We may lose it all, but what we would gain in the process could be something more valuable than any house.

With that new thinking, we moved through our foreclosure story. Yes, it became a foreclosure story. We defaulted on our loan and received the “Notice of Intent to Accelerate” from the bank the week before Christmas 2008. In the end, to make a very long and exciting story short, we ended up selling the house in a short sale, narrowly avoiding foreclosure. We sold 90% of our possessions and moved to the suburbs of Chicago to live with my family. We’ve been here for three months. And in less than a week we will be moving to the San Juan Islands where we will be house-sitting for two years and living rent-free. Yes. From a $5,000 mortgage to rent-free. From Los Angeles, California to an island in the Pacific Northwest.

Here are 8 Things that helped us turn our personal housing crisis into an opportunity

1. Talking: I know, this is easier said than done. But now is not the time to keep your concerns, fears, resentments or pain to yourself.  Talk about how you’re feeling. Share. Be vulnerable. Does this sound trite? Well, it’s not. Bob is not one to automatically share openly his darkest thoughts. But when he did, it helped not only him but me. It was helpful to know what he was struggling with internally so that I could be more patient or give him the space he needed. And he found that saying it out loud lessened the hold these fears had when internalized. Express it and let it go.

2. The pact: Bob and I made a pact with each other to turn our crisis into an opportunity. We promised each other that we would view every hurdle as an opportunity for growth. That this could be the perfect chance for us to learn how to be happy in the face of any circumstance. We promised to be at our best. And to be there for each other. This pact worked because we were both so profoundly committed to it. We understood that without this pact, our chances for happiness were slim. So we respected the pact and held to it. You can make a pact like this with yourself, but I recommend sharing it with another person so that they can help you keep it in existence.

3. Allowing Others In: Of course we were embarrassed about our situation. We felt like dummies. Idiots. Failures. But we trusted that our friends  and family would not judge us as harshly as we were judging ourselves. And we let them in. I’m not saying we showed them our budgets or our credit report. But we did tell them what was happening along the way. We told our friends and family and eventually our neighbors. And then I started writing about everything on “Love in the time of Foreclosure.” We held nothing back.

When our bank account was overdrawn, they brought us homemade lasagna. When I was stressed, they took me out for happy hour. When we just needed to talk, they listened. When we had our estate sale, they were there first thing in the morning running the show. Our friends were amazing. Amazing. The best part about allowing them in on our financial problems, we didn’t have to pretend anything. I don’t know how we would have been able to actually hide our financial disaster, but I can imagine how stressful that would have been. This one requires letting go of your pride. To let others in means to truly be vulnerable. To say, like we did, We screwed up and are in big financial trouble. This is what’s going on. We’re committed to turning this into a good thing some how. We let them into our lives and into our “plan.”

A huge benefit to allowing others in? They have really good advice. Things you wouldn’t think of on your own, necessarily. They send you links to articles that have a wealth of information you need. They put you in touch with people who can help. They share their own stories about their tough times that not only allows you to feel better, but give you hope that if they made it through, you will too.

4. Have Fun: Just because you are facing losing everything, doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. This is so important. Yes, we were working our butts off. I had two jobs at one point. We were doing everything we could think of to market the house which included constant cleaning. We didn’t have discretionary funds. But we still had fun. We went for walks. Discovered new parks. Bob competed in the Grilled Cheese Invitational . We watched shows on Hulu. We went to the beach. Hiked in the mountains. Sat by the fire. Had friends over. We had fun. We were committed to being happy even in foreclosure. In this kind of a pact, fun is a key ingredient.

5. Exercise: I am prone to anxiety. When I was a kid I used to think I had a breathing problem. At  least that’s what I would tell my parents when it felt like my lungs were incapable of fully expanding: “I think I have a breathing problem.” Well, I discovered that ‘breathing problem’ was actually anxiety. The best cure for anxiety – in my experience- is exercise. It’s hard because the more stressed I get, the less time I have for exercise. But if I don’t, I am only setting myself up for anxiety. Exercise helped me so much through one of the most stressful times of my life.

6. Daily Checkpoints: Every morning when we walked the Pug we would talk about what we would do that day. What we were committed to accomplishing and what we were going to work on personally. Some days I’d wake up so overwhelmed I didn’t want to have this conversation. Luckily on those days, Bob was on the other side (and vice versa.) He would talk me through it. We’d start with ‘clearing out the cobwebs’ before we would talk about our goals for the day. Then, at the end of the day we would recap. How did it go? Did we do what we said we would do? If not, what was in the way? What did we learn and what can we be grateful for? This might sound like it would require a very long conversation, but we were actually able to go through this in about ten minutes. The days we did this always went better than the ones we didn’t. You can create a pact, a vision statement so to speak, but it doesn’t live on its own. It requires constant re-presencing or it will die. Our pact to be our best, turn this crisis into the opportunity of our lives and be happy in the process needed daily care to thrive.

7. Make a Difference for Others: Have you ever noticed that when you have your attention on the well-being of others, you’re less worried about yourself? Well, I have. Bob and I met doing a 500-mile bike ride for charity. On that ride we both talked about how much easier the ride was when we were cheering others on. We’d be at the top of a hill before we realized how difficult the climb was when we were cheering other riders up the hill. The same is true in life. We’re all in this together. And there are so many with great need. In the midst of our foreclosure battle, we collected donations and went on a bus trip down to Mexico to visit an orphanage with a non-profit organization Corazon de Vida. Getting outside of ourselves and focusing on others made such a huge difference. It really puts things in perspective!

8. Believe: (insert cliche here.) I don’t know how to bring this point home without sounding completely cliche. But in the midst of a crisis, you must believe. Believe in your own strength to pull through. Believe that things will improve. Believe that you’ll be stronger for surviving. Believe that you are not alone. I voted for Barack Obama. I was inspired – and still am- by his stand for humanity. By his willingness to stand for and speak about belief and the power it holds. As he said during his campaign: “I’m asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about change in Washington… I’m asking you to believe in yours.”

Read more of Stephanie and Bob’s inspiring story at Love in the Time of Foreclosure. And if you’re selling a house, watch for Pam Weinert (Stephanie’s mom) as she offers real estate advice on Wednesdays at LITTOF. (So helpful! )

I lit a bit of a wildfire yesterday when I ‘fessed up to my pledge to go one year without buying any clothes. 

Quite a few people are chewing on it and might take the pledge with me. (Whee!) The goals are to spend less, be more creative, and become truer to ourselves. (Take that,  evil hamster wheel of fashion marketing!)

The nice thing about A Year Without Clothes is that it’s a play-a-long, which means you get to make the rules.  To help you decide your house rules, here are *8Things to think about before going a year without clothes:

1. Write Yourself a Pass: Maybe you’re getting married this year, or having a baby, or working on losing weight. Why not take the pledge, but write your self a pass? “Good for one wedding dress and accessories.” “Good for the minimum number of work pants/jeans needed in size 6, when I get there.”  The goal is to limit yourself enough that you think creatively about your wardrobe and the effect of consumerism on your self image. But doset you own rules and limits now, or the pledge will dissolve at the first clearance sale!

2. Create an Plan for Warm Weather.Sure, it’s easy figure out if you have the basics for  Winter wear, but Summer is a looooong way away. Write down what you bare minimum is for summer (4 tanks, 2 shorts, a sleeveless dress…) Then if you don’t have the minimum when the time comes give yourself permission to try number three…

3. Consider the Hierarchy: Hit the summer and have nothing short sleeved? Follow the hierarchy. Re-purpose. Trade. Buy Used.First option: Re-purpose. Turn a shirt into a tank top with your sewing machine. Second option: Trade. See if a girlfriend will swap a couple of her extra tanks for that sundress you never wore last season. Third Option: Buy Used. It’s cheaper and friendlier to the environment.

4. Stock up on Socks and Undies.These are the things that will wear out during the year. Sure, you could write yourself a pass to buy them as needed…but once you are in Target buying your Hanes, it will be MUCH harder to resist the sales racks.

5. Get Curious. How will this help me be more aware of who I am internally and how I express that in my outward appearance? Am I a slave to fashion marketing or am I being my truest self? How deep is my resourcefulness and problem solving skills? How willing am I to learn a new skill? If I set limit, will my creativity expand? Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve lived most of my adult life in climates that get a little hard to bear, Seattle WA, Vancouver BC, and Copenhagen, DK: all three of these gorgeous cities have one common downfall –– a shortage of daylight. This means that I’ve gotten a little grumpy about fall over the years, seeing it as the forebearer to short days, long nights, and an overabundance of grey.

That’s why a few years ago our family started a tradition to help us celebrate the good bits of the season, and to start us off in an attitude of gratitude. We call it “The Annual Fall Chili Fest.” On or near the Autumn Equinox we invite a big group of people over to celebrate. Each friend arrives at the door with something to add to our family shrine—something to celebrate the season. Most people turn up with something from the earth: an apple, a chestnut, pretty autumn leafs. One year I even received a garland of bay leaves all strung on a thin wire. We watch the shrine transform from emptiness to abundance as one by one, items are added to its sacred space.

Once everyone arrives we load up the table with foods that bespeak of the crisp fall days that are to come, namely my famous Red and White Chili with Pineapple Salsa, rich Buttery Cornbread, and Apple Crisp with Ginger and Hazelnuts. Once we are all gathered ‘round the table with a bottle of microbrew or fresh-pressed apple juice in hand, we take turns offering toasts to all things Autumn. “Here’s to thick sweaters and Sunday afternoon Football!” (Hurrah!) “Here’s to going to the pumpkin patch!” (Hurrah!) “Here’s to not having to worry about tan lines!” (Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!) After everyone has raised their glass, we dig into a our feast and celebrate the abundance of the season.

In this way we adjust our attitudes. We stop mourning the loss of Summer and start celebrating the goodness of Fall. We become a more grateful people, and we start the season with happy anticipation.

Here are my *8Things to Celebrate about Fall. What are yours?  Put it in the comments below, leave your post-specific URL in the list, and grab a button to play along. Thanks for being here.

sometimes, my alter ego sneaks out for a night on the town…

Everyone has another personality that shines through from time to time. Maybe you are secretly a sports legend when you play in the rec volleyball league. Maybe you’re a pop star while singing in the shower. Perhaps you are convinced you were with Mark Anthony in a past life.

How do those secret identities shape you? Does your superhero identity effect your Monday-Friday life at the Daily Planet? Are you you really a zen master, a yogi, and happy homemaker under there? What’s your stripper name say about you? Your nom de plume? The uniform in the back of your closet? And if you feel like an old soul, what where you up to last century and how is it influencing you today?

This week’s list: *8Things:  Alter Egos and Past Lives. I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours…

1. Swooshy Madame from the Moulin Rouge.
2. Singer of Torch Songs a laMichelle Piffer in the Fabulous Baker Boys.
3. Flapper and singer of all that jazz.
4. Sk8r Girl.
5. Indie-Folk Boho Recording Artist.
6. Behind the scenes screen writer or set dresser on a Hollywood hit.
7. Stable boy with a head injury. (According to the Tibetan massage therapist…also…
8. Witch/Herbwoman (crushed to death between to boards and a heap of rocks.)

What is your *8Things: Alter Egos and Past Lives list? Put it in the comments below, leave your post-specific URL in the list, and grab a button to play along.