Nicole Baart's Blog

So I wrapped presents for an hour straight yesterday and I can officially say: I'm done! Well, almost. I have one more itty-bitty thing to wrap, but I'm not counting it. I can do that. It's my tally.

Anyway, as I think I've already shared, we're pared back Christmas at the Baart house this year. Not that it has ever been a big, extravagant ordeal, but somehow it made sense to simplify even more in 2009. So why did it take me an hour to wrap our presents??? Mostly because we love the little thi...

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Talk about a winter wonderland. There's a blizzard raging just outside my window, and with an afghan on my lap and the Christmas tree twinkling away, I couldn't ask for a prettier sight. I absolutely love winter. For the duration of a storm or two. Then I hate it. Fickle, aren't I?

I may curse snow come January, but right now I'm really enjoying the swirling flakes. They're piling up slowly but steadily--we're supposed to have 7-10 inches by tomorrow morning. Makes me want hot cocoa, a good bo...

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An 8-foot balsam pine is twinkling in the space between our dining room and family room. The short banister is wrapped in great swags of evergreen, twined with crimson cords and sprinkled with snowflakes that leave glitter on my shoulders when I pass. I've resurrected the Christmas CDs and downloaded them to our iPod--even now Third Day serenades me with O Come All Ye Faithful. I've already made cookies (Peanut Blossoms, the best ever), sought out my favorite toffee recipe, and ordered the re...

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It's true. I've read the books. I've even watched the movies--both of them. And though I've spent a rather significant chunk of my life (hours I can never get back!) immersed in Stephanie Meyer's monster-laden world, I'm still at odds with myself. Do I love the Twilight books? Hate them? Is it possible to be somewhere in between?

Even as I skimmed entire chapters, rolled my eyes at the one-dimensional characters, and looked over my shoulder obsessively to make sure that no one was taking note ...

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Thanks to http://www.random.org/, we have our winner. Laura was the 11th person who commented on Lisa's post... Congratulations! You've won My Hands Came Away Red by Lisa McKay. Please email me with your snail mail address. And please do so soon! Lisa is off to Australia next week... Lucky girl.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Hope it's filled with family, gratitude, and, of course, turkey.

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I'm going to take a little time today to clear up some odds and ends. It's been a while since I've blogged because our family... (wait for it)... finally got sick! I've been bragging that we're so healthy this year--and of course, no sooner are the words out of my mouth than my oldest spikes a fever. Poetic justice, I suppose. Anyway, I've hardly left the house much less spent time on the numerous projects I've got on the go. Including my blog. Sorry for the silence.

Anyway, I'm a bit bummed t...

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It may be a few days late, but, believe me, this month's edition of The Grapevine was worth the wait! ;)



Today I'm introducing the beautiful, talented, and extremely witty Lisa McKay. Lisa was my very first author friend, and she remains my writing BFF. We met online, and then met in person a couple years ago at the Calvin College Festival of Faith and Writing. It was (for lack of a better word) serendipitous. We think alike, write alike, and are passionate about similar things. I can't say en...

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Sigh. Retreats are wonderful...

I just got back from a couple of days at a cabin in Minnesota. Amazing company, great conversation, gourmet food, beautiful views, and restful nights all worked together to make me feel like a new person. It was awesome.

I'm so relaxed that I'm not going to worry about blogging right now. Instead, I'll leave you with a few photos and the promise that the November edition of the Grapevine will go up on Thursday. Thanks so much for your patience. Now, if you'll ex...

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Thanks so much for all your thoughtful responses to my post on the contemplative life. It seems I'm not the only one who struggles with balance! I want to respond to all of you more in-depth, and I'd like to share a few changes I've decided to make in my own life, but I'm afraid that dialogue will have to wait. Ironically enough, I'm too busy right now to blog about un-busying my life. He-he-he!

The truth of the matter is, I'm on my way to a cabin in Minnesota for a much-needed writer's retre...

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I've known for a long time that I am operating at a pace that is undeniably unsustainable. I run hither and yon, usually well-dressed and put together in a car that I keep tidy and gassed up, with a neat list of To-Do items penciled in a planner that is both cute and practical. Affix smile to my face and voila! I am Superwoman, or at least, a small-town, Midwestern version of a modern day Everywoman.

When I'm not writing (which is only twice a week), I'm cleaning, doing laundry, getting groce...

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