Dorothy’s Blog

Here’s another take on that Christmas gift giving habit from a column I wrote in 2002. That Christmas Habit  Dorothy Wilhelm©2002 “Habit is what gets me through,” Bob tells me firmly.  He says everything firmly.  I bumped into this retired bachelor in the potato section at Albertson’s.  You meet the most interesting people in the Produce Department.  Bob doesn’t hesitate to tell me that he is 76 years old but somehow he’s managed to keep aRead More

It's Christmas all through the neighborhood I’m looking forward to Christmas especially this year.  I think having this blog to work on adds to the sparkle and the fun.  Gina and I went  to see Cinderella at the 5th Avenue is Seattle yesterday – incredible, and today is Great Grandson Tristin’s eighth birthday.  We are blessed.  I am trying so desperately to get packages in the mail, made three kinds of candy today. All veryRead More

  We just have to follow the Star, right? I don’t know about you, but sometimes I find it hard to get into the Christmas spirit now that the kids are grown and I can’t even decide if I’ll have a Christmas tree this year.  Well, when I feel that way, I find the best thing to do is to is pour some egg nog half n half with 7 up, (rum is optional) putRead More

Blending family Christmas customs can be very confusing Blended families Grandparents Can Help Blended Families Create A Good Mix During the Holidays  Part II     by Sunie Levin When there are two different religious cultures involved in the holiday celebration this can be a minefield, but grandparents can, if they are of a mind to, help the kids see the good points of each faith and that the religions are not adversaries, but rather complementary. Clearly, it’s importantRead More

Christmas isn't the same when the kids are grown. We have to make our own fun. Is your house the only one in the neighborhood where there are no Christmas lights? Are you beginning to think the holidays are just too much trouble? Certainly, by the time  you’re sixty plus holidays are not what they used to be.  It’s fun as long as there are kids around, but now we have to look at theRead More

  From our house to yours For The Best Days of Our Lives – That’s Today!!  Today’s Question from  Barb. . .“Company’s coming, house is decorated; how can I save the huge puzzle I’m working on.  Every time I try to put it somewhere, it comes apart.  What shall I do?” Have you got any ideas for Barb? Dorothy Wilhelm: Not all of family holiday traditions are worth keeping I hated to visit my grandmother’sRead More

Fr. Charles Kanai has come from Kenya to Lakewood, WA In this month’s column in The News Tribune, I introduced you to two folks who are really good at celebrating life every day.  First, here’s Father Charles Kanai, Parochial Vicar at St. John Bosco church in Lakewood.  Last week, he taught the congregation to sing Thank you Jesus in Swahili.  We caught on very fast. Lenore Clem can sew a heart in 15 minutesLenore ClemRead More

  You can have a lot of fun without messing up the kitchen that badly, just by engaging the small persons in your life in creating a wonderful whimsical holiday treat. And it is good, too. You can download Grammy’s Famous Popcorn Pumpkin Cake by right clicking on the link below and then clicking “save target as” or “save link in new window.” Right click here to download control click with a Mac Grammy madeRead More

Fred Oldfield - the old cowboy paints again This grand daddy of Western Artists shows has grown and changed over the years and I’ve got to say this year seems to me the best yet. Especially, in this age when we’re just deluged with junk and everything seems made of plastic, the show warm, homey and yet the art is just wonderful. Of course, it all starts with Fred Oldfield, and I found him atRead More