Two quick writing tidbits: First, Writing Wednesday will be back next week and I’ll be sharing the title of book baby! I find titles difficult, and this one took me more than three years to settle on, so I’m super excited that during these past few months I’ve finally decided on a title that I love. Come back next week to find out what it is.
And, second, I received my first peer-feedback on my memoir this week – from Gina Holmes, the award-winning author of Crossing Oceans and Dry as Rain and founder of Inspire a Fire. I was thrilled to read her endorsement:
“This is a positively riveting memoir by a talented author and globe-trotter. I loved journeying with Lisa McKay as she sought the love of her life and a place to call home. I can’t recommend this beautiful and triumphant story enough!”
But this week hasn’t been all (or even mostly) about writing, so it seems fitting that this week’s post should be mostly focused on sharing a couple of snippets of our Christmas in Laos.
We may not have had a traditional Christmas tree, but we did have a Christmas fireplace and we even ended up with some nicely wrapped gifts piled beside it (thanks mostly to Mike’s staff who, incidentally, were also the only ones who bought Dominic presents – I suspect that’s the last year we’ll be able to get away with that).
I stayed busy feeding the Christmas elves by cooking up a storm in our toaster oven. Along the path to banana spice loaf with lemon glaze, chocolate chip cookies, and caramelized onion and sweet potato frittata, I’ve had to do a lot of something I never dreamed I’d do again after completing my high school cooking classes in Zimbabwe – cream butter and sugar by hand with a wooden spoon.
Twenty years later that endeavor still takes just as long and is just as laborious, but at least I have an interested audience to play to. Although, sometimes those audience members (particularly the furry one) are a little too interested in the process.
Feeding the Christmas Elves milk
Cooking the Christmas Elves cookies
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were lovely – relaxed and friends-filled. Our housekeeper, Oun, brought her baby around for us to meet. We had lunch with friends on the Khan, and another couple of friends surprised us at our house that night with carol books in hand and “caroled” us.
On Christmas morning we had two friends around for what turned out to be a champagne brunch, and then two more for a Moroccan dinner. The food turned out a whole lot better than our family Christmas photos.
Despite (and in some ways because of) the crying baby soundtrack, we had a delightful Christmas. We hope yours was every bit as special. Thanks for dropping by!
12 comments
I love it all, Lisa. You, your sweet family and even your crying baby. After all, if they never cried, I’m pretty sure we’d neglect them routinely in favor or our own desires and devices. As it is, Dominic is pretty likely to get fed and bathed and put to sleep instead of being the best toy ever for his parents and their friends. Babies demand respect.
Love to you,
Or, they’d get left in their cribs to play by themselves all day while their mothers focused on their laptops (not that I know anyone who’d forget their child while writing, no…).
Lisa, I’ve been reading your blog for some time and have enjoyed living your life of adventure vicariously from my comfy chair in mid-America. Many blessings to you and Mike. Dominic is one lucky baby to have you for parents. Happy New Year!
Thanks Carla! I’m going to start guest posting once a month on Inspire a Fire, too, and looking forward to being part of that team with you all.
As someone who loves to bake and recently added a kitchen aid into my life (at the risk of shorting our whole apartment due to the power it requires) you have nothing but my respect. Creaming butter and sugar by hand! Crikey!
Yes, I can imagine a kitchen aid might well short your whole place. I’m hoping to buy a set of hand held beaters next time we make it to Thailand. This creaming butter and sugar’s getting real old!
Adorable!! I especially love the photo of you making cookies as Dominic and the dog look on. Your housekeeper’s baby is so precious. I visited Luang Prabang back in 2007 so that gives me more context for your stories. Happy new year to all of you!
That little baby is precious, isn’t he? And such a cool story. She’d been married 15 years before falling pregnant, so she was absolutely delighted!
The crying pics are always the best. They’re always the ones we think are funniest later…. I wish I had more of Andrew crying!
Yes, well, this past two weeks we’ve had more and more opportunities to take those photos. What happened to my sunny baby?
Can’t wait to hear about your title! Love the photos… Merry Christmas!
To you, too. Hope all’s going well with all of your own projects. Keep me updated, I’d love to hear your latest on your own memoir journey!
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