laura k bray

One of the best Christmas gifts I ever received was a Sindy doll’s dining set from my father’s sister, my Aunt Kathy. Aunt Kathy always bought my sisters and I the best presents. She had three boys and I think she relished the chance to hit the girl’s section of the toy store. Many of my most beloved gifts were from Aunt Kathy. I mean, she’s the one who bought me The Barbie Beauty Center Styling Head too. Oh, I can still smell it-the plastic, sweet smell. I remember the way the powdery, blue eye shadow glided onto Barbie’s perfect eyelids, smooth as silk. And how her hair, always satin blonde, immediately became tangled, never to be like new again. But back to Sindy’s dining room set. A creamy, French provincial style. It was made for Sindy dolls but at my house, Barbie took it over. Barbie was kind of priviledged and tended to think the world revolved around her so she often furnished her life from the spoils she stole from other dolls. She took my Jody doll’s dog and, worse,...

I am always looking for ways to become a better writer and the one piece of advice I hear most is to read more! Here’s a list of the books that I think have helped me improve my craft this year. The Way of the Fearless Writer by Beth Kempton This book isn’t being released in the U.S. until the summer, but you can buy a copy on Book Depository now. I love Beth Kempton’s books, and this, her first book on creating a writing life, is one of the most unique books on creativity and writing I’ve read in a long time. Beth is a Japanologist and applies Eastern wisdom to the practice of writing. It’s a unique and gentle way to approach writing. The book is jam-packed with writing prompts that have inspired quite a few essays for me. If you liked Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird or Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones , you’ll love this book. Bonus! Beth has a podcast where she talks about some points from the book and gives writing prompts. She also has a free writing e-course ( Win...

    This Year's Tree  Yesterday was a beautiful day in my little corner of Washington state. An early snow turned our yard into a winter wonderland, making it a snow-globe-perfect-day to decorate our Christmas trees.   Pancake Ornament on Kitchen Christmas Tree Yes, I said trees, we have two! One four-foot, white tree that goes in our kitchen and holds all our food-themed ornaments and then another, traditional, evergreen, seven-footer in our living room that all the rest of my sizable ornament collection goes on. My husband claims I take our tree decorating too seriously. Maybe I do, but I don’t hear him complaining when we snuggle up in front of our tree and its magic engulfs the room. I have developed a process over the years that I think makes our tree special. I’ll share it with you in case you want to up your tree decorating game this year. Layer Your Tree   Christmas 1978 (I'm in the white. My Dad loved having a huge tree!) I was raised by a m...