The DHX: The Doughtie Houses Exchange

Chris’s elf got braces.

G’s robot’s display screen started working.

I hung ornaments on my tree.

Kathy asked for a big green dollar sign with “The DHX” stitched on it. I think she might have been half-joking. But that was a fun one to make.

Jack wanted a little ying-yang sign — like his mom’s — to replace one [...]

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I made Christmas stockings for our house a few years ago, and every year I try to add a few more details to them.

G’s robot got a bead face this year. I’m also working on a read out for the display screen and on control buttons.

I’m going to sew a few fresh-water pearls onto my [...]

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That’s Not What I Meant! How Conversational Style Makes or Breaks Relationships by Deborah Tannen
“The more contact people have with each other, the more opportunities both have to do things in their own way and be misunderstood. The only way they know of to solve problems is to talk things out, but if different ways [...]

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Inspired by Samara and Lori, we decided to make Christmas cookies together, too. Kathy called me up with the idea and invited me over.

I asked Kathy if she had some candles she could light for more photogenic cooking.

We got a little silly. (Kathy threw herself into the photo shoot. And then she let me post [...]

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No guarantees (unless you yourself have something wonderful up your sleeve), but it’s always possible, and sometimes we don’t see things we’re not prepared to see.

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If you feel like you could use it, find a counselor or a coach to talk you through your plans, fears and hopes for the holidays.
Last year I happened to find hypnotherapist a month or so before the holidays. She gave a lunchtime talk at work on reducing stress during the holidays. Her advice was [...]

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It’s okay to be sad, and it’s okay to let other people see you sad.

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If you’re in a stressful holiday situation, start imagining how you could retell it as a funny story or turn it into a funny blog post.

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Do something creative or generative that you enjoy. Paint a picture (even if you buy a set of kids’ water colors from the grocery store and don’t show the results to anyone), write a poem, write an essay, take a picture, make a sculpture, write a song, learn a new piece of music, make a [...]

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