Evidence of Winter

In our neck of the woods, winter is marked by rain and the occasional day or two of snow. But this Christmas, we had the whole gamut of winter weather! Beautiful frost with sun-filled mornings, drippy rain and a surprise snow storm. Oh, and I failed to mention our most notorious winter weather, the feared ice storm. Thus far, we've avoided this driving disaster this season . . .
Christmas morning, hubby and I snuck out of the house in search of wintery photos. Some these were no further than our backyard.
The frost was heavy and wonderful. I was looking for sun and frost together . . . but the sun was doing his work quickly.

I'm glad that Paige over at Shutter Sisters invited us to show proof of winter in our photos. Today is dark and damp and the pictures are a refreshing reminder of the beauty of winter!

Ringing in the New Year

The last two weeks have been chaotic with out of town guests and the business of playing hostess for the holidays. I'd like to say that I was well behaved and found my stint as domestic goddess relaxing and rejuvenating . . . but I'd be lying and you know it! But if not exactly restful, our time with family and friends reminded me of the things I most value: quality time with my children and husband, shared meals, connection and time for reflection.
I entered this two week holiday with the expectation (rather the hope) of regrouping and rethinking -- and surprisingly, I do feel a greater sense of clarity. In broad strokes, I want to focus on the values mentioned above and structure my work and family life to support them. The details of how this will happen are still percolating . . . I anticipate making changes at work and rethinking some of our household routines.
Little by little, that is how I intend to tackle the changes I want to make personally and professionally. This year promises to be exciting! I'm anxious to get started and in fact, have begun with tiny goals even in the last two weeks. For example, I've reduced my caffeine intake and said adios to my daily Coke Zero habit. Now I'll fashion my next small goal and proceed from there . . .
For sure I know that my continued love affair with photography will continue! Santa (aka hubby) gifted me with several books promising me to better understand shutter speed and macro photography. I've made it through the first and these "action" shots are my first attempt at creatively capturing motion. What do you think of the snow angels?
I've also tinkered for the first time with RAW and upgraded to PSE 8 so that I could process the images. A whole new learning curve!

It's going to be a great year!

Christmas Bokeh

We had a little pre-breakfast fun today in Christmas pj's. The furry friend is "Jingle," a musical moose. Or is he a reindeer? I was inspired by today's post at ShutterSisters, explaining how to achieve glorious "bokeh bubbles," to steal Sarah's apt descriptor.
I'm loving the possibilities that all the twinkly lights present . . . And adorable, excited children. Now the only problem is that they don't sit still! My skill with the focus on my 50mm prime is still somewhat deficient to the task. But I had an aha moment about the wonders of masks and the sharpening!
Here Christmas Moose has his own moment of fame. He's been my son's pal since he was a wee toddler of about 18 months. His batteries never seem to run down . . . Little Sis had made him her "pet" this year and he has been to and from school multiple times. And woe be unto which ever parent forgets to retrieve him at the end of the day!
These last two are repeats from earlier in the season -- still my favorites thus far!
I'm packing my camera with me today as we attempt to finish up some shopping and visit with a friend and her adorable baby. Ah, it feels so wonderful to be settling in for some quality time with family and friends. When I feel my need to form to-do lists and get anxious about the baking and cleaning, I remind myself of my desire to really relish the holidays this year. Its time to recuperate, for myself and my family. Cheers!

Owlish Good Time

Last night was Big D's Christmas program and he was in owlish form . . . He and all his little K-2nd grade buddies were in costume as various barn yard animals and fowl. There were a few angels thrown in for good form. It was very sweet and he did so well with his lines: "Who, who are you? And why are you here?"
Apparently my little dude took a tumble off the risers in rehearsal but there were no repeat occurances during the performance. He was a bit distracted by his wings and their tendency to slip down his arms.
Did I mention he's a ladies' man? Oh my. They flock to him. This little gal is just about his speed. Funny faces and striking poses.
We had to test out the costume at home, of course. I've been shocked by his sensitivity to what others' think. I mean, I expected that but I didn't think we'd have worries about being laughing at such a young age. Here he is checking out his reflection in the bathroom mirror. I was relieved that the finished look passed his inspection as I didn't have any back up plans.
Today was the first day of two weeks away from work. Ah. I'm beginning to feel the reality seek in . . . today got a little done around the house, laid down with the kids for a rest (no one actually slept, stinkers) and now hubby and I will work on wrapping packages. I'm looking forward to baking with the kids, checking out a few holiday sites in town and preparing yummy food. And did I mention sleep, read and exercise? Slow down and breath? That does sound a bit oxymoronic, doesn't it?

Hope you are all warm, comfy and enjoying yourselves this Friday evening.

Tree, with more pics.

Never fear, the tree posts will continue as tree trimming and lighting occurs. I bet you can hardly wait!

Tree, likely to be one of several parts

We got our tree last night! Hubby left work earlier, rushed to pick up Sis while I got Big D and then we headed into the hills. Which is literally out our door and a drive of maybe a couple of miles. Not exactly "over the hills and through the woods" -- we're lucky that way! We arrived close to sunset and tramped through the tree farm, examining trees and then moving along, looking for just the right specimen. 
I brought along my camera and new lens. I'm in love. Just love. It took such bright pictures despite the deepening dark . . . At some point, it was too dark to capture my little elves who were in constant motion without significant blur. Especially Big D. Hence a lack of pics with his sweet little person. 
Sis kept finding trees just her size. Wanted to take them all home. Perhaps make them pets . . . which is a prominent play theme these days:) But this mama had a different vision. A tall, full tree framed by the bay window at the front of the house. Lots of lights. Ah. 
This magical tree farm had a "snow" machine and every 5 minutes, "flakes" of soapy bubbles would fill the air. My kids were fascinated. Well, until Big D made a connection between the bubbles and what he remembered about spit bugs. He announced it was "disgusting -- maybe they have a hundred spit bugs in that thing." We got to see beautiful clydesdale horses pulling a lit wagon full of happy people -- we weren't some of those happy people as they were charging the equivalent of your first born. There was a train display and a cute shop of Christmas ornaments and the crafts featuring the lavender from a nearby farm. 
It was a lovely experience. A tradition that I value from my own childhood. Of course, it was complete with my own very human children - Sis had herself a little tantrum of ugliness. You wouldn't guess it looking at her sweet face in the pics. She's a sprite. I keep reminding myself that I'll be grateful for her strong will when she is a young woman, making her way in the world. She will not be a victim. She will pursue her dreams with determination. We just have to survive her childhood:) 

As I type, she is dancing in her Christmas pj's while Big D tells daddy an endless story . . . they are anxious to get on with the day. They want stories, to decorate the tree and I'm not sure what else. Perhaps we will start some baking or finish up some crafts. Enjoy the day!

Bare Necessities

Heading back to work today . . . been away a week, how come I don't feel refreshed and rejuvenated? :) We all know why. 'Cause we're the women of our households. Responsible for creating and supplying the holiday experience to our families. What may be a vacation for the other (male) adults in our lives, is a labor of love on our parts. No, I'm not bitter. Far from it actually. I've had me some good conversation with smart women that I love and whose advice I value . . . The reality is that I can not reproduce the holidays of my childhood. For one, they were orchestrated by my grandmother who had no children at home and didn't work. And for another, I am my own unique person and will create my own unique set of traditions and rituals to mark the holidays for my children. So here's my list of bare necessities that I believe that I and my family will need on a daily basis for a happy and successful holiday . . . 

1. Good eats -- sometimes healthy:)

2. Exercise and fresh air

3. Rest

4. Loved ones to do the above with . . . 

Everything else is gravy. I wish for myself and my family a simple holiday. Ah, already feeling more zen about the coming weeks:) 

Happy Birthday Lens to Me!

Rather than launch into a recital of the last week's events -- what with the in-laws, the cooking and the general insanity of having 11 people in my home only, oh say, 2 of which I'm terribly familiar with -- I thought I'd share my new Birthday lens with you! 
All of these pics are SOOC and are my first experiments with my 50mm 1.4G lens . . . fun, fun, fun! I tinkered and fiddled and even took the lens on our annual trip to the Zoo Lights. 
I have to admit that I thought it'd be a breeze to slip the new lens on and start snapping lovely indoor/low light shots. But I discovered there's a learning curve to finding the correct focus and accounting for the shallow DOF. Working on it . . . and then there's the art of being more discerning in selecting which lens to use for a given image. 
I enjoy setting a lovely table for holiday dinners. Why we wait for an occasion to pull out our pretty china and flatware, I don't know. It's a waste, really. I know its not time for resolutions just yet but I'd like to resolve to celebrate more often with friends and family. Perhaps a few new holidays will have to be established. Hmm. Going to have to give that some thought. 
I will regal you all with stories and photos from Thanksgiving. For now, suffice it to say that it went well, there's much to be thankful for and once the vege-turkey found its way into the fridge, we pulled out the Christmas decorations. In fact, as I type, the kiddos are watching a Disney Christmas sing-along DVD. Such happy music! Cheers.