The End

Today is the end, the last day, the year is up and I did it! A picture a day for a year! 

It was quite a challenge though I never did consider stopping. My technique is better then when I started and I have learned a lot but I still felt like there were times when I was "just taking photographs" rather than "creating a photograph". The new goal for the new year is to participate in the 52 Week Challenge. A picture a week and this time more themed oriented. (but I still get to pick the themes :) One a day was good for a year but not for two!! :p

Thanks so much for being my followers, it made it much more inspiring for me to keep it up knowing that you were looking at it everyday.

Redo

This was my very first attempt at making reflections in the water drops, way back on January 4th, 2011- Day 5. I was inspired by a post I saw on Flickr and wanted to give it a go.Not exactly a successful picture so I wanted to try it again. Below is my second attempt...

 This time I was successful in getting the picture that I wanted.Woot, Woot! Look at those cute little penguin reflections! Apparently I learned a few things in this last year. LoL!

Family Pictures

It's time for Uncle Tim and Alan to leave which means Christmas is officially over. It also means 30 minutes of taking family pictures. And here we all are, except for Larry who was sleeping after working all night. Quite a group of good looking people if I should say so myself!!

Practicing

Elizabeth will be auditioning for the Peoria Symphony Orchestra and the Prairie Winds in January. Practice, practice, practice!

She's getting a little advice from Uncle Tim today.

When you play more then one instrument you have to practice even more!

Out of the House

We all bundled up and headed out to Cooper Park for a walk.

All the girls love this uprooted tree, it has such character.

They are standing on the bridge with what we believe to be a beaver's nest underneath.

There wasn't a whole lot of color out there today, lots of brown with some areas of green. 

We had a nice walk, it was great to just get out of the house.

Merry Christmas

 Santa came and we had a wonderful day! Opened stockings and presents, had the usual Christmas breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage and toast, played games, took naps, bowled on the new Wii and ate way tooo much candy! The perfect Christmas day. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve Traditions

It's Christmas Eve and we have just finished our traditional dinner of Oyster Stew and Lasagna. Next comes the opening of one gift, but just for the "kids".

Surprise! New jammies!!!!

And the best Christmas Eve tradition, the stockings! We tie our stockings to a chair and Santa comes to fill them up, leaving all kinds of goodies in the stockings and on the chairs. It was always my favorite part of Christmas. Off to bed now so Santa can come!!