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!!

Festival of Lights

Jim, the girls, and I went to the East Peoria Festival of Lights.

There are 2 miles of displays that you drive through ranging from a big Monster Truck to Reindeer jumping over the road!

Gingerbread House

Elizabeth and Victoria made a Gingerbread House. Alexandra helped too! (according to Liz by just eating the frosting). It's Beautiful!!

Mr. Grinch

You're a mean one , Mr. Grinch

You really are a heel

You're as cuddly as a cactus,

You're as charming as an eel

Mr. Grinch

You're a bad banana with a greasy black peel!

Christmas Gifts

My nieces lost their beloved cat Charlie yesterday. He appeared on their doorstep, determined to stay, 13 years ago at Christmas. He was a very special Christmas gift and was loved immediately.  Charlie was a mild mannered cat that allowed the girls to pick him up, toss him around and pose him for many many pictures! He was loved by all and will be missed terribly.

Santa Squarepants.

A moment of creativity and I made my own little Santa Squarepants (with some sewing help from Jim). Isn't he a little cutie!

Christmas Cantata

Elizabeth and Alexandra played in the Christmas Cantata at Church tonight. After the performance we go downstairs and have our fill of cookies and juice. Then back upstairs to pose by the Christmas tree. Of course we are missing Gracie from our pictures cause' she had to work. She was missed.

Grandmother and the Girls

Grandma Ann and the Girls

The Greens 

(yes, I was forced to let Alexandra take my picture "so people will know you were there!")

The Howdyshells 

Aglow

 The Christmas lights in the house are all aglow and are making me feel warm and cozy. I absolutely love it when I find (or finally notice) the patterns that the lights create. Sometimes it's the simplest things that can make a person happy.

Santa

Santa brought me and my family the best Christmas gift ever today! 

Jim will start his new job on January 3rd.

Thank You Santa!

Stars

Oh the things that can be done in Photoshop! I took some shaped Bokeh pictures around the Christmas tree tonight, then I just couldn't help it. I just never know what I will create when I go exploring in Photoshop.

Christmas Cards

We've been having these little card making sessions at work. Brenda, The Master Card Maker, brings in her little tote filled with lots of cool card making things like the Crocodile and the Cuttlebug. She then instructs us on the proper way of card making.  I made all these cards plus one, but I used that one before I could get a picture of it. It was a lot of fun!!!

Little Christmas Village

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Let your hearts be light

Here we are in olden days

Happy golden days of yore

Hang a shining star upon the highest bough

And have yourself a Merry little Christmas

Landscape

The goal for this picture was to make a panoramic but it didn't turn out quite as planned. Seems there are lots of things in life that don't turn out as planned. But I took what I had and came up with this, lemonade out of lemons?!

Out with Alex

Got to spend some time with Alexandra today.

Even More Gracie Art

I love her paintings! Here a few that she recently painted.

Christmas Countdown

15 Days 3 Hours 50 Minutes 00 seconds...

Christmas Concert

Tonight we attended the Christmas Concert at the high school.

Alexandra is first chair! Woot Woot!! We are so proud of her!

But the best part of this picture, for me, is that her feet are not touching the ground. Why she didn't scoot forward, I don't know, but I found it amusing.  

 There she is, my beautiful girl.

Elizabeth also joined the Jazz Band this year. (The real reason for joining the Jazz Band, so she would not have to wear that dress! ) She even had a solo part in Winter Wonderland and she was amazing!

That's not her up there though, she doesn't play the sax, she plays the clarinet for Jazz band, but  the band got these new music stands and I thought that were pretty "Jazzy"!

Believe

Believe in what your heart is saying,

Hear the melody that's playing.

There's no time to waste,

There's so much to celebrate.

Believe in what you feel inside,

And give your dreams the wings to fly,

You have everything you need,

If you just believe.

~Josh Groban

Snow Globe

As I look around my house at the Christmas decorations, I start to notice that I have gotten quite a collection of Snowmen. Oh Frosty, you're so cute!

Santa Fe

Had my lunch out on the road again today. Stopped at a park where this train was displayed. I'm sure there is some history to it but the only information there was who had donated it. But then this is what I saw...

So many smiles in this world!

Christmas Tree Shopping

For as long as I can remember, we have gone out to Talbotts to get our Christmas trees. This year it was just the girls that went out.

The Green's Tree

The Howdyshell's Tree

And just who cut those tree's down? Why Gracie of course!

Merry Christmas!