Holiday Joy

Holiday Joy

We got a little snow last week, which is a rare treat around here these days. Well, a treat if you don’t have to drive in it.

snow1

Last year, we didn’t get any snow, so our one snow day was a pretty big deal for my 4-year-old.

snow2

I love the way snow quiets things. You slow down, and pay more attention to what’s going on around you…

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Like the smile on this angel’s face.

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So much joy.

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I wish you peace, love, health, and joy on Christmas, for the rest of the holiday season, and throughout the year.

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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

There is a local family that goes all out with their Christmas decorations every year. Santa frequently stops by to pose for DIY photos, and they even have a snow making machine installed on the side of their house. They also collect for the NW Harvest food drive every year.

Every where you look is decorated, every square foot of the lawn. Aaron and I marveled at how much was involved. Not just the electricity, but the hours of work that must have been involved. I can’t even wrap my head around the planning, organization, and storage considerations for this annual project.

Gem marveled at the whole thing, too. “Mommy, Mommy, look, look!” Over and over again. Everything was so amazing.

Christmas

It is a bit gaudy, and definitely over the top, but that’s part of the appeal. I love a little exuberance every once in a while; it can be so freeing and refreshing.

Do you have any extreme holiday houses near you?

That’s one way to light a tree

That’s one way to light a tree

I love it when people think out of the box for holiday decorations. tree with lantern

This tree full of lanterns is so festive, but also, so interesting. I could sit and look for hours. Well, if it wasn’t so cold.   lantern tree

Have any decorations captured your interest this season?           lantern

How to make baby shoe ornaments

How to make baby shoe ornaments

When Gem grew out of her first baby shoes, I couldn’t bear to get rid of them. I wanted to keep them, but I didn’t want them just tucked away in a box for decades either.

baby shoe ornament

I didn’t know what to do with them until we started putting up our Christmas tree.

baby shoe ornament

Now, they are included among our most cherished Christmas ornaments. Yes, they spend most of the year tucked away in a box, but they bring a smile each holiday season.

How did I do this? Simple, just threat a little string through the loop in the back. For one pair, I poked a small hole in the back and threaded string through with a needle, but most of the baby shoes had a place to attach the string already.

Nothing to see here

Nothing to see here

It’s happened to me time and again, I take my camera out on a photo walk and everything is all wrong. The light is flat, the scenery dull and uninteresting. I wonder what I’m doing out in the cold and wind, and I just want to give up and go home.

There’s nothing to see here. I’m wasting my time.

Then, I look a little closer.
raindrop

It never fails. A closer look always leads to something special.

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I just discovered this site, which plays the sound of rain. Sooooo relaxing. http://www.rainymood.com/