Perfect timing!

My friend Suzanne and I are always in sync, our brains think alike and we often joke that we must share a brain.

Getting my money's worth!

Sky is always asking me for my spare change, Brooke always want's a coin in her pocket and Jett has a Transformer wallet that has some dollar bills in it from Grandma.  These kids already love money.  In Sky's book order there was a set of books I ordered that explained the coins... pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters.  I can see I'm getting my money's worth already.  She has read about all of them and has told me facts that even I didn't know!

Please mom!

She was so funny... she got in her stocking and got her first choice of candy and I watched her walk towards me.  I had my camera in hand just waiting for the question.  When I asked her what she had, she got down on her little knees and so sweetly asked, "Please mom?"  How could I say no, even though I know this had to be piece number 10 or 11 for the day.  Oh well, it's Christmas right?

The love came from near and far...

And they're off...

Christmas morning... it begins with the stockings!

Christmas Eve excitement!

My Three Kings...

It being Christmas Eve-Eve... I took my kids up to my parents house so I could get some shopping done.  When I went to get them, it was dinner time and neither my mom or I wanted to fix anything.  We decided to drive down the hill and eat at Burger King.  They LOVE to get the king hats and wore them even after getting jammies on for the night!

And the story goes...

that my friend Suzanne is the only reason these stockings hang today!

My kids have never had Christmas stockings.  I have never found any I LOVED and I've always been hesitant to buy some not knowing how many kids we'd have in the end.  I considered making some this year, but just didn't get around to it.  So... after telling Suzanne that Santa left my kids candy in a bowl every year, it became her mission to help me find ones I liked and then get them.  A friend of Suzanne's gave her a cute stocking and found out it had been purchased at Sam's Club.  I'm not a member so I kinda wrote it off as an option.  It was Monday when she told me.  Had I been smart, I would have gone over to Sam's Club that night and bought them.  Instead it turned into this...

  Tuesday morning Suzanne called me (remember the day that it snowed TONS) and asked me if I had gone over and got them.  Of course my response was no and I listed my reasons.  She didn't like that and decided that if I wasn't going to get them, she was.  I couldn't let her do this on her own so I promised to meet her over at Sams.  I threw my kids in the car (in their PJ's) and met her there.  It was a scary drive over having already started to dump snow.  We met up, only to find out there were none left.  I ran in (while she sat outside with our kids in the car) with the stocking she had gotten and asked them to call the other Sams Clubs and see if they had any.  They called and Murray had some.  I had only a bit before my daughter was out of school, so I ran to get her while Suzanne ran to the Murray location.  It was a tough drive in the snow and kinda scary.  I couldn't believe I was out driving in it for one (cause I freak when I have to drive in snow) and two that my friend was dragging her kids around in their PJ's to help me get stockings.  Crazy!!!  After getting my daughter I met up with her at the Murray Sams.  She had gone in and found they had three left.  THREE!  She was holding them for me but the kicker was that neither of us had a membership and they weren't giving out one day passes for the holidays.  Grrr... So, I asked a lady that was parked next to me if I could borrow her card to buy these stockings that my friend was inside holding for me.  She said yes.  So we switched... Suzanne ran out, I ran in (with this stranger) to buy them.  We got to the front of the line and I swiped my card.  "We don't take American Express."  That's all I had on me.  So with a call to Suzanne who was sitting with the kids outside in the snowy parking lot, we switched again.  She ran into pay, while I ran outside to sit with the kids.
Ta-Da!  Here they hang... three little, DANG CUTE stockings!

I'm sorry to make you look at chewed food...

but my daughter leaves me little notes all over my house.  This one caught me by surprise.  Can you tell?  It says, "I love you."

I'm a little crazy after my girls slumber party and NO sleep!

Just learned...

how to make these!

Who loves Christmas parties?

Who needs Pandora?

That's more like it...

Candy jar.

Obedient Children!

This deserves to be the post for the day!  This WAS my day.  It was suddenly all about this.  It may not be ME being creative, but my little girl was so incredibly creative that I have to post this!
While I was on the phone, she came over and asked me, "Mom, what do you want for Christmas."  Slightly bugged that I was being interruped on the phone, I said somewhat sarcastically, "obedient children!"  With a bit of an eye roll, but not a word she walked away.  Minutes later I was handed this piece of paper.  What could I say?  I gushed all day about this paper.  I shared the story with my friend on the phone, I called up dad and told him the story.  I shared it that night at dinner.  I loved how she took my not so nice answer and turned it into something wonderful!

Sunday dinner!

It's all about the cookie!

Able to survive my Friday!

Too cold! 12 degrees really? Come on!

Mama's helper!

There's a story that goes with this and today there are two pictures to tell it.  I had my camera out tonight without a single thought of what my picture for the day was going to be.  Brooke saw me and said just out of the blue, "Wanna take a picture of my hat?"  How could I say no?  So I said, "Sure, let's do it.  She ran up to the kitchen moved a kitchen chair into place and climbed up onto it.  CLICK!  That was perfect, the image of her looking at the Christmas Tree.  She turned around after hearing me take the picture and said, "No, not like that!"  She took her hat and started doing funny things with it and posing in hilarious ways.  I kept clicking as I laughed.  The second one says it all!  She's cute, funny and helped me out for today!

Snow Cone

Me!

Decorating...

All I want for Christmas...

Lights on...

Brownies, I love you!

Christmas Cards

Without revealing everything about them, just know I'm excited to have them to send this year.  Last year, I'm not sure what happened.  I didn't send out cards nor did I get out decorations.  We were lucky to have a tree with lights on it.  So, I'm a little giddy about this.  Glad to have jumped back on the Christmas train and send out cards!

Goodmorning toofless!

To go, or not to go? That is the question of the day!

The dresses...

Playing...

with my settings!  My little sister (she's 11) is the best at coming up with games and activities for my kids whenever we go to my parents house.  This weekend we spent a lot of time there and I was able to relax knowing she had them and they were having fun.  I snuck down into the basement to see what they were up to.

Black and White beauty...

I find it so funny that me, the color loving photographer, is wanting to change everything to b/w today.  And what's even funnier is this client of mine who had a baby 10 weeks ago said to me that she wanted to go with a B/W theme to help hide her post baby body, but then after seeing how great lots of bright color looked, she'd decided to go with color.  I don't know, sometimes it might just be the mood I'm in or maybe, it's that I need to change it up or maybe, it's that little blondies with gorgeous dark eyes look perfect in b/w.

High Five!

We're outta here...

for dinner.  In case you didn't see my facebook status, I was crazy busy yesterday and only managed to get half my list of things done. Which meant come dinner time, I had no way of coming up with anything except things like mac and cheese.  The kids, wouldn't agree to any of my "quick fix" ideas for dinner so I gave in and off we went to Rock Creek Pizza Co.

I'm on pins and needles...

I'm stressing just a little.  I've never used a pattern, and here I am following the directions and have the cutest dresses... BUT this last step, the step of "shirring" has me going crazy!!!  It's not working.  It's not nearly as easy as the rest of the dress was to make.  WOW!!

Beauty just outside my back door...

This morning brought so much beauty.  I couldn't decide which was more gorgeous, my big tree covered in snow or the amazingly blue sky behind it.  I grabbed my camera, slid open my back door and shot these from inside my kitchen.  I forget the beauty that snow brings.  I seem to focus on my dislike of it for the obvious reasons (it's so cold and I hate driving in it), but really it's gorgeous.  I love this challenge for the reason that it makes me really focus on what's going on around me.  I'm looking at things with more depth rather than just letting it fly right on by.  This was one of those days as I starred at the snow topped houses, trees and even power lines as I drove my daughter to school.  It was a gorgeous view the whole way there.  Any other time, I wouldn't have noticed anything except the slush on the ground that I was having to drive carefully in.  So for this I am grateful!

Getting there...

Saturday morning breakfast...

All the leaves are BLACK and the sky is grey...

Future Thanksgiving dresses...

A painful day...

After checking her and finding out she had a fever, I went upstairs, grabbed the phone to call hubby.  I was carrying her with me and on the way down we slid.  Her chin hit the top, tile stair and I hit HARD and slid the rest of the way down.  I was scared to look at her.  The sound of her hitting the tile and not knowing what it was that hit, had me so afraid to look at her.  Would she have missing teeth?  A gash on her head with blood gushing out?  Soon it was apparent it was her chin.  Then I wondered, was it broken?  Was it going to swell up and be black and blue?  Oh, being a mother is painful sometimes.  Because I had the phone in my hand, I was able to make a call immediately and talk to my husband.  But now it was about the fever AND the fall!  Ouch!  We sat ALL day on the couch.  I didn't mind the excuse to just sit.  I needed a day to just sit.  But that means, I didn't get up for a picture of anything but our feet.  I think it's fine though, she has cute little toes that need to be repainted!  Maybe tomorrow.

Please keep this one a secret!

This one is SO not a great image!  First, the fact that I'm in it (eeek, super scary) and second that this is hardly creative or a well crafted image.  Tonight, Suzanne and I had the opportunity to go listen to Scott Bourne an amazing speaker who is an incredibly amazing photographer.  He's published several books and is known for his wildlife photography all over!  He was so inspiring and spoke about making pictures rather than taking pictures.  His journey to make a particular picture he had seen in his mind took him 12 years to do, and oh so worth it.  But... so much for that tonight.  This was all about just taking a picture so I could post one for today in the challenge.  I do have to say that although this is a horrible image it does sum up Suzanne and I quite well.  At the end of every photo camp, photo walk, photo group we tend to get silly and sometimes that turns into creativity, and other times it's just silliness.  Tonight was no different.  It went something like this...

me:  Suzanne, I haven't taken a picture for today.

Suzanne:  Let's take one.

me:  Okay, hold up your book and go like this, like it's a big secret.

Suzanne won one of Scott Bourne's books, "88 Secrets to Wildlife Photography"

I held up my camera with my very unsteady, left hand and it pointed at us, click... and this is the picture of the day.

As I laid in bed tonight, I cringed at the thought that this was my picture for the day.  Suddenly, new, creative, better ideas came to mind.  Why didn't I think of that sooner?  This is the reason I'm doing this challenge, so I can get better at thinking on the spot.  I want creativity to become more natural and instantaneous.  Right now, I can always think of something but sometimes that thought is later when it's too late.  I want the ideas to come to me at a moments notice.  This is a lesson for me.  I need spend less time taking pictures and more time making pictures.  Thank you Scott Bourne!

Simply love!

As I was online working on Christmas cards and even doing some online Christmas shopping I heard some giggling from around the corner.  PERFECT!  I grabbed my camera!  These two in my laundry basket were playing and giggling.  She kept trying to kiss him and after every one he'd say "EEEeeew!"  Then she would giggle the cutest giggle!  Why am I searching for the perfect Christmas present when all they need is a laundry basket and each other.  Simple life is the best!

Sunday smells so good!

I love this time of  year, it seems food is the center of fall and winter for me.  I think cause it's cold and snowy outside there's more time for baking.  I love making cookies for the holidays or trying a new recipe this time of year.   Thanksgiving dinner is just around the corner and there couldn't be a more perfect holiday for me.  I love food!  Sunday, I whipped up some delicious pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  I think next time I'll add some cream cheese frosting to them.  I love the smell it creates in my home after baking some delicious treat!  If only it lasted longer maybe I wouldn't have to make them so often, cause I just love the smell!

Fall turns to Winter...

The perfect picture to begin my journey, a image of change.  This is a change for ME.  I'm normally the girl that says, "I'll start on Monday, or I'll make the change on Jan 1."  I've been accused of being a "January joiner" before and I'm not going to let that happen ever again.  We never know what tomorrow will bring, so I am making a change and starting today.

It's official...

I've taken on the 365 challenge, to post a picture every single day.  I am extremely excited.  I'm a bit scared to take on such a challenge, but I'm anxious to get going.  I have so many thoughts running through my head.  It's helping me be more creative and to think about the little things in my every day life.  This is good.  The thing that will push me is the end result.  I can't wait to have a book of all these pictures, a picture journal of my life over this next year.  Time flies by so quickly, it's the best way for me to keep track of my real life and then have a way to remember it all.  I haven't decided if this will be just pictures or if I'll feel the need to add some comments along with it.  Maybe it will be a bit of both.  In any case, it will be me.  My life in progress...

What's inspired me?  My first teacher Carin Davis, her decision to do this and the link to this post.