Shiloh, our almost 4 year old dog, gets lots of attention from the women in the household (and not nearly as much from the sole male). Today Livia trained him to “high five” for kibbles—and then she left him a little note of love on the kitchen floor.

Going to evening church has its perks. Our Sunday mornings start out slow and easy, with cartoons and cereal and cuddles. We spend the day as a family and then head to worship in the evening. Here are a few shots of our day so far, including a moment where Livia said, “Yeah, I got the butt end.” I bet you can figure out when she stated that fact.

When Shiloh is cute, I wish for another Coton. I imagine two white dogs running around the house, sleeping together in the dog beds and being generally adorable. But then I am forced to consider potty-training (ugh), the spaying/neutering process (double ugh) and pet bills times two (ouch) and for a moment I am content with the one pooch.

I tell you what, though. If another bestie of mine has a baby this week, I just might run to Heartland Classics and pick up a puppy. A woman’s gotta have something little to love!

Not only did we get our first snowfall in Lincoln yesterday, it was that gorgeous, wet kind of snow that blankets every single skinny branch and drapes over everything, making the television and telephone cable lines objects of beauty. The sun came out this morning and then the world began to really sparkle.

I can see Renae out my back window. She’s snapping away at the snowy grandeur as well. We just can’t stay away. Even the trees in their snowy fleeces are praising God this morning.

Just thinking about the December Photo Project makes me want to pull out my camera for fun, to snap away at the world and see what I capture. Shiloh, our Coton, didn’t love his close-up this morning. He seemed uncomfortable in front of the lens. I can identify. Sometimes it feels awkward when someone starts taking your picture, without permission nonetheless, before you’ve had a chance to do your hair and get the sleep out of your eyes and brush your teeth. He seems to have recovered admirably now, however, and is curled up tight in his doughnut-shaped dog bed.

I had a conversation with Tara this morning about how to go about the December Photo Project. Clearly the challenge of shooting and posting a photo for 25 days straight is enough of a challenge. But what if you want to pick a theme or find something that really correlates to the nature of your blog? I love the idea of tailoring the DPP to either represent you personally or give you a challenge on top of my challenge. I think of Renee Welstead (Love Equals) and her gray couch series a few years ago. Or of the year Renae Morehead posted daily on our recipe blog Needs More Butter. What about shooting on Manual instead of Program or Aperture settings? Tara mentioned shooting at a particular hour each day, or focusing on one subject for the entire month. I know all the grandparents out there would be content with a photo of their grandkids every day.

I find that taking one photo and uploading EVERY DAY is challenge enough. It’s the uploading and publishing that’s the clincher, though finding something interesting to shoot can certainly be a challenge. It pushes your mind to new levels of creativity and pushes your internal editor to uncomfortable places as well. Sometimes I talk myself out of photos because they are too boring or too artsy or too much like the one I posted the day before. Let the DPP squash those voices, and let it set free your creative impulses. The 2011 DPP is going to be fun, my friends. Can’t wait!

I took one look at my furry little dog curled up in the comforter I had dropped and told him, “Well, you’re not so stupid, are you!”

Shiloh does a number of things that qualifies him as fairly unintelligent, but this was not one. A super warm and cozy down comforter left by my nice, sweet owner? Well, yes, I think I will take a nap here.

My tired brain is about to explode from juggling mom tasks with photography work with home-repair and eventual home-selling. I am not at my sharpest after putting Livia to bed. So for now, I leave you with Shiloh pics. Keepin’ it light here.

I love having Livia next to me while we bake cookies. She helps crack eggs, samples each ingredient, and then cleans off the Kitchen Aid paddle for me. Plus, with her, baking is an Event and we don aprons. Makes it more fun that way.

Shiloh gets in on the action, too. He cleans up the floor. Today he decided the bare arches of my feet needed cleaning—way ticklish.

We like to make this chocolate chip recipe from my Aunt Ruthie because it makes enough for a crowd. What cookie recipes are your favorites?

While I love the captured moment of fun between Joie and me (we always have fun), the close-up of my face every time I open my browser is freaking me out. So I’m moving on.

This, my friends, is the gorgeous Angora rabbit who lives at Toad Hall. She belongs to Anita, who, in turn, assists Denis & Margie Haack with the work of Ransom Fellowship. I got to visit Toad Hall during one of my Rochester trips and it was so great to hang out with the Haacks a bit. I’ve long admired their ministry and writings. Margie’s Notes from Toad Hall inspired the beginnings of the Prairie Box. So thanks for that, Margie!

Honeysuckle is pretty darn sweet. I suppose I have something of an affection for soft white furry critters.

Livia accidentally described Shiloh as being “furrzy” (fuzzy + furry) and the new term has become a favorite of mine. In Shiloh’s case, it’s incredibly accurate: he is one of the furrziest dogs I know. See all the fluff on him? He’s really quite Chihuahua-like on the inside, the rest is all fluffy Coton fur. Besides his high state of furrziness, he’s also—as these photos prove—quite adept with his tongue.