After anticipating Tredway Christmas all day, the grandkids made quick work of unwrapping and then put some gifts to good use. Kitty robe, on. Art supplies, out. Canvas, colored. I wouldn’t mind late-night art being a new Christmas Eve tradition, especially if it means us adults can drink something hot and have a conversation with complete sentences.
My other competing DPP shots for the day included sunbeams from various angles in the car (because THE SUN WAS SHINING, WHAT?!), thumbprint Christmas cookies baked this afternoon, and slightly blurry candles beautifully lighting Redeemer Church at the Christmas Eve service.
My eyes are tired tonight, but my soul is full and content. The babe born of Mary, God became man and dwelt among us. How beautiful to remember His birth with candlelight and carols, gift-giving and eating together.
Much love to you, my friends. And Merry Christmas.
This is the fourth year my favorite gift-wrapper has graciously come to my house and cut, taped and stacked gifts alongside me. We put Elf in the dvd player and get the job done. Liv’s assigned task is to lay on the couch and not look at what we’re wrapping. It just gets better and better each year and Rebecca brings me much happiness each time.
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
It’s been the rainiest December I can recall. On the plus side, that means temps are warmer than normal. On the minus side, GRAY SKIES. Dear goodness, the cloudiness is going to be the end of me.
These are the in-between years. The years where one fluctuates wildly between pursuing maturity and wanting to remain little forever. While everyone reaches for the babies and the lisping preschoolers, the ‘tweens remain in their own awkward location, caught between wanting to grow and not wanting to at the same time.
This image will forever remind me of the wisdom of my husband in the pew tonight as he encouraged me to enjoy the moments of “not wanting to grow” a little longer. A split second after his verbal nudge our tween turned and rested her head against me, a solid reminder that he was right—she was still little and it was okay for her to find comfort in stuffed animals and mom’s warm body. He muttered something like, “I am a half-genius after all,” which is a family joke of ours, and my mind and body relaxed and enjoyed my ten year old girl and her armful of babies.
Look who handed me my white mocha this afternoon! MADDIE!!! It was honestly the brightest moment in my day. Barista Maddie in the window—my first time seeing her at Starbucks—holding a warm beverage of happiness. It was just the ray of sunlight I needed.
Car selfies with my young friend. We totally cracked ourselves up.
Photography lessons learned from my DPP shoot today:
1) White dogs aren’t always photogenic. In fact, you can hardly see them sometimes.
2) It’s always a good idea to experiment with shooting from various angles—for sure you should try moving around when you’re working. However, candy canes in silver buckets do not look that interesting from the bottom side. Go figure.
3) When shooting glassware, make sure it’s clean.
The end. And you’re welcome.
My beautiful friend Rachel and her girlies, decorating cookies on this December morning.
Memories of Disneyland last summer provide a personal escape from the cold, windswept landscape of Nebraska in winter. It was warm there and we wore sandals and tank tops and basked in the sun. It was magical because it was Disney after all. It was almost non-stop fun. And there was a beach nearby. And we stayed in the resort hotel. Soaked in the hot tub. Watched the fireworks. Ah… It was a wonderful trip and we have an ornament on our tree to remember all the good times.
