I didn’t pick up my camera today until the day was pretty well done. And even after I picked it up, I shot from the hip. Well, actually I shot from the knee, from the floor, with my arms stuck into the Christmas tree. For all who ask the question, “Do you have a real tree or an artificial one?” I humbly submit this image.

“Olivia the Christmas Tree,” as named by my daughter, is like a human-looking robot from one of the many sci-fi movies my husband watches. Outside she appears to be an honest-to-goodness tree; on the inside, she’s all nuts and bolts, wires and plastic. Oh, did I mention that she’s cheap, paid for, and doesn’t need water? Yes, this year, she is more than sufficient—she’s charming.

Renae and I spent some time this evening talking cameras. We moved from Program setting to Aperture setting, discussed what happens when you mess with ISO and shutter speed, and took countless odd photos as demonstrations of our knowledge (or as it sometimes turns out, our lack thereof). A simple white balance change made all the difference in the rich yellow light of the dining room—a touch of camera magic, if you will.

Learning about photography together = good.
Sharing pizza for dinner while Brook is in town = good.
Letting the kids play and entertain themselves = good.
Living next door to good friends = BRILLIANT.

The Few, The Proud, The… Eye-Infected.

Uh yeah, that makes no sense. My apologies to the Marines for ripping off a wonderful motto for the sake of my amusement.

My poor husband has a horrible infection in one eye and yet, he agreed to model his geriatric eyeware for me this morning. That’s true love, my friends.

Inspired by Amy’s featured photo of pumpkin pancakes and bacon, I fixed brunch this morning. (I just don’t have it in me to cook a hot breakfast!)

Liv and I did a lot of NOT sleeping from 3:00-5:30am, so we ended up sleeping in and eating breakfast later than normal, thus the brunch. Brown sugar oatmeal pancakes sounded good when we finally roused our tired bodies from bed.

It has been a long week and I find myself losing track of the days. Liv is going through something, don’t know what exactly, but we’ve been struggling with tantrums and other equally exhausting bad behavior. Jeremy and I are hoping we feel more of the Christmas spirit when we’re healthy physically, spiritually and emotionally.

Happiness is… a dishful of peppermint ice cream.

Thank you, Renae! I love you and your magnificently delicious ways with peppermint ice cream. It is honestly the best peppermint I’ve had (and I know peppermint).

Pajamas, check. Advent display to rearrange, check. Lollipop, check. Bandaid deliberately yet mysteriously placed on forehead, check.

Happy Halfway Point (or just past it rather) to those participating in the December Photo Project! If you’re anything like me, you’ve had at least one day where you’ve wandered around your house trying to snap an artsy shot of the lights on the banister or perhaps you’ve even taken a photo of your slippers as I’ve done tonight.

Livia gave me these slippers and I loooove them. She calls them Panda Slippers and I call them ankle-warming, furry delights. They’d be a decent focal point for a photograph anyhow, but they seem especially fitting as they mark December 2009 quite well for me.

In case you didn’t notice, we’ve changed the DPP homepage to show featured blogger photos at the top and my post at the bottom. Take a few minutes to peruse another blogger’s site and admire their handiwork by leaving a comment behind on a photo that really grabs your attention. We’ve developed a cool community of photographers here and I’m enjoying the opportunity to feature four of you every day.

December 11 Renee: lover of Ben, photographer extraordinaire, wearer of fun earrings

Renee Welstead is a woman for whom I have the greatest respect. I have long admired her photographs in local coffeehouses and churches. More recently, I have learned from her in person and I’m constantly challenged and encouraged by her skill in capturing beautiful, memorable and remarkable images.

It’s been a joy to see Renee’s work during the December Photo Project. Check out her DPP series The [GRAY] Couch on her blog. And while you’re surfing around, make sure you check out Renee’s portfolio.