Single Photo Friday:: Sock Monkey

Happy Holidays everyone!



Well, the holidays are in full swing and I know that not because I have a calendar in front of me but because the sock monkey has made its way out of a box and onto our tree. I'm giddy.

And note the blue lights in the background - a throwback to the Christmases of my youth. Big blue bulbs that overheated and matched the blue/green shag carpet of our home. I'm happy to see they have made a comeback, only now they are a little safer, less chipped, and seem to go nicely with the wood floors and orange walls. Oh, and of course they look great next to the Sock Monkey!

What kinds of things do you do that help you get into the spirit of the holidays?

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Single Photo Friday: Open

My neighborhood is looking festive. Shot on Nikon D3 ISO 6400.

I got a new camera! Well, new to me. It came my way when I wasn't in the market for anything (though visions of camera gear dance in my head on a regular basis). What once belonged to the fabulous photographer and storyteller, Jim Daniels (whom I worked for over 10 years ago and whose work I admire greatly), is now sitting here in my office with me. Check out his site, and get ready to be moved.

Jim passed away earlier this year after battling cancer. His absence is felt throughout the photo community, but especially in the homes of his family members, and throughout parts of the world where he has made an impact with both his photos and general being.

Using a piece of Jim's camera gear carries a decent amount of weight for me. I walked in the cool air last night, cranked the ISO up to 3200, 6400, and even 10,000(!!) and took a few shots of my little neighborhood. It felt amazing! I have been trying to justify the buying of this camera when I am worried about other things I need more, when Christmas is right around the corner, when I'm in the middle of upgrades to our new home, when I already have 2 digital bodies that work fine.

But sometimes FINE isn't good enough. Earlier that day I packed up my first digital camera (the Fuji S5 Pro) and shipped it off to KEH. I felt more relief than anything else. That camera and I were never an ideal fit. It simply couldn't keep up with me.

But Jim's camera (which I think is what it will always be called) is fast and shoots in low light and fits nicely in my hand and by my eye. It can keep up with me AND push me to the next level.

When I got home I stood in front of my house and just stared at it. There were a few festive lights in the windows and I found myself needing to pause and take in the moment. I just used Jim's camera, photographed in the dark, felt alive and grateful and inspired. I stared at the warm glow coming from parts of my house and felt a wave of emotion that let me know I made the right decision - both in moving to this home and in buying Jim's camera.

Being open can really pay off at times.



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Holiday Warmth

This year's wrapping scheme: recycled brown bags with accents of orange and turquoise.

Step aside, Martha Stewart. There's a new craft queen in town!

I get into Christmas. Every year has a color scheme with fun bows and crafty accents. My family will come over tomorrow and we will eat, laugh, and enjoy our day together. Sweet Potato Cranberry soup is simmering on the stove, and cornbread (both gluten-free) is cooling as I write this. My sink has backed up and The Weekend Warrior is tearing things apart and trying to get everything in working order. Things are somewhat hectic, and yet the air is filled with yummy smells and happiness that can mean only one thing: Christmas is almost here!

My mantle. Books are placed by the chimney with care.

Home.

No matter where you live, what you believe, or how you celebrate, I hope you all have a holiday season filled with love, laughter, creativity, and inspiration!

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Happy Boxing Day!

Wow. Christmas is over for another year! I got a hug and many smiles from my nephew, a bellyache from laughing so hard, and what seems to be a pulled muscle from several victorious rounds of Wii boxing. I think I have discovered a new talent and pastime.

I didn't pick up my camera as often as I wish I had, but it is hard to entertain and photograph at the same time. Not impossible, just a challenge that simply means when you are doing one, you are neglecting the other. Such is life. But at least I got this shot that shows our Santa Pumpkin, along with a few others that make me smile....

Things started off with Max like this, but quickly turned into..

... this. Let's rock&roll, it's Christmas!

And this...we are a family of out-loud laughers.

Gift Opening Gone Wild:)

Pete and Max laugh at how hilarious they just were.

As usual, may family came over to our house where we mix old traditions with some of our new ones, and spend a lot of time laughing, eating, and tearing into presents. We ate a late breakfast with some favorites from my childhood - Monkey Bread and Cinnamon Rolls in the shape of a tree with green frosting. How my brother and I used to fight over the 'filet' as kids! Now he doesn't have to worry about me snagging the prized cinnamon roll since I am too busy making and eating my own Gluten-Free baked goods, and sometimes wrapping a final present I somehow forgot. Christmas 2008 will go down in the books as one with lots of laughter and joking and the year my nephew Max showed up with red ink stains all over his hands, arms, and neck. Seems he and his Uncle Pete thought it would be cool to build a snowvolcano (as opposed to a snowman), which would naturally require some red lava. Turns out red food coloring is permanent, a detail previously unknown to Uncle Pete. I laughed every time Max put his hands anywhere near my line of vision.

Later in the day Max is happily licking chocolate batter off his face. What he doesn't know, or doesn't care about is the fact that it's Gluten-Free chocolate batter.

And, so today on this day after an exhausting and fun Christmas I have declared Boxing Day as the day where sleeping in is allowed, guilt-free. Staying in pj's, reading books, playing with new toys, and feeling no pressure to go anywhere are also greeted without guilt and with great happiness. That's sort of how I have spent the day, especially the sleeping in part.