New Year’s Eva (366/366)

TIME:  8:29 PM
PLACE:  Home
SUBJECT:  Eva

DramaQueen has 7 friends – 4 girls, 3 boys(!) - over tonight to celebrate New Year’s Eve.  MonkeyBoy is spending the night at friend’s house (lucky him, he gets to escape the evening of 15-year olds!).  So of course StellaDella needed a friend over too!  Eva is my cousin’s daughter (SD’s 2nd cousin) and while she is 2 years older than SD, they get along famously.  We like to call the two of them “Thelma and Louise”  I love how her gum matched her hat tonight.

Animated (365/366)

TIME:  6:16 PM
PLACE:  Uncle Albert’s house
SUBJECT:  Uncle Albert, Shayne, StellaDella and Uncle Albert’s Christmas animatronics collection

It all started back in the 1990’s with Uncle Albert taking a trip to Branson, Missouri and purchasing that frog on the left.  It has since grown to a large collection of these singing, dancing, rocking and ear flapping electronic pets.  It’s quite a sight when they are all going at once.

Exchange Club (364/366)

TIME:  10:36 AM
PLACE:  Around town
SUBJECT:  Bench

The snow made it much easier to read the Exchange Club’s name on this bench.

First Snow of Winter (363/366)

TIME:  10:11 PM
PLACE:  Backyard
SUBJECT: Tree

There was a misty rain as I left work at 4pm today.  By the time I arrived home at 4:30 it was turning to snow.


TIME:  10:52 PM
PLACE:  Backyard
SUBJECT:  Basketball hoop

It continued all evening.  When we left for MonkeyBoy’s indoor soccer game at 8:15 there was about an inch accumulation of the wet stuff and still more coming down.


TIME:  10:56
PLACE:  Backyard
SUBJECT:  Chain link fence

After we arrived back home, I went outside with the camera and attempted to take some photos.  I took a number of them (the top photo is from that round), came inside, reviewed them and went back out with the tripod to get longer exposures and less shake.  I didn’t stay out too long…I really don’t like the cold. 

“World’s Best Mom” (362/366)

TIME:  3:50 PM
PLACE:  Work
SUBJECT:  My Christmas present from StellaDella

OK, you all can just go ahead and admit defeat right now.  It’s official…I’m the World’s Best Mom.  I even have the trophy to prove it.

Ice Skate (361/366)

TIME:  3:59 PM
PLACE:  Front door
SUBJECT:  Ice skate “wreath”

I took the day off work so I could go after-Christmas shopping with my sister, niece and DramaQueen today.  Boxing day is my favorite day to shop during the holidays as the pressure and stress of purchasing the perfect presents for Christmas morning is out of the door.  Clearance sales are on and I usually have a bit of Christmas gift $$ in my pocket.  I bought a some ornaments, clothes for myself (jeans, cords and a couple of shirts), a stylus for StellaDella’s Kindle and a t-shirt for MonkeyBoy.  The crowds were small/non-existent during our early morning (7am) shopping time.  It was nice.
~*~*~*~*~
I had pinned this idea to my Pintrest board back in September.  I finally unearthed my ice skates (a $3 rummage sale find this summer), filled one with 70%-off wintery floral picks I found when Christmas shopping last Monday and hung it by its laces on my front door. Voilà!

Christmas Morning (360/366)

TIME:  7:32 AM
PLACE: Living room
SUBJECT:  The kids and the dog

As is my tradition on Christmas morning, I was able to torment the kids by insisting on taking a shower and getting dressed before any presents could be opened.  Then I made them sit in front of the tree while I took several photos and demanded that they “look happy dammit!”  All were pleased with that Santa gave them.  I can tell that they are growing up…the only toys were SD’s stuffed Sock Monkey (seen here), a plush “wolf skin” rug, DQ’s Eeyore pillow pet and a couple of video games. Clothes/perfume/makeup/art supplies/a Leatherman made up the rest of the gifts.

Christmas Eve (359/366)

TIME:  9:27 PM
PLACE:  Dad’s house
SUBJECT:  StellaDella and her Kindle Fire HD

SD received the “best present ever!” from Paw-paw…a Kindle Fire HD.  Now maybe she’ll stay off of my phone and my laptop. 

Mandatory Reflection In Christmas Ornament Photo (358/366)

TIME:  9:32 PM
PLACE: Living Room
SUBJECT:  Photographer and tree reflected in a small vintage mercury ball ornament

It is not the holiday season unless this type of photo is taken and posted on a 365 blog.  I am fully clothed – I prefer not to be responsible for burning my (few) reader’s retinas.

A Bit Breezy (354/366)

TIME:  2:05 PM
PLACE:  Work
SUBJECT:  Tree in the wind

Today, winter blew into town.  This poor tree was horizontal most of the day due to the high winds.  I tried convincing some of my co-workers to wear a scarf and then go stand outside the cafeteria windows.  I wanted to capture the scarf ends standing blowing sideways in the wind…but alas, there were no takers.

Christmas Craft (345/366)

TIME:  9:54 PM
PLACE:  Kitchen
SUBJECT:  Tonight’s Brownie craft

I took the easy way out this evening for our Brownie meeting.  Instead of working on a badge requirement that would have entailed work on my part, I just had the girls paint wooden trees and snowmen, then decorate them with Perler beads and sequins.  ‘Tis the season!
~*~*~*~
Yes, I am way behind on my daily postings.  I have the photos, but need to do the blogging part.  Or maybe I won’t.  I might just do my catching-up off the blog while putting together my annual book of photos.   Not sure, yet, but I know this right now…I’m going to bed.

A Rock In Her Head (336/366)

“Everybody does something stupid at some time in their lives…right Mom?”

StellaDella, to me on the drive to the hospital to remove a piece of gravel from her ear.

TIME:  8:17 PM
PLACE:  Emergency room
SUBJECT:  Pebble removed from SD’s right ear

We were watching TV (eagerly anticipating the mid-season finale of “The Walking Dead”) when SD went to her father and told him that she had a rock in her ear.  Seriously?  Apparently, she had found the pebble on the rug, was rubbing it on the outside of her ear (don’t ask) and somehow managed to drop it in her ear canal.  I took her to the Emergency room and steeled myself for a loooong evening in an uncomfortable chair in the waiting room.  To my relief, they had a non-critical care room available about 45 minutes after we walked in.  The doctor flushed out the gravel with water and prescribed ear drops for her irritated ear canal.  She thanked us for giving her the easiest case she had all day.  You are quite welcome Doc.  We left, had the prescription filled and made it back in time for the 9pm encore presentation.  *Shaking my head*  There’s never a dull moment around here.

Wine Winner (335/366)

TIME:  10:20 PM
PLACE:  Kitchen
SUBJECT:  Wine basket

I started off today by running a 5k – The Gingerbread Run – here in town.  My official time was 37:14 – I was only 24 seconds behind my 15 year-old-daughter – not bad for an old woman!  Then, HH and I attended my office Christmas party this evening.  They gave away a couple of attendance prizes – the best one was a day off with pay - which I didn’t win.  Somehow they called my number for this wine basket.  I’ll take it.