View from the Prairie Box

Has posting DPP shots this close to Christmas always been this challenging? Hmm. Amidst wrapping gifts, finishing last-minute shopping, making plans for family/church time, grocery shopping and general anticipation of a supposedly large winter storm, there’s the camera. And it can’t be ignored!

I hope all the other December Photo Project participants are enjoying this beautiful season. It’s been a joy to see it through your eyes!

Livia and Uncle Andrew.

We were done with prayer time. We had been through several songs and I had perhaps one more tune before departing her bedside when she made a peep. I was one breath away from issuing the line in my sternest Mommy voice, “No more talking. It’s time to go to sleep,” when I heard this from my daughter:

Dear Jesus, thank you for the tent. It’s beautiful. Amen.

The tent is a frothy princess mosquito net device that we hung in Liv’s room today. It came all the way from the Free Store at seminary (where Jeremy and I used to shop in our basement after he had locked up the campus) via Brook who brought it to the Welsteads’ white elephant party last weekend. I was the only one in the room who even wanted the thing. And I’ll admit Brook told me, this is verbatim, that Liv would pee herself with excitement at this particular gift. So I picked it up, put it in the backseat of the car, and Livia found it today.

Brook was right. My kiddo LOVES it so much it merited an extra shout out to Jesus tonight at bedtime.

My heart is full.

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).