Fun Photography for the Holidays!

25 Days of Christmas :)

I was scanning through my Facebook page earlier when I come across a post from Kandice Poirier Photography . It was a link to a list a friend of hers had shared! 25 Daily Photo Ideas for December. So I have decided to create my own list.

1. Something red

2.Christmas trees

3. Presents under the tree

4. Something sweet

5. Something savory

6. A Candy Cane

7. Christmas cards

8. Santa Claus

9.Something shiny

10. Something sticky

11. A cup of cheer

12. Beautiful snow

13. Child sleeping

14. Twinkling eyes of a tiny tot

15.  A lit up adventure

16. A full stocking

17. Good will towards man

18. A perfect holiday outfit

19. The perfect gift

20. Ribbons, bows and paper

21. A happy visitor

22. Milk and cookies

23. Santa's helper

24. Hanging mistletoe

25. (Frosty the) Snowman

It is my goal to have at least one great photo for each item by Christmas. I hope that leading up to this great time of year, I will be able to leave behind a beautiful display for the 2011 Holiday season! :) Check back for additions to this project and happy holidays to all!

Let it Snow! (Oh Please) Let it Snow!!

 It was not that long ago that we were graced by one of nature's most beautiful forces-snow. Now, this is our first year here in the beautiful city of Flagstaff, but it is not the first time we have witnessed the beauty of a Flagstaff snow. In fact, that is one reason we really wanted to move here. In March of this year, Flagstaff received a pretty decent snow. The snow in the mountains is nothing like anywhere else. It's fluffy and light, but the flakes are huge and it sticks to everything. Oh and the best part, it can be 38 degrees outside and snowing here!

So all summer we have been anticipating the snowy season. Just waiting and wishing while we were standing outside sweating (yeah, yeah, Flagstaff doesn't ever get above 97 (that being the record temp here) but the sun is so close! You feel like you are in a tanning bed with a broken fan.  So, after months of waiting for the snow to come, it happens. In October! Granted, yes, it did not stick to anything at all that round (of course everything was too warm), but how beautiful it was to look at.


That early snow led to a very long month of waiting.  But soon, it happened again. The first week in November brought us something to be thankful for-a beautiful snowstorm (to us anyways :))
To get this amount of snow in the Midwest or South would shut the town down for a couple days. Here, no one even slowed down. It was as though it wasn't even happening...well, okay. Not quite. For the most part, people who live here love the snow. Why else to live in such a snowy area? This is just not the town for someone who loves the heat. Go to Phoenix if that's what you like.

As the snow fell from the heavens, it glimmered off the haze of the street light. Feeling of euphoria surged. We landed a good 9 inches that week. Maybe more, but since it has been barren. Tonight, snow is supposed to fall, not accumulate, but fall. Do I hope that changes and it dumps accumulating snow on us? Absolutely. If not, bring on December. We are ready and waiting for the first real snowstorm of this season. 

Happy Snowing :) 

Gearing Up for the Holidays

Is it really that time of year again? 

The time when memories are made, family is together and good food is shared. The answer is yes. An entire year has passed and we are entering (if not there) the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. 

 As we decorated our Christmas tree, I thought back to last year. Thankful we took our time putting away decorations, as it was not hard to sort through everything. 

What happened last year? It was such a blur, a rotten holiday season to say the least. Why does it seem like tragedy strikes most during the holidays? Is it just because we put so much stress on ourselves to be happy specifically for two months out of the year, therefore it is on the forefront of our mind? Maybe so. 

Well, after gliding through the holiday season last year without so much as one great memory, I have made it my mission to have a wonderful season this year. 2011 Holidays must be better than 2010, right? 

Starting out to conquer my mission, I thought about what makes me happy. I love cooking. Well, baking is really my biggest love. What better activity than whipping up something to bake? 

So I set out to make some very delicious baked caramel apple turnovers. 

What else is the holidays about? FAMILY. This year is going to be filled with family. How exciting is that?! Starting on Tuesday (about midnight :)) our family will trickle in for visits. It will be nice seeing as though we have lived in Arizona for almost a year now. We have seen minimal family since our move so it is a welcomed treat this season.

So food, family, memories and fun. That's what a great season means to me. It will be one filled with laughter, love and family, and I CAN'T WAIT!

 Cheers and Happy Holidays to all!