Capturing December - Day Thirty-One

FUN

Sophia may be 21 but she still enjoys fun with the Elf - he can get a bit cheeky at times!

Capturing December - Day Thirty

YOUR WINTER WONDERLAND

This is our second Christmas in Washington - our second Christmas without any noticeable snow so I'll take you back to Rhode Island - December 2009 and the view from our house looking down the street.

Capturing December - Day Twenty-Nine

SKY VIEW

Taken at 8:00am on a frosty morning - the sky view from the back deck

Capturing December - Day Twenty-Eight

WORDS

Here's a Wordle I created ages ago - all my favorite things about Christmas in Kettlewell is the theme.

Sorry it's so faint - click on it for a clearer view

Capturing December - Day Twenty-Seven

NIGHT TIME

Poulsbo Lighted Boat Parade

Had to borrow this one from the local paper's photo gallery - we're pretty rubbish at taking nighttime photos.

Capturing December - Day Twenty-Six

GRATEFUL

I'm grateful for a day without rain and a lovely outing to the city with my family - a first for the three of us together. Space Needle, Chihuly Garden and Glass, and Pike Place Market.

The centerpiece of Chihuly Garden and Glass is the Glasshouse. A 40-foot tall, glass and steel structure covering 4,500 square feet of light-filled space, the Glasshouse is the result of Chihuly’s lifelong appreciation for conservatories. The installation in the Glasshouse is an expansive 100-foot long sculpture in a color palette of reds, oranges, yellows and amber. Made of many individual elements, it is one of Chihuly’s largest suspended sculptures. The perception of the artwork varies greatly with natural light and as the day fades into night. Courtesy of http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/about/exhibition

Photos courtesy of Sophia with her new camera

Capturing December - Day Twenty-Five

MORNING

Christmas morning starts notoriously early in this household. I was always a very early riser as a child - 4:00am was not unusual for me - and it looks like Sophia is following in my footsteps. We were awake this morning at 3:45am. We resisted the urge to get up and eventually went back to sleep. I finally got up at about 6:30am, took care of the dog, took a shower, got dressed, and Sophia followed about an hour later. We had to wait for Vic to get home from work (he had overnight duty) so we popped in a BBC Christmas Comedy DVD and Christmas morning officially started about 8:45am.

Here is the first photo of the day - the stockings and "Santa" (unwrapped) gifts are now under the tree.

Sophia's Peanuts pillow (matching blanket in the large box below), giant box of Cadbury's Fingers, and stocking waiting to be emptied

Capturing December - Day Twenty-Four

FAVORITE PART OF CHRISTMAS EVE

Those moments of quiet reflection by the light of the tree. Remembering family and friends no longer with us, thinking about festive greetings received in the mail from family and friends far away, and treasuring all of our blessings.

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas!

Capturing December - Day Twenty-Three

SCARF

Mum had a huge collection scarves and they all came to be when she passed away. I love scarves and wear them every chance I get. I'm hoping that this one will make its way into my collection:

Nativity Scene Infinity Scarf

Capturing December - Day Twenty-Two

TRADITION

Opening a gift on Christmas Eve and it's always Christmas pajamas although now that Sophia is older, they come from Victoria's Secret.

Here she is on Christmas morning, wearing her lovely new pajamas

Capturing December - Day Twenty-One

PEACE

This was one of our Christmas cards - quite a few years ago now - but it symbolizes Peace to me - children from all nations gathered together. It's definitely Western and Christian in its focus but the overall message is Togetherness.

Capturing December - Day Twenty

TREE TOPPER

Our topper is a Capiz Shell Star - a salute to the Philippines where capiz shells abundant. The shells have been used for thousands of years as a glass substitute because of their durability and translucence (thank you, Wikipedia!). Please ignore that lame light bulb in the photo; it's supposed to be woven into the greenery.

Capturing December - Day Nineteen

CANDY CANES

I have to admit, I'm not a fan. Too sticky, almost always too minty for my tastes. These are about the only candy canes you'll find in our house.

She's Tom's girl through and through - move over, Gisele!

Capturing December - Day Eighteen

STOCKINGS

I started making a cross stitched stocking for Sophia shortly after I found out I was pregnant. She was born in February and I am thankful that I got it finished in time for her first Christmas!

Capturing December - Day Seventeen

PRESENTS

Yes, please! LOL, I've already shared a photo of a few of our presents on Day 10 - Wrapping Paper so I'm sharing a really neat idea for presents - the Christmas Countdown: Book Advent. I've borrowed the photo from Chasing Supermom - be sure to read the post here to make your own treasure trove of presents that would delight any child or grandchild.

Capturing December - Day Sixteen

OUTSIDE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

I have to go with Liz here and say no, not until our forever house. We love to drive around and admire neighborhood and other lights - among our favorite holiday outings was a drive through the lights at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens.

Christmas 2006 - Taken on the trolley ride after the Polar Express event at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens - the light show was exquisite, photos with my limited skills not so much!

Capturing December - Day Fifteen

FAVORITE HOLIDAY SONG

Once in Royal David's City, preferably sung by a cathedral choir

Capturing December - Day Fourteen

CHRISTMAS TREE

Only one tree this year instead of the usual four so about half of the ornaments are still in boxes. Full-time work has really cramped my Christmas style. Never mind, my family is all together and that is what is most important.

Capturing December - Day Thirteen

FAMILY

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from our family to yours!

Capturing December - Day Twelve

A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT

How fitting that Day Twelve coincided with the annual Wreaths Across America event. This photo was taken at Arlington National Cemetery yesterday, December 12. Our photos from our local cemetery were less impressive as the weather was wretched - pouring rain through the entire ceremony - and a mishap out of our control resulted in our wreath order being 300 wreaths short. The ceremony went ahead as planned and we laid the wreaths we had, with American flags marking the remaining veterans' gravesites.