Events, Project 365

Happy New Year!!!!

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I love new beginnings and fresh starts. Although I have a skeptical side (enhanced by living 15 years with a programmer/realist/cynical husband), I am an optimist at heart. I love January with its New Year’s Resolutions, goal planning opportunities, and the hanging of the new calendar.

Most importantly I like a fun, family party.

sarah parties on

Some people get a little carried away on New Year’s Eve!

We were invited to a New Year’s Eve party with some friends from our church Bible study group. Yummy food, a stack of games, friends and laughter. What could be better?

Not having to host the party!!

ring in the new year

David cheers the new year.

We had a wonderful time.

Did you go out for the evening? How many people joined you? Did you watch the ball drop? Family only or friends? Dinner or just appetizers and desserts? Black tie or casual? I love to hear about how other people celebrate the New Year so leave a comment and say hello.

Kathy
Project 365 – Day 365

Related posts:

Daily Life, Photography

Night Photography

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Have I mentioned how much I love and adore my new camera? My poor children, really I pity them. They thought their life was full of photographical (I’m sure that’s a word, look it up) torture. They didn’t even know the half of it. Now I have different lenses and a dozen new settings to try out.

Poor dears.

Adding to their torment is the fact that Tim is also an avid shutterbug. In fact, truthfully, of the two of us he is the better photographer.

He attributes his steady hand to M-16 marksmanship training.

Um, okay, you got me there, honey.

Here’s a stellar example of our two differing skills, using the night setting on the new camera. Apparently that preset mode uses the flash to capture nearby objects, yet keeps the shutter open long enough to make sense of the darkness. Who knows how those clever camera people do this? Not me, that’s for sure.

saucy chick

Look at that incredible sky! Great shot, Tim!

We’re studying the gospel of John in our Sunday School class — which turns out to be surprisingly relevant to this topic:

The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1:5

And then there’s my shot. In all fairness, let me just say that Tim has been rather blurry for the last several weeks … I’ve been trying to get him to see someone about this problem, but you know how men are about medical care …

maybe you should try again

I wonder where I can get some of that marksmanship training. Nikon Boot Camp, here I come!

Happy New Year’s Eve!!
Kathy

Related posts:

Daily Life, Project 365, Rachel, Sarah

Sisters

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Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters. In all kinds of weather, we stick together, the same in rain or snow.

Name the movie and win a chocolate prize.

Advent calendars

Sarah and Rachel hold their (now empty-sob) Advent calendars.

sweet girlsopening presents

Sarah and Rachel share a bedroom. They are six and a half years apart. They share a love for all things beautiful, collectible, and “girly.” They fight over whose turn and responsibility it is to clean the bedroom, over ownership of toys, over what movie to watch or how to spend the day. But through it all they love deeply and fiercely. They adore playing together and every night you can find them talking and sharing thoughts.

To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other’s hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time. ~Clara Ortega

Kathy
Project 365- Day 364 (the end is in sight)

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Holidays, Project 365

The Splendor of Christmas

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One of the great things about having a large family and many generous relatives, is that Christmas gift-opening lasts practically forever. We’ve been concentrating on out-of-town relatives today, since people start to wonder by the end of the Christmas week (when you don’t mention their gift) if there was some kind of a mishap in shipping.

The problem is that many of our relatives are the careful, send-packages-early sort — the kind that make the temporally-challenged rest of us seem very slapdash and irresponsible. Their gifts were delivered much earlier in the month and so were at the bottom of the pile, covered up by Johnny-come-lately gifts purchased locally late in the day on the 24th. Now that we’ve worked our way down, the tops of these packages accuse us reproachfully, and so we rushed to open them.

Horn-warmers, the perfect gift
Gifts from Thailand and Norway, brought together with Daniel’s unique touch.

So many have been so generous to us, I feel rather shamefaced, especially when I think of less privileged people around the world. Then again, when I consider how these gifts reflect the love that is lavished upon us, I’m less embarrassed by the splendor, but rather I’m challenged to think of ways that we can splash that splendid love on others.

Purple in Pigtails
Now that Sarah knows her reindeer name (Prancer), it is killing her to wait to open a few last presents.

It is a glorious season, and our hearts are full of gratitude and thankfulness to the One who has made all this love and delight possible — our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Tim
Project 365 — Day 362

Related posts:

Daily Life, Holidays, Project 365

Making Christmas Last

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We stretch celebrations out as long as possible in our house. Birthdays can last a week or two or even longer if you are careful. We’re certainly not done with Christmas yet. There are many presents still under the tree and others that haven’t arrived yet. We open presents S*L*O*W*L*Y around here.

We do, however, try to start thank you notesright away.

i wish to thank the academy

With a large family (each of whom buy for every member) we end up with an impressive collection of gifts. Since we also take time to focus on each person as they open their presents and stop after a bit to PLAY with the new toys, present opening takes a LONG time. I love gifts and surprises so I encourage everyone to savor the experience.

david's new helicopter

Unfortunately, all of this savoring and celebrating means I am quite behind on my Christmas cards. At what point to they become Happy New Year cards? I’m in the “I’s” but that still leaves a LOT of people left on our address list. Also, I have to finish the 2007 Christmas newsletter. In our Christmas cards, I’ve been directing people here to the blog. This would normally be great, but it would be nice if I had something for them to actually see. I have the newsletter part written. It’s not very witty or clever but it does a decent job or summarizing our year. I’m in the process of adding pictures. I made it through April this afternoon.

My goals for the weekend – edit and complete the newsletter and finish another (large) chunk of Christmas cards.

What about you? Are you taking Christmas decorations down this week? Starting homeschool back up? Dancing with your beloved under the twinkling Christmas lights? Did you finish your Christmas/holiday cards? Do share!

sarah loves her present

Kathy
Project 365 – Day 361

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The musings and ravings of a bloggart family