Day 366!! - Another year, another picture...

Well, we've made it through another year of photos. Yay for all of us 365ers and congratulations to you all!!

First, I'd like to thank all of my visitors who have been kind enough to stop by and share their thoughts with me this past year. Your comments and the new friends I've found have helped make this such a worthwhile and fun project.

Secondly, I also want to give a huge shout out and thank you to Karin at Frozen in Time for providing us with a fabulous list of weekly themes for the entire year. I can't tell you how many times it helped me stick with it when the last thing I wanted to be doing was trying to think of one more thing to photograph!

Lastly, I am definitely taking a break (and I mean it this time!) I've really struggled these last few weeks and think I'm just "camera'd" out. Taking a picture every day for the past two years... well, every day except one this year but it's a leap year so that means I still did 365 days which is normally a year, right? ;) LOL... anyway, where was I?? ... is really more pressure than I'm willing to deal with again anytime soon. I'll still be taking pictures, but I haven't yet decided how often or how/when I'll be posting or even what my game plan will be. I will, of course, still be around and posting on my regular blog, Lil Bits of Me. I hope you'll come see me there.

In the meantime, a most Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year to you all and many thanks again for sharing this project with me.

Stay tuned, I'll be back... eventually. :)

Oh, and here's 2008's final picture!

A toast to 2009

Day 365 - I'm melting! melting!

I made a snowman round and fat
And on his head I put a hat,
He sat out in the sun all day
And slowly melted all away.
But I can tell just where he sat,
Because he didn't take his hat.
unknown

Day 364 - Is it Wednesday yet??

Oh lordy, I am having such a hard time coming up with something to photograph! I definitely think I've lost all motivation here. Thank goodness there's only two more days!

Anyway, I'm planning to include this letter in a picture wall arrangement... if I ever get around to it. I have to choose photos, buy frames, yada, yada, yada. One of these days...

Day 363 - Still another ruminant

Struggling to come up with new subject matter, Lew jokingly suggested I do a deer a day. Not feeling terribly creative, I took him up on it! So, here's another of our Christmas decorations. This one's grazing on dust particles atop the buffet. ;)

Day 362 - No Rudolph here...

... red nose or otherwise! The glow from the overhead accent light made this little gold guy sparkle.

Day 361 - What will they think of next?

One of our gifts was this technological marvel -- a digital picture frame. I haven't quite figured it all out yet, but I think I'm gonna have fun with it!

Day 360 - Merry Christmas!

I missed the grandkids desperately, but we enjoyed a lovely, though quiet, Christmas together.

In his colorful holiday finery, Lew fiddles with the choo-choo.

Lew found this darling new ornament for the tree that changes colors! I just love it!

Day 359 - Traditional treat

The most I had to do to finish Christmas preparations was to bake one of our favorite holiday goodies, a rum cake. As it came out of the oven, above...

... and the finished (poked with a bazillion holes) glazed product. Sooooo good!

Day 358 - Frigid foraging

These little guys had their feathers all puffed up against the cold as they searched for some leftover munchies among the leaves.

Day 357 - As he dreams by the fire...

Nothing epitomizes domestic tranquility more than a cat warming itself in front of a cozy fire. As the temperatures dip down into the teens, we lit our first of the season tonight.

Day 356 - Ready for reading...

When I'm ready to crawl in under the covers, my bedtime reading awaits. I'm very fond of the saying on the bookmark my grandson gave me several years ago. :)

Day 355 - Christmas light

A Christmas candle is a lovely thing;
It makes no noise at all,
But softly gives itself away;
While quite unselfish, it grows small.
Eva K. Logue

Day 354 - Away in a manger...

We shared nativity photos today on a message board I go to, so I figured it could do double duty and be my 365 photo too. I love the whimsy and cuteness of this set, and the cow always cracks me up...

it looks like it's high on fermented hay or something. ;)

Day 353 - Little bitty pretty one

I picked up this lighted mini tree at a craft show in Hershey, PA a few years ago. Not that we needed any more Christmas decorations, but it was so pretty, you know? ;)

Day 352 - "Beary" old

As I was taking this photo, it dawned on me that this ornament is about 40 years old. I used to think the ornament I have that was my mother's was old... now the ones that I bought as a young mother are getting that old! Shoof!

Anyway, I always like to nestle it in next to a red light to give it a little glow.

Day 351 - Not your usual Christmas tree

Tonight was haircut night and it's always interesting to check out my hairstylist's very unique keychain tree. His clients bring them to him from all over the country and the world. He presently has about 150 of them,

including this one from me... a carved wooden camel our daughter brought back from Baghdad, Iraq when she was deployed there.

Day 350 - Mantle lights

Been a long time since I've had a mantle to decorate ... not since my first house 30-odd years ago... so I'm enjoying decorating this one, lights and all.

Day 349 - I blew it...

I don't screw-up often in the kitchen, but I managed it majorly today. Check out my regular blog for my tale of woe (and a recipe link too, Laurie.)

You might think this doesn't look too bad, but ...

...it's supposed to be a nice, yellowy gold... not a tarnished, brown one! ;)

P.S. It actually tasted pretty good, not as bad as it looks. I'll try it again sometime.

Day 348 - Holiday baking

Now that I have the missing ingredients needed for a holiday eggnog loaf I want to try, all I have to do is bake it!

Day 347 - Friday night movie

My entertainment for the evening -- a biopic about singer Bobby Darin w/Kevin Spacey. Not only can he act, but he did his own singing too -- the guy is good!

Day 346 - Chubby critter

Been awhile since I've photographed our resident rodents, and boy, have these guys put on the pounds!! Well... ounces, anyway. Lookit the bulk on that beast! Clearly they've been feasting well.

Day 345 - Shiny and bright

Since these pretty sparklies haven't found their decorative home yet, I used them for an interesting macro shot instead.

Said sparklies make up this festive garland.

Day 344 - Snowfolks

These non-functional, purely decorative pair of nutcrackers have taken up residence on our mantle for the holidays.

(I've really been struggling for subject material recently, so yea for Christmas decorations!)

Day 343 - Gimme a little kiss, will ya, huh?

A modernized version of a kissing ball, I haven't found where to hang this little one yet. Back in the day they used to include mistletoe, but I haven't seen real mistletoe in years and years. I think it's toxic so I suppose it isn't politically correct to have around anymore. *sigh*

Day 342 - Noisemakers

*sigh* Well, my nice cozy sleep was most unceremoniously interrupted this AM by these guys and their obnoxiously loud JACKHAMMER!! Ugh! I know I should be (and really, I am) grateful that we have people like this who are willing to brave frigid early Sunday mornings to repair broken water mains, and I'm beyond grateful that it didn't affect OUR water, but still... a terribly rude awakening from a perfectly sound slumber!!

Day 341 - Almost there...

Just a few finishing touches and the mantle will be as done as it going to get. The trick now will be to keep beastie boy Buster from jumping up and destroying it all. Even artificial greenery isn't safe with him -- the goofy cat likes it!

Day 340 - Wrapping

Wrapping and putting the finishing touches on four Christmas gifts.

Day 339 - From pumpkins to pinecones...

... and gourds to greenery, we're well into decorating for the season. For this joint project, I conceived and supervised while Lew implemented. ;)

Day 338 - Heads up

We're getting stuff ready for decorating the mantle, and our whimsical four-headed snowman figure works perfectly for this week's theme.

Day 337 - Piece work

Pieces of a decoration my ever-so talented hubby is putting together for outside.

Day 336 - Goofy weather

sleet [sleet]
–noun
1. precipitation in the form of ice pellets created by the freezing of rain as it falls

sleet (slēt)
Precipitation that falls to earth in the form of frozen or partially frozen raindrops, often when the temperature is near the freezing point.

But, but... the temperature was only 43 degrees. Weird!

Day 335 - Frustration

Grrrrrr! My regular blog has the old template version so I have to mess with the html code a good bit when I want to add or change things. Blogger gave me fits tonight while I was switching it over to a holiday theme and kept removing my changes! What should have taken maybe an hour took a couple, few... grrrrrr!

Day 334 - My blue-eyed girl

At a loss for a photo today, Zoey stepped up to the plate... well, jumped up on a chair... and cooperated somewhat.

Day 333 - Outdoor decor

Time to replace our fall Indian corn, gourds and pumpkins with some winter greenery, pinecones, and... I dunno, maybe berries. This bag of pinecones will get us started.

Day 332 - Sweet ending

One of our traditional holiday desserts is Watergate salad, a mix of mini marshmallows, crushed pineapple, pistachio pudding, nuts, and Cool Whip. It's decadently sweet and outrageously calorie-laden, but oh, soooooo good!

Wishing you all a very...

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!
~Author Unknown~

Day 331 - Pre-prep the day before the day...

I got smart this year and planned ahead for more and better gravy/soup base. Bought some turkey wings (they were ginormous!!) which I roasted until nice and brown and then simmered into a delicious stock.

p.s. oh my! the gravy was wonderful!!

Day 330 - Gobble gobble

Since it's just the two of us this year, our Li'l Butterball will be more than enough. I see lots of turkey leftovers in our future!

Day 329 - Still going strong

Amazingly, my birthday bonsai is still blooming in November! Must be doing something right. :)

Day 328 - AAACKK!!!

I don't believe it. I totally FORGOT to take a picture today!! Never even crossed my mind!! Must have been my preoccupation with my friends.

Shot the hell out of my perfect two-year record, but... oh well! Missing only one day out of 693 isn't really all that bad, is it??

Day 327 - Kompany Kitty

Sorry to have been MIA - it's been a full, though photographically unproductive, week. First I wasn't feeling well, then we had weekend company, and then it was time to get ready for the Bird Day.

Anyway, dear old friends (we were pregnant together!!) stopped by for a visit on their way from Tennessee to Massachusetts, along with their kitties. Pretty and very well-mannered beasties, that's Mr. Blue above but I didn't get a good shot of his companion, Precious.

Day 326 - August stone

per⋅i⋅dot  /ˈpɛrɪˌdoʊ, -ˌdɒt/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [per-i-doh, -dot] Show IPA Pronunciation

–noun Mineralogy.
a green transparent variety of olivine, used as a gem.