366 in Watercolor -- Day 366

I've reached the end! There was snow on the ground this morning, so I figured I'd put to use. :) I've seen people use watercolor to paint snow and today was the perfect day to try it out. It was a little melty though. :)

I've been asked what I'll do with this blog. I think I'll leave it here for now. I might need it in 2014. :) I'm not planning to do a 365 project in 2013, but if I stick to my pattern of every other year, I'll need it again. :) 
In the meantime, those of you who actually follow this blog, you can find my official photography blog at www.lamariephotography.com and my personal blog (which also includes photography) at www.angelathetwin.com. I'm hoping to update both of those blogs on a more regular basis this next year. :D

Essential Oil Diffuser -- Day 365

I love this thing! My sister, Abigail Joy, is crazy about essential oils and is building her own business. Until she got this thing I haven't really been all that into it. She got this diffuser a few days ago, and it's like having yummy smelling candles lit in your house without the nasty chemical smell, no risk of fire, and absolutely no risk to your health from breathing petroleum fumes or other such chemicals. All those air fresheners you can buy at the store, specifically Febreze and Glade, give me a headache and almost make me sick to my stomach (I'd rather smell not so nice smells than be sick), but this is so cool! I think every house needs one. There are probably other benefits besides it making your house smell nice, but you'll have to ask Abbie about those. :) Another cool feature is that it is cool water vapor, shuts off automatically when the water gets low and you can choose whatever kind of oil you want to add, depending on your mood. Tonight I felt like peppermint, so our house smelled like a candy cane all evening. :)
If anyone is interested in getting their own home diffuser, contact my sister. :)

Peppermint Andes -- Day 364

Only two days left for the project. :)

Excited Faces -- Day 363

The kids were sooooo excited today, when it was discovered that snow flakes were falling from the sky. They danced around on the deck for a while trying to catch the flakes on their tongues. Matt said, "I want bigger snow." I told him he'd have to ask God about that. A few minutes later the flakes were bigger. I asked Matt if he'd asked God for "Bigger Snow" and he said, yes, with a big smile on his face. :) The flurries didn't last long and there wasn't any accumulations, but the kids enjoyed it while it was there and were ready to come inside before too long.

Candy Cane Heart -- Day 362

Pizza Party -- Day 361

Well, it wasn't an official party, but Stephen treated us to Dominoes the evening before he left. I wasn't thinking I'd be featuring Dominoes again in this project, but I am. I decided I'd get people in this shot. :) I was happy that most of my family obliged.

The Best Gift -- Day 360

Tonight I watched my favorite Christmas movie. Baby Jesus is what Christmas is all about.

Candy Cane Oreos -- Day 359

We had lots of yummy treats at our Christmas Eve Party. :)

Line of Siblings +1 -- Day 358

Drawer Full o' Socks -- Day 357

Little Girl on the Phone -- Day 356

Tonight was our friends annual Christmas Party. It was so fun to see many friends that we don't get to see very often. I especially enjoyed getting a hug from Sarah. Here she was playing telephone with Amber who was sitting a couple feet in front of her. Oh the joy of child play. And look at that ancient corded phone that is now a designated toy. :P It's funny to think that some children in this world today might have never seen one before. :)

Eggnog and Ice Cream -- Day 355

Nothing like a big tall glass of it on a December evening. :)

Pizza Box -- Day 354

Yep, it was pizza again tonight. This time I'm featuring the box. :)

Gingerbread House -- Day 353

My friend, Rebekah, is busy building. :) I can't wait to see the finished product.

Rooster and Lights -- Day 352

Friends -- Day 351

Avonlea just loves Rebekah. Who wouldn't? They've been special friends for as long as Avonlea has been around. :)

Christmas Cookies -- Day 350

Rings -- Day 349

My sister picked up her Fiancé's wedding band today. Of course I had to take a photo of his ring with her's. :)

Nativity Children -- Day 348

Tonight Amber and I babysat these four. They love to dress up and thought it would be fun to create a nativity scene. It turned out so cute!

Birthday Candles -- Day 347

My youngest brother had a birthday. :) Yay for chocolate cake! And blowing out candles with colored flames. :)

Tiger Fudge -- Day 346

I can't help but post photos of yummy food at Christmas time. :)

Hat and Gloves -- Day 345

It's finally getting colder. Today, I pulled out the warm weather gear. Mark was very proud of his blue stocking cap and gloves. :)

Embroidery -- Day 344

Christmas Bow -- Day 343

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....."

Pancakes -- Day 342

Yum!

Knitting -- Day 241

This photos wasn't an easy capture. :) Those are my hands knitting a sock for my nephew. I had my camera set to the 10 second timer and had the strap around my neck and the camera balanced on my knee. I wasn't actually knitting 'cause it was an awkward set up. I had to push the shutter button and then get situated and had to manually focus literally, by moving my knitting nearer of farther from the camera, all in 10 seconds. And I had to be sure to hold still to prevent camera shake. :D

December Sunset -- Day 340

I guess I'm going with a sky theme the last few days. :) The sunset tonight was gorgeous!

Work On the Roof -- Day 339

Another evening shot for today. Amber and I were driving home and saw this neat silhouette against fading sky. I wish all the power lines weren't there. This was taken at 20th and Rangeline. I don't know what they a

re building, but whatever it is, it is replacing something that blew away in the tornado. There used to be a newspaper building and a church on that corner, so I guess we'll wait and see. Its neat to see all the construction in Joplin right now. Before long, you won't be able to tell that a tornado went through. Except for the lack of big trees. That might give it away.

All Seasons Signs -- Day 338

Every evening I park below this sign as I wait to pick up my sister, Abigail Joy, from work. Tonight the sky just looked cool in the background. And taking pictures of lighted signs is just fun. :)

Box of Twinkies -- Day 337

Twinkies where the novelty dessert at church today. :) One of the guys found them at Wal-Mart and stocked up. :D After church while I was the videographer for a short film the boys decided to make, I snapped this photo. Pretty silly how Twinkies can be just another junk food item until Hostess decides to go out of business and then they become the rage. :)

Fiddle Shop Sign -- Day 336

Mom and Ben set up the Christmas Village today. :)

Mocking Bird -- Day 335

Time to Bake -- Day 334

Today Mark and Luke helped me make Apple Crisp. Cooking with little boys is a mess. :P But we had fun. Mark was enjoying stirring the topping ingredients together. Don't you love his Lowe's Home Improvement Apron? Making dessert definitely improves the home. :D

Leaning Tower of Pizza -- Day 333

Dominoes has come again to our house. :P

Christmas Decor -- Day 332

Reese's -- Day 331

This is the best ever combination of sweetness! Sorry about all the food pictures, but sometimes at the end of the day that's the only thing I feel like photographing. Or maybe tonight I just wanted to eat a peanut butter cup. ;) I was already thinking about food photography, so I thought it might be fun to put my last Reese's to the test. :D Either way, it tasted good.

Popcorn -- Day 330

I Spy Treasure -- Day 329

Today while organizing our room I took a peek into my "Treasure Box." There are a lot of memories represented in this photo. :) What do you see that peaks your interest? 

Bolts and Bolts of Fabric -- Day 328

I spent most of the day out shopping with my Mom and Amber. We found what we were looking for... fabric for Bridesmaid's dresses. :)

Pumpkin Cheescake -- Day 327

Is it ok to be thankful for junk food? :)

Swinging over the Leaves -- Day 326

Today I took family photos for some good friends. After the formal photos were done, it was play time. Here Joel is trying to work up the courage and timing to jump off the swing into the leaf pile. :)

Golden Leaves -- Day 325

The weather has been perfect the last few days! I was walking along and saw these golden leaves on the ground, so I brought them home for a photo. I don't do "studio" shots very often, but something about those golden leaves made me pull out my poster board again.

Packing Peanuts -- Day 324

I'm not working at 3000toys this year, but the coming of Thanksgiving has reminded me of packing boxes. I've packed many a box with these packing peanuts during my six years as Christmas help at 3000toys. When I was looking for something to take a photo of, I remembered that little mini peanut I found and kept one year. I don't know how those things are made, but that itty bitty one is hard like a resin figurine. Maybe it missed the popping machine?

State Trooper -- Day 323

What to do while waiting for pizza at McSalty's? Why not photograph a police car. :)

Mums -- Day 322

I found these beauties at Grand Village in Branson. I took other photos at Grand Village, but I really like this one so I chose it for today. :)

Sprinkler -- Day 321

What a busy day! So busy that I didn't really get any good shots. I'm on a weekend trip with the family I work for. As I sat in my hotel room after 10pm, I looked around and shot this from my spot on the bed.

Sky Silhouette -- Day 320

Matthew Cuddles -- Day 319

Even a five year old needs some cuddle time. :) Today, Matthew was acting up and just being rambunctious like little boys do and picking on his brothers, so I grabbed him and held him for a little while. He settled down and enjoyed being the subject for today's photo. :)

Fūl -- Day 318

How do you pronounce that? "Full, Fool, Fuel?" I pronounce it "Full" even though I'm thinking it's not supposed to be pronounced that way, since it has the macron over the u. Either way my life feels full at the moment, and I'm glad my camera bag is also full. :)
PS This is my most favorite camera bag ever, and it isn't even a camera bag. I got it for less than $20 and made my own padding for the inside. :)
http://tinyurl.com/d9cnxwk

Leaf on Frosty Window -- Day 317