365 Wrap Up

It is hard for me to believe that 365 days have passed since almost one year ago 5 minutes from now. When I set out on the 365 project, I had hoped that by the end I would know how to use my camera better. I do. I am still learning, and I will always be learning, but I have a much broader knowledge base of what my camera can do. I did not expect when I started this project, however, the wide range of things it would teach me outside of knowing my camera about just life. Our lives do happen every day, 365 days of the year. They happen fast but they are packed with a richness I never fully understood or appreciated until I started taking notice of it with my camera. We are all blessed beyond measure with our lives no matter how extraordinary or simple they may appear. The reality of it is, life is a gift, it is precious, and it should always be appreciated each and every one of the 365 days of each year that we get to live it. In a nut shell, that last statement is what has been the most valuable thing that I have learned from my 365 project. As I enter into 2012, I will take this nugget of truth that I have learned and apply it to the days ahead. May all of you be blessed with many wonderful days in the year to come!

Here's a look back on some of my favorite photos from 2011:

The End!

Christmas Eve Photo

It is not often that I have my photo taken and that it is posted on our blog. With my mom and Aunt Brenda in town, I have made a few appearances this Christmas of which I am thankful. The above photo was taken by my mom just after Christmas Eve services. Emma-Caroline did not have her coat and was a bit cold. None-the-less, Emma-Caroline still looks as sweet as ever.

Avery House Holiday Home Tour

I have never taken the opportunity to "show off" my home for an official holiday home tour. There are many people whose homes out there look like they could be in Southern Accents or Southern Living. If my home were featured in a magazine (laugh), the title may be "Home Spun Holiday" or "Hodge-Podge Christmas." At any rate, I do not profess to be a Christmas decor guru, however, I do like how my house looks for the holidays. The day I took the decorations down, I snapped a few photos for a last minute remembrance of what our house looks like for Christmas. Here is my make-shift holiday home tour.

I. The Dining Room

 II. The Keeping Room

 "If You give a Mouse a Cookie" Christmas Tree we bought one year at the Fantasy of Trees benefit for Children's Hospital.

 Emma-Caroline's Nativity she made as a 3 year old.

 Sophie's Nativity that she made as a 3 year old.

 Sophie's Christmas tree plate that she made for us this year.

 III. The Family Room

 IV. The Play Room

Oh, how I am giggling to myself about this little home tour. It's very incomplete, and in this last picture, Emma-Caroline said, "Mommy! What are you doing????" Precisely my sentiments!

Home for the Holidays!

I am very thankful that we are able to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in our home each year. It would be awesome too to be with family in other places, but I feel that it is really wonderful to be able to be in your own house on Christmas, especially with small children. This is our second year in the new Avery House. Last year, for simplicity sake, I decorated the outside with simple swags of green on the windows and a wreath on the chimney and door. This year I added wreaths to all of the windows as well as the chimney, and door. The girls also requested lights, so I added two lit reindeer and Christmas ornaments to our front yard Japanese Maple. It is still pretty simple decor in the grand scheme of Christmas decor, but it is classic and cheery. These photos below hardly capture what our house looks like this year, but I wanted to include them anyway. Night photography without a tripod, is tricky. Maybe that's what I will ask for for next Christmas, a tripod!

 Actual night time darkness in photo below.

 Slow shutter speed photos in these two.