365- Basking

Yesterday we got a foot of snow, today dawned sunny and bright. Although Stuart did most of the snow removal yesterday there was still plenty for me to do today. I worked for several hours thoroughly enjoying the sun. My last place to clear snow was on the deck... ahh, the deck! THE DECK... THE DECK!!

I LOVE the deck... the sun called to me! I pulled out my deck chair (how appropriate), settled it close to the brick, grabbed my soda, visor, sunglasses and book (oh, yeah, and my sweater, which I eventually put on). I spent about an hour and a half basking... soaking up the rays... oh, yeah! The sun was so nice and warm even though I was breathing steam.



I think this was a great way to spend the last day of my Project 365... cheating Mother Nature in the middle of the winter... yes... I can like that part!

364- Snow Removal

Now THIS is the way to get your snow removed! (Another example of DYI-Joanie-style!)



It has been so nice to have both Camille and Stuart home for the holiday weekend. Camille left to go "*home" on Monday and Stuart left this evening... but not before he did snow removal duty twice! THANK YOU STUART!

*I'm sure glad that "home" is only 15 minutes away!

363- Sunshine by the Bolt

I awakened this morning to find out that "Fritz was right" and that we are being treated to snow again. I love the snow, we need the snow, I'm grateful for the snow... but I miss the sunshine.

This sort of snowy-day always makes me want to quilt (or read, or both)... and you know what I realized today? It's because quilting lets me deal with all of those wonderful colors and textures that are so absent in the monotone landscape outside. Fabric is just a little bit of sunshine on a bolt!

And what could be happier than some beautiful, lickable batiks? I don't even want to admit how long I've been working on this quilt (over 8 years... sad, so sad...) But that is the beauty of quilting, it waits patiently for you to come back, pick it up again, add some more stitches until finally it is finished, loved and in use!

362- Lighted Trees

Up around the corner one of my neighbors has all of their front yard trees wrapped just like at Temple Square. I've wanted to get a shot of them since I saw them earlier this month. I have one word for night-time low light shots... TRIPOD! (I took 37 shots without said tripod because it was just to cold to haul that up there. I deleted most of them!)



Guess what else I found... birdhouses! They are very popular in my neighborhood. Hmm, maybe come spring I need to build some birdhouses!

361- Winter Sunset Silhouette

Christmas evening I went on a quest... I wanted one more amazing sunset shot this year. I could see that wonderful pink light that I love. I walked down to Canyon Road (in the freezing cold, I might add!) and caught the sun just as it was slipping behind West Mountain. What a beautiful sight!

360- Boxing Day

We may have started a new tradition... celebrating Boxing Day in the Lewis way! Gordon had the idea to have our family dinner today because our usual 3rd Sunday dinner conflicted with the Stake Choir Festival and Christmas... well, it's just a busy day with grandkids wanting to play with their toys and visiting other family members!

It actually worked out quite well. Everyone brought something, we got to visit and, most importantly, I got a family photo of the attendees. I guess I'm going to have to work on getting better focus with my tripod-timered photos... but here we are.

359- Our Family

Here we are... this is all of the Lewis' left *at home* (and technically Camille and Stuart aren't at home. They both live in Provo but they come all the way home to Springville for Christmas.)

We've had a lovely wonderful day, very quiet and laid-back... just the kind of day I needed.

358-On Christmas Eve in the Morning

The sign of a good teacher is when the student is able to perform at a higher level than the teacher. (I just made that up!) But that is where I have arrived with my Camille. She has proven herself as a master baker! That girl has consistently turned out AWESOME cinnamon rolls and orange rolls this year. I am pleased to pass the potholders to her! You go girl!



In case you are wondering about the title... making cinnamon rolls on Christmas Eve in the Morning goes way back to the early Palmdale days.

The second tradition may not happen this year... taquitos... I'm just too stuffy in the head for all that mess. So sad...

357- Birdie Condo

This fun little birdie condo lives in my neighborhood. I love the way this turned out in B&W.

356- Creative Editing

Wouldn't it be nice if all photos were just perfect they way they are? Yes, I could like that. But you know what? That is not normally my luck.

But I didn't even take this photo... so what's the problem? I have an ancient, dinosaur scanner with dust streaks on the underside of the glass. We received a very nice photo from Erik and Megan of their family that I needed to scan... yeah... time for a new scanner. (BTW anyone out there know how to clean the underside of the glass on an HP Scanner?)


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355- Mama Bear

So... this is the day... the shortest day of the year. That being the case shouldn't this also be the coldest day of the year? Nope, we are just getting started with winter and today that is NOT happy news. I have a sore throat and stuffy head and pretty much want to be like a mama bear (bet she doesn't suffer from SAD) and just go to sleep until it warms up again! Today winter is looking very long, and yes, dark!

I needed the reminder that even after the coldest, darkest winters spring always comes again. Happy thought!

354- Light

Today was our Christmas program at church. The choir sang, beautifully, I might add. I am a firm believer in the saying that you work as if everything depends upon you and pray as if everything depends upon the Lord (which it does!) I've never been in a ward where there was so much talent and participation in choir.

The choir members have worked very hard, but I've also prayed for those unseen, yet heard, heavenly voices to join us in our praise of the Christ Child. My favorite is The First Noel/Pachebel's Canon. The music just speaks to my soul.

We had two speakers today interspersed with the childrens choir and the ward choir. One of the speakers was talking about the symbols of the season. Do you ever have something so obvious suddenly make sense to you? That was my experience today. The lights that we use to light our homes, yards and trees are a symbol of Jesus Christ, the Light of the World.



How grateful I am for this wonderful time of year when we celebrate that marvelous event that has changed all of our lives.

353- O Tannenbaum

When I saw this lone fir tree with colored lights amidst all the white *faerie lights* I thought about O Tannenbaum...



And for those of you who would like the lyrics-

Deutsch
Tannenbaum
TEXT: Ernst Anschütz, 1824
MELODIE: Volksweise (traditional)

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
wie treu sind deine Blätter!
Du grünst nicht nur
zur Sommerzeit,
Nein auch im Winter, wenn es schneit.
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
wie treu sind deine Blätter!

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!
Wie oft hat nicht zur Weihnachtszeit
Ein Baum von dir mich hoch erfreut!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Dein Kleid will mich
was lehren:
Die Hoffnung und Beständigkeit
Gibt Trost und Kraft
zu jeder Zeit.
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Das soll dein Kleid
mich lehren.

If you want English you'll need to go here. ;)

352- Main Street

This is the fifth Christmas we've spent in Springville... it always amazes me when I realize that! We've watched downtown make a transformation with a new City Office complex being completed this year.

My nicest holiday surprise was when they put up this year's decorations. They are so pretty, so simple. Tonight I braved the cold so I could capture the beauty of Main Street.

351- Junie B- 1st Grader

I got to go help Miss Camille in her class today. I always enjoy my time there. Today we made the famous snowman ornament again.

These little 1st graders are always so cute! I just happened to be there during singing time again... I love those little voices! It really made it easier as Miss Camille sent them back to the classroom in 2's & 3's to have their hands painted to form the little snowman bodies. After singing time, when the paint was dry, the 1st graders (that is how Miss Camille refers to them!) used permanent markers to add the scarf, hat, arms, face and buttons.

So here is *Miss June B* with her creation.

350- Doug and Jessica's Family

Every year Doug and Jessica's family gets these wonderful Christmas family photos. Imaging my disappointment when pregnant-Jess told me that this year she wouldn't be doing a swap with one of her favorite photographers! But never fear! Grammie is here! Jess asked me if I would take their photos.



I was so pleased once I got the edited photos delivered to Doug and Jessica last night. But I found, again, that I'm a little challenged by portrait-type photos. I'm never happy with my first look through the unedited photos! But as I look a second and third time, do some tweaking... THEN I'm happy.

And now, an artistic shot...

349- Woodolph

Gordon snapped this of me at Home Depot some weeks ago and I've been saving it for this special time of year...

I present Woodolph the Wed-Nosed Weindeew!

348- Snowy Sunset

There is just something magical about the sight of the setting sun on the snow. A few nights ago I looked out when it was too late to take a photo but there was purple snow! It was beautiful.

But here is tonight's snow.

347- O Holy Night

Today I had a wonderful Sabbath, made better by some extra special things... I got to sing with *my very own sister* in Sacrament meeting today! (But did I think to get a picture of us looking all musical and pretty... nope... I forgot!)



I was scheduled to sing a solo today but when Ann called Saturday afternoon to say their plans had changed, because of our snow storm, and could they spend the night and go to church with us I jumped on the opportunity to sing once again with my sister. We sang "O Holy Night"; one of my favorite Christmas hymns.

The arrangement I have comes from this book of Mom's costing $1 in 1949! After Mom passed away I asked if I could have this small book of music that we sang from and, then later, I sang from with Vivian when we moved back to Greenville after I was married.

One of our favorite things to do when we were growing up was to sing around the piano with Mom playing and the three of us (sisters) singing. It just gives me a warm feeling inside to remember those days. It reminds me of just how lucky I was to be born into a family where there was so much love and big sisters "who prayed for me!"

346- Baby Toesies

I just love baby toesies! Today I did a family photo shoot for Doug's family for Christmas cards. I'm such a lucky Grammie to have this wonderful family just up the road from me. I will probably post my favorite family photo in the coming days... but today... Roxie's toesies!

345- Friend Nativity

This is one of my favorite Nativities because my bestest friend, Auntie P, made it for me years ago. Some years I've let it live on the front porch for all to see, but this year it is too snowy to live outside.


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344- Tracks in the Snow

On Monday and Tuesday this week I went outside to *blow-snow* (boy, that sure is easier than the back-breaking shoveling). We live on a corner lot (again... what is with me and the corner lots?) and are responsible for snow removal on the sidewalks around our property (yeah... and cleaning off the road so the mail-lady can get to our mailbox).

But I digress! I have this whole sequence of snow blowing so I only have to move it once instead of twice. I often wonder why I clear off the sidewalk that runs up the side of our house that no one walks on except me. Today I found out why... it is for me... and for the neighborhood deer. There are only my tracks and the deer. (my track is in the upper left corner)



As I was out for my walk today I noticed a fat little quail walking on the snow but it wasn't until my return trip that I saw he'd left behind little quail-snow-angels. I love how you can see his walking tracks, then he started to use his wings, more, more and finally... take-off with one last little faint wing print and little foot print. How beautiful!!



Finally on my way back into the house, there on the deck steps, one last little set of birdie tracks... what a fun explore in the arctic air.

343- Ice Skating Anyone?

It's Wednesday, Temple day. We have about a foot of snow on the ground so I knew I would want to leave early and give myself plenty of time. I went out to our rather cold garage and asked Beatrix if she was ready to go. Sad, sad, sad... Beatrix was so cold (-6 F) she just couldn't get her motor goin'! Hubby to the rescue! He drove me to the Temple and the was able to coax Beatrix into starting to pick me up at 4.

When I left the Temple today I saw that the fountain closest to the Temple was frozen. Now that's cold~!

342- Quilted Nativity

The year we moved here to Utah (Jan 2005) my daughter-in-law told me about the Jim Shore Nativity. I went right online to scope it at my favorite online collectibles store and ordered right then... yes, in January. I just love all the colors, textures and little murals that he has worked into his art.



Now here is the funny part about my order... Cherrylane is located right in Provo (10 miles from my house) No wonder it got here so fast!!

341- My Happy Decorations

The older I get the less important *things* are to me. I used to love to decorate the whole house for Christmas, but now all I want are my Nativity sets.

This is one of my favorites...


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Willow Tree Nativity

340- First Snow

This morning I woke to quite a surprise! There was a foot of new snow on the ground that wasn't there last night!

I just love the first snow of the season. It is so clean, soft, and quiet. Have you ever noticed how snow brings a blanket of silence with it?

After church this afternoon I took my camera outside to get some good shots in the sunset light of all the beautiful drifts of new snow... and what did I see? Hiding under a snow-cap was this little, miniature rose, perfectly dried and still on the bush (does that give you a good idea how dry our climate is?) I just couldn't resist snapping it for today's photo.



But I also had to record that I am still not to old to make Snow Angels. I made this one this morning before choir!


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339- Incognito

My backdoor neighbor's sons trimmed his fruit trees and a few branches fell over the fence into my yard. I dutifully picked them up (no, I didn't even consider chucking them back across the fence into his yard). As I was walking them to the trash I looked at them and said, "Ha! Reindeer Antlers!" And I just happened to have a willing model.

Doesn't he look so cute?



If you want to read more about my little friend go here.

338- Ryan & Nikki

Last year I started a POTD (picture of the day) project for the month of December. That was the catalyst for my tackling my Project 365. So even though I still have the rest of this month to finish up my current project I've posted a photo a day for the last year, with only a few misses.

One of the things I wanted to do last December was post a photo of each of our family. I asked everyone to help out and get me their photos but somehow I missed Ryan and Nikki. So it seems fitting to me that this December I start with them.


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Hopefully, this year I will be able to round off my 13 month photo project with a photo of each of my loved family.

337-DYI Joanie's Way

Sometime in the last few years I've been able to make a wonderful shift... now DYI means *call one of our sons and they come and do it for me*! (this give the term *how hard can it be?* a whole new meaning!) Whee-haw!

We've had an unsightly grating, left over from when we still had a swamp cooler, since we got our air conditioning in May 2008. Ryan is the man of the hour this time. He came down today and in no time at all had that hole all patched up and lookin' good. Then he replaced the trim around the crawl space door that was all cracked and gnarly.



Ryan brought in our compressor to run the finish nailer... but look what Harley thought about that! "Help me Mamma... it's going to get me!" He came in and hid under my sewing machine where I was patching Ryan's designer jeans. (OK... here is a Mother's Rant... why do they pay $100+ for jeans that already have patches on them and other places that need to be patched?? That's what I want to know!)


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Look at that poor worried little face!

But my happiest new is that Ryan & Nikki put up heat tape on the front gutters and downspout... no more skating rink on the front steps and walk! (Some years I've had 1-2" of solid ice out there!!)

336- December Full Moon

Yes, I know I just had the moon on my blog two days ago... but, come on... who could resist a shot like this! I just love the *light of the silvery moon*. And wouldn't you think that the light would look the same no matter what season it is? But, no, it changes with the seasons. Can't you just feel you nose and toes getting cold? I promise mine were!

335- Christmas at My House

It is interesting how our perspective changes as we grow older. As a child I was always so anxious for Christmas. I could hardly wait to see that I'd gotten in my stocking and from my family! We always had a silver-tip fir for our Christmas tree. Mom would wrap the trunk with tinsel (the same strand each year) and we would hang on all of our ornament; some having belonged to her mother. It was a happy time.

As a young mother I usually made myself crazy, stressed, and frazzled trying to make Christmas just perfect for my family. I've always made most of my gifts. I would spend hours sewing pajamas, coats and the like.

When my kids were still home decorating for Christmas was always a big deal. I have 14 (count them... fourteen!) large plastic storage containers where all of my decorations live. The kids and I would put on Christmas music and *deck the halls*. We loved it. Then sometime after the 1st of the year we had to take all of that down again... and the kids didn't think that was so fun.

About 8 years ago I decided I wanted to have some themed Christmas trees so on Black Friday I bought a set of 3 trees on super-sale and got different decorations for each one.

For several years we had our big tree and then the little ones as well; but I find that as I get older somehow the work just sucks all the joy out of decorating. Last year I had the bright idea to carry my trees, completely decorated, down to the dungeon. They have lived there happily all year and were just waiting to be carried back upstairs again. Yay... I found a way to take the work out of decorating.


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So for today... the 1st of December, I *put up the trees* and hung my bush lights on the 3 little Christmas trees that grow by my house. I love the look... but most of all I love the fact that there is no craziness, stress or being frazzled.

334- Moonrise

I happened to be outside at exactly the right moment tonight... just as the sun was setting and turning the mountains gold and the full moon was peeking over Hobble Creek Canyon. What a beautiful sight.


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333- Shaggy Beast 2

Yesterday I posted about my shaggy little beast friend and my striking resemblance. I said that I'd chosen not to take a photo, but since my sister, Sue, asked... here you go...

My best version of shaggy beast taken in the bathroom mirror this morning.



Do you know how hard it is to take a photo of yourself in the mirror with a dSLR camera?



And I had to include an out take...


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332- Shaggy Beast

This funny little guy lives out in the fields of North Utah Co. Whenever I see a shaggy little face like this I always think, "How can he see?"



Since I took this photos I was doing my hair one morning and with my hair is longer I start from the bottom and work up. I use my big pick to section off and hold up the top hair until I get to the very top...

So now picture this- all of my hair is nice and curled except the top (the forelock) which is combed forward, just like the pony, while I section off and curl the top (and, no, I chose not to take a photo of myself looking like the pony!)

And you know what? I can see just fine through my shaggy-beast forelock!

331- That's a Lotta Bull

Enough said...

330- Happy Thanksgiving

I was a little hesitant that having a second Thanksgiving dinner in 11 days might be a little too much. NOT SO! We made the whole feast, and boy, was it yummy! I got out Grandma Lewis' china and silverware and it reminded me so much of those by-gone years of Thanksgiving at Gramma Munce's house. There are so many happy memories all tied up with Thanksgiving. I've said before that it is my favoritest holiday!



Camille finally got to make the orange rolls start to finish all by herself! And I have to say that these are the best orange rolls we've ever had!! Yummy X 2!



And where was Stuart during all of this cooking and baking? Yup, in the dungeon playing our cutting edge technology Nintendo 64!



Jamie, Camille's room mate, came to dine with us... shortly after dinner everyone was asleep except me!

329- Maple Mountain *Sunrise*

You all know, by now, that I live in the wonderful Wasatch front of the Rocky Mountains. I'm tucked back in a little area called Spring Cove. I have a beautiful view of Maple Mountain out my bedroom window. I've mentioned before that it is *my* mountain. I grew up in the High Sierra Nevada Mountains in Northern California and mountains are just in my blood.

When I was out at Camille's school I noticed that across the lake to the SE was *MY* mountain... looking beautiful, as usual. I pulled out my trusty dSLR and snapped away but when I got home I was disappointed with what my camera had captured... it wasn't what my eyes saw!

This is why I love PhotoShop! It allows me artistic license with my photos. And today, once I got started... well, I'll just show you what my heart saw!


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Here is the untouched photo... I like what my heart saw better!

328- Frozen Thistle

Yesterday on my explore out to Miss Lewis' class I had my camera at the ready to take photos of all the interesting things I KNEW I would see. I wasn't disappointed! There are just so many wonderful things to see and capture on film on that trek across the valley to the far side of the lake. I will be sharing those with you over the next few days.

We had a light but blowing snow on Sunday night and although much of it had melted, the north face of this tenacious thistle was still ice encrusted. I love how you can see the bubbles in the ice! I got this with my 50mm lens! This is untouched except a slight unsharpen mask (which never makes sense to me since an unsharpen mask sharpens things!!)



Growing up I always liked the look of a thistle in full bloom... (but I couldn't like it when I stepped on them in our lawn! This is where you laugh like a manic, P!) Where I lived we had purple and pink. Since leaving Greenville I've only seen purple until...



Camille and I hiked the Y last spring! I was so happy to see that there are pink thistles here too.

327- Show and Tell

So are you wondering why I have a picture of all these cute *ickle first's* bums? If you look very closely you will see my Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt top in the middle of all of them... and under it are half a dozen assorted quilts that I brought in for *Show & Tell*!

This is the second year that Miss Lewis has invited me to her classroom to show & tell about my quilts. The class has just completed a unit on quilts where they learned all the different shapes. I am always amazed at how much they know. Last year I even learned what a rhombus is! And this year I learned what a quadrilateral is! Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?



I just love going into Camille's class. I love children! If I could go back and have a *do-over* (which I wouldn't- for so many reasons!!) I would make sure to get my teaching degree so I could work with these delightful little ones all the time.

After Miss Joanie's *show & tell* the children were off to singing time. Just down the hall is a kiva room where they have group activities. It has a nice rotunda ceiling and the sound is beautiful. Just imagine 175+ 1st graders singing their hearts out! One of the seven (yes, 7 first grade classes) teachers plays the piano beautifully! I set my quilt basket down in the hallway and stayed to listen to them sing... it really doesn't get much better than children singing; and I not ashamed to admit they made me cry!