Jingle bell Christmas

Jingle bell Christmas, originally uploaded by schoolio.

Jingle bells served as ornaments, napkin rings, and gifts for our guests. Way to stretch the decorating dollar, eh? Bonus: they jingled quite nicely!

Happy holidays and Merry Christmas!!!

Stille Nacht Heilige Nacht

Stille Nacht Heilige Nacht, originally uploaded by schoolio.

A small ornament from this year's tree that I picked up when I was in Munich, Germany in 2005. It's simple but I love it. Some day, hopefully soon, I'll post photos from the trip. Bavaria is beautiful.

Ich kaufte diese Verzierung in München 2005. Eines Tages, hoffe ich, meine Fotos von der Reise zu hochladen. Bayern ist schön.

Time to practice my German. :)

Safe until spring

Safe until spring, originally uploaded by schoolio.

like this one because of the circumstance: this little girl was smart enough to wait until the pond froze before falling from the tree.

She's safe until spring.

The last of my favorites from the morning fog pics.

Foggy dew

Foggy dew, originally uploaded by schoolio.

Part of the morning fog sequence. Just a few drops of dew on the branches to show that it's been unseasonably warm this winter - barely dropping below freezing overnight. The fog offered a wonderfully mysterious backdrop.

'twas a foggy morning on Browndale...

'twas a foggy morning on Browndale..., originally uploaded by schoolio.

On my way to work, the fog was intriguing and I had to seek out a spot to best view the atypical weather. The pond near Browndale Park (Edina) offered a great view of the fog over the creek.

How fun for me. :)

Giving thanks

Thanksgiving, originally uploaded by schoolio.

The table was set for this year's Thanksgiving dinner. A lovely setting, a house full of friends and family, and dinner was delicious but my favorite part was this little leaf. For me, the calm before the storm and a reminder of the fall colors we won't see for some time as well as a time to reflect and truly give thanks for the life I have.

Next stop: Christmas.

Codey, originally uploaded by schoolio.

I was asked to take some Christmas family photos for a friend, her boyfriend, and their three cats. Mixed success with the family photo - I think it's a challenge for anyone to get three cats to pose and look in the same direction without active coercion. After the shoot, however, I followed the cats around to get some candids - my favorite part.

This one is Codey, brother of Pharoah and Bogie. I'll try to find photos of them but I really liked this one.

Hokeypokeyphobia

Hokeypokeyphobia, originally uploaded by schoolio.

This little girl, the designated bumblebee at the wedding reception, pondered an important decision: should I, or should I not enter into the wedding madness known as The Hokey Pokey. I've witnessed it and I think her fears were justified.

Madness. Pure madness. :)

Wedding callas

Wedding callas, originally uploaded by schoolio.

A simple lily display at the wedding reception. I didn't attend the wedding so I can't speak for that, but the reception was interesting. It was held in a school gymnasium, decorated mostly for the entertainment of children with paper and crayons on all the tables, and a disco ball/dj up front to keep the party moving. They also had buckets of candy around because it was just prior to Halloween and everyone was encouraged to wear their Halloween costume. In the midst of this all was a simple calla lily display. I couldn't resist it.