365 Project -- #344-350

This is the time in my week when I look back at the images I've captured

throughout the previous week, and choose my seven favorites.

These seven--one for each day of the week--are featured below.

December 10 - December 16

I'm happy to say that this week's photos are varied, with both people and decorations.  But they all bring to my mind family and friends and the Christmas season.

As a courtesy (and because I love to), I shot a Ladies and Daughters Christmas Tea.  The table was beautifully set, and the ladies added to the decorations by bringing their favorite tea cups.  Here are three of the many images from that wonderful afternoon.

[344] Christmas gold

[345] Christmas tea party

[346] Gem

Next came a photo session with a couple who have a rather significant anniversary coming up!  The photo session came about after I searched through my whole year's worth of images, and couldn't find a suitable one which my parents could use to include with their Christmas cards.  We set up the shoot right in front of their family room fireplace--perfect.  They are a beautiful couple in every way.

[347] Hearth and home

I went to Costco on a stock-up run, and bought some cream cheese for some Christmas treats I wanted to make.  I bought what I thought was the equivalent of three 8-ounce packages.  What I actually bought was three pounds.  What to do with all that cream cheese??  Make muffins, of course!  I Googled a recipe, read through several, and found one that used ingredients I had on hand.  I modified the recipe a bit, added blueberries to one half of the batter and raspberries to the other, and after breakfast was over (and nothing remained), I tucked the recipe into my personal recipe binder.  It was definitely a keeper!

[348] Muffins for breakfast

My mom came down one morning, and the two of us spent mother-daughter time preparing part of our Italian Christmas dinner.  We had to fry pans going, both making the pancake noodles, while Joe grated mozzarella and fresh Parmesan cheeses.  I helped him get the rest of the filling together, and then I took pictures while the Master Chef--as I refer to her--put the individual manicotti together.  As usual, it will be a genuine, from-scratch Italian Christmas!

[349] Manicotti day

Finally, I spent a few minutes taking macro shots of my simple Christmas decorations.  I don't do much; I'm too practical to store a ton of stuff and spend the time putting it up and taking it down.  We have a tree and a manger, and I hang a few strands of garland.  And this year, I took some of the discards from our live tree, and used those boughs along our fireplace mantel.  My mom gave me some crochet snowflakes, and I scattered them throughout the boughs.  Pretty!

[350] Snowflake in spruce

I love snowflakes!  When I browsed the images of my decorations, I realized I had taken photos of snowflakes everywhere.  I collect them for our Christmas tree, and my dearie lets me splurge each year and purchase a new one or two snowflake (or snowflake-themed) ornaments for the tree.  I think I'll do a snowflake-themed post soon!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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