Cheers!

December 31, 2018 (365/365)

“For last year's words belong to last year's language, 

and next year's words await another voice. 

And to make an end is to make a beginning."  - T.S. Eliot

White Christmas After All

December 27, 2018 (361/365)

“May your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be white.” - Irving Berlin

It’s raining today, but wasn’t it lovely to wake up to the prettiest dusting of snow on Christmas morning?

Bûche de Noël

December 26, 2018 (360/365)

« La période des fêtes, c'est comme la bûche de Noël : il faut savoir la savourer avant de la finir sans s'en rendre compte. » - Hanluo Taihan

The bûche de Noël at le Rêve (“A modern twist on the traditional French Yule Log: Cheesecake mousse with pistachio crémeux, vanilla bavarois, and morello cherry cream” garnished with pistachios and snowflake cookies) is pretty and delicious, but if you’d like a sweet treat without the calories, check out the 2018 most beautiful bûches de Noël in Paris 

Merry Christmas

December 25, 2018 (359/365)

“Christmas — It is the tenderness of the past, courage for the present, and hope for the future." - Agnes M. Pahro

Christmas Joy

December 24, 2018 (358/365)

“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, 

and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, 

become a child again at Christmastime.” - Laura Ingalls Wilder

No Name Gnome

December 22, 2018 (356/365)

You can have your Elf on the Shelf; we have a Gnome in our Home. 

Help us give the little guy a proper, preferably Scandinavian, name!

French Friday: Joyeux Noël

le vendredi 21 décembre 2018 (355/365)

« Noël est la joie…une joie intérieure de lumière et de paix. » -  Pape François

Week 51 - Technical: Exposure Compensation

December 17, 2018 (351/365)

"Stars of heaven, clear and bright, Shine upon this Christmas light" - Timothy Dudley-Smith #dogwood52 #dogwoodweek51

O Christmas Tree!

December 16, 2018 (350/365) • Christmas at the Pfister

[S]He's making a list...

December 12, 2018 (346/365)

I wasn't completely successful in filling my 2018 Autumn Bucket List. I didn't knit, walk in the fog, or climb the tower at Holy Hill. We didn't have a bonfire in the backyard, and for the first time since we were married, we didn't carve jack-o-lanterns and roast pumpkin seeds. Nonetheless, I love the idea of intentionally for planning seasonal delights. So, once again inspired by A Beautiful Mess, I'm making a list...

My 2018 Holiday Bucket List (a bit late, so I already have quite a head start):

• Deck the halls with snowy and icy ornaments
• Shop for gifts and send Christmas cards to friends and family 
• Lovingly wrap packages like Mom and Grandma Dodo always did
• Enjoy my personal Christmas Playlist from Band-Aid to Bing
• Make paper snowflakes
• Burn candles that smell like Christmas trees and peppermint
• Cuddle with Piper by the fire 
• Take hikes and pictures in the snow (I'm dreaming of a White Christmas!)
• Watch White Christmas and It's a Wonderful Life
• Cry when General Waverly inspects the troops and when Harry Bailey toasts, "To my big brother, George, the richest man in town!" 
• Watch Love Actually (this year with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra)
• Eat lefse and Norwegian cookies
• Drink egg nog, hot cocoa with marshmallows, and Champagne
• Spend Christmas Eve with the Larsons and Christmas Day with the Hornes
• Go to Christmas Eve Mass and put baby Jesus in the crêche at home
• Read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas with the boys
• Light the candles on Jesus' birthday cake and sing Happy Birthday 
• Share Linus' rendition of the Gospel of St. Luke ("That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.")
• Wrap up another year of Project 365 and begin the next chapter -- stay tuned...!

One Piper Piping...

(346/365) “We wish you a Merry Christmas…!” XO

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

December 9, 2018 (343/365)

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.” ― Norman Vincent Peale

He Sees You...

December 6, 2018 (340/365) ... and he sees me! Happy St. Nicholas Day!

Week 49 - Vision: Look Back

December 5, 2018 (339/365)

[We need to look back to see how far we've come. If you were Captain Ahab, which skill/week would be your whale? Post a comparison.] 

When I look back on this year's #Dogwood52 Challenge, I think my two weakest weeks were Week 2 - Composition: Color Harmony (since there isn't much color in Wisconsin in January and because I'm not a fan of saturated color in my images) and Week 6 - Alternating Rhythms (I love the photo of Piper running through the fresh snow and the shadows cast by the bare trees, but I don't think that this picture really met the challenge). So I looked way back to this photo taken on trip to San Sebastián/Donostia, Spain. I love the symmetry and and the colors of this building in Constitución Plaza. The grey and yellow are opposites on the color wheel and thus fulfill Week 2's challenge, while the repetition of numbered windows, open and closed shutters, and wrought iron railings against the white washed walls creates a pleasing alternating rhythm...Though, if I'm honest, I really chose this photo because it reminds me of an Advent calendar. #dogwoodweek49

A Pony for Christmas

December 2, 2018 (336/365)

"There is a touch of divinity even in brutes, and a special halo about a horse" - Herman Melville (This angel certainly charmed me!)

It's Christmastime in the City

November 29, 2018 (333/365)

"City sidewalks, busy sidewalks dressed in holiday style. In the air, there's a feeling of Christmas..."

French Friday: Vendredi noir

le vendredi 23 novembre 2018 (327/365)

« Je dépense donc je suis. » - Descartes de Crédit 🤣

Black Friday -- Non merci! Although I might change my mind if I could shop here (Galeries Lafayette):

...or here (Printemps Haussmann):

...or here (Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche):

Giving Thanks

November 22, 2018 (326/365) • Thanksgiving

"If the only prayer you said was 'Thank you,' that would suffice."

Piper + Pumpkins

 October 20, 2018 (293/365)

"You kept me up all night waiting for the Great Pumpkin and all that came was a beagle!"

- Sally Brown, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Pumpkins + Kittens

October 14, 2018 (287/365)

“It is impossible to keep a straight face in the presence of one or more kittens." ~ Cynthia E. Varnado