Capturing Christmas

Upstairs two little girls are bouncing off the walls.... They are giggling, acting silly, and are just too excited to sleep. As I shopped today, the market was bustling with people filling their carriages with the makings of a Christmas feast. And looking down my street, I see twinkling lights, fresh green wreaths and bright red bows.

Christmas is all around us and is now just days away. Some see a holiday that has been overtaken in many ways by commercialism, but you don't have try hard to feel the real spirit of this holiday come through as kindness and generosity and appreciation of family and friends. The sparkle and the decorations signify the joy we feel in this season and I've chosen a few photos that I hope capture that just a little bit.

Merry Christmas to all of you and all the best in 2011.

One Week in "Business"...

I've had my website/blog/etsy shop up and running for a week and really appreciate the encouragement and positive feedback so many people have given me. This morning, I made my first sale on Etsy for a dozen notecards with my duck photo on it. At the girls' school "Snowflake Shop" last week, I sold cards, a lot of bookmarks, and someone bought one of my prints to hang in her beach house -- that totally made my day.

While I still haven't quite broken even on the supplies to put everything together (sorry Jeff) it is a great feeling to know that there are people who enjoy my photos enough to want to send them as cards or yes, even put on a wall in their house. For me, this endeavor is not so much about money (sorry again, Jeff), but about having something of my own to focus on and doing something I love.

For the last eight years I've been lucky enough to be home full-time with my two girls, after leaving my work in Advertising. Though there are times when I miss that world, I have pretty much come to realize that those days are behind me and I have no desire to return. (Plus, not having a "real" job has its advantages -- like being able to sneak off for a day of skiing with friends.)

But there is more to me than a person who shuttles kids around to activities or plans classroom parties, and I learned early on in being a stay at home mom that you can't shut out the person you were before the kids showed up. So, I'll continue to take pictures and enjoy sharing them with someone other than my trusty iMac and my Facebook friends (who are probably sick of seeing them)...and maybe, if I'm lucky, earn a few bucks in the process. Perhaps to fund those ski trips.