Sunday, December 03, 2006

MIA no longer

Betcha thought I went to Georgia again.

Nope! (Thank God!)

I've been doing this:

tree pic

(It looks better in person. I didn't do all those neat things that Jolene suggested - I was trying to be quick and easy. Maybe I'll do a better one later!)

The best thing about this tree: it's pre-lit. And, all the presents underneath are segregated according to color, thanks to Little AM.

I did that Thursday night. Then Friday night, I did a little more (garlands, etc.) We still haven't gotten our outdoor lights up, and I suspect they won't go up until at least Wednesday, unless Jason gets a wild hare and does them in the morning.

Yesterday morning, we attended a waffle breakfast sponsored by our local Optimist Club. One of my co-workers is the president of the local chapter, so we go to a good bit of their stuff. It was good - but I limited myself to one waffle (the big, fluffy kind). Jason, on the other hand, ate FOUR. And bacon. They had a Santa there, but Anna Marie didn't want to talk to him. We decided not to push the issue.

(I guess all that not-making-a-big-deal-about-Santa stuff is taking hold.)

Last night, I attended a birthday dinner for my aunt's mother-in-law. It was at a Mexican restaurant, and it was muy delicioso. My aunt got a picture of Anna Marie and her granddaughter Savannah (both wearing their glasses) and I suppose I'll post it when she emails it to me.

Yes, I had my camera, but we played "musical chairs" so Savannah could sit by Anna Marie, and I didn't know where my purse was for a spell.

And then today, we went to take our Christmas card picture. Anna Marie doesn't look forward to these photo shoots, and asked me if we could just draw pictures instead!

Silly, silly child.

If I were as talented as my scrapbooking friends, well, I'd be making my cards. However, a clever picture is about all I have time for these days.

We traveled to the auction where Jason works, because they have a big tree in the middle of a big lobby. Amanda was gracious enough to spend her afternoon snapping the shots.

Here is the traditional family picture I considered:

christmas pic

And I actually spent some time Photoshopping the area next to Jason's head, because the tree was too narrow that high up and you could see the floor behind us. We were on a staircase that was blocked at the bottom by the tree, and Amanda was above us.

But, this is the picture I ended up going with:

christmas 2

Not very traditional. You basically can't see me at all.

But you know what? I think it conveys both how we feel about each other and how we feel about the season.

They're coming from Sam's. Jason will be able to pick them up in a few days, and then comes the fun part - trying to located addresses, because we never keep a list from year to year.

10 comments:

Lissete said...

Too Funny! Every year I have to look for addresses too! You would think in this day and age I would have it saved in my laptop! But no, I hunt them all down AGAIN and write a list by HAND on paper!

Anyhoo, I love both pictures they came out great! And your tree is prettyful!

Melissa said...

Thanks! It's nice to have that pressure over for another year.

Anonymous said...

You're photoshopping MY work?!

I think I need to see a lawyer. Think Starr Jones is available?

Valerie said...

hey - we never keep address lists, either, what a pain in the butt to recreate the dang mailing list year after year! the photos turned out great, too - as did your tree..are you sure you won't come out & decorate my place?

Melissa said...

Dear Amanda - it isn't your work I was photoshopping. It was the background. It isn't your fault that the tree was tall and skinny. I just used the clone tool to put some greenery behind Jason's head.

And, I bet Starr Jones is available, but I doubt she works pro bono.

And thanks for the compliments Valerie! I think if I were you, living in So Cal, I'd get a palm tree and decorate it - especially since you're allergic to the pines!

Jolene George said...

What great pictures! I LOVE them ALL! You tree is so beautiful and I truly love both family pictures. You can see and feel the love...such a nice thing!

Melissa said...

Thanks Jolene - and I promise, I'll use those tips you linked to and post a better picture!

Donna Boucher said...

Wonderful pictures.
Your choice is lovely!

Just Me said...

Melissa, your tree is GORGEOUS! I hope mine looks half as good when Im done with it! LOL I love the picture of the three of you where you can see everyones face. Its beautiful. The colours are amazing. What kind of camera do you have?

After you read my blog, would you pop me off a quick email: kellyandjeremy@gmail.com. The blog will explain it all!

Hugs,
Kelly Ü

Melissa said...

Kelly - thanks for the compliments. My sister took the pictures with her Nikon D50. She's so talented - I borrow that thing from time to time and can't make it do a THING!