Winter Sunset

I know I haven't been funny lately.

Somebody wrote a review of my blog

on Bloggers.com and said,

"Amazing pictures, but not really that funny."

Sorry, but I blame this blog on my soaring

interest in photography and funniness lull.

I started the blog to release my inner hilarity

and felt I needed pictures to tell my stories.

That led me into trying to take GOOD pictures,

for YOU, the reader...

something I never really strived for before.

Now, I can't stop!

I have come to recognize that sky color

is the key to amazing outdoor photography and

now I'm obsessed with checking the sky.

I mean, truly...the sun rises and sets every day,

but I never stopped to notice the sky color when it happens.

Lately, I have been opening my front door to peer out

as the sun is setting and announcing to the family

if it's a good sky or a bad sky.

They don't give a hoot...they just want to eat dinner.

So I was delighted on Monday when my daughter

looked out the window as I was cooking supper and said,

"MOM! The sky is amazing!"

I've been waiting to photograph PINK,

so I ditched dinner, grabbed my gear and jumped in the car.

I headed in the direction of the sunset

hoping to see a nice "scene" to shoot against the pretty sky.

The sun was setting so fast,

I finally turned into the

Juvenile Detention Home parking lot.

I pulled behind the garage, hopped out,

 quickly set up my tripod, and aimed

at these trees.

I was also hoping no juveniles with guns or knives

were roaming the grounds.

I was aflutter over the colors.

Looked more like a tropical sunset

than Michigan winter.

It took only minutes for the sun to dip

below the horizon.

Still pumped for photography,

I remembered walking out of a restaurant the week

before and seeing these glowing trees: 

Can you stand one more set of

Christmas light pictures?

It looks like a lovely home,

but this is actually a doctor's office.

I only get Christmas lights for one more week,

so I couldn't resist snapping more pictures.

I wish the pretty lights could stay up all winter!

I'll try to be more funny in the coming new year...

but I think the photography thing is

gonna stick around...

Bronner's Christmas Wonderland

I couldn't let the holiday season pass without sharing the

World's Largest Christmas Store...

Bronner's Christmas Wonderland!

It's located in the magical Bavarian town of

Frankenmuth, Michigan

which is only a twenty minute drive from my house.

I feel like it's mine to share with everyone

who visits me from out of town.

It's five-and-a-half FOOTBALL FIELDS of

pure Christmas!

Christmas glitters from every square inch of Bronners.

The ceilings, walls and massive displays bombard with holiday cheer.

I remember the first time I brought my

children to Bronner's when

they were one and three.

The three-year-old's eyes were like full moons.

My son lay back in his stroller and just stared in awe.

Bronner's is the happiest place on earth

besides maybe

the North Pole.

So, I was angry to hear that somebody vandalized

the many outdoor displays

early Christmas morning!

This nativity was destroyed and the vandals

knocked over, bent, or broke

40-thousand dollars worth of

Christmas cheer.

As a local news reporter,

I interviewed Wally Bronner many times over the years.

Always festive in his red suitcoat,

Wally was Father Christmas himself.

He was a sign painter in 1945 and began selling

Christmas decorations out of his parent's basement.

He had no idea this would flourish into the

world's largest Christmas store with

millions of visitors a year.

Heck, they haul them in by the busloads!

It's aisle...

after aisle...

Tree after....

glistening tree...

Ornament...

after ornament...

After ornament...

Did I say ornament???

Hundreds of thousands of

ORNAMENTS!!!

I wish those Grinchy vandals had stopped to think

that they cannot destroy Christmas...

Bronner's will

continue to dazzle

and mesmerize...

and love....

Thanks Bronner's for the happiness

 you bestow upon millions.

We'll be back for more...

Churches at Christmas

Since today is Jesus' birthday,

I want to share some pictures of churches

I have taken around Michigan.

This Wedding Chapel

was built in the 1850's

and was moved to

Apple Mountain, a golf and ski resort in Saginaw.

It's a quaint, historic chapel perfect for

cozy weddings.

When it snowed the other day, I thought

of the pretty chapel and knew it would

look pretty and Christmasy dressed in white...

SNOW!

It's lovely from every angle.

I took the picture below when I was

in Cincinnati a few weeks ago.

Here's another Cincy church.

It was snowing like crazy and I like

that you can see snowflakes in the street light.

I wish I knew the names of these

Cincinnati churches.

Lots of history in my home town!

I love this church on Mackinac Island.

A wedding was taking place when I took this

picture last summer.

What a great place for a wedding.

I snapped this picture the night of

the lunar eclipse...

LOVE that full moon!

I hope everyone enjoys a blessed Christmas!

Christmas Eve

I hope everyone is having a wonderful

Christmas Eve

with family and friends.

It was all tradition at our house...

we host Hubby's side of the family.

Tradition: We laugh and laugh!

Tradition: We eat and eat!

Tradition: The kids hang out and play.

Tradition: We eat French Onion Soup!

The French Onion Soup thing came about

because of  my fear of cooking a Thanksgiving turkey.

I was also afraid of cooking a Christmas turkey,

so one year, I decided to make French Onion Soup.

We all love it, and rarely get to eat it,

so I figured it would become a special tradition and it HAS!

The only problem is making it.

I have to cut up and cook down ten large onions

and our house stinks for days...not

to mention the TEARS!

One year, Uncle Dale stopped by while

I was making the soup.

When he got home, Aunt Jo Jo screamed,

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

YOU REEK OF ONIONS!"

She thought he snuck off to a cheap diner.

That's how strong those onions really are!

Through the years I have tried many methods

to block the tears including these goggles,

but I STILL cry!

I guess it's worth it because everyone

enjoys our French Onion Soup tradition.

You can find the recipe

on my cooking blog.

Tradition: Piling with the cousins.

Tradition: Taking our "Bear Picture".

The old Hudson's Department Store used to offer

a Christmas bear, different every year.

When Lindsay was born in 1989,

the bear wore a red parka for the

Winter Olympics.

It has Lindsay's birth year embroidered on it.

Mark was due to be born on New Year's Day of

1992.

Two weeks before my due date, I panicked...

what if he's born early in

1991?

I waddled my big belly over to Hudson's

to buy a 1991 bear, but they were OUT!

The clerk told me they might get another

shipment in and to check back daily.

I was so huge, I couldn't imagine tackling

the holiday mob to MAYBE

get a bear.

In my hormonal haze, I started to cry.

"Our baby won't have a Christmas bear,"

I slobbered to my husband.

The sweetest husband in the world

snuck over to Hudson's and snagged one

of the last few bears.

I cried again!

Sure enough, Sonny was four days early, so I'm

happy he has his Santa Bear

from the year he was born.

Tradition: Opening one present in the evening.

Tradition: Waiting for Santa.

This is how older kids wait for Santa:

I hope Santa is good to

EVERYONE!