A Merry and Magical Holiday

Disneyland - Main Street and Sleeping Beauty Castle

About a month ago, over the long Thanksgiving weekend, the four of us went on our first family vacation.

Disneyland - Main Street

Our destination? This enchanting place...Disneyland!

Disneyland - Main Street and Toontown

The moment the four of set foot on the Disney grounds, we were captivated.

Not just by Disney itself, but by the holiday cheer that was spilling out of every nook and cranny.

It was "so tinsel!" {a little Disney's Prep and Landing humor}  :)

Disneyland - Main Street and Main Entrance

And after scouring over more than a thousand photos, these are my favorites. 

Ones that are filled with the spirit of the season.

Disneyland - It's a Small World

Everything twinkled, shimmered or shined.

Disneyland - Sleeping Beauty Castle

Especially the Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Disneyland - It's a Small World

After the sun went down millions of little lights came to life. They were brilliant!

So brilliant that we asked ourselves, "Gee I wonder how much their electric bill is every month???" 

Such practical minds we have.

Disneyland - Main Street

Snow even fell on Main Street after the Believe in Holiday Magic Fireworks show.

Disneyland - Main Street

Undoubtably though, to us Minnesotans, we knew the difference.

It wasn't real snow after all, instead it was sudsy, foamy soap bubbles.

Aww but who cares, we still loved it!

Disneyland - Sleeping Beauty Castle

The fireworks show dazzled and brought tears to my eyes. It was moving!

And the way the Sleeping Beauty Castle was adorned in glistening lights was breathtaking.

Downtown Disney 

Taking a break from the theme parks we spent some time in Downtown Disney. 

Where the lights were bright and colorful also.

Disney California Adventure - A Bugs Land

Our next experience was Disney California Adventure. 

In A Bugs Land the holiday decor was oversized and gigantic. 

Because, after all, we were bug sized as we walked through A Bugs Land. :)

Disney California Adventure - Cars Land

And here it was, what we were most excited about...Cars Land...

with it's rustic junkyard charm!

Disney California Adventure - Cars Land

And it lived up to every expectation.

Disney California Adventure - Cars Land

The Cars themed holiday decor was the best!

Disney California Adventure - Cars Land

Draped in hub caps, filters, tires and all things Cars.

Disney California Adventure - Cars Land

Disney certainly doesn't skimp on details.

Disney California Adventure - Buena Vista Street

The moon was nearly full and glowed above the Buena Vista Christmas tree.

Disney California Adventure - Paradise Pier

Oh those lights how they glimmered! 

Leaving us filled with memories that will last a lifetime. 

An extraordinary trip that will remain in our hearts forever.

Wishing you all a Merry and Magical Holiday filled with many 

twinkling lights and glowing memories!!!

Winter Solstice {Hope Renewed}

Yay, it's the winter solstice! The shortest day.

And I'm excited why? 

Because after today the days grow longer,

 the sun gets stronger, 

the brightness rises higher. 

Hope is renewed. 

Because, after all...

Winter can bend you. Leaving you weary, making you long for warmth and sunshine.

Winter can feel confining, dreary, looonnnggg.

But it can also feel reviving, cozy, serene. 


"Winter is the time for comfort, 
for good food and warmth, 
for the touch of a friendly hand and 
for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home." 
~Edith Sitwell


Wishing you all a winter full of cozy evenings, increasingly sunny afternoons and hope through the bitter cold!
For you know, the bitterness can't last forever. In winter, spring is always around the corner.

Hello Monday!

Hello Monday!

Hello snow, more than 12 inches of fresh and fluffy white stuff fell over the weekend.

Hello shoveling, clearing off walkways, driveways, decks and porches.

Hello white Christmas, don't think it'll all melt before then! :)

Hello Christmas cards, finishing and sending ours this week, love having received some in the mail already.

Hello Christmas shopping, haven't made a dent yet, I better get moving!

Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead.

{ linking up with the lovely Lisa Leonard for Hello Monday }

Summer's Last Storm

taken:
day ninety four
09.21.12

At Lake Mille Lacs, on the last day of summer, in the final hours, a blustery ending brewed. 

Dark, thick clouds hid what would have been summer's last sunset. 

The winds whipped, the waves swelled toward shore. 

Before long the rain began to gush from the sky. 

Summer's last storm, washing away the brightness of summer, brought with it the rich and crisp days of autumn.

Exquisite

taken:
day ninety three
09.20.12

Just another tropical hibiscus blossom, this one pink, exquisite, radiant and ruffly.

Head Over Heels

taken:
day ninety two
09.19.12

I am head over heels for comsos. Truly. So much so, that this year I grew 5 different varieties, growing all from seed. They just make me happy, simple as that! This darling cosmo, providing a bee with a late summer refreshment, is the 'daydream' variety. With sweet and cheerful little blooms, I enjoyed growing this variety for the first time this summer.

What A Difference

taken:
day ninety one
09.18.12

As fall approaches the asters are still emerging, ever so gradually. They seem much more purple, on this day, in the fading evening light, than they were 15 days before, when they appeared more pinkish in the high afternoon sun. What a difference lighting, angle and 15 days can make!

Still Going Strong

taken:
day ninety
09.17.12

Just a sweet little succulent that I planted last summer. It's still going strong, along with it's moss rose companions.

Hope

taken:
day eighty nine
09.16.12

Sunflowers are bold and tall. 

Sometimes becoming weary, drooping toward the earth, weighted down with seeds, too heavy to face the sun. 

Sometimes life can feel the same way. 

There are days of strength and adventure, nothing could waver. 

Then, there are days when the seeds of everyday pressures weigh down even the bravest and sturdiest. 

When unable to face the sun, the fact is, it's still there, above, radiating sparks of hope and strength.

For someday, those heavy seeds will fall, leaving the opportunity to lift and face the sun again.

Nearly Invisible

taken:
day eighty eight
09.15.12

This tiny spider, gleaming in the sun, weaved it's web beneath our mailbox. It was itty bitty and nearly invisible. 

I only noticed it because the sunshine highlighted it from behind. Sneaky little spider!

September Afternoon

taken:
day eighty seven
09.14.12

Ok, can you tell I love cosmos? Here's another one, standing tall and graceful on a September afternoon.

From White To Pink

taken:
day eighty six
09.13.12

Deep pink now, but these hydrangea blossoms spend most of the summer pure white {as in this and this}. 

This 'pink diamond' turns vibrant as fall approaches, splashing what once was pale and smooth, with richness and texture. 

Unfolding

taken:
day eighty five
09.12.12

One of my beautiful Tropic Escape Hibiscus blossoms in the midst of unfolding it's vivid saffron hued petals.

Amber Waves

taken:
day eighty four
09.11.12

September 11th, a day of reflection and allegiance. A time to be united and patriotic.

These native grasses, growing nearby, reminded me of the lyric, "for amber waves of grain", in the song, America The Beautiful. Although they're not grains, exactly, they could still be considered "amber waves", by flowing and rippling all at once in the gentle September breeze on the steadfast day of national togetherness.

Ruffly Petals

taken:
day eighty three
09.10.12

I once heard that marigolds deter rabbits and other critters from nibbling on your garden. I guess the scent of the marigold can act as a repellant? So I decided to give it a try about 4 years ago. The first summer I bought the marigolds on sale from the garden center and planted them in a border around the entire veggie garden. That fall I harvested the seeds and planted them again the following spring. I've been harvesting and planting the seeds every year since.

Although they add a lovely cheerfulness to the otherwise boring looking veggie garden, it was definitely wishful thinking that they would keep out the critters. Especially after this summer {here and here}! Nonetheless, it'll still be a tradition for me to outline the garden with these easy and fast growing marigolds every year to come. Especially since they produce gobs and gobs of seeds, so why not use them, right?

I really do love marigolds. I love their blazing color. I love their ruffly petals. I even love their distinct scent, which reminds me of childhood for some reason. To me, they're nostalgia.

Sixth Birthday

taken:
day eight two
09.09.12

It was my youngest son's 6th birthday. A day to celebrate with a few of his little friends! Even though my son says, "he doesn't eat cake", I made mini cupcakes for the kids. I didn't frost all of them since the frosting is what he doesn't really like. What??? I know, isn't that the best part? It's my favorite part anyway. Along with a few other treats we also served Kit-Kats, my son's favorite candy bar. I jazzed them up by dipping one end in melted chocolate and speckling them with sprinkles, transforming them from average ol' Kit-Kats to birthday Kit-Kats...yum!

Overcast

taken:
day eighty one
09.08.12

It was just one of those days, a day I didn't get out to look for anything pretty or interesting to photograph. It was overcast and super windy. With evening approaching I decided to just snap a photo of the sky and the gloomy fast moving clouds.

Still Surviving

taken:
day eighty
09.07.12

On this day I went to my parents place to help my mom paint their house. When we were done painting for the day we walked through the backyard to check out their pond which is completely dried up because of the extreme drought that we are experiencing here in this part of MN. Instead of pond water, algae and ducks floating by, the area is filled with drought loving plants. It was such a strange sight. As we stood there, near the edged of where the pond water should be, I noticed this bee perched on this small white swamp flower that was still surviving in the dry conditions.

Golden Center

taken:
day seventy nine
09.06.12

Another pretty mum, this one soft and pink with a newly exposed golden center.

Do You Know What Bokeh Is?

taken:
day seventy eight
09.05.12

Who doesn't love a little bokeh? What? Bokeh??? You may know you love it or enjoy the way it looks in a photo, but you may not know what it is. 

It's adapted from a Japanese term, meaning blur or haze. According to Wikipedia the definition of bokeh, in photography, is: the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image. Bokeh has been defined as "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light".

I've heard bokeh pronounced about 3 different ways, I like to pronounce it: bow-kay. It kind of reminds me of the word 'bouquet' as in a 'bouquet of flowers'. Perfect. Easy to remember, right? And the prettiest way of pronouncing it, in my opinion.

At this point I could get all boring and technical about lenses, aperture and depth of field, but I'm pretty horrible at explaining things technically. I suggest goggling it if you are really interested. You'll find tons of interesting information and in much better detail than I could give you.

What I can tell you is that I love blur, I love out of focus, I love light and sparkles, I LOVE BOKEH! The bokeh above, created by water droplets from an overnight rain, is so bubbly, like twinkling lights, something that only the lens can bring to life. And when captured, it's so so so exciting. It's an addiction, a thrill and I'm always looking for a way to achieve bubbly bokeh!

Vibrant

taken:
day seventy seven
09.04.12

Just some vibrant mums, huddled together, waiting for fall.