We are getting close to the end of the year, and Christmas items are starting to enter my photo array. Hope you have been enjoying the various photos and maybe you would consider doing your own photo-a-day challenge for 2026! It certainly has been an interesting exercise in observing my surroundings and finding something to photograph. Some of the photos are interesting photo techniques, and others are purely subject matter-centered. Let's look at this past week's photos and the also-ran photos.
Day 342-
Lebkuchen tins. I have more than I would like to count. Each and every tin was purchased filled with lebkuchen. I can count seven more from my chair that are visible. Downstairs, there are more- another stack like this one. There are more in the closet with the Christmas decorations. We lived in Germany two times for a total of almost seven years. We like lebkuchen and I LOVE the tins. Each tin is different, a different decoration each year. When the girls were little, they had some of their 'treasures' in a tin, another had their artwork, and others recipes. Some of the tins still have a faint aroma of lebkuchen, that yummy gingerbread cookie from Germany. Our second time in Germany, we lived near Nuremberg, home of Otto Schmitt lebkuchen (these tins are from Otto Schmitt). Starting in October, you could smell the gingerbread in the air as they began the holiday baking.
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| Lebkuchen |
Day 343-
These two items are from my mom's house. The Ruth stained glass window is in the Chevers chapel in the casement at Fort Monroe, Virginia. My mom, along with a number of other ladies from the Chapel of the Centurion at Fort Monroe did the needlepoint chairs for the Chevers chapel. Years later Fort Monroe ended up closing, and they closed the Chevers chapel. Those who worked on the chairs were able to have one. Fort Monroe is now a National Park facility. The Ruth stained glass window has the quote, "Whither thou goest, I will go. Where thou lodgest, I will lodge." A memorial to the Army wife.
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| Ruth window and Chapel chair |
Day 344-
This is a pet peeve of mine. Bills or bank statements that come with an additional page printed with "This page left intentionally blank". Once those words are printed on said page, it is no longer blank.
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| But is it? |
Day 345-
Grocery shopping, looking for products that are gluten-free for when my daughter comes at Christmas. I took a photo of the shelf of breakfast cereal to see if any of these were of interest to her. She passed on these.
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| Gluten free |
Day 346-
After college, one of my friends and I went to Europe with Eurail passes and our backpacks. I bought a couple of pairs of wooden shoes while in the Netherlands. I like having them on the side table in the living room. I also have one of the others that my mom did some tole painting on. I can't remember where it is, will have to look for it one of these days. (not a high priority)
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| Wood on wood on wood |
Day 347-
Our neighborhood book club has a cookie exchange in place of a book discussion in December. Others from in the neighborhood are invited. The group has grown over the years. A few years ago the option of not bringing cookies was offered. I am glad as we are up to baking eight dozen cookies. We share a half a dozen in each baggie or tin. Everyone who brings cookies takes home the same number of cookies they brought. The selection of cookies is always fun to see and sample! This is just some of the cookies, I put some into the red tin with the gold rim- to keep them fresh.
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| Cookie exchange haul |
Day 348-
I got our Christmas cards done and in the mailbox to get mailed. Charlie helped me with addressing them. It was most appreciated as the list grows. Do you still send out cards? I feel like it is a nice way to stay in touch. As the grandkids grow, it is a nice way to share their cute little faces. Our kids don't want them on social media, which I totally understand, so this is my way of being the grandma showing off her little loves.
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| Christmas greetings |
A couple also-ran photos-
Liebling was checking out the front yard, now that the leaves are down, the street is visible. She lets us know if anyone drives or walks by.
One of the possible choices was my plant window. I have grow lights to supplement the light from the southern window. Some years, I think about starting my indoor plants over again- that means tossing the leggy, not good-looking plants, and trying something new.
Well, two more weeks!! If you decide to try this year-long challenge, let me know. I would love to follow your challenge. See you next week.
I've so enjoyed your photo-of-the-day challenge this year, Janet. Congrats! And I'll be right over for some cookies!
ReplyDeleteI just made some ginger cookies last weekend with ginger powder, fresh ginger, and crystallized giner, but I think your lebkuchen gingerbread cookies sound much better. I may have to give them a try this winter.
ReplyDeleteI have the same pet peeve about the blank pages uselessly included in form documents. I read online that it occurs because documents like this are printed two pages at a time. So, if your printed matter ends on an on odd numbered page, you get the extra page as a "bonus" with the text about the page being left blank so that you don't wonder if there was a misprint. It's not worth there time to take out that extra page. I often use it for scratch paper.
No, I haven't sent out Christmas cards in years, though I get a few from my siblings. By the time I think to do it, the holiday is too close and I think next year I will do better. And so it goes.