I have decided to take the February Photo a Day challenge. I’m not intending to post on this blog every day, but I’ll try to update my Flickr daily.

Today’s challenge prompt: “Your view today.” I hosted my very first tea party in our new home.

Janna hosted an epic bridal shower for Beth.

We spent a few fun weekends at the cabin.

…

Uncle Tom had to show up the youngsters by skiing on a canoe paddle.

August:

Watched Reuben & the guys play golf. You can watch the video here: {link}

September:

We managed to squeeze some veggies out of our garden, despite my broken wrist and voracious rabbits.

We spent a week camped at a jobsite – the boys worked from sunup til sundown, and we women cooked.

Experimenting with the “Macro” setting on the “little” (non-DSLR) Sony camera.

October

I got my new camera. LOVE it so much. But not as much as I love this handsome dude.

Little Ellie. She’s getting so big and learning to talk so well.

I baked some awesome, no-knead bread. I’ll be sharing the recipe sometime on my cooking blog.

November

I tagged along and watched Reuben hunt this year.

We got our first Christmas tree.

Decorated.

Went skating. See the video here: {link}

December

More skating. The guy in this photo recently served in Afghanistan, the girl is his wife. They had never had a chance to skate with each other before.

Hockey! See the video here: {link}

Melanie visited from Ireland.

Christmas at the B. Family’s!

I’ll never forget Elinor’s reaction to opening “Hair CLIPS!” See the video here: {link}

I hope you all have a wonderful year!

Love,

Erica Lea

By January 1st, we had quite a bit of snow – a far cry from this year!

We went skiing many times last year. My favorite place to ski: Giants Ridge. Photo credit: Albert Berge.

I experimented with artificial portraiture lighting for the first time. Katelyn makes such a lovely subject.

February:

Grandma taught us how to make Spaetzle. So good. Photo credit: Katelyn B.

On Saturday, February 12, Reuben and I started our romantic relationship.

I went on my first date ever on February 14. Photo credit: Katelyn B.

March

More skiing at Giants Ridge. This is my brother-in-law, Justin, with his wicked beard hat.

Reuben sent me these gorgeous roses.

We gathered and boiled down sap for maple syrup.

April

April 2, we got engaged! Photo credit: Janna B.

My beautiful ring.

Watched Reuben play golf with friends.

May

Much of May was spent preparing for our wedding.

June

On June 11 we were married. Photo credit: Anders Keller

We went on a 2-week long honeymoon out west.

More photos to come later!

]]> http://www.ericalea.com/2011/12/30/my-year-in-photos-2011-part-1/feed/ 0 http://www.ericalea.com/2011/11/29/our-first-christmas-tree/ http://www.ericalea.com/2011/11/29/our-first-christmas-tree/#comments Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:51:25 +0000 Erica Lea http://www.ericalea.com/?p=1914

On Saturday we acquired our first Christmas Tree!

The woods were gorgeous that day. It had rained the night before, and there were little droplets frozen onto the branches of the trees.

Into the truck.

~

We had so much fun decorating the tree together. I still need to get a skirt and a topper for it, but we’re pretty happy with how it looks.

When are you getting your tree?

This is my entry for this week’s I Heart Faces photo challenge.

Sitting around the campfire at night is one of the highlights of camping for me, especially in the chilly months. It’s so cozy to warm yourself by the fire and listen to stories.

Make sure to check out the other “black” entries {link}

My cousin’s little girl, Mariah, from Ireland. What bright, beautiful eyes she has!

For the I Heart Faces photo challenge.

To see many more “Let Them Be Little” photos, stop by I Heart Faces.

Grandma’s skilled hands teach my sister how to roll up apple strudel.

For the I Heart Faces photo challenge.

To see many more “hand” photos, stop by I Heart Faces!

Don’t forget to add your own photo from last week for a chance to win! Make sure to read the rules first:

Rules:

• Only one photo per person per week is allowed.
• The photo must be from the previous week.
• Only those committed to doing a 365 or 52 project are allowed to enter. It’s okay if you miss a day or so in your project, but you must have decided on a 365 or 52 project to be eligible to enter.
• Winner will be announced on the first Saturday of each month.
• Spread the word! You must include a link to this post in your photo post.

Go ahead: Enter!

Each Saturday I will post a roundup of the week’s photos.

Project 365, Week 1

Here’s the fun part: I’m inviting you to share your photos from your own 365 or 52 project. Each month I will select one winner from among the photos submitted. The winner will be featured here on Simple Days. Yes, there will be prizes.

It’s okay if you didn’t start your project on the first of January. You can join in at any time!

Rules:

• Only one photo per person per week is allowed.
• The photo must be from the previous week.
• Only those committed to doing a 365 or 52 project are allowed to enter. It’s okay if you miss a day or so in your project, but you must have decided on a 365 or 52 project to be eligible to enter.
• Winner will be announced on the first Saturday of each month.
• Spread the word! You must include a link to this post in your photo post.

See Part 1 for January – June.

July

Fun at our friends’ cabin.

Watching the fireworks from our pontoon boat.

~~

Skiing & kneeboarding at our family reunion.

Splash!

Dad found a skink, one of his favorite animals.

We went camping on the North Shore.

August

We attended a ladies’ tea party.

September

Gorgeous fall colors.

A walk in the woods.

~~

October

Sitting around the campfire.

Lovely sister.

November

Frozen pond. Yes, it gets that cold here in November.

Frosted world.

Cool sister.

December

Christmas lights bokeh.

Little Elinor on Christmas Day.

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