MASdesigns

The Nothing Box

The Nothing Box is a tradition in our family that goes all the way back to 1977. The idea is to pass the box around the family as a Christmas present. Whoever got the box last year picks someone to give it to this year. You can either put a gag gift in the box or you can choose to put nothing in it at all. But you have to put a sticker in the box with the name of the person you gave it to and the year. It's so cool to read all the names and dates and remember all the Christmases in the past.

Last year Miranda got the Nothing Box from her cousin Sam.

This year she decided to give it to Brian, mostly because she found the perfect gift to put in it. It was a Cat-a-pult, a little slingshot thing that hurls these tiny plastic cats through the air. Perfect for Brian since he's not a fan of cats. Can't wait to see who he decides to give the Nothing Box to next year! 

Merry Christmas everyone! 

One more reason to love my iPhone

This little application on my iPhone has been my best friend while Christmas shopping. I use to make list after list of presents to buy and then would always lose the list. Or I would forget what I already bought until it was time to wrap the presents. This application is the BEST. You add people and gift ideas-click a button when the gift has been bought and you can even view all the gifts you have yet to buy. LOVE IT! Plus, since I have the phone with me all the time I can never misplace the list. And do you know the very best feature? It's pass word protected. Miranda has been trying to crack the pass word for the past month, without success I might add! It's called The Better Christmas List and it's the best $2.99 I've spent this Christmas. 

Tibbi the red nosed reindog

This weekend while we decorated the tree we found two reindeer head bands in a box of ornaments. Poor Tibbi was subjected to a photo session with the antlers strapped to her head. 

She was a pretty good sport about the whole thing-although-she's no dummy. She knows that after the humiliation there's a good chance doggie treats will be tossed her way. 

Proud Moments

Last night Miranda had a swim meet and Brad had his first basketball practice...at the very same time. So Brian took Miranda to her meet and I was on basketball detail. While at the meet, Brian sends me this text message:

Your daughter  just won the 200M Freestyle by a FULL lap!  She is pretty proud. 

Also won the 50M frre style by a half lap. 

Her lane also won the opening event:  200M relay

Next is the 100M back stroke. Any predictions?

So far she is being a gracious sportsman!

Brian Sherwood

Way to go Miranda! 

Since I don't have a good picture of her at a meet, 

here's one of her last summer with her 

good friend Bronwyn Gilmore. They had just swam 

across the lake and back at the Gilmores' cabin.  

Oh-and by the way-she won the 100M back stroke too!

Raindrops

Doesn't feel much like Christmas around here today, not with all this rain. But even on a dreary, rainy, cold day I can still find something to photograph. These plants are right outside my dinning room window. I spied the raindrops on them as I was on the way to the kitchen. Talk about easy-I opened the window-turned off my flash, used the window sill as a tripod and shot away. Didn't even need a jacket for this one, and I kinda like the results. 

Homemade Goodness

Yesterday was the perfect day for homemade soup and fresh baked bread. I found a hambone in the freezer when I was cleaning it out to make room for all of the Caribou the Mighty Hunter brought home. The soup was super easy and pair that up with fresh baked bread (from frozen bread dough) it made for some good eating. Yum!

The calendars are here!

I'm very happy to announce that the 2009 Calendars are now for sale. Click on the M.A.S Designs circle logo at the left and that will take you to the website. Click on the small image of the calendar cover on the left and you view can each month-although they are not in the right order. You can also view each month-in the correct order-on the website, but the images are larger if you click on the calendar icon.

This is a favorite project of mine, a true labor of love. As I wrote earlier in the this blog, what I try to do with my art is to pair nature photography with bible verses and a creating a deeper meaning for both. To be able to see God through his creation, or in other words "Heaven in a wildflower". Enjoy!