Christmas Portraits 101....

...or Why I Will Never Be a Children's Photographer.

Rule No. 1:  Three days prior to Christmas portrait event there will be no running by children whose portraits are being taken (that includes tripping and bumping heads on hard basement stairs.)

Rule No. 2:  Scissors will not be left in full reach of said children thirty minutes prior to Christmas portrait event, resulting in one previously long-haired blonde girl who now sports a pixie-ish emergency haircut.

Rule No. 3:  The portrait hack artist will not mess with the camera settings prior to said Christmas protrait event resulting in strange pictures because she could not get the camera to go back to its normal state.

Rule No. 4:  The photographer will not attempt to create studio conditions when all she has to work with is a king-size sheet and a 42" plasma television on a stand.

Rule No. 5:  The photographer will, prior to the event, take the maximum amount of Advil allowed.

The girl with the nice bruise between her eyebrows.

Kaitlyn

Gaige practicing his yoga while Nathan attempts to distract him.

Nathan caused a lot of laughing.

Matthew was a whole lot easier last year when he would stay put. This year he just wanted his mommy!

It's like herding cats. Seriously.

Out of hundreds taken, here are a few that made the cut.

Gaige

Nathan

Kaitlyn

Lauren

(the previously long-haired girl!)

Matthew

Best cousins, best friends.

Oh well, there's always next year!

Here's looking at you, kids!

Christmas Bonus

Cranberry-Pecan Bars

(a tried and true recipe of many years)

For the crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup butter

1 cup finely chopped pecans, divided

For the filling:

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 beaten eggs

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped cranberries

2/3 cup shredded coconut

Zest of one orange

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 13 x 9 inch pan with cooking spray (or butter if you prefer).
2. Chop pecans in food processor. Reserve 1/2 cup for filling.
3. Combine 1 cup flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, butter and 1/2 cup pecans in processor and pulse until you have coarse crumbs.
4. Press into prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes or until light golden brown.
5. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix 1 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons flour. Stir in eggs, milk, vanilla and orange zest.
6. Stir in cranberries, coconut and remaining pecans. Spread over hot baked crust.
7. Bake 23-25 minutes until light golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on rack. Cut into bars when cool.

Note: it takes about 1 1/3 cups pecan halves to make 1 cup chopped pecans.

Merry Christmas, Darling

In 1970, I was a senior in high school full of romantic ideas, crazy about boys and one boy in particular. We had dated off and on for a year or so, but he was in college and understandably didn't want to settle down with a seventeen-year-old girl. That Christmas, as I was pining away for my true love, The Carpenters released a little number called "Merry Christmas, Darling" as a single. It fit my yearnings to a tee. I went to Kresge's and plunked down my hard-earned babysitting money for the record and put it on the console stereo. I don't think I removed it for two months...well past Christmas! Karen knew about my aching heart and sang about it in her clear, pure alto voice.

It wasn't until 1978 that The Carpenters came out with their "Christmas Portrait" album. By then I was happily married with a three-year-old and one on the way. There wasn't a lot of money to spare, but I had to have that album. So I saved a little here and a little there and bought it. I played that thing to death. I loved the way each song segued seamlessly into the next one. I sang along with Karen and knew every note and pause and breath. I loved that the very first thing you hear when it starts is Karen taking a breath. I loved that they included the little known first verses of several Christmas standards.

When the children (all three of them) were going to school, I would wake them every school day during the Christmas season by playing the album. It's one of Aimee's most loved memories of childhood...waking to "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear". 

When the CD came out, I retired the worn-out album (which I still have) and replaced it with the new technology. I still have the same one. I still play it to death every year. This year, I've uploaded the songs to my MP3-capable cell phone. It's the one Christmas album that I never get tired of.

Oh, you're probably wondering if I ever got together with that college boy. I did. And we've been married 37 years. You do the math.

Let's play....Name That Blog!

Ruth, at synch-ro-ni-zing, was feeling a wee bit silly (and entertainingly clever) a couple of weeks ago while she was experiencing a sleepless night. Normally (not that she was being abnormal ), Ruth is a serious writer who challenges and inspires us with deep ponderings from her intricate thought processes. In fact, she has told me that somewhere in her past childhood she skipped Silly Ruth and went straight to Serious Ruth. She, in her moment of whimsy, challenged her followers to tell the true story behind the clever names of their blogs.

Therein lies the challenge for me. My blog name is neither clever, nor probably  interesting to anyone other than myself, but I shall forge ahead!

I was initially inspired to write my blog by a fellow chicken lover from the message board at Backyard Chickens. I found this website when I googled "raising chickens". It's a very informative resource for novice chicken owners who can ask questions of veteran chicken owners. My screen name there was BearSwampChick.

When I decided to start my blog, the only name that came to mind was "Bear Swamp Reflections". I live on Bear Swamp Road and I saw my blog as a way to reflect on the happenings of my life and my children's and grandchildren's lives. In fact, at the beginning my title had a subtitle which read "....on herding chickens and grandkids". Later on I dropped the subtitle when my writing and photos started branching out. My purpose still is to create something that my family will be able to read someday when I am gone from this world. They will still be able to hear my voice; sometimes sentimental, sometimes funny, sometimes snarky. As my daughter Aimee says, "Better a smartass than a dumbass." The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, friends.

So, since my blog name story is rather boring, I thought I would give you a little tour of my past blog headers, starting with numero uno.

This photo was taken on one of our Hocking Hills hikes.

A pool of water formed in a bowl-shaped depression in a large rock, reflecting the trees overhead,

thus the "reflections" part of the blog name.

Ruth, I have to confess that I copied you on this one.

Right after I started following synch-ro-ni-zing, I admired Ruth's collage header so much that I wanted one for myself.

And I was tired of the dark reflections photo.

I also copied Ruth's format by changing from Rounders 3 to Minima Stretch.

I like the wide open page layout on Minima.

This is also when I learned how to "write" on my photos!

So, I got tired of the super-bright collage after a while and

chose this picture of a bent trillium that I took at

Cedar Bog Nature Preserve.

It provided me a sense of peace and quiet.

Then in June this year I changed to this photo of my flower garden

in all its early summer glory

with the view of the barn in the distance.

I also added back a subtitle.

The subtitle theme stuck around for the midsummer photo exchange.

I took this one after David got my clothesline put up (finally!).

My current header, which may be my favorite so far, came about after I did a post on the covered bridges in our county. I think I'll keep it for a couple more weeks, until the Christmas season finally catches up with me. I have the decorations out and ready to go. I'm just waiting for the right moment.

The header, as of December 1, 2009.

Thankful for all I have

Before I went into the grocery store, I took a twenty out of my wallet and put it into my coat pocket. I just had a feeling. I had a list a mile long and started the task of picking out the right vegetables, the ten pounds of sweet potatoes that never seems to be enough for my carb-crazy family, the little extra snack items that you seem to need when you have a houseful of people for four days.

I saw her a couple of times looking over items, picking them up and putting them back, then choosing the least expensive items she could find. She didn't look sad or stressed, but it was plain to see that she was stretching every penny, trying to come up with a nice Thanksgiving for her family, or maybe just for herself.

As I finished up my shopping, I turned around to where I had just seen her. I palmed the folded bill and walked over to her as if greeting a friend. I said, "Ma'am, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving" and took her warm, weathered hand in both of mine.  I could tell that she was trying to remember who I was as I pressed the money into her hand. As her startled eyes looked into mine, she said thank you and God bless. I smiled and walked away, wishing I had done more.

I wish all of my wonderful friends who visit me here a blessed Thanksgiving Day spent with the ones you love.

*photo taken from American Corners in Hungary website

It started last year

It seems I now have a collection of Made in Japan cream pitchers (it says so right on the bottom). Anyone who was here last November knows that I found the first one on our annual couples weekend to the Hocking Hills. This year I found two of the little beauties!

Last year's find is in the middle.

And I added a couple more at other times during the year. Both found at Goodwill.

I like the blue tones in these and the more vibrant colors.

But the main reason for our weekend wasn't about buying antique cream pitchers. It was about relaxing, communing with nature and connecting with family and friends.

The other couple participating in our annual getaways is Mark (David's first cousin) and his wife, Cindy. Cindy is one of my dearest friends. She has been there for me in times of deep joy and immense sorrow...feeling my happiness and despair as if they were her own. And it hasn't been one-sided. I've run to her side when both her parents died suddenly and when she thought their soon-to-be-adopted daughter was going to be returned to the birth parents. We've sobbed in each other's arms and laughed hysterically over things that only the two of us think are funny. We have a silly name for my role in her children's lives...Cant Susan (part cousin, part aunt). I'm the fun "cant", but also the one to have serious talks with them.

This annual event is so important to us that we aren't willing to give it up, no matter what. This year Mark was let go from his job and that's a tough position to be in when you're 55. Cindy bakes for a local flower shop and she took on extra baking to help pay for their part of the cabin we rented. Mark worked this summer installing roofs and doing home repairs. He's very good at it, because he has built two of their homes, doing most of the work himself.

This year we had to rent a different cabin than last year. I waited a little too long, not knowing if we would be able to go or not, and the cabin we had last year was already booked. (The secluded ones go fast.) But I think we like this new one even better. No stairs to climb and the kitchen was larger. I was a little bummed that there was a gas-log fireplace instead of the wood-burning one, but it worked out fine. It was very realistic and oh-so convenient. Turn a switch and it's on. Turn the switch again and it's off! Magic! Of course, I still love the crackle and smell of the wood-burning fireplace in my home and would never change it, but this one served its purpose well.

One of the reasons we liked this cabin so well was it's location. Right around the curve about half a mile was this gorgeous hiking trail leading to a rockhouse. It is a fantastic outcropping of sandstone and granite and really huge. I'm sure Native Americans (Shawnee, most likely) used it for shelter.

So, how about a little tour.

Watch that first step, it's a doozy!

Cindy giving a little perspective.

Mark and David know how to do it, too.

Inside the rockhouse.

Looking back to the approaching trail. It was hard to see beneath all the fallen leaves.

What do you see?

I love the colors in the rocks. The red indicates a lot of iron and I'm told that the green is copper. There are thousands of name and initial carvings, some dating to the early 1800's.

Looking out the other end to the forward trail. It's a long way down!

Lots of pigeons roost inside on the ledges and crevices. As you can imagine, there are also a lot of bats.

Getting ready to descend the steps to the lower trail.

A beautiful rock bridge that has been covered by a wooden one to preserve it. These trails are heavily used and it was in danger of collapsing.

Looking straight up from the bottom of the ravine. I was really dizzy and had to sit down after this shot. Large cliffs and dizziness are not a good combination!

Taken from the bridge. See those teeny-tiny people up there about halfway? Those are really full-sized adults!

See the elderly couple at the bottom left of the picture? His name is Tom Hanks and her name is Dottie West, which he delighted in telling us! They needed a little help getting back up the trail out of the ravine. He was in his 80's and she looked to be in her late 70's and had just had knee replacement surgery a couple of months ago! How they ever got down there, I haven't a clue! David and Mark helped them climb out and find the right trail back to the parking lot. Tom was a real talker and was such a cutie-pie! He told us they are just "friends". Isn't that sweet?

It's always hard to leave on Sunday and return to family responsiblilities, but we know reality is waiting for us at the end of the road. And if it weren't for reality, this wouldn't be nearly as sweet. Until next year....

To find out more about this beautiful area of Ohio, please click here.