Week 51 - Technical: Exposure Compensation

(351/365) "Stars of heaven, clear and bright, Shine upon this Christmas light" - Timothy Dudley-Smith #dogwood52 #dogwoodweek51

O Christmas Tree!

(350/365) Christmas at the Pfister

Serious Play

(349/365) “Play is the highest form of research.” - Albert Einstein

"Serious Play: Design in Midcentury America explores the projects of over 40 designers who advocated for playfulness and whimsy within their creations for corporations, domestic interiors, and children. The exhibition presents play as a serious form of inspiration, experimentation, and problem solving. In midcentury America, such playful design occurred against the backdrop of a booming consumer market and as a counterbalance to Cold War–era anxiety. Furniture, toys, textiles, films, posters, ceramics are among the objects featured." - mam.org

French Friday: La Mûr pour la Paix

(348/365) « Ce qu'il faut surtout pour la paix, c'est la compréhension des » - Charles De Gaulle

Located on the south end of the Champs-de-Mars, just opposite the École militaire, the Wall for Peace, designed by French artist, Clara Halter, and installed by French architect, Jean-Michel Wilmotte, is a celebration of peace in a place that is historically a reminder of war. The sculpture, surrounded by 32 steel columns, features a transparent wall with the word peace written in 49 languages. Inspired by the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, visitors are encouraged to leave a message of peace in the gaps in the wall or directly on the monument's website. 

2018 Goodreads Challenge

(347/365) • Follow me on Goodreads “We are readers. Books grace our shelves and fill our homes with beauty; they dwell in our minds and occupy our thoughts. Books prompt us to spend pleasant hours alone and connect us with fellow readers. They invite us to escape into their pages for an afternoon, and they inspire us to reimagine our lives.”

- Anne Bogel, I’d Rather Be Reading

• Goal: Initially 30 books (I read 30 last year), but reset to 40 in July

• Books Read: 50 (…so far! The year isn’t over yet.)

• Books Set in Paris/France: 23

• Books Set in Wisconsin: 1

• Books Borrowed from the Library: 39

• Books for Professional Development: 2

• Children’s Books: 3

• Biographies | Historical Fiction: 28

• Favorite Book(s): Paris By the Book, The Nightingale, The Power of Moments, Forever Paris

• Least Favorite(s): Uncommon Type (Tom Hanks), Bonjour Kale (Beddard) 

[S]he's making a list...

(346/365) I wasn't completely successful at filling my 2018 Autumn Bucket List. I didn't knit, walk in the fog, or climb the tower at Holy Hill. We didn't have a bonfire in the backyard, and for the first time since we were married, we didn't carve jack-o-lanterns or roast pumpkin seeds. Nonetheless, I love the idea of intentionally planning for seasonal delights. So, once again inspired by A Beautiful Mess, I'm making a list…

My 2018 Holiday Bucket List (a bit late, so I already have quite a head start):

• Deck the halls with snowy and icy ornaments ✓

• Shop for gifts and send Christmas cards to friends and family ✓

• Lovingly wrap packages like Mom and Grandma Dodo always did ✓

• Enjoy my personal Christmas Playlist from Band-Aid to Bing ✓

• Make paper snowflakes ✓

• Burn candles that smell like Christmas trees and peppermint ✓

• Cuddle with Piper by the fire ✓ (I should probably put several ✓ after this one!)

• Take hikes and pictures in the snow (I'm dreaming of a White Christmas!) ✓

• Watch White Christmas and It's a Wonderful Life ✓

• Cry when General Waverly inspects the troops at the Inn and when Harry Bailey toasts, "To my big brother, George, the richest man in town!" ✓

• Watch Love Actually (this year with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra) ✓

• Eat lefse and Norwegian cookies

• Drink egg nog, hot cocoa with marshmallows, and Champagne ✓

• Spend Christmas Eve with the Larsons and Christmas Day with the Hornes ✓

• Go to Christmas Eve Mass and put baby Jesus in the crêche at home ✓

• Read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas with the boys

• Light the candles on Jesus' birthday cake and sing Happy Birthday  ✓

• Share Linus' rendition of the Gospel of St. Luke ("That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.") ✓

• Wrap up another year of Project 365 and begin the next chapter -- stay tuned...! ✓

List reviewed after the holiday decorations were put away. ✓ = completed (17/19)