This is what I got for Christmas. What about you?

No, really.  I’m teething. The wisdom teeth that the dentist told me about when I was in high school and which I did nothing about are coming in.  It’s really fun in a totally painful way! Babies everywhere have my sympathy.  My family hooked it up with Santa who kindly left me some Orajel in my stocking on Christmas morning. Life should be better now.

Thankfully, the UPS sleigh also dropped off this puppy which is slightly more exciting than gum-numbing gel.  So far, it’s only been put to use for creating fine art images such as the one below but I’ll be putting it to good use starting tomorrow morning.

Hope you all had happy holidays!

I’m really a fan of this whole “going green” movement. I mean, partly because I care about the environment and all that stuff, but mainly because it’s given a more positive term to so many things I’ve already been doing.

In previous years, when we saved and reused and re-reused wrapping paper, we were “cheap.” Now we are “green.” In previous years, when I didn’t send out Christmas cards, I was “lazy.” Now I am “green.” So I present my Christmas card/newsletter detailing what I’ve been up to this year – in an entirely visual format. Greenly. Take a peek, you might see someone you recognize. :)

Reading over the nominations for the Giving is Awesome project was both wonderful and heartbreaking. The kindness of the nominators, looking out for others in need, and the incredible hardships that the nominees are facing. It really does give one a sense of perspective.

I read the nominations aloud to my family who helped me in making this very difficult decision. The winner of the portrait giveaway is Peggy Hammond who was nominated by Rachel Stroetz. I’m going to wait to share Peggy’s story until I’ve spoken with her but she sounds like quite an extraordinary woman.

But the truth is, I can’t turn down any of the nominees. Sadly, I can’t afford to provide quite the quantity of free product to each of them but I will be contacting the remaining nominators and nominees in the next few days and providing them with a free session in the coming months and disc of photos as well.

Merry Christmas, all. :)

It’s been a bit cold around here. The kind of cold where it doesn’t make it all the way up to zero, where car doors are frozen shut and wearing a winter hat to bed doesn’t seem like such a crazy idea. I want to bring all the poor poofy birdies inside and warm them up. The fresh batches of snow daily are pretty look at from inside but who has time to stay home all the time, especially at this time of year? (I haven’t even started my Christmas shopping yet. At this rate, my family is going to be getting portraits of other families’ children as gifts.)

But on to the good news…

- All orders are out! Everything has been delivered or is en route via one method or another. The UPS man is sure to miss the sight of my side porch without daily deliveries from the print house. But I’m happy!

- The nominations are steadily rolling in for Giving is Awesome: A Holiday Giveaway. The stories are all so touching and I have no idea how I’m going to choose. I’d love to be able to work with all the nominees in some way and that is something I’m going to be giving some thought to.

I’ve also gotten some great help spreading the word about the project. Erica, who used to write for Minneapolis Metblogs, posted an entry about the project on her new site, fresh.mn, on Monday. Today, Justin Piehowski included a blurb about it in his new column, Blog Cabin. I really appreciate everyone’s support! There’s still plenty of time to nominate if you’d like.

And in other good news, my new hard drive is in and everything is still in working order. Geek success!

Giving IS awesome. You can’t argue with that.

One evening last week, I started thinking about offering photography to someone who needed it this Christmas. Not ten minutes later, I discovered the Giving is Awesome project, a worldwide project of photographers giving away custom photography. The idea was exactly what I was thinking of and the project has grown exponentially by the day.

But I’ll be honest. I didn’t post about it last week because I was cranky and humbuggy. Christmas is coming up way too quickly, I’m not ready, I was feeling stressed by the shopping I haven’t done and the get-togethers I felt I should go to. My usually out-of-control Christmas spirit was in the tank.

But this morning I woke up and immediately knew that this was what I needed to do. This is where Christmas is. Not in the Target trips or the fra-gee-lee leg lamps or the delicious cookies (well, a little in the delicious cookies, let’s be realistic), but in my ability to give something that I believe really matters to someone who really needs it.

So this is how it works.

You know someone. You know someone who’s experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone who can’t afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family’s spirit, love, and beauty.

You know someone. I guarantee it.

I want to know who they are, and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography — $1500 worth, to be exact. Whether it’s canvas or albums, prints for Grandma, or a slideshow to watch over and over, it’s in your power to give them the artwork they deserve this holiday season.

And if the person/family you nominate is selected, you’ll receive a $250 print credit.

The rules:

* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing my services.

* The nominee must reside in the Twin Cities/western Wisconsin area. Tell me who you know, what they’re experiencing, and why they deserve my artwork. Please include a way to contact both your nominee and yourself as well.

* You must e-mail me the full story : givingisawesome@glimpsesofsoul.com.

The winner will be announced on Christmas Eve — get nominating! I can’t wait to read all of your entries!

Open your heart to someone this holiday season — and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine.

With Christmas spirit,
Mandy

(If you’re not in the area and still want to participate, check out the map of other photographers involved worldwide.)

For several years, Comptine D’une Autre Ete by Yann Tiersen has been one of my favorite songs. It’s on the Amelie soundtrack, although that’s not where I originally discovered and, more recently, has made its debut as my iphone ringtone. Yesterday, I was looking for an online clip of it to play for a friend with whom I was discussing ringtones and I discovered this on YouTube.

It’s an animated video made by then 18 year old Aidan Gibbons as part of a university project. I think it’s really well done and am apparently not the only one as it’s received several awards and even has its own FAQ page.

In addition to having made a really cute movie set to a song that I really like, Aidan uses the word “gobsmacked” on his website which, having watched entirely too much Kitchen Nightmares, i>Hell’s Kitchen and Tabatha’s Salon Takeover as of late, I am dying to work into my vocabulary.

(I don’t think that’s going to work very well, though.)

(Also, don’t judge me for my taste in television.)

(Because those shows are really at the top end of what I watch. I have no shame.)

(Well, a little shame.)