Elf on the Shelf 2015

Rudy the Elf on the Shelf is happy to have a Christmas tree to hide in. Photographed while watching U2 play in Paris. As I type this they are teasing Burning Down the House with a cool lady moving in mysterious ways.

Chocolate Chip Cookies for Santa

Having the ultimate sweet tooth I am always a fan of making cookies for Santa Claus.  Today the boys and I made some Ghirardelli chocolate chip cookies. We made them from the box which was a little more involved than pre-made dough, but not so much that it would take 20 ingredients and half a day.  Here are some pictures of my little chefs:

Pictures of Christmas Time

We are 8 days away from Christmas and the decorations are in full swing. We have some new things this year that have made decorating a bit more fun. The first thing that is new is the mantle below. It is a cedar block mantle that was installed by my builder Stuart Grubb. Finally we have a place to properly hang our stockings.  You can also see Rudy the Elf is hanging around in the garland above.

Here is our tree all decorated, waiting to presents to arrive under the tree.

Oh the joy of getting the Christmas cards ready… the Christmas tree lights made for fun photography and bokeh.

This year I added lights to the gutters of the house which looks pretty awesome at night, and also made the columns into candy canes.

Last year I made this outdoor Christmas tree out of recycled oak hardwood floors.

Here is our Nutcracker manning the front door

One of these pictures is not like the others… The picture below was taken with my iPhone of our mailbox all decorated by our neighbors to support Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta.

And finally here is Rudy the Elf on the Shelf keeping cool in the front window.

Family Gingerbread House Day

This weekend the kids wanted to build Gingerbread Houses, so we stocked up on Goldfish and lots of icing and candy.  Unfortunately Martha and I ate most of the candy, so we stocked up again the next day and got to work.  The building went into the night and even the next morning, but the results were fantastic.  Henry’s house has a detached garage, swimming pool with spa, and even a Seattle Space Needle replica.  Here are some pictures:

See the rest of the photos from the Gingerbread House build here: http://carsonmatthews.smugmug.com/Holidays/Christmas/27224612_C5mSvj 

Kindergarten Gingerbread Houses

Yesterday I was invited to go to Ben’s school to help build Gingerbread Houses and to photograph the Holiday party.  The kids did an excellent job building houses, and here are some of the ones that I got pictures of.  Some of the fun holiday ingredients included candy corns, m&m’s, candy canes, gum drops and square pretzels for windows and fencing!

Santa Claus at Idle Hour in Macon

On Saturday we took the boys down to Macon where I am from to visit with my parents and see Santa Claus.  There is no doubt he is the real deal.  Ever wonder where it all comes from?  Check out Wikipedia, it gives a good history of St Nick.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas

Here are some pictures of the Big Man.

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Weekly Photo Challenge Week 49 Fantasy

The Elf on the Shelf is a tremendous power in our house. The kids run around every morning trying to find him hidden around the house. During the day they leave him chocolate only to find empty wrappers when they return from school. They tell him about their days and what they want from Santa, and totally trust that each night he delivers their message to the North Pole.

50mm
ISO 800
F/5.0
1/6 second

Dogfish Head Chicory Stout on Christmas Night

Swimming at Chastain Pool

Last weekend we took our new GoPro out for a spin at Chastain Pool. We had a lot of fun trying it out and getting some underwater footage.

 

Carson Matthews

Thanksgiving Turkey Preparation Timelapse Video

Here is a iPhone 6 timelapse video of our Thanksgiving turkey preparation on Thanksgiving morning. After this it went into the Big Green Egg for several hours and came out perfect!

Timelapse Compilation of Sunrise and Weather

Here is a video compilation of time-lapse videos out of our front window. Our house faces East so we get great sunrises and a consistent look at clouds and storms moving through.

Sunset over the Chattahoochee River

Here is a picture of the sun tonight as it began setting over the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta. This shot was taken from the East Palisades Trail of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area looking west to Cobb Parkway as it crossed the Hooch.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8

70mm f/8.0 5 frames processed in Photomatix and Lightroom

Saturday Down South

Saturday Down South