Day 29 Photo A Day (Nurse P.)

So Rob had to have minor surgery a week ago. No pics b/c he refused to be photographed wrapped in bandages and gauze. So here is a pic of what my days have been like playing Nurse P. I told him I needed a wife raise since I was adding nurse to my job role :-) I haven't seen the increase yet :-( He is doing fine and even went back to work today.

Day 28 Photo A Day (Snow Storm)

So yeah, that first snow of the season turned into a snow storm. Schools were closed for two days and jobs allowed people to work from home. My hubby hates snow. 1) because he is from New Orleans and doesn't see the beauty of it and 2) because he hates shoveling it :-) I don't blame his second reason. Looks cold out there. This was taken from inside the home via the sliding glass doors.

Day 27 Photo A Day (Video Games)

Yes, I play video games, but only on the computer. Does that make me cooler than others. Who knows? This is my guilty pleasure and what I do at 1 a.m. when I can't sleep. The best game I have EVER played is Return to Ravenhurst by Big Fish Games. So worth it. They have an hour free trial, so download it and give it a chance. If you get stuck, they have a whole forum dedicated to helping you out. This game had me nearly in tears and feeling triaumphant and sad at the end. It won for best game in 2008 :-) Do I have good taste or what.

Day 26 Photo A Day (First Snow)

Why is January 25th the first time we have had real snow all winter. Crazy world. What are we doing to the environment. I live in the midwest, it should have been snowed.

Day 25 Photo A Day (100 shades of White)

The painter man dropped this off and said pick my color. Are you serious???? There are over a hundred shades of white. Too many choices. I can't decide. I want something warm, not plain, nuetral, and yet noticeable. easy right????

Day 24 Photo A Day (Happy Meal)

I am almost not ashamed to admit that I order happy meals and sometimes I am excited about the toy. I could care less about this one, but the ponies, barbies and robots used to find a home on my desk and bulletin board ledge at work. I am a kid at heart sometimes :-) I once went to 12 McDonalds to collect all the Inspector Gadget pieces (they made a larger toy when put together). I even bribed my sister and my ex boyfriend's brother for their pieces. I had no shame I tell you :-) LOL

Day 23 Photo A Day (Valentine 3D)

I admit that I went to see the horror flick Valentine 3D. No I didn't think the movie would be good, but how can you resist it in 3D. The first time we tried to go, all three showings were sold out. We tried again and made it in. I am happy to report that the 3D was awesome and the plot was serviceable. Be warned...there are some gory scenes and some over dramatic acting.

Day 22 Photo A Day (Cupcakes )

Well what does a loving hubby do when you have a craving for a cupcake??? He buys you a gourmet one from Jilly's Cupcakery, with tahitian vanilla cream on the inside. They are soooo sinful.

Day 21 Photo A Day (God's Word)

This year I decided to spend extra time with God, so I am going to Wednesday night bible study. We are doing the book of John right now. It is a positive experience sharing with others an extra day each week.

Day 20 Photo A Day (Historical Love)

The historical significance of the day is obvious. What I wish to point out is the look of love and adoration on her face. It fills my heart up so much to see real love. Not all marriages are unhappy and I think we buy into the fact that they are and somehow make our own more difficult in the process. I say no. I genuinely love my husband and am happy to be with him. It's nice to see that same look on someone else's face as well. I cried when they walked out together the night he won. She looked at him and embraced him. I thought this is the image so many youths need to see. Positive, Black, Proud and In Love...

Day 19 Photo A Day (Home Improvements)

When Rob is in the mood to spend, you go a long for the ride. His goal this year is to improve our casa. So we are pricing out decks (I love eating outside), a fence (kids need an enclosed environment), a new counter top and backsplash for the kitchen (granite is a warmer and more mature choice than what we have now). I am looking forward to seeing all the finished products.

Day 18 Photo A Day (Football Madness)

I never watched football until Rob and I got married. I think it's important to give and take in a marriage and to connect with something the other holds important. Rob is a sports fan and I missed him during football season. So I sat down and asked him to teach me the game. Five years later, I watch just as much as he does, play in a fantasy league, do football pick em, read and watch espn and the nfl network and I can carry on an intelligent conversation with other guys. It is our activity now and not just his. He always says he appreciates the fact that I took the time to engage in something that was important to him. I used to think the game was stupid, but now I LOVE it to death and will cry when the season is over and wait eagerly for August to come back around again.

Day 17 Photo A Day (Staying Connected)

So I live in Missouri and my other book club members live in Illinois. So we have our meetings over the phone, with one person calling and connecting to another. It works out pretty well. The one meeting we had in person was cool, but this is the next best thing. Maybe a video cam on the computer would be cool as well. I may have to check into that. Anyway, I love my little phone, but plan to upgrade in June to one with a full keyboard. I do a lot of texting.

Day 16 Photo A Day (My Fave Pastime)

I have always enjoyed reading. Something about a book being able to transport you to a new time or place. This summer after I quit my job and was struggling to find a new one or to find my life calling, I went through a very intense period of sadness. I was not used to feeling inadequate, unproductive, or dare I even say unwanted. To escape from myself I did a lot of reading. I read the entire Stephanie Plum series (10+ books) the entire Alex Cross series (12+ books) an entire historical series (which I turned my sister on to) all of Sherlock Holmes short stories, The Pillars of the Earth (1000+ pages) and a sprinkling of other books. I needed the release :-) very bad I guess, based on how many books I read :-) Even chuckling about it today is a bit bitter sweet. This book I was reading for my book club (How To Make An American Quilt). It was a good story and a bit different than the movie with Winonna Ryder if you have seen it.

Day 15 Photo A Day (Sweet Love)

So in an earlier post I wrote about Rob working late and being stressed about his job. Well being the loving wife that I am and always on the lookout for brownie points I decided to make him a goodie bag for his 8 a.m. - 12 a.m. work day. I baked him chocolate chip cookies and bought his favorite candy (gummi bears) and wrapped them in bags with hearts on them and left them out on the counter for him to discover. He was surprised and I think touched by the gesture. I really belive that it is the little things that make a person fall in love with you all over again.

Day 14 Photo A Day (Scrap Work)

Today I sat down and actually started to compile the photos and journaling I have been doing. I really like the way that it is turning out. This is my life on a daily basis. All the little things that build memories and get me to where I want or need to be. I am excited about this project and look forward to seeing it grow. I used Fancy Pants Fall paper line, Cherry Arte Calendar stamp, and stamps in my collection. Click the pic for a bigger view.

Day 13 Photo A Day (Poor baby)

Rob is a hardworker, but he doesn't like to be worked hard. This job he started in October has him working til 12 in the morning sometimes. He even brings his laptop home and works here at the house in the evenings. This Saturday he has to go in and work from like 8-12. He is not a happy camper and I don't see him wanting to keep this job for long. On a side note: I think he always looks so cute when he gets caught up in a problem. He is such a braniac and I love it :-)

Day 12 Photo A Day (Food For The Soul)

I discovered Robin Miller sometime this Fall. I was full fledge into doing the Susie Homemaker thing and that meant cooking new meals from scatch each night. This is a great cookbook. I have made over 20 dishes from it and have enjoyed all but one. And really there was nothing wrong with it, we just didn't like artichokes mixed with other veggies. Robin challenges me to use new ingredients and her meals are fast and easy, but big on the wow in terms of flavor and presentation. The meals are also healthy as well. I listed a few we have tried in the past.

Day 11 Photo A Day (The Office)

I LOVE The Office even though I didn't discover it until this year :-) I was always wondering what happened whenever they made references to previous seasons. So Rob bought me the boxed gift set of all the previous seasons. I am loving it. It is filling in so many of the plot details. So this is now a new quality time activity. When nothing else is on, we pop in the dvd and watch a dvd or two. Each season has four dvds. I am up to season three right now and it is getting good :-) If you haven't watched it, you can download free episodes on their website and watch all the ones from this season. It is extremely quirky and the characters are truly unique.

Day 10 Photo A Day (Feel The Burn)

This year I decided I really needed to get serious about fitness. I HATE exercising with a passion. So in order to get and stay in a groove, I am working out everyday for 15-20 minutes. I use my ski machine, do hand held weights, crunches, toning exercises and stretching. I only missed two days from illness. Otherwise, I have done it everyday, with or without Rob who is joining me for this venture. I feel really good. They say if you do something for 14 days it becomes a habit. I hope this is true.

Day 8 Photo A Day (New Orleans King Cake)

Nothing real big happened today. Rob is from New Orleans originally, so he decided to order an original King Cake from a well known bakery in New Orleans. Whoever gets the piece with the plastic baby has to buy/host the party next year. I think the fact I said all the ones I had here tasted like coffee cake upset him. So they shipped it in a box with beads, a collectors doll, and a Mardi Gras magazine. The cake was tasty, but I still thought it tasted like a coffee cake/danish :-)

Day 9 Photo A Day (Oh Baby)

Today is the day Rob and I decided that we are ready to start a family. We went to the Melting Pot and discussed it over cheese and chocolate. It was a great discussion and went much better than our initial attempt the day before. Somehow, that went way wrong and we left feeling negative. One of the great things about our relationship is our ability to have do overs. That's what Friday night was and it went great. We are both ready mentally and financially. We are ready to sacrifice ourselves. I am really looking forward to sharing this experience with him. Needless to say I will be a total nervous wreck. The prospect of being responsible for another life seems the most daunting task in the world. Everyone says it's worth it. I am praying they are telling the truth :-) I am going to meet with my doctor in March to discuss family planning and hopefully, it won't be long after that.

History

This is amazing. Fills my heart up in a new way. ENOUGH said :-)

If blogger didn't hate me, I would upload the other four days of pics, but it doesn't want to cooperate. Maybe tomorrow.

Day 7 Photo A Day (Grateful)

With all the things going on in the world, it is important to remember to give thanks for the daily things in our life. Having a full pantry and going grocery shopping knowing you have enough money and don't have to put anything back or do without is a blessing. My hubby is a great provider and we do well watching over our budget.

Day 6 Photo A Day (Laundry Day)

Nothing special today. Just me, the washing machine and seven loads of dirty clothes. How do two people use so much??? Rob suggests wearing less clothes around the house :-) I bet he would want that. LOL

Day 5 Photo A Day (365 Project)

To a scrapper, a new project means new product. It doesn't matter if you have two rooms full of supplies. I do plan to use up my stash, but something about new embellishments gets your creative juices flowing :-) This project presented some problems b/c a week has seven days of photos plus journaling and I needed to find page protectors with slots to accommadate all of that on two sheets. I bought three different set ups, so I can find what works for me. I am looking forward to this.

Day 4 Photo A Day (Book Club)

This past October I got the idea to do a book club with my mom and sister. My sister and I are avid readers and we would trade books and make suggestions to each other. My mom isn't a reader, but I thought she would enjoy being with us. We have read Revolutionary Road, The Shack and now we are doing How to Make an American Quilt. The discussions have been great and we have even added another member. I enjoy sharing these moments with them.

Day 3 Photo A Day (No Rest for the Weary)

No rest for the weary. Even though I am sick, I still have to work. Luckily I now work virtually and can heal and work from the same location. Everything I need to get through the day: computer, tissue (ran out of kleenex), Lysol (keep the germs down), phone, tea, and post its. Excuse the mess :-)

Day 2 Photo A Day (Not Welcomed)

So I woke up this morning and knew I was sick. I even knew who gave me the germs. It was the checkout lady at the grocery store. Sure she was polite and turned her head and coughed into her arm, but I just knew that her germs were on the receipt, coupons and each grocery item she scanned. But I couldn't Lysol it all could I???? So two days later I wake up sick with no medicine in the house. I should have gave her that to scan :-( So my loving hubby goes to Walgreens this morning before he leaves for work to help me out. How is he repaid, by slipping on the hidden ice patches in front of the house and landing on his butt. I felt so bad, but thankful he braved the front of our steps for me. I guess he will be buying salt this evening.

He certainly was not welcomed this morning :-)

Day 1 Photo A Day (James Patterson)

So as much as I believe I march to my own drum.... I think I am going to do the new craze. The whole 365 a day picture thing. Tons of people are doing it. I am starting late, but better late than never, right? Not sure if my life is interesting enough to do a pic a day, but I will see how it goes. Not sure what I plan to do with the pics, but I think it may help me to get back into a creative groove. I could do mini layouts or a mini book or use the exercise to become reaccquainted with my camera.

So here's the story. I love reading and have read all the books (15 or so) in the Alex Cross series by James Patterson. This one just came out and I had to wait a month and a half for the library copy. Hence the large print version (shortest wait). I get myself all set up to read on the tv tray and plump my pillows behind my back. I say a quick prayer of thanks to God for simple pleasures like this in life and the pleasure of relaxing quietly and boom, my tray leg breaks spewing soda all over the table, floor and sofa. What a mess. Someone up there or down below has a sense of humor :-)

(not the best photography, but it gets the point across. if I choose to scrap it, I will fix it up and make it look pretty in photoshop.)




p.s I finished this book the same day. It was a good read and a page turner as always. A bit different than his other novels b/c it really focused on the pain endured in some African nations due to human greed. I was deeply affected.

Re-Emergence :-)

I have not posted in almost six months, but something about the start of a new year makes me yearn to return to blogging. Not sure where I want to go with the blog for 2009, but I miss documenting my life in words. I have always loved journaling and a blog is the digi version of that action.

Last year, I had a wonderful set of goals and a word/thought for the year. I even bought a silver bracelet that I wore everyday with the thought engraved on it. "Celebrate Life" Ironically, I think that was the last thing I did in 2008 and I don't think I met my goals, so no phrase this year to jinx myself :-) LOL

I think I have decided to be a better me and figure out what such a prophetic statement actually means :-) And I think that's what I want to do with the blog. Document my journey, so there may be pictures (I haven't used my Canon in a year), there may be creative layouts ( I haven't scrapped in about as long), words about my life ( I do manage to go out every now and then) and some random rumblings ( it's a bit boring staying home if you don't have kids and if all your friends actually work, LOL).

So anyway, not sure if anyone still checks my blog and that's okay. I will just have to force my mom and hubby to read it again :-) If you do stop by, drop me a note and tell me how your year was and if you have big plans for 2009. hugs