Day 23 - Off centered

One of the advantages of having a daughter that drives is that I can snap pictures while she drives. Well actually we stopped the car on the tracks to capture this one - rest assured there were no other cars or trains for that matter, but one does not dilly dally to be safe...Photo is off centered which I didn't like but then again that is how our life is right now, definitely off centered so the photo works for me.
Be back later with today's shot which I hope is a photo of our outing last night.

Day 22 - In the city

Its not too often that we go into the big city but whenever we do I am always wowed by the sights and sounds. I love watching the hustle and bustle, the neon lights, the various buildings and more.
The photo opps are endless but as we were focused mostly on business matters so only captured a couple. Here is one of them.

Day 22 - Winter

Living in the upper midwest, our scenery right outside my door isn't all that interesting. Now I imagine I could don the coat and boots and go look for some real cool shots but I really don't like the cold weather all that much. I prefer taking shots from the car such as this. Nothing too exciting...but like I said until I venture a bit farther it is hard to find those cool captures!

Day 20 {again} Outside Fun

Elle has been wanting to go outside and play in the snow with her boyfriend and get some pictures which means I get to go out too and man, it was cold. I was thinking 25 degrees wouldn't be so bad after the deep freeze of last week, but to me, it was still super cold. Dad asked them to go in the neighbor's yard so ours would still be flawless but that didn't happen. First stop was snow angels.

Snow chase.

I had a hard time choosing just one so went with 3 for now and will have to narrow it down for my layout later.
I am really missing my DSLR for these winter shots.

Day 20 - New coat with a view!

What I missed most about POTD when I didn't do it in 2008 was not getting the many random photos of the kids. There's not as many photo ops when the kids are teens as when they were younger.
So this is simply a photo of the day of Elle with her new coat!
Those fur hoods make for fun composition.

Day 15 - 19.

Oh oh. Someone has been a bit of a blog slug. Not a good thing to fall off because it takes a lot to catch up. Most of the pictures were taken on the right day but not uploaded or taken off the camera. Oops! Hoping to be back on track this week. I wish I could say I have been busy with fun and adventures but that is not the case.

Sunday was just another lazy day with the exception of Elle that was out with Nick to his Christmas party and a movie. I spent time digital scrappingbooking as had 2 ADSR challenges to complete before deadline.

Tiffany chose bread as her photo of the day and that had me wanting some homemade bread so that's what we did - made bread. There is nothing like warm homemade bread in the winter.

There is nothing like flipping a switch to take the chill out of the house on these cold winter days and nights but this year this is more of a luxury because it isn't real cost efficient....sigh.

No one wants to get the mail on these cold days but it does make it a bit more
worthwhile if there might be Net Flix movies in the mailbox!

SNAP. Things go snap in the bitter cold and that is exactly what our garage door opener did on Wed. night - snapped. See the chain? Elle thought she did something wrong but these things happen. Was it because of the cold? Hard to know. We haven't called the repair guy but that's got to happen soon as this is a luxury I won't give up.

Week 2 layout

Here is my 2 page layout for week 2.
I am still trying to get it right.
Was going to run my week Sun. through Sat. but realized the weekends go together too often.
So once again, I am having to mix up my photos a bit to make it work.
But then again its my project and I can do that.

New Day - January Mega by Scrap Orchard
Template by MOriginal.

Day 14 - New Slippers

If you read my previous blog post you know we were out shopping yesterday.
A mission of sorts to snag some great bargains.
And here is one of my precious finds - new pink fuzzy slippers.
My Elle gives me grief about my current ones (they are butt ugly) so I got these (Elle got the same ones). They are just so clean and pink and they are perfect for these cold winter days and nights. Coldest night coming up in 5 years.
So had to show something warm and cuddly.
It is forecasted so cold tomorrow that school has been delayed 2 hours - now that is a big deal in the upper midwest because we aren't cold weather wimps - not at all, so this is a big deal.
Also a note on this photo - I captured this while holding my legs in the air. Try that.
Not an easy feat at all!
LOL

You all stay warm.

Day 13 - Freeway Terror

OK. Maybe terror is an exaggeration but having my newly licensed daughter drive to the mall felt a bit like terror for me. I was white knuckling, sweating, holding onto that handle on the ceiling (not really sure why that is there but it is nice when you are in panic mode) feeling a bit out of control. She obtained her license on her 16th birthday, almost 1 1/2 months ago, but being we are rural suburban, freeway driving is not the norm so she wanted me to drive with her to one of her favorite malls with boyfriend in the backseat. Granted it was rush hour but we were going against traffic though it didn't always feel that way. There was so much traffic but we made it - yea!! The above picture was taken when we were off the freeway and close to the mall. There was no way I was taking a picture when we were on the freeway. Yikes

And here is another. I just like this one. My daughter is such a shopper - she lives for it and its something we aren't able to do quite as much. She got a winter coat at Hollister and was all smiles. A few goodies at Victoria Secret and we both made out like bandits at Maurices - so a happy outing for all (well, maybe not the boyfriend) in this sub zero temps.

Day 12 - My cat again

I should be venturing outside as we have fresh snow but man, its cold and the weatherman says its only going to get colder tomorrow - like a true arctic blast. Brrrr. Just checked the outside temp and it is 9 degrees. So lucky me has been inside all day where its pretty warm and toasty.
My cat is pretty comfortable too - the poses we find him in. He cracks me up.
And yes, he is big! About 20 pounds.
Isn't he cute?
I am off to work on my week 2 layout!
And the temp has fallen to 8 degrees!

Day 11 - Something smelly

Bec's prompt today was for something 'smelly' and these flowers that Jared gave me yesterday for my birthday were just the ticket! They are so pretty and smell really good.
They almost seem like fake straw flowers but they are real.
Wish I would have moved the napkin basket as it distracts me - oh well.

Day 10 - My birthday.

Oops! Missed my first day - birthdays have a way of doing that.
But I did take a ton of pictures of Elle making me a cake, the candles and more.
Had an awesome day and later our best friends came over for interactive board games which was a hoot. Something we don't do a lot of, board games, as we are typically a bit more of the gambling type and like to play poker.
Ended up with a bunch more pictures but haven't gotten them off the camera yet.

Day 9 - Friday Night

Friday night has been really quiet around here except for the 4 TVs going...
First we have Jared in one of his favorite places - in the kitchen with one of his all time favorite snacks; popcorn.

Downstairs we have Elle and her boyfriend.
I didn't capture hubby watching in the living room though he probably was already fast asleep.
And there is me in the office with a TV on but can't really say I am watching it as I was pretty busy mastering my first PSE action for ADSR 4 - Wow!
That took a bit of effort and I am glad Elle was here to watch Hummie's tutorial and walk me through it.
So ya, our household is pretty boring here tonight.
Tomorrow I am on the hunt for something a bit more exciting as I am boring myself.

Day 8 - Simple Pleasures

I went with a prompt today - simple pleasures, which I am all about.
But I tell ya, I really struggled with capturing that simple pleasure.
After a few attempts at various pleasures I ended up with this...
lotions and lip balms! Definitely a necessity this time of year in the upper USA.
Somedays it is pure bliss to apply.

I also did my 1st layout for Project 365 - what fun!
I am so glad that I decided to end my week on a Saturday.

Credits: Scrapshana's kits: Winter Wishes and Holiday Shimmer

Day 7 - My boys

I took this random shot of my boys and I really like it.
I'm not sure I can really explain it but I just like the way there is just a bit of a smile on my boy - sometimes we don't get a lot of smiles as some of you moms of teen boys can attest to.
My boy, like me, loves to be on the computer so this is a fairly common sight as is the cat hanging out - always having to be a part of the action.
I am still getting used to my son's shorter haircut. I like it a lot and its a nice change.
Photo seems grainy to me and I am not sure why. I swear I am bringing in my DSLR to the camera shop tomorrow as I am going to be picking up my daughter and my digital calendars and the camera store is right there.

Day 6 - Introspective on 2009

Kind of reflective today on a lot of things.
I announced to my Bunko group that I was leaving which was really big for me. I started the group over 7 years ago and had found the group had moved in directions I wasn't comfortable with. I made the hard decision a few weeks back but it was today that I let everyone know that I was done. And you know what? It was exhilarating! Sometimes its hard to let go of what one knows or what one wants to believe is good when clearly it isn't a good thing anymore.
This announcement to a group that I have tried to hold dear for a long time made me think of where I am at, especially looking at the economic struggles we are in, both individually and as a nation. We may not be able to control our destiny as far as finances, employment, stock markets and more but we can certainly embrace love to get us through. Today that resounded in me. It also reminds me to always go with tthe truth always and those that are truthful. I read that somewhere and want to embrace that concept.
So my motto for 2009 is LOVE!
I want it for myself as well as you!
I am not settling for anything less in these hard times!
No fakes, no wannabees, no clicky chicks, its all about love and trust!
And once I had time to reflect on this, I knew the word LOVE, displayed in our family room, had to be my picture of the day!
LOVE & PEACE!
For me and for you in 2009!
*The DSLR is still on the brink and my photo skills are not that that I can play with the flash - maybe 359 pictures or so later I will know. Tips and CC welcome.

Day 5 - Views from our doors

Looking out our backdoor or front door was the prompt to keep us northerners girls from having to brave the cold elements outside. The key was we had to see the door frame.
Well, this kept us inside but there is no way we can keep the door open for any length of time so these were shot very quickly.

This is looking out over our deck. The sun was setting and I used the door to block it.

This is out our front door - again, had to be pretty quick so as not to let the
heat out. The hubby was wondering what the heck I was doing holding the door open. LOL

And what I love about POTD is the awesome pictures you capture. Well, that is not totally true, well it is, but in this case, my Elle wanted me to get some outside photos of her and her BF.

I am getting excited - 2 more days and we can put together our first layout!

Day 4 - A Christmas gift

Sunday. Kids go back to school tomorrow and reality sets in
for me as the official end of the holidays. = (
We boxed it up - the lights, the sparklies and all that Christmas goodness.
So today's photo kind of represents what is left over plus I didn't like my earlier photos I took today so went with Bec's prompt at Scrap Orchard, a photo of a Christmas gift I rec'd.
Here is 2 of them: a floral arrangement that has about run its course and the 3 wick candle hubby got me. Second year we have cut way back on buying for each other.

Day 3 - One last time before the lights are turned off again.

Christmas has come and go and I never got a shot of the tree or decorations this year so when my girlfriends were coming over I decided to have one last night of sparkle and shine.
Tried to take out the flash reflection but that didn't work so well so left it as is.

Not feeling terribly creative in the New Year so far but hopefully the mojo will kick in soon.
I am also shooting with my Panasonic Lumix which I love for a small camera as my DSLR is currently not working - can't wait to get that up and shooting again!

Day 2 - Office View

Bec's prompt at Scrap Orchard was a view from your computer but not a shot of the computer.
Our office is golf themed so I am always drawn to my bowl of balls - it was a last minute decorating idea and I have kept it because I like it. The jar holds golf tees but evidently we used them as the jar is pretty empty.

The New 365 Project

I decided that I need a cleaner, simpler blog for my project 365 so here goes.
Still haven't found a home for my project but am watching a few places: DST, facebook and am working with prompts at Scrap Orchard.
Day 1 - Self portrait.
Actually my DD helped set photo up and bless her heart, the photo editing.