>>52 PHOTOS

My original plan for 2013 was to continue my goal of taking one photo a day, every day for the entire year.  Turns out caring for two tiny ones makes this extremely challenging.  A trip to the emergency room earlier this year got me behind and I never really caught up.  So, I've decided on a new plan and that is to take a photo of the kiddos once a week, every week, for the entire year.  I think this is a little more doable.  The kids are so cute anyway and are always doing things that make me laugh.  Catching it on camera is all part of the fun.  And going back through my photos, I have already done this, so I'm already caught up and up to date.

Here's my new link to the blog if you want to follow:
www.52photosproject2013.blogspot.com


This idea was inspired by this blog: 

>>MY PHOTO BLOG

Hey there.

Remember that photo blog I started a while back?

Well, I just updated it.....with 47 photos!!  That means that I have 241 photos out of my goal of 366 (one for every day of the year!).

Check it out.  (click here: 366 PHOTOS)  Or don't....but if you don't, you'll miss out on photos like this one of a smiling pig...

or this one of Millie visiting the Clerk's Office with Curtis....

>>MILLIE IS THE COOLEST DOG I KNOW

A recent conversation between me and Curtis went something like this....

me: "Did you know that Millie has a southern accent?"
him: "No she doesn't.  She's not from the south....she's from Brooklyn!"

Wherever she's from, she is freaking awesome....and she's got a poker face that will knock your socks off!

>>366 PHOTOS

I came across this awesome blog  and was inspired to challenge myself to the same goal this new year.

In 2012, I will take at least one photo, every day, for the entire year.

At first I thought, "I can't do that."  I considered doing a 52 week photo challenge (one photo per week), but then thought, "why can't I?"  I decided there was no reason that I couldn't.  I couldn't think of one excuse or one reason that would prevent me from doing this....besides maybe laziness.  Plus it might be fun...so I could accomplish two goals at once.  So, it's a win-win.  I think at the end of the year it will be a lot of fun to see what kinds of things went on....all the little things that are so easily forgotten.


Thanks Oh Snap Diggity for the inspiration!


Wanna follow my journey?  You can check it out here on my 366 Photos Blog.


Also, if you want to join me in the fun, I'd love to see your photos too.

The tip I liked most about doing this challenge was that if you miss a day, don't beat yourself up or try to get up before midnight and snap a quick photo, but instead, the next day just take a picture of something you did the day prior.  No need to beat yourself up or quit altogether.

I hope I can keep up and follow through with this goal.  Letting you know about it and putting it out there on a blog will hopefully help.  And besides, what better way to become a better photographer than by practicing every day...right?

>>CHAIR AND OTTOMAN MAKEOVER

What do ya think of my  new chair?

I kinda love it.

It's amazing what a little spray paint, fabric and a throw pillow can do!

>>MY FACINATION WITH RECORDING

I developed a fascination with 'recording' at an early age.  And by recording, I mean making copies of music and movies onto blank cassette tapes.

I would record all sorts of music from the radio...of course, the beginning of every song was cut off, but that didn't bother me much. 

Then I learned how to record movies.  I was always needing more blank VHS tapes to record my shows and movies.  I would look through the TV guide and decide which movies I wanted to record.  Then I would sit in front of the TV with my blank tape in the VCR waiting for the perfect moment to hit the "record" button.  I would sometimes record 2 or 3 movies on the same tape.  I remember one mixed tape included The Sandlot, The Bodyguard (you know, with Whitney Houston) and Rookie of the Year.  I was probably 9 or so (and didn't have many friends, obviously).

Then I learned how to set the timer to record a movie.  So I was able to record my shows even if I wasn't going to be home to manually hit the "record" button.  I thought it was the coolest thing ever! 

One year for my birthday I really wanted a Karaoke machine.  I couldn't sing to save my life (still can't), but I loved that I could record myself.  I remember me and my cousin singing Trisha Yearwood's song, She's in Love with a Boy and being thoroughly entertained.  We would record, rewind, listen, then record again, rewind, then listen.  We thought we were so cool.   


My obsession fascination with recording continues to this day.  iTunes plays an important role in my life in that it allows me to make mixed CDs 'til my heart's content.  I made one just this morning in fact.  I have probably made hundreds of mixed CDs....they are spread out all over the house and in the car...most titled, "Jen's mix."  

I think my biggest concern when we made the switch from VCR to DVD player was that I wouldn't be able to record things from the TV anymore (not without spending lots of money on additional equipment anyway).  It was a very valid concern.

So, you can imagine how happy I was when we got DVR.  Holy cow! Best thing ever!  



 

The Dinosaurs

Curtis is coaching a soccer team.

His team consists of six kids, ages 3 to 5 years old.

They are adorable.


During their first practice, Curtis asked the kids what their team name should be. One kids said, "well, it should probably be something about soccer."

Another kid said, "how about soccer team."

Curtis said, "you want our team name to be soccer team?"

"Yeah!" all the kids shouted.

Then one kid said he wanted to be a T-Rex. Another kid wanted to be a Stegosaurus.

They eventually agreed to be 'The Dinosaurs.'

Here is a clip of their first game. The Dinosaurs are in green.




Aren't they just the cutest? Apparently when you are 3-5 years old, you can pick up the ball whenever you want and put it down where you want. You can also use your hands to help move the ball along. You also have to fall down a lot...and do headstands...and it's perfectly okay to kick the ball into your own goal box (several times).


Watching Curtis coach these kids is the cutest thing I have ever seen.

I can't wait to have kids.

my sewing projects

A couple of weeks ago, Curtis and I were strolling through a new store in town where we found this gem of a sewing desk. I LOVE it. I have been wanting a sewing desk for a while now, so I was thrilled to find this. Isn't it cute?

I've been putting our purchase to good use.

I sewed some curtains and a draft guard for our front door.


I think the flowers add some spice to the otherwise bland curtain.


The ruffly top on the draft guard was an after-thought. I had extra fabric at the top because I initially cut the fabric too big. I didn't want to just cut it off, so I decided to cut the extra fabric at the top into slits and tie it in knots to create this look.


Our upstairs office didn't have any window coverings (or window trim for that matter). I didn't like the thought of people being able to look right in, so I made these curtains. I did these with the same ruffly top as the draft guard. Don't look too closely at the missing window trim...that will come later.

I finally finished the Christmas presents for my co-workers. My plan was to have these aprons done and put in the mail before Christmas...but that didn't happen (you may have read my procrastination post). Better late than never though, right?

I even made one for me. Maybe now I'll cook more...ha ha...yeah right.

On an unrelated note, my hair fits in a pony-tail (with the help of several bobby-pins). Wohoo!

>>MORE THAN WE BARGAINED FOR

A couple of weeks ago, Curtis placed this ad in the paper:


We thought we might get a few old bikes that we could fix up and ride around town.

We definitely weren't expecting this:






Funny thing is, the ad is supposed to run for 1 more week.

Bike, anyone?