January 31, 2009

Preparing for the L.(ay)O.(ut)A.D.(ay) Challenge . . . Starting tomorrow!


Can't wait to deplete some of my stash!

January 30, 2009

I finally got some things moved over into the pantry and did a little touch up cleaning today. After school, Kasey got off the bus with Bayleigh and . . .



they played for an hour or so. Mostly playing chef and putting puzzles together. They're quite the comedians . . .

January 29, 2009

I finally finished putting the shelves together for the pantry! Guess I get to have fun, filling them this weekend . . .



Mom, Bayleigh and I went grocery shopping today, so I'm glad these babies are assembled and ready to be filled!

January 28, 2009

Another busy day! I spent the morning moving the furniture, vacuuming, and "Resolving" parts of the carpet, and then we all headed into town to run errands and let Bayleigh put her piggy bank money in her savings account. (The little thief has swiped over $100 in change from various locations . . . like Dave's change pile next to the coffee pot . . . our coat pockets . . . the bottom of my bag . . . under the couch cushions . . . and who knows where else!)

After we got back from town, we took the kids out to sled! This is the first time we've got to go sledding this winter. It seems like we'll get a little snow here or there, but not enough to participate in such fun outdoor activities as this . . .



From the looks on these guy's faces, I'm not sure who's having more fun here . . .




Even after they'd both turned to Popsicles . . . Eli still wanted to sled "one more time".




And of course I couldn't NOT get a picture of myself playing in the snow! So here's my self portrait for the day. I think I like my silhouette in blue . . .



I wrapped up my day with two loads of dishes and putting two shelving units together for the pantry.

Bed will feel REALLY good tonight!

January 27, 2009

No school today! We had some freezing rain come through last night . . .



and it has snowed most of the day . . .



It's still coming down outside and school has been cancelled for tomorrow, so maybe we'll get to make a snowman this year after all!

I enjoyed watching it snow all day, while I painted the rest of the window trim in the living room/dining room, and finished off one of the pantries. Can't wait to get those shelves put up and start putting the addition to good use!

January 26, 2009

It took me approximately one hour . . . to reach my goal of 10, 000 steps today. That was really picking them up and putting them down, mind you . . . and I'm sure I'll have some sore muscles tomorrow. So I figure . . .

it might be a little easier on me if I just break it down into 1250 steps per hour. That's doable! Right?

January 25, 2009

And so we start the next step in potty training . . .


Can't wait until we're done with the diapers!

January 24, 2009

Bayleigh and Kasey played over at grandma's house this afternoon, so I thought it would be a perfect time to come over and learn how to use mom's sewing machine. I'm working on my "Week in the Life" album for 2009, and I had this really cool idea for stitching around my pages, just to get out of my zone a little . . .



Above is mom doing my first one . . . just to test the settings on the sewing machine and such. My attempts weren't nearly as good, but I think with a little more practise, I might get the hang of things. (Mine look AWFUL! But that's alright . . . I did them all by myself!)


And I think the reason I'm so enamoured of the sunrises and sunsets this time of year, is that they give me a bright spot of color to concentrate my lens on . . . instead of the dull, drab monotony of the dormant landscape. I wonder how many different ways I can come up with, to take sunrise/sunset photos? I guess we just might find out, if Spring doesn't get here soon.

January 23, 2009

If I took a photo of the sunrise every morning, it would be different each and every time.




This morning, I just couldn't help myself, although I could REALLY do without the powerlines making an appearance.


After I finished up the morning chores, and polished off the tax paperwork, I decided to treat myself to some crafty goodness. (*You can see what I'm up to in tomorrow's post, over at my regular blog . . . http://thekreativelife.blogspot.com/.)

There's nothing like a spurt of creativity to bring back some energy to this tired mommy!

January 22, 2009

I took over 400 photos today and am still weeding through the results. Will update this post tomorrow . . .

*Edited 1/23/2009 ~ I finally went through all those photos and decided on the following . . .



Elvis and his favorite pasttime . . . birdwatching!




My guys taking a nap on the couch. While they were napping, I was . . .




working on taxes.



After Bayleigh got home from school, we played outside. The weather was WONDERFUL! Dave worked on expanding the garden, Bayleigh made mud pies. . .




and Eli was just plumb busy! Of course they both were covered in mud, and had to head straight for the bathtub when they came in.

After I made sure they were both scrubbed down, I got down to business making supper for the family. My little brother, my sister-in-law, my niece and one of her and Bayleigh's little friends came over for supper. Mom joined in, too. Dave grilled burgers and pork chops (and started a fire in the back yard, that we had to put out before supper), and I made potato salad and a cake. I think we were all full, by the time supper was over with.

January 21, 2009

We started out the day with a beautiful sunrise . . .



and ended with a Play Date . . .



with Cousin Kasey.



They played everything from dress up, to becoming gourmet chefs, to playing with Tinker Toys, and then off to the Polly Pockets!

I took Eli up with me and he played along with the girls, while I put a mountain of clothes away. A very productive play date, if I do say so myself!

January 20, 2009

Eli amazes me. His little mind is going continuously. He's getting really good at putting this 60 piece John Deere puzzle together. He puts it together and takes it apart, so he can do it all over again. I'm so glad he's determined and has such a capacity to concentrate for such long periods of time.



I FINALLY got some sleep today. I haven't slept for more than a few hours at a time, since last Thursday. So when the little guy crawled up on my lap for nap time, I just decided to take a nap with him.



After Bayleigh got home from school, we all headed off to the library for some good reading material. The kids really like the library. And so do I!



I stopped by the grocery store on the way back home, and picked up a few items for supper.


Gotta love burritos!

January 19, 2009

Flurries this morning . . .



a trip to the pediatrician with Eli . . .




the dreaded trip to Wal-Mart for groceries . . . (I felt like a trespasser, and I was WAY outside my comfort zone, sneaking my camera into Wal-Mart. Does anyone else feel this way? Or is it just me? Maybe I just have issues.)




and then a few brighter spots in our day. Bayleigh reading her school books all by herself . . . (I'm so proud of her!)



and a fabulous sunset to end the day!



I really want to become a little bolder in my photography. Normally I would NEVER have had the guts to take my camera into the pediatrician's office or Wal-Mart, but hopefully my courage will grow, in searching for new photo fodder.

January 18, 2009

It looks like my little guy is coming down with the same thing that Bayleigh had.



He was running a low grade fever after church, and he's come down with a runny nose and a cough. It hasn't reached the "barking" level yet, so I'm hoping the humidifier, motrin and some cough medicine get him through the night, so I can get him in to the doctor tomorrow, if needs be. I'm praying that he doesn't come out of this with a full blown case of the croup.

On a more enjoyable note . . . I spent a very short period of time playing with my camera, and lighting . . . just to see what type of lighting I prefer shooting in. So far early morning light is my favorite . . .



but you just can't beat the colors of a beautiful sunset.



I thought it looked beautiful reflected off the glass.




And there's also something to be said about ambient lighting. So many choices and options! I guess I'll just take the opportunities as they come.

January 17, 2009

Every time I get the vacuum cleaner out to vacuum the living room floor, I hear . . .

Ready . . . Set . . . Go! It's like opening up the starting gates for the Kentucky Derby.

Around and around the living room chair we go! Until . . .

our batteries finally run out. I'm glad my oldest is feeling up to this game today. She's still recouperating slowly, but I think it's getting better.

And Eli has finally decided he like's to watch something other than "Cars" and "Max and Ruby". Thank heavens for Wood and Beez (his nickname for Woody and Buzz)!

* Edited 01-18-2009 . . .

After Bible Study last night, some dear friends that I hadn't seen for AGES, came over to go through some of my old scrapbooking stash. (I have three huge totes of things separated out to sell.) Since they were both doing some scrapbooking last night, they thought a little shopping sounded wonderful.

Even though the kids and I didn't make it to bed until about 11:00 p.m., we all had a blast visiting and catching up.

January 16, 2009

This is the most snow we've received at one time, this season . . . not much, but enough to make it slick outside.



The croup has really taken it's toll on both Bayleigh and myself. Lack of sleep makes me grumpy, and I can definately tell I'm lacking!




Somehow, I got a second wind . . . made a little mess . . . and immediately felt better. After finding out that Simple Scrapbooks was stopping publication . . . I was heartbroken. So I had to have a little therapy time. Scrapbooking has to be cheaper than therapy . . . and you have something to show for it when you're done.

Simple Scrapbooks . . . you will be sorely missed!

January 15, 2009

I was up all night with a sick little girl . . . coughing and crying and crying some more. Dave took her to the doctor this morning and come to find out she has croup!



I'll probably keep her home from school again tomorrow, just so she can get fully recouperated. At least her fever isn't quite as bad as it was last night.

On another note, I have to say that I admire this man. He's been criticized and blamed for everything from war, to the poor economy, to people's personal tradgedies, and yet he has still maintained his integrity through it all. He's never waivered in his faith, and he's stood firm for what he thought was right.

I'm sure he's looking forward to enjoying life outside the Office, and I feel fortunate that this man was in the White House at such a crutial time in our country's history.

January 14, 2009

It's the time of year for paper cuts and crunching numbers. I spent the day buried in paperwork . . . getting inventory done for tax time.



Bayleigh came home from school feeling a little warm, and completely worn out. I think she's coming down with another cold . . .




and Eli spent most of the day with daddy, running to town and back. But as soon as he got home, he crawled up on the couch with sissy, to give her some hugs. They can be SO sweet sometimes!