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Antidote to Winter

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I'm a tulip fan, and I usually start buying them at Wegmans in March. This year I'm already sick of snow and cold weather, and it's only January 16th! Last weekend I bought a pot of white tulips before our bridge group played here on Saturday night. One of these photos will show up as yesterday's 365 photo, but if you're as sick of winter as I am here's a taste of spring.

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I usually rely on my 50mm 1.4 lens for shots like this, but my wide-angle Tamron lens did a pretty good job since my Canon lens is off for repair.

Project 365: Week 2

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My photos for this week past are posted in the Photo-a-Day on the sidebar. For the last several days, I've been shooing on manual. Usually I shoot in aperture priority, but a post on Pioneer Woman motivated me to try manual again. It's getting easier, and I'm pleased that this project is really getting me to try some new things. We put away all the Christmas decorations today. Before we took the tree down, I played around with a slow shutter speed and the Christmas tree lights. Fun.

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Blogs

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I have friends who don't understand about blogs–about all the information and wonderful inspiration there is on the internet. I admit there are times when I spend too much time reading on the internet and, as noted in a post below, my book reading time has diminished since I discovered the blogging world. I have my son-in-law to thank for this. He has a theological blog that has quite a loyal following. I thought it would be a fun thing to do, a way to commit myself to sharing and writing. It's been a good thing. I've learned so much, and found so much inspiration. And I still get excited when I find a new blog that inspires me.

Today I found Habit–fabulous photography–and through Habit, the blogs of the women who created Habit. Molly is giving away an Epson printer on her blog, so go check it out.  And be sure to check out Habit if you are interested in photography and choosing just the right words to accompany your photographs.

Valentine Project: Cards 4 Kids

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I spent time at my friend Mary's today and finished 15 Valentines for the Valentine project I read about on the internet. Pat is trying to collect 1,000 Valentines to give to kids who are in the hospital so they will have Valentines to give out. I hope to get many more completed before the end of the month. I've got my basket of supplies already.

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If you'd like to participate, you can get the information here.

Top Ten

There are two web sites that I'm aware of that allow you to keep track of the books you read. Thanks to Sarah, I started using Shelfari a year or so ago. This morning I got an email from Shelfari about posting the number of books I read in 2008. My goal for the last 18 years that I have kept track of what I read, has been to read 25 books a year. I have met my goal almost every year. Frankly, the number of books I read decreased when I discovered all the information on the internet. Reading blogs and articles online has certainly taken away from my book reading time. (Then there are also magazines to consider. Tracy just caught up on all the MacWorld and MacLife magazines so now there's a stack on my dresser for me to read.) So I've always thought 28 was a pretty good number, but my accomplishment is pathetic compared to most of those posting on this survey. Oh well, I will never read over 100 books in a year, nor do I want to try. There are too many other interesting things to do!

I also found a place on Shelfari to list the 10 Best Books you read in 2008. I thought that was a really interesting thing to consider, and here is my list:

Matrimony-Joshua Henkins

People of the Book-Geraldine Brooks

Pennsylvania Avenue: Profiles in Backroom Power-John Harwood

Intuition-Allegra Goodman

Take This Bread-Miles

Belongs To Me-Marissa de los Santos

No One You Know-Michelle Richmond

A Camera, Two Kids, and a Camel-Anne Belt

Run-Ann Patchett

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society-Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows


The best book was People of the Book, followed closely by Intuition and Matrimony. Another interesting insight was that I read a lot more fiction than nonfiction last year, which is unusual.

Too Many Books, Too Little Time

That's always been a problem for me, but it's really an issue right now. Well before the holiday, I put several books on reserve at the library. You never know when they'll show up. Then for Christmas I got six new books, and I bought one that had received a great review. So I'm reading Listening is an Act of Love while I'm walking on the treadmill, and I'm reading Songs for the Missing at night. I'm also trying to squeeze in a chapter or two of some of the nonfiction books I got as well. Lo and behold, I discover the library has received two of the books I put on hold. I started both of them last night, secretly hoping I wouldn't care for one of them so I could return it. Alas, I like both of them very much, so now I am reading I See You Everywhere at home, and Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, and 21,730 Pages while I'm walking on the treadmill. You might think the latter book would be a bit dry, but I have laughed out loud time and time again. I'll never remember the words Shea found in the OED, but his interpretation of their definitions is a hoot! I'll get back to the others when I've returned these to the library.

Three Layouts

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I finally got back to the Design Your Life layouts. I had two weeks and a few miscellaneous layout to do. Today I completed both of the Week 11 layouts on Type.

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And here is the layout for Week 1 for Project 365. I've found it pretty easy to get a photo a day this week so far. I hope it continues. 

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Christmas Journal: Done!

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I finally finished the Christmas Journal today. Here are Days 21-31. I ended up skipping a few days before Christmas and a few days after the holiday, but it's a good record of our holidays.

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I got the idea for the Cuttlebug die cut squares from Nicole Migouirk's journal.

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I decided I needed several photos of Christmas Day. When the photos come back from Snapfish this week, they'll be going into an album. I may scrap a few of them, but this is basically it for Christmas 08.

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I included the newspaper article about the high winds. 

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Another news article about all the snow we got in December.

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New Year's Eve:  December Daily done.

Project 365

I think Project 365 is probably the very best thing I can do to improve my photography skills. I tried to do it last year, but only made it to March. Off and on I take a lot of photos, but it is not a daily habit, nor do I find it an easy one. Creating Keepsakes has jumped on the bandwagon this year and their pdf. file of ideas will hopefully help me find subjects on days when nothing comes to mind. Not having children at home makes for few photo ops. The first week is posted on the Photo-a-Day blog on the sidebar. I'm planning to update it just once a week so as not to stress myself out! I'm also hoping to do a scrapbook page for each week so I'll have an album as well as a photoblog when it's done.

Year End Review

If you don't subscribe to Photojojo, they've posted a series of great photos from 2008 that are really worth seeing.

Christmas Journal: Days 10-17

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Actually I have Days 10-24 done, but not photos to share yet. There were three days when I didn't take photos (days 18-20) and I finally decided to let it go. I really didn't have anything I needed to share. I have at least three or four more days to add and then I will be done. Once again, I 'm glad I participated in the process.

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This tells the story of our stolen tree. I had to replace both trees so they would match, and Tracy put the other tree on our patio table. We could see it from both the kitchen and the dining room, and I really enjoyed having it there. The high winds last Sunday knocked it down, so it's gone to the attic until next year. The other trees on the porch and our window candles will be up at least through January.

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I'm usually too lazy to get out the tripod, but I did this time and got a much better photo of the ornament we made for our first Christmas tree 35 years ago.

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This is one of my favorite Christmas memories, and I hadn't told the story in either of my previous Christmas Journals.

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Based on a prompt from Shimelle's class about homemade gifts.

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I did this page the next day, but haven't posted it because the earlier pages weren't finished. Our Director of Children's Ministry gave a great Children's Sermon about the power of Christmas carols on the 14th. She kindly emailed me a copy of her sermon which I put in the envelope. There are two transparencies-one on both sides; my journaling on the first side, and the words to the carol on the back.

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Another page based on one of Shimelle's prompts.

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Molly Irwin used this quote on one of her December Daily pages. As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to use it as well. The enclosed card has a list of many of the things for which I am so grateful.

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The holly is actually on a Hambly transparency that overlays the journaling.

And here is the Creative Calendar I made yestereday. I used a template from a digital kit for the grid, and then added the names of the months. 

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I always find this an interesting process. I know that my records aren't perfect, but it does give me an idea of what I do. Last year I completed 126 layouts, 331 cards, and 8 mini albums. I have to admit I was surprised by the number of cards I made–all of which were sent to someone!

Happy New Year

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We had a lovely New Year's Eve at Julie Reynold's new home. Dinner and wine tasting at her very elegant table was so much fun. 

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Being out late meant we got a late start this morning, but I got a lot done. I made new blank calendar pages from a template and finished my Creative Calendar for 2009. (Photo tomorrow.) Then I edited all of the Christmas photos. I decided to use flash and just get the shots this year. I have to say, I really don't like the quality, but I've captured the events and that is what matters. They are uploading to Snapfish as I write this. (I hope.)t

I've decided on four daily goals this year:  one photo, one card, one blog entry, and one journal entry. I'm already behind. I made three cards (all very similar) for three men who have birthdays in January, I took several photos (still deciding which one to use for Project 365), and here's the blog entry. The journal entry will have to wait until tomorrow–but I'll try to do two. I bought this book last year and saved it to start up a writing habit in the New Year. If the prompts don't speak to me, I have all the prompts in Jessica Sprague's Stories in Hand binder as well. I've also got two big projects I hope to undertake in 2009. I'm not having any trouble keeping busy in retirement.

I also joined Face Book. Actually I joined a few weeks ago, but now that Tracy is actively on Face Book, I've added quite a few friends, and decided to try to keep up with that as well.

These photos were taken yesterday. We had quite the snowstorm. Matt plowed for the landscaper he works with in the summer for 12 straight hours. Needless to say, he slept all day today.

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Taken at 7:15 in the morning before I left for a dentist appointment. After a very slow and treacherous drive, I arrived to discover I didn't have an appointment after all!

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Tracy bought a two-stage snow blower. This is the third big storm we've had this month, so it's proven to be a good investment.

I finally finished Hot, Flat, and Crowded just in time for tomorrow's book group. I found the second half much easier to read, and I am very glad I read the book. It's information I know I need, and I will be interested to see what Obama's administration does about some of these issues. Interestingly, one of the experts who is quoted extensively in one chapter is, in fact, the new Secretary of Energy. Encouraging.

Listening is an Act of Love

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    I got six great books for Christmas—all nonfiction—and I can’t wait to start reading all of them.  But I have to finish Flat, Hot, and Crowded for our book group meeting on Friday. I’m finding it slower going than Friedman’s previous three books, all of which I loved. I think it’s because it’s more science than politics or history, and I clearly don’t have the same interest in science as I do in the other two. I’ll be done by Friday though.
    But I did start one new book, and I can heartily recommend it:  Listening is an Act of Love: A Celebration of American Life from the Storycorps Project. The Storycorps began in 2003 in New York City and has now expanded through mobile units across the United States. Its goal is to collect everyday stories of the lives of ordinary Americans. The stories in this collection are anything but ordinary. They are inspiring, touching, tender, funny, and sometimes sad. I’ve been reading it while I work out. It’s a perfect book for commuters, exercisers, people waiting for appointments . . . because each story is just a few pages long. It reminds me a bit of This I Believe, another collection of pieces from an NPR program that I love. I’ve read all of Volume I and have Volume 2 on my nightstand. All three books are worth your time.

Merry Christmas

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I'm sure it's true for almost everyone who celebrates Christmas–no matter how early you start to prepare, the last few days end up being hectic and so very busy. Somehow there always seems to be one last gift to purchase, one last trip to the grocery store. Then there was a much needed haircut, a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve service, a trip to school for a holiday breakfast, an annual Christmas breakfast with a friend, but for once, no last minute wrapping marathon!

I saved four days to bake this year and ended up substitute teaching all four of them. I enjoyed doing it, but had to put in a long day of baking to finish all the cookies for the cookie trays we give out each year.
Sarah and Adam were supposed to arrive here on Monday night, but like so many travelers this season, they missed their connecting flight due to delays. They had to spend the night in the Newark airport and were unable to get on a stand-by flight Tuesday morning. (There were no cars available to rent.) So Tracy left early Tuesday morning to pick them up. They arrived in time for dinner Tuesday night tired but in good spirits. Thank goodness their connecting flight was New Jersey rather than Chicago or Detroit which would have been so much more difficult.
Yesterday we baked miniature mint chocolate cupcakes for today's dinner, delivered cookie trays to friends and neighbors, and attended our always beautiful 11:00 Christmas Eve Service. We've opened our gifts and stockings, and are taking some quiet time before Tracy's family arrives at 4:00 for dinner and more gift exchange. This year there will be 19 of us; everyone is here from out of town except Tracy's brother, Scott & family, who live in Arizona. 
I have completed several pages (in a rather random order) for my Christmas Journal, but decided not to upload them until I have pages in chronological order. I have notes, photos, and ideas for most days and hope to be caught up in a few days time. 
Hope you and yours are enjoying a blessed Christmas.

Yesterday’s Christmas Journal Page

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I'm now officially one day behind, although I do have the journaling done for today. It looks like I may be doing some substitute teaching for the next few days, so I may be even farther behind soon. I reread the Christmas journal pages from two years ago, and looked through last year's album. Sometimes I'm finding I don't have a lot more to say about a given prompt, and without kids at home, there's not necessarily something interesting enough to document. So for yesterday I decided to do a little flow chart of the wrapping process, which was actually the prompt for today. All the paper, ribbon, tags, etc. are in our basement, and there's a folding table set up for wrapping. I've never documented the process. For the first time (ever) I'm nearly done wrapping all the gifts. I think there are only two more gifts yet to arrive, so I have less than 10 to wrap. Usually I'm still wrapping on Christmas Eve day. I'm sure it's another one of the benefits of being retired. 

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