Week 3

Week 3...continuing to fall back into routine after the holidays..

Speaking of routine, Meli and I have started a little routine. It's been hit-or-miss right now, but we'll make it a habit over time. I found an adolescent chapter book of The Wizard of Oz and decided that for only $2.98 and 10-15 minutes every night we could build a bonding experience and an opportunity to learn patience while also trying to build on a love of reading. She hasn't seen the movie yet, so I told her that I would read the book to her a chapter at a time, and when we finish we would watch the movie. She seems very enthralled with everything I tell her about the movie. Maybe we can continue this with other books/movies in the future!

Still speaking of Meli, she decided to dress me up this week. Aren't the sunglasses just so chic?? Well, whether they are or are not, they're definitely not 'me'!! :D But I did have some fun posing for the camera with them.


Didn't know I had aspiring mechanics.. or are those aspiring dirt-track racers (like their daddy was :D.. yes, I know the cars in the pictures aren't for dirt... :))? When I happened into Riley's room, there sat Meli pointing out pics to Riley and seeming to tell him everything she recognized (tires, hoods...maybe even "rollpans" if she saw any?! Oh, the things she picks up!).

Week 2

Switching to weekly pics instead of daily ones has been such a relief!! I don't feel obligated to take random pics at the last minute..

I've been trying out more clustering in my scrapbooking..I finally feel as though I have enough products in my stash to quit hoarding them and play around with them! That's a breakthrough for me!


Also related to scrapbooking, I have taken on an organization project in my scrap-space. Basically ALL of my supplies are packed into a little 3'x3' closet! Along with some books and other things :(. Early this month Brad told me he wanted me to re-organize this mess, considering money as no object in consideration of the project. I don't think he meant I should look into designer stuff or higher end...I think he meant that I shouldn't try to mix and match clearance items to work, but get things that really will organize how I need it to.. Here's a look at the gruesome before of the entire closet..keep in mind, I actually work IN this closet!


This is the most frustrating part of the space..the box and blue container on the floor that hold pp. It's very convenient for getting to pp without getting up or searching too far, but it really restricts movement and makes me feel trapped. My first issue with organization is how I am going to get all of my paper in one area and away from my chair!


This is the desktop/upper shelf after doing a few pages. I've since thrown away several miscellaneous items and started placing items in groups to be organized together. And I've taken down the makeshift rod with ribbon under the shelf..that cleared the space a lot more. I had to convince myself "You don't even use ribbon enough to have it out like that." Oh, yeah, and on top of the black crate is more paper. See the British embellishment on the bulletin board? That's been sitting there since last June, waiting to go to my Aunt Karen... :(


At least there is something in here that I really like and that functions well--my pegboard. The only issue I've found is that I should move the Thickers and other letters down to armslength and move the trimmer and stamps to the top. And maybe line the stuff up on bottom to make it feel more organized..


This pic by Meli just happens to have the cabinets that will now hold many of my scrap supplies.. :). It makes me give a big sigh of relief! I'm especially happy that it's only a few feet from my scrap-closet and will hold nothing but my craft supplies.


And I know it seems random after all of the scrap-related pics, but here is a pic of my two favorite guys. :)

New Year, New Pictures. Week 1

Alright, a little rundown of Week 1. (The first week of 2010 was only 2 days long, so I've made the first week of my picture documentation the first 9 days.)

I've started the year with a little cleaning out, just like last year. This time I kept it pretty small, though. This year I am going to try to work on the details more often and become a better organizer (I hope). One small change I think I'm ready to make--quit subscribing to Parents mag..it's the same stuff over and over...


You can't have a new year without bringing along new presents from Christmas. Meli likes to play golf on the Wii, but it's meant for "bigger people" which makes it a little challenging for her. For Christmas, Nene and Papa gave her a Dora game. She jumped right in and had tons of fun. I think we've done a pretty good job of keeping the kids away from game addictions. But perhaps the real worry comes when they're a bit older?



The cheesy grin! I love this pic, and was about to crop it more when I stopped myself. I have this desire to keep the setting in pics. I like all the details it adds to how things were when it was taken.


Riley is picking up on how things work. His toy's batteries quit working, so he brought it to me with a screwdriver...a toy screwdriver. :)


Playing outdoors with new gloves. I can't believe how cold it's been this year.


I lost motivation for running (jogging..) at the end of last year..so I started a 'January Run Log' to motivate myself to get out there and do it! I add a fun sticker/brad/etc. for each day that I do. I made this a little late, so I just started it from the 7th.


Chest bumps. I don't know where she learned it, but out of nowhere Meli said, " Hey Bub, let's do chest bumps!!" :D

My 365 Journey is complete..

All-in-all, Project365 was fun. I learned a little bit about photography (though I still am not very good!), a little more about photo-editing (still lots to learn there, but at least I'm not as intimidated with all the options now!), and a bit more about my own little camera's settings (still much to learn and conquer!). I had my periods where I just forgot about my daily pics altogether or scrambled for any pic I could manage just before getting to bed. But there were also days that I couldn't get enough pics and when the time came to post, choosing just one was out-right HARD.

Looking back, it was a great experience. I documented a lot about my life that will fill in what everyday was like, what habits we had, where we went regularly and what we did often. I definitely started seeing trends. I knew that we enjoyed visiting The Village, but I didn't realize how often we went and that we only seemed to go during Spring and Summer. Most pics were taken around my house, which makes me think we spend too much time at home and should get out more often! And the subject of most of the pics shouldn't be any surprise: my two little ones. :)

I loved the experience of trying to take a pic everyday, but I must admit it becomes a chore at times. In spite of this, I still feel a desire to take lots of pics of the everyday and to document everyday life, but a pic a day is overwhelming! That is why I think this year I will make it a weekly set of pics. Some weeks may be slow, I may forget a few days and only have 3 pics to post..that's alright! Other weeks may have lots to show, I may have 10 pics from a single day, and that's alright, too! I think this is just the right approach for me. I'll still be getting plenty of pics, but I won't be overwhelmed with forcing a pic everyday, or making 365 separate posts!! Creating 20 different posts in one day was an enormous task in-and-of itself!

So, to wrap this up, here's a cheer to the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010! May this year's project not be so daunting!! :D

Day 365

Day 365, hip-hip-hooray! I rang in the new year with sparkling cider and homemade pizza. :)

Day 364

Being without kids, Brad and I decided to go bowling. Then we played pool a couple of times before we called it a night. Wow, it's been a long time since I've played pool!

Day 363

Three days from the end of my 365 and I forgot to take a pic! Shameful! Well, I'll use that forgotten day to document the keepsake cube Brad made for me to display special things. He included these hearts to present it to me. *heart*