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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

#31 - Work of Art

I just wanted to share a piece of art work that I had made in high school. It's done with black color pencil. I've always loved it.

It's from a photograph in a magazine (like a National Geographic). I had blown up the picture and made an outline. I think it's a beautiful picture. I wish I had this kind of talent naturally.

Monday, August 30, 2010

#30 - Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

I thought I would share my diamonds. I don't have many, just these two pieces. The rings are my engagement and wedding rings. I picked them out. The necklace was my Christmas gift this past year from Ed. He put them in my stocking along with a letter from Santa. It explained why I deserved coal. Then, there was a post-it from Santa saying he accidentally sat on the coal in the sleigh and created the diamonds.

I love them!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

#29 - Bored??

Try these board games! These are 2 of my favorites and we play them often. Ticket to Ride (or the Train Game, as we call it) is pretty easy to understand and play. Settlers of Catan is more involved but tons of fun when you get the hang of it. It will keep you thinking and laughing!..."anyone got any sheep??"

Saturday, August 28, 2010

#28 - Out Front

Since I took a picture off my deck I figured I should post one from our front window. Our bedroom is right over our garage, so that's why most of the photo is of our crazy driveway. You would be surprised how many people have problems backing out... our poor grass gets rolled over quite a bit!

Friday, August 27, 2010

#27 - Out Back

We don't have a traditional backyard. Most of our yard is on the side of our house. We have this second story deck off our dining room (we have a split level house). This is a photo off of our deck, there's also a retaining wall just past the deck (you can't see it), this is why it seems so high up.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

#26 - The View From Up Here

Here's Samus again! So, we have a stack of tubs and boxes in our office. She likes to chew on boxes and packing tape, so I put a blanket on the box so she won't eat the tape.... now she thinks she's supposed to sleep there. She's there most of the day... what an odd one.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

#25 - M is for Monkey

When Ed and I got married we had 2 little sock monkey key chains as a part of a gift. I didn't know what to do with them so I clipped them to the light chain in our closet. We see them every day now. The other monkey is orange and hiding behind the blue monkey.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

#24 - deck lighting

This is a photo of my deck when the sun was in the west. I love using the sepia setting on my camera and I think it catches the light well.

Monday, August 23, 2010

#23 - Closet Explosion

This is what happens when you come home from a 4 day camping trip. I have a lot of laundry to do this week... I better get cracking!

(majority of the stuff on the floor are towels.)

Sunday, August 22, 2010

#22 - Can I Unpack Please?

We got home from our camping trip today. Samus loves to attack our suitcase and lay on it. She makes it difficult to pack and unpack.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

#21 - House of Popcorn

Ed and are camping right now (we left Thursday). It's my family's (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and cousin's kids) 3 day family reunion. We're in Northern Minnesota at a boy scout camp.

I love this reunion because it pulls everyone away from their technology (this was posted early) and their obligations. It lets everyone relax and spend time together with people we might not see very often.

We decided that one night we would have a movie night. Ed and I were put in charge. We were given the projector and speakers. Ed made sure everything worked properly. I decided to make popcorn for the movie night. I spent all day on Wednesday popping popcorn. I went through about 3lbs of kernels and made 12 gallon bags of popcorn! It may seem like a lot but with 35-40 people there, it doesn't seem like that much. I also have puffed popcorn for those who can't have tough kernels (my grandma and younger children).

Friday, August 20, 2010

#20 - Happy Birthday Mom

My mom's birthday was this past Sunday. I didn't get a card in the mail, but I knew I would see her later today. She's very difficult to shop for. Suddenly I came up with this great coupon idea.

It's a coupon for a free manicure & pedicure. I know that she is going to come visit in a few weeks and it's something we can do together (also, I'm not cluttering her house with knickknacks.) I hope she likes it when I give it to her.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

#19 - Muffin the Teddy Bear

Say hello to Muffin my teddy bear. I've had him since I was about 2. He was a gift from my dad and I've cherished him all my life.

The reason I'm posting this is because I was recently "reunited" with him. Last Friday I was having pain in my legs and I couldn't sleep (it happens from time to time). Usually, I just need to squeeze something (like a stress ball). I wanted to use Ed's hand, but he wouldn't let me. So I told him to go get me muffin. He said after he handed him to me, I was fast asleep within 2 minutes. I think Muffin will always be a comfort to me.

(If you're wondering where the name Muffin came from, I apparently thought he had the coloring of my mom's muffins... I was very young.)

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

#18 - Mouse in the House

Ed and I were sitting in our living room when we heard some strange sounds from downstairs. So, we went to check it out. Our cat came out of the laundry room carrying something. It looked like one of her furry mouse toys but it was, in fact, a real mouse! She let it go and it just sat there looking around. It tried to run away but she was right there so it stopped. We ended up catching it in a 2qt. pitcher. We took this picture before we let it go. Ed took it down the street and humanely let it go.

We knew we had a mouse, but we haven't seen it for a couple of weeks. I honestly thought that Samus couldn't catch a mouse. She can't even kill bugs, so I thought a mouse was a stretch. I laid a trap, but it wasn't working. She took care of it wonderfully!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

#17 - Sepia Kitty

This is a photo that I took a few months ago and I'm absolutely in love with it and wanted to share.
The day I took this, she was playing in the window blinds. She laid nicely while I snapped this one.

Monday, August 16, 2010

#16 - Hit the Deck

On Saturday, the high temps finally broke (we've been in the 90s for most of the month). Since the temps are now in the 70s, I felt it was safe to let our cat out on our deck.

Now, I don't trust her to be out there without being on a leash. I'm afraid she will jump off our 9ft deck and I won't be able to get her back. The only way to get off the deck is to go back through the house and out the front door. By then, she could be quite a ways away from our house.

So, for now, she has a harness and a leash that is attached to the sliding glass door. Although, I did have her off the leash for a couple of minutes while she was laying next to me on the bench. She was enjoying the warmth of the sun and being petted at the same time.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

#15 - Babe in a Blanket

Yesterday's photo was one of a blanket I made for my niece, Zoey. When I gave it to her, I wanted to get a photo of her using it (even though it was very warm outside). Her mom let me have a little photo op with her while she was sleeping.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

#14 - Blanket of Love

Here is a photo of a blanket that I made for my new niece. It took me about 40 hours of crocheting with 8 skeins of Plymouth yarn. Her big brother (the little cowboy from post #9) also has one that is the same pattern, but in green/yellow/white yarn. It's a little big for her right now (she's only 3.5 weeks old) but I know that she will have it for years to come.

Friday, August 13, 2010

#13 - Oreo Truffles

I was put onto a wonderful baking website by a friend in a forum. This website is Bakerella. She has so many great ideas! On this sight, I found the recipe for Oreo Truffles.

I had originally planned on making them into footballs, but I just didn't seem to have the patience today to shape all of the truffles into little footballs. They kept looking like oblong blobs and I wasn't impressed with my food shaping skills.

If you're wondering why in the world I wanted to make footballs, it's because tomorrow is my first fantasy football draft. It's also the first pre-season Vikings game (the greatest NFL team ever! {in my opinion}).

The first photo was taken after I had rolled the truffles and started to dip them in almond bark. I don't have the best tools for dipping so they got a little on the "thick" side... I us a "Whisk Wizard" to help pull them out (in between the pot and pan) and I don't have a double boiler so I use a metal mixing bowl on top of my 2 quart pot... The truffles themselves also got quit big... I think I was sick of rolling them and my pan was getting full.

This second photo is of my finished dried truffles. I think they look pretty good! I haven't tried any though, because I don't care too much for chocolate things. Ed, my husband, is my taste-tester and he thinks they're great!

This is probably something I will make again and again, each time tweaking it so they get better and better. If I ever do make the footballs, I will be sure to post photos!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

#12 - Tea Time

I enjoy drinking tea from time to time. When I get headaches, I might try some tea first before taking Tylenol... which is what I did this afternoon.

I have a friend from England who got me hooked on her favorite tea, ASDA. It's the best black tea I've ever had! Sadly, I can't get it here in the USA, so she has to ship it to me... but it's totally worth it.

So, how do you take your tea? I like mine with 3 sugars, no milk.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

#11 - Samus the Kitty

Today's photo is one of my cat, Samus (pronounced Sam-us... a lot of people get it wrong). Right now she is my little baby. She's about 2 years old and has been with us since she was 5 months. I don't know her breed. She was a kitten on my grandparents' farm. There will probably be more photos of her in the future!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

#10 - Bookworm

I love to read. I love being pulled into all sorts of different stories and other people's lives. So far, I've read roughly 20 books this year (give or take 2). I have been keeping a list, but unfortunately my computer had crashed a few months ago with the first half of the list. So, I'm not completely sure how many I've read.

Lately, I've been reading memoirs. My favorite memoir author is currently Jen Lancaster. She is witty and sarcastic, and says things I wish I could say.

This is a picture of the books I plan to read next. I'm currently reading the top two (sometimes I jump books if I'm bored with one). Here's the list of books from top to bottom because you can't make out all of the titles:

One False Move - Alex Kava (N)
Savor the Moment - Nora Roberts (N)
Moose - Stephanie Klein (M)
The Aqua Net Diaries - Jennifer Niven (M)
A Reliable Wife - Robert Gorlick (N)
Pride & Prejudice & Zombies - Jane Austen & Seth Grahame Smith (N)
Chasing Harry Winston - Lauren Weisberger (N)
The Secret Between Us - Barbara Delinsky (N)
Unpredictable - Eileen Cook (N)
Unhooked - Laura Sessions Stepp (IW)
Chasing the Dime - Micheal Connelly (N)
The HIstorian - Elizabeth Kostova (N)
(N = novel M = memoir IW = investigative writing)

Monday, August 9, 2010

#9 - Giddyup Cowboy

I had some visitors over the past few days. My mom was here on Friday and we went to Once Upon A Child to look for a few things. While we were there, we came across a cowboy costume that would work great for my nephew Zane, who's 2. It was perfect timing because his family (my brother, his wife, their infant daughter, and Zane) came for a visit over the weekend.

We were able to get him into the costume on Saturday. He wasn't too sure about his legs being the horses legs though. I think he will be a cute little cowboy when Halloween comes around.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

#8 - Finished Arbor

Ed finished the swing project. He was able to put 2 coats of paint on and it dried beautifully. He even hung it by himself. If it wasn't so hot (95 degrees) I would be out swinging.

Now we just have to figure out how to keep the neighbor kids off of it... (there are probably 15+ kids just our corner of the neighborhood).


Saturday, August 7, 2010

#7 - Garage Sales at Their Best

A couple of weeks ago, I went home to my parents' house for my hometown annual town festival. One of the "big" attractions is the city-wide garage sales. My mom and I went to one because I wanted to check out the kittens they had (yes... kittens at a garage sale). Unfortunately they didn't have the kind we were looking for. But... we found this!
A gently used rocking recliner! I was so excited to find this and it was only $30. We needed another piece of seating furniture in our downstairs living room. It goes well with the coloring of the room and I can put my feet up.

I just got it to the house yesterday. When I was at my parents' place (100 miles away) I had our Camry... there's no way this would have fit. So, I had to wait 2 weeks until my mom had the free time to bring it up in a larger vehicle. Now it's home safe and sound, and ready to be used!




Friday, August 6, 2010

#6 - Swinging in the rain...

We have a beautiful arbor in our yard that was built by my dad and brother, and was used in our wedding last year. My dad made it nice and big so it could support a swing. Well, he bought us a swing about 6 weeks ago. It needed to be painted though, before it can be put outside in the elements. Here is a photo of my husband painting our new swing tonight. He told me this morning to pick up some paint because he wanted to paint...
This crafty man of mine found a way to suspend the swing in the garage. Oh... he could have disassembled the swing first (which is recommended) but where is the fun in that?? I will have to post photos of the finished project when it's swinging in the arbor.


Thursday, August 5, 2010

#5 - Early Birthday

My husband received a package in the mail on Monday. He was kind of quiet about it. I asked him to open it and apparently it was an early birthday gift for me (my birthday is 9/29). This is the gift he got me.
It's a Jared Allen jersey. He's a defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings. (The color didn't photograph well. It's suppose to be purple.) He's a sacking machine and my favorite player! I'm excited to wear this every Sunday. I'm so glad Ed got this for me. I love football (he doesn't like any type of sports... but he will watch the Superbowl). I'm also excited to wear it next weekend for my first ever Fantasy Football draft!


Wednesday, August 4, 2010

#4 - A Basket of Cones

This is a carry over from yesterday's post; things in our downstairs living room. These are scented pine cones. So, here is the story of how I came to own these.

My mother-in-law is a piano teacher. She generally teaches adults. One of her students is affiliated with the company Lightstone.They are the creators of these dipped cones. So, they were given to my mother-in-law who has, in turn, passed some on to us.

The large green one smells like evergreen and it gives our whole downstairs an outdoorsy-woodsy smell. It goes great with the ambiance of the room. The room is a nice chocolate brown (the top of the photo) with beige carpets and a mocha couch. The fireplace wall is painted a nice pumpkin spice accent color.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

#3 - Mantel Piece


For today's photo, I wanted to show my mantel. After many photos I came up with this one.

The focal piece is one of the two lead crystal candle holders that we received as a wedding gift. I love the way it reflects the light. I usually put a pillar candle on it, but it also has a spot for a tea light.

The tall vases behind it are also from our wedding. We used them in our unity ceremony. We did unity water because we were married outside (we were afraid that a candle would blow out). They make a great addition to our mantel.

Monday, August 2, 2010

#2 - A Present from the Past

This one is very special to me and I felt I needed to put it in here right away. My Great-Grandma Schultz passed away this past June. She was 98 years young. She left quite a legacy;she had 6 children (one passed in infancy), 18 grandchildren, 34 great-grandchildren (my generation), and 26 great-great-grandchildren.

I was very lucky to receive something of hers, because there were 2 generations before me and they got first choice. The precious item that has become mine, is a quilt she had made herself and used daily while she was in the nursing home for many years.

One of the reasons it's special to me is because I had worked as a nursing assistant at her nursing home for a few years during high school. Whenever I got the chance I would pop into her room to say hi, and this was always on her bed.

I felt very honored when my aunt had offered it to me the day of her funeral. She said I was the first one to come to her mind when
my great aunts and uncles decided they didn't want it and gave it to her.

I was surprised to learn, from my aunt, that Grandma had hand stitched all of the birds. The only thing we weren't sure if she did or not, was the quilting stitches in the blue areas. Here's a close up of the intricate hand work she put into it.

This is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I hope that I will be able to create a legacy such as hers and maybe create something that can be passed down for generations like this quilt.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

#1 - Fair Fun

Here is my first photo of this challenge. Yesterday I went to a local county fair and we found a little kiosk that did temporary tattoos. My friends and I decided to each get one. So, I got this. My husband's nickname is Ed, so I thought it was fitting. He found it funny and amusing. (If you're wondering, it's on my upper arm).