365 Day Photo Challenge

Superbowl cookies

2011-02-07T12:19:00.003-06:00

Well... the Superbowl is over but the cookies were delicious!

Jerseys and pennants. The jerseys had the QB numbers

Packers Pennant

Roethlisberger's jersey

Finished cookies!

I think these turned out great for not having any frosting bags at all (I used Ziploc bags to do the piping). Now you can chose which team you want to root for. I found these wonderful cookie cutters from Michael's (the craft store). I love making these wonderful sugar cookies.

Idea for Christmas Craft

2010-12-12T21:56:00.002-06:00

A friend was looking for an idea to use store bought candle holders, and I came up with this idea. If they are different colored glass (or even all the same) you can stack them up and create a glass Christmas tree. You can stick little "ornaments" into the candle holder and add a star at the top or something... just an idea.

#126 - Okay... I'm done with snow

2010-12-04T16:46:00.004-06:00

We got about 6 inches last night/this morning and I wanted to take a picture of our driveway. I should have taken one before we shoveled it. That's right, we shovel that beast of a driveway. I'm in the bedroom above the garage, so you don't actually see the whole driveway. It takes 1-2 hours to shovel it completely. At least some of it melted today.

#66 - Spiders, Spiders everywhere

2010-10-05T11:22:00.004-05:00

So... the theme today was spiders. I, like a lot of people, am extremely afraid of spiders. I hate them. I hate looking at them, being near them, and even thinking about them.

So, I took a photo of a spider that I'm not afraid of. :) I thought it was pretty creative to take a photo of a sticker. These are Halloween stickers from last year that I still have left over.

#65 - Get to the Thermostat Stat!

2010-10-04T11:22:00.004-05:00

Here's a reading of today's thermostat in the house. Not too bad! We haven't turned the heat on yet. I'm hoping to get a little further into the month before we have to turn the heat on. I hate turning the heat on in October. I feel like a wuss.

I will turn it on if it gets below 63 degrees. During the winter we don't go over 67 and don't go below 63. That's my breaking point.

My sophomore year of college we kept the heat at 58... burr. My room was so freezing I could barely write my papers, and I slept with a heating blanket on (not safe, but I did what I had to). Now that we can afford heat, I'm going to keep it comfortable but affordable. No more 58 for me.

#64 - Horribly Horrendous Horror Film

2010-10-03T11:21:00.004-05:00

This is one of the only horror/gore films that I own. I've watched it once. I bought it from a Blockbuster in their previously viewed section. What a waste of money.

The first 30 minutes of this film is pretty much just soft porn and lots of female chest shots. Then it switches over to straight up repulsive gore. Yuck.

Next time, I'm just going to rent a horror film instead of buying one.

#63 - My Favorite Artist is....

2010-10-02T11:21:00.005-05:00

GODSMACK

Best band ever! This is my all-time favorite album by my favorite band. I talked about this awhile back but I feel that it should be brought back up.

If you're looking for some good rock, check out Godsmack. This album is Faceless. I could listen to it any day of the week, all day long.

Check it out!

#62 - Something new

2010-10-01T11:20:00.003-05:00

This is my brand new Kindle (3rd generation)!

I received it as a birthday gift from my husband. He gave it to me the Friday before my birthday and before it was even my birthday, I had already read 2 books! :) I love it and I keep finding more and more things to put on it.

This is a wonderful invention. I'm so glad my husband is so thoughtful!

#61 - Something borrowed

2010-09-30T11:20:00.004-05:00

It was hard to find something that was borrowed to fit into today's theme. We don't really borrow things and so I had to search the house. I came up with this... a book a that I borrowed from my oldest brother.

The book is Rant by Chuck Palahniuk. I've tried reading it a few times, but it's been very difficult for me to get through it. It's not my type of book I guess. He told me I should read it, so that's why he gave it to me.

I really need to get it back to him. I don't see myself finishing this book. I might give it one more chance, but I don't know if I can.

#60 - Blue

2010-09-29T11:19:00.003-05:00

I have so many blue things in my house. This was the first thing to grab my attention. It's a tie blanket that I received from my little sister in the sorority a few years ago. On one end it says "Big Sis Bridget" (pictured) and at the other end it says "Little Sis Gillian".

I love this blanket and use it almost every day. Samus the cat loves it too. In fact, she's laying on it right now.

#59 - Something old

2010-09-28T11:19:00.003-05:00

This is the handkerchief that I carried on my wedding day. It was my mom's and she gave it to me to keep. I think it fits nicely with the something old as well as the something blue. I'm glad I had it that day in my hands and I will keep it for as long as possible and possibly hand it down to one of my future children.

#58 - 5 day forecast

2010-09-27T11:14:00.005-05:00

Here's the upcoming forecast. It's blue skies for the week! I know it's not a very good photo, but it's one of a computer screen.

It's actually going to be unseasonably warm which is nice for fall. Hopefully the cold doesn't come too soon.

#57 - Favorite Candle... for now

2010-09-26T11:13:00.009-05:00

This past summer I bought this candle. It was a great summer candle. It's a Yankee Candle. The fragrance is Juicy Watermelon. I could only burn it for a few hours because the smell would permeate through out the house. I've put it away for now because it's now fall and the scent isn't quite right for the season.

I'll probably not buy Yankee Candles any more... not because they aren't good candles but because I'm now going to be a Partylite Consultant. It's a direct sales company that sells candles and home decor among other things. I'm excited to start selling. I should be getting my start kit soon, so I can start holding parties.

The Martini glass is one of their new seasonal products. It's called Scents of Illumination Martini. It has a candy cane scent. You put a tealight in side and it heats up the gel, releasing the scent.

#56 - In the Hoodies

2010-09-25T11:13:00.004-05:00

I love being able to wear sweatshirts! Here are just a few of mine. I believe I have about 8 or 9. I have them throughout the house so I can always grab one when I need one.

The second photo is of my favorite one and also my oldest one. I got this sweatshirt when I was 16 in Germany in 2002. It's one of my favorite souvenirs that I got from my trip to Europe. I hope to put it into my tee-shirt quilt that I'm going to start making soon.

#55 - Signs of Fall

2010-09-24T11:13:00.006-05:00

Here are my photos of fall. The first one is off of our deck and of trees in the neighbors yard. You can see the trees starting to change colors.

The second photo is of all the leaves on our deck. Ed is going to have lots of fun sweeping the deck off.

The third photo is also off of our deck in another direction. A lot of the leaves are already falling and lots have turn yellow.

#54 - Fall Flowers

2010-09-23T11:11:00.005-05:00

My mom got me a fall plant for my birthday. Here's a photo of some of the flowers on this mum plant. They are very beautiful. The toughest part is trying to keep the cats away from them so they don't eat the leaves.

#53 - Oooo, you're my best friend

2010-09-22T11:11:00.005-05:00

This is an oldie but a goody. This is a photo of my husband and I about 4 years ago. He's my best friend and I just love this photo. We were on a dinner cruise on Lake Superior for my 21st birthday that year. I hope you enjoy this blast from the past.

#52 - Random Object

2010-09-21T11:10:00.004-05:00

Random object in a room. I looked around my house trying to find something that seemed random for a room. I found this. It's Ed's musical electric coin bank (did you get all that?). It's on his dresser. It's just a weird bank and it doesn't really belong in our bedroom, but that's where it lives.

#51 - Look Who's Sleeping

2010-09-20T11:09:00.004-05:00

I didn't take this picture today, but it's the one of the few that I have of someone sleeping (today's theme). I don't think Ed would have liked it if I had posted a photo of him sleeping.

The little one in this photo is my niece, Zoey. She's about 3 days old here (taken 7/23). I don't get to see her very often since they live about 200 miles away. I thought this would be a good one for "someone sleeping".

#50 - Purple is that purple does

2010-09-19T11:08:00.004-05:00

Here's another photo of my crafting. This is my cross stitch craft bin. The reason I took a photo of it is because it's purple which is today's theme. I'm working on a quilt that I meant to get done weeks ago, but I just haven't felt like working on it. It will get done eventually (hopefully). :)

#49 - Orange as orange can be

2010-09-18T11:08:00.004-05:00

The theme today was something orange. I had such a hard time with this! We really don't have many things that are orange... which seems a little weird. I looked around the house and I found this in the kitchen. It's one of the few orange items we have.

I bought this strainer my junior year of college. I think I got it from the dollar store or the dollar bin at Target. I don't remember which. the only reason I bought an orange one was because at the time, the kitchen in our renal apartment has bright orange counter tops... they were very trendy!

#48 - New kitty in town

2010-09-17T11:07:00.004-05:00

Introducing our new kitten, Kristof! He's about 4.5 months in this picture. He was an outdoor kitten and is almost feral. We're hoping he gets a little better with the house and enjoys his new life here. As of now, we can pet him, but we have to be sitting on the floor. He tends to run if we're standing. He's very skittish and shy but I feel with time he will get better. He also hates being held.

#47 - Cleaning Products

2010-09-16T11:07:00.004-05:00

I love love love my cleaning products! Here they are. These are the ones I have handy right now (Pictured left to right/back to front):

Dish soap
Best in Glass (glass cleaner)
Tub-in-Tile (shower cleaner)
Lil' Bowl Blu (toilet cleaner)
Hand soap (sweet rain)
Kitchen hand soap (lemon grass)
Not pictured: All surface cleaner

They are all from my favorite line, Method. You can pick it up at Target.

#46 - Celebrate Good Times

2010-09-15T11:06:00.006-05:00

My birthday is coming up and since today's theme is "Celebration", I decided to take photos of the cards I've gotten. Here are the ones I have so far.

#45 - Bravo, Bravo

2010-09-14T11:05:00.004-05:00

I love Bravo TV. It's one of my favorite channels. I like to watch Top Chef, Top Design, Shear Genius, Work of Art, etc. They have some of the best reality shows. I took a picture of one that was on today, even though I don't care to watch it. This is a photo of Jeff Lewis on Flipping Out.

It's about an OCD guy that flips houses for a living. This guy just rubs me the wrong way but I guess people enjoy watching him.

#44 - Oh Juicy!

2010-09-13T11:04:00.004-05:00

This is our "Juice Box" in our fridge. Every day Ed gets a box of juice with his lunch. He gets the Minute Maid boxes and the Fruitables are for me. I bought them hoping he would like them, but he doesn't (they have mostly vegetables in them). I like them because I'm such a picky eater and these help give me the veggies I need while still tasting good.

#43 - Cloudless Sunny Day

2010-09-12T11:03:00.004-05:00

I was supposed to take pictures of clouds on a sunny day... well, it's sunny but there are no clouds! It's a beautiful day! We definitely need more of these before it gets too cold and the snow starts flying.

#42 - Remembrance is hard

2010-09-11T11:03:00.006-05:00

This is a difficult subject for me to cover. Almost 5 years ago (on 11/16/2005) I lost my cousin, LCPL Roger W. Deeds, in Iraq. He was killed while trying to extract other wounded soldiers.

This hit my family very hard and even though it was 5 years ago, I still find myself crying over the smallest things that remind me of him. I don't have a recent photo of him. In fact I didn't take this photo, but I feel that it's the best one that covers the topic of remembrance. This photo was taken by his sister, Gina, who is now an only child. Roger was her big brother.

I always felt close to my cousin even though I didn't see him often. When we were younger we would often share our birthday parties. I was born 9/29 and his birthday was 10/1. This year was difficult because I turned 25. I'm no officially older than my cousin was when he died (he was 24). It's tough to know that he will never be any older and he will never see his kids grow up. His daughter was about 6 weeks old when he passed away (her birthday is also 9/29). He never even got to hold her and that's something else that tears at my heart. To know that he never got to feel the weight of her in his arms and to see the beauty of her newborn face.

I hope that some day I will be able to see his grave. I unfortunately did not make it to his funeral in 2005. He is buried in Biloxi, MS. I know that some day, I will make that special trip down there and I will sit by his grave and feel closer to him as I get my closure.

I would like to leave you with a Bible verse that is very special to my brother. He has it tattooed on his arm as part of a memorial to my cousin:

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
John 15:13

#41 - What's on your iPod?

2010-09-10T11:02:00.005-05:00

Music... that's today's theme. I figured I would share my iPod. the first photo is a picture of my wonderful iPod nano. It the 3rd generation. One of the first iPods to play play movies (I have Princess Bride and Sweet Home Alabama on it). It also plays music and audio books. It even has a couple of games.

If you can't tell the color, it's a metallic mint green. I have a protective case on it. I've had this iPod for about 3 years now and it's my companion when I'm mowing our lawn.

As for music, I decided to share one of my albums. If you can see in the next photo, it's a

music list. It's from the album Faceless from the band Godsmack. They are my favorite band of all time (even over Queen and Lynyrd Skynyrd!).

I can listen to this album over and over again and never get sick of it. In fact, when my car was broken into in 2006, they stole my CD player and this album was in it. I was so heart broken, I went out and bought this album again. I put it on my iTunes as soon as I could so I wouldn't lose it again. I hope to get more of their albums soon.

#40 - A real piece of work

2010-09-09T13:04:00.008-05:00

We don't have many pieces of art in our house (we've been here 16 months and I still haven't hung our diplomas...).

I decided to share 2 sculpture/figurines that we have. This first one is a Willow Tree figurine. The name of this one is Together. It was given to us as a wedding gift. I will always remember our wedding when I look at this figurine. I hope to get more as our lives go along and we hit major milestones.

The second one is a sculpture that we got while we were on our honeymoon (a Caribbean cruise). I had found this in Cozumel, Mexico and was drawn to it. I find it so beautiful and sensual as well as romantic and intimate.

Both of these pieces are made of wood yet they are so different. I will remember our trip to the Caribbean when I look at this statue and think of the fun times we had.

We keep the Willow Tree figurine in the dining room with the light green walls. The Mexican one is in our downstairs living room which is full of warm colors (browns/oranges/reds). They each fit their rooms quite well.

#39 - TWLOHA

2010-09-08T13:03:00.003-05:00

TWLOHA - To Write Love On Her Arms

This week is suicide prevention week. TWLOHA is an organization that is spreading a message of hope and awareness to help with suicide prevention.

Today to show your support of suicide prevention and to help spread the word, they asked that you write "Love" on your arm.

Even though I don't see a lot of people during the day, I still wanted to show my support for the cause.

#38 - Glass from the Past

2010-09-07T13:02:00.004-05:00

Glass is the theme. I chose to take a photo of my great-grandma's goblet, that has her crest. Her name was Mary Hinnet (but we always called her Granny). She passed away about 8-10 years ago.

My grandma was going to sell them in a garage sale when I found them. I wouldn't let her get rid of them, so they found a home with me. They reside on the top shelf of my cupboard.

#37 - Hobby box

2010-09-06T13:02:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite hobbies are crafts (another one is reading). I love crocheting. I finished a blanket for my niece about 6 week ago. You can see it here. This is a photo of my yarn box. I have been working on color bags for my nephew. I need to get them done so he can learn his colors. I get my patterns from Crafty Anna and her Etsy shop. They are very easy to understand and work through. I suggest you check them out if you like to crochet. Even if you don't know how, she uses basic stitches such as single crochet and double crochet.

I also like to do needle point. I've been working on some cross stitch for my niece. Here is a photo of a couple bibs that I made for her. They were printed on with blue ink. I have a counter cross stitch project that I need to work on as well.

Something I hope to start soon is a quilt. I'm going to attempt to make a t-shirt quilt. I have lots of t-shirts that I don't wear anymore. I would like to make it a king-size quilt. We only have one king-size blanket and it's a huge down comforter... way too much for summer. I want a lighter blanket for our bed. I hope I can catch on. I would love to start quilting quite a bit.

#36 - Electronic Wall

2010-09-05T13:01:00.004-05:00

Electronics are today's theme. Here are a few of my favorites (besides my phone and computer).

42" HDTV (and yes, that's Miss J on the TV)
Wii
Wii Fit Plus board
BluRay Player
DVR
iPod Stereo (it's also hooked up to the TV)
Super NES

This is our entertainment center. It's a great place to watch football games and movies. I also highly suggest getting a DVR. I don't know what we did before we got the DVR. There are so many options.

#35 - Little Gray Camry

2010-09-04T13:00:00.002-05:00

Today's theme was your car. Here is a photo of our baby. It's a 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid. We bought this car in March 2010. We had to buy a new car when the power steering finally blew in our 2000 Oldsmobile Alero. That car was shot. When you are a one car family, you need to have a reliable vehicle and the Alero was no longer reliable. We love this new car and we got an awesome deal on it.

#34 - My little corner of the world

2010-09-03T13:00:00.006-05:00

I am a housewife so the whole house is technically my workspace. So, I took a picture of my messy desk. This is where I sew and file things. I also keep my scrapbooking things here.

My brother made this desk for me back in 2005. It was a birthday present from him. It's a little rough around the edges, but it's still a nice desk.

My dad and I put a laminate top on it to help with the roughness. I hope to make a nice fabric skirt to cover the wood and possibly make storage underneath.

I also took a photo of Ed's desk because that's where he likes to be when he comes home. As a software developer, he spends a lot of time at his computer both at work and at home.

His desk is neat and clean... the way he likes it. I personally don't mind a little mess. I try to keep mine clean, but it's hard. When I clean up in other rooms, it end up in the office, on my desk. Then I will sort it later.

Maybe someday I will get my act together and be able to use the desk as a desk.

I also just took a photo of the room from the door. It's has his and her sides. His is the dark side, mine is the lighter side. It's also the messy versus the clean. This room won't always looklike this though. Eventually, when the time comes (when we have a baby), it will become a nursery. We don't have to worry about that for a while.

#33 - "I heard a voice say Zuul!"

2010-09-02T12:57:00.006-05:00

Today's theme was "what's in your refrigerator". Here's a photo of ours. There really isn't a lot in it. The box in the lower left is full of cheese sticks (string cheese and colby). Ed gets 1 every day in his lunch. He feels gypped if he doesn't get his cheese. He also gets 1 juice box which are in the box on the lower left.

I think I need to clean this up...

(In case you didn't get it, the title is a reference to the original Ghosbusters)

#32 - Ooo, a piece of candy...

2010-09-01T12:56:00.004-05:00

These are just a couple types of candy I like. Personally I don't care for chocolate, so most of the candy I like are fruity.

The day I bought these, I was craving some Twizzlers so I had to buy them. The Mike & Ike's were a new kind... I apparently like red candy.

#31 - Work of Art

2010-08-31T19:43:00.003-05:00

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.

#30 - Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

2010-08-30T16:59:00.001-05:00

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!

#29 - Bored??

2010-08-29T16:53:00.001-05:00

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??"

#28 - Out Front

2010-08-28T16:49:00.000-05:00

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!

#27 - Out Back

2010-08-27T16:45:00.000-05:00

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.

#26 - The View From Up Here

2010-08-26T16:39:00.000-05:00

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.

#25 - M is for Monkey

2010-08-25T16:38:00.002-05:00

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.

#24 - deck lighting

2010-08-24T16:34:00.001-05:00

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.

#23 - Closet Explosion

2010-08-23T16:31:00.002-05:00

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.)

#22 - Can I Unpack Please?

2010-08-22T16:17:00.000-05:00

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.

#21 - House of Popcorn

2010-08-21T08:44:00.002-05:00

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).

#20 - Happy Birthday Mom

2010-08-20T08:39:00.004-05:00

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.

#19 - Muffin the Teddy Bear

2010-08-19T08:27:00.005-05:00

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.)

#18 - Mouse in the House

2010-08-18T22:07:00.005-05:00

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!

#17 - Sepia Kitty

2010-08-17T21:25:00.003-05:00

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.

#16 - Hit the Deck

2010-08-16T20:11:00.007-05:00

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.

#15 - Babe in a Blanket

2010-08-15T22:13:00.003-05:00

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.

#14 - Blanket of Love

2010-08-14T22:08:00.001-05:00

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.

#13 - Oreo Truffles

2010-08-13T21:16:00.004-05:00

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!

#12 - Tea Time

2010-08-12T15:11:00.003-05:00

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.

#11 - Samus the Kitty

2010-08-11T20:36:00.003-05:00

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!

#10 - Bookworm

2010-08-10T20:22:00.006-05:00

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)

#9 - Giddyup Cowboy

2010-08-09T21:22:00.005-05:00

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.

#8 - Finished Arbor

2010-08-08T16:56:00.004-05:00

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).

#7 - Garage Sales at Their Best

2010-08-07T10:18:00.003-05:00

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!

#6 - Swinging in the rain...

2010-08-06T21:04:00.005-05:00

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.

#5 - Early Birthday

2010-08-05T10:09:00.004-05:00

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!

#4 - A Basket of Cones

2010-08-04T08:07:00.001-05:00

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.

#3 - Mantel Piece

2010-08-03T19:58:00.005-05:00

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.

#2 - A Present from the Past

2010-08-02T11:40:00.007-05:00

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.

#1 - Fair Fun

2010-08-01T19:50:00.001-05:00

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).