Day 26...

Wow, what a day.  I'm too sick to accomplish much of anything.  I dragged my butt to Zumba tonight and although I am proud for pushing myself and sticking to my plan, I think that my head feels worse than earlier.  :S

Day 25...

Happy Belated Black and White Wednesday! Haha...

Well, I did my run through in the last post about my day.  I have a busy weekend ahead of me as well as some nasty weather :S...I hate snow.  Hopefully my next post will be on time :)

THE STORY:  It was our first really sunny day in a while so I thought I would use it to my advantage is this photo...I'm totally aware that the concept of lens thru lens is ruined here because the second lens is backwards but it was the only way to get that flare I was looking for.  And I loved the way the image looked in black and white.

Day 24...

I'm sorry.  I guess I don't hold up to promises well when it comes to this blog.  The photos were taken I swear, I've just been feeling like poo.  Yes I said Poo.  I've been out with a head cold and to be honest I have zumba tonight that I absolutely don't want to miss, but I'm terribly afraid of dying while I'm there lol.  I guess I will just have to let go of my pride and take rests during class if I have to.  I haven't even gotten monkey work done and I have orders that need to be shipped by the 1st so I guess I'll have to get on that :S.  Anyhow, I'm not going to backtrack over 2 days but I will post the photos for them.

THE STORY:  Well, since I've started my new diet one of the things I have to do is eat 2 fruit per day.  I love clementines and me and Rie's favorite thing to do is try and peel them all in one peice.  Riely pointed out that it looked like a snake.  So with that in mind I give you my photo I call "orange.charmer".

Day 23...

Well hello Monday.  I've already ranted about how much I dislike you.  And there really isn't much i can write about today that was positive.  I was scrambling to finish making tutus on the way to ch'town for a delivery that had  to be made at the delta, my house is a disaster and the east link dude is coming tomorrow.  I seriously think I broke my toe and I have Zumba tomorrow, and to top it off I think i'm getting a sore throat.  I know I've been a complete bummer lately and no one wants to read about someone who moans and groans all the time, but I just have been so frustrated with myself and wish I could get my shit together.  Like really!  What is the point of dieting if you forget to eat important meals (no point, because your body will start storing the fat!) and even if you eat properly you still need to exercise and I haven't been doing any.  ugh.  lets just get to today's photo....

THE STORY:  Its my photo of the challenge of the week which is folded.  I like my alternative perspective on this one.  Plus its from one of my favorite book series the Mortal Instruments/The infernal devices.

Day 22....

Did I mention how much I despise Sundays?  I know you must think I ma crazy, but Sunday means that tomorrow is Monday and that means I get to reflect on all of the things I didn't get accomplished last week.  Example?  Tonight I am working on 3 monkeys...not just working on them but scrambling to get them done since they have to be delivered tomorrow.  Sunday also happens to be our cleaning day, the day we clean more than our normal day to day tidying...problem...today it didn't happen, so this means that tomorrow I get to look at it and again, reflect on what didn't get done :S  Sunday also means that I lose 2 hands to help and Rie goes back to school in the morning so bath, lunches to add to my list... plus, I miss him while he is gone all day.  Sunday means the weekend is over, and I'm sure that you will all agree that having your weekend end-as Rie would say "totally blows".  Hope your Sundays aren't nearly as terrible as I have managed to make mine lol...

THE STORY:  Do I have a story?  Not really, but I do have a reason, and in my eyes that counts :P  I love colors.  I love to color.  I love the way colors change an image.  I love how colors show us things, like in fruit.  The brighter the healthier (did you know that?...now you do!)  I love how colors have their own personality.  I love how colors bring things to life.  Basically, what I am trying to say is I.LOVE.COLORS.

Day 21...

I'm not going to post much since I just told you everything in Day 20 (If you didn't read it, basically, I suck and forgot to post my photos...not going to happen again...well not anytime soon anyways!)  Although I will take a moment and brag about Riely getting SILVER in his judo tournament today!  I was so proud.  I wanted to take a photo of him, but forgot my camera at home :( boo!  I got a few images on the playbook, but not quality enough to post here....

THE STORY:  Well this blog is about being random. It shows my life, my hobbies, struggles, and just about anything else I can think of.  As I was thinking of a quick image (seriously...it was 11:30pm) to take I thought ok...what describes you right now...I was working on a monkey, so I thought hmmm...portrait of a monkey?  Would that work?  I took a few photos and like this one.  Perhaps I will enlarge it and put it in the babies room. I think it is cute lol....

Day 20...

Ok...so i totally suck, and I promise I will never let myself get behind like this every again.  The weekend has been bonkers...super busy and as a result my photos are just photos.  Nothing fun, nothing experimental.  Basically I took a photo about my day...technically this one is about Day 21 I guess since it was taken at 1 am, but part of my Day 20 the way I look at it.  I am embarrassed to even post these lol, but nonetheless I guess a photo is a photo.  This week I will try to be more creative.

THE STORY:  All I will say is that this is what my "1 am's" look like....(ok...I will give you more, basically at 1 am I was making rice crispy squares for my son's judo tournament...Im a wacko, I know. :S)

Day 19...

Yesterday was fantastic, yes, I said yesterday. Since I fell asleep before midnight for the first time in weeks I wasn't overlly concerned when this post appeared.  I was just so excited to be tired.  Must have been the 2 hour zumba workout.  OMG I was so tired afterwards lol...

THE STORY:  Well, I was never a breakfast eater, and I havent eaten eggs in almost 3 years since my mouth would go all itchy and tingly when I did.  BUT this new diet I am on tells you to eat eggs, so I did some research.  Turns out that sometimes the allergy is actually to the yolk and not the white, so I gave it a go, and no itchy when I get rid of the yolks...yeah!!!  So this celebration suited well the the theme of the week which was "Breakfast"....

Day 18...

HAPPY BLACK AND WHITE WEDNESDAY!

Tomorrow is D day....yep, Diet day!  I bought my groceries...ugh...the bill was mortifying, but I suppose eating healthy certainly was never cheap.  My challenge will be to find foods that I enjoy without breaking the bank.  The shopping trip didn't start well to begin with since I forgot the grocery list on the kitchen table!  Oooops!  I didn't do too bad, forgot my lemons but I can get them tomorrow while I am in town.  Im not really sure what will come out of all this, but at least I am going to try and that has to count for something.  There are lots of things I am going to miss over the next few weeks, but It will be all worth it in the end...I hope *fingers crossed*.

THE STORY:  5 years ago when I met Gorvin I weighed a healthy 175...sounds like a lot but I am big boned and that is my ideal weight. A year and a half into our relationship, I found myself stumbling into a whirlwind of anxiety and was treated for it...problem was, I put on 80 lbs from the meds and "therapy" eating. After giving birth to Jacklyn I find myself 10 lbs lighter than I was when I got pregnant.  I have 2 beautiful children, and they are worth the extra pounds, but I remember how happy I was 5 years ago, when I fit into my clothes, could shop where I wanted to and never feeling ugly. 2012 is my year to change the way I feel and look.  I can do it.  It may be a struggle, but I WILL do it....75 lbs to go....

Day 17...

Today was a long day.  Jacklyn's swing had its batteries die, which is definitely NOT a good thing.  Luckily she is getting in the habit of putting herself to sleep or else I wouldn't have gotten anything done.  Not that I got much of anything done, but that doesnt seem to differ from any other day haha.  Anyhow, I'm gonna get straight to my photo because I still have to feed the baby and sew some monkeys together before heading to bed.  Night!

THE STORY: 

 Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

                                                                      These are a few of my favorite things

Well, Thursday is the day that I start this new fantastic meal plan called the 17 day diet.  I am very excited and I know that I can do it.  I know many people who have had awesome results.  My goal is to lose 75 pounds by the end of the year and 50 lbs by September so that I can start Judo. (not that you have to be a certain weight, but I know that I will be more fit and less tired if I can get the weight off).  Tomorrow night my mother and I are going to get "my groceries" for my diet so tonight I decided to get a few of my favorite treats and eat them now...kinda like saying goodbye lol... Thus the song I posted above :)

Day 16...

Today is Monday...I cringe at the mere thought of a Monday.  Not only does it mean that the weekend is over, but It also means that I don't get to sleep.  Gorvin goes back to work and I get up early again. I hate it. Especially since sleep doesn't usually come until at least 3am for me.  Mondays also mean that Riely is so slow to get up for school since he is used to sleeping in...and lastly it means Judo.  Don't get me wrong, I love Judo.  I really do, as a matter of fact, my hope is to lose enough weight and join this fall, but with Judo comes chaos in our house and we have so much to do to get ready.  I go crazy some days...really i do. But we always get through it-and that is a good thing because in 6 more days it is Monday again, so All in all, it was a good day...and I like good days

THE STORY:  Well like I talked about, Judo nights are crazy...we spend 3 hours, 2 nights a week at the Dojo and by the end of the night the kiddos are toast.  It took Riely the amount of time it takes to climb the stairs and get in his bed to pass out...and Jacklyn wasn't too far behind him...Like everyone always says "there is nothing more precious than a sleeping baby"...well, tonight I give you 2!  (well, Rie isn't really a baby...but he is my baby so it counts...right?)

Day 15....

Today we spent relaxing after our late night, cleaned and that sat back and enjoyed our company of Des, Vanessa and Kloe.  We haven't gotten to see them in a while so it was definitely an evening that was well overdue.

THE STORY:  Our niece is growing so fast...too fast.  And she just gets even more beautiful everytime we get to see her.  She now has these fantastic piggy tails and runs everywhere.  It is amazing how fast time fly's.  It is a bittersweet reminder of how little Riely once was and also of how it won't be long before our little missy is doing the same things. :(  Miss K had on the cutest jacket on tonite and Gorvin was in love with it.  The pattern had what I would like to call a sophisticated retro feel and after seeing this photo in the lot, I knew it was the one I wanted and I wanted it to have a reto/vintage feel to it.  I don't normally do a lot of editing to my photos, but seeing as this project is about learning and growing, I have been trying to experiment more with my images.  I'm not always sure how I feel about the final result, but I am always happy with my attempt.

Day 14....

We had yet another fantastic Saturday.  We spent the evening with my best friend Ashley and her husband Mitchell, both of whom will soon be the godparents of our little Miss J!  We had a super yummy (and filling) spaghetti supper, and Mitchell made the best bruschetta I have ever eaten!  It was delish!  We had cheesecake for desert ( I made from scratch).  Oh and there was even ceasar salad too!  YUMMMM...afterwards we played some games and ending our night about an hour ago.  That is why my posting is late again!

THE STORY:  Wanna know what happens at 3:30 am?  Are you sure your not concerned as to what your might see?  Promise not to commit me? haha...When you are tired...and need a photo....find a sharpie!  Problem solved!  Good night all...be sure to show the ones you love....lots of love <3

Day 13....

So...what did I do today?  I figured out a way to ship my monkeys cheaper...that is great news btw.  I bought a boardgame, completed my photo of the day, made a monkey and finished a few last minute touches to photos. I also played with my kids, bought toilet paper, and other things other than clean my house...too much to write and not interesting enough to write either lol...

THE STORY:  Since I still have lots to do and it is nearly midnight I am going to try and keep this short.  While at Walmart today, my mothers friend stopped to say hi.  During our conversation she asked "are you not busy enough with the baby, and photos that you had to add in monkeys and hairclips?"  I laughed and thought, I've got all kinds of time...Then after walking away I thought...where do I find this time?  Then I realized...this must be why I don't sleep.  This is where I find my time lol.   So today my photo represents my day when I am not occupied/occupying the kiddos....its called "Sleep is overrated" :P

Day 12...

Whoo Hoo!  It's the day before Friday!  You see in my house, Thursday is a fantastic day, because Gorvin and I rotate feedings, I do it while he works, he does it when he is home, and that means that I can sleep until Riely needs to get up for school...then I can ship him out the door and go back to SLEEP.  This is really good news for someone who can't fall asleep at night.  Today was an interesting day.  I've been having shipping issues with my monkeys.  The issue being the cost.  Another vendor suggested vacuum sealing the monkeys and shipping them lettermail.  Downfall to this is you cannot track the parcel, but with the value being relativly low it is worth the risk I think.  So I bought me a vacuum sealer...multi purpose apparently lol...who ever thought it would be used for stuffed animals lol.  That was the extent of my day....

The Story:  Well, not really a "story" but a creative thought.  I am torn as to how I feel about this photo.  The conditions weren't ideal and the photo was rushed.  Usually I take a number of shots to know that I have options of what I truly like, but it was beyond Rie's bedtime and Gorvin was anxious to get some COD in before bed.  So my photo is what it is.  A rushed picture.  Nonetheless, when I look back at it at the end of the year, I will remember the laughs we had while rushing to take it and I will remember my concept and why I wanted to try this.  If I were to name all of my photos (which I've suddenly had the urge to do, and have done...if you look back again you will see their captions somewhere in the photo-I thought this would be nice for when I put them in an album) I suppose I would call this one... "3 Fav's, 3 Times over"....

Day 11...

Happy Black and White Wednesday!

Yet another posting, posted after midnight.  I think this is the hardest part for me lol.  Posting my photo on the correct day!  I guess it is because most of my free time happens between 11pm and 2 am.  Im a night hawk.  Isn't this when moms with babies who sleep all night are supposed to be saying "oh thank you, thank you, thank you" ?  Why am I even up? Anyhow...I had a fantastic night out with my girls.  My friend Steph and I went to a jewelry party at my friend Ashley's and man did we have some good laughs.  It isn't very often that I get out without the kiddos so I really enjoy this time with my friends.

The Story:  Well, as I mentioned I love going out for a girls night, but as much as I enjoy that time, the best part is when you come home.  The kids miss you so much that their reactions are great (Not that they don't enjoy their time with Gorvin lol).  Even Miss J is starting to show those emotions, she had a great big smile on her face when she realized I was home!  It wasn't long after I got home tonight that I figured I should get my photo for today.  Jacklyn was sleeping in her swing and she looked so peaceful.  I though hmmm...this may work in black and white, so I decided to take a photo...problem is my flash is so bright and it woke her.  I was expecting her to wail since I woke her from her night slumber but instead I got this.  Oh how I love my children xoxo.

Day 10...

Well, today was not overly exciting.  I have a ton of things to do including monkeys, hair clips and shipping parcels.  I haven't been doing very well in getting it all done.  Tonight I thought that I would try to knock a few items off my list, only problem was in order to do that I was running out of time to get it done.  It was a bit of a race against the clock.  FAIL.  So, I went to Walmart, bought envelopes...paid a fortune.  Went to Dollar store, found envelopes, returned golden envelopes back to Walmart.  Lost addresses in the snow, went home, wrote wrong address on envelope.  Started over, went to store to get stamps, forgot bank card at home.  I'll try again tomorrow. :S

The Story:  Well, this photo was a bit of a fun experiment for me.  Really isn't much of a story (even though my hopes would be that they all would have one)  BUT it does kinda represent my evening...lets say that I'm the green car...and Time is the purple.  I call this one "Race Against Time"  LOL...

Day 9....

Mondays are always busy days in our home with Judo and such, today was even busier and stressful.  Miss J had another Dr.'s Appt with Dr. F and it went pretty well.  On top of that we received some news that was a pretty big bummer.  Anyhow, I mentioned yesterday how I was getting discouraged with my "cold" theme for the week....well, it is no longer an issue.

The Story:  So yesterday I pondered what I would do for my weekly theme challenge of "cold".  It had snowed, and that is cold, but it wasn't my answer.  I thought of ice cubes, mittens, kids in the snow, but nothing seemed right.  My friend Pt even gave me a fantastic suggestion, but I just couldn't get the image to work the way I envisioned it.  So today, I thought ugh...I'm just gonna sit down, relax with my ice cream and tomorrow I will try again.  And then while in the middle of experiencing a terrible brain freeze...it hit me!  Ice cream....:)

Day 8....

I'm super excited that I made it through my very first week of my challenge!  It will be very exciting to see this all put together in the end :)  I am also very excited that I managed to get my posts back on track...Day 8 on the 8th...whoo hoo!  This weeks "Theme Challenge" is cold.  I tried a few things out today but just couldn't get the right image that I wanted.  I will try later this week when the weather is colder.

The Story:  There isn't really a story behind this image except that these old letters have been hanging around for a few years.  They get played with by everyone...even myself and Gorvin, leaving little messages for each other and Riely.  Even the kids that come to visit tend to stop and fiddle with them.  I guess it is because our fridge is basically as soon as you walk into our home.  Anyhow, I spotted Riely playing with them, and grabbed the opportunity to take a few shots :)

Day 7...

Wow...so I guess I should have done my photos earlier.  I should have know that on a Saturday night my posting would happen late.  I guess that Sunday will be my day to get them all straightened away ~ I hope!  Anyhow, since it is nearing 4am, I am going to try and keep this posting short...I need sleep!

The Story:  For roughly 4 years Gorvin and I, along with our friends have met on Saturday nights to play board games.  We do this every winter and as young adults with children it was a fantastic way to get to mingle and let the kids play themselves to sleep ;)  Gorvin and I own nearly 40 games I am sure, board games, card games, trivia games.  You name it we've got it lol....tonight we got together with Chris, Pt, Lori, Britt, Andrew (Hey!  There is your shout out!) and Cory and played Guesstures...a form of charades.  It was a bunch of fun...it always is.  Tonight I talked about having some fun with a weekly photo format and since Black and White is my fav, I've decided to incorporate "Black and White Wednesday!" to my challenge.  Since I missed it this week I thought i would do it tonight, especially because I thought the game, which looks like a film slate would suit the color scheme....

Ps.  We ALWAYS play our games guys vs. girls...and this photo was taken just after the girls whooped the guys butts at this game (thus the reason I chose "loser" to rub it in their faces more haha).  I regret to report that not long after they kicked us to the curb while playing Ultimate Outburst...I guess we will call it a draw......For now.

Day 6...

Today was easy...well, not my day itself, as a matter of fact, that was difficult...my little missy is cutting her first teeth I think...definitely seems like teething.  And when you have a baby that is soooo easy, any time they have an off day it seems like the world is going to end.  But my photo challenge was easy.  Although I may not have really challenged myself to improve.  Its late, and I forgot to take my photo earlier but none the less it is here...even though technically it is day 7...oops!

The Story:  I'll leave it short and sweet.  I smoked, and then I found out I  was expecting.  The moment I saw that  + sign, I quit.  I quit when pregnant with Rie too, but was stupid and started again...but this time I never looked back.  Some days are harder than others, especially if I want to have a drink...or Tims Mocha's lol...but I did it...1 year smoke free!

Day 5...

Well, I've almost gotten a week in and I'm not doing to bad I guess.  I think once I get out of the house more with the warmer weather than this project will be easier.  I'll have more options.  I'm hoping that after 366 days this project might make me a better photographer.  That I will look at things differently and take more time to get to know my camera.  I'm looking forward to warmer days, and beaches with my family, but for now I am stuck in the house.  You'ld think being home all day you would get lots done.  Well if that is the way it is supposed to go then I get a giant F for FAIL....please see below.

The Story:  Basically, I'm tired.  Really tired.  Not because of the baby, but because I really just have a hard time sleeping.  I'm usually not going to bed until 1 or 2 and even then it isn't because I'm tired, but because I know that I have to get back up in 4 hours.  How does this relate to my photo you ask?  Because I started sewing this monkey at 8am this morning.  It is now 6pm...and this is how the sewing machine still looks.  Exactly how it did at 8:10am.  My house is the same way- unfinished.  Oh dear.  Well, seeing as I'll be up anyways, I guess there is always tonight. :S

Day 4....

Well, I cannot say that to day was full of inspiration, in fact today wasn't filled with much of anything.  My family is going through a hard time and today marks the first day of a long road ahead of us. I don't have much to share, but I do have a photo....

The Story:  Really, this photo doesn't appear to have a story, but it does.  One that is 7 years running.  Rie is my pride and joy (along with his sister).  He is an amazing boy who is full of so much love.  Every day he comes home with a giant smile on his face and suddenly my day is better.  Even more so, if he sees the camera, he works it for mommy.  We took this photo today and looking back on today's images I knew that this was the one.  It did what photos should do.  It made me feel something....LOVE.  I love you toad!

Day 3...

I have to admit, that I knew this challenge would be tough at times.  I don't want to take a photo just for the sake of a photo, but I love the idea of incorporating photos of objects and not always people.  I'm sure that my weekly theme will be the perfect opportunity to do that.  Today was an easy one for me.

The Story:  My time has been completely engulfed by my infant daughter, my son, Judo and now....MONKEYS!  Yes, monkeys...made from socks.  I use buttons for eyes, and I ran out, until one very generous woman dropped of a huge bag of them for me!  So as I sat down to work on yet another monkey order I thought....Eyes!  I'm gonna photograph eyes...or buttons to the rest of you :)

Day 2....

So, yesterdays post was an obvious one...New years = wine, friends, and hats right?  But what do you post for the second day of the year?  It took me all day to figure out what I was gonna post.  I took random photos...and photos of my kids, but nothing felt right.  I felt like my photo journey needs a story to go with it, and if I really don't have anything to say about my photo, no matter how insignificant then it wasn't the right one.  I really stuggled...until we arrived home from shopping...then I saw my moment!...I ran for my camera and started taking photos.  Although she is only 4 months old Jacklyn has developed these little moments that always make me smile, like in my Day 2 photo.

The story:  Never fails.  Those of you that know me, know that I am obsessed with having footwear on Miss J.  She has more shoes than any child needs...problem is that they never stay on her feet...well one does, but never the other.  This is how we find her EVERY time we take her home.  I felt it was worthy of my journey for 2012 lol....

Day 1...

Well, 2011 was a fantastic year for myself and my family.  We embraced and welcomed the newest member of our family little Miss J, and my son turned 6 shortly after.  He is completely in love with his baby sister.  But, now with nothing but the future ahead of us, I turn to my project of the year and present to you my very first photo....Happy New Years everyone!  I hope you all have a safe, healthy and fantastic 2012.....