Day 53

Mmm...granola.

I was given a great recipe from a friend for granola, and now I'll only eat the granola I make. It's just better...at least in my opinion. One element I love about cooking is that I know exactly what goes into my food. With granola I don't have to worry about preservatives; when I make smoothies I know that there isn't a ton of sugar being added, et cetera.

Day 52

I had two competing themes for this week...kitchen or Wesley. I was leaning towards the Wesley theme, and looking forward to highlighting all those things I love so much about my job. Then I forgot to take a pic at my discipleship family brunch, so the plan changed.

Kitchen.

I love it. I love cooking. When I'm given giftcards I tend to use them for kitchen appliances. I also now have two aprons and I LOVE them. Service and giving gifts are some of my "giving" love languages, and I really enjoy cooking for people. This Sunday was spent in the kitchen. I had my girls over where I made some whole-wheat blend waffles, and then I made brownie pies for my St. James community group and to give as thank you's.

Day 50. No Day 51.

I almost did not want to post this picture. It is awful. Not framed well, poor lighting...just not good. However, I did not expect indigo to be an easy color to find, and I wasn't dissapointed. After keeping my eyes peeled all day (side note, what a horrible phrase: "eyes peeled") this was the closest that I could find. I was a nanny for a few days last week, and the little girl had a birthay party at "Pump it Up", where I saw this close cousin to indigo. I was the only babysitter amidst the group of moms (most who were more stylish that I'll probably ever be), so I settled myself on a bench with a book, and fixed my charges hair as necessary. I facebooked a couple times about how awful the music selection was. I understand that I may be more sensitive than normal about wording in music, but still! Yikes.

I had plenty of purple shots I could have taken on Saturday. I carry a purple purse. The child I was nannying put on a purple shirt because I was wearing one. We went to a candy store with plenty of purple. But the pic didn't happen. Anh.

Day 48 AND 49

Green AND Blue.


I saw something that would work for my green shot on Wednesday, but I wasn't crazy about it. And then I got distracted and didn't bother with my pic. Oh well.

Work today. During a staff meeting I look over and see Jim kicked back, and notice his socks. Both colors and fun to frame. Done.

Day 47

YELLOW.

Driving home.
"Golden rod" yellow parking permit for work reflecting on the windshield (which when I first saw thought was a crack in the glass).
Done.

Day 46

ORANGE.


I'm a to-do list maker (surprised?). I don't make them for the pleasure of crossing items off (though I do enjoy crossing items off when they're done). I make them out of necessity--I have to have them to keep everything that I'm doing straight. I have multiple ones going on at one time--events that I do get their own list (also referred to as "action plans"), I'll have a list for things that need to get done in a particular day and another for the week, et cetera. When I realized I had to find an orange item for today I thought I'd have to end up staging something later in the evening. Then, I noticed my to-do list for the morning was being written with orange sharpie. Check.

Day 45

This week I choose to embrace a theme for my pic of the day, and it definitely made the project more fun. This week's theme: ROY G. BIV. This theme reminded me of a book that I want to read/finish. I started reading it this summer and thought that it was incredibly interesting--Color: A Natural History of the Palette by Victoria Finlay. It covers how colors are/were made, the history behind them, et cetera, and is organized by one color per chapter. I got through one color before I had to leave it behind, and I definitely want to find a copy so I can work on it some more.

Sunday obviously started off with...RED.


Sunday was also Valentine's Day, a day filled with a plethora of red items. So why go with the red panic button on my car keys? Was I in a panic about my current dating situation, or lack thereof (NO). Feeling cynical on Valentine's Day (Again, NO. I actually find the day to be pretty cute.) But rather, when I made the decision to embrace this theme I was walking from my car to the front door and I thought, "I need to go hunt for red", and I looked down and there was red in my hand.

Day 44

I could just call Saturday my enforced Sabbath. After letting the dogs out and feeding them breakfast I went to make my coffee. I come back in and a certain little dog had bit through my computer power cord, effectively thwarting my plans of Saturday snowed-in productivity.



I caught up on chores. I did things I enjoyed. And at work on Monday everything that I thought I HAD to do on Saturday by myself got done, and got done better than if I had tried to do it by myself, because I asked for help. Lesson learned.

An additional snow pic.

This goes against conversations I've had recently.
I'm kinda against posting lots of photos of pets. Not that it's bad or anything. I just get in the habit of taking lots of pictures of them.
They're funny.



But this is one of my favorite pics of the month.

The weather outside is frightful...

I'm not that crazy about snow. My disdain for it stems mainly from the fact that it's cold. I HATE being cold, and snow is cold AND wet. But, today I was shocked to see that a lot of the grinch-ness in my heart regarding snow had melted at some point in the past year. Yesterday I definitely wasn't meeting the news of snow with open arms, but today when I looked outside and saw it pouring down, nary a thought of disgust went through my heart or mind. The only word that has been going through my mind today has been how peaceful it has been. I was at work when it started, but I couldn't/didn't want to do anything afterwards. The chill outside really made me chill out inside. And I'm really thankful. And soaking it in.

As it was starting to stick...

Last pics as the sun was setting...

Day 43

I mean, could today's post really be about anything other than snow? No. Snow is such an anomaly here in Georgia (praise the LORD!) that when it happens, it's a big deal.

Day 42

Confession...I took this picture on Day 40. But I don't care...that much. It was for this challenge anyway. Moving on...

Speaking of loves...I previously mentioned my affection for Charleston. Here I'm going to harp a little on my affection for books. I love them. I'm pretty sure I always have; mom taught me how to read pretty early on. I frequently find myself in the position of reading far more than one book at a time (see right). I'm reading some with other people, some are majorly teaching me things and I don't want to rush through them, and others are for fun/enjoyment (not that the others aren't...but sometimes it's just a little easier to read a fiction book than a theology/discipline heavy non-fiction). I occasionally judge a book by its cover. I'm excited to have me and all my books in one place one day, with them all on a bookcase(s).



Bookcases/Bookshelves. I've been thinking about starting a weekly theme with my photos, and I can see bookshelves being a weekly theme. One of my favorite things to do upon going to people's homes/offices is checking out the bookshelf. One of my favorite bookshelves is David's at Wesley. I like the lines/compartments, that it fits a ton, that it has a good mix of other elements on it so it's not overhwelming, and that it's tall.

Day 41

On Wednesdays we get off of work at 2:00 p.m., before we have to go back in the evening. 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. is usually a magical time for me, errand-running wise. Businesses are open. There usually aren't any lines. It's fantastic.

One necessary errand on Wednesday was getting something done at the Honda-dealership. I had all intentions of spending the 35-45 minutes the transmission fluid change would take to read some things that I was behind on. Then, the latest issue of Charleston magazine caught my eye and captured my attention. Back-story...Charleston is one of, if not my favorite, places in America. I just love it. A lot.

Day 40

For Day 40 I got a pretty good shot that I liked a lot early on in the day, and was planning for that to be my post (and it will make it's appearance on Day 42). I got home from work and was chilling out at home, and my attention was called to the dogs. I have been reluctant to take any pictures of the dogs for this challenge because, honestly, I take a lot of pictures of them. When I was organizing my photos in December for September-December I had more pictures of dogs than humans. But, they're just really funny.

Case in point: Delilah, the little red-headed dog, is the rounder of the two dogs. Petey, the black & white dog, is tiny. There's no fat on the boy. But Delilah makes up for him. Their beds are the same size, and it cracked me up to see the differences in napping style between the two.

Day 39

Per mentioned, on Sunday Mary and I went "Targeting", and this cheerful shower curtain was one of Mary's purchases. It was placed in the guest/my bathroom and because of the layout of the house, whenever the door is open you see it. Cheerful is really the best word to describe the shower curtain. The wise little owls. The cute little squirrels (note, this will probably be one of the very few times you'll ever hear me call a squirrel cute). The fun trees. The color scheme. So fun! And before, I really didn't think shower curtains could be fun.

Day 38

Sunday was a really good day, for the most part. I went to church. I went to Barbs with lots of awesome people. I went to a wedding. I went shopping with Mary. The only hiccup was the huge headache that I had from the moment I woke up until around 4:00 p.m. Since my weekend up until Sunday had had its fair amount of trials, I was determined to fully enjoy one day of it, headache or not. Mid-afternoon, while my head is pounding away I decide to play a fun little game on the FB--word-twist. I. did. AWFUL. And maybe I was a little short on the inside because of the pounding going on in my brain, but I found the games friendly comments after each round of "you're doing a great job" to be disgustingly patronizing. Especially after getting only 9 points in a round, when my opponent got like a million. Or 60. Somewhere around there.

Day 37

I prefer quality over quantity. For example, I'd much rather not have a lot of shoes and instead have one good pair. Case in point: these tennis shoes. I waited and waited for them. I'm glad they were a gift, or else I probably wouldn't have them. I take really good care of them--they are exercise-only shoes, and are never worn other than when going to the gym. If it's raining, I won't wear them from the car to inside--I'll keep them in my bag, and then put them on. They gotta last!



They turned slightly traitorous to me on Saturday. I was in a hurry on Saturday (which should be a clear premonition about where this story is going; whenever I'm in a hurry my coordination suffers) while getting ready for work. I turned around quickly to grab something and the next thing I know I'm sailing to the ground, narrowly missing knocking my head on the dresser as I tumble over my shoes.

Day 36

It's Thursday night. Day 35 of this project. It's about 1:00 a.m. I think to myself, with great delight as I settle into bed, "yes! I'm setting my alarm for 8:00 a.m. I finally get to sleep in!" And I'm very thankful.



Note the time on my phone. That is not 6:42 p.m. It is 6:42 A.M. Almost exactly 10 minutes earlier I received the most ridiculous text messages of my LIFE (ask me for the story, I won't share it on here), that kicked off the WORST day of the year. Correction. More like the worst 12-hour span of the year. I had a lot of fun on Friday night hanging out with a friend. Just those hours leading up to it were, as I've been describing it, a "soap opera." A crazy, ridiculous soap opera.

LAC Birthday!

All credit to this idea goes to my friend Erika B. It was on her most well-written blog where I saw her idea of writing blog posts about friends on their birthdays.

Today is my dear friend Laura.Anne's birthday! Per mentioned, I saw this idea done elsewhere, and I thought that it was great. I also thought a trip down memory lane, and a special blog post would be an excellent way to share some birthday love!

Where it all began....

My friendship with Laura.Anne began back when we were both sophomores in college, getting ready to go on our first mission trip to Ghana, West Africa. Yup, our first mission trip was to Africa. Why start local? On our trip I had so much fun hanging out with this sweet individual, and it was also here we began to notice "life-similarities." For instance, going to Africa for trip #1, Polish last names, Catholic backgrounds, and the same major of CHFD (amongst others).


How very thankful I am that we had the same major! We had major friendship time while going through the academic rigors of CHFD. One of my favorite memories from college was during our senior year and us having a 5:00-8:00 p.m. class with a, well, "unique individual" for an instructor. I don't even remember what the course was called. The monotony of this class was broken up through chatting through our computers, trying desperately to not laugh out loud because of said-chatting, and ending with going out to dinner after class. And sometimes dinner was just a piece of cake (literally), if the past three hours had been awful enough to warrant it.


My friend graduated a semester before me, and went back to her hometown. Accordingly, I made my first visits to Columbus, Georgia. My amazing friend purchased a home (less than a year out of college!) that is one of the brightest and cutest I've ever visited. She adopted two dogs, one of whom I've met, and the other I'm waiting to. I love visiting her; I'm really past due for a visit!


Oh, yeah. VERY important. She also got ENGAGED to this fine fellow and will be marrying him in September 2010. Yeah! And get ready for project 365's posts on September 24-25, which will be full of bridesmaid-fun and celebrating at their wedding!


She also visits me up in Athens, GA, where I'm still currently at. Mandatory elements of visits include visiting Helix and other fine downtown shopping locations and embracing Athens cuisine (which we're both huge fans of).


I'm so thankful for such a wonderful, precious friend!

Day 35

Real Simple, and Country Living. My favorite periodicals. After I finish reading an issue (usually twice) it gets "organized." I rip out recipes that I want to try, design ideas that I think are beautiful, tips that I find helpful, and anything else that catches my eye and organize them into a (rather larger) binder. I'm pretty behind on it right now (I have a lot of back issues to sort through), but I am excited about what the finish product will be.

Day 34

FunFebruary brings about theme nights on Wednesday, and this week's theme was "Bluegrass." I LOVE theme nights. I really like the excuse to dress-up. The biggest leap for me were the pigtails (I got my plaid shirt last year at the Gap and it's one of my faves so I'm not considering it a costume item). I didn't have a lot of time to get ready before Wesley because of a prior obligation, and it was definitely difficult trying to make decent looking ponytails in a hurry. In the pic are the women who are in the same group discipleship as me, that is led by Lindsay (end on R). I LOVE them! Group DT is definitely one of my top five favorite things about working at the Wesley Foundation.

Day 33

Barberitoes. I still remember my first experience there, and not being all that impressed. Five years later, and it's a different story. I don't think I've ever frequented a restaurant as much as I frequent this one--I go every Sunday after church, and usually once more during the week. True, when I go to much I'll suddenly develop an extreme aversion to it (that passes after a couple weeks). And occasionally when the stray green pepper makes it ways into my dish it's bad news. But other than that, no complaints here!

Day 32

I had a lot of things where I could have taken a picture at on the 31st...Barbs post church, a wedding shower, community group...oh well.

Day 32. Back to work. Macs are pretty popular there.

Day 30

January 30 was my lovely roommates birthday! In true birthday bracket style there was a pre-celebration, a day-of celebration, a post-day celebration, and there is still a celebration yet to come (which will probably be the source for the pic of the day). On the eve of her birthday I met her at the Suarez home to play the game Rummikub. I confess that when this game was first described to me I thought that it sounded, well...boring. Since playing though, I have to say that I could easily get obsessed. It was SO much fun! I highly recommend it!

Day 29

It's good to be home. Technically I got back to Athens on Thursday afternoon, but the day was kind of a blur between meetings, getting brake pads, and feeling so tired. Friday, I was on a quest to get back on my "routine"--work, gym, and of course, cook. I made a variation of Mary's vegetable soup and it is definitely one of my favorite things I've ever made. I really enjoyed making vegetable soup because I hate canned vegetable soups and almost anyone else's (except for Mary's, who inspired me to make this). The reason why being, that while vegetables are one of my favorite things, I'm really particular about how they are prepared. Tomatoes...one of my faves raw, one of my hates when cooked. DZ vegetable soup solution...puree the can of tomatoes. Check. Green beans...have hated for years (texture issue). Solution...french cut. Flavor plus no horrible texture. Check.