Project 365 Day 31

I am not usually a fan of televised sporting events, but this weekend marked the start of the Tournament of Hearts.  Both dh and I have watched and played curling for many years.  Although I don't play these days dh still plays two nights a week and we both enjoy watching games together.  Here is a shot of the Rings.  I love the vibrant colors and the four hearts in the center.  I actually photographed the game on tv as we were nowhere near an actual set of rings.

I actually photographed the game on tv as we were nowhere near an actual set of rings.  It took a few shots to figure out the settings, but it's not too bad I think.

Have a great day!

Layouts for January

As months do not always break themselves easily into Monday - Friday, I will have some overlaps.  Jan 31 will be in a February layout.  Oh well...

Here are my layouts for January

 

The following designers from Gotta Pixel created products used in these layouts:  Connie Prince, Colie's Corner, Simply Scraps and Captivated Visions. Some elements were also created by Gwennipooh and Tracy Ladle

Have a great day!

Project 365 Day 30

"Just one more Mommy..."

This is a refrain heard almost daily at our house.  Since she was an infant, we have read to our daughter before bedtime.  It is a ritual we all love.  Usually Mommy and Daddy take turns doing the reading, but every now and then we all pile on to her bed and read together.  Story time is one of my favorite parts of each day.

Today, I asked dd to identify some of her favorite story books.  These are the ones she chose:

Alligator Baby - Robert Munsch
 - Anything by Robert Munsch is a favorite in this house

Ten Little Fish - Audrey and Bruce Wood
 - A cute little story that helps practise counting backwards from ten.  Fabulous colors in the illustrations.

A Color of His Own - Leo Lionni
- Just beautiful - A simple story about fitting in and making friends.  Wonderful illustrations.

Pinkalicious - Victoria and Elizabeth Kann
- What girl doesn't like pink?  Is it possible to have too much pink?  Read it to find out.

Curious George Rides a Bike - H. A. Rey
 - This mischievious little monkey is a classic favorite.  Dd also loves his tv show on PBS.

Happy Reading to all of you!

Project 365 Day 29

It has been raining here for a couple of days and the snow has taken quite a hit.  The kids on the street have been cooped up inside and couldn't wait to get out.  My dd had her best friend over for a playdate and three of her friends from the street came to ask them to play outside.  I decided to take them all to the park where it was easy for me to supervise and there was lots of opportunity for fun for them.   On the way there, they climbed every snow pile and then slid down the opposite side. At the park, they played and played and played...and played and played and had a great afternoon. About half way home, two of them crashed and said they couldn't go any further...the other three immediately followed suit. They were so cute and so exhausted I had to smile... and take a pic, of course.

I call this:  Too pooped to play...

Have a great day!

Project 365 Day 28

Poppy and his #1 Princess...

I had a dental appointment this afternoon, so Poppy came out to babysit.  I came home to a house full of laughter as they played a game they created themselves using Tinkertoys.  I snapped these pics as they were snacking on blueberries after the game.  I think they both had a great time.

Have a great day!

Project 365 Day 27

Here is my favorite stuffie from childhood. Though you may not immediately recognize him without his mane, this is a Lion hand made lovingly by my Mom when I was small. He came with me everywhere for many years and is bearing a few scars but I still love him and cannot bear to part with him.

My daughter also has a favorite stuffie, 2 identical ones in fact. Now that I have taken Lion from his storage space I think I'll do a page of hers and mine together. I appreciate the ideas and the "sentiments" the prompts from gotta pixel make me explore.

Have a great day!

Project 365 Day 26

Today's prompt from gotta pixel was all about "the sillies".  No problems here.  Sometimes I think the sillies live permanently in our house.  Here is my dd making gummy bear teeth!  She can also do the same trick with cheesies.  I am constantly amazed by her talents!

Have a great day!

Project 365 Day 25

What a day we had today.  Beautiful weather:  cold, but clear and sunny with NO wind!  Woo Hoo!  As soon as dd came home from school, we gobbled our lunch put on our warmest clothes and headed to the park for an afternoon of fun.  Santa brought her a new sliding tube for Christmas and today was the day to try it out. 

We had great fun on the hill and in the playground.  Here is the pic I selected for Day 25.  I love her expression and her position.  She was having lots of fun and goofing around.  This shot really captured the memory for me.

The sliding was fabulous.  The snow was hard packed and fast.  Perhaps a bit too fast.  On her first trip down the hill, dd ended up in the trees going up the opposite hill!  She did brave another couple of runs on her own, but after a couple of "tree encounters"  chose to ride partners with me.  It slowed us down only a fraction. 

I had to include just a few of those pics here as well.

On the way to the hill...

Hurry up Mom, we're almost there...

THE HILL!!!!  Dd is on the tube at the far left.  Her very first totally independent tube slide...

Close encounters of the tree'd kind...hehehe

Taking a rest...

Come on Mom, it's time to go home...I'm driving...

What a wonderful afternoon.
Wishing you a great day...

Project 365 Day 24

Yesterday, Nanny and Poppy called and invited us to supper!  Yay!  Of course we said yes.  Dd sure does keep Nanny on her toes with follow the leader and hide and seek.  I got some pics to scan for my heritage album and dh and Poppy got to watch some curling and football.  All in all, an enjoyable way to finish the weekend.

Have a great day!

Project 365 Day 23

I took a ton of these this morning as dd was playing dress up and found her makeup from the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Disney in August.  How could I resist capturing this face?  I couldn't.

I love viewing photos. It's like opening presents and discovering exactly what you wished for inside the package.  This time, she was watching the pictures with me and her reaction was priceless...

DD :  "What's that: red spots on my face?"
Doting Mommy:  "Bwahaahaa!"

She then ran to look in the mirror and called back to me...'I didn't make my cheeks very round did I Mom?'

Have a great day!

Project 365 Day 22

Life's little addictions...

One of mine is my coffee in the morning.  Though I don't have one everyday, I do have one almost everyday.  My craving is satisfied by a large double double from Tim's.  Yes - two cream and two sugar.  I usually have it in my favorite thermos mug, not paper, and savour it all morning.

Have a great day!

Project 365 Day 21

Snow storm today!  All schools are closed and dd is home and stuck indoors.  Dress up play is the order of the day.  She has many different costumes, but these shoes are among her favorites.  Every princess should have glass slippers...

Have a great day.

Project 365 Day 20

What a beautiful day it was today!  We had a light dusting of snow overnight and woke up to a beautiful sunny day and a ground covered in white.  Dd could not wait to get out to play in it.

Here is the evidence!  Day 20...

Here is the play!

Have a great day.

Project 365 Day 19

These are my own hands.


It's not actually easy to take a photo of your own hands.  Final result:  camera on tripod, flash angled a little, me hugging tripod to get hands in a fairly natural looking position.  LOL!


Here are my hands. I love them and all that I can do with them. They remind me of my Mom's hands and my Nan's hands.  They work hard for me and for my family. 

One thing I do for myself and for no one else is to have my nails manicured once a month and a gel overlay applied to them. It makes them durable and they usually look great with no fuss. The hour it takes is spent gabbing with a sweet girl and is relaxing and fun.

Something just for me...pampered nails...

Have a great day.

Project 365 Day 18

A thought...

The above prompt for today came from gotta pixel's Stacy who wanted to take a photo of her grandfather for today's pic.  Unfortunately, I no longer have my grandparents.  So I went looking for a photo of them.  I found several shots of them as individuals or as couples, or group shots with other family members, all of which bring back many fun and happy memories.  The one I chose includes only my grandparents and myself.  I did not take this picture - I'm the one in the little white outfit.  It's my christening day many years ago.

Thanks to Stacy for making me look for and find this little treasure for today's picture.  I thought about cropping the photo and of trying to restore some of the lost color, but in the end I decided to use it just as it is.  I love the old blue sofa, the dresses, the hairstyles, the eyeglasses and the shoes.   My Dad's parents are on the left and my Mom's are on the right.   I'm very happy to have this photo.

Have a great day.

Project 365 Day 17

Dd and dh have been going skating on Sunday afternoons.  Dd is becoming more confident on the ice and her balance is improving.  We are proud of her and she is proud of herself.  She enjoys skating by herself using her "net" or going around the rink holding hands with Mommy and Daddy as a "family skate". 

"I think I can...I think I can...I think I can..."

Have a great day!

Project 365 Day 16

Cousin's night - Fondue Fun!

Dh has a fun family and we are fortunate to have many of them still close to home.  Every few months,  those of us who are available get together and have a great laugh.  Saturday was our turn to host.  We did fondue night with cheese fondue to start, Chinese fondue for the main course and chocolate and rum fondue for dessert.  It took us almost 4 hours to eat the meal and it was delicious.

Have a great day!

Project 365 Day 15

Today's prompt at gotta pixel referred to kindness.  My sweet hubby is the perfect example of this.  I had a few errands to run today, but wasn't feeling great.  He kindly volunteered to do the errands on his way home from work.  What a great guy.  What a great smile! 

Have an enjoyable day!

Project 365 Day 14

"Treasured Junk"

This is not a photo of junk, even though I have lots of that, hehehe. I took my inspiration from the statement "things you have held up with every intention of fixing soon"

We are a family of 3 people. Can you believe how much stuff hangs in our front porch!? The worst part is my husband is very tidy and only ever has one coat at a time out of the closet (about 3 steps from the porch). He was at work when I took this pic.

That means the mess you are looking at is only that of myself and my daughter. I keep saying I'm going to fix the junky look of the porch and keep more things in the closet...but...oh well, perhaps another day.

Have a good day.

Project 365 Day 13

Here is my "that's not good".  About 7 years ago, I bought a timex ironman watch because it had a countdown timer.  It quickly became my favorite watch.  It was comfortable, had 2 alarms, multiple time zones, could be worn in the swimming pool and operated easily with mittens on in the winter. 

Over time, the battery needed replacement, the face was scratched, I had to use a hair elastic to keep the strap from flapping around.  None of that mattered because I loved the watch.  It became a part of me.  Last fall, the strap broke...boo hoo.  I could not find a replacement strap...boo hoo hoo. 

The good news is ... I got a whole new watch shiny and scratch free.  Dh found an updated version of my fave watch.  It's just great!  I love it and him!

Have a great day! (even if it is the 13th!)

Photography Course with Nate Gates

I'm so excited.  I just signed up for my first real photography classes.  Nate Gates captured the photos for my sister-in-law's wedding and did an outstanding job.  He is offering a beginner photo course and I'm in!  I can't wait.

If you want to see some beautiful photos, check out Nate Gates blog site.

Project 365 Day 12

What a treat!

My best friend got an unexpected afternoon off from work and invited me to go out to lunch.  Woo hoo!  We try to get together once a week, but her husband has been working out of the province for most of the fall and we have not been able to get out as often as we sometimes do. 

Lunch was great, but the real treat was the dessert - Chocolate Eruption - Yummy!

Hoping you have a great day!

Project 365 Day 11

Now that was fun...

If you have a child between 2 and 5 I recommend you get your family Candyland.  My little girl has loved this game for years.  We played twice this morning, she won both times.

Here's hoping you have some fun today too!
Have a great day.

Project 365 Day 10

Here is my sweet dh, the love of my life.  Isn't he cute!?  I am introducing him to you all as a result of today's prompt from gotta pixel.  This shot was taken with a new lens I recently purchased and expect to use frequently.  I love the blurred effect in the background.

Have a great day!

Project 365 Day 9

Today, we were challenged to take a pic of something out and about using our cell phone camera.  I have a cell phone, but it is very basic - no camera. That said, I carry my tiny Canon SD1000 almost everywhere - just in case.  That's the one I used for today's pic.

We have had very little snow this winter, but are having a storm today. I went out to a friend's baby shower and captured the driving conditions on the way home. YUCKY!

If you have to go out, drive safely.
Have a great day!

Project 365 Day 8

Laughter...one word says it all.

Have a great day!

Project 365 Day 7

Yummy!

Ever tried nutella?  It is a wonderful chocolate and hazelnut spread.  I first discovered this little treat during a university semester in Saint Pierre et Miquelon. 

As chocolate for breakfast is not the model I want to set for my family, I don't eat nutella very often.  That said Santa put a jar in my stocking this year and I am savouring every delicious bite.  If you've never tried it you should.

Have a great day!

Project 365 Day 6

This is not "where I live", but it is where I spend a great deal of my "ME" time. It may only be a few minutes a day, but it's comfortable, close to the heart of my home and keeps me sane. This is where I digiscrap and do my online activities. My daughter did not want to miss out on Mommy's new project and wanted to be part of the picture. I could not and did not want to refuse.  She is my best subject to photograph.

The photos on the side table are among my favorite shots of her.  Unfortunately, I cannot claim credit for them.  Maurice Fitzgerald of Carter.Fitgerald Photography took them for us.  He does lovely photos for families.

Have a great day.

Project 365 Day 5

Something unique...

Today, I took pics of a china tea set my daughter received for Christmas.  It came with a set of ceramic paints she used to decorate the pieces.  I am so happy she is not afraid of color.  I think they are beautiful and she loves them. Every piece is a unique work of art.

Have a great day.

Project 365 Day 4

Today's prompt from gottapixel was to take a self portrait.  For me this was a difficult task.  I also found it interesting to read the day 4 thread and to recognize that most of the other participants either expressed regret at the way they looked or their hairdo etc...  Do we ever grow up and beyond these insecurities?

In any case, here is my picture of me, posed and uncomfortable.

I will do this again, perhaps once a month.  Perhaps a little more relaxed next time:)  This would be an interesting subset of my 365.

Have a great day.

Project 365 Day 3

Today was miserable and wet outside.  Thank heavens for technology.  Dh and dd spent a good bit of the afternoon playing on the Wii system Nanny and Poppy gave us for Christmas.  This photo captures how much she enjoyed playing.  She was totally caught up in the game - bowling, I think.

Not my chosen picture for today, but here is the view from my spare bedroom window.  Yuck!!!  Hopefully tomorrow will be brighter :)

Project 365 day 2

Several of the team at Gotta Pixel have set up a forum giving a daily prompt for this project.  I really liked today's prompt:  Toys:  yours and theirs.

Lego blocks should be a part of every child's creative journey.  Both my husband and I loved them and now our daughter has picked up the lego bug.  Here is a peek into her box of blocks.

Project 365 day 1

Nothing beats New Year's Eve at the cabin!  Campfire with marshmallows, fireworks and sliding on the front lawn!  Welcome to the new year.  This pic, the first of my project 365 was taken from the front deck this morning - a crisp clear New Year's Day 2010.