30 days ~ Day 30

Well, here it is my 30th day... I have really enjoyed posting a photo everyday, or shall I say almost everyday. I definitely have learned more about my camera during this time, and am very pleased that I have a collection of a month's worth of what we were doing during this time in our lives. It has also gotten me used to posting everyday, which for the most part I like, but there were times that I felt like I didn't want to have the obligation to. Either way, I think it has gotten me on the way to posting more often. As for 30 days of Self Portraits (Ashley's suggestion), I don't think I can do that at this point..but I will most definitely sneak a few of them in in the future, now that I got our tripod out of its dusty home in the garage. Thanks for taking the 30 day ride with us !

30 days ~ Day 29

I am close to being done with my tree project...it has taken and very, very, long time. I think I may still need to add more leaves, and more texture in the way of embroidery to the trunk. I suspect it will be another week or so before I'm done. It's going to be a version of a roman blind for Chloe and Blake's room.

30 days ~ Day 28

I couldn't go 30 days of photo's without showing you my very messy cutting table. Yes, heaps of stuff on it. It seems to pile up during projects until I finish, then there is the need to clean the space so I can begin a new project. Believe it or not, I have no problem working when it looks like this...but there is quite a bit of satisfaction once I have finished something, and then have a clean table, it goes hand in hand. I am near the end of my tree project, which is what has contributed to creating this heap, among other things. I will show you a photo of the progress tomorrow.

30 days ~ Day 27

The 3D glasses are quite a hit around here with the littles. Chloe and Blake have been sporting them regularly. We finally got outside after the rain stopped and the sun came out, for a scooter ride around the block, and they wore the glasses the whole time. Just this morning as Blake made his way out of bed, with sleepy eyes and a staggered walk into the kitchen, I looked down at him to see, you guessed it, the 3D glasses. He said he slept with them. There are more images of 3D love over on flickr.

30 days ~ Day 26

Went to see U23D with Chloe and our friend Anne. It was very cool, I highly recommend getting out to see it. I was not sure if Chloe would get into it, but she did pretty well. I guess in a way it was Chloe's first concert...(a 3D way)

The image I snapped was at the very end of the movie, the heart was beating, I couldn't resist grabbing the camera for it !

30 days ~ Day 25

Went to my favorite little Farmers Market yesterday. A place where I stop at least once a week, to pick up organic produce from some very nice people. They have a farm up in Valley Center and make a delivery Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. They are known for their organic citrus, and we savor the Valencia Oranges we bring home to make fresh orange juice with. If you look closely at the picture above, you will see the front door of this place. Its an old screen that makes that quick slamming noise after you walk in that reminds me of an old cottage. It's quite small inside and there is even a resident white fluffy kitty to greet us. Its comforting to be a regular there, its got that small town feel that I think our world lacks so much these days. Not to mention...it means we are buying and eating produce that has been grown and harvested very close to our home. It defines me as a Locavore, which if you haven't heard was Oxford's word of the year ! Check it out here.

30 days ~ Day 24

This is my favorite Library....

Rosie's Calico Cupboard, is a quilt shop a little less than 2 miles from my house. They have 6 huge rooms full of fabric, in every color, design, and texture you can imagine. This picture is taken in one of my favorite sections, the 1930's feed sacks reproductions.

Both Chloe and Blake know Rosie's as "The Fabric Store", and get dragged in there regularly. I remember fondly doing the same with my mother when I was a little girl, knowing I would be getting a new dress for Easter, or a new pair of pants to wear. I find myself echoing the words of my Mother when its time to go saying "come on, lets run down to the fabric store". At that time it was Minnesota Fabric's, and it was less than a mile away from our house. I used to look at all the buttons,and trims, those were my favorite as a child.

Since Rosie's is a quilt shop, I am almost always the only younger person with Children shopping there. I do try to go there without the kids, that way I can spend hours in there, but there are times when I just have to take one of both of them, when a project requires another fabric, or more thread or we just happen to be driving by. I have never felt any warm vibes from the Ladies that work there...maybe its because every time we go we have to ask for the Bathroom key because someone has to go "you know what" it's like clockwork ! I get the feeling that they resent me for bringing my children in to shop. I make a point to talk to Chloe and Blake before hand and ask them to keep their voices down and not to run...which they do. I often wonder, don't they remember what it was like when they were Mothers to young children ? Did they take their children into the fabric store like my Mother did, and did they get the feeling they were not welcomed by the staff and sometimes even the other patrons? I find it hard to believe they always left there children home.

I actually think it is a good experience for my kids to visit the store, and they like it. They have a large trunk full of buttons where Chloe and Blake spend a lot of time. You should have seen those ladies faces the time the kids pick out a cup of buttons each to take home. Both of them took turns dropping them all over the floor while we were in line to pay. If it was not for the fact that Rosie's has the best selection of fabrics I can get a hold of lately, I think might stay away from there. I stopped by recently on my own one Sunday, and there was a Mother my age with her two young girls picking out fabric for new dresses. The girls were involved in the process, and I just wanted to hug that Mama...of course I held back, but I made sure to talk with her and her daughters about there dresses and the fabric.



In about 25 years or so...I will have this post to remind me of what these trips to this particular fabric store were like....

P.S. I know I just cheated on the One picture a day rule I made...but I could not tell you this story without showing you the button treasure chest ! Good thing I made the rules.

30 days ~ Day 23

Its been rainy here, which makes for gray days, with a bit of chill in the air. It's a perfect time to sport the scarves my Mother made for us. This image is one of my firsts self portraits, at least one that I somewhat like. It does a good job of representing how I feel when I constantly have to drive around everyday. On the bright side though, at least I have a car, and have a choice of where to send my children to school, and have a handmade scarf to take me there, that I am thankful for !

30 days ~ Day 22

A close-up of one of my favorite flowers, Osteospermum, or African Daisy. Not to be confused with Osteoporosis, which is what I always think of when I see this flower...me and my faulty memory. This is a great plant to have in your garden, it is really considered a shrub, the plant gets bigger and bigger every year, and it blooms only in the spring. It is really very easy to care for, and it comes in a variety of different colors that are equally stunning.

30 days ~ Day 21

We had our good friends Kellie and Phillip over for dinner last night...and as usual whoever is visiting at bedtime has the pleasure of reading to Chloe and Blake. I snapped this image while they were reading from one of our favorite books written back in the 70's by Roger Hargreaves, Mr. Mischief. I have started collecting the series for the kids...I remember reading these books to my little brother back when I was around 10 years old. I think my favorite one is Mr. Happy. I highly recommend getting some of these books, the kids just love them, and they are really a delight for parents to read to... On the back of each book is a picture of the other Mr. Men and Little Miss's...so we always spend time looking at them to figure out which one we should get next.

We just purchased Photoshop CS2, and for the first time I played around with it, to color in Mr. Mischief. Its not the best edit..I found it a bit hard to stay steady with the brush stroke, but it was very fun ! So, now I have to properly learn the program, more online learning for me, from lynda.com

P.S. For you crafter's out there, the pillow behind Chloe is something I made for her last year for Valentines day..Its pink, with a hot pink heart appliqué, along with an iron on heart. This was the first pillow I ever made...and its soft and fuzzy fleece.

30 days ~ Day 20

1. Day 20, 2. Strummin
We bought Blake a Ukulele for his Birthday...along with some harmonica's. Chloe has really taken to the Ukulele, so we are slowly learning a few cords, and discovering how hard it is to press and hold your fingertips on the strings. Ouch...it hurts. We went to the Music store and picked up a basic cord book, and a song book. Chloe was strumming and looking at the music, believing she was reading it and making a song. I love how she just go's for it. Blake is just into strumming, then running away and blowing on his harmonica... Now, if only we could acquire a free piano...

30 days ~ Day 19

We were back at Skate World again, this time for a Birthday Party! We (the party that is) had the place all to ourselves. Chloe improved her skating skills, and I had a chance to re-live my teenage years ! The last thing the kids did was play the claw game shown above. This time it was to win candy...and most of the kids had success, which was nice to see because those games usually just rip you off !!

30 days ~ Day 18

Valentine Cookies...

We made cookies for Chloe's Valentine Celebration at school. Chloe was yet again a busy worker bee on this one. It started with mixing all the ingredients...Blake was in on that step, then rolling out the dough, cutting they tiny heart shapes, putting them on the tray, adding the sprinkles and in to the over they went ! We wanted to make the cookies a pink or red color, so we used a natural food coloring that indicated the color would come out strawberry...well, it turned out to be a blah blah purple...we laughed about it, and ended up thinking it was not so bad once the red sprinkles topped them. They turned out to be yummy and we have a ton of them left.

When we got home from school, I found this e-card from Alan in my mailbox...I was cracking up. (P.S. When you click on the e-card it will skip a bit, just wait it out for a few seconds.) Enjoy !

30 days ~ Day 17

This is our cat Eddie...she really likes to sleep in baskets! I interrupted her snooze with the camera...she popped up her head..and this is the shot I got...

30 days ~ Day 16

Home sick from School...

Chloe just loves school...but she tends to catch colds and flu's very easily. We have had our share this past month of all of them...and let me tell ya, once one of us gets it, eventually we all do. I actually thought we would be on the mend after the last round, which kept Chloe out of school for nearly a week, (only 2 weeks ago), but Monday, she came home just feeling terrible, I won't go into detail...but this time, I am not entirely sure she didn't get some sort of food poisoning... Either way..as you Mothers and Fathers reading this know...it is really nerve racking when our littles fall ill. I feel like trying to keep them healthy, not to mention keeping myself healthy is a battle I can never win...just when I think I've got a handle on things...those nasty virus's attack !

30 days ~ Day 15

Valentine Cards...

I helped Chloe put together her Valentine Cards this weekend. We looked through a few craft blogs for ideas, and Chloe choose Patchwork Fabric Hearts (#4) from Kids Craft Weekly. She choose these cute fabrics from my scraps stash. It was a very enjoyable morning for all of us...even Blake got in on the action. There is really a nice opportunity for learning while making cards for your loved one's and classmates. Chloe got a thrill out of checking off each friend from the Class list we have, and counting how many hearts we had to trace, and how many sheets of card stock we needed to glue fabric on to get to 20 total...and of course there were some extras made for very special valentines!

I am on the email list for Kids Craft Weekly, although, its more like a monthly email. Chloe, Blake and I like to look over what kinds of projects they do, sometimes we go for it...sometimes not, but either way its fun, and makes for a good way to spend some time together. It's nice to share the love of making things with my children...

30 days ~ Day 14

Santa brought Chloe and Blake bow & arrow sets. He actually forgot to load them on his sleigh for a Christmas Eve delivery, so he had them sent Federal Express a few days later. I ended up saving them in the Garage until just the right time...this past weekend was it ! They must have spent the whole day running around the yard shooting their arrows, it was great fun for them, Daddy even made a target for them...as the weekend went on, they quickly became experts.

Now, all they need is the whole Native American costume to go with them ! This would be nice to. The costumes have been added to my very long project list.

30 days ~ Day 13

Saturday morning play.....

I just love Saturday mornings...we can be stay in bed and read, have tickle time, make pancakes, eggs, and slowly sip our tea. What I think I love the most though, is how Chloe and Blake play together. I think they really miss each other during the week, so they just jump right into after breakfast. After I cleaned the kitchen this morning, I found them playing with Barbie, G.I. Joe (seen here sporting Barbie's hot pink vest) and Ken(as Prince Dominick). A friend of mine brought Blake this cool Jeep, along with Joe, in a full on Army Uniform, complete with a shovel. (She left the gun out, per my request) We told Blake he was a Gardner. I know I can't keep him from guns and such...but I am trying for now. Anyhow, she found this treasure at the Salvation Army. This makes for great play, because you can pile the Motley Crew in and go ! You can see a few more of the fun in my images on flickr.

30 days ~ Day 12

I received the Volume 6 issue of Craft Magazine at my doorstep this week. I thought they were just an online magazine, but it looks like they are doing print to. It is full, I mean full, of so many creative ideas, that it would take me a year to try each one. I was thumbing through and found out that they featured the Prairie Girl Apron Contest I was a winner in, pretty cool ! Then I realized, that's why I got a copy.
Thanks Craft ! I am definitely going to get a subscription. If you are looking for some daily inspiration...check out their blog on their website.

30 days ~ Day 11

Blake(left)and his little friend Jasper, at Miss Olivia's(Preschool) working hard to make some mud pie's. This is a part of Miss O's that I just love. Her backyard is set up for some much creative outdoor, messy, muddy play. Chloe spent many days at this bench as well. The sun was shining and it was really a beautiful morning.

30 days ~ Day 10

Our very Green front lawn. This would be a result of new grass seed and lots of rain. I know it won't last like this for long, because we are not into using so much water on our grass, we try to save it for the Gardens. It is really this color to...I didn't even edit this image. I was playing with Aperture, really the only thing I think I understand. My camera will go from F2.8 to F8.O. So this was at F2.8. I also learned that if I keep my ISO down to 50 or 100, (this was at 100) my camera gives me a red warning that it is shaking. I need to start using my tripod or setting it on something steady...that might be more than I am willing to do at this moment...

I thought after getting to know my camera better, my images would be better, but actually they seem worse....(you should see the other 12). I am overwhelmed...time to purchase some books on the subject ! The bliss of not knowing a thing, which is really the idea behind the point and shot camera...was kind of comforting...

30 days ~ Day 9

I'm back ! Our technical difficulties with I-Photo and Networking were solved by the Cry Wolf Dude. It took the guy almost 2 hours, but after he was done doing his job, we agreed that it was money well spent !

So, I now have my own working log-in (Do you like my screen-saver?) and I can use I-photo on the laptop, plus Alan can get to it on his log in as well. The only bummer is that I lost quite a few days of images and video's from last week, some of those I can retake the shots, but Blake's Birthday party is gone forever...bummer.

I got hit with a nasty head cold this weekend...actually we have all had it, Alan and I were the last to be attacked by it.... Anyhow, it forced me to be in bed most of the time, so I finally had time to read my Canon Power Shot S80 Advanced User's Guide. I guess its about time, seeing that I've owned this camera for almost 2 years! Now I know what all the buttons and settings can do...man its pretty complicated ! I am really such a novice at all of this photography business, but I am hoping that I can really grasp all of the available options and put them to work. ISO, Aperture, Shutter Speed, White Balance,they are starting to make sense, but I do have a long way to go...which is why I choose to do 30 days of images, that way, I can actually try out what I am learning. I have also been spending a bit of time on lynda.com, learning basic digital photography principles. I highly recommend a subscription, they have a huge amount of online courses that are video tutorials...great for the visual learner, like me !