It’s a new year!

Time to challenge myself a little bit.

Been letting some things slide lately.

Blogging is one.

Photography another.

Spending far too much time on Facebook.

So this seemed perfect….

http://projectlife365.com/blog/

It’s a daily photo challenge.

Today’s challenge – Still life

I have missed a few days.

So tonight I grabbed my camera and just snapped a few things that were striking my fancy right now.

Two more additions to the snowman collection. This is a Mr. and Mrs. that were a gift from Sir Fartsalot this year. I love them and they make me smile. Ergo, they make the cut for my first blog post of the year!

Picked this guy up for next to nothing at a warehouse sale. He is supposed to be a bank. But I have him sitting on the window sill, so every morning he greets me and makes me smile. Once again, he makes the cut!

Went down to the wine shelf tonight to treat myself before “healthy eating armageddon” hit tomorrow….I smiled to myself when I came upon a bottle we had gotten nearly two years ago, at Lake Seneca, on our anniversary trip. It made me smile, and seemed very fitting to open, since we are now planning and working on returning this year. Happens that I am googling some things this very night. The thought makes me happy, so made the cut as well.

This simply documents my every day. But, as much as you don’t want to believe it, makes me smile. (See a trend here?) I adore nice orderly piles, neatly folded, fresh warm laundry. Not only does it mean my family is clothed and warm, but I do enjoy the repetition and familiarity of the folding process. To me it is very relaxing and a very zen process.

Just in the past few months, I took a class and learned how to make this yummy fresh bread. Guess what? Yup! It makes me smile. My family ADORES it, looks for it, and I love that I am making them something fresh, and healthy (well as healthy as white bread can get). I know what is in it, I know how old it is, and it won’t keep on the counter for three months. I plan on exploring different varieties and additions to widen my horizons. The biggest caveat – it’s SO easy.

Shhhhh…don’t tell. Dude in true fashion of always surprising me, has decided once again to take up his guitar. Want to know why? Shhh…don’t tell him I told you. He discovered he can learn how to play *their* song, if you know what I mean. It is only five cords apparently. I asked why he was still using this fartosmall guitar – turns out two reasons. One, his larger guitar is broken.  Two, he said he prefers this one anyway. This one was his uncles. He gifted it to him years ago when he first decided to try the guitar. Dude says, “it means more to me, so I like to use it” – who is this boy, where did he come from? Some days it is hard to believe he is mine!

So, that is today’s challenge. A small glimpse at the “still life” around my house right now.  Didn’t really make an resolutions this year. Just to continue to be a better person, as I have been working all in the last year. Continuing to love myself more and put myself first more often. One challenge for myself this year, is to return to a bit more creativity. Time will tell I suppose!

Move-in Day!!

So, someday I may have to go back and fill in the blanks between the first day of vacation, and this week! Things such as a huge birthday, extremely ill dog, and just general craziness that is our life.

It seems one day we were at graduation, the next week we were doing this!!!

Warning, photo bomb for Neena and Pappa!

Thursday night, there was no more ignoring it. “Reality” showed up on the living room floor. Time to get ready for Princess Textsalot to leave for the next wonderful phase of her life.

A tad overwhelming, no?

Remember the blanket she asked me to make for her to take to college? I got it done! With minutes to spare but done! It is perfectly imperfect, but she loves it, and that is what matters.

Who knew all those years of packing to go to the beach were  just training for fitting a freshman girl’s dorm supplies into the truck!  Sir Fartsalot is one pro packer, that is for certain!

Barely enough room for her, and we had to leave the Dude home!!  Poor Zoey also needed to be babysat, and he did an awesome job!

There was an awful lot of complaining about things about to fall on her, and tons of chatter the entire drive.

Me: “You haven’t stopped talking. Are you nervous?”

K: “No” – <giggle>

This is when we always start to get exited. Today was even more so!

Yeah. We just pulled up, dumped her stuff on the curb, and raced away laughing!!

PS – our pile was not the largest. There were PICK UPS full of crap!! Wow!

Yeah, didn’t think anyone would believe that one! The “process” was getting everything out, parking the car, and then attempting to get all of that stuff across the yard and up three flights of steps!  But we did it!

K’s Korner for the next 9 months. And the blanket fits perfectly!

It will never look this way again!!

The desk which most likely will never be utilized! That is what laptop desks and beds are for!

Can you imagine K’s response to discover her dorm hallway was covered in Disney Princess décor and posters!? Rapunzel will fit right in! Her one roommate also had a large Rapunzel poster!

 

The other end of the bed, facing the other half of the room. She is in a quad, meaning four beds. So there is a bit more “middle of the room” space. There are four square mobile closets in the center that divide the room a bit, and this is the second window (not centered or balanced on the wall with the other window at all which was driving me insane! – anyone who knows me just knows.)

Minus the tv, until Daddy has a job in Harrisburg this week. It just wouldn’t fit in the car!

Home Sweet Home Away from Home for awhile.

Didn’t I just move into my dorm just a few years ago!?! Where did the time go!?!

I believe she is the first Fish-family member to go to college.

She is so excited, and was having such a great time.

 

This is a small pond between her dorm and the “big” pond. I love this campus. Just give me a book and a tree, and I would be a happy camper for a very long time. And did I not get a text yesterday, from her – sitting by the pond on a break – telling me the fish needed food and I had to remember to bring some. She is not my kid at all, nope, not a bit. ;P She’d never admit it!!

This is the “real” pond. Huge koi, and two swans – Miller and S’ville, who have resided here for decades. This is pretty much the center of campus.

Darn those suckers are HUGE!

And, this is how we left her.

Happy, excited, ready to go.

How could a mom be sad!?

We did it the right way.

They had a meeting to get to, we had popped in the school store for the obligatory MU purchases, and they were in a hurry. So we simply hugged, said, “see you later, love you” and walked away.

No drama, no escorting us to the front door.

No tears. Only a happy, full , proud heart.

Wishing you the world, dear girl!! Praying you make the most of the opportunity given to you, have some fun, make friends and maybe learn something!

Love you!

Vacation!

Warning the next few posts are going to be absolute photo bombs for vacation pictures!

Timing due to a variety of schedules, including my time off request at work,  meant an early vacation for us this year. We much prefer an end of the summer trip, but someone will not be home at the end of the summer, and we had to plan accordingly. As well as, not knowing for sure when orientations and such would be scheduled, we opted to get it out early to be sure we were ok. 

We opted for a special “treat” this year to celebrate, Princess Textsalot graduation, and 18th birthday, as well as my graduating grad school. We banged our heads together, came up with some options ,and the birthday girl decided “something we haven’t done before” was in order – so a cruise it was.

I had the dates messed up and thought we were cruising Saturday to Saturday, and planned an overnight when we got back in Baltimore at the aquarium and such, to pull every day possible out of the week off. Once I determined our travel window, I left the rest up to Sir Fartsalot. I have learned over the years, that he is choosey about travelling, and when he is in control, he feels much better about it, and less inclined to complain if something is not “just so” – he informed me just a few weeks before that we were indeed cruising Sunday to Sunday. Oopss.

Turns out it worked tremendously in our favor. We simply added the over night in Baltimore to the front of our trip, and it meant we did not have to travel the morning we were going to embark.

So Day 1 of our trip , was actually in Baltimore. Sir Fartsalot treated us to a room right on the harbor, so once we parked we walked, which was great.

Instead of the aquarium, we opted for the American Visionary Art Museum, on the other side of the harbor.

 

This was a huge “weather vane” standing three stories tall outside the entrance.

No photos were allowed indoors…so I settled for some of the outdoor displays.

This is a school bus covered completely by mosaic mirrored tiles and ceramic tiles. It really was quite interesting.

This picture also shows the mosaic wall on the outside of the building, and this um, “woman” was on the light pole.

 

These guys were constructed from old fashioned repurposed lamp posts.

Everything in the museum used some interesting mediums to create “art” – some of which Princess Textsalot insisted were NOT art, just junk – and to her credit, yes , some was just piles of junk – literally glued together – but in such an interesting way and with some of the most interesting pieces. Toothpicks, bottle caps, yarn – you name it.

This was a giant bird out side between two of the buildings, constructed from scrap metal with a body shaped like a violin. The “nest” is the second floor balcony.

 

Baby bird.

There was also a garden between the buildings…..the heads were water falls, and lots of carved wooden animals.

As well as “milkcan pigs” guarding the bike rack.

We then retreated to out hotel, and because they were out of the cots in the hotel and we were “guaranteed” a cot – no one can sleep with The Dude – we were given a second room, free! Score!!

Mom and Dad’s room!! Niiiice.

The view from our “balcony” – 6 inch deep railing…but we could open the door and stand, so technically a “balcony” I suppose. I did not pack my sneakers in my over night bag and was kicking myself in the nice crisp morning when I could have walked/jogged around the harbor.

The lobby was open, very nice.

View from the kid’s room – this is the back of the aquarium.

We spent the evening shopping – since my kids do not have enough clothing for an entire week of vacation, we needed to pick up a few things, plus we bought Sir Fartsalot some t-shirts, and had a great dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company at the teenager’s request.

(insert phone pictures here – someday!) Teeeheee

It was SO nice to wake up in the morning, spy the fin of the cruise ship across the harbor (on the other side of Fort McHenry) and just hop in the car and head over. No sweat, no traffic jams, no worries.

Home away from home for the next week!! Ironically without knowing it, we were on the starboard side of the ship and our cabins were actually behind the kids in this photo!

In less than 15 minutes we were parked and boarded!!

Stay tuned…….

Hi Neena and Pappa, we love you and miss you!