Photo Days 9-12

It's been all about art in my house lately.  I love impressionist art and it is what has been hanging on every wall of my homes for at least 15 years.  I still love it but I decided I wanted to update, refresh and reflect my personality today.  I also used the opportunity to declutter some things in my living room and move around other things.  I will probably end up posting a big reveal once it's all done.

Day 9:



Black and white tree prints by an artist from South Portland


Day 10:

This came in the mail.  Address directly to me, not just "resident".  Hmmmm.... prenatal vitamins..thanks.

Day 11:

Two small, whimsical prints by an artist from Brunswick

Day 12:



Even though I've mostly given up soda there are days where this is all that gets me though the work day...all that gets me through!






Days 5-8

It's been a great weekend and a bit of a relief to only have to post one picture per day instead of trying to think of an entire clever post.

Day 5:



It was time to trade the summer bag for this...






Day 6:

He can be so cute!

Day 7:

Roost ladies making smoothies and juice

Day 8:

I am loving the gym!

Photo Days 2-4

So, one thing that I've been finding hard with taking a picture a day is not that it's hard to find a subject.  It's hard when you know you are going to have to post that picture and it will likely be meaningless to the person viewing.  But I'm taking a stab at it anyway!  I think it would be wise though to have a brief caption accompany each photo.  

Day 2:

Sunscreen Application Fail!

Day 3:

New additions to the wall space in my office nook commemorating my summer concert series

Day 4:

Although my brain refuses to believe fall is coming my heart wanted mac and "cheez"

30 Days...

I started thinking about ways I could shake things up in my blog world.  I have thought about doing one of those 30 day blog challenges where you have a topic every day and specifically blog about that one thing.  This sounded like a great idea at first.  I even took a picture of the challenge list so that I could have it with me to keep me on track for what my challenge was.  The only problem was that day one made me want to poke my eyes out with a fork.  It sounds simple and innocent enough " A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was". Really?  Could I be any more lame than posting a picture of my sweaty Sunday self after I've spent the day working outside. 

I needed a new idea. About 3 years ago I read about a movement called Project 365.  The idea is that life moves so fast and wouldn't it be great to be able to look back at the end of the year at simple snapshots of something, one thing that happened each day.  I had started to try this and I really enjoyed it.  I remember getting excited about the possibilities of what would end up as that day's picture. The problem was that I tend to have commitment issues and there was no way I could do 365 days.  Well, I'm going to take a stab at it again for only 30 days.

My self imposed rules are simple. One picture for each day posted with no explanation.  I probably won't post every day but each blog post will clearly state "Photo Day 5" etc.  That's it.  Nothing too wild or crazy but I like the freedom and the sense of what will I take on day 5 is open instead of the blog challenge that dictated that day 5 should be a photo of myself 2 years ago.  Again, I say...really?

So, I will get things started with the picture I took of the blog challenge that started it all!

Project Photo 365 30...Day 1:



2012 Books...So Far

At the beginning of the year I decided to keep track of the books that I read.  The first month I expected that I would read 1 and maybe started in on a second.  That first month I believe I read 4 or 5 books!  I wasn't trying to read more because I was keeping track.  It's just how it transpired.  The list below are the books I have completed to date.  This doesn't include a handful of books that I started but was unable to finish.  It also doesn't include a bunch of non-fiction cookbook and reference type books. I'm headed to the library today to pick up my hold copy of Wild by Cheryl Stayed.

The Girl She Used To Be
While I'm Falling
Dolores Claiborne
Beatrice and Virgil
Made For You and Me
Pretty In Plaid
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
The Help
Life Would Be Perfect...
My Fair Lazy
Keeping Time
Untold Story of Nonna Bannister
Still Missing
Close Your Eyes
Portrait Of a Monster
Never Knowing
One Moment, One Morning
Most Talkative
Kitty Cornered
Before I Go To Sleep
Homer's Odyssey
When You Go Away
Sarah's Key

A few favorites:

Homer's Odyssey: A book about a blind, black kitty.  Enough said really!  A very endearing, well written book that includes this passage near the beginning "So I didn't adopt Homer because he was cute and little and sweet, or because he was helpless and needed me.  I adopted him because when you see something so fundamentally worthwhile in someone else, you don't look for the reasons-like bad timing or a negative bank account-that might keep it out of your life.  You commit to being strong enough to build your life around it, no matter what."

Delores Claiborne: I've recently discovered some old Stephen King books.  I only seem to enjoy the ones that aren't all about supernatural, crazy science fiction stuff.  I really enjoyed this book except I wish she had kept her mouth shut just a bit! I wanted her to "get away with it".

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: This is Pat Benatar's autobiography.  I picked it up once I got tickets to see her concert.  The book explains why the show was billed as "Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo".  Neil is her husband and they have been together making music since almost the very beginning.  The record company executives never gave him the producing and song writing credits he deserved.  Once they broke away on their own she always makes sure they have equal billing.  She told a couple of stories between songs and I knew exactly what she was talking about because I had all of this background information on her life and her story.


My Fair Lazy: Jen Lancaster's books are just pure guilty pleasure reading.  I happened to pick up her first book "Bitter Is the New Black" and I was hooked.  I've read all of her books except her most recent.  I'm trying to pace myself so I'm never without my Jen Lancaster fix!