You are......

Sugar Bear.......

You are my delight. With you.....I'm always in for a laugh. You have so much joy in your heart, and you love to bring out that same joy in others. It might take you awhile to warm up to people, but once you do....watch out. You unleash your super, silly, goofy, wonderful little self, and people can't help but smile.

The transition to Kindergarten hasn't been a real easy one for you. While you are so very THERE cognitively, you are struggling to find your own place in your class. You are so tender hearted, and such a caring friend. It is hard for you to put your foot down, and be who you want to be when there is a friend monopolizing your time. It has been a constant struggle for you this year, and I'm so very proud of how far you have come in this journey. It gets better each week, and I believe that soon, very soon you'll find that balance you have been seeking. I want that so very much for you. ♥

My little Sugar Bear.....you continue to be quite the mama's girl. It is an honor to be loved by you. There are times when your love and devotion are so fierce that you can't imagine being away from me.....well...ever. You've asked to marry me.....and wonder if you can live with me FOREVER! I have promised that when you are old enough....if you still want those things...it can happen. :) I'm THAT sure that you will find your need for independence. You just aren't looking for it yet, and I'm extremely comfortable with that.

You continue to have a big interest in animals, and your adventurous spirit motivates me. I need to give you more opportunities. It is a shame for me to let a weekend go by.....just staying in the house. You love nature, and I need to make a better effort to surround you with it. Waiting for spring to get here is not an option. Weather...good or bad....we need more outdoor time. Give me a bigger push this weekend. Your indoor mama needs it.

As much as you are my "big girl", I continue to cherish the "baby" in you. Snuggles, holding hands, story time, bath time.....it all brings a closeness I don't ever hope to miss. Your body has all but lost it's babiness these days. The chubby cheeks are gone, and you have grown taller, and leaner. Holding you close requires folding you up, and trying to ignore the bony knees, and elbows, but the bruises are worth it. ♥ You'll always be my baby!

The BEST part of EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. is knowing that I'll get to share at least part of it with YOU. Thank you, my dearest Sugar Bear......for being YOU! ♥

52 Weeks of ME- Week Five

Theme of the week:

Daily Activities

When I saw this theme, I immediately knew I needed a shot of myself at work, but wasn't sure what I wanted to be doing in the shot. I tried several different things, and had a really challenging time getting the focus right. I really need to get a new camera remote. It is nearly impossible to get good focus when you set up a scene, press the timer, run to your place and wait for the camera to shoot. ugh....a remote works so much better as you are already in the scene for the camera to focus on.

ANYHOW, (man I can get off on a tangent) I tried to look like I was working in several of the shots, but it always looked contrived, so I finally settled on pretending to nap at my desk. I figure this shows what I'd like to be doing....instead of what I should be doing. Often I am so very tired at work because I stayed up entirely too late reading. Right about 2pm, I get the yawns, and can hardly keep my eyes open. When I was pregnant, I'd actually just lay my head down like this and sleep. :) It was cute then.....but now, I think my boss would not see how cute it is. :)

For kicks, I converted this shot as well, but I wasn't sure which one I liked best. I think the color shot shows more clearly the chaos around me, which is very much a part of my daily life. I am messy at work. I am type A about a lot of things....but not about my desk. The black and white shot looks more peaceful I think.

Which one do you like better?

Be sure to head on over to visit Jessie and Cara to see all the fabulous ladies taking part in this cool project.

Here's a SCARY Thought

Hey....remember this picture?



Yeah.....that totally attractive photo of me that I posted just the other day.

Well, about a day after posting this shot, I realized that this is the very acurate view my poor sweet Sugar Bear has of me about 60% of the time. I had never really thought about the fact that she is looking up at me nearly all the time, and how that might look to her. Ugh...I feel a bit sorry for her. tee hee

BUT.....this only goes to prove that we need to be less worried about what WE think about how we actually look in photos, and more interesting in just plain being present in them. I am certain that our children, in future years, will NOT look back at photos of their parent, and think, "WOW....she sure was having a bad hair day!" or "Gee, where did that double chin come from?" or "Look at the back fat on her!" They will simply see....MOM.....or DAD....and feel all the love they had/have for you. They will smile on that shot, and think, "I remember that shirt." or "I sure do miss those days." or "Gee.....I wish she/he were here now!" ♥ It isn't for US.....it's for THEM, and aren't they so very worth it?

So, as I look at this photo, and snicker.....and think, "how absurd!" Sugar Bear is likely to see it 20 years from now, and think, "That's my mom!" ♥

25 random things you might wonder why you wanted to know!

1. I just got a paper cut, and you'd think my entire finger got lopped off in a wild and crazy argument with a lawnmower.

2. I think I need a 12 step program for my Library addiction.

3. When Sugar Bear was 3 months old, while we were laying in my bed nursing in the middle of the night, I passed gas extremely loud. My girl unlatched, looked up at me and ripped an awesome toot of her very own, then went right on nursing. I took it as a sign that she is brilliant, and destined for good things.

4. I watched "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives", the other night on The Food Network HD, and only tried to lick the TV twice.

5. I make inappropriate jokes when I'm stressed, scared, nervous, anxious, or otherwise emotional. Yup...I'm the idiot cracking the jokes at a funeral. I have no control over it.

6. Most of my underwear are are at least 12 years old...AND I still wear my maternity panties sometimes. They are sooooo comfy! (don't look at me like that!)

7. I may or may not have eaten an ENTIRE tin of Danish Butter Cookies all by myself in the last week. Jeg elsker Cookies! Cookies er djævelen!!!

8. I've gained 10 lbs in the past year, and I don't know why. (tee hee)

9. I might have permanent tennis elbow and wrist injury due to four evenings, in a row, of playing "Just Dance 2" on our new wii system.

10. I shave my legs about once a month. Smooth skin is totally overrated, and I think braided leg hair is super sexy.

11. I snort when I laugh. I snort when I take photos of children. I squeal when I'm excited, I squeal when I'm frightened. and I oink when I eat. hmmmm......can someone come over and check to see if I have a curly tail?

12. I think the Dirty Dish Fairy is a bastard for never coming to my house. (Sorry for that naughty word.....I don't know what came over me! Oh yeah, I know....I have a sink full of dirty dishes, and I'm pretty darn grouchy about it!)

13. My husband says I have too much stuff. I absolutely do NOT agree, so I just stomp my way through that little narrow path that leads from my computer to my bed, and pout.

14. You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose, BUT you sure as heck should tell them if they have a bat in the cave. Come on.....don't just leave it hanging.

15. This one time.....I pooped on the floor, and this really nice lady tried to tell me that it was just "a little amniotic fluid", but I knew she was just full of crap. (bad word again.....sorry.) She was sweet and all, but you can't kid a kidder, or a woman who is experiencing intense labor pains, and feels like a hippopotamus in a bedsheet.

16. This other time when I was wearing light tan slacks, I sat in some yucky brown liquid, then had to go have dinner with 4 wonderful women I had never laid eyes on in person before. Good thing the restaurant was super dark. I could at least pretend that they all didn't think I just pooped my pants. AWESOME! Talk about a super cool first impression.

17. I laugh like a crazed lunatic when someone falls down. (even Sugar Bear, but I try to hide it.) I know....I know...I'm evil, but I can't help it. It looks so funny!

18. If you stare into your refrigerator long enough.....hard enough......it still won't make dinner for you. I've tried it......MANY times.

19. shhhhhh....don't tell anyone, but I think the candy bowl at work knows how much I weigh. It keeps laughing at me every time I walk by.

20. I say "DUDE!" and "Groovy!" wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too much, and "Kerfuffle" and "Gargalesis" and "Subintelligitur" not nearly enough.

21. It is subintelligitur that I do not like gargalesis, and if you try it....you better be ready for an extreme kerfuffle.

22. Being that I breast fed Sugar Bear for 1,642 and a half days, I shouldn't be surprised that she sometimes still likes to "cop a feel", but seriously.......does everyone in our house think my boobs are fair game? Even the cat likes to knead them once in awhile. sigh......

23. and I only like it about HALF the time.

24. If you pass gas in a forest, a squirrel dies. Now don't you feel guilty?

25. I sometimes embellish when I tell stories to make them more interesting. Only sometimes.

oh and if you liked this post....you might REALLY, REALLY like THIS ONE I did a few years ago. I think I used up all my good ones that time. darn it!

My Week 16

Oh no! I just realized that when I made this collage last night.....I mixed up a few of the pictures, so they are not in order. :( BUMMER, but I'm too tired to go fix it right now. So...the first shot is supposed to be the third shot.

I left you a bit hanging out there in the breeze with my last "my week" post. The 15th I was in an airplane heading to...........Georgia. Back in December, a training opportunity flyer made it's way across my desk, and I snapped it right up when I saw where is was. I was dying to go there. You see....I have had an Internet friendship with....oh....about 80 some ladies for almost seven years now. We all met on a "due date baby board" thing when we were all pregnant with babies to be born in January of 2005. We become very close, and moved to a more private board. We have been conversing on there ever since. The are not just "Internet friends"...they are real and true friends, and this trip proved that to me more than anything ever could. As I stepped off that airplane and into a warm, embracing hug of a friend whom I had never seen in person....I felt like I was home. She invited me to come for 3 extra days before my conference and stay in her home. It was amazing. It never once felt like we were strangers. I just jumped right in step with her, and arm in arm we went about our days. I had a wonderful time. The entire family were so wonderful, and hospitable. If Sugar Bear had been with me, I might never have wanted to leave. ♥ Oh and believe me.....I'm already planning a trip back. This time....Sugar is coming with me. It was a L O N G seven nights apart.

The night that I landed in Georgia we rushed off to meet 3 of the other "baby board" ladies from our group for dinner. It was fabulous. We had so many laughs....giggles....snorts. I didn't want it to end, but my friend and I had tickets to an incredibly AWESOME improve comedy show. I laughed so hard, I almost peed my pants. GOOD TIMES!

Here is the rest of my week.....alittle out of order. oops!



The first shot was taken on January 18th. This was my third full day in Georgia, and I had the opportunity to get some reading done in the morning, while my wonderful host took care of some business. You know I dig me some "reading time", so I was quite happy. Then we jetted on over to meet one of our friends for lunch. There was supposed to be 4 of us, but one of the ladies had a sick kiddo so she didn't get to come. Sad I didn't get the opportunity to get a hug in on her. BUT.......the one friend that was able to make it.....oh we had a bawl, and she brought her darling little baby boy with her, and he is a hoot. It was a fabulous lunch. I had pulled pork sliders (yum) and Brunswick stew. Good times.

The second shot was taken on January 16th. This was my first official day in Atlanta. We were supposed to go for a long drive to see an amazing gorge, but as you might know....there had been a big snow/ice storm the entire week before I arrived, and the road were still not all that clear. So we stayed home, and had a relaxing day. This photo was taken in the early evening, as my friend and I drove into the downtown area to attend a Shakespeare Dinner Theatre show. Oh my heavens.....it was perfect. We saw an amazing performance of Twelfth Night, and I had a scrumptious dinner of Portabella Mushroom Stroganoff. YUMMO!

The third shot was taken on January 17th during brunch. My friend took me, and her daughter who is only 9 days younger than Sugar Bear to a wonderful bakery. It was so hard to decide what to get, but we finally arrived at the fabulous idea of splitting two things. I ordered the Sweet Potato Pancakes, with pecan syrup (HELLO!), and she ordered this amazing concoction you see here. Peanut butter stuffed French Toast with caramelized Bananas (BANG!). Seriously, Y'all (tee hee.....) it was the bomb diggity!

The fourth shot was taken on January 19th. I felt completely and utterly welcome the entire time I was there. It helped a lot that everywhere we needed to go, we seemed to cross paths with this beautiful tower that just yelled, "Hey Corey! Welcome to Georgia!" :) I'll tell ya, I rarely.....and I do mean RARELY run across other "Coreys" out and about. Especially girl "Coreys". So imagine my surprise when I used my name to reserve a spot at the previously mentioned yummo bakery, and the guy right behind me was named Corey, and 5 minutes later another girl walks up and reserves a table under her name.....Corey. Seriously.....my jaw dropped. Anyhow....I took this shot after a long day in training, and an awesome birthday dinner with my friend, her husband, and her birthday girl....and a performance of the "Blue Man Group!" woo hoo...what a long day...but super fun, and amazing. My friend took me back to my hotel......and we bid each other a very sad farewell.

The fifth shot was taken on January 20th. I had conference all day again, then boarded a plane heading WEST! I thought that the day before had been long....this was the longest day known to man, but I made it back to my home state.....and slept my little heart out at my Aunt's house again.

The sixth shot was taken on January 21st. I got up a little late.....and visited with my Aunt a bit, then hit the road for a 4.5 hour drive back to my little girl, who was waiting with very open, and eager arms. I took this shot as I drove along the freeway. This sort of scenery lets me know that I'm almost home.

The seventh shot was taken on January 22nd, and for obvious reasons, it was the best day of the week. ♥ Sugar Bear did such a wonderful job while I was away. She spent 4 nights at my parent's house, then Grandma brought her to our house so that she could attend school, and dance classes. I talked with her on the phone at least once a day, but usually twice. It was really quite lovely to be back together, though. She insisted on a whole lot more snuggles that day....and every day since. ♥ Life is GOOD!

Birthday Moments

As you know, Sugar Bear turned the BIG Ol' age of SIX recently, and oh me oh my......she had some birthday goodness. In fact.....this seemed like her birthday would never end. There was MUCH celebrating. ♥

We started off the festivities a few days BEFORE her actual birthday. We hosted a fabulously fun kids birthday part for Sugar and her friends at the local pottery place. It was such a fun day.

Sugar is blessed with really wonderful friends. ♥ The next celebration began the morning of the big day. Sugar was full of happiness, and I was consumed with nostalgia. I never truly understood home much a person's birthday isn't solely theirs. I hadn't even considered the possibility that it was anything more than the day of one's birth. Until.......that is.....I had my Sugar Bear. I now understand that her day of birth is very much a "birthday" for me as well. The birth of my motherhood.....the birth of a new beginning....the birth of change.....and new.....and completion. The day of Sugar's birth is very much the day of MY own birth. ♥

It was a delight to have the opportunity to bring some treats into Sugar's Kindergarten classroom to honor "our" birthday. :) I always enjoy observing Sugar in different environments. This day held such happy, giggly moments. I loved being reminded that my shy girl tends to take on the role of the "class clown" when all attention is on her. It is fascinating to see her use this crazy coping skill. She diverts her anxiety over being the center of attention, by being a silly goon. This way....the kiddos (or adults) are laughing with her....and there is no possibility that they are laughing AT her. The next three photos captured this perfectly. As soon as the kiddos started singing to her....she started "hamming it up!"

She is truly the cutest, most sweet ham sandwich I've ever laid adoring eyes on. ♥

After her little party as school, I took her on to daycare, and we were greeted by a "Birthday Message" on the gate. This simple little tradition has been going on for her last FOUR birthdays, and she is delighted EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. It's the simple things, people. Keep is simple. :)

After daycare (where they had more treats and singing) , and dance class (more singing), we headed on home for some pressies! WOOT!

And.....finally a birthday pancake (her favorite), and a big birthday wish.

I have no idea what she wished for....but I do know that when I asked her, that night as we snuggled in her bed, what her FAVORITE part of her day was........she looked me in the eye and said, "Right now....being with you, mama!" Seriously..........how on earth did I deserve this little honey? ♥

My Week 15

Okay kiddos....I'm behind on the posting again, but I'm sure you'll understand why when you see what I did on the 15th. :)

The first shot was taken on January 9th. Nothing makes me feel all warm and cozy like a fire in the wood stove. There is just something about wood heat. It warms me like no other. I also like the feeling of accomplishment that washes over me when I get a fire started....and it really begins to ROAR!

The second shot was taken on January 10th, which was a pretty special day around here. Hard to believe that my little Sugar Bear is 6 years old. sigh.......I'm one lucky lady.

The third shot was taken on January 11th. This shot simply reflects how busy I've been, and how I accidentally let the entire day go by without picking up my camera. I then find myself roaming around the house looking for something....anything...to take a picture of. This little zebra is a magnet Sugar Bear got from the elves in her advent this year.

The fourth shot was taken on January 12th. 6 year well child exam day. This makes me smile. I am so very grateful for Sugar's health. We are so very blessed. She has only gone to see her doctor once per year....since she was 3. I love that. I read several blogs where the children are so very ill.....and it makes me realize that I should NEVER take Sugar's health for granted. I need to be fully aware of the blessing her health is. I am grateful for this reminder.

The fifth shot was taken on January 13th, and oh......how I adore this shot. OH.MY.HEAVENS......this girl melts my heart. I was playing around trying to get THIS SHOT, and Sugar wanted in on the game. She fashioned this "look" and posed for the shot. She is a gem.

The sixth shot was taken on January 14th when I traveled 4.5 hours from home, and spent the evening with family. This photo is of my Aunt Sharen holding one of her precious grand children. I do not see this part of my family often enough, and this particular evening reminded me that I need to be sure that I do not let too much time pass before I visit again.

The seventh shot was taken on January 15th. This was a BIG, BIG, HUGE day for me. I stepped on an airplane for the first time in almost 9 years. I got on that plane and flew quite nearly from coast to coast....all alone....by myself. EEEKKKK.....It was a huge step for me. I will admit that I cried.....during take off. I felt this extreme emotion at the thought of going so very far from my Sugar Bear. However, it was a wonderful flight, and it took me on an adventure I won't quickly forget. It reminded me that life is too short to always stay at home....and validated for me that an "Internet Friendship" is no less of a friendship than a "Real-life Friendship". In some cases....it might very well be MORE. ♥ More about my trip in the next "my week" post. I promise.

52 Weeks of ME- Week Four

Ummmmm....yeah! This week's theme had me stumped....and well.....just uncertain.

Focus on Unusual Elements

I had no idea what that even met....so I just did something unusual or unexpected. This angle is surely NOT something I have EVER encouraged in a photo of myself. I draws the eye to an unusual element on my face.....A LARGE NOSE. Yes....Corey has a big nose. It runs in my family...and I'm over it. It's been there my whole life, so why fight it? Why not just take a picture that looks right on up that huge nose, and post it on the INTERNET? Sure......why not?

So there you have it? It ain't pretty.....it isn't expected....and we can be darn sure that it can't get any worse. Now I can spend the next 48 weeks without my panties in a bunch with worry over looking like a fool. I've got it over with quickly. :)

Be sure to head on over to visit Jessie and Cara to see all the fabulous ladies taking part in this cool project.

Wordless Wednesday~ Darn Cute Dog.....Nope...not mine!

For more Wordless Wednesday, go HERE and HERE and HERE.

52 weeks of ME- Week 3

The theme this week was "Focus on the eyes". If I had to choose a feature of my person that I like the most, I'd easily pick my eyes. The color.....this I love. Blue is my favorite color. As for the lashes.....well, I have few....and I have a nervous habit of pulling them. Yes....I'm weird, and it is one thing I really wish I'd stop doing, because often I have bald patches in my eyelashes. NICE! This photo worked out really well, as the angle hid my lashes. I did not intend this...but it was a happy surprise. :)

My eyes....the color...they make me happy. Why you ask? Well, because it is nearly the only thing Sugar Bear got from me, and let me tell you....it makes my heart sing. ♥

Be sure to head on over to visit Jessie and Cara to see all the fabulous ladies taking part in this cool project.

My Week 14

When I look at this collage, I immediately think, "where's the color?" It really is a winter sort of week. I find that often my mood in the winter is without color, and this depicts this quite well.

The first shot was taken on January 2nd. I was quietly standing at my kitchen sink doing my dishes by hand. My dishwasher is 30 years old...and doesn't work all that well. We could easily afford a new dishwasher, but it has been 2 years now...and I don't mind doing the dishes by hand. It seems that when I use a dishwasher, I'm forever needing to unload it before I can load it, and it drives me nuts. Anyhow....I was standing there looking out the window, and noticed how big Sugar's Maternity plant was getting on the window sill. She planted it at school, and brought it home before winter break. I can't wait to see what it looks like as it gets bigger. Sugar Bear is very proud of her little plant. She looks on it as if it were her baby.

The second shot was taken on January 3rd. Sugar and I were having a girls night, and we were settling down to watch a movie. (can't remember which one, now.) I made some popcorn for us to share. She loves popcorn, but much prefers the way Grandma and Papa make it. They use an air popper, and put melted butter on it. The light microwave stuff mama makes isn't near as lovely. (and I cringe at the chemicals that are in it....I totally need to stop buying this stuff.)

The third shot was taken on January 4th. I spent a great day of my day at work trying to make sense and order out of my schedule this month. It is a crazy busy time at work, and at home. I'm leaving in a few days for a work related trip, but I have extended the time away to include a mini vacation. I'm so very excited about it, but there are a plenty of things to plan, and arrange before I leave.

The fourth shot was taken on January 5th while I was capturing my first shot for my "52 weeks of me project. It is out of focus....and not well lit.

The fifth shot was taken on January 6th when Sugar Bear and I were out taking care of our animals. Tiny the miniature horse is doing well. She is such a sweetheart. The Hubby is NUTS for her, and even let her come in the house one evening in December. I wasn't too thrilled with the idea, but she didn't do anything other than get the carpet a bit dirty. She thinks she is just one of the family, and would love to be in the house with us all of the time.

The sixth shot was taken on January 7th. My nearly 4 year old truck needed new front hubs this past week. I'm a bit annoyed by the whole thing.....they just don't make things like they used to. It is ridiculous that I had to replace those....and expensive as well. ARGH!

The seventh shot was taken on January 8th.....and as you can see....it was a BIRTHDAY PARTY for the Sugar! ♥ oh how my heart beats for this girl. I just can't believe that she is 6 years old already. I just hope that the next 6 years don't go as fast. I'm holding tight to my time with this special little person.

A BOY

Recently, I had the distinct pleasure of spending some time in the company of a very interesting little creature. This type of creature is something rather rare in my current life, and I was pretty excited to have the opportunity to see this animal in action. I wasn't disappointed in the least. It was in perfect form.



As my eyes followed his every movement, I couldn't help but notice his energy....his spunk. He jumped from one thing to the next with anticipation of what lay under this....over that....behind this.....inside that. While I had to pull my jacket close...he dashed through freezing puddles without seeming to even notice that he was getting wet from the tip of his toes to nearly the knee of his pants. His hands turned red with the chill, but it didn't stop him from exploring the tidal puddles. Despite many pleas from the maternal creature he insisted that he did NOT need a jacket, and that his hands were NOT cold. It was fascinating to see this independent and rather inexplicable behavior. I raised my camera to see if I could catch some shots of this allusive being, and was not surprised at all to see that he had a silly bone as well.




There is always something about a camera that brings out kooky behavior in this species. Quickly his expression morphed from one thing to the next. There was much giggling, and more antics. The maternal subject kept suggesting a more "normal" sort of behavior, but the more she requested, the sillier the behavior became. FASCINATING!



It was an incredible experience, in which I'm honored to have been a part of. I'm not sure what I expected, but it was good to know that this particular specimen is much like another animal whom I have TONS of experience with. The Sugar Bear species has much in common with this strange creature. Who knew? I think they would get along very well. Next time I'm given the opportunity to interact with this little darling....I hope to bring Sugar Bear along.

P.S. Thank you to my friend, Autumn for giving this opportunity to get to know her darling boy, BUG! He is a gem. I had such a wonderful time. Give him a squeeze for me.

My Week 13

A big thanks to everyone who left me a comment on THIS POST. It was wonderful motivation to just hear from so many of you, and to see that you are indeed interested in some of the same things I am. Mostly, SUGAR BEAR....and who knew....you want to hear about ME? tee hee...

In an effort to be more "REAL" and to give you more of an insight into my life, I'll be alittle more wordy in the "My Week" posts.

The first shot was taken on December 26th while Sugar Bear and I were diggin' into one of her favorite gifts this Christmas. A Mind Blowing Science Kit. We love doing activities like this together. In this particular experiment, she was discovering which substances in our house are an acid or a base. Good Times. We are totally excited to get started on her Disgusting Science kit next. Woo hoo!

The second shot was taken on December 27th. Ummm.....yes, the Living and Loving household finally joined the rest of the video gaming world and now has a Wii. My sore muscles won't let me forget it. OH and my wrists.....my poor wrists. I do think Corey is getting old, folks! I've been struggling with wrist pain for about a year now. Have I gone to a doctor about it.....NO! but I whine a lot and I think that helps. :)

The third shot was taken on December 28th at my parent's house. We spent the late afternoon and evening playing with more Christmas Gifts. The FIND IT game was a crowd pleaser. It doesn't matter if you are 5 (oh so very almost 6) or 65 years old, you can easily become obsessed with finding the penny! (I finally got the penny to come to surface so that I might see the mint date, TODAY! Yeah...Corey is awesome!) The other object in this shot is a card game called, "Frog Juice". It is a bit too complicated for Sugar Bear, but once I get this game completely figured out myself, I believe I can teach her, and she'll love it.

The fourth shot was taken on December 29th. This photo cracks me up. I was wanting to capture the idea of flooding, but I think I only succeeded in portraying a really rundown camp trailer. This little beauty sits long side the gravel road that leads to our house, and we drive by it twice a day. I hardly ever notice it....but it sure does reflect nicely in a the HUGE puddle that was the result of days and days and days of rain.

The fifth shot was taken on December 30th, which happens to have been like my most favorite day of the entire Christmas break. Well.....it was missing a special little something (Sugar Bear), but it was over flowing with a really wonderful, long time friend, and her totally adorable son (and dog). They were on a quick little adventure, and stopped into my town, and I got to spend about 6 hours with them, and it was perfect. So very perfect. We got to talk...and walk....and laugh....and smile. The weather was so cooperative, and really we couldn't have asked for more from a December day.

The sixth shot was taken on December 31st. Usually, I spend New Year's Eve at home doing nothing different from any other night, but this year I had the opportunity to hang out with some friends. There was food....and I'm all about the food. Oh yes....I am. I hate to say it....but I was only there for the food....and the board games. (sorry Carol....I know how you despise board games!) It was lovely. I had some big laughs....and was able to help some folks out. It didn't turn out as expected, and I was home before midnight, but that's totally okay. I was able to lay in bed and finish a wonderful book. I even got to sleep in the next morning. THAT was a wonderful way to start the new year.

The seventh shot was taken on January 1st, 2011. HAPPY NEW YEAR! I was so very excited to get Sugar Bear back home from my parent's house, and she was really pleased to get an early birthday surprise from her mama. Her Aunt Lisa had given her a cute little toy for Christmas, and she fell so hard in love with it, that I couldn't resist snapping up a set of 5 ZOOBLES that happened to be on sale. You totally can't tell that she loves them, right?

It was a wonderful week.

52 Weeks of ME- weeks one and two

This past week, I was pleasantly surprised to run into several of my blogging buddies doing a really wonderful photography project: 52 Weeks of ME! I've see this done a few times, but it wasn't until this particular moment in time that I became interested in giving it a go myself.

As I look back through my photos from the past 6 years, I'm not seeing a lot of me. In fact, I'm seeing very little of me. I'm not in OTHER people's photos either. Once I became so interested in photography, it seems like no one around me takes pictures if I'm there. They let me do it. :) I don't mind....but it really has resulted in my being very invisible in our photographic history.

It didn't take me long (maybe a minute after seeing my first friend's post) to decid I wanted to jump right in on the fun. I was already behind, so I had to take two photos this week. The first was supposed to be a "traditional" portrait, but I knew that I would not have a good opportunity to set up a shot like that, so I simply set my camera on the hood of my truck, during my lunch hour at work, set the timer and apparently decided to be "grouchy"!

The first thing Sugar Bear said when she saw this photo was, "Whoa! what were you so mad about?" tee hee...cracked me right up! I don't recall being in a bad mood, but maybe I was. You can note that I did not edit this photo past the basic edits I have to do to all my RAW photos for sharpening. This is how I am about 95% of the time. Zero makeup.....and messy hair. The other 5% of the time I look worse. tee hee. I'm a no frills sort of gal.

The next photo I took, a few days later, also on my lunch hour, and using my truck. This time, being that the theme was "reflective surfaces", I intended on trying to get my reflection in my newly washed vehicle, but it didn't take me long to veto that idea, cause I looked too fat in the convex image. Instead, I leaned on the driver's side door, looked into my side mirror, and snapped this quick shot. It appears that I was in a much better mood that day. :)

As with the first shot, I refrained from editing any of my "issues". It is my desire to capture myself as I am, so that they will accurately depict Sugar Bear's mama in 2011. I want the pictures to exactly the person she remembers.

So there you have it! A new project that I'm extremely excited about. I can't wait to see what this year of photos is going to teach me.

Be sure to head on over to visit Jessie and Cara to see all the fabulous ladies taking part in this cool project.

Moments in 2010

January

February

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March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

I just can't wait to see what moment are coming our way in 2011! ♥