Au Natural Week!

One of the reasons I wanted to challenge myself to take a picture a day was so that I could learn to use my SLR by using it.  I haven't had too much of a chance to really challenge my skills/learning because I have been busy taking pictures of fun things and activities.  This week's set of pictures were really fun to take.  I didn't set out to have a week like this, but I ended up taking lots of pictures of nature and objects.  It started as a way to fill the square for the day, and ended up being a lot of fun.  Hope you enjoy!


Cute or Concerning?


Doodle has a little bit of a fascination with the tushie door on potato heads.  She had a great time putting Ming-Ming and Tuck inside the tushie.  It really did make me think about how wrong Mr. Potato Head's trap door really is!

October 8 (79/365)

Money! Money! Money!


We have a wine coster in our room that has turned into a coin catch all.  I realized late at night that I needed a picture for the day.  I figured I would take one and be done.  I think I took about 50.  I got a chance to play with the aperture mode on the camera.  I loved trying to get the best shot of the coins and their reflection.  I think it came out really cool!

October 9 (80/365)

Bunch O Bubbles

Quick shot of bubbles made using a fly swatter! 

October 10 (81/365)

Freaky Finds

Did I mention I had a lot of days that I forgot to take pictures this week?  Yes, I had trouble.  So once again, late at night remembering I didn't have a picture for the day.  I decided to take a self portrait using my reflection in the window.  As I took pictures of myself, I noticed something much more interesting.  The window was acting as both a mirror and a transparent surface.  I was getting images of outside object on top of objects inside my house.  I know, it sounds a little confusing, but check it out.

October 11 (82/365)

Notice the flag on the couch.  That is my neighbor's flag outside our window.  Notice Laugh on top of the cabinets.  That is a reflection in the window.  The white line at the top is the window pane.  Pretty cool if I do say so myself!  

Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Head

It rained and rained and rained.  We were tired of rain.  Sisterwife invited Doodle over to make cookies.  After we got there, I had to run home to get some ingredients.  I returned with the ingredients and then asked Sisterwife for a few minutes to take a few pictures of the rain.  So glad I did.  I got some wonderful pictures.  Makes me really really want a macro lens!

October 12 (83/365)

Are We Ready to Go?

Doodle had her first field trip.  They went to the pumpkin patch.  Only it was more like a pumpkin field and it was rainy and wet and a little muddy.  Doodle wasn't really loving it.  From the minute we got there she started to ask if it was time to get back in the car.  Needless to say, my dreams of Doodle with a pumpkin were dashed.  Instead, I got a snail on a pumpkin.  Enjoy!

October 13 (84/365)

Mirror Mirror On The Table

The only good thing about the pumpkin patch trip was that Doodle picked out a tiny pumpkin (gourd) for herself and one for Jaypurb.   The one she got for herself was kind of star shaped and orange with a green center.  Once again, I put Doodle to bed and was faced with the cold hard fact that I needed to take a picture.  I was quickly running out of ideas around my house!  And then my eye caught the gourd.  And I started playing.  Then I got a mirror and played some more.  This is my favorite of them!

October 14 (85/365)

Amazing how this heavy thick gourd almost resembles a delicate flower from this angle.  I love this picture!

So with this post, I am only about 2 weeks behind.  My plan is to get caught up over the weekend!

October 1-7

So, I suck at keeping up with this blog.  I admit it.  I am totally surprised you people keep coming back for more. I blame my ADD.  If I forget for a few days, it seem overwhelming to catch up.  So I just don't do it. Then a few more days pass and I'm even more overwhelmed, and then it's just ridiculous and I finally decide I need to post.  So here you are.  I am going to cram a lot of little vignettes into this post, so maybe I won't feel so overwhelmed.  I like that if I call them vignettes I sound all fancy and not like a crappy person trying to cram 3 weeks of photos/adventures into one or two posts!


Playtime!


We went to a friends birthday party at a local park.  My kid played and played and played.  For 2 hours straight that kid ran, climbed, jumped, slid, and frolicked in the sun.  I think it was a combination of being in the sweltering south for a week, being cooped up in the car for the entire previous day, and seeing her friends.  My Favoritest even dropped by for a little while even though he was on call!

October 1 (72/365)

Rite of Passage


Doodle's birthday fell on a Sunday this year.  That meant the opportunity to do something fun together as a family.  I was thinking petting farm, museum visit, park.  My Favoritest was thinking Fiber Festival!  What is a Fiber Festival you ask?  Well, it is a festival celebrating all things wool.... sheep, llamas, alpacas, sheep dogs, sheep herding, knitting.  Think grown up hippies with money to spend on animals and natural fibers. In defense of My Favoritest, the festival boasted sheep, llamas, and alpacas to pet and visit.  It also boasted sheep dog trials.  Doodle does love animals, so on a damp cool Sunday we drove an hour to visit the Fiber Festival.  I was being a little mopey/snarky about the whole adventure until we rounded the bend and I saw a man walking out with a ginormous bag of what I knew had to be kettle corn!  I immediately got happy and started dreaming about the warm sweet salty goodness that was coming my way!  We saw sheep.  We saw llamas. We saw alpacas.  We watched sheep herding trials.  And then there was kettle corn!  As we stood in line, Doodle asked if she could have some.  I looked at my Favoritest and reminded him that he said "no popcorn till she is 3".  She was 3 after all!  She took a bite.... "oohhh Mommy, I like dat popcorn".  And so a rite of passage came and went before our eyes, first popcorn!

October 2 (73/365)

It's Hard To Do 3!


The hardest part of turning 3 is figuring out how to hold up your fingers!

October 3 (74/365)

Division of Time


One of the things I have had to learn to do is divide tasks up throughout the day, and learn to use my time wisely.  Some people may organize their day by lists, by room, or even by happenstance.  My day is organized by one simple principle.... Things I can do while Doodle is awake vs. Things I must do while Doodle is asleep/at school.  For example:
Use clorox products to clean bathroom: asleep
Load/unload dishwasher: awake
concentrate on anything for more than 1 minute: asleep
Cook dinner: awake, but with  many interruptions
Laundry: awake
The last example leads into the picture of the day.  I can fold laundry while Doodle is awake.  She even helps sometimes.  So, if I finish a load while she is sleeping and I have more important things to do that can't be done while she is awake, I hang clothes that need to be hung and everything else goes into a basket to be folded once she wakes up.  The result is sometimes a mountain of clothing.  The other result is that things get done while she is sleeping and while she is awake!

October 4 (75/365)

How Lucky We Are


How lucky we are to live where we live.  I truly believe things happen for a reason.  When we came house hunting, I cried at our prospects.  Then we found our town house.  We never could have predicted just how perfect it would be.  Sure, the living space is a little cramped and the train is 20 ft. from our windows and runs continuously, but the perks outweigh those little things.   We live in a neighborhood where children's chalk drawings line the sidewalk from spring until fall.  You can hear the delighted screams of kids as they ride bikes and play tag.  Flags pop out in July, pumpkins glow in October, lights are everywhere in December.  It is a perfect little neighborhood.  The biggest perk is the friendships we have formed. We have made adult friends who have supported me, listened to me complain, and encouraged me over the last 2+ years.  Doodle has made friendships too.  She has friends within walking distance of our house.  We could never have know how lucky we were the day we signed our lease:)  I struggled with the picture for today because I loved two equally.  It is a perfect summary to my love of our neighborhood/friends.  

October 5 (76/365)
Landlord's Eldest.  Captures her personality in a nutshell as tiny as the pieces of bread she was feeding the ducks!

October 5 (76/365)
Balance Bike Gang! Taking a break from riding!

The Waiting is the Hardest Part!


Doodle is just getting to the age that she realizes other daddies come home for dinner every night.  She is starting to miss My Favoritest.  Every day we have a talk about "daddy will be home for dinner? or bedtime? Or I say goodnight to daddy on the phone?"  Heartbreaking sometimes, but just part of this life! It reminds me of a story my mother tells of me waiting at the door for my father the first time I realized he went TDY.  She couldn't make me believe that he wasn't coming home for dinner.  So here is my little inpatient daddy's girl hoping for a glimpse of the truck before dinner.

October 6 (77/365)

I a Xwent Dancer


Doodle got some money for her birthday.  I in a moment of craziness purchased Rock and Roll Elmo.  He is loud, he takes a long time to turn himself off, and frankly he was pricey.  But what is birthday money for? So, we got him.  Doodle played for about 15 minutes and then he sat.  Just as I was starting to wonder if I had wasted a ton of moolah, Elmo became a hit.  Doodle decided she was going to dance.  And dance she did.  Full out, jumping, jazz hands, foot taping donkey kicking dancing.  For about 45 minutes she danced.  It was fantastic.  Although I do not have photographic proof of her moves that day, I have this picture of her first date with her dancing partner Elmo!  Who knew their relationship would grow so quickly!

October 7 (78/365)
Doodle and her new dance buddy Elmo at their first meeting!

Down Home!

Where they know you by name and treat ya like family!  We actually managed a family trip to see our family!  Amazing, since we haven't all been home since Thanksgiving.  It was a fast trip, but so glad we could go.  My Favoritest got to spend some time with his mother while she recovered from a heart attack.  Doodle and I got to spend time with our family and friends.  We celebrated the Jewish New Year.  Doodle was enthralled with the shofar, loved listening to her Bubbie chant from the pulpit, and even got to go up to the torah with me.  All in all, it was a fantastic trip!

September 25 (66/365)
Ready or not here we come! I promise I did comb her hair before we left. 

September 27 (68/365)
Doodle was busy playing on her great grandmother's piano when she looked up and told me "Mommy, Do NOT take my picture!" I stopped immediately. I got the shot.  Love her big curl over one eye.  I hope her Great Grandma Mantel was smiling as big as she and I were!

September 28 (69/365)
This is the smell that tells me I am home.  There is nothing like the sweet gentle scent of a gardenia.  I am convinced they only smell this sweet and fresh in the midst of the hot, humid, muggy southern air that is always present when they are.  This bush is planted right outside my parents' garage door.  I smell it every time I use the key pad to open the door.  It is one of the smells I have missed most while living in VA!  When we walked in the door, I smelled them before I noticed they were still blooming.   

September 29 (70/365)
One of my favorite things about being home is that I get a little break from bed time duty.  Doodle loves to have Bubbie and Zayde read to her, sing to her, and best of all swing her into bed.  This night I snuck up to take pictures of the three of them sharing a story.  

September 30 (71/365)
See ya later South GA!  Didn't even notice it until I uploaded the picture, but in the bottom left hand corner I caught the edge of a hotel sign.  It says "Free Hot".  Which pretty much sums up the weather the whole time we were home!

Get Your Party On!!!

This post is going to be a combination of 365 pictures and birthday project pictures.  I have lots of stuff to share from Doodle's birthday party.  It pretty much consumed my life for a while.  I love being "that mom" when it comes to birthdays.  I love making her invitations, favors, cakes, etc.  I just wish that I realized how much time it takes and that I knew when to say when (to myself).  But I don't, so I get a little carried away sometimes.  Her 3rd birthday party was example of my over stretching myself.  It all began when I saw a birthday invitation with Sesame Street characters made out of punch pieces.  I copied the 4 characters used in the invite (Elmo, Cookie, Oscar, and Big Bird).  Then I wondered if I could make other characters.  And this is what happened

August 19 (29/365)
I actually remembered to go back and add this from this previous post

So I used 6 of the guys to make her invitation.  Six guys times 13 invitations, is a lot of guys!

I then had a problem, I had 4 guys that hadn't been used for anything.  I decided I would make a memory game for each of the kids and this would be their party favor.  Sounded simple enough.  I  had lots of pieces already cut out and ready to go.  I got started.  I put about half the faces together.  Then I started doing the math so I could get paper for the faces to go on.
10 guys X 2= 20 guys per game
20 guys X 12 games = 240 guys all together
But, by the time I figured this out, I was in too deep.  I charged ahead.  Meanwhile, Doodle decided to get Hand, Foot, Mouth the weekend before her party, and I got way behind on my preparations!  I worked nonstop while she was at school and anytime she was sleeping.   In the middle of this rediculous project Sisterwife reminded me I hand't made a decision about the cake.
Of course I ask Doodle who tells me she wants a cake with Abby, Elmo, and Grover on it.  GREAAAAT!  After much research, I find a cake and have a lightbulb moment.  I found coloring book images of 5 characters (Abby, Elmo, Grover, Zoe, and Count Von Count) and got them the right size for the cake.  Then I made 4 copies of each onto cardstock.  I then cut each into the pieces to build the face.  Then used those pieces like a template to trace on the fondant.  And voila.... fantastic Sesame Street characters.

September 22 (63/365)

Those were done two night before the party.  The night before the party, Sisterwife and I put the cake together, rolled fondant, covered cakes, and added our face creations to the cake.  Of couse, because I had so much going on, I totally forgot to buy a box to put the cake in, so I had to make a tin-foil house for it to live in over night.

September 23 (64/365)

Now, remember this entire time that I am trying to get my cake on, I am still trying to finish making (and laminating with bookbinding tape) 240 *#%*(#  GUYS!  In all of this craziness I will admit my first fault of the 365 challenge.  I missed a day.  I faked  it with these pictures of the party favor.

September 26 (67/365)
Box from party favor 

Directions for game

Sesame Street Memory game

I finally finished everything about 1:00am the morning of her party.  Here are several pictures from the party.  Hope you enjoyed my craziness as much as she did!

These are Doodle's birthday banners.  A tradition I started last year.  Each banner chronicles a year of her life.  One picture for every month.  I use colors from the birthday party theme so I can keep each year separate.  To me, it is a way for new friends see who she was as she grows up! 

September 24 (65/365)
My picture of the day!

Doodle was so excited about a pinata.  She wanted everyone to "pull the ribbon and say yeah!" She wasn't so excited about hurting Abby Cadabby.  Lucky for her, she stayed in one piece!

Hand Foot Mouth!

Part of the reason I am so far behind on my blogging, is that my life has been hectic.  We spent about 36 hours in the hospital with Doodle and it totally rocked my world for the next weekish!  Amazing how taking away a day and a half put me into a tailspin for at least 2 weeks!  Despite the hospital stay, I managed to take some pictures with my phone.  They're not great and they're not pretty, but they are what was going on in my life on that day!

Doodle had been sick for about 24 hours.  Upset tummy and low fever.  No big deal.  Early Saturday morning she spiked a 104 fever.  SCARY hot!  It stayed high for about 24 hours even with constant tylonol and motrin.  I made My Favoritest call the pediatrician (even though he is one).  All the nurse did was try to tell him we weren't giving the correct doses of medication.  Long story short, we finally noticed a rash on her hands and feet.  My Favoritest checked her mouth and deduced that she had Hand Foot and Mouth disease.   Normally this is no big deal.  We don't do normal around here.  She wouldn't eat or drink because she said her mouth hurt.  She was acting okay and I was feeling okay, so My Favoritest left around 2:00 to go to a job interview overnight.  By 3:00 I knew I had made a mistake in letting him leave.  Doodle was screaming in pain every few minutes.  She was eating nothing.  Drinking nothing.  Being a Child Life Specialist in my former, former life I tried every trick I knew.  Straw, no straw, cup, glass, medicine cup, syringe, smoothie, milk, water, gatorade, juice.  You name it, I tried to shove it down her throat.  Finally I gave up and took her to the ER by myself.


She got an IV and some fluid.  She was still in pain.  They admitted us.  By the time we got to our room at 2:30 she had taken 2 20 minute naps since 7:00 am the previous day.  I begged for better drugs for my kid.  They came through.  We slept, sort of!  They kept us in the hospital for another night mostly because she still wouldn't eat or drink much of anything.  This is when I decided that almost 3 is a crappy age for Hand Foot Mouth.  She was smart enough to know that her mouth hurt more when she ate or drank anything.  She was not old enough to understand that medicine could help it not hurt.  She was not old enough to understand that it would get better.  It was pretty much a waiting game with a 3 year old to see what would tempt her enough to forget that her mouth  might hurt!  We tried ice cream parties and bargaining.  I begged.  I was honest and told her we couldn't go home till she ate.  She said she didn't want to go home.  


Finally, as My Favoritest walked into the room on the 2nd morning of our stay, Doodle decidied she could eat a cupcake!  Seriously kid, you couldn't have waited until your dad saw you in your pathetic state?  Really?  Oh well, as least it was food and our get out of jail pass:)  So here are some pictures from our stay at UVA Medical Center!

September 18 (59/365)
Sleepy girl in the ER after her IV

September 19 (60/365)
Feeling a little better.  Thank God for the old IPhone filled with Doodle stuff.  It was a life saver!

Did I mention I asked for good drugs for my kid?  This was about 45 minutes after she had gotten a dose of oxycotin.  Thanks Landlord for the face decoration:) 

September 20 (61/365)
Although we got out of the hospital I was still worried about her drinking enough.  So every 10 minutes she had to drink for me!  It made for a long afternoon, but way better than being in the hospital!

September 21 (62/365)
It is a little hard to see, but this is the imprint of Doodle left on her mattress after her first night back at home.  She slept so hard that she left an imprint of her head, elbows,  and knees.  She still frequently sleeps with her butt in the air.  For 22 lbs to leave a mark like that, she must have slept GOOOOOD!

365 Catch Up Part 2

So here are a few more days of catching up.  Enjoy!

September 13 (54/365)
Doodle's little table full of little things that mean a lot to her!

September 14 (55/365)
Sometimes I have to convince Doodle to try new things by telling her it is somebody else's favorite thing.  Case in point, this book.  She wanted nothing to do with it.  When I told her it was Uncle Hank's favorite book when  he was little, She was all over reading it over and over again.  I love that we are getting into "real" books and I can share some of my favorite childhood stories.  If you've never read it, check it out! The Flying Hockey Stick by Jolly Roger Bradfield

September 15 (56/365)
I looked out the window and saw pink clouds.  I rushed out, took some pictures.  I went back inside to grab  Doodle and show her the awesomeness of the clouds, but in few minutes it took me to run in and run out, they were gone!  I have done nothing to retouch this photo!

September 16 (57/365)
Often I talk about my Favoritest and how hard he works and how stressed he is.  This is him totally at peace.  He is my love!

September 17 (58/365)
Oh Me-Me -Tuck and Kitten!  If you haven't been introduced to this trio, they are Doodle's loveys.  I know, the are hard and plastic.  Me-Me (whose real name is Ming-Ming) and Tuck have gone almost everywhere with Doodle for the last 15 months or so.  Kitten is not allowed to leave the house (I felt that 2 small things were enough for me to keep up with).  Although she is not quite as vigilant about taking them with her all the time, Doodle continues to play with them in all sorts of fun and creative ways!

Mayhem and Mornings!

I have long maintained that beginning at 5:30, if we are in our house, Mayhem is going to arrive.  It doesn't matter what I do to prevent it, prepare for it, or ignore it.  Mayhem comes to visit.  And it ain't pretty.  In our house, Mayhem's arrival is usually marked by our friendly fat beagle.  Beginning when Doodle comes downstairs from her nap, the beagle begins whining for dinner.  He increases his annoyingness as the afternoon progresses.  He whines. He cries.  He begs.  He barks.  He picks up his bowl and throws (okay pushes) it across the kitchen.  Yes, I am talking about a dog.  When this behavior reaches a crescendo, Doodle begins whining that she is tired, hungry, needs help, anything to increase the volume and level of neediness in our small living area.  All the while, I am trying to get dinner cooked and constantly looking at the phone willing it to ring with the "I'm on my way home" call.  (That call usually doesn't come until we are 2/3s of the way done with dinner by the way).   I wish I could say Mayhem leaves with the arrival of dinner,  but it doesn't.  Mayhem just settles in while we dine.  Dinner is followed by the mad dash to convince our 3 year old to clean up her toys, clean the kitchen, let the dogs out, give Doodle her meds, let the dogs in, bathe Doodle, read, rock & sing, say shema, talk to God, and put the kid in bed!  I am exhausted just thinking about it!  And just when I think I/we are done with Mayhem, I come downstairs to find this.....

September 11 (52/365)

This, is the fat beagle begging for "greenies".  Which we don't have.  We haven't had them in over a week.  Don't tell him that.  He sits in front of the washer looking longinly up at the shelf where the delectable treats once lived.  He will sit there whining and wimpering for as long as we can take it!  If we close the door, he stays in the closet.  If we make him come out, he lays down in front of the door with the most pitiful face you have ever seen.  Finally, one of us puts a leash on him and puts him in doggy time out.  And then we usher Mayhem out the door!


After evenings like the one described, mornings like this are even more rewarding.

9/12 (53/365)

This picture was taken after an early morning run.  As we stood there looking at the beauty of the morning with only the sounds of nature and an occasional car, I was reminded why I like this running thing.  I cherish the adult time to talk about nothing and everything.  I (who can't stand to be in a quiet room) relish the silence of the early morning.  I crave the 5 minutes my house is silent while I put on my shoes and reflector vest.  I look in awe at the amazing starry sky and can't believe I am lucky enough to see a million stars.  It is so not about the health benefit.  It is completely about the benefit to my mental health.  I don't care how far or how fast I run.  I could care less about a planned route.  All I want is my time!  This morning "me time" helps me deal with Mayhem and all his nasty friends throughout the day! Hopefully I will remember this in January when it is freezing cold!

Put It In the Bank

The life style we currently lead doesn't always meet all of my emotional needs.  I said it.  I'm not ashamed! My Favoritest works long hours at the hospital.  He works long hours at home.  He is tired.  He is cranky.  He is preoccupied.  This is he normal state of being since we have started this fellowship.  I can't really complain.  I have friends who have it much worse.  I am grateful he makes it home to work on papers and research and projects.  But sometimes his physcial presence isn't enough.  Sometimes I want to spend time with the funny, sarcastic, relaxed guy that he can be when you take away the stress and responsibility of his job.  It always seems that just when I have reached my sanity limit and I am about to loose my schmidt, we get a weekend that is sheer and utter bliss.  A few weeks ago, we got that weekend.  We had a nice Friday night dinner out followed by ice cream.  We spent Saturday together at The Little Gym.  We ran errands.  And then to top it off, we went to Starry Nights at Veritas Vinyard.  It was the best part of the whole weekend.  We packed a picnic dinner.  We listened to music.  Doodle ran around and played.  My Favoritest was relaxed and laid back.  He was totally engaged in us!  It was like the best family date ever!   

September 10 (51/365)

So, almost a month later I am trying to remember that weekend.  I am putting that memory in the bank.  When the next few weeks of single parenting really stink, I am going to know that good times are there under the surface.  I am going to know that although we are scattered and hurried, often only seeing each other for a few hours of quality time each week, reconnecting isn't as hard as it seems.  I am going to hold onto that evening when I am cursing his job and our lifestyle!!!