30 days of gratitude

So I've decided to do my first photo challenge... 30 days of gratitude for the month of November. I found out about it on flickr and i think it'll be a good way to put my feelings into my photos rather than just snapping away. Hopefully it'll also help me to be more appreciative.

I'm grateful for...

my new dishwaher

all the things my mother ever taught me

and a happy and healthy 2 year old.

Feel free to follow me on flickr as i battle my first photo challenge :)

I didn't need a new table:)

What a really wanted was a long, old farm table but i settled for this due to lack of space.

I love it and i'm keeping it just the way it is... peeling, chipped, and worn.

Trick or treat... a day late

Maria was a chicken for Halloween.

The cutest chicken ever.

A big weekend

Yesterday was Scott's birthday so I baked him a pie. My intentions were to make a two crusted apple pie, but only one crust turned out. I resorted to apple crisp in a pie crust. I was a little worried that the crust would turn out soggy but it didn't. It was delicious! I would make apple crisp like this more often if I didn't have to deal with that darn pie crust.

Maria's going trick or treating this evening with dad while Ginger and I stay home and pass out candy to all the ghouls and goblins. Halloween has never been my favorite holiday, but Maria's been talking about it for the last month. She'll be a chicken this year and I'll be sure to post pictures of her in her costume... that is if she can stay still.

Happy Halloween!

Go away!

The rain and dreary weather will not stop! You can only handle so much rain before you begin to go crazy. I can only imagine how people out in Seattle or Portland must feel.

Yesterday I decided to get out of my slump and bake some cupcakes with Maria. The mix was from a box but they still turned out delicious.

She made sure to touch, pick up, and smell every single one. I even caught her taking a little nibble. Naughty girl :)

Of course in the end, she only ate the frosting.

Well rested

Other than being terribly ill with an awful cold, I am happy to say that I'm well rested. Ginger is officially sleeping through the night. She's only two months old! Is this possible? Is this healthy? Yes... and be glad.

p.s.

the dishwasher is wonderful!

The time has come.... finally!

When we moved into our house over two years ago, we painted every room from floor to ceiling except for the upstairs bathroom. It was in fairly livable condition and we figured it could wait. Now we have motivation to redo it because of an old (but new to us) pedestal sink from my parents. We're going to replace the lights, towel bars, and the sink and tub fixtures. We never use the shower so there's no need for a shower curtain... which gives me more options for the walls.

The only problem is... the tub surround is 3x3 gray tile and there's 4½ foot high wainscoting on the wall. Who wants to look up at a picture or painting? Not me. My solution is to put a large pattern wallpaper on the top half of the wall and paint the bottom half. I just can't decide what direction to go with the wallpaper. Here are some of my favorites... oh, and if you didn't know, Target sells some cool designer stuff online.

this color claims to be avocado... it looks yellow in this picture

I don't think Scott would really go for pink :)

We both like the one above

As you can tell my eye is automatically drawn to greens and blues.

Feel free to leave feedback or any suggestions on this issue...

One more day

The Mr. is picking up our new dishwasher this evening which means tomorrow is my last day of doing dishes the old fashioned way... by hand. I haven't had a dishwasher since I lived with my parents... over ten years ago. It's a luxury that some people probably take for granted and is something I've always wanted for my very own. Now, thanks to a nice little inheritance from Grandma, I'll have mine and won't ever get away with not doing the dishes ever again.

***

Here's my latest bench Monday photo...

On our walk through Hartley last week, we came across this spot on the trail with a bridge and some fallen trees. I instantly thought it was the perfect opportunity to suggest that Scott stand on this mossy tree trunk and pose while I get my Monday fix.

Thanks Scott... I can always count on you.

My family

After what seemed like weeks of rain, a day of sunshine and chilly weather came our way. A day that definitely felt like fall. We decided to take advantage of it and went walking through Hartley. I was expecting to see brightly colored leaves crowding the trails, but instead was only greeted by muddy yellow with a few bursts of red. Disappointing. We did however manage to take our first family portrait with the fall colors in the backdrop.

We ended up taking only one shot because Ginger was starting to cry, Maria had to pee, and it was fairly chilly. After uploading the photo to the computer Scott said that he "looked real wide" and I said that I looked like a fool. Who ever said we were models?

Well at least we tried.