Every day a smile.

At the end of the day, this is the one. There's nothing spectacular about the picture itself, but the scene is what gets me.

I went to the farmers market today and loaded up on tons of fruit, a couple plants for the front yard, and even stopped by Half Price and found something new to read. The weather was spectacular.

When I came home and unloaded everything, I thought my husband would appreciate the display of fruit that awaited his (late, as usual) arrival. So I attempted a text him a picture.

The only thing missing was his drool! Every day this darn dog does something to make us laugh or smile. Today is no exception!

And so, Tobi officially makes his first appearance (of many, I'm sure) as my captured moment of the day.

Happy Friday :)

~n~

Sunshine

It's been chilly and cloudy for days. And for days it's been a struggle to maintain any acceptable amount of energy. Today made up for them all! Not only was the sun shining, but the temperature was perfect!

As I walked through the living room I noticed the sun shining through the Japanese Maple in the front yard. (We love that tree. There's actually a slightly humorous story behind it.) And the leaves glowed, making it look so healthy and vibrant. It will be a happy tree. ;)

So today's picture is about sunshine. The sunshine that coursed through my veins today and created such a wonderful state of mind.

I love days like this.
*happy sigh*
:)

~n~

365 Day Challenge

I'm writing this from my phone so it won't be as long, or as detailed as my blogs tend to be.

I was checking out my Facebook newsfeed this evening and came across a question to my fellow photographers in the community... Have you ever attempted or completed a 365 day challenge? Why, no. I have not!

And so my wheels start to turn again...

Now, knowing myself as well as I do, :), something tells me that I won't complete the entire 365 posts, but I'm intrigued enough to try it out. I'd like to approach it, however, from a non-professional perspective, and make it more personal. After all, this IS my personal blog!

And so it will be this...

One picture a day of anything, iPhone and iPod pictures only. Creativity is welcomed, of course, so apps are allowed and encouraged.

This will begin a (hopefully) daily account of the happenings and perspectives in and of my life.

And there it is! Short and sweet!

I hope it lasts!! (Take your bets! Haha!)

* Today's picture is the closest thing to me that describes me: A view of my bedside table. Here you will find a large stack of travel guides, a book of word find puzzles, a concrete brochure, and a book that I've barely started.

~n~

A new year brings New Cheese.

I haven't written in a while. It's come to mind several times, but every time I do there's either nothing worth mentioning, no access to a computer (don't ask), or too much to even know where to begin!

So a brief recap of the holidays...

Thanksgiving went less than perfect, but in the end turned out to be a pretty nice evening. JD's dad and brother missed out, which was a true disappointment, but Douglas did stop by (a new addition to the Thanksgiving crowd :)  ) and I actually had time to sit and talk quite a bit with Michelle and Kyle.
The keg was a flop. I think it would had been more successful with better beer and better weather, but neither were within my control, so what to do. Lesson learned.

What was perfect? Christmas Eve! Let me tell you! I ended up getting Douglas and David to cover my shift that day. We stayed in our PJ's all day, colored on a poster that Katrina had given me at work the day before (while Kat played Sims 3, her Christmas Eve present), enjoyed a fire, and munched on garbage food all day. It was the coziest, happiest, most peaceful day we've had in the longest time!

Christmas day was a nice change as well. It was just the four of us that morning for the first time. And it was wonderful! I have to say that it was the best Christmas that we'd had in recent memory! We opened our presents, showered and made breakfast just as Matt and Maggie showed up to deliver their presents to the girls. We stopped by Mom's for a couple of hours and visited with Erin and her brood. Then ended the day with dinner at IHOP, a first for all of us! And as IHOP seems the last place to be on Christmas day, the four of us had a wonderful time together. And we all enjoyed one another, whole-heartedly. Wonderful.

As the new year passed, my restless nature seemed to persist more than ever. It's been kneading at my brain for the past few months now, but the last few weeks have been torture. The brainless, repetition of this job is slowly bleeding out any compassion that may remain inside me for the human race. Every day the IQ of these customers equals less and less. What am I doing with my life? How the heck did I get here?

Oh yeah, I remember. It was the hell phase of 2007. I'd had my fill and needed a break from the stress. I took this brainless job on purpose! What? It was supposed to be temporary!! And here I am... three years later?? Why?

Well, one thing that I can say about this stupid, stupid job, is that I have met some pretty cool people over the last three years. I know more people by name (or drink) now then I may have known throughout my entire career in construction! I often times run into them when I'm out shopping. In fact, I dropped Kodee off at a friend's house a few weeks ago and her mom was a regular! Crazy!! And as unsociable as I claim to be, I genuinely enjoy knowing these people. It's really something!

I was talking to one of these customers on a slow, slow holiday weekday morning. He had recently quit his 75k per year job to "find himself". So clearly, we had quite a bit to relate to. A couple of days later he brought me a book (that he made a special trip to buy just for me) called "Who Moved My Cheese?". I had read this book nearly a decade ago, but didn't remember much about it anymore. I took it home, determined to force myself to read it over the weekend. (As much as I love to read, I just haven't been able to commit myself to a new book in months.) I wanted not only to appear grateful for this thoughtful gift, but to discuss my thoughts upon my return to work on Tuesday.

It sat on the coffee table all weekend. For one reason or another I never picked it up, until Monday. The family had finally left the house quiet and at peace. This was my perfect opportunity. I sat down, forced the iPhone out of reach, and committed.

The next day I turned in my two-week notice.

It was all I needed, a basic perspective. A story about mice and cheese.

The stagnant, day to day grind is gone now. The excitement and fear about what's in store for me has awakened me. I feel alive again with possibility and a new found sense of freedom. It's not the freedom of the unemployed, but the freedom of choice.

I can choose my future from here. I can choose to be... not a Barista. Okay. So, I'm not sure where to go from here. I just know that I feel good about where I'm going! I'm going to find New Cheese!!!

So now I have two weeks left at Starbucks. It's official! (To my co-workers: If you really love me and are wondering what you could do to express your love... Casi Ciello!! I want  your markout this week! haha! It's never been a better time to stock up on good coffee!!)

I'm pretty sure that I won't have the ability to hold it together that last day. My coworkers have really meant a lot to me over the last few years. Douglas, especially... we've come so far!

Well, I suppose I should close this up. I think I'll post a summary of the book to follow.

Until next time...
~n~

Thanksgiving Preparations

Yes. You may be thinking that this is a little early to start planning for Thanksgiving. But since the Fosters were handed over the tradition in 2005, it has evolved into THE place to be for this particular holiday. This is the day that The Infamous Unsociables open their front door to all friends and family and make up for the 364 days when we graciously decline all requests for hanging out.

We can't explain it. We get (happily) caught up in our own little world and the contentment of being home overpowers the fun factor of being sociable. I guess that's what you get when you merge the Martins with the Fosters, a happy, unsociable middle. :)

Anyway, as it turns out, the girl who could barely boil water as recent as our early marriage, has managed to master the art of a hip Thanksgiving hangout that seems to get better every year!

What does it take? Well, late September planning for starters. This week, I pulled out my past T-day menus and concocted a new menu out of the most successful recipes over the years, then added a couple new ones to spice it up a little, which I do every year! From this list, I itemize every ingredient to devise two separate lists: the perishable and non-perishable items. This list will now join me every time I hit the grocery store between now and the big day, precisely 9 weekends/trips to be exact. I will collect the non-perishables up until the last weekend, when the perishable items will get knocked out in one shot. Feeding 20+ people can be pretty expensive, so it's necessary to spread it out over time.

And this is one mammoth list for a mammoth menu. Maybe this will help to put it into perspective:

14 sticks of butter

11 cups of powered sugar

2 bags of flour

2 - 5lb. bags of sugar
10lbs. of potatoes
10 pkgs. of cream cheese
1 1/2 dozen eggs
and it goes on, and on, and on...

Aside from the shopping, having that many people in our house in one day can be a lot to handle so the next several weekends will be dedicated to getting the house into a presentable, Martha Stewart style, level. I've already made a list of a couple of projects that I'd like to see completed by then. Of course, given the number of unfinished projects in our house (far exceeding the typical family's norm) I can't expect to have them all done, but it's good to set goals! Hahaha!

And we can't forget the playlist! I started an ongoing list about a month or two ago of songs and bands that would be perfect for that day. It's coming along nicely, I must say.

And the menu? Well, I could keep it to myself, but it's so good this year that I can't help but flaunt it! Aside from Pop's fried turkeys and Grammy's homemade stuffing, this is my plan:

For Grazing:
Veggie Tray w/ Dip (Cucumbers, Broccoli, Mushrooms, Carrots....)
My Classic Cheese Ball w/ Crackers
Bread Bowl w/ Dip & Dipping Oil
Spicy Cheese Ball (new)
Ugly Dip (new)

Dinner Sides:
Mashed Potatoes
Yams
Cranberry-Raspberry Sauce
Biscuits
Green Beans w/ Glazed Shallots in Lemon-Dill Butter

Desserts:
2 Pumpkin Pies
2 Apple Cakes w/ Browned Butter Frosting
Cranberry Mousse Torte
Banana-Ginger Cake w/ Cream Cheese Frosting (new)
Turtle Tart (new)
Divinity
Marshmallows (for Roasting on the Fire)

Beverages:
Holiday Punch
Hot Cranberry-Apple Cider (new)
Beer

No. I won't pull this off by myself! My mom will surely come by and help me get things together the day before. Last year I had a few teenagers meandering around the house, so I put them all to work, too. A decision that worked out beautifully, I might add! We actually had a pretty enjoyable time and I hope they'll come back this year! The plan? I pretty much kill myself the day before so on the big day I can enjoy myself. There's still lots to do that day, don't get me wrong! But the pressure is VERY low! I just arrange the buffet and put things in the oven as needed!

Just a million things to obsess about! But I'm just the girl for the job! And in the end, whether five people stop by or twenty-five, all that matters in the end is that I spend my favorite day of the year with my family... with lots of food to eat! Hehe!

Until later...
~n~

We shook hands with the mayor today.

We always knew she was a winner, but today Kodee was recognized by the city, the school district, and the Texas Rangers for the number of steps that she recorded on her pedometer over the summer ~ 2.8 million, that is!!

What does she get as a reward? Well, aside from a personal visit from the mayor, the AISD superintendent, and the Rangers mascot, (along with a posse of at least 20, not including two news crews!) they handed her three tickets to a baseball game later this month (with a parking pass!) in a suite! We'll be joined with the mayor and his wife, as well! She was so stunned that she could hardly smile, and we're pretty sure that she turned sheet white when she realized that all of the attention was on her!! Hahaha!

Oh, AND she'll be on the news tonight ~ Channels 8 & 11, and watch for her in the Star Telegram!

We're so proud of you, Kodee! You set your mind to something and look what happened! You're a winner!

Congratulations, Kid!
YOU ROCK!!!
~m~

Things on my mind these days.

Fall is approaching. It's time to start thinking about Thanksgiving.
Recipes. Music. Food. Keg. People. House.
Gotta pick up the treadmill on Friday.
Four days off. Four days off with my husband. Wish we could drive away for three of them, alone.
Sad that we can't.
Still need metal edging for the backyard. $200.
Gotta save serious $ for Black Friday. Minimum $1500. Ugh.
I hate saving money.
Need to do something about this house. Too unmotivated to touch it.
Drama at work is wearing me out. If I didn't have self-restraint, I'd have slapped a *b* by now.
Thank God for self-restraint.
I work with the boys tomorrow. Freaking yes.
Homecoming.
Apparently I need a Mac to use my iPhone to its full extent. Great.
My dogs are in need of some major threats regarding the consumption of my plants.
I hate cooking dinner lately. I need some new ideas.
The vet cost me a fortune this week. I hate pet maintenance.
We're out of cat food.
Volleyball?
I thought of visiting the redwood forest and I cried.

For now.
~n~

No sooner did I finish this post, did the principal of Kodee's school call me. She's being recognized by the school district on Friday morning but they can't tell me why until then. It's also a surprise to Kodee. What could it be? How exciting!