Day 31 - Things of Summer - Wed 1/31

We have not had much snow this winter and the temperature has really been quite mild until the last few weeks, but it is still hard to do much outside. The picnic table and bike are reminders of warmer, sunnier days when we will spend hours and hours outside.

Day 30 - Gray Days - Tues 1/30

This is part of the new weather station Brian put up for me. I love the weather and in the northeast, it is never boring...well it seems to be boring right now...gray, gray and more gray! This is not a black and white picture...it is just this gray outside. I don't mind the cold so much or any snow, but when we have days and days of gray skies, I really get blue. Spring is coming...right?

Day 29 - Possibilities - Mon 1/29

I love to do handcrafts...sewing, cross-stitching, knitting, crochet...I've tried just about them all. I don't have as much time anymore, so I've pretty much settled on cross-stitching and sewing right now.

I had to make a trip to Michael's for floss and fabric for my latest cross-stitch project. Looking down the colorful aisle of floss and pattern books, just makes me think of all the projects I would like to do, they are endless. I certainly will never run out of ideas or possibilities.

Day 26 - Frosty Glass - Fri 1/26

Living in a 160 year old house makes for some pretty frosty mornings when the weather is below zero. This was one of the windows in our hall this morning. The frost makes such beautiful patterns on the glass. Once I raise the blinds and the sun gets a bit higher, it always melts, but first thing in the morning the windows are painted with these wonderful designs.

Day 25 - Ring of Warmth - Thur 1/25

Everyday we go through almost a full ring of wood. This keeps our family room and kitchen very comfortably warm. It is hard keeping our old house warm, but this does a great job. I love the feel of the warmth from the woodstove, there is nothing like it when it is so very cold outside. Burning wood is a lot of work and a lot of mess, but I love it.

Day 23 - Games - Tues 1/23

We love to play games, well at least I do and I can "guilt" my family into playing, at which time, they usually have a good time!

Our sons favorite at the moment is Uno Attack. It is a fast paced game and pretty much a game of chance. We also played Ruckus tonight. We got this at Christmas and this is only the 2nd time we've played. I think we might have a new family favorite.

Day 22 - The Uncooperative Corner - Mon 1/22

We have gone through many phases of discipline with our children and the new kids have needed a lot of correction in one way or another. We have finally settled on an "uncooperative corner", thus named from a favorite book of ours, "Julius, Baby of the World".

Dan, who is three, spends a lot of time some days reflecting on life while waiting for that timer to go off. He is really so cute and after his time, we talk, he apologizes and we snuggle. His speech is not great and when he says I'm sorry, it comes out as "nonny". I wonder if you is naughty just to get the after effects of his correction?

Day 21, - Reading to Gabe - Sun 1/21

Every night before Gabe goes to bed, I read to him. We have worked our way through the Beatrix Potter books, several times through the Thomas The Tank Engine stories, Thornton Burgess books and many others. Our book choices are getting more along the classics and I am enjoying these. The book I'm holding is "Peter Pan".

This reading time is a special for both of us as we snuggle on our bed and often stop to talk about the book or other things. Life has been so crazy since adding the three new kids and this allows us some one on one time.

Day 20 - Debris - Sat 1/20

Last week, I asked dh if would be okay to tear off the wallpaper in the kitchen. We have been at this house for ten years and I have always disliked the paper. My idea was a "simple" makeover...paint and paper.

Well....this house is also 160+ years old and has had many owners who had their own way of doing things...add many different types of wiring and what not, and quite a can of worms can be opened with each "simple" project.

This is just a sampling of where we are today in the project. There are lots of these little piles of construction debris around. I'm not sure where Bri will draw the line and just say, "I'm going to leave the rest", but I know he is going to rewire everything for safety reasons.

Day 19 - Fri 1/19

We finally got some snow overnight. The kids were so excited and couldn't wait to go play. We did school in the morning, had lunch and then they scooted outside.

There really wasn't that much snow, but it didn't seem to deter them. They had a great time sliding on all the ice patches and sledding on our little hill. By the time they had taken a few runs down the hill, they were sliding on mostly leaves, but they didn't mind.

Day 15 - Ice Storm - Mon 1/15

We had an ice storm lastnight and throughout the day today. Everything was coated in a thick layer of ice. The sky was gray and the air looked "misty" with the ice. I was hoping for some snow, but the ice sure made it beautiful out.

Day 14 - Laundry - Sun, 1/14

This photo is neither artistic nor particularly interesting, but it does typify my day. Due to the ice storm that came overnight, we didn't attend church this morning...I did laundry instead. I did three loads and folded six, including the white basket in the middle which is full of socks. I never realized how many socks a family of seven has!

Day 13 - Rain on my Window - Sat, 1/13

Rain in January...that isn't so unusual for northern NY, but it has been raining all winter...no snow. I am not a great lover of tons of snow and very cold weather, but it seems so very strange to have it be so mild and wet. I think I am ready for a good snow and some colder weather.

Day 12 - New Toys - Fri, 1/12

Rachel, Hannah and Dan enjoy their new toys

Today was errand day. One of the stops was to WalMart. The Littles, what we call our recently adopted children, got to spend some money they got for Christmas. This idea of having money and being able to buy things with it, is totally unknown to them. They had a good time, with a lot of guidance, buying things they liked. Rachel bought a little stove top that makes noises like water boiling and bacon sizzling. Hannah bought a vanity with play makeup and hair things. Dan had a harder time and ended up with a soft football. He enjoyed the girls items anyway.

Day 11

This is the last day of "catch-up". From here on out I'll try and post a new picture everyday.

This picture represents two things I love...my darling husband Brian and traveling. It seems he is always at the wheel of our van as we head out somewhere. We don't often get to go on long trips, maybe once or twice a year, but we make lots of shorter drives...2-4 hours. The kids are great travelers and we never tire of seeing new places.

Day 10

My computer table very much exemplifies my life...very cluttered and full. My jar of chocolates is to the left, art work from the kids stuck on and around the computer, lots of notes and papers from bills, correspondence and flyers, lots of SD cards from all the pictures I take and of course a beverage or two...usually a cup of tea, but I think that is an empty cup of Coca Cola.

I spend a lot of time at the computer, it is centrally located between our kitchen and living room, so I can keep an eye on what is going on or pop up to attend to a meal on the stove.

Day 9

I learned to play the piano when I was young and have continued to enjoy playing. Music is a very important part of my life. Most of the music on the piano is my dd's now. She has really taken off in the last year or so and has grown to love it as much as I do, it is a wonderful bond we share together.

Day 8

Books, books, books! Can anyone really have too many? I suppose so, but I don't think I've reached that point yet. I just love to read. It is by far my favorite past time.

This is the stack of books on my nightstand and beside my bureau in our bedroom. One of these days the bureau stack is going to crash, but so far it remains standing. My most enjoyable "fun" reading are mysteries...nothing too graphic or gory...but "cozy" mysteries. The rest of the pile includes Bible studies, Bible study helps, homeschooling books, biographies and other non-fiction of various types. Of course, this pile is just my more current stash!

Day 7

This is our half tank. This spring we raised tadpoles and our 7yo wanted to keep a couple of the frogs. Most frogs are at least partly terrestrial, so we made this 1/2 tank from an old aquarium we had. My hubby used aquarium glue, a piece of Lexan and a piece of rubber tubing slit in half. We were so happy with how it came out. We filled half the tank with sand, dirt, moss and rocks and the other side with gravel and water.

We have two frogs (you can see the largest one just to the right of the center piece), an Eastern Spotted Newt and several minnows from the river. It is so enjoyable to have these creatures share our home.

Day 6

I know this doesn't look like much, but this will be a 1952 Super Fiat car. I do cross-stitch with a charity group that makes the blocks into quilts for children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses. Antique cars is our latest project. I don't get as much time to sit and stitch as I used to, but I try and work at least 30 minutes a day to stay current on my projects.

Day 5

Gardening is one of my favorite hobbies. Each summer I'll add new beds or other features to the garden. Brian and the kids gave me this water garden several years ago for Mother's Day and it has been a wonderful addition to my perennial border. Brian put up this white picket fence behind it this past summer.

The water garden looks pretty dismal this time of year, but in the spring and summer it is lovely with water plants and water lilies. We get lots of visitors like frogs, snakes, toads, dragon flies and all types of water insects. I am hoping to add another larger water garden this summer.

Day 4

We've had chickens for many years. Two years ago, we decided to start a separate flock of Bantam chickens, which are smaller versions of many full-size chickens. I just love them. They are so cute and have so much more personality than our big laying hens.

Day 3

This is a Maine bell-chime. We were given this as a wedding gift 20+ years ago. It has hung at our homes ever since.

I love the haunting sound it makes which is very similar to the buoys we hear when we visit the coast of Maine. We spent part of our honeymoon in Maine and it is one of our favorite places to visit and this chime helps to remind me of the pleasant times we've had there over the years.

Day 2

Every spring I look forward to the return of the Bluebirds. We have six Bluebird houses around our yard. We don't always have successful hatches of babies, but they are always around and at least check out the boxes. It is a sure sign of spring when the male Bluebirds come around, usually in February, to check out the availability of housing.

Day 1

I spend at least sometime most evenings enjoying our woodstove. It is a type that you can open the doors and enjoy the "live" fire. There is something about a fire that is so soothing and comforting. It is very hypnotic. The sights and sounds of a fire relax me and help me unwind from the day.

Getting Started

Well, I'm a few days behind, so I thought I would take the next few days to catch up. I'm going to be posting things I enjoy or represent things I enjoy.

I've never considered myself a very good photographer, but maybe the Project 365 will help me to start looking at my pictures and how I take them.