Project 365

Guess I'll do this, too. I dont really have a good camera for it...my Easyshare is messed up--the backlight isn't working so you can't always tell if you're getting a good shot or not until you actually upload the photos onto the computer. And my phone's camera is a crapshoot! Sometimes it takes good pictures, sometimes not...

And I'm starting this little project a little late so I'll go ahead and post three photos and try to catch up as quickly as possible!

Photo number one:



This is one of the few times my phone actually snapped a decent picture! This is my friend Roger (on the right) and his friend, Curt and their new band, Voodoo Jones at their debut show, January 7 at Pub 261. They were awesome! See 'em gettin' after it? Love love love going to see them play!



Brooke and I have gotten hooked on the show "Cupcake Wars". For those of you that dont know, I used to decorate cakes a while back. I got into it because I hated paying upwards of $40 for a birthday cake and figured I could do it myself a LOT cheaper since I can draw pretty well. I was right, I could. But then things and life in general got to the point where it was worth the $40 to have my time back! It's a lot of work. Plus I was eating all the leftover frosting...I think *most* cake decorators do! I was NOT going to be a tub of lard decorating a cake just to save a few bucks so I quit. Now I'll do one every once in a while.

But Brooke and I stumbled across Cupcake Wars on the Food Network once and we LOVED watching it. And anyone can eat a cupcake and live, right? (well, if you eat just one!) So she got the bright idea she was going to start doing cupcakes and came up with a few recipes/ingredients she wanted to try. Above was her first creation. It's a milk chocolate cupcake with caramel center, white chocolate buttercream frosting (homemade of course) with caramel drizzle and grated hershey's for garnish. It was scrumptious! My little budding entrepreneur may be onto something. One of my offspring has to make a million!



Last but not least is my latest alcohol fettish...Bailey's Irish Cream! Love love love a little in my coffee, usually at night but anytime works for me...as long as I'm not going to work! (and that's usually when I need it! haha)

updates

I'm sitting here in the sanctuary of my bedroom watching Family Guy and relaxing before we probably lose electriciy...yep, Winter Storm 2011 or whatever they're calling it has arrived. Our yard and streets are covered in snow and ice and I can hear it hitting the windows. I wouldn't mind so much but I remember all too well the Winter Storm 93 and how we would not have survived if we didnt live so close to my mom at the time who had gas heat and a gas stove.

Now we're here out in Clay where if we lose power, we're likely to be without it for quite a while! We have gas heat but the thermostat is controlled by electricity. Our stove is electric...we have propane and camping equipment but that's about it. We shall see how well we fare!

I won't mind getting some good snow pictures. Would love to get a new one of Dylan buried to his hip in the snow. He was five months old during the last "blizzard". I find it kind of ironic that the year he was born and the year he became an adult--both times 'Bama won a National Championship and there was a winter storm!

We did not do anything for New Year's Eve. Too soon after my knee surgery. The meds were working well so I didnt want to mix them with any alcohol. We just enjoyed some family time and went to breakfast the next morning.

My knee is recovering VERY well--much better than the last time. My physical therapist is very aggressive in his treatment and I'm already a LOT further in my progress than I was last time. I cant wait to get back to zumba and all my other activities.

Last Friday night, we did go out to Pub 261 in Pelham to see our friend, Roger's new band, Voodoo Jones. They were FABULOUS! Of course I knew they would be and it turns out the bass player is married to a lifelong friend of my sister's! Small world! I can't wait for them to play again this Saturday night.

Saturday will be a BUSY day for me. Dylan and I will be going to Tuscaloosa for Scholars Day! They are treatin us to lunch and giving us more information about the opportunities he will have as well as more scholarship information. We definitely need that! I can't believe it's already time to send in his Freshman deposit and housing fees!

I need a buttload of money to fall from the sky! I love love love my job but my how it doesn't pay well at all. Oh it's in line with similar positions...it's just the industry. I need to decide very soon if I simply want a job or career. I really would rather just have a good paying job. I dont want anything to take away from my time with family and friends--I dont want to have to pour my life into something like I did when I worked at the bank to only be unappreciated and "dispensible". But I gotta pay the bills too and we are so behind on some things.

Plus the van quit a few weeks before Christmas. I think I've already posted about that. I can't complain--we definitely got our money's worth out of it. It was a good vehicle. Just rotten timing.

Jeff and I went looking yesterday and even found something we like--a great deal on a Mazda 6 2010. But we weren't able to get financing because we dont have a down payment--yet. Not until tax time. And that tax return is owed to many peopple. I dont know what we're going to do.

When I went to pick Kayti up at Alyssa's, I also found the perfect house for rent! I mean, I am in LOVE with this house. But when I called about it, it's almost twice what we're paying now. If we could BUY it, the payment would be about the same...but again, financing and down payments are a problem and since we dont make enough to pay our bills now...well you get the idea!

I really need to make more money. Either in another (second) job or a different job. So be in prayer about that, I've got some decisions to make.

Also next Saturday, I'm considering attending a meeting for a new church plant. My former pastor at my old church is starting his own church and the launch date is in April. I LOVE Church of the Highlands but even when we were attending regularly, we were having a hard time plugging in. It's just that huge. Which has it's pros and cons. But I dont want to go back to a Baptist church by no means (and I dont mean to offend any of my Baptist friends out there, it's just not for me). I just want to be where I can worship and serve and feel like I'm not only getting something out of it (because I definitely do at Highlands) but am putting something into it as well.

And then later Saturday night, we are going to see Voodoo Jones again! I know I'll get to see a lot of good friends as well! I can't wait!

I've been working on my writing and scrapbooking since I've been laid up and the weather's been awful but I still have a LOT to do. I'm going to a crop night at Michael's Friday night. I also started a new painting for the girls room and am looking forward to another Sips N Strokes night this month, too.

That's about it for now...hope you stay safe and warm!