Grace/365 Days

I'm setting up a separate page for these posts, because I am feeling a little too narcissistic with the self portraits every single day. Yet strangely, not narcissistic enough to stop taking them or posting them. Ha. Go figure.

The new site is here, and I'm going to eventually figure out how to make a button for it to keep in the side bar, eventually being at a time other than right now when I am not (1) starving (2) congested (3) feeling like shit and (4) going through withdrawals from lack of diet coke in the house.

Grace/365 Days

A quick self portrait of me coming home from un-work today. I had a job this afternoon, which means arranging childcare, packing up my gazillion pounds of gear and putting on pants and makeup. When I got to the prosecutor's office I was informed that the deposition had been cancelled. But it didn't occur to anyone to call me. This is my life of freelance court reporting. I get a little secret jolt of happy when I find out I have a free afternoon, immediately followed by a big crashing wave of SHOW ME THE MONEY. It sucks. And because my participation in the 365 days of self portraits is supposed to be an exercise in self love, I won't even mention the horrid state of my effing eyebrows, which is so clearly illustrated in this unnecessary closeup.

Day 15 of 365 Days of Grace

1. Carpooling

2. Pink CD

3. Tall black boots

4. Tweed coat with a hood

5. Running on the treadmill without having my leg fall off

Grace/365 Days

Hellacious day at work + shooting pain in right shin + 4th grader with holy shit amount of homework and basketball practice in an hour = CHEEZ-ITs for dinner. But because I am a good mom? They are reduced fat cheez-its. So actually, kind of like health food. Plus? Note the Target brand gummy vitamins. Nutrious! Well Balanced!

Day 13 of 365 Days of Grace

I am thankful for:

1. All day jobs that end early

2. Sunshine

3. Packaged prepared frozen food

4. Microwave ovens

5. The knowledge that someday my son will move out of this house. Someday. Please, God.

Grace/365 Days

I was all geared up for a 3-mile run after dropping Carlie off at school, but Carlie never got dropped off at school. After it was determined that she was not going to die, I went for a 1.5 mile run. And I was all "ow ow ow my legs". WTF?

Day 12 of 365 Days of Grace.

I am grateful for:

1. Son cooking dinner tonight

2. Daughter not sick with disgusting vomity bug

3. The return of "24" (I know, I am lame, so sue me)

4. A cozy sweater on a gray day

5. Beautiful yarns to knit

Grace/365 Days

This is a very boring web cam photo of me right now at my dining room table on my laptop. The photo behind me is a vintage shot of downtown Vancouver, my neighborhood, circa 1920s. We just went on a walk to sell Girl Scout cookies and while I stood on the corner waiting for Carlie I noticed an imprint stamped in the concrete reading Kampe & Co 1919. Our house is estimated to have been started in 1919 and finished in 1921. I love this neighborhood.

Day 11 of 365 days of grace.

I am thankful for:

1. The fact that one of my cats is not a moron

2. My neighborhood

3. Old ladies at church who think I am oh so young

4. Doritos, though I still mourn the demise of Taco flavored

5. Pumpkin spice candles

Grace/365 Days

Little Miss Muffett... yes, that is a giant spider descending upon my head.

These red lights have hung in my dining room window seat since February 2006, when my friends and kids decorated the house for my big 40th birthday party, which was a dance off fiesta bash complete with a BAND in my LIVING ROOM and oysters. Lots of oysters. And shot drinks. Lots of shot drinks. It was the bomb diggity of parties, but I digress. The lights? They're still up. They provide excellent mood lighting for the dining room. Oh, and I just remembered that my camera has a timer, which adds a whole new element to the self portrait. You're welcome. Oh, and the window seat is where we display Carlie's object d'art d'jour. Sometimes d'jour becomes forever, hence the spider from Halloween still hanging there well after Christmas.

Day 9... I am grateful for:

1. Happy Hour

2. Red lights, not for Christmas but just because

3. Friends to laugh with

4. Mac & Jack Amber Ale

5. Banana Toffee Tort

Grace/365 Days

Yo, kick it

Day 8 of 365 days of grace

1. Chuck Taylor All Star Converse

2. French Fries

3. New Friends

4. Living La Vida Loca in Small Town, USA

5. The Beastie Boys

Grace/365 Days

Uh-huh

I am grateful for:

1. Being from New Orleans, a place that I love

2. Finding great airfare to make a spur of the moment trip to Mardi Gras

3. Shiny things

4. Jeans that fit

5. Delicious homemade stir fry for dinner, neither stirred nor fried by me

Grace/365 Days

Roots? What roots?

Day 6 of 365

I am grateful for:

1. My neighborhood, which kicks ass

2. Crepes, which kick ass

3. The time/resources to volunteer at my daughter's school and

4. The fact that 90% of the parents at the school are not freaks

5. Wine

Grace/365 Days

Day 5 of 365 Days of Grace

1. My giant antique map of Portland, OR

2. Hot eats and cool treats

3. Knowing when and how to say NO

4. Even numbers

5. Home-cooked dinner, not cooked by me

Grace/365 Days

Day 4 of 365

Happy feet, knit by happy hands

I am grateful for:

1. Cozy hand-knit socks

2. End of winter break tomorrow...holla

3. The way my children keep me entertained, usually without even knowing it

4. Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe Joe's

5. That sweet nectar of the Gods known as Diet Coke with Lime

Grace/365 Days

Bling

Day 2 of 365

1. I can run.

2. Leftover split pea soup.

3. Sunshine... in January no less!

4. Gym membership.

5. 10-year-old daughter who is not sick, even though several of her friends are now down with some kind of bug. 

... and the clock strikes 12, a new day is dawning

Back home again. New Year rung in. Time to start living up to those resolutions. Happy 2009 to you and yours. Good tidings. Live long and prosper.

So... Day 1/365 of Flickr's 365 Days Challenge...

And Day 1/365 of Schmutzie's Grace in Small Things challenge. 

Five small things I am appreciative of.

1. Home. We walked five blocks to a fab restaurant for dinner with friends, drank to our soul's content and then walked home. Does it really get better than that?

2. The New Year. Clean slate, fresh start and all that jazz.

3. Cute husband. Who pays for my drinks.

4. Nice kids. All gone for the night.

5. Good friends to ring in the new year with.

We'll take a cup of kindness yet for auld lang Syne

Resolutions

2008 was a year of self-focused physical improvement for me, working on the self, making health and fitness part of my norm. In 2009, I want to turn some of that focus outward and focus on hearth and home and recapturing the sense of "safe haven" that this house once held for me... as opposed to the current sense of "never ending money pit" and "sty."

In 2008, I practiced my unlistening skills. That voice in my head? Yeah, she's kind of a nit-picky bitch. In 2008 I learned to stick my fingers in my ears and sing "nanner nanner boo boo" until she was drowned out. But ignoring her did not make her go away, and sometimes when I am not paying attention, she pipes up once again, finger-pointing to the "would haves" and should haves" and "could haves" not taken.

In 2009, I want to banish her. For good. Like dead and gone. Nothing good comes from the criticism and the "not good enough" mantra. So while I participate in 365 Days, she dare not rear her naggy head to point out crows feet and laugh lines and a double chin. Not only am I not going to listen, but I am going to shut her ass down. For real. And if I muster up the courage to actually write something besides blog posts, she will have no editorial license with me.

So that's it. Pretty simple and straightforward resolutions. Focus on getting this home back in shape, focus on getting my psyche in shape. Oh, and I'm running a half marathon in April. Because 13.1 miles? Half my ass. Just feeling like it's OK to register for this mutha is a full-on accomplishment.

2009 is going to be the bomb. Seriously. I'm ready to kick some ass this year.

Cheers!

In my quest for something "new" to do in 2009, I signed up for 365 Days on flickr. Now I am stealing an idea that I learned about from my friend karismar, though the challenge originated here. (Thanks, Schmutzie, for the cool badge and challenge.)

Grace in small things. Being thankful for what we have. Appreciation. Positive thinking. Gratitude. This is stuff that I need to work on in 2009. Like, big time.

By nature, my glass is ALWAYS half empty. And the stuff in the glass? Yeah, probably backwash from one of my kids drinking out of my glass. This has always been my attitude. 

I have these days of great appreciation for everything in my life, and feel lucky and blessed and thankful for the life I live. But those days are outnumbered by the days that I spend stressing over what we don't have, perceived unmet needs and pining for things that I don't need at all but still covet just the same.

So two challenges for me in 2009: finding grace every day and looking at myself every day, hopefully with kindness and less criticism.

My resolutions are still in the formative stage. I made resolutions in 2008 and actually stuck with them and good things resulted. I lost 45 pounds (and have kept it off) and started running (and have kept it up). So I am on the resolution bandwagon. 

So. Resolutions. And Champagne. Lots of Champagne. That's my plan for this New Year's Eve.

Cheers!

365 Days

I've been trying to think of something creative or unique to do in the New Year. But because I am neither creative nor unique, it's been something of a challenge.

So I changed my goal of "trying to think of" to "trying to find" something creative and unique to do in the new year, because there are a lot of very creative and unique people out there with fab ideas and, frankly, who am I to think I need to reinvent the wheel.

To that end, I just joined the group 365 Days on Flickr. Starting January 1, a self-portrait per day for 365 days. Sound like fun? I debated joining the group Wardrobe Remix, but after perusing the photos there and seeing a blatant lack of mom jeans, I decided my wardrobe might not be trendy enough.

So that's my challenge: a self portrait per day, without getting boring. We'll see...