I think I can ... 89::365

Sean has been asking about this movie for months. And when I say he's been asking about it, I mean like every other day he'd ask, "Is Little Engine that Could out yet?" He has a Little Engine that Could game & book for his V-Reader from Grammy & Grampy, and when he saw this movie advertised in a magazine he immediately asked if he could get it.

Yesterday we were all feeling under the weather, and we fell asleep in the late afternoon until 7pm. Oh my! I felt much better after the long, hard nap and decided to run out and buy this movie. We needed a little pick-me-up and decided to have a family fun night. We ordered pizza and watched this movie. I give it two thumbs up. Great message, good script, inspiring music, and a few good jokes thrown in for good measure. I'm sure we will be watching it many, many times so I'm glad I enjoyed it too.

PS. Totally cheated on today's picture. Clearly this isn't my own photo. I didn't even pick up my camera this day, but wanted to document getting the movie.

Still sick ... 88::365

Sean is still sick. It's now moved from being a tummy bug to a head cold. And since he's only three there is really no medicine he can take for it except for Children's Benedryl. Unfortunately the normal side effects are the exact opposite for Sean. Instead of making him drowsy and dopey, he becomes hyper. So we can only give it to him during the day, and it helps marginally. Enough to give the tissues a break for a short time.

Craigslist ... 87::365

Last week I sold a Wii Active 2 Personal Training bundle on Craigslist. I used it once, and found I didn't like it. I knew then and there I'd never use it again. So I decided to snap a photo of it and list it on Craigslist that morning. By the end of the day, it was sold.

As I was cleaning out my closet over the weekend I came across a handful of bags, shoes, and clothes that were either new or were still in really good condition (yep, this included a few unmentionables!). I'm notorious for buying things without trying them on, and then forgetting to return them. So, I'm going to list them on Craigslist and see if I can make a few more bucks.

In the closet ... 86::365

I spent my entire weekend in the closet. Purging. Organizing.

Jeff and I both have huge walk-in closets which are very nice. But it means they collect a lot of crap including clothes courtesy of the 90's. Yikes. I ended up purging at least 1/2 of my closet, and now have 15 garbage bags full of clothes and other things to donate. My rule of thumb: if I remember it from before the year 2000 and it didn't hold any significant memory value then it went out.

All in an effort to simplify this year.

Pantry... check
Exercise... check
Save Money... check
Closet... check

PS. Sorry for the REALLY boring and non-artistic photo. I need to remind myself that my 365 project is really about documenting our every day first and foremost. Any photography skills I can work on along the way is awesome, but not required. Reminding myself... check!

The devil ... 85::365

Girl scouts are the devil in diguise. I swear I said no, and prayed for the will power to resist. But just like Eve I fell for the cute little devil hook, line and sinker. Ugh.

I'm sick ... 84::365

Sean, climbs into our bed in middle of the night sick, whimpering. I say let's pray to Jesus and see if He can make you better. He nods yes. I say, "Jesus, please help Sean feel better, especially his tummy." Sean adds, "And my legs." Jeff interrupts, "Your legs? What's wrong with your legs?" Sean quickly responds clearly agitated, "Daddy! We're talking to Jesus!"

I'm Mad ... 83::365

What's wrong, Sean?

I'm mad.

Why are you mad?

I just am.



Um, Spring? ... 82::365

Where did you go?

Seriously.

Eyeore ... 81::365

The nicest thing about the rain is that it always stops. Eventually.  -- Eyeore

Spring Arriving

It was close to sixty degrees today, and Spring is arriving. Sean and I spent some time playing outside and searching for signs of Spring. I was surprised to find a couple crocuses popping up. Isn't that refreshing? And the few berries on the barberry bushes were just begging to be featured.

How things stack up ... 80::365

This week's prompt in Picture Inspiration was "how things stack up", and it's been bouncing around in my head for several days. Today I finally set out to try a few different ideas. Nothing was speaking to me.

Sean, of course, had to be right in the middle of the action. I guess since he saw me stacking, he ran and got his Smart Snacks Color Cones. I snapped just a few photos. And voila! I got my shot.

Row, row, row your boat ... 79::365

It rained all day. And some hail for good measure. Nothing like a Sunday with nothing to do but watching the thunderstorm outside your window. I did finally step outside to take some pictures (umbrella in hand!). I loved how the rain was collecting on the bare tree branches, and of course I wasn't able to capture it as beautiful as it looked with my naked eye. But was pleasantly surprised to see the rainfall in the background this shot.

A bubbly kind of day ... 78::365

Spring is finally here. Today my mom, sister and niece came over... what a wonderful day! A bubbly kind of day. We spent the better part of the afternoon outside playing in the backyard watching the bubbles float up to neverland.

I was determined today to get an awesome picture of bubbles. Do you know how hard it is to get bubbles in focus? It's a crap shoot, I tell ya. This one is an extreme crop, and I used Coffeeshop's Bold Pop action to boost the contrast up big time. I kind of like the effect, and might try it with different crops from this photo. Here's the original SOOC...

Willy Nilly Silly Old Bear ... 77::365

"Pooh, promise you won't forget about me, ever. Not even when I'm a hundred." 
Pooh thought for a little. 
"How old shall I be then?" 
"Ninety-nine." 
Pooh nodded. 
"I promise," he said. 

Drinking Green ... 76::365

There's two things we know about in Chicago. Being Irish. And drinking green.

Yep, our beer is dyed green on St. Patrick's day. And I'll be known to devour a Shamrock shake at least twice during the season. And we dye our soda green too. Many a teetotaler in Chicago enjoy a tasty glass of Green River on St Patrick's Day, me included.

And yes, the Chicago River is dyed green too (hopefully no one is drinking from it!). Any association between dying the river green and the soda? Nope. I was surprised to find out it's just a quirky coincidence.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

“May the road rise to meet you, the wind be always at your back, the sun shine warm upon your face and, until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.”

Baby Blues ... 75::365

How can you not completely fall in love with this little man? Those eyes. Oh, those eyes!!

The weather here today was AMAZING! I was outside playing with the kids in short sleeves and loving it. This is my Godson, Luke. Isn't he just the cutest little thing? I'm embarrassed that his twin sister hasn't made an appearance yet on my photo-a-day. She's equally adorable. But today this photo spoke to my heart. He is my Godson and all. And I love him to pieces.

My Inner Preppy ... 74::365

At long last, I own a Vera Bradley bag. For years I was drawn to them in specialty stores. Their vibrant colors, and fun patterns were appealing to me. Something about their quirky preppiness spoke to my soul. But I never felt like I could live up to it. I'm not sure what it was -- did I feel they were for the upper-crust? mature women? Did I think people would look at me funny for carrying a bold paisley bag? I'm not sure. All I know is I never bought one.

Until now. The frugalista in me flipped when I received a $20 off $20 or more for my birthday. And lucky me, we have an outlet store here in Chicagoland. So last month I grabbed my mother-in-law and off we went. This lovely purchase cost me $16. Cha-ching. And I LOVE it. The perfect weight, perfect handle lengths, very roomy, and lots of slip pockets to organize everything. And the color and pattern. Yummy.

My inner preppy is all happy and stuff.

Bubbles ... 73::365

Woohoo! The temperature creeped above forty degrees here. That means bubble weather! OK, not exactly ideal bubble weather but close enough.

I took 30 pictures of Sean blowing bubbles... this was the only one that with bubbles in it. Either he needs to get better at blowing bubbles or I need to get better at taking pictures. I'm blaming it on the kid. :-)

Light of the World ... 72::365

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
John 8:12

Our church holds a Light of the World retreat twice a year. Jeff and I attended over four years ago, and it was one of the best things we ever did as a couple and as individuals. We now have a community group of dear friends we meet with once a week, and can count on in good times and in bad. It's awesome.

Tonight was a candlelight ceremony where past retreatants who have been praying all weekend for the current retreatants file into church at the end of the retreat mass to share the Light of the World. It's an amazing, touching ceremony. You can't help but truly feel the presence of Jesus.

I took a bunch of different pictures here tonight, but settled on this one. The lighting was clearly not the best, and I was struggling to hold my lit candle, sing, and take amazing photos at the same time. Plus, if I were a really serious photographer I would have dropped the candle and moved around the entire church scoping for the best shots. Nope, that's not me. I'm the crazy lady in the middle taking photos of her own hand. Ha!

365 :: One Photo a Day { February 2011 }

365 is coming easier for me, day by day. I don't hesitate to pick up my camera every day and snap at least one or two photos. It helps having a live-in model, even if he's not alway very cooperative. Three year olds are like that.

Joining the Picture Inspiration class has helped me with different prompts and to stretch myself a little bit every week. I didn't miss a day in February, and so far March is rolling along in a steady rhythm.

Here's my book with February added. I concepted a front cover, but not totally in love with it. I'll probably concept an idea every month and see what I love in the end. I did change my font, added titles, and moved to all black & white. I'm leaning more towards the clean, simple look these days.

365 :: One Photo a Day by Amy Hipelius | Make Your Own Book

Spring Forward ... 71::365

Remember to turn your clocks ahead tonight!

I'm just realizing now that I didn't plan ahead and ease Sean into this daylight savings transition. Guess who's going to be in my room at 6am tomorrow ready for the day?

Waiting for Spring ... 70:365

It's coming. Promise.

Daylight Savings this Sunday. While we lose an hour of sleep, we gain an hour of yummy, gorgeous sunlight. Just one more sign that spring is on its way.

My Baby ... 69::365

I want to remember these chubby cheeks and delicate eyelashes forever.

Dust in the Wind ... 68::365

And so the Lenten season begins. A time for giving up chocolate, pop, TV and the like. I attended mass today to kick-off the event, and received my regulatory ashes on my forehead. I'm ready for the game. The coach's (aka priest) words: We're going to die. Our bodies will return to dust. Whatcha gonna do to get your soul to heaven?

Honestly, Ash Wednesday kind of snuck up on me and I haven't given it much thought. So I slipped into church a few minutes early to chat with God about this very topic. And the words He spoke to me were sacrifice and love. So I think I'll be cranking up my workouts (definitely a sacrifice) and my prayer time (love). We'll see how it goes.

Photo comments: These are the prayer candles by Mary in our church chapel. It was really crazy busy before and after my mass, so I snuck back over after the school mass this afternoon to snap this picture. I didn't have a lot of time, so the composition isn't my favorite. Plus, these were the only three candles lit (and I lit two of them!). I had a much different image in my head when I thought of this shot, figuring plenty of candles would be lit. Clearly not many souls feel the need for Mary's intercession :-)

And now I leave you with Kansas. Apropos for this first day of Lent...

Stop Whining ... 67::365

I need to work on this one myself. Woke up today feeling like crap again... sinus pressure and headache. I'm just a tiny bit whiny.

Meanwhile I've been working on rhythm for this week's Photo Inspiration class. Feeling under the weather doesn't help matters. When I saw the responsibility chart today it spoke to me... there's rhythm in our daily routines, and then the obvious rhythm in the magnets. What do you think? I might just go with it, and get back to drinking fluids.

Meet Thomas ... 66::365

He's a regular around these parts. You can find him easily with his blue color and the number 1 on his side. He's always smiling, works hard, and is a really, really good friend.

Why so blue? ... 65::365

Three cheers for my dear hubby, who let me sleep in today. I didn't get out of bed until noon. Wow, I don't know the last time I did that.  Lest you think I'm a lazy bum, I haven't felt well all day fighting head and body aches. I even napped along with Sean in the late afternoon. I pray I'm not coming down with something.

My friend Heejin brought me these flowers yesterday, and their bright blue and yellow colors brought a smile to my face all day. Thanks Heejin!

I used Coffeeshop's Bold Pop action on this photo. Nothing like a blue flower to make you pull out all stops to make it bolder!

The Big Potty Dance Party

Every once in a while I apply to host a party on houseparty.com, but rarely get selected. Miracles never cease to amaze me ... I was selected to host a Pull Ups Potty Dance party! A few weeks ago I received a party pack full of DVDs, Dance Mats, coloring sheets, stickers, coupons and more. And the invitations went out.

No, this wasn't a celebration party. It was more of a motivation party for Sean. The kid is as stubborn as all get out, and clearly doesn't have the time to go potty because he's too busy. He would go all day in a dirty diaper without one complaint. I might have to go all nazi with him soon if he plans on going to preschool in the Fall.

Slowly I got ready for the party, and pulled together treat buckets. The dollar spot at Target is perfect for things like this. The kids scored a bunch of free things from the party pack, but I also added a few extra fun things like sunglasses. Because a rock star is not complete without sunglasses.

The kids had an awesome time rocking it out and dancing to Ralph's World Potty Dance song. I'll post a video at the bottom of this post. Too cute.

We also played a little pin the underwear on the teddy bear. A party isn't complete without a fun blindfold, walk into the walls kind of game.

Next up it was time for food, and the kids had a blast making their own pizzas. Jeff also made some awesome
homemade pizzas for the adults. YUMMY!

We ended the night with popcorn and a movie. Yep, no popcorn in this photo... it was on the floor! But the good news is, the kids picked it up without even being asked. A good time was had by all!

And now, what you've all been waiting for...

Cupcakes ... 64::365

The big potty dance party was today. A good time was had by all. More photos to share, but I'm beat. A blog post all it's own tomorrow with more photos and video.

No Peeps ... 63::365

I went shopping this morning for our big Pull Ups potty dance party tomorrow { more on that tomorrow! }. I brought my camera along with me in search of rhythm, our prompt this week in Picture Inspiration. My idea was to shoot Peeps all in a row at Target... you know those colorful marshmallow chicks that seem to multiply during the Easter season? Well, they clearly have not hatched yet. None to be found. And it killed my creative mojo. You could say my rhythm was lost. In all of Target I couldn't find a substitute as worthy as the Peeps looked in my imagination.

So, what does one do when they lose their mojo? Photograph tulips. I warned you a few days ago this would happen.

Perfect Love ... 62::365

You can never have too many tulips.

Or too many tulips pictures for that matter! = )

It's Coming ... 61::365

Spring. I'm so happy.

I'm craving new growth and fresh, clean colors. The sun is shining bright against the pale blue sky, but the ground is a mess of brown and grey and dirty white snow. The temperature was 30 degrees today but I refused to put on my winter jacket. It's March. And spring is coming. Soon.

So I did what any Spring craving, tulip loving crazy woman would do... I stopped at Trader Joe's and picked myself a bunch of Dutch tulips. I have a feeling you'll be seeing a lot of tulips on my blog this month.

Can't decide which of these photos I like best. What do you think?

Creativity Blooming ... 60::365

He loves to paint. Especially for other people. Lately he paints rocket ships, but you'd never know. Which is why I always say, "tell me about what you've painted." Because you never know what his imagination is cooking up.