Blizzard 2011 .... 33::365 { One Photo a Day }

I had such a hard time deciding which photo to use for today. I had a few favorites, but decided this one told the biggest story. Lots more photos coming soon.

snOMG! ... 32::365 { One Photo a Day }

CAUTION: There's a friggin' blizzard out there.

Will this be the biggest snowstorm in Chicagoland EVER? Time will tell. This is Jeff's second pass with the snowblower on the driveway. We're keeping count.

I'm still in my PJ's.

Yep, I schlepped on my boots and winter jacket over my PJs to take this picture from our front porch. Not my best work, but the blizzard had to be documented in some way... and simple sounded good to me today.

Manic Monday ... 31::365 { One Photo a Day }

It's just another manic Monday... breakfast, dishes, laundry, workout, allergy shot, lunch, shower, chiropractor, Walgreens... and the day's not even over yet. Thank goodness I don't have to go to the grocery store. I hear it's utter mayhem with the blizzard coming. Batten down the hatches!

Spring? You coming? ... 30::365 { One Photo a Day }

Oh, how I would love for spring to come. And for real tulips. I love me some real tulips.

Resolutions ... 29::365 { One Photo a Day }

I signed up for a 16 week weight loss challenge at our local Snap Fitness. The hook was it's free... but only if you do everything they tell you to do, and decide to NOT stay with the gym after the 16 weeks. Then they'll refund your money. The deal is workout 3 times a week in their gym, keep a food journal and have two days signed by a staff member each week, and meet with a personal trainer once a month (four times total). I'm SO not a gym person. But this challenge will force me into a routine. Which I need desperately. And I hope will carryover when the 16 weeks are over { I get my money back } and I'll have all sorts of new options to working out when Spring arrives.

I'm two weeks in, and so far so good. I'm not weighing myself -- I don't want to focus on the numbers. I just want to feel better physically and mentally.

RE: the photo. These are my old shoes that I now wear out and about. I bought a new pair of Saucony at Marshalls a few months ago and only wear them indoors so they still look brand spankin' new in all their whiteness which I didn't think would make for a very interesting photo. I wanted to use my old pair for a little grungier look. I used Coffeeshop's Urban Grit Photoshop Action, and removed the yellow color cast. Here's the original SOOC (straight out of camera) so you can see the difference in what a photoshop action can do. I'm learning!

Mom's Morning Out ... 28::365 { One Photo a Day }

I had a mom's morning out today, and enjoyed a walk down memory lane by heading to Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, IL. I spent the better part of my teenage years, summers in college, and ten years after college living in Arlington Heights, so I shopped at Woodfield regularly and even worked here a couple of jobs. Now we live about 35 minutes away, so it's not very convenient... and with all of the new outdoor malls popping up, there's not much need to go there. But today I had to exchange a pair of Crocs boots I received for Christmas.

Along the way I stopped by a couple of stores and ended up buying a sweater, two shirts, and hat/mittens set for Sean for next winter, an extra potty chair for Sean, and two pairs of jeans & two tops for me all for $60. Everything was on clearance except for the potty seat. Not bad for a day's work... and a joyful morning out for mom.

27::365 { One Photo a Day } ... First Timer

I had a super busy morning. Online meeting, workout, allergy shot... and driving around in the snow was fun. So when I got home after lunch I promised Sean we would work on a new project together. I pulled out the safety scissors and a brand spankin' new gluestick. He worked on his cutting with a Family Fun magazine, and then I cut out different pictures for him to glue on to construction paper. He LOVED it. And the concentration on his face looks just like his daddy. I have a feeling we're going to go through a lot of gluesticks around here.