February 25, 2010: Neverending Snow!

These pictures show the snow at my house and down our road. These are normal driving conditions, every day, for us--very different from what I was used to in Texas.

February 24, 2010: Last Glass

Tonight I drank my last glass of wine for awhile!

February 23, 2010: More Juicing

I juiced again tonight. After tasting "real" orange juice, without the added sugars and preservatives, I will never go back to OJ in a carton.

February 22, 2010: Laser Printer

Justin surprised me with a laser printer! Other, cheaper printers go through ink like every week, and I was going to go broke buying printer ink all the time. This printer's toner will print 10,000 pages before having to be replaced, and replacement cartridges only cost about $40.

February 21, 2010: Twilight Craze

I. Cannot. Stop. Reading.

I started the Twilight series 3 days ago. I finished New Moon at 5:00 a.m. this morning after reading. Two nights I have not gone to bed. I am seriously addicted to the point that it is interfering with my day-to-day responsibilities.

January 20, 2010: Tulips

Awwww, Justin brought home flowers again--tulips (which I love)!

February 19, 2010: More Volunteering

Today I volunteered again at the art session for kids. Here is some of their watercolor work and a photo of paintbrushes just for fun.

February 18, 2010: Shoes

I should have taken my camera with me today and photographed the sun (that came out for a few hours after a 4-month hiatus), the Ypsilanti Jaycees' meeting (which Justin and I attended tonight), or all the guinea pig pooh that was left in the bathtub after an hour of "free" play"! But alas, the only pictures I took today were of items I am listing on eBay. Here's a picture of a pair of shoes I listed tonight for $9.99.

February 17, 2010: Bandanas with Sarah!

I had a fun time tonight painting bandanas with Sarah. As the paint dried in the sun, any templates or objects placed on top would leave white imprints on the bandanas. Here's a section of my bandana.

February 16, 2010: House Hunting

Justin and I have begun the initial house hunting phase: looking at listings. The house we are currently in is too small for Justin, Tyler, me, 2 dogs, 2 guinea pigs, my office, and all my eBay stuff! Plus, we are renting an older house, and I can't stand the fact that it needs remodeling. Take the doorknobs, for instance. Look at how old and scratched up both the knobs and doors are! There's no sense remodling any of it because it's not ours!

February 15, 2010: Young Visitors

Today, my neighbor's two children came over to play. Being that it was a school holiday and my friend, a single mother, had to go to work, I offered to watch her kids instead of her paying the regular babysitter across town. They had fun watching movies, playing video games, learning about guinea pigs, and playing a game during lunch. Here they are writing letters to my step-son, Tyler.

February 14, 2010: Valentine's Stuffed Jalapenos

Today, Justin made one of my favorite dishes: stuffed jalapenos! He fills jalapenos with cream cheese and wraps them with turkey bacon--so good! Here they are before going into the oven.

February 13, 2010: I'm Becoming a Hoarder

Today, Justin surprised me by writing down all the addresses of Value Worlds within an hour radius of home--and we started going! We love Value World. Value world sells all the stuff that Purple Heart acquires through donations, and they sell the stuff CHEAP! I got a beautiful leather jacket for FOUR BUCKS, for instance, last week. I also am acquiring tons of things to sell on eBay and make big profits.

While on our way to one of the Value Worlds, we ran across an estate sale where everything was half off. I got a huge bag of Masonic things, including an unused leather apron; a big bag of 1920s sheet music, a projector, and other things for $30. The Masonic apron alone sells for $199-$249 on eBay.

Anyway, here's what we brought inside today. I have no more room in my basement to put it. I'm becoming a hoarder!!!!!!!!!!!

February 12, 2009: Growing Guinea Pigs

Eating a carrot (end) while playing in Justin's lap

February 11, 2010: Icicles

Icicles hanging from our roof

February 10, 2010: Snowstorm!

Starting yesterday morning, the wind and snow came and didn't stop until this morning. The schools are closed today. I noticed while walking in my front yard that my feet sank over a foot into the snow (pictured). I have no idea where the driveway begins or ends or where the steps by the front door are!

February 9, 2010: Substituting for Music Class

I enjoyed substitute teaching at Pioneer High School today. PHS reminds me of Cy-Fair High School about five or six years ago. You can just tell by walking down the halls that both staff and student morale and motivation are high.

I have enjoyed filling in for one particular teacher multiple times this year (with an entire week scheduled in March). She teaches two sections of Piano I, two sections of Guitar I, and Music Theory. The students are extremely well-behaved and self-sufficient.

I couldn't really take a photo of the students and post it on my blog, but here's a shot of the piano in the classroom! I am constantly drawn to photographing piano keys.

February 8, 2010: Organized Office

I stayed up until 3:00 a.m. this morning re-organizing my office. As you can see, I have two file cabinets--now all organized and labeled--and a wall of cubby holes for other things like tape, paper, books, electronics, etc. I also have my cd player that plays meditation and yoga music (to calm me) as well as a small fountain to make me feel like I am in Hawaii. :) It feels GREAT that everything is in order!

February 7, 2010: Fire and Barf

It's consistently cold here, so Justin makes a fire almost every night. Tessa loves to lie by the heat, and she gets so close to the flames I think she might burn herself or catch fire. Here she is as the flames are going down.

Today Tessa has been feeling ill. She barfed in the living room, and Justin made me clean it up. I can really tell she still isn't feeling well. Poor girl.

February 6, 2010: Growing Guinea Pigs & Caring Daddy

Technically I took this picture last night. But Justin cuddles with the guinea pigs the same way every night, including today, so I figured it would count for my Project 365 (since I didn't take any pictures today).

February 5, 2010: Cherry Cider

Tonight after volunteering at FLY (art activities for kids), many of the parents, children, and volunteers went to the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti afterwards. I had a cherry cider (pictured) and enjoyed conversation with people who seem to share many of the same values as mine. What a lovely evening!

February 4, 2010: Juicing!

Tonight Justin and I enjoyed juicing oranges. We bought a like-new juicer at an estate sale for $20 and were very excited to get started juicing because of the high amounts of sugar and preservatives in the store-bought orange juice. Justin doesn't like to juice, but he does it with me anyway! It's delicious to drink too!

February 3, 2010: Sarah and Max

Today I spent time with Sarah and Max, the Lab mix she and her mother are watching. Sarah graciously said I could post her picture on my blog again! Thank you, Sarah!

Max reminds me of my #1 dog, Sammy. I got Sammy in college and he lived 13 years before he died of kidney failure and cancer. Watching a dog die, including being euthanized, is the absolute worst feeling I've ever experienced.

February 2, 2010: More Snow Today

My Michigan and Kansas friends probably think "snow" is not that unique of a concept, but when you've lived in Texas most of your life, snow is amazing. I love it, especially the BIG movie-like flakes like the ones that fell today.

February 1, 2010: New Guinea Pigs

Tonight I got two (free) guinea pigs along with a cage and other supplies from a very nice woman in town! They are both female and only two weeks old! Justin and I enjoyed snuggling with them and listening to their cute guinea pig noises.