25/365

January 25th

POTD:

Yes, that is snow on my truck again. It's starting to get to be a habit around here :)WOTD:invest:To commit (money or capital) in order to gain a financial return; To spend or devote for future advantage or benefit; To devote morally or psychologically, as to a purpose; commit.

"Men of our generation are invested in what they do, women in what we are".

~ Shana Alexander.

24/365

January 24th

POTD:

The girls went to a sleepover. My camera freaked out on the next Monday, so I will start having to use my old 4MP one. Both girls made a new friend.

WOTD: meaningful: Having meaning, function, or purpose. Fraught with meaning; significant.

"This is our purpose: to make as meaningful as possible this life that has been bestowed upon us; to live in such a way that we may be proud of ourselves; to act in such a way that some part of us lives on".

~Oswald Spengler

23/365

January 23
POTD:
Had to take Rickey to work today and actually caught a SUNRISE! For those who know me really well, this is a major accomplishment. I am much more of a sunset kind of person.
WOTD: patience: The act or power of calmly or contentedly waiting for something due or hoped for; forbearance. Constancy in labor or application; perseverance.
"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world".
~ Harriet Tubman

22/365

January 22nd

POTD:

Picture taken on the way to a reading activity at the girls' school. This is a small farm on the route we take there. It was so much prettier in person.

WOTD: rethink

Verb: to think about (something) again with a view to changing one's tactics
Noun: the act or an instance of thinking again
"We've been living in an age of self-absorption and self-indulgence. But the amazing thing is that on one day it all stopped. We started to rethink things. We began to think not about what is wrong, but about what is right, about our towns and our states and our country,”
~Laura Bush quotes

21/355

January 21st

POTD:

This is from Sunday. The girls had a dance clinic. Check out my friend's blog (twinangels) for more info and pictures.

WOTD: Pause: A temporary stop or rest; an intermission of action; interruption; suspension; cessation. Temporary inaction or waiting; hesitation; suspence; doubt. To hesitate; to hold back; to delay. To stop in order to consider; hence, to consider; to reflect.

"He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed".

~ Albert Einstein

Interesting author of this quote. I would have thought that at some point with all he had seen, he would have lost the sense of wonder we all are born with.

20/365

January 20th

POTD:

Yes, to all my friends up North, that is snow in my front yard. This is actually from Monday evening. Enough for a small snowball, but not so good for a snowman.

WOTD: extend: To hold out or reach forth; To bestow; to offer; to impart; to apply; To value.

"Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again".

~Og Mandino
One of my favorite authors of all time. Check out his books. Short and concise. This hits home for me. Rickey's uncle passed away and I went to the funeral home tonight. This is the first of 4 in the next 2 weeks. You never know how much time you have left or how long your family and friends will be with you.

BTW: does anyone know how to get rid of this anoying double space?

19/365

January 19th

We all had the day off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I took the kids to the local pottery place. They had a blast. Although there were all kinds of boy things, Jacob insisted on a bowl. Kiara did a piggy bank (she calls it Curly Q) and Brianna did her name. Keep in mind that they had to paint 3 layers for every color. It was cold and snowy outside, so it kept them busy and warm.

POTD:

WOTD: choose:

To make a selection; to decide;

To wish; to desire; to prefer;

To do otherwise.

“This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy.”
Susan Polis Schutz quotes

Amen!

18/365

January 18th

POTD:

We had a mother/daughter breakfast at church today. No, that couldn't be me in the picture. I'm always behind the camera (Thanks Tera). The daughters had to write down what word described their mothers. Brianna wrote beautiful and Kiara's was I Love You. Too sweet!

WOTD:

happiness: state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy; emotions experienced when in a state of well-being.

“We find a delight in the beauty and happiness of children, that makes the heart too big for the body”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

What can I say? My children are my continued source of happiness.

17/365

January 17th

POTD:

Yes, I have a cheerleader and a basketball player. They couldn't do the same thing. So, two schedules every week. But, they're having fun, and that's all that matters.

WOTD:

moxie:

1. The ability to face difficulty with spirit and courage.
2. Aggressive energy; initiative.

3. Skill; know-how.

"These kids showed a lot of moxie. These kids can't be stopped.”
~Teri Rosinski

Hope we can win a game this year...

16/365

January 16th

POTD:

Baby - it's cold outside. For here, this is really, really cold. And that's without the wind chill. Schools were closed because they didn't think the furnaces could handle the temperature. I'm sure my family is laughing at this as we used to walk to school when it was colder than this.

WOTD:

heal: To reconcile, as a breach or difference; to make whole; to free from guilt; as, to heal dissensions; To grow sound; to return to a sound state.
“Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish; Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal”
~Thomas More

BTW: 8.6 pounds lost today in the BLC. Whoo hoo!

15/365

January 15th

POTD:

WOTD:

eager : Excited by desire in the pursuit of any object; ardent to pursue, perform, or obtain.
“Probably the happiest period in life most frequently is in middle age, when the eager passions of youth are cooled, and the infirmities of age not yet begun; as we see that the shadows, which are at morning and evening so large, almost entirely disappear at midday.”
~Thomas Arnold (I've found this credited to Eleanor Roosevelt too)

No, I don't consider myself middle-aged yet, but I'm rounding the base. I'll probably find myself waist-deep in the middle of it before I know it hit me. :)

14/365

January 14th

POTD:

My Kiara posing. Gotta love those eyes!

WOTD: (lots of definitions, just listing a few)

act: To perform; to execute; to do.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

~Aristotle
“Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail.”
~Charles F. Kettering

So far, I am procrastination. Trying for the opposite this year (does anyone have a good word for that?).

13/365

January 13th

POTD:

It has been really cold here. This is what's left of my rose bush.

WOTD:

explore: To seek for or after; to strive to attain by search; to look wisely and carefully for; to search through or into; to penetrate or range over for discovery; to examine thoroughly; as, to explore new countries and to explore the depths of science.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the tradewinds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover".
~ Mark Twain

I'm definitely striving for better things this year and examining my life. Here's me sailing away...

Michele

12/365

OK, I'm doing some catching up. I have been taking pictures, but with Rickey travelling, I ran out of time to do my daily posts.

POTD:

My lovely shoes. Started working out this week for the Biggest Losers Club contest. At least I can wear 2 of them. For those who don't know, I spent a year in an air cast and another 6 months in a hard cast after my foot was pinned together. It is really great to be able to exercise again.

WOTD:

step: measure; any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal; shift or move by taking a step; footstep: the distance covered by a step; steps - the course along which a person has walked or is walking in; To move forward or backward one frame at a time.

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase".

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away".

~Henry David Thoreau

Alright - I swear that this list was totally random and I don't even look at it until time to update the blog. So shoes and step? Coincidence, right? Obviously I am taking steps towards a healthier lifestyle and also to better document my life. I like the part about "the course along which a person has walked or is walking in". And also "one frame at a time". It sums up pretty well what I am trying to do with Project365. BTW - I am taking my first step, but it is definitely to the beat of a different drum. Here's to our drums~

Michele

11/365

January 11th,
Boy, it's really cold here this week. I woke up to a frost-covered scene. I am so glad we're in the country now and can wake up to these incredible views everyday.

WOTD:
sparkle: A small spark or gleaming particle; A glittering quality; Brilliant animation; vivacity; Emission of gas bubbles; effervescence; To manifest itself by, or as if by, emitting sparks; to glisten; to flash.
"People are like stained - glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within".

~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Love the connection again with the picture. Totally random too! I printed out the list on January 1st using random generator. I take the pictures before I have a chance to do the WOTD too. Interesting.

10/365

January 10th,
Our church sponsored a skating day. Abby and Haleigh met us there and all of the kids had a great time! Jacob gave up on the skates early and led his sister around the rink for awhile.

WOTD:

centered:Being at or placed in the center; Having a specified center; Self-confident, goal-oriented, and well-balanced
"A mind at peace, a mind centered and not focused on harming others, is stronger than any physical force in the universe".

~ Wayne Dyer
Love the well-balanced part in conjunction with the skating day. :)

9/365

January 9th:
Biggest Loser Club weigh-in day at work. Ugh! There's days that I really dread this grungy old scale. Ironic word of the day, don't you think? Well, here's to a new start to this year!

WOTD:

results: The consequence of a particular action, operation, or course; an outcome; A favorable or concrete outcome or effect.

"A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results".

~Wade Boggs

8/365

January 8th:
My friend Kimmie's new baby Stephen:

WOTD:
transcend: To pass beyond the limits of; To be greater than, as in intensity or power, surpass; To exist above and independent of
"Just what future the Designer of the universe has provided for the souls of men I do not know, I cannot prove. But I find that the whole order of Nature confirms my confidence that, if it is not like our noblest hopes and dreams, it will transcend them".
~Henry Norris Russell

7/365

January 7th:

Stayed home with Kiara today. She seems to be fine, but her continuing stomach troubles are concerning me. I have a doctor's appointment set up later this month to find out.
So, we vegged most of the day and then ran to town for a few things. Got a Panormous from Pizza Hut (mmmm) and picked up Raving Rabbids TV Party (see last posting). The kids and I had a blast!
POTD:
WOTD:
fearless - oblivious of dangers or perils or calmly resolute in facing them; invulnerable to fear or intimidation
"The fastest way to break the cycle of perfectionism and become a fearless is mother is to give up the idea of doing it perfectly - indeed to embrace uncertainty and imperfection".
~Arianna Huffington
Sooooo appropriate! ~Supermom!

6/365

January 6th:

Didn't get to post this last night because Kiara was sick. Spent the day at home with all 3.

Last night we went over to Michelle's to open presents with Abby and Haleigh. Check out her new blog. Her pictures are incredible.

The kids played Raving Rabbids TV Party on the Wii. It is really cool. Michelle has the balance board, and it has a game you play with your butt. The kids loved it. Michelle and I played the dance game. It's a good thing no one was videotaping us. We ended up using some of the kids Christmas money to buy it tonight. We got to play it for about an hour. I love the games that you dance to or play the instruments. My arms are really sore about now.

The POTD is mine and Michelle's kids:

WOTD:

diligence:

conscientiousness in paying proper attention to a task; giving the degree of care required in a given situation; the quality of being determined to do or achieve something; firmness of purpose

(from thefreedictionary.com)

"If your determination is fixed, I do not counsel you to despair. Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance".

~Samuel Johnson

5/365

Ugh! Back to work. Not that I don't love my job most days, but 1) I get to not only drag myself out of bed (not a morning person!), but 3 kids that got to sleep in for 2 weeks as well and 2) with the economy and reduced manufacturing, it is getting pretty depressing at work. A lot of people have been laid off with the possibility of more to come. So we stay on our toes and hope that we make it through another week. I pray that sales improve and we can get back to where we were last year at this time.

Today's picture is what greeted me this morning.

WOTD:

complete, adj.

1 a: having all necessary parts, elements, or steps
b: having all four sets of floral organs of a subject or predicate : including modifiers, complements, or objects
2: brought to an end : concluded
3: highly proficient
4 a: fully carried out : thorough
b: total, absolute
5 of insect metamorphosis : characterized by the occurrence of a pupal stage between the motile immature stages and the adult 6 of a metric space : having the property that every Cauchy sequence of elements converges to a limit in the space

2 quotes today:

“In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us.”
Flora Edwards

“To understand anything is to find in it something which is our own, and it is the discovery of ourselves outside us which makes us glad. This relation of understanding is partial, but the relation of love is complete. In love the sense of difference”
Rabindranath Tagore

I won't pretend to understand what the metric space one is about. I like to think I am capable of being highly proficient. To fully carry out is definitely a main focus of mine this year. This was actually one of the words I had considered. Completing circles is an incredible and deep thought. Going to think on that one. Till tomorrow-

~Michele

4/365

Kinda boring picture, but it's what we did all day. We finally got the old closet tore down in the girls room and had to replace a couple of pieces of drywall. Rickey even got a cable outlet installed so the girls can have a tv in their room now. r

WTOD:

renaissance
Noun
a renewal of interest or creativity in an area

renaissance or renascence
noun rebirth, revival, restoration, renewal, awakening, resurrection, regeneration, resurgence, reappearance, new dawn, re-emergence, reawakening, new birth
hc_thes()
Collins Essential Thesaurus 2nd Edition 2006 © HarperCollins Publishers 2005, 2006

"Great effort is required to arrest decay and restore vigor. One must exercise proper deliberation, plan carefully before making a move, and be alert in guarding against relapse following a renaissance."

~Horace

Guess there is a theme developing. I like the thought of renewal and awakening. I am not quite trying to emerge as a person, but restore and re-emerge as a better person, with a resurgence of energy and ability to complete my tasks. I wonder what tomorrow's word will bring.

~Michele

3/365

In addition to this huge undertaking of Project 365, I have found an additional project: One Word. Check it out: http://aliedwards.typepad.com/.

So, to choose one word to focus on this year. Hmm... haven't picked one out yet, but there is an awesome list out there. I think us women are blessed to be able to evaulate ourselves like this. Nothing personal guys, but I don't think most men get this deep with their personal emotions. And to have communities like this to be able to grow as a human is incredible.

I can't decide what word to pick. I want something that gives me focus and a goal. I have done a lot of self-acualization and realization. I know who I am and basically what I want out of life. I am confident. I need to organize my life, but my biggest problem is procrastination. I need to un-procrastinate more and complete the wonderful projects that I have going on. I also need to simplify my life as much as possible.

I have made a wordle http://www.wordle.net/ of the list of words on Ali's blog so far. I had to combine a few, but it's an incredible list. Feel free to use as needed, just credit wordle if you do use it. This list of words is such an amazing summary of me and probably most women. As I read through the comments on Ali's page, I was surprised how many hit home. Who I was, who I am, and who I hope to be. In lieu of a yearly word, I have decided (yes I am crazy) that I will pick one word a day to focus on (yes, there are 365 of them). Today's word is HOME. Very appropriate, seeing as 1. I am home until Monday, 2. We are cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, 3. I got to go home last week and visit with my family up North.

Definition from thefreedictionary.com

Home n.
1. A place where one lives; a residence.
2. The physical structure within which one lives, such as a house or apartment.
3. A dwelling place together with the family or social unit that occupies it; a household.
4. a. An environment offering security and happiness. b. A valued place regarded as a refuge or place of origin.
5. The place, such as a country or town, where one was born or has lived for a long period.
6. The native habitat, as of a plant or animal.
7. The place where something is discovered, founded, developed, or promoted; a source.
8. A headquarters; a home base.

And a quote:
What is home?“A roof to keep out the rain? Four walls to keep out the wind? Floors to keep out the cold? Yes, but home is more than that. It is the laugh of a baby, the song of a mother, the strength of a father, warmth of loving hearts, lights from happy eyes, kindness, loyalty, comradeship. Home is first school and first church for young ones, where they learn what is right, what is good, and what is kind, where they go for comfort when they are hurt or sick; where joy is shared and sorrow eased; where fathers and mothers are respected and loved, where children are wanted; where the simplest food is good enough for kings because it is earned; where money is not as important as loving-kindness; where even the tea kettle sings from happiness. That is home. God bless it!” -Anon.

I think that sums it up for me. By the way, the wordle is my pic of the day as I spent several hours reading Ali's blog and making the pics. I will upload a link tomorrow with the wordles I made and the full list of words.
Till tomorrow~Michele

2/365

Day 2 picture:
My girls in their Hannah Montana costumes that Grandma got them. They won't be this little much longer!

1/365

I am going to try to complete project 365. Basically it is taking 1 photo of your everyday life for 365 days. For more information, go to:
http://beckyhiggins.com/blog/
http://ikeagoddess.blogspot.com/
There are a ton of others taking part in this, so google it or go to flickr.
This ought to get me posting more often too ( just for you Lisa :) )

Here is my day one picture:
My beautiful children frosted this lovely cake for New Year's. It was delicious!

I'm dreaming of a white(?) Christmas...

Since I don't get a chance to post often, I get the wonderful opportunity to summarize the last two weeks in this post. So bear with me family and friends :)
Every year our work sponsors Breakfast with Santa. Here's the picture that I took at the Christmas tree. This is the goofy version of the Christmas cards we made this year (if you didn't get yours yet, look for it soon!) Next is opening presents at Rickey's mom's. For those who don't know, we have 4 grandchildren (from kid #1) in addition to our 5. Bubby was at his dad's this day, so he is missing from the pics. We had both sets of twins (ours and Derek's), Katie, and Jacob. Tell me we're not in trouble in a few years... 5 teenage girls and 2 teenage boys!

Next is off to mom's for Christmas. Lots of family visits and photo ops.
This is Brianna's expression opening Santa's gifts (a DS game and stylus). They didn't open the DS's yet, so it didn't completely dawn on them yet. Here is the actual discovery... Jacob playing with his Optimus Prime (or is it Rickey playing?)

My brother Brian with Kyan... Kyan with Jacob. This is what 5th percentile looks like compared to 95th percentile. They were due on the same day, but Kyan is three weeks older. My rocker Brianna with the Hannah Montana guitar (like Guitar Hero).

And my posers...

Jacob steering the reindeer in Mom's front yard. My stepfather George made all of the figures in the yard by hand. Next stop is Dad's house. Jacob got some one on one time with Dad and Kiara is showing off her talents again.

Saturday the 27th brought 70 degree weather. Where is my white Christmas? We've missed out on quite a bit of snow at Christmas, but it's always cold when we go up North. Dad was next door working on broken plumbing, so we got some extra time with him.
Some pictures by my lake... So hundreds of miles and a hugh box of toys later, we are back and doing some winter cleaning to get ready to get back to the grind. Hopefully 2009 will bring good health and fortune to us all. Happy New Year!
~Michele