Birthday Wishes

It is this blogger's birthday today. Head on over and wish her a good one!

Do You Want These Snow Banks?

Alternately titled, I figured it out... For other bloggers out there- In the create post mode there are two options at the top of the typing box. One is Edit Html, the other Compose. In the Compose mode you can see the picture, in the Html, you only see text.

A Door

This isn't the most perfect picture, (definitely out of focus) but I like it. I didn't have my tripod, it was negative degrees and windy... but I'd just enjoyed a meal of ribs and good company.

And this door is always welcoming.


(As a sidenote, I'm getting frustrated with blogger. I don't like how I can no longer see my pictures when I'm typing. It just gives me a bunch of text. Anyone else having this problem?)

Decision Making

One of the reasons that I enjoy blogging is getting to know different people. It's been a great way to reconnect with people that I never would have otherwise. It's also been a great way to get to know others. I love it.

So what does decision making have to do with that? Well... often fellow bloggers are the reason that I don't post. I get on here to write, and start off by reading the list of blogs that I have in my favorites folder. (Two blogging folders actually.) And other times, when reading I am inspired with a topic for my personal blogging.

Take tonight, Laura and Mindi have both talked about surprises and decisions in different posts. I started thinking about the way I make decisions.

I am mostly a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants decider. There are times when I will research my options before I make a commitment, but those are few and far between.

When it comes to choices about my future, I don't make those decisions on my own.

For example, the first time that I quit school I had thought about it for awhile. I was on the verge of changing my major for the 5th time in a year and a half. I didn't know what to do.

The morning of what would have been my first day of the new semester, I was still undecided. So I took a sheet of paper and wrote "go" on one, and "quit" on the other. I put my trust in God and picked for the best of three.

It came up quit twice in a row and I went back to sleep.

True story.

I Need

To hear something nice. (About the world, life, your day- anything...)

How 'bout it?

Discovery

I made pasties today. (Top picture the start of the dough, bottom the filling).

I also made a discovery.

Cookie sheets do not fit in my oven.

Seriously.



They make ovens that don't fit a cookie sheet?



Apparently.


So the pasties were cooked on tin foil. And turned out just as well as if it'd been on cookie sheets.

I Don't Want His Job

I watched bits and pieces of the inauguration today, most of us tried to catch it I'm sure.

I would have liked to know what was going through Obama's head as he walked through the long hallway and down the stairs to be sworn in as the President of the United States. That had to have been (and from the look on his face, was) an extremely emotional time.

What an incredible thing, to be the president of a nation as great as ours. I think that it is often forgotten in the mud-slinging of politicalness (to coin a word), that one of the reasons our country is so great is that we have the freedom of speech. We have the right to say we do not like our president, or policies, or what-ever it is we wish to be negative about.

Mindi said it very well on her blog, we should just be proud to be American. It doesn't matter whether you wanted Obama to win or not. We live in a country where we have the right to vote, and to choose our leaders. So many others cannot say that. Let's be thankful, and proud, that we have these and many other freedoms.

And pray for our leaders.

Cause I know that I for one, would not want that job.

The One About the Mouse

I know, I know... It's been way too long since I have updated, or even read blogs... I do have a legitimate excuse though.

My computer is finally giving out on me. It was given to me with the knowledge that the mouse had issues. This wasn't a big deal.

The issue is that every twenty minutes or so, the mouse would freeze. The fix: unplug it and plug it back in. If I remembered to shut my computer off everynight, the mouse would rarely do that.

So I'm not sure what happened now, but for the past few days I can hardly get 5 seconds of active mouse. This doesn't make for a productive session on the computer. And I think that blogging while at work would be frowned upon.

I'll have to figure something out. It won't be 'til after this weekend since I'm making my annual (every 5 years) trip to the cold temperatures of MN.

But I'll be back- with pictures!!!



Eta: I have tried the mouse in other computers and it works fine. So it is a computer issue unfortunately.

My Goals for the Coming Year

What are my aspirations for the year?

*I wish to become a better photographer. This will take time. I know that. It is going to require dedication on my part. I’m going to have to learn to manage my hours better.

*I want to take a vacation to somewhere tropical. I am really dreaming of this right now.

*I want to follow my freedom plan, my way to stay out of debt. I want the only new debt that I go into this year to be a house mortgage. Bringing me to:

*I want to buy a house. With a dishwasher, and washing machine and dryer. :)


I am working on these goals. I am taking a photography course. I have been saving for a vacation, and a house. I have my debt free plan written out, I just need to be a bit more dedicated at following it. It's a work in progress!

Quick update

I'm back online! Didja miss me? :)

I need to write a good long post, and soon. But for now I wanted to share these pictures.

Because this one makes me smile.

And it's hard to believe that she is getting so big already!


And I love this one.