Living and Loving Every Minute of It!

52 Weeks of ME 2012~ Week 4

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:55:00 +0000

I can't believe it is already week FOUR in this project. My how time is flying by.

The theme/prompt for the week was : CLOSE

I left it open to any interpretation. It would have meant so many things. I knew immediately that I wanted to get a CLOSE-up of me doing something with something that could also CLOSE. I know....I'm an over achiever like that. :)

Last night was my chance. I set my camera on the remote timer function, snapped on my fish eye lens attachment, and set the whole shebang in my refrigerator. Then I opened the door grabbed something out and snapped the shot with the remote.

The whole time I keep thinking someone was gonna yell, "Quite messing around and CLOSE the refrigerator!" tee hee.....

The theme/prompt for next week is: At Arms Length

I.........

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:29:00 +0000

I am…..Corey

I want…..to be truly known.

I have…..so many reasons to feel blessed.

I wish…..I could read, sew, knit, and edit pictures all at the same time.

I hate…..the word "HATE".

I miss…..chubby baby cheeks, and sweet little fat thighs.

I fear…..that I'll fail to be the example that best serves those around me.

I feel…..the pressure of the unknown.

I hear…..rain and wind.

I smell…..rain and damp soil.

I crave…..ICE CREAM! (it makes no sense....I know this.)

I search…..for more hours in the day to do all the wonderful things life has to offer.

I wonder…..what is next.

I regret…..nothing. It's a waste of time.

I love…..deeply.

I ache…..because I am not in good physical condition.

I care…..sometimes more than I should about what other's might think of me.

I always…..remind myself whose opinion matters most.

I am not…..typical....or normal....or usual.

I believe…..that I am the "me" I'm meant to be.

I dance…..for my girl. It is always a silly dance.....intended to make her smile.

I sing…..all the time. There is a song in my heart....and in my head.

I cry…..more easily since becoming a mother. It just opens your heart, and makes one more vulnerable.

I don’t always…..get things done in a timely fashion. Procrastination is a bad habit.

I fight…..when I feel defensive. If I feel like fighting....I usually need to take a good look at ME!

I write…..less than I'd like. I miss blogging.

I never….say "NEVER" anymore.

I listen…..when I'm not talking....which isn't often enough.

I need…..to change the above. Listen more....talk less.

I am happy…..to be who I am....where I am....and where I'm going.

52 Weeks of ME 2012- Week Three

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 05:23:00 +0000

The theme/prompt for this week was: MORNING

My week didn't go as planned.....at all. Sugar Bear ended up sick from Saturday morning, until Friday morning. Not even kidding. We didn't leave the house once in that time. I had planned to grab a shot doing something I would normally do on a week day morning, but there just wasn't anything normal about this week at all.

Soooooooooooooo....why not get a shot that is totally not normal? or at least a shot that would make you wonder just how "normal" I am. tee hee

Sugar Bear grabbed this shot of me Thursday morning. I had purchased a Pumelo on Friday....and sort forgot about it. I had never had one before, but it was for sure the biggest darn grapefruit I have ever seen. Sugar Bear and I were goofing around....and she captured a shot of me that makes us both giggle. So why not share?

Tee hee...

Be sure to link up if you are playing along. Can't wait to see your MORNING shots.

Next week's theme/prompt: CLOSE

My Week 68

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:02:00 +0000

January 9th was a pretty quick and busy day. We had to run home after school and work to make homemade blueberry muffins for Sugar Bear's birthday celebration at school. Sugar helped me whip them up in no time. They were amazingly yummilious! :)

January 10th is always a big day in the Living and Loving household. Sugar Bear turned SEVEN this year! How on earth can that be! Seems like yesterday I could hold her with one arm. sigh..... I surprised her by putting 7 helium balloons in her room, so that it was the first thing she saw when she woke up. :) We usually are out of the house in about 15 minutes from wake up time. I woke her a bit early so we'd have time to blow out a candle on a blueberry muffin before school. I took the rest of the muffins to her class later in the day. It was such a darling celebration. They had the birthday girl sit in the center of the circle of kids, and each child took turns telling a birthday wish they had for her. So cute. Most wished that she would have a birthday cake that was bigger than the earth, but some were so sweet. A kitten...a pony.....a bunny (she's had all of those) were among them. One girl wished that Sugar would be "filthy, stinkin' rich". lol and one boy wished that she would "not smoke when she grew up." It was quite an experience. Sugar Bear had good birthday. We opened presents and had take out chinese food when we got home that evening.

January 11th was supposed to be a simple sort of day. It was designed to be a half-day at school, with a 7 year well child exam in the afternoon. However, it went a little wonky when Sugar Bear fell on the playground before school even started, and cracked her head pretty hard on a metal beam. She got quite the goose egg on her forehead and wanted to go home. We bumped up the well child exam a little earlier, and had her checked out. All is good.

January 12th found us back to our regular schedule. Work for me....school and dance for Sugar Bear. I snapped a quick shot of Sugar Bear's dance bun when we got home. I love the little crochet bun cover we have for her.

January 13th has school for the Sugar, and a morning of CPR/FIRST AID class for me. This marked my 16th year of CPR class. Through my work I have taken it once a year, and Seriously...do they have to change it all the time like they do? I feel like I should be an expert by now. This year was a bit different though. This class was actually the "make up class". We usually do these classes in the fall. Myself and some other staff could bear to do it in the fall. You might remember that in early September, while at an all staff meeting of over 100 staff, one my co-workers died right before our very eyes. Most of us had never experienced such a thing, and seeing CPR first hand....then imaging taking a class a few weeks after was a bit much for me. I will admit that it was still a bit hard all these months later. :(

January 14th was supposed to be a special, awesomely, fun day. It was the day of Sugar Bear's PARTY! We were all set.....then about 1.5 hours before party time, Sugar Bear spiked a fever and vomited. :( NOT GOOD! We had to cancel the party, and re-schedule for the following weekend. This is a shot of my sick girl.

January 15th found us still in our jammies, and not really doing a darn thing. I literally lay in bed with Sugar Bear all day. High fevers had her feeling pretty low, and she barely talked all day. Poor sweet girl.

You'd think she'd be up and running again by now....but we are 5 days out....and she is still sick. There has been no school for her this week. We have done NOTHING....and I do mean NOTHING (well, I've read almost 3 books) for days. We are getting stir crazy, and really worried we might have to cancel the party again. :( boo hiss.....

52 Weeks of ME 2012- Week Two

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 23:28:00 +0000

Thank you to everyone that participated last week. You can jump in anytime. No need to get caught up.....or anything. Just play when you can. Your kiddos will appreciate each and every effort you made to document yourself, and your life that you share with them.
This week's Theme/Prompt was : FAVORITE COLOR
As for me.....BLUE has been my favorite color for as long as I can remember. I've been told for ages that when I wear blue it brings out my eyes. I tend to wear quite a bit of blue.....especially scarves. I love a pretty blue scarf as an accessory. Yesterday, I found myself wearing a blue shirt......blue vest.....and a blue scarf. What a perfect day to snap a self portrait. I managed to get the shot of myself in my truck again. There is something about the light through the windshield that I love. It works so good to set the camera on the dash, and get a photo of me.

Be sure to link up, if you are participating on your blog, or head over the Flickr group if you do not have a blog. :)

Next week's Theme/Prompt is: MORNING

I can't wait to see what you all come up with. :) Have a great week.

My Week 67

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 04:13:00 +0000

January 2nd was the official New Year's holiday, so we got to stay home from School and work ONE.MORE.DAY. :) We weren't sad about it one little bit. We putzed around the house doing this and that. Sugar Bear wanted to wear the fake princess nails she got in her stocking. They lasted about 15 minutes...then HAD.TO.COME.OFF! We are not girly in our house. They were what too high maintenance for us. They were holding back our adventures.

January 3rd found us smacked back into reality. School for the Sugar, and work for me. It was a long....long....long day. I took this picture of the building next to Sugar Bear's dance school. I love a cold crisp night, and the clear blue skies. I always find this window to be a bit creepy looking with the glow of the street light. I'm not fond at all of getting home in the dark. I'm looking forward to the longer daylight hours.

January 4th brought a really wonderful surprise. Sugar Bear brought home a book from her reading group at school and proceeded to read the entire thing to me excitedly. This is BIG.....HUGE for her. She learned to read when she was four. The loved it, and kept up the excitement for a month or so....then said, "I'm done. I know how to read, but I don't like to!" It has been like pulling teeth ever since. I tend to parent with the idea that "all things will come in their time" attitude. I don't push, or rush....or try to force Sugar to do anything. She potty trained late....but she did it in 3 days, and never an accident after. I like to wait until she is completely ready. So with the reading....I've just let it go. I ask her if she wants to read to me, and she always.....ALWAYS says, "No thanks!" So when she jumped in the truck soooooooooooo excited to read me this book.....I about died, but I kept my composure.....said, "OOOOO...I'd love that!" She did great. I snapped this shot at a stoplight. :) The book was "The Cinnamon Bun Mystery". I'm thinking it was the Mystery part that drew her in. So I'm looking for some beginning reader mysteries for her.

January 5th was a regular old boring day. I entertained myself at work snapping a few shots of myself on the phone. I know this confused a few readers when I posted it for my "52 weeks of ME" photo. I don't like to say exactly what I do for a living, as I tend to try to keep some stuff pretty anonymous. I will say, that I am in the Early Childhood field, but I'm not in the classroom. I don't spend a great deal of time on the phone, but I on it a bit, depending on the day. Often I'm on the computer at the same time, so it is nice to have my hands free. It just takes some getting used to. I do like not having a crink in my neck from trying to hold the handset on my shoulder.

January 6th didn't hold many new or interesting things, but I wanted to nab a shot of Sugar Bear when she got off the bus. I only get to pick her up from the bus on Mondays and Fridays. I love seeing her jump down the stairs of the bus, and run to me all full of glee. I don't care what has happened during the day....this smiling face can fix it. ♥

January 7th was a fun day for all. The Hubby spent time with friends, Sugar went to her Grandma's with her cousins, and I went to a super, duper fun girl's night with my own friends. I stayed out until 3am....and was still wide awake. We chatted it up....played some "Just Dance" on the Wii, and chatted some more. Always a good time. We need to do it more often.

January 8th was a quite day. I was operating on about 4 hours sleep, and Sugar was ultra excited about some Birthday gifts she got from her grandparents, and her cousins. We had a blast playing this fun new "I Spy" game. Sugar is really good at it, and that makes her happy. Like many kiddos.....she doesn't like to lose, so it is a good thing when she is successful at a fame. I often let her win the first few to get her going, then I sneak in a win for myself. It is a goal of mine to help her be a good sport when it comes to games. She is getting better about it, but it isn't easy for her. She gets frustrated and doesn't want to play if she doesn't win MOST of the time. I know this is normal, but I do feel it can be helped, so we are working on it.

It's a New year!

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:45:00 +0000

While I'm not one to really do Resolutions every New Years, I am the type of person who does take the time to look towards the future, and think about where I've been....and where I want to be. I don't neccesarily choose out things I will try to do.....it is more like I find myself reflecting and refocusing.

New Year's day 2012 found us lazing around the house per usual, when a wonderful invite "dinged" into my inbox. A lovely new friend texted us the opportunity to join her family for an afternoon outside. I didn't hesitate to accept, as I want to say, "YES" more, and stay inside LESS.

We hoped in out truck and headed on out to a local track, and marsh area. 15 years in this area......and I had never been there. I am thrilled to say that we will definately be going back. Such a wonderful place to hang out with friends.

The kiddos got busy riding bikes. Some had new Christmas bikes, some had their same old bike, but it didn't matter. Everyone enjoyed racing around the track.

Sugar Bear hadn't had a good chance to ride her bike in over a month....or two. She was thrilled. We need to raise her seat though. She's been doing some growing for sure.

It had been sort of rainy the days before this, so this glorious light was a breath of fresh air. I was feeling so very grateful for the opportunity to be out in the sun. I think it did Sugar Bear some good, as well. She was full of smiles.

All that riding around the track can make a girl thirsty. REAL thirsty. She loves having a basket on the front of her bike. It is a perfect place for a meal from Subway. The milk came in handy, for sure.

There is just something about bikes laying about that screams childhood to me. I almost stole this bike.....I love, love, love the color.

Sugar's bike is a pink hand me down. I can't wait to get her her very own bike someday. Pink is her least favorite color......but she would never complain. I love that about her. Her seat has even been 1/3 eaten by a horse.......but the basket makes it all okay.

After awhile, we all hit the marsh trails to do a little bit of geocaching. I have never done this before, so it was a new experience. WOO HOO for trying something new. The scenery was AMAZING. If I hadn't held up the progress of the group, I could have taken photos all darn day. So......beautiful.

Soon we found our first item, and the little girls got right in the bushes to get it out. Loved seeing their excitement.

Sugar was fascinated by the treasures. What an interesting hobby this geocaching is.

Did I already mention how amazing the day was?????? and how beautiful the surroundings were? Seriously....I'm so grateful for my friend reaching out and getting me off my couch. I could have missed this.....

And this......

and this.......

Here's to 2012. May I spend more time saying, "yes" and less time in my house.

52 Weeks of ME 2012- Week One

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 21:44:00 +0000

Welcome to the "52 Weeks of ME" project for 2012.

Week one's photo theme/prompt was: NEW

I'm so very excited to get this year going. I had an idea of this week, but worried that I wouldn't have time to pull it off, so I nabbed a shot of myself at work the other day. I'm sporting my headset to our NEW phone system, and let me tell you.....I do not love it. We've transitioned to this new phone system a few months ago and we are STILL having issues. If it weren't for all the issues, I might still not be a fan of it. It is so strange not to have a handset. I feel like a dork when I'm using this headset. I thought I might like it, but it turns out....if feels awkward. Maybe, it will just take time, and soon I'll love it.....but I'm not sure.

So there you have it! Week one is done. :) If you are playing along, please take the time to link up. If you are just looking, please take the time to see what the other participants have posted.

Next week's theme/prompt is:

FAVORITE COLOR

My Week 66

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:25:00 +0000

December 26th was such a wonderful and relaxing day. I was suffering a bit from a cold that started on Christmas eve, but being that I was at my parent's house, I just didn't have a lot that I needed to do. I got a chance to take it easy. My dad, Sugar Bear and I had started a fun puzzle project on Christmas night. We were able to wrap it all up in the morning. If you like mysteries and you like puzzles, you really need to do one of these puzzle mysteries. We had such fun figuring out "who done it". There were two 500 piece puzzles that were mixed together, and we had no idea what they looked like. Once we got the puzzles together, we were able to find the clues to solve the mystery that we read in the little booklet that comes with it. I loved working on this with my dad and my girl. GREAT memory I'll cherish forever.

December 27th was a day of wrapping up the fun at my parents, then stopping off at the in-law's house on our way home. Nothing really got done......we just took it easy. It was nice to be back home. I snapped this shot of Sugar Bear playing around with her apple slices. I can never get good color in our bathroom. This is wear she wanted me to get the shot of her. She is a goof ball.

December 28th was a mellow morning. I was still suffering a bit from my cold. It wasn't a horrible cold, but it tired me out. Sugar Bear met up with her cousins and headed back up to my parent's house with them for a few days. She was VERY excited about this. I planned on getting some things done around the house....but I was pretty lazy. I took this photo of a fork full of the ice cream cake I made for Christmas eve. It truly could be my favorite dessert I have ever made. Thank you, Pinterest! You can see it here. If you love Girl Scout Samoa cookies....you HAVE to make this pie. WOW!

December 29th was delightful. I read.....and read.....and just sort of lazed around. My cold made me feel so very tired. Sugar had a blast up at Grandma and Grandpa's house, while mama did NOTHING. If I'm gonna take vacation time.....and be sick....I might as well be lazy, too. I'm enjoying this cozy mystery series. It is sort of like getting to knit and read at the same time. If I could really figure out how to do this....I'd be a happy, happy girl. ♥

December 30th was another simple day at home. By now....I'm not sure if I have bathed in days..... (shhhhh, don't tell anyone). I'm pretty sure no one wants to be around me, except for the dog....she won't quit giving me her ball. She is sooooooooooo obsessed with fetch. SO.VERY.OBSESSED!!!!

December 31st....New Year's eve! I'm finally feeling a bit better. I bathed. Yes....I did. and I even got a few things done. I traveled into town to retrieve my Sugar Bear, and do some grocery shopping. We headed home, set off a few fireworks, and had Miss Sugar in bed by 9pm. Too many late nights at Grandma's had her exhausted. The Hubby was asleep by 10pm, and I stayed up past midnight, but I was in bed reading from 11pm -1:07am. I couldn't stop reading "My Lobotomy". I finished it up....and finally drifted off into 2012.

January 1st was New Year's day. We got a surprise invite to meet with some friends at a local track to let the kiddos ride bikes. A German friend made some really wonderful "New Year's Pretzels", and brought them to share. It is a German tradition and brings good luck. We were to honored to be a part of this fun. It was lovely. We are hoping for many fun outings with friends in 2012.

52 Weeks of ME- REMINDER

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:17:00 +0000

Hey there folks! Here's a quick reminder to be taking your photo for the first week of the project.

The theme is: NEW

But you don't have to follow the theme if you don't want to. It's just there as a prompt to get you thinking.

I've already grabbed a shot, but it isn't what I wanted for my shot this week, so I might try again on Saturday. My post will be up on Sunday with the linky so that you may link up if you want.

I made a button, if you are interested in posting the button on your blog. This is always nice, so people visiting your blog will no where to go to find out more about it, or to view all the blogs that have linked up. You can grab the button here:

Remember, there is a flickr group as well. Go HERE to join in there if you don't have a blog. The more the merrier. :)

I can't wait to see the pictures of YOU!

Wordless Wednesday~ Noticing the small things

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:56:00 +0000

Hey there Photography friends, Consider joining me in the "52 weeks of me" photography project. :) It'll be a blast! :)

My week 65

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:44:00 +0000

December 19th was the first day of Christmas Break for Sugar Bear, and she got the opportunity to spend time at her old daycare while I worked. That evening I could be found working on cookies for my cookie exchange at work. There is a curse on this exchange. Even a tried and true cookie recipe will give me trouble if I'm making them for this exchange. These yummy Pecan Pie cookies cooked up way to thin. argh. They tasted good though. I might have eaten way more than my share recently. (whistling......)

December 20th we stopped off at a friend's house on the way home so that we could pick up our Ivy Girl. The Hubby was out crabbing, and Ivy is not to be trusted home alone, so she had been over on a sleepover. They have a dog named, Anna, and they soooooooooooo love to play and play. I took a snap of one of the ornaments we gave our friend for watching Ivy so much for us. We appreciate it a lot. So nice to have a doggy sitter. :)

December 21st started off with the cookie exchange in the morning, and an awesome Gingerbread House making party at our neighbor's house. This was the second year my neighbor has held this party and it has been a highlight of our holiday season. So fun.

December 22nd was errand day. Sugar spent the day with friends at daycare while I ran around town like a chicken with my head cut off, then hurried home to wrap presents and such. It was a glorious frosty morning. I love the sun on all the frost. Such beautiful light.

December 23rd was supposed to be my baking and cleaning day in preparation for a houseful of guests on Christmas eve. The Hubby threw a monkey in that plan by insisting on making 10+ batches of gingerbread. He was determined to make the biggest Gingerbread House we have ever seen. I was determined to "go with the flow", but I must admit, it as hard. I'm a planner, and I had things planned.

December 24th ended up being just wonderful, even though I didn't have as clean of a house as I would like, and several of my cooking plans didn't happen. The Hubby's family were all at our house, and we had such a lovely day. So good to all be together. I snapped this shot of Sugar Bear pretending to help herself to Santa's cookies. Shortly after this shot was taken we heard Ivy munch munch munching, and turned around to see her eating a carrot. What a sneaky dog.

Sugar went to bed happy and content......and excited for morning.

December 25th was CHRISTMAS! What's not to love about that. Sugar got up a bit after 7am, and came to my bed to see if she could go see what Santa brought her. I climbed out of bed so I wouldn't miss it. We opened presents from each other, and somehow managed to get a late start heading out to my parent's house. We got there just in time for lunch, and then some present opening. Sugar was very pleased with everything she got. To be honest, she enjoyed passing out the presents to everyone the best. ♥

Jump on in! 52 weeks of me!

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:46:00 +0000

Hey there friendly folks! I hope 2012 is treating you well so far. I'm still in my jammies and it is 10:51am, so I'd say I'm off to a smashing start. :) Sugar Bear and I are lamenting our return to work and school tomorrow. We have been utterly spoiled the past few weeks. Life is good!

The purpose of this post is to encourage you to consider jumping into the "52 weeks of me" photo project for 2012. I don't know about you, but I have been almost entirely absent from the family photos for as long as I can remember. There are tons of reasons this happened. First of all, I'm the one taking all the pics. As soon as I became obsessed with photography, it seemed that my family members stopped taking photos at family events, and just relied on me. This is fine...but it makes for a documented life without me. Secondly.....I'm not a fan of photos of myself. I'm always thinking...."well, if I lose a bit of weight", or "my hair looks bad today", or excuse...excuse...excuse.

I have come to realize over the years that I am who I am....right now! and guess what? Sugar Bear isn't gonna remember who I "wanted to be", she is going to remember who I really was. She isn't gonna look at a photo of me, and think...."oh I wish she had combed her hair!" She is gonna just be glad just to have the photos of me at all. She will look at them fondly remembering me as I was. This is a gift to her.

I'd love to invite you to make this gift for your child as well. You just might find that, in the end....it was a gift for you as well. Embrace who you are. You deserve it.

You can see all the photos I took in 2011 HERE.

Some of my favorites from the year are:

Whether you have a point and shoot....or a DSLR, I'd love to have you join in. You just might learn a little bit about your camera.....and yourself along the way.

This week, the theme is "NEW", if you are interested in following this prompt. If not....just take any old shot of yourself. I'll have my photo up by January 7th, and the linky will be up if you want to link to your blog. You can also follow along by posting in the flickr group.

Any questions? fire away.....

My week 64

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:07:00 +0000

Gosh I hope I can remember what I did on all these days. eeekkkk.....I can't keep letting myself get so very behind on posting them.

December 12th, I'm sure, was a pretty normal day at work, and school for our family. I do know that The Hubby headed out to sea to help his friend drop his crab pots to start the commercial crabbing season here. Sadly, a fishing boat went down that day, and a fisherman lost his life. It was a hard way to start the season for everyone. My heart goes out to the family of the man lost at sea. :( Sugar Bear and I spent the evening working on her homework project. We had to make a space shuttle for her little egg astronaut. This photo is of Eggbert before he was placed in the shuttle. He was set for take off on the following Friday.

December 13th was the first "open class" day at dance for this year. It was such a joy to have the opportunity to watch Sugar Bear dance with her friends. Fun to see her growth.

December 14th was a normal Wednesday. Sugar Bear had a ton of homework to finish up. I'm not a fan of the homework thing. So hard to get done when we barely have time at home. I'm hoping we find a homework sort of groove soon. Here she is showing how she designed her space shuttle.

December 15th found us finishing up with work and school, and heading off to the local pottery place for a quick get together with friends. I love the pottery place. I simply do not know why I don't go there more often. We were a bit rushed, as we had the 2nd "open class" day at dance to get to. It was worth the effort though. Connecting with friends is never a bad idea. :)

December 16th was a pretty special day at school for Sugar Bear. I took the entire day off from school so that I could volunteer in the morning, and then enjoy the festivities in the afternoon. The morning was a school wide Holiday activity. The school was separated out into 4 different mixed age groups. Each group was about 40 children, grade k-8th. They then moved from room to room experiencing how different cultures around the world celebrate during the holiday season. It was so wonderful to see all the children working together. The older child helped the younger ones a lot. So sweet. In this photo, Sugar is listening to one of the teachers tell a story about a certain culture. I love the lighting. So dramatic. Later in the day, the first grade class held a winter concert for their families. It was so very fabulous. They sang like 5-7 songs and were so darn cute. LOVED IT! and THEN....they had the big space shuttle egg drop. The principle dropped all the shuttles off the roof, one by one. Sugar was so worried about Eggbert....but he survived. 10 out of the 24 survived. So fun.

December 17th was a day of fun. We attended a birthday party at the pottery place for my niece. She is 3 weeks older than Sugar Bear. I can not believe that we are on their 7th birthdays.....eeeekkkk. Sugar's is coming up fast. After the pottery "kid party", we spent the evening at my brother's house for the family party. The birthday girl received an interesting toy where you style hair on a dolls head, then you can take the hair off like a wig and put it on. My dad shocked us all by agreeing to put on the wig to surprise his grand girls. it was hilarious, and he would not be too happy to know that I posted this photo. So....shhhhhhhhhh....don't tell.

December 18th was made dash last minute sewing day. Sugar was my little sewing buddy, and my best cheerleader. ♥ That girl is so supportive. Whenever I make mistakes.....she is there to tell me it will be okay, and no one will notice. gosh....I love this girl. ♥

52 Weeks of ME- Week 52 and BIG NEWS....don't miss it!

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 01:23:00 +0000

Here it is........the 52nd photo of ME for 2011.

This pictures my little Sugar Bear and I standing on top of the world. Or at least it felt like it. This was taken on the day after Christmas while we took a four wheeler ride around my parents farm. My Dad could resist taking us up to the top of the hill to snap a shot. It was a great afternoon. Nothing makes you feel more blessed than time with your family AND nature. Gosh we are so lucky to live in such a spectacular place.

I am so very grateful to both Jessie and Cara for coaxing me into this "52 weeks of me" project. I started out the year feeling less than thrilled with the idea of posting so many photos of myself online, but man oh man....did I get used to it. I shocked myself....and many other folks with some of my shots. I feel like this project gave me permission to love myself. It helped me accept me as I am and realize that Sugar deserves to have her mama's documented right along side hers.

Recently, Jessie asked if I'd be interested in hosting the "52 weeks of Me" project for 2012. I scoffed at the thought at first....but I think I have come around to the idea. I know that it seems so daunting for some many of you to jump into a project like this, but why not give it a go? There will be NO rules. NONE. I'll provide some themes for those that feel like it helps, but there is no obligation to stick to the theme. You can take the photo yourself, or a loved one can help. I just feel that the main object is to be present. You deserve it....your kids deserve it. It just might change the way you feel about yourself. You'll never know unless you try. So why not......give it a go. You can do it.

I'll be posting my first shot of 2012 by Sunday the 8th of January. I'll have a linky up for you to join in. I also hope to have a flickr group available for those that do not have blogs. If you have any ideas, concerns or questions, please feel free to ask. I'm not entirely sure I have thought of everything.

The first theme will be: NEW

Remember...you don't have to fit the theme, if you don't want to. I am so looking forward to seeing all the photos of YOU. Please spread the word. Even if you aren't thinking of playing along, but you might know someone who would be interested. The more the merrier.

Sorry if the "BIG NEWS" in the title fooled you, but I really wanted folks to read this one. tee hee....I'm totally sneaky like that.

52 Weeks of ME- Weeks 50 and 51

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 23:50:00 +0000

Okay.....so you probably think I have not only given up on my "52 weeks of me" project, but my blog altogether. But......

I have not.

I've just been preoccupied with life. I'm still game though. Taking the photos....but being quite lame at posting. OOPS! Here are two photos to get me all caught up. After this....I'll have one more to post to finish out this project.

Week 50.......again. I cheated, but I continue to feel okay about that. I think the main reason for doing this project (for me) is to be more present in the photos of our life. It doesn't matter if I took it of myself...or if Sugar Bear snapped it for me. I'm still there...up front and present. Here I'm sewing. Actually, I'm doing some MAD last minute Christmas present sewing. I rock the last minute sewing. :) Even in my jammies.

Week 51 found me being a goof ball with our wreath. We bought it from Sugar Bear's school as a fund raiser. I do love a pretty wreath. I love that it lasts for a long time past the holidays as well. I'm the dork with the wreath still up at Easter. :)

Stay tuned for the final shot for 2011.....and a bit of news.

My Week 63

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 06:17:00 +0000

December 5th was quite a day. I'm not certain if I have shared here on the blog some of the trouble we started having with Tiny, our mini horse, this summer. She is in the process of becoming a mare, and she has been a bit of a stinker about it. She wanted to be the boss of the yard, and took to really being a bully to Sugar Bear. There was even a biting incident that ended with Sugar being really afraid of Tiny. We made the hard decision to give her to a new home. We didn't have the time to give her what she needed, and she was really lonely. On this day, they came to get her, and took her to her happy new home. She has horse friends and is feeling so much happier. We are relieved to have our yard back, and Sugar feels safe.

December 6th found us at home in the afternoon, as Sugar Bear had a mild cold which led to a low grade fever. Since we were home, I figured I make the most of it, and go out and take some snaps of the frosty world around us. We have been having some really cold cold cold nights and days. It has been so unusual for us. I love this strange ice formations I found in some loose dirt.

December 7th was a day at home, as Sugar still had her fever. We had to make a quick trip into my work, but then spent the rest of the day relaxing. I did some knitting. Sugar Bear grabbed this shot of my hands for my 52 weeks of me project. I'm a week behind in this project and feeling icky about it. I am almost done. I can't quit now. Argh. I am, however, excited about this knitting project. It is a gorgeous scarf for......ME! :)

December 8th found Sugar Bear still a bit under the weather. I had so much work piling up at work, so I left the Sugar home with The Hubby for half the day while I tried to hammer out some paperwork. When I got home, we put up some of our outdoor Christmas lights. I adore outside lights. So fun, and pretty.

December 9th brought Sugar back to school, and just in time for my work Holiday party. :) I wasn't feeling like myself (was getting sick), so I just sat back and watched the goings on. Several folks had fun working on Holiday cards. I usually love that sort of thing, but just didn't have the energy.

December 10th....ummmmmm was a saturday.....and I......well, we........dang it. I can't remember. Sigh. I do know I took this shot of more of my outside lights. I thinking we decorated inside the house.....and whined about being sick.

December 11th was Sunday....I think there was more whining. Yup.....it's likely. I did find time to play with my camera and some fun Bokeh. :) We put up our christmas tree. It is so pretty, but I haven't taken a normal photo of it to prove it. Sorry.

Letting her light shine

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 04:51:00 +0000

For the past few months, I have found myself in "barely blogging" mode, and it makes me sad. There are so many things I get out of the process of blogging. I love the idea that someday Sugar Bear will get to read back and have the opportunity to peek into her childhood. To know her mother better. To see.....to feel....to know the way I have felt about being her mother. I have only been able to do the bare minimum lately when it comes to documenting our life. It is my Christmas wish that I will find the time....the desire....the drive to do more.

The other day, it was an incredible morning outside. It was cold.....and crisp.....and the light was amazing. I couldn't resist trying to nab some macro shots of nature. It was truly something that could be considered "me time". It was all for me. Sugar tagged along, and while I crouched in the frosty grass, I looked over to see my darling girl bathed in warm glorious light. I caught my breath and began to snap away. She didn't disappoint. I was able to snag so many shots that capture all that is Sugar Bear.

Her inner light.....her joy........her amazing little self. I recently had a friend experience the TRUE Sugar Bear, and it blessed my heart. So often, Sugar is just to shy to be "herself". I love that she is opening up to those around her more. I love that my friend got to see this girl.....

This sweet......fun......GOOFY girl. She is funny, and witty.......and just plain lovable. She started to mimic me......searching to get a laugh out of me.

It worked! How could it not? She IS my joy. I am so very blessed to be this little person's mama. I can not feel more proud.

I hope that she will always know how completely I love her. I hope she always knows that I am her biggest fan, and I can't wait to see who she becomes.

This smile has changed.......it is changing every day.....but it is still my most favorite smile in the world because it goes right to my heart, and fills me with the most amazing feeling.

I know.....I know.....I'm such a sappy mom. I can't help it. She is just such a pretty little nut.

I am about 98% sure she is a an Almond. :)

My week 62

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 04:06:00 +0000

November 28th didn't really bring anything that special, but I do love our drive home each day. It is fun to chat about what we have done while apart. Then we get the mail, and Sugar likes to climb up into the front seat and read the mail on the way up the driveway. Fun times.

November 29th found me late to take a photo. I decided to snap this quick shot while making Sugar Bear's lunch. I pack her lunch and snack each day. The food at school is awful. Even if it wasn't.....it would be hard for Sugar as she is picky picky picky!!!!!! She does love these, though. yum!

November 30th found us trying to get our Christmas decorating started. We need to find Sugar's advent calendar. Why do I always wait until the last minute to get this stuff together. I also had to wrap 25 Christmas/Winter books for Sugar Bear's count down to Christmas. I don't like the wrapping, but the end result is fun. This shot is a quick snap of Sugar's stocking.

December 1st started our count down to Christmas. This is a shot of the tree that resides in Sugar's room, and the 25 wrapped books just waiting to be opened one per night until Christmas. awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.......I love this time of year.

December 2nd was quite a day. The photo I put in the collage cracks me up. It says so much about a lot of things....but mostly it is just perfect for my friend Kim. She is a nut and love her. Work can make us all bananas and it is always good to get a laugh at work. This was a hard day. it was the last day of work for a friend....and we sent her off well, but she is greatly missed. love you Heather! ♥

December 3rd was a perfect sort of Saturday. It started off with a wonderful frost. I adore taking photos in the frosty weather. Sugar even let me grab some of her. I hope to share those soon. This one spoke to me, though. I love the yummy bokeh. ♥ Later we went to town to see the Christmas Opry. It is such a fun tradition. This year was all the more special, as Sugar's cousins had a small part in it.

December 4th was a stay at home day. I had 478956 things to get done, and I was pretty successful. The Hubby had been done on a hunting trip since Wednesday, and Sugar was all the more excited to have slumber parties in mama's bed. I snapped this shot soon after I noticed this darling scene. Sugar was waiting in my bed for me to finish brushing my teeth. She was excited to read that night's Christmas story. Toby Cat always loves to join us.

I couldn't have asked for a better week. ♥ I am so blessed.

My Week 61

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:42:00 +0000

November 21st was a day at home.....ALONE for me. I was a bit under the weather, so I stayed home from work, and spent some quality time with my computer and a toasty fire. Gosh I love a wonderful fire.

November 22nd was another day at home. I wrapped up editing some pictures of my cousin's wedding last summer. I am sooooooooooooooooooo behind on my editing. It is depressing.

November 23rd I had a very very very busy day at work. It was a beautifully crisp day. I couldn't resist taking a quick shot of the sunset when I stopped at the library. It was stunning. I was really beginning to miss my Sugar Bear on this day. My heart needed my little love. She would have really enjoyed seeing this pretty sky.

November 24th was Thanksgiving. I was thankful to finally be with my girl. She was thankful to be with her cousins. It was a really relaxing Thanksgiving day with my brother and his family, my parents, and my sister in law's mother. The Hubby was still gone on his hunting trip.

November 25th was a special day at home for my girl and myself. We were pretty lazy together. We did a bit of housework, but had a little fun with some crafty stuff. This was one of those little sun catcher things where you put the little plastic beads in the right sections, then heat it in the oven. So fun.

November 26th was the best day of the Thanksgiving weekend. We slept in together, and then we went to see a movie. "Arthur Christmas" in 3D. We enjoyed it. It is so rare that we go see movies, so it was a special treat. We then went to the mall, to mail her Christmas letter to Santa. She didn't want to sit on Santa's lap, as usual, but this year....I didn't even bother to encourage her. I'm okay with missing that photo op. :) This is growth for me. tee hee

November 27th was a pretty darn fun day as well. The Hubby had finally made it home from a very successful hunting trip. We went to his parent's house for a belated Thanksgiving with his family. This darling little puppy is Wicket, my sister in law's new baby. What a cutie.

52 Weeks of ME- Week Forty-eight

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 05:45:00 +0000

Good times at the Mall! :)

Never take yourself too seriously!

My Week 60

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:58:00 +0000

November 14th was a normal sort of Monday. I forgot all about a potluck at work....which always makes me sad, but everyone else made some delicious stuff. I picked up Sugar Bear after school and we ran some errands. After we picked up our tickets for the Nutcracker, we played a little in some leaves on the sidewalk.

November 15th I had a meeting further south in the afternoon. I spent several hours in a cramped, hot little room with too many people. I did get a good start on a scarf while I listened to the speakers though. I always enjoy that. When I went to leave the building, this cute little guy was waiting for me on the sidewalk. I had a little fun laying on the ground to nab this shot of him. He was only about 2 inches long. Sadly....before I could say anything, a co-worker accidentally stepped on him a few minutes later. It was so awful. sigh.....

November 16th was a rainy, rainy day. There was school and a play date for Sugar Bear, and work for me. I took this shot on the way home. It has been so hard transitioning into driving home in the dark.

November 17th was a typical Thursday up until the evening. Then we had the great joy of attending Sugar Bear's Fall Festival at school. Both her grandmas and her papa on her dad's side were there as well. We watched her sing and dance. It was fun indeed. The Hubby left that day for a 7 day hunting trip that he had been planning for ages.

November 18th was a busy, busy day. I had some high hopes for it...but as you can see in the picture....I walked away from the day discouraged. sigh.....I keep hoping for some change....and it just isn't the right time, yet, I guess.

November 19th was a super fun Saturday. It was just me and my girl. We had date night together. We went to see a local production of The Nutcracker. Several of Sugar's little friends had small parts in it. So fun. We went out to dinner afterwards. I happened to wear some really old heels that decided to completely fall apart at dinner. It was hilarious. Sugar got a real kick out of "silly mommy" and her broken shoes. tee hee.....

November 20th was a day of this and that. Spent the morning with my girl, then packed her up for a trip to Grandma and Grandpa's farm. She had the entire Thanksgiving week off from school, so she spend Sunday through Wednesday night with them. I drove her half there, then headed home to an empty house. It was just me and the cat. I spent the first hour rearranging my freezer to try and fit this 1/2 of a steer that I purchased from my parents. WOW....I have a ton of meat.

I'm so Thankful For......

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:38:00 +0000

-My wonderful and supportive parents.

-Sugar Bear's friends. They are such a darling group of children.

-Pumpkin Butter Cake.

-The roof over my head.

-My husband. We've been together almost 22 years, and he still likes me. ♥

-A flexible job, so that I might put my family first.

-Co-working friends that make me laugh.

-A big Strong Beefy diesel truck that never fails to keep us safe on our daily commute.

-My health.

-The most amazing Daughter the world has ever seen. ♥ ♥ ♥

-New friends.

-Old friends.

-The library.....books are such a huge part of my life.

-The ability to try new things.

-Always having enough......enough of anything.

-My desire to always be present.

-Frozen Blueberries. :)

-People who put up with me, and all my weirdo-ness! (yes, that is a word.)

-My desire and ability to make people laugh.

-Clean, drinkable water every single day.

-My daughter's health!!!! Such a blessing.

-The Hubby's job that gives me a sense of purpose and gives us so many opportunities.

-Sugar Bear's school. She loves it.

-My kitty....my doggy....the bunnies!

-Living somewhere that I feel is safe.

-Everyone that makes me feel loved.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone! Life is Good!

52 Weeks of ME- Week Forty-seven

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:11:00 +0000

Last Saturday was "Girl's Date Night!" and boy oh boy was my date a dream. ♥

My Sugar Bear and I got all gussied up and headed off to see a local performance of the Nutcracker. We knew about 5-6 kiddos participating in the performance, so it was a real treat to see them in action. Sugar Bear didn't really know what to expect of the show, but I'm not sure it met her expectation. As we were driving away she said, "Mama, they should call that show 'dancing....dancing....dancing....and dancing some more'!" tee hee......she sort of wanted it to have some more acting, and less dancing, I think.

We headed out to dinner next, and had such a lovely time. The best part was when the shoes I was wearing completely and utterly fell apart. I hadn't worn them in 8 years, and apparently....the glue not longer wanted to hold. In the middle of the restaurant, the sole fell off one, and I had to rip the sole off the other, so that I wasn't completely lopsided. Sugar, and many of the patrons got a pretty good kick out of it. I took it in stride. If we can't laugh at ourselves.....life will be rough.

It couldn't have been a better evening. I'm so grateful for my wonderful daughter, and my blessed life.

52 Weeks of ME- Week Forty-six

noreply@blogger.com (Corey~living and loving) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:04:00 +0000

Ack....I'm so behind on this project. I'm not even certain what number we are supposed to be on. I do know that I'm at least a week behind on posting. I've been taking the shots though, so that is good.

Here is one I took back on the 9th. Again I set the camera on my dashboard. I don't know why...but there is great lighting in my truck. Such great open shade, with the big windshield letting in the yummy light.

I keep saying that one of these days I'll put some makeup on for these shots. But gosh darn it......I'm lazy. tee hee