Day 7 - Snow...and a lot of it!

The weatherman said this morning that we are supposed to get 8-14 inches in the Chicago area today. I hate the weatherman. A LOT! I plan to hate him (or her...don't need to forget the lovely Ginger Zee on NBC5!) until they say it's going to be 70 and sunny for 5 days straight and it actually happens.

Anyway, after I shoveled this afternoon, I took this photo of the giant icicle's that are hanging right outside the front door. I normally freak out about these, and whack at them with the shovel, but after shoveling, a bunch of snow was stuck to the shovel, and I was NOT about to whack at them and have the snow drop right back in my face. I know you're probably wondering why I would freak out about the giant mass of ice hanging above my front door...right? It's simple, you see...I'm pretty accident prone...and if those things are ever going to come down, they will for sure come down when I'm directly below them and stab my eye out. Understandable, right?

Day 6: Moving Things...

Like I said before...I'm not an expert at picture taking. I'm the furthest thing from it, actually...but the point to this project of mine, is for me to learn how to be a better photographer. Things that aren't moving are easy (as long as I can set my camera down, since I shake like a Steak-N-Shake Double Chocolate Fudge milkshake when trying to be still) but moving things are a challenge. So, today, I'll share two pictures with you....

Picture 1) A photo of my feet while walking. Those of you that know me, know this is a bad idea...I should really be paying attention to where I'm walking so I don't fall down. BUT, someone suggested this on another site, and I thought I'd try. Maybe I'll get better.




Picture 2) We'll call "Kitty and the camera strap". She likes strings, and pretty much anything she can whack at. Since the construction in the kitchen is still underway, the dog has been sequestered to my parents house a couple blocks away, so Kitty can't whack at Guinness when he wants to play, and she wants to nap.

Day 5!!

I ventured out this afternoon to the forest preserve near my house to take a couple pictures. I'm not quite sure what I was thinking since it's 20 degrees out...but I thought some actual daylight might do me some good. Okay, so it was only about 10 minutes, but I'm positive that I've picked up enough vitamin D for all of us! I'm posting two pictures today...just because I can.

I've always loved flag pictures...in fact, I probably have more than the state department on my hard drive...but today was just a perfect day to get one of this beautiful piece of history.

The second photo was taken on a picnic table...not sure why, but it seemed like a cool shot.

Longggggg cold winter...

January in the Chicago area means cold. Really cold. I've lived here my whole life, I shouldn't be surprised by sub zero temps...really, I shouldn't...but every time I walk out the door, it feels I'm walking into my freezer. (Yes, the freezer is still in the living room!)

On days like these, I am happy to stay inside and cuddle on the couch. I would normally bake something to add a little extra heat, but with the remodeling, the stove isn't exactly hooked up.

Sooooooo, candles it is!!! I know, they don't really create much for heat...but it's better than nothing.

The GREAT kitchen remodel...

01/02/2010

01/03/2010

A few years ago, I had a fantastic idea...buy a house to remodel, and live in it. I have a few friends that are handy, so this seemed like the best idea I had ever had. I was WRONG. Living through remodeling is never fun. So, last week, my super fantastic husband set out to remodel the very ugly, and not very functional kitchen. Luckily, it's a small room...and luckily, he understands that I am not handy. He is trying very hard to finish this project without either one of us having a breakdown, and I really appreciate everything he's doing to make this small house more live-able for the two of us. With some help from friends, the remodeling is coming along quite well...and he hopes that this week the new cabinets will be installed and the refrigerator will be out of the living room. (Though, access to food is much better with it in the living room!)

The two pictures above are from yesterday, and today. While still working on NOT having fuzzy pictures when I zoom, you'll see that I was trying to get an action shot when the subfloor was being installed. Sadly, this is the BEST of the photos I took! If only he would have stood still for about 30 seconds, I could have made this one work.

The second picture is from this afternoon, when he was figuring out the spacing on the new ceramic tiles. I really enjoy focusing and using the macro function...and the light in the kitchen from the new window made today's picture a good one in my book.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

My New Years Resolution for 2010 is to take a picture a day for all 365 days, and blog about it. It's a lot, I know...and it may seem like a silly challenge to myself, but I think it's a great way to teach myself how to use my camera, as well as document my life.

I took my first pictures last night of the moon. They're NOT good. I have a real problem with stabilization, and I'm not quite sure how to fix it. So, I'm posting the awful picture I took last night, and I'll do a little research on how to make myself not shake when I'm standing outside my front door in 12 degree weather without a coat on.

I'm also posting a picture I took at dinner on New Years Eve...we went to a Greek restaurant, and they had a whole octopus on ice. (Yes, you read that right) I was able to fix my stabilization problems that day by using the ledge on the giant vat of ice.

Like I said...this is a learning experience for me...for you, it will probably be a way to see that I'm not right in the head.