Day 20: A Picture of Your Honeymoon Location

J and I were very fortunate to go to New Zealand for our honeymoon. Granted, it didn't take place until after over a year of marriage, but neither of us were really up for a Caribbean/Mexico honeymoon, which is where most couples our age go. So we had to sacrifice leaving right after our wedding (which would have been impossible anyways since I started a job a couple of months before the wedding) to save for something that meant more to us.

I am blessed to be married to somebody who shares my passion to see other places. I think traveling is something we will always strive to make time/money for, and if we ever have children, we will try to instill in them a love for seeing the world as well (hey, great educational opportunity as well!). Whether it's driving across the country to visit where we grew up or flying across the International Date Line, my husband and I have a lot of fun stories and experiences from our travels.

Day 19: A Picture of Your Dinner

Hamburgers on homemade buns, sweet potato oven fries, and a salad.

Day 18: A Picture of Your Room

These two pictures are of the small study nook in our master bedroom. We have a big comfy chair for reading/crafting/watching DVDs. There is enough room on the floor to complete a minor workout, which is essential in Colorado winters.

J built the shelves and arranged the books by color, excepting my Madeleine L'Engle and "Harry Potter" books (why yes, it is acceptable to have three versions of Deathly Hallows.)

The area is complete with a lot of artwork made my J. After three years of this area being unfinished, we finally have an area that we can relax in and unwind after a rough work day. If only I was a better photographer to get decent pictures of the room!

Day 17: A Picture of Your Latest Baking Project

A Chocolate Matcha Bundt Cake

Day 16: A picture of your latest yarn project

Alas, I can not reveal my current yarn doings because it is TOP SECRET! The only hint I can give the audience is that it is made by crocheting using an "i" hook.

Recovery Reads

I'm having a little procedure done tomorrow that is going to put me out of work for a week or so. I'm in the process of preparing the couch area for recovery with medications, remotes, heating pads, and of course, books. I think I definitely over-prepared the last category, but at least I will have a variety to read!

1. The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan-- This is a popular kids series and I'm interested in it because it incorporates the internet as well.

2. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery-- I somehow escaped childhood without reading this, so it's about time, I suppose!

3. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton-- I was recommended this book by multiple people, so I'm looking forward to this read!

4. Salt by Maurice Gee-- This is a teen novel by a New Zealander. I saw it reviewed on a webinar, and it sounded interesting.

5. The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens-- My current classic read in preparation for Dan Simmons' Drood

6. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers-- Non-literary Christian fiction is not my bag, but my fellow librarians and I are doing a genre study book club to better serve our patrons. This month's genre is "inspirational." Thus far, I am shocked by the content, but it's shocking enough to keep me far more interested than last month's "thriller" study.

7. Chicks Dig Time Lords-- This is a fun book of essays on my favorite science fiction series. A co-worker (and fellow fan) lent it to me for recovery.

8. All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot-- A co-worker of mine loves these nonfiction books about a small village vet in England. I am enjoying watching the series via streaming, so I'm looking forward to this book/

9. The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir-- Great nonfiction about an interesting period in British history

10. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel-- Also about the Tudors (specifically Thomas Cromwell), this book won the 2009 Booker prize.

I'm curious to see how much I get through... should be interesting!

Day 15: A Picture of Yourself

Day 14: A Picture of Your Favorite Flowers

I actually have four...

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Hybrid Tea Roses

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Poppies

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Peonies

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Dahlias

Day 13: A Picture of Your Friends

My friends are scattered all over the country, from grad school to drum corps, to Georgia and Colorado, so there is no way I could get them all in one picture. However, I do feel that these lovely ladies would have made excellent friends, so why not post a picture of them?

Day 12: A Picture of Your Favorite Food to Make

Pie! Pictured is homemade pumpkin chiffon pie (we picked the white pumpkin that day and I went to town) with cinnamon whipped cream.

Day 11: A Picture of Your Dogs

Happy second birthday puppies! (June 16th)

Day 10: A Picture of What You Like to Do

There are a lot of things I enjoy doing, so it was difficult to pick just one picture. Ever since our trip to New Zealand, J and I discovered that we love visiting gardens. By far our favorite thus far was the Hamilton Gardens on the north island. They were very expansive and included an amazing rose garden (I love hybrid tea roses). The most impressive parts of this garden though were the international mini gardens. The one pictured above was an Indian garden, but they also had Italian Renaissance, traditional English, contemporary American, Japanese, and Chinese gardens. Beautiful!

Day 09: A Picture of Your Lunch

Chicken salad made from leftover rotisserie chicken and homemade yogurt

Day 08: A Picture of Yourself

RMNP (February 2007)

Day 07: A Picture that Makes You Cry

Day 06: A Picture That Inspires You

picture source

So, I realize that this will be posted the same exact day as the "A Picture of Your Morning" post, but I don't post these every day like I should, and I need to catch up with my friends who are also doing this and are way ahead of me, even though I started before them.

I had a semi-difficult time with this one. Most of the things I need inspiration for are beyond my control. Inspiration won't help me achieve these goals. I do, however, inspire to keep a better household, which I often find difficult because the things I have no control over get in the way. My mom always managed to keep a nice household, whether she was at home with us or working a full time job. I haven't managed to find that balance yet, despite trying numerous organization and charting methods. If I keep up at this rate, I will never be able to handle children.

One person/industry who has inspired me for years is Martha. People can say what they want about her and her personal life, but she has been instrumental in making homemaking a successful industry. I realize that there are others, including people and icons that lived long before her, but Martha has inspired me the most. Her staff comes up with the best recipes. I am an avid baker, and in the past 6 or 7 years, I have only had ONE recipe fail me (lemon meringue pie), and it was probably my own fault for not working with the curd enough (and if you're wondering, I have successfully made lemon curd). Everything else has turned out wonderfully and the recipes themselves were far easier than I thought they would be. For years before I discovered this, this book was my main baking companion, and I still rely on many of the recipes today.

J and I found many fall and Christmas decorating ideas from her website (see picture). I can remember growing up how my mom didn't buy into the industry, mainly because my aunts went nuts over her, but sure enough, my mom would receive issues of Living monthly. To this day, it is the only magazine I receive at my house and I was just remarking last night how much I could do at my own home with her staff's ideas.

My mom and her sisters (you should see their homes) are my real homemaking inspirations, and this anecdote explains it all. A few years back, two of my aunts visited NYC just to go to a Martha workshop. When they finally had the chance to meet her, all one of my aunts could exclaim was "I love you!" She is a sound-minded lawyer and was almost rendered speechless by Martha. If that isn't inspiration, I don't know what is.

While my home isn't perfect, and is instead usually pretty messy, especially during the work week, a girl can dream. Martha's industry has been my inspiration in pursuit of the "good things" in my life and home.

Day 05: A Picture of Your Morning

Poppies in the garden!

J and I love the delicate look of poppies. The featherweight petals with the symmetrical centers (preferably dark). Our neighbors have these beautiful giant poppies in their backyard and we followed suit this year. However, we planted these more delicate varieties (California I think) by seed earlier in the year and weren't thinking that they would end up blooming. Since it is so windy here, the petals fall off very fast, but there are usually new blooms every morning to enjoy.

Day 04: A Picture of Where You Went Today

First, this post warrants more than one image. Second, these pictures were taken yesterday, not today. We were traveling and my connection cable was missing at the time.

J and I stopped in Abilene, Kansas for the night on our way back to Colorado. Abilene is home to President Eisenhower, who just happens to be my second favorite president. We arrived way too late to see the library and museum, but we ended up being the only ones in the area, so we took advantage of this pretty spot in an otherwise fairly unimpressive town.

Eisenhower's home

J trying to be like Eisenhower

Victory Garden! I'm obsessed with victory gardens...

We're now back in Colorado and will resume the daily grind tomorrow. While I don't love the Georgia weather and economy, I certainly miss family and friends.

Day 3: A Picture of What You Did Today

After an 8 hour day today and 15 hours in the car yesterday, we are now in Georgia for the week. This picture was taken in Topeka.

Day 2: A Picture of What You Wore Today