A Runny Nose, More Pictures, and Post-Its

It has been awhile again. I had a hard time trying to blog and take pictures because wouldn't you know it, guess who caught Nicholas' cold...... Me and Amanda. I actually stayed in bed most of Thursday when the kids went to school. I thought I was just about over it and whamo....... I've had a runny nose and headache for the past 2 days. UGH! I hope it ends soon............. So here is the best I could do this week.

Jan. 26, Photo # 26. Compliments of Amanda Grace. She took this picture with my camera because Nicholas was in the mood to cuddle.

Jan. 27, Photo #27. Enough with the snow already. I am happy that Feb. is beginning. That means only a couple more months until spring. I'm getting a little tired of the frigid cold and piles of snow. It has been absolutely amazing that we have seen so much snow this winter. I know Tug feels the same way. He even rushes to door so I can let him into the warm house.

Jan. 28, Photo #28. So today I had a new plumbing problem. The toilet wouldn't flush. Of course this was happening in the only bathroom that has not had a problem since we moved in. I thought it was clogged and I plunged, but to no avail. I finally realized a part inside the tank had cracked. Unfortunately, we couldn't use the downstairs bathroom until Friday when I replaced the part. Yes, I replaced the part. I didn't call the plumber and it is still flushing today. We shall see how long my plumbing prowess lasts.

So the photos for Jan. 29, 30, 31 were all taken on the same day. Since, I have been sick and in no mood to play.... I had to cheat. I took some of these photos experimenting with the tripod. I still don't have the exposure right. It is too difficult for me to readjust quickly with the kids. They are impatient. Actually they are very patient and cooperative to take the pictures. I am just not skilled enough yet to automatically know how to meter the light correctly. Thank goodness for Photoshop, but I know I can do better. So here they are Photos #29, #30, #31, etc.
As you can probably guess, I really like the black and white photos. They are very forgiving and give a classic feel to the pictures. As a challenge, I was thinking about trying to photo some different colors this week. Then I can work on lighting and making my colors pop. We'll see if I get to it............

Feb. 1, Photo #32. Check out Steve's desk. This is the cleanest I may ever find it so I need proof. I gave him a couple of hours to himself this afternoon while I took the kids to run some errands. Boy can you accomplish a lot when you aren't continually interrupted for snacks, peace making, game playing, boredom busting, and refereeing...... What do you think Justin?

Here are my final thoughts of the week. I just finished the book The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff. It took me awhile to get into it, but in the end I found it interesting. It is our next book club selection. The book is a murder mystery embedded within a lot of history about polygamy and the Latter Day Saints. It flashes back from present day to the 1800's. I learned a lot about Brigham Young and his followers, yet the book was all based in fiction. It is not a must read, but it does make you think.


Finally, we had some interesting conversation over pizza tonight. We were talking about losing your job and Steve was asking if Justin knew anything yet about his job status. Then Amanda piped up and asked, "When you lose your job do they tell you on a Post-It note?" Steve chuckled and told her that they usually just tell you. "Oh, because (in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) when Mr. Bucket loses his job at the toothpaste factory, they tell him on a Post-It note."

Well that EXPLAINS everything.... Kids pick up on a lot of valuable info from reading!

I'm off to bed. I need to get some sleep and rid myself of this virus. I have a lot of exciting stuff happening this month, but I'll fill you in soon. Until Later..........