1/1/11

Welcome to a new year! I love new beginnings and fresh starts. I love the new path of a new year, a new month, even a new day. And what else do I love? New projects! So today is Day 1 of my new 365 project. It's something I've been wanting to try for a few years to help me keep track of all the cooking, gardening, knitting and roofing projects that go on around this house.

These garden lights and rock landscaping were an unexpected yet completely needed project during 2010. With the incredible productivity and drive of my husband's mother, -- who doesn't like when I keep calling her my mother-in-law, so I suppose since she spent FIVE WEEKS with us in 2010 I could start calling her by name on my blog -- Pauline moved bucket after bucket full of roof rocks from piles on our patio down to landscape our garden beds. And I didn't take a single photo of her! That's why I need a photo-a-day project. I love the results of her efforts more than I could have imagined. The new landscaping also motivated Thomas to install low-voltage garden lights along the new dry riverbed path, along the deck edge and up the patio staircase.

Every time I go outside I feel like it's a new garden. Day or evening. Thank you, Pauline. Now it's time to dream about what we will get ourselves into in 2011. And I promise to provide photo evidence!

Reindeer games

Every year I try and get Henry and Lola to pose for photos in these antlers and I could never figure out why they wouldn't sit still. This year it was three humans and a bucket of treats versus one dog at a time.

After crying with laughter and barely being able to hold the camera still, now I understand why I've never had a successful photo before. Apparently wearing stuffed antlers is, in a dog's mind, akin to sitting on a hot poker and not being allowed to scream.

Our Thanksgiving Feast

Our food spread was incredible this year! I couldn't believe all the different foods we had so I put together this collage to document the occasion. Two turkeys, lots of friends and tons of fun.

Fresh & Clean

These two muppets needed a scrub down much like everything else in my home at the moment. Note to self: Don't shovel 35 year old rocks and tar off your roof without CLOSING THE BACKDOOR. Who wants tar dust all over their house? Me, apparently. Now I'm off to wash the white sofa, I hope it will be as easy to clean as these pups!

Arf!

Can we play now? What about now? Where's the ball? Can we play now? What about now?