Coley’s Corner

It’s been one of those weeks around here where I’m very glad the week is almost over! Nothing too disastrous has happened but it’s just all the little things piled into one week.

It started with J and I both getting sick at the same time. We both started feeling bad Tuesday morning and by Wednesday ended up with “his and her doctor appointments.” (We’re trying to start a new trend for couples. haha) Anyways, J has bronchitis and I have walking pneumonia.

Then in the midst of dealing with all that, my cell phone goes on the fritz. It was saying “emergency only” on it and I couldn’t dial out, receive calls, or text messages!

Then the computer went wonky on me! Actually, it was more a network problem and not a problem with the actual computer. I could get online just not access any web pages. If all that weren’t enough, a pipe in the bathroom started leaking and we ended up with water all over the bathroom floor. Good times, let me tell ya!

Luckily though, J is superman. Seriously, he’s my hero. He fixed the cell phone and the computer! Now, the leak in the bathroom he wasn’t as heroic with and we had to call the plumber. J’s beginning to feel a lot better and I’m feeling a little better.

And you’re probably wondering about Noah – he’s not sick. And I’m hoping he doesn’t end up that way. He’s been very good this week; hyper but good. He’s been my little “Dr. Noah” giving me ouchie kisses, telling me to cover up and drink, and putting his hand on my forehead like I do when I’m trying to see if he has a fever!

I hope next week is a little less bumpy than this week has been!

When I ran across this quote (I don’t remember where I read it though!) I immediately thought of all of my Project 365 pictures. Taking photos each day has taught me that although life can be stressed and crazy, I have a lot of blessings in my life and that’s exactly what this week’s quote is about!

“In the plain, everydayness of our lives, a million little blessings await us.”
– Barb Johnson

The latest…..

Monday February 16 (Day 47)
Is this not the cutest Valentine’s Day dino you’ve ever seen?!? WHAT? You’ve never seen a Valentine’s Day dino before? Well, you have now! Noah brought this home from school today.

Tuesday February 17 (Day 48)
Clothespin photo holder that I decorated for Valentine’s Day and sat on the mantle.

Wednesday February 18 (Day 49)
Rose shaped candle – a gift from my secret sipper

Thursday February 19 (Day 50)
My “seeing eye husband” as I jokingly call him who drives me everywhere I need to go right now without complaining too terribly much!

Friday February 20 (Day 51)
Cute popcorn bowls that were a Christmas gift from my niece.
(Noah LOVES popcorn!)

Saturday February 21 (Day 52)
I’ve always wanted to take a picture of myself in the mirror like I’ve seen others do so I did. That’s me behind the camera where I like to be.

Sunday February 22 (Day 53)
No No hanging out in the Clemson chair. He’s just had his bath and is ready for beddy bye.

Check out all of my Project 365 Posts and Pics Here.

I’ve been a bit behind on creating the week layouts of my Project 365 pictures. I’m doing things a little bit different as opposed to some of the other layouts I’ve seen.

I’m doing one week on a page as opposed to one week on two pages like others. This will cut down on the number of pages needed and I’ll be able to have everything in one book.

I’m also breaking things up by month. Each month will have a “cover page” where I’m choosing a favorite picture from that particular month. And each month will have its own color scheme.

So, here are the layouts from January….. 

 January Cover Page
Credits –
Papers: True Blue from A Work in Progress
Snowflakes: Winter Convoyby PinkuPixie Designs
Calendar: Sueli Colbert Designs
Word Art: Me

Jan Week One and Week Two form a two page layout.
Credits –
Paper: Winter Blues by Princess Kate Designs
Days of the Week Strips, Date Circles, and Notebook paper: Life 365 by Weeds and Wildflowers
Template: Me

Week Three and Four also form a two page layout.
Credits –
Paper: Chill Factor by
Snowman and Winter Word Art:  Winter Blues by Princess Kate Designs
Date and Days of the Week Labels: Life 365 by Weeds and Wildflowers
Template: By Me (You can download it here if you like.)

Last of Jan Credits:
Paper and snowflakes from Winter Blues by Princess Kate Designs

I’m behind on posting but not taking my Project 365 pics! Here’s the latest batch…..

Thursday, Feb 5 (Day 36)
Noah’s Cologne
Seriously, I almost cried because my baby is old enough to wear cologne!

Friday, Feb 6 (Day 37)
One of my tea cups
My best friend gave me this one. I got it down from the shelf and cleaned it up for the tea at church on Sunday but Noah shared his bug with me and I stayed home sick instead. 

Saturday, Feb 7 (Day 38)
My Valentine’s Day Wreath

Sunday Feb 8 (Day 39)
Noah was getting a little stressed out so J took him in his room to listen to music which has been calming him down lately. He’s currently very into the Beatles.

Monday Feb 9 (Day 40)
This box arrived in the mail today from a friend and was full of goodies for ME! What a nice surprise! (Ok, there were a few goodies for Noahie too!)

Tuesday Feb 10 (Day 41)
I love these picture symbol/signs at Noah’s school.

Wednesday Feb 11 (Day 42)
The tooth fairy came to visit Noah!

Thursday Feb 12 (Day 43)
Reading the book Noahie bought with his tooth fairy money.

Friday Feb 13 (Day 44)
Another Valentine’s Day wreath. Noah helped make this one. He really likes glue! I was going to have him help me glue glitter on the front of it but we ran out of time.

Saturday Feb 14 (Day 45)
Valentine’s Day is also J’s birthday. The candles and singing Happy Birthday are Noah’s favorite part of any birthday so he ALWAYS helps no matter who’s birthday it is!

Sunday Feb 15 (Day 46)
J’s Birthday Balloons

See all my Project 365 Posts Here

Last week, I wrote about a deaf contestant on The Amazing Race and now I thought I’d tell you about a visually impaired contestant on American Idol! I watched him make it into the top 36 last week and my eyes filled with tears when his mother started crying when they found out he was in!

Scott MacIntyre is legally blind but he’s also a talented musician and singer. He has two degrees of tunnel vision which according to what I read means that he basically sees through a straw. But he hasn’t let this stop him from pursuing his dreams! He began playing the piano by ear at age 3. He’s had an impressive career thus far and has now made it into the top 36!

As a big American Idol fan, I’ll probably be watching regardless. I think Scott will probably end up being one of Noah’s favorites though because he plays the piano and seems most comfortable behind the piano. Noah’s favorite contestants are always those who play an instrument (like Brooke White from last season.) We’ll be cheering on Scott as well as our other favorites in the Top 36 as they emerge.

Valentine’s Day is also J’s birthday so just wanted to take a moment and wish him a Happy Birthday!

And Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you!!

The tooth fairy paid a visit to our house this week. Even with this bad economny, you wouldn’t beleive the inflation in the price of teeth. The tooth fairy left Noah four dollars!

She wanted Noah to actually be able to buy something with his money and knew that 4.00 would be about enough to buy a book (in the Children’s section) at WalMart. She also left Noah a little with his money which he thought was very cool. It was wrapped around the money.

The next day we went to WalMart after school and Noah chose a book. He bought Not Going to Get up Today by Dr Seuss. He is a big Seuss fan and always giggles at the silly rhymes. Between J and I, we’ve probably already read the book at least 10 times!

I think I just might be the proudest Mom in America today. Yesterday we had parent/teacher conferences and workshops at Noah’s school.

For those of you who know Noah, you know that behavior can sometimes be a struggle for Noah. He has at times been physically (hitting, biting, scratching himself and others) and verbally (yelling and screaming loudly) aggressive. This isn’t something new – it’s something that has been going on for years. The frequency has slowed down a lot over the years though.

His teacher was very happy to report that he has not had any verbal or physical aggression since NOVEMBER!!!

It’s hard to put into words how proud I am of that little guy!! Noah is the type of child who responds very well to praise so J and I told him (and later Nana and Grandad did too!) how proud of him we were over and over. I told him I was the “proudest Mom in America.” He thought this was funny and wanted me to say it over and over.

I think I really am the Proudest Mom in America. 🙂

Photo Credit

“We need time to dream,
Time to remember and
Time to reach the infinite,
And time to be.”
~ Gladys Taber

The Amazing Race has it’s first ever deaf contestant in the upcoming season! I’ve watched The Amazing Race in the past, although it’s been a few seasons since I was into it, but I’m definitely going to be checking it out this season to see how things go for this contestant.

Twenty two year old Luke Adams is from Colorado and is a recent college graduate and a huge Amazing Race fan. Luke is deaf and communicates with ASL (American Sign Language.) He’ll be teaming up with his Mom, Margie, to race around the world in hopes of coming in first place.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out for Luke and his Mom. Will Luke’s being deaf slow them down as a team since his Mom will likely have to sign everything to him or will him being deaf be an advantage to them – they can sign and other teams wouldn’t know what they are saying unless they are fluent in ASL as well.

The new season starts on Feb 15 on CBS. I’ll be watching, will you?

The latest installment of my Project 365 Photos…….. 

Thursday January 29 (Day 29 )
I love pictures of sleeping children, especially mine!

Friday January 30 (Day 30 )
Me – Cooking dinner. I’m making one of my specialities, a recipe I invented called “Mississippi Girl Chicken Enchiladas.” (They are one of J’s favorites.) You probably can’t tell in the photo but my apron says “Domestic Diva.”

Saturday January 31 (Day 31 )
Sushi for lunch – yumo!

Sunday February 1 (Day 32 )
My Momma with her kitties

Monday February 2 (Day 33)
J’s new GPS thingie. It was an early birthday gift from my parents and came quite handy on our trip to Atlanta. I really like the restaurant finder!

Tuesday February 3 (Day 34)
We had lunch with my Bestest Bud on the way home from Atlanta.
Wednesday February 4 (Day 35)
Nothing could be finer than to be back home in South Carolina!

I’ve finally gotten a handle on my layouts and will be posting those soon. You can view all my Project 365 pics and posts here.

Self Portrait - Reading my Bible

I did receive a tripod for Christmas. I waited until school started back up to use it and played with it on the first day Noah went back to school. I took some self portraits that day and it was fun! I went to use it again later and it broke!. I think that my camera might have been too heavy for that type of tripod.

My parents were nice enough to buy me another one and I got it last week. Since I got it, I have been taking a lot of self portraits and still haven’t used it for the purpose I had intended. I didn’t realize taking self portraits would end up being so fun!

I’m still learning and getting used to using a tripod as well as the timer on my camera that lets me be able to take self portraits. I aspire to take self portraits as creative and good as this gal’s. Although, I don’t look so hot in this picture, there’s still something about it that I like.

It feels a smidge self absorbed to take self portraits so I’ve had that song “You’re So Vain” (by Carly Simon) stuck in my head.

You’re so vain,
You probably think this song is about you.
You’re so vain,
I’ll bet you think this song is about you.
Don’t you? Don’t you?

Sadly, Noel went to Heaven’s doggy park on February 1, 2009.

(Photo Graphic made by Alicia)

The National Anthem – I’ve heard it sung a zillion times before. I’ve heard women sing it, I’ve heard men sing it. I’ve heard people butcher it (Rosanne Barr comes to my mind here.) I’ve heard people sing it and it sound great.

But never in my life have I heard it sung so absolutely amazingly beautiful as it did last night on the Super Bowl when Jennifer Hudson sang it. I got chills.

I got a little worried at first before a note came out of her mouth because she looked a little nervous – had to be rough as it is her first public appearance since the death of members of her family but she sang it so amazingly and I’m sure her family was looking down with pride.

Thursday January 22
This is my quote box. I love quotes and this way I can keep them handy. Each time I come across a quote I like, I jot in down on an index card and stick it in the box.

Friday January 23 (Day 23)
I love these snowman salt and pepper shakers that were a gift from a friend. Sadly, it’s almost time to put them up. I’ve been on the lookout for some Valentine’s Day salt and pepper shakers as well as some Easter/Spring/Summer themed ones. Aside from these, I have leaf shaped ones and tigers for football season.

Saturday January 24 (Day 24 )
During this time of year, this “Uncle Sam” can be seen on a busy intersesction in our town holding a sign for Liberty Tax Services. He cracks me up!

Sunday January 25 (Day 25)
My new glasses – picked them up yesterday.

Monday January 26 (Day 26)
In the buggy at Wally World.

Tuesday January 28 (Day 28)
I received this card in the mail today from my Secret Sipper. I love the quote she wrote on the inside: “Those of us who have hope have everything.”

Wednesday January 28 (Day 28 )
Unlce Sam was out earlier in the week but today (the male version of) the Statue of Liberty was out waving at drivers. This time I just snapped the photo from the moving car.

See all of my Project 365 pictures by clicking here.