Since You Came Along

I have a new Hollywood crush. Ryan Reynolds. Yeah, I know, he's the sexiest man alive and everything, so I'm definitely not alone in my crush, but he really is adorable. I just finished watching "Definitely, Maybe" (which is a really sweet movie, btw).  Highly recommend.

Yum.

Now, I like Scarlett Johansson, and the two of them together?  Hello!?  I'm a little sad that they are getting divorced.  Silly girl.  Silly, silly girl.

Anyway, on to more pictures.  It's hard taking pictures everyday; a lot of times it's just random stuff from around the house, so sorry.  I hope things will get a little more interesting when it isn't so bleak outside.

This is from January 10th.  I purchased a headboard at the D.I. (thrift store), and we ended up tying it to the roof to bring it home.  I thought I'd take a picture so you can actually see Silvano.  Yes, I decided this car is a guy, since this is the only vehicle I have owned which has rear-wheel drive, and only a male would put ridiculous rims on a pretend-SUV to make it look cooler.  Okay, I don't actually know that, but the tires really do piss me off.  They look good, but they have no get-up-and-go.  I got stuck in a parking lot because I was on a very shallow slope and there was slush on the ground.  I was wearing heels, trying to scrape away the snow with the stroller (hey--it was all I had), and Silvano kept sliding around.  I started out over three feet away from the Jeep next to me, but once I slid to within a few inches, I had to have Allen come rescue me.  He brought a little shovel to help me get out, and even then, he had to clear out all the snow, down to bare pavement, just so I could back out.  Seriously obnoxious.  The tires will be fine in the summer, but driving in the snow is scary, and thinking about it makes me angry.

Silvano, the anti-snow beast.

From January 11th.  He's so stinking cute, even with his dirty little feet.

Yes, he still sleeps with his bum up.  I love it.

January 12th.  We got a package in the mail from Allen's mom.  His sister made a calendar, which had these pictures of Allen.

From a calendar made by Allen's sister Wendy

Cute kid, eh?  Then I realized that Benji looks exactly like Allen in that left picture.  Here's a close-up/comparison.

Little Allen and Little Benji.  Crazy, eh?

Yeah, I thought Benji looked like me until I saw this (that picture of Benji is from last June).  I guess it's just the eyes.  Anyway, here's some random stuff around the house for January 13th.  It's actually from a track suit I purchased.  They were on serious clearance, so I got two of them (jackets and pants), in this obnoxious pink and also in red.  And I got two shirts.  Plus, I had a coupon (or, as they like to call it, a "Gift Cheque") for $10, so I got all that for $25.  Yeah, baby.

The pink track suit.

And here's a couple of shots from today.  I tried to chase down a decent picture of the sunset, since it had a beautiful pink glow to it, but this is the best I got.  Not very inspiring.

Smoggy Sunset

And since I was driving in this direction, I decided to try to get a picture of the Murray bridge.  I love the simple lines and graceful arch.  It's too bad it leads to nowhere.  I think I drove on it once, ended up getting lost and having to back track.  It does look nice, though.

Murray Bridge at Twilight

So that is my picture catch-up for this week.  Thanks for reading.

What's Going On

Here's a little catch-up on the Project 365. This is from January 5th:

A little showcase of my new glasses.

This is from January 6th. Allen found a tutorial on the interwebs to make ones own antenna. And this is the result. It kind-of worked when Allen had it clamped to the wall outside our building, but it was so ugly and he couldn't get it just right. We're almost frustrated enough to get the dish, but we haven't gotten there yet. Still a little too cheap.

The Ghetto Antenna

This is also from January 6th. I gave Benji one of my pudding cups. He was doing so well with the spoon that I thought I could trust him. I left him a lone for a few minutes, and this is what I came back to.

The Aftermath.

This is from January 7th. Not great quality, but I liked the look on his little face.

Love this boy.

I don't know what's possessing me to put so many unflattering pictures of myself on my blog, but I guess I should show up in the chronicles of my life every once in a while. Allen took this picture, which has been pretty typical of chez nous for the past couple of weeks. I'm half-asleep on the couch and Benji is climbing all over everything. This was yesterday.

And this is today. Benji sitting in the toilet again. If only he'd actually use it instead of peeing in the bathtub. This kid . . .

At least he has his sippy, right?

So there's the haps, kids. Back to work tomorrow, so I really should get some sleep.

I Never See Anything

This isn't a great picture, but I'm loving the new "textures" feature of picnik. It turned a terrible quality picture into an art-nouveau-je-ne-sais-quoi, right?

I rarely include pictures of myself (uh, you do know why I own so much photography stuff, right?), but here you go. This is me today.

I actually put on some make-up for my post-op appointment today (my ENT was impressed), so I figured I'd take a picture.

Not much to say today. I'm cold and I need to sleep. I wish I had purchased that Snuggie at the 7-Eleven.

Pictures of You

Here are the pictures from yesterday and today.  For this one, I put Benjamin in the sink.  He's so funny in front of the mirror!  It cracks me up!

And this is how I found him this morning. He piles all of his stuffed animals (and yes, a heart pillow--don't judge) around his head.  Such a funny kid.

And here's a bonus picture for you:

These are pictures of the sweet flowers Mom & Granny sent me. I don't think I have ever received a flower delivery before. It definitely made me smile.

Today has been pretty rough. I have been hot then cold then in pain, then pain-free, etc., etc. I'm ready to be done with this, seriously. I had to use my tetracaine lollipop to numb my throat enough to drink a smoothie. I'd like to be normal again. I did shave my legs, so that's something. Of course, I did have to rest on the couch for a while afterward. Exhausting. Grrr.

It's Gonna Be a Good Year

I have never been big on New Year's Resolutions. I have pretty poor impulse control, and a feeling that trying to improve myself is pointless. I also think that changing ones' self should happen when one is ready, not just because the calendar and the advertising gurus say it's time.

I do have some plans this year, though. It is definitely time for some changes in my life, and I'm not sure that I'll be able to accomplish all of them, but writing them down is a big step. It also gives me a small measure of accountability. I don't expect anyone besides myself to keep track of what I'm doing. I will, however, be blogging about my progress (or lack thereof). I really am tired of being stagnant; I need to move. If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always had, right? Right.

So here are my goals:

1. Go to the temple. I haven't been in quite a while, which is my own fault. I have let a lot of things slide over the past couple of years, and I have really felt it spiritually. My recommend is not current, so it will take some work and discipline to get there.

2. Read my scriptures every day, and complete the Book of Mormon by the end of the year. I'm not saying I will be able to do significant study every day, but I will read at least one verse. It does make a difference in reminding me of what should be most important, and I have been slacking on that too.

3. I will do some sort of exercise everyday, even if it's just stretching or a few sit-ups or something. I'll try to walk or jog when it's warmer outside, but it's too dang cold right now.

4. Along with that, I will lose 50 pounds. This is a big step for me. It's totally do-able--less than one pound per week. It won't be easy; I'm not a good dieter. I love to eat. I really love to eat chocolate. And ice cream. And bread. And pretty much any carb out there. So controlling the impulses will be tough. It's not too hard at this moment, because it hurts to swallow pretty much anything right now. I'm trying to decide if I want to write my actual weight on here. I know it's not a secret that I'm a big girl, and I don't hide my weight very well, but it might take some time and courage to do it.

I'm hoping that actually doing a few things to take care of myself will help me be a better mother. If I feel like I'm worth a few minutes everyday, maybe it will help me realize how much more I could be doing for Benjamin.

Of course, I have all these grand plans now, when I can barely drag myself off the couch. I had to go to Smith's this evening, so I waited for a few hours until after my pain meds wore off (so I could drive legally), and it sucked. One small trip to the store should sap every ounce of energy, right? Well, it did. So that counts as my exercise for the day, because it might as well have been a two-mile walk.

I'll round off the resolutions with something fun.

5. Project 365. My version: take a picture every day, and write a little blurb about it. I'll try to post them here, though I know I won't be posting every day.

On that note, here is today's picture:

Just {another} picture of Benji in the bath. Once again, he had fingerpainted all over himself everything in his room, so he got a shower and a bath. He also got a haircut last night, because it was WAY long. Anyway, this isn't the greatest picture, but I wanted to put it up to show you how much he looks like me these days. It weirds me out, seriously. It's like looking into my own face. I want him to be his own person, not to think about me every time he looks in the mirror, but I guess I don't have much choice in the matter. Poor kid.

So that's where I'm at.  What are your resolutions?