26 Things #17 - Yeah!

It's that time of year again. Time for our nation's army of Girl Scouts to hit the streets and stores peddling their addictive cookies. To be honest, I'm not sure if it's my most or least favorite Girl Scout activity. This year, our council, in their infinite wisdom, made some changes to the program and are requesting that each girl order and pay for an inventory of cookies to keep on hand so they can immediately fulfill their customers' desires. On the surface, that sounds wonderful, and I'm sure the customers appreciate it, however, from the perspectives of the troop leaders, parents, and girls, this new system definitely has some flaws. Because of that, our troop decided to do things the way we always have, and our girls have been taking orders and filling them each week, so yesterday I went to our local "cookie cupboard" to pick up our troop's first order. It was only 12 cases, but let me tell you, that's a LOT of cookies!  Yikes! So now I have a nice inventory, and all I need is for the rest of the troop to start selling them and picking them up from me, because I don't want our dining room table to look like this for long! LOL! But anyway, I'm using this for my Yeah! picture, because for most people, Girl Scout cookies are definitely good for a yeah or two!

26 Things #4 - Sweet

Today is Sunday, and as many of my friends (and regular visitors to this blog) know, that means that I do my weekly baking. I made muffins last week (and I make a dozen at a time, so they last two weeks for Jim, taking one each day to work), so today I only had to make cookies. I make chocolate chip ones, specifically the recipe right on the back of the Nestle chip bags. Couldn't be easier! I actually make half a batch each week, and they usually last all week, except when Jim decides they're bit-size, which in his mind means he can eat 6 a day. But I digress... Anyway, this morning, I went about making our weekly supply of yummies, and decided they'd fulfill my 26 Things #4 - Sweet!

Before baking:

Fresh from the oven:

Cooling and ready to eat!

While I was doing all of this, Mia was being a ham of a cat. I'd gone to the supermarket earlier, and when I got home, she decided to be herself and climb into one of the grocery bags. Have I mentioned before that this cat cracks me up? She's her own special brand of Sweet!

26 Things #19 - Everyday

I love my morning coffee. No, let me rephrase that. I live for my morning coffee. The day just doesn't start off right (or well, usually, for those around me - LOL!) if I don't have a cup o' joe before I get to the important tasks of the day. On days that I walk in the mornings after dropping Erin off at school, I'll wait until I get home to make and drink it, but I still have it's nice, warm, happiness in my belly before I start on anything that will require my full attention. Although I love drinking the stuff, making it's never been my forte, and I always relied on Jim to set up the machine in the morning so all I'd have to do is throw the switch and wait. (Interestingly, that seems to run in my family, as my father does the same thing for my mother. In both cases, the men aren't even the ones drinking it at home!) Almost two years ago, though, while at Costco, I found this beauty and convinced Jim that it would be a great addition to our gadget collection at home. He was hesitant at first, but once he saw how wonderful it was, he was hooked. Not only is it incredibly easy to use (hey, even Erin can use it to make us coffee or herself hot chocolate!), but it's fantastic for everyone to get the kind of coffee or beverage they want, and have it ready to drink in under a minute. Ahhh... Hot heaven in the morning!

26 Things #2 - New

Thanks to our selling some unneeded stuff (furniture, and our "old" computer and monitor), we had a little extra cash on hand, and Jim told me earlier this week to go ahead and order myself a macro lens! I was so excited. Last year at this time, I had been thinking about getting one, but in the end, decided on a new walkabout lens instead, to replace my kit lens. I've never regretted that decision for an instant. Since then, I've learned quite a bit, built on my skills, and experimented a lot. I bought a cheap set of macro filters, and have enjoyed them, but knew that an actual macro lens would be a world of difference. My favorite brown truck delivered my new baby around 30 minutes ago, and I didn't waste any time trying it out!

Honestly, I haven't even read the manual that came with it, and I know I have to do that. But that didn't stop me from immediately putting it on my camera and trying it out, figuring it out as I went. Considering I have no idea what I'm doing, I kind of like what I've gotten so far.  Once I read the manual, I know it'll get even better. I can't wait to take it out tomorrow and play some more!

26 Things #9 - Bottoms Up and #24 - Geometric

I managed to kill two proverbial birds with one stone today. Well, with one Girl Scout meeting, anyway. Erin's troop did a field trip today to a local gym to complete a badge on fitness. They got to work with a trainer who explained what they do at the gym, the importance of working out, proper ways to warm up, stretch, exercise, and cool down, and most important, have fun while doing it. (Wait a minute... Exercise is supposed to be fun???)  The girls had a blast. They stretched, bent, push, pulled, and ran, and in the end were all smiles. And while they did that, I managed to capture two of my 26 things!

First up is Bottoms Up.

Yes, that's Erin, and from the looks of things, she was taking this very seriously. When the trainer first had the girls get into this position, I was sure he'd tell them to put their butts down, but no, he actually wanted them up, and for the girls to be on their toes. I'm not sure I could have held the pose as long as they did!

And next, Geometric.

As soon as I saw the medicine balls lined up so perfectly, and the lines from the tile crossing them like that, I knew I had #24 in the bag.

26 Things # 22 - Springy

In honor of all my friends that are being hammered - once again - by Mother Nature and Jack Frost's cruelty, and in celebration of a certain Pennsylvania groundhog doing the right thing this morning, I present to you the springiest things I could find around here! Nothing says spring like the gorgeous flowers that bloom in this area (and I'm almost fearful of your reaction to admit that they pretty much bloom all year round). It's impossible to look at them without smiling. I tried to also get some pictures of the gorgeous yellow ones that bloom on the hill across from my house, but my settings were off and they were awful. But trying to get them was quite an adventure. I'm not a hiker, by any means, and I had to climb up the bramble-covered hillside to get to the bush. On my way up, an enormous bumble bee took an interest in me (I guess I smell good today?), and wouldn't leave me alone. Needless to say, I almost tumbled back down the hill. Note to self, don't wear any kind of a heel next time you even think of trying that stunt!)  But I digress... I present to you: Springy!

26 Things # 14 - Thread

It seems like just about the only use I have for my old scrapbooking materials these days is photographing them. Oy. Once in a while, I take a look at the stuff I accumulated during my scrappin' days (daze?) and can't remember exactly what I used to do with it all! Like all of this embroidery thread. (Oh, and don't for a minute think that this is all of the embroidery thread I have. Oh no. There is TONS of it crammed into a little drawer. TONS I'm telling you.) What on earth did I do with it in my scrapbooks? I certainly don't do any  kind of needlework, on paper or fabric. So what was I thinking? One of these days, I will have to go through all this stuff and purge some of it. Again, oy.