Blog Hop

Over the past few years I have followed various blog hops and found great new ideas and blogs this way. I have never participated in a blog hop, but that will change in May. The Beyond Blogging For Scrapbookers Blog Hop is being planned for May 14th. I hope that you will visit my blog and others that day to see our cards, scrapbook pages or photographs. Thank you to Amy for organizing this fun and creative blog hop!

A Day in Photos (Part 2)

I have three more photos to add about my day yesterday.

Wednesday is taco night and Alex enjoyed his taco. If we let him, he would have just ate cheese for dinner.

I took a self-portrait in my car when I stopped for gas.

Speaking of gas, the price here is $3.69 a gallon. Luckily I only have to fill up every 3-4 weeks.

In the evening I went to book club, but I forgot to get out my camera. I was enjoying adult conversation without having to keep an eye on a toddler. I have a laid-back book club that does not mind if you don't get to read the book... I got home late and went straight to bed.

A Day In Photos

It is fun carrying my camera with me and taking random photos of my day.

I cannot start my day without coffee and creamer.

Here is my car, which I bought eight and a half years ago while still in grad school. Practical & reliable!

This is on my drive to work. You will notice two things. First of all it is already 76 degrees at about 7:50 A.M. Summer has arrived in South Texas! Also, I don't drive a lot since my car only has 51,000 miles on it. I love having a short commute to work!

This is a shot from my drive to work.

Here is my office. My friend Sharis' office is next to mine and she has also posted pictures of her at day at http://airbs.blogspot.com/2011/04/my-day-in-photos.html

Students from all over the world in the Beyond Blogg for Scrapbookers online class are participating in this assignment. You can see more here.

First Easter Egg Hunt

At Easter 2010, Alex was just about a year old and not walking yet. What a difference a year makes! It was time for Alex's first Easter egg hunt, followed by playing with his new Play-Doh.

Photos takend 4/24/11.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is my 4 Year Bloggiversary, which will coincide nicely with an assignment from the Beyond Blogging for Scrapbookers class. Tomorrow will be my Day in Photos post. I plan to carry my camera around with me and post some everyday photos, maybe on my lunch hour and in the evening.

Any suggestions of photos that I should include?

Blog Goal

I am catching up on the Beyond Blogging for Scrapbookers class this weekend and loving it! This affordable class has quality content, a good forum and participants from all over the world.

So far, I am working on giving my blog a clean and simple look but without taking out all of the fun extras. As for a theme, I am embracing the mix of topics on my blog. The poll responses and comments are helpful, so please keep them coming.

After the third prompt for the class, I have decided to set one goal for my blog. I want to create one card or scrapbook layout to share on my blog each week. The will help me carve out more creative time and hopefully improve my blog.

I decided to just set one goal for my blog right now. I am finally learning to not bite off more than I can chew. I am learning to set realistic goals instead of lofty goals. I think that I achieve just as much this way and am actually happier.

Blogging about Blogging

I started this blog almost 4 years ago and honestly was not sure if I would keep up with it. I was inspired by the scrapbookers who had blogs, especially Ali Edwards. I chose Blogger since it was free. I thought that I would not feel guilty about abandoning my free blog once it lost its novelty or if I became too busy to post.

My blog gave me a place to share my life and my scrapbooking (and eventually my cards). I named the blog after my move from Ohio to Texas. It gave me another way to keep up with my family and friends. I was surprised by how much I enjoy blogging. I enjoy the instant gratification of posting. I enjoy writing stories and sharing my thoughts and photos.

In 2009, I had a whole new topic to blog about: a little baby. Now that baby is a busy toddler. I have found new challenges from trying to balance family and work, which can inspire some posts. So far, my blog does not have a defined theme, and I post about whatever is on my mind. This approach has worked for me, but I want feedback from my readers. Please answer the poll and/or leave a comment about what you would like to see more of or less of on this blog. Thank you for reading!

Detours (Part 1)

We are in the middle of fall registration for freshmen at work, and the week has flown by. Right now during walk-in advising, we see students back-to-back, and the line goes out of the office.

Yesterday I saw an unhappy student. She is not doing well in her classes this semester. She plans to withdraw from the semester and change her major to "undecided". I could tell that these decisions added stress to her life instead of relieving it. With a line of students waiting to be seen, I did not have a chance to dive into this with her any deeper that some prescriptive advising about policies and procedures.

I wished there was more I could do, so I threw out a comment about "Sometimes we have to take detours, but we can get back on the road." It got me thinking about all the detours my life has taken, and how some of the best things that have happened in my life were not the things that I had planned. To be continued...

Online Class

On Monday I read this post on Zen Habits, which helped me make my decision to sign up for an online blogging/scrapbooking class at Shimelle.com.

The irony is that I went against the advise that I give to freshmen on a regular basis. I skipped the "pre-requisite" course and registered late! I will be "cramming" this weekend but am still excited about the course and improving this blog. It is also fun to have a friend in the course.

one weekend 2 shots (Austin)

We went to Austin for most of the weekend and met up with two of my college friends visiting from Ohio. We have made a couple of day trips to Austin, but this is the most time I have spent there so far.

We stayed by Lady Bird Lake (Town Lake), which is very pretty. We arrived around lunch time and headed over to the Hula Hut, which had good atmosphere, drinks and food. We checked out the roof top pool at the hotel, and I like being able to swim outside in April. We walked around downtown for a while and stumbled upon Max's Wine Dive for dinner. Even though this place is not geared towards kids, it still worked out. Our waiter was great and Alex did well. We enjoyed good wine and the upscale comfort food. It was worth the price, and I was happy to learn today that there is a location in San Antonio!

The guys stayed back at the hotel while the three of us ladies hit 6th Street in search of some live music and fun. We had a good time and enjoyed the people watching. I am now old enough to be happy to be carded to get into places! At work I see a lot of students who want to go to school in Austin. The city has a great night life, and I now see the appeal.

We had brunch today at Moonshine Restaurant, which was worth the wait. We headed back to San Antonio and Alex napped in the car. It is time for me to wrap up this post and go to bed. It was great to visit Austin and spend time with my friends! I am looking forward to going back.

Shed

John is building a shed with help from friends. The pictures show the progress so far, and the extra storage space will be helpful.

Paper or Digital?

Both!

I took one of my favorite "stamp club" cards and made a digital version. You can read the details on Candy's blog. I enjoy making paper cards and scrapbook pages, digital cards and scrapbook pages, and hybrid projects. I can't chose just one type and like to leave my options open!

Dinner

I keep our meal plan on a dry erase board so it will be easy to change. It is good to have dinner plans but also keep it flexible.

A staple of our meal plan is stir fry. Last summer I got a free Pampered Chef sauce with my order and tried their Ginger Wasabi Sauce. Since it is a little pricey, I tried to find a suitable substitute. I shopped at HEB and William Sonoma, and I think that we have tried about 6 different sauces. None of them measured up. I could re-title this post "Ode to Ginger Wasabi Sauce."

Bed Time Routine

I did not realize how we have developed a specific bedtime routine for Alex until my parents watched him last Saturday night. After we change Alex into his pajamas, we all brush our teeth, and he reads a book or two. Alex does try to avoid bedtime, but we eventually get him back to his room. Usually I am holding Alex when he gets to turn off his light and say "ni-night" to Daddy, and then he shuts the door. (If one of us is not home, then Alex usually says ni-night to the dogs.) We rock for a few minutes and he whispers "bed" when he is ready to go to his bed. He has his "guys," a variety of stuffed animals, in his crib to keep him company.

one weekend 2 shots (April 3, 2011)

Our garden is doing well so far.

Alex is chillin' after dinner on the deck.