Finishing the Intros

So I realized I hadn't really introduced myself here. Mainly because I haven't passed the word around about this blog, and once I do, everyone will already know who I am that's reading it. Right? But in case someone happens upon me, I should probably let you know who I am.

Hi! I'm Beth, mid-thirties, living in South Carolina, towards the North Carolina border part of the state.  Single, never been married and no kids (which means I'll rarely get to post cool crafty ideas like so many of ya'll do!). I work for my local government, a new endeavor for me since I'd previously worked in the non-profit field for about 10 years.  I'm one of those people who must be doing good for the community or my life just doesn't seem fulfilled. Yup, a crazy do-gooder.

I'm the mama to one large tabby with severe grumpiness. We have a bit of an understanding - whatever she wants she gets and I'm to provide it for her. :)  Meet Muffin, my 16 lb. grouchy baby with claws!  I'm sure she'll star in several of my pics in the upcoming year.

I just moved into my first house (my sister and I were housemates for about 10 years, but for some reason she didn't want to be a newlywed with her sister in the house, too!). We took this house down to the studs and put it back together. Let me tell you, I love it. A small, two bedroom, one bath that fits me just perfect. Eventually I'll put pics up of the remodel work because it's amazing.

So that's me and my life in a nutshell. :)  Don't you feel better now after reading all that? Yeah, I thought you would.



Today is brought to you by the letter S.

Ahhh... S. What a lovely letter. S brings us the word, "South."  It also brings us the word, "Snow."  Which, for the record, these two words really shouldn't mix. But, mix they did.

I'm just not that big of a snow fan. It is beautiful coming down, yes indeedy. But once it's down, it's a pain in the booty.  Thankfully, our winter plan must have been updated because the road conditions haven't been a problem throughout these snowy mornings. 

So many people gripe and complain about Southern drivers in the snow. While it's true that we don't drive often in the white stuff, we also don't have the infrastructure in place like our Northern neighbors to handle the mess. The combination makes for a very fun experience, involving inexperienced drivers making mad dashes to the stores for milk and bread (Not sure why, since the concern is that we'll lose power, making the potential for spoiled milk a high possibility) and they are driving on roads that aren't properly prepared for icy weather...

But the snow was pretty while it lasted.  Snow on Christmas night! Who would have thought it possible in the South?  A great memory to share with the grandcats one day...

Merry Christmas Greetings!

It's Christmas night - about 8:20 p.m. - and I'm enjoying the sounds of the Raleigh Hand Bell Choir as I enjoy the last few hours of Christmas. With the snow quietly falling in the night, it seems like a perfect ending to what has been a doozy of a holiday for our family.  Most of us have been or are currently sick. Flu, sinus, sore throats, we've got a bit of it all.  But it's still been a very special Christmas that will be remembered for years to come.

Christmas is my FAVORITE holiday of all. I'd gladly skip Thanksgiving to get to Christmas decorating faster. What am I saying? I do skip decorating for Thanksgiving and decorate for Christmas sooner than most people. That's a lot of work for only a month.

Oh! They are playing one of my favorites - Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies! *sigh* Love it.

Ok, on to a few photos from my holidays. 

Yes, this is a deer with a hitch up its butt. Cracked me up. When you put on brakes, the deer's arms and legs twitch madly and the target lights up. The owner said it was a gag gift, but I'm loving it.

The other is a pic of my Raggedy Andy salt dough ornament. When a sick 8-year-old starts to feeling better, you better have something ready for her to do. In our case, it was making ornaments for everyone in the family. I realize Andy has a large hole in the middle of his forehead, but I try to overlook this issue.

I realize the pics may be a bit blurry. They are taken with my phone. When you live out in the sticks and have to use dial-up for your Internet connection, you do whatever it takes to survive. In my case, it's use my phone to make pics small enough to even be considered for uploading.

Alrighty folks, I hope your holidays have been as blessed and as special as mine. I can't express how thankful I am for all I've been given and this Christmas season has proven it over and over again.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! :)

Vivabox makes sense.

I know this is too late for the holidays - sorry. But inevitably you'll have birthdays, anniversaries, etc to buy for and hopefully you'll think of this. 

Welcome to VIVABOX (http://www.vivaboxusa.com/)!  To sum it up, it's a gift card with a sampling of what you are gifting.  BBQ rub for the grilling enthusiast, coffee for the caffeine addict, so on and so forth.  But it seems to be high quality partners that the included gift card is for.  What a great way to have a decent sized package to wrap up and give as a gift, with a little associated circe that goes along with the gift card! Love it!

Another site I just discovered:  http://www.dailygrommet.com/ I almost hate to give up this site because it's a great place to find really interesting gifts for those hard-to-buy-for folks on your list.  I'm really enjoying it.

So yea, I know, this doesn't have anything to do with my photography project. Like I said - it's a random blog and whatever I stumble across or whatever comes to mind may find its way here. Enjoy the ride!

My first...

I'm a talker, a writer and nosy as all get-out. So why haven't I started one of these before? I'm not overly concerned with people reading it. I just find it fascinating to have access to my thoughts at random points in the day or across the time of my life. Mainly because I can (hopefully) see how a prayer was answered or how I've grown.

So you are welcome to join me in the ride. Share me with friends. Or just be a quiet lurker in the background thinking I'm crazy and being glad this isn't your life. (ha ha).  Either way, I welcome you into my life.

I usually try to think of something I want to do in the new year, but I rarely accomplish it. Not weight loss or to stop biting my nails but something more specific to me.  One year I wanted to visit more local towns within a day's driving distance. That one, I sorta accomplished. I shopped in all kinds of random towns across SC/NC... some great, some slightly sketchy.  Last year I wanted to start writing in a Thankful Journal each night.  I might have 12 entries.  Not so successful at that one.

Which is why I'm starting a blog for this coming year's resolution, for lack of a better description. I at first wanted to be part of the 365 project, where people take a picture every day.  (See info here) But let's get real, even with the camera phone, that ain't happening. So my goal is to do AT LEAST one picture a week, that will be shared here. (365 pictures, 52 pictures... yeah, it's close enough.) So bear with me, my imaginary friends. I'll see what I can do.

And hopefully I'll lose some weight and stop biting my nails along the way. But don't hold your breath.