The Blog l forgot l had!

So it's been ages since l wrote a blog post. I love reading others blog posts and l learn so much but somehow l always forget or hate writing my own blog posts. And if we are going to be honest which l prefer to be, it's maybe because l always think, who'd want to read my posts, what interesting and exciting things do l have to share?!

What l really should be focusing on is why l should write a blog.  So l jotted down some reasons.

- Share my thoughts and ideas
- Help me to remember the little things l don't want to forget!
-Document my daily life
- Keep a record of the kids and their daily life
- Share cool places and finds with who ever should find themselves browsing my blog.
- And write, something we just don't seem to do much of anymore.

So here goes, I'm going to try once again to remember that l do have a blog, and that l need to be better at documenting our life even if it's for my eyes only. One day in the distant future my eyes will enjoy reading my younger thoughts and feelings. It might provide some great insight into who l was at the time or it might just give me a good jolly laugh and honestly who doesn't like a good laugh?

Project Life or Project 365

Call it what you want, but it ROCKS! I love looking back on the year and seeing in photos all that we did: the exciting, sad, mundane and everyday things. They all make up bits and pieces of our family life. Besides the fact that these photos are for my future, for a time when l will be old and senile and can't remember anything. Oh l know it's coming people, it sometimes happens now and I'm only in my early 40's !!

So here are the months of January and February summed up in collage form thanks to an app l just recently downloaded from iTunes: Project 365 and I am loving it. Besides the fact that it reminds you to take your photo for the day, you can also write a little comment with the photo.

Go ahead at only 99c it's worth every penny!

Also, all these pics where taken with my iphone. The quality is amazing and it's just so handy!

Stationery card

Snowflake Dazzle Christmas Card

Create beautiful photo Christmas cards at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Missing in Action

I almost forgot l had a blog, it's been well almost 9 months, my plan was to post daily. My plan was to take a photo a day. My plan was to... oh heck non of my plans came to fruition. I really don't have an excuse expect maybe that l got caught up in the world of Facebook and well that place gives you a soapbox to voice your opinions and share your news. It's instant gratification and who doesn't want that?

So enough of my talking. This has been my life these past two weeks after getting a new iPhone4 (which can l say I ADORE!!) and discovered the Instagram app :)

Life via my iPhone

a self portrait on my birthday

The Fabulous Miss Coco!

A beautiful Sunset (been seeing a lot of those lately)

The kind of day you want to drive with the top down!

Waiting to play some ball!

Some Fall colour makes me very happy!

My gorgeous bougainvillea still blooming

My love!

In with the new (2011) out with the old (2010)

New Years eve/day always stirs up some mixed emotions for me. I look forward to a new year, new start and wonder what it will bring with it (hoping that it will all be good of course) and at the same time l look back on what the old year has given me, how much of it was good and how much of it l will be glad to leave behind. It's always a little hard at this time of year since we miss our family so very much all year round but that little extra during the holidays.

So this year l decided that l would put all those photos l took throughout the year to some good use. It took me a few days on and off since it was my first time ever to create a slide show. But l LOVE how it turned out and am enjoying watching it over and over again. I love looking back on all the good things we covered in 2010, and counting myself lucky to have had a great year. Sure there were some not so good times, but l choose to dwell on the good, that's what New Years Eve should be about, looking back on all the good that has come out of those 365 days!

So l give you the Rickey family 2010 year in review slide show. Oh and Happy New Year, here's to capturing all the good in 2011.

The sweetest thing

OK, l know it might seem silly, a post about peaches, but l just have to jot this down.

Last week on one of my trips to Costco l came across these beauties. Now let me start by saying ,it's not cause l saw them, but more like SMELLED them! that's right, SMELLED them! I was walking past not even looking at the centre aisle and all of a sudden l smelt summer! sweet fragrant summer.

To me peaches bring back memories of my childhood, my father had a peach tree and those peaches were the sweetest, juiciest thing l ever tasted. The smell, the soft peach fuzz, the golden colour, l tell you whats not to love about them! I had given up thinking l would ever eat anything as sweet again (I'm sorry but store bought fruit just doesn't live up to my expectations!) until that day in Costco. I mean if they smelt this good they would have to taste this good right!

So off l went armed with a box of 12 peaches, and everyone commented on how good they smelt. I hardly got them home, and Liam was the first to pounce on them! To cut a long story short, l went back and got some more on Friday and we ate the last ones on Sunday night.

Well come Monday, l was asked, no begged to go and get some more! how could l say no! My plan is to make Peach cobbler, but honestly l don't know if they will make it till then, l mean it's hard to resist the smell of those sweet juicy peaches. Just looking at them makes me want to go back and eat another one, who's going to notice? Oh yeah that would be the Peach Police, my son!

Saturday was like this:

Not what l would call a very eventfull day really, nothing much was planned for today but l loved how it turned out and still want to remember it.

8am - Help paint Entrance signage into our Gated Community

Noon - Darren cuts grass, kids and I weed back yard (Ugh! how l hate weeding!)

1pm - Stop for lunch - Darren made us sandwiches

2pm - Back outside for more weeding (kids have gone by now, and l'm not sure where they really are! I think they may be hidding at the neighbours!)

3pm-4pm - Shower up and go with Darren to watch him play 9 holes of golf. Now this was very enjoyable. Although it wouldn't be my first choice for a date, we got to spend some time on our own and chat. I also got to take some cool shots of him playing.

5:30pm - Stop off at Starbucks for a Toffee Mocha Frappucino - not bad but l think l will stick to my usual Moccha Frap.

6:30pm- Call Tiz and sing Happy birthday to her, for 11 days my little sis will be the same age as me, something l like to remind her of every year!

7:30pm - Chilis for dinner - that frozen Mango margarita was really good!

Not bad for a Saturday that wasn't planned. Sometimes the best days are the ones you just let happen.

Football Season has begun

So after weeks of early morning starts, and being at school by 7am! (something l just could never do myself!) Liam got to play in his first ever Football game for his school last Monday.
The first game started at 4:30pm over at Byron Nelson High School and I made sure to get there with plenty of time to snag a front seat, l would have loved to be able to stand on the sidelines but somehow don't think that would have gone down well with the coaches.

I'm not sure how l feel about this whole football thingy, firstly l don't really understand the game that well and secondly l am super worried that he could get injured. One of his team mates broke his arm in a practice session before the season even started, I mean have you seen my son! he's not a big kid but l guess he does run real fast!

Any way! he got to play, Linebacker to be exact and luckily no injuries were incurred and most important the kiddo had a blast! His proudest moment? Tackling the Quarterback and bringing him down! Boys!! go figure


Oh yeah and his Jersey number is 34.
..

tackling the Quarterback

(oh and check out the calf muscle!)

......

oh yeah he's down!

........

It's been a looooong time since l got crafty.

It's been a very long time since l got motivated to make some cards and l struggled with this project at the start. However once l got into enjoyed the process and loved how they came out.

The world through his lens

So after doing Maddy's collage, l got thinking how cool would it be to do one for Darren's photos. The guy travels A LOT!! and to some exotic places! He has this tiny camera that he takes with him on all his trips and manages to take some great shots. So this is his collage. The world through his lens....




Some of the places included here are, Hawaii, Madrid, Jerusalem, St.Martin, Sydney, Melbourne, and Bahrain. I'm thinking of doing a series of these. As l said before the guy travels a lot!!

Life seen through her lens....

Have been editing photos on my computer lately and came across some that Maddy took this summer with her brand new camera.

So while l was admiring her photos, an idea came to me. How cool would it be to make a collage of all these photos. I call it " Life through her lens". I love how she's into documenting her life at this stage, how she's not afraid to try different angles and I especially love how she makes sure to include herself in some of those photos, something l totally forget to do at times.

Way to go Maddy, l hope you always continue to document your life in this way- xx

Mum

You right now, Maddy

You right now are a Freshman, and doing great at School. You're self motivated and love to learn .
You right now are very much into "Camp Rock the final jam" and have watched it 5 times already.
You right now continue to make me proud. I love that you care for others be it human or animal.
You right now have strong opinions, and even if at times we don't' see eye to eye, l love that you have a strong mind of your own and stand up for what you believe.
You right now are wanting to learn to drive,and keep asking your dad to take you out for some lessons.
You right now are taller than me, 5'8" and growing. :)
You right now can usually be found on Facebook, texting or reading a book, which you often finish in a weekend.
You right now are and have always been beautiful inside and out!

It came!

Back in 2007 we took a trip to England, and apart from all the beautiful scenery and sites to see l fell in love with all the old doors l kept seeing on our trip. Beautiful old brightly coloured doors, so an idea came to me, l wanted to capture these doors and make a collage of them all to maybe one day scrapbook or make a print to hang in my house.

Fast forward to 5 years later, and nothing had been done, till this one day last week when l saw those photos again and decided that today was going to be the day!

Painstakingly l edited and created a collage with all those photos, using Shutterfly studio and Picnik, l know there is an easier way, but l have yet to master Photoshop!

So today l got me some happy mail and there wrapped carefully in a cylinder was my 11x14 photo. It turned out great! Heck it looked like a store bought print! So what was a girl to do!, but run out purchase a frame and hang that piece of art on my wall.

Pure beauty and the satisfaction of having brought to fruition one of my many ideas = PRICELESS!

The photo of the kiddos is on canvas.

First day of School

I know this is a little late, but l still wanted to post this so as to have it written down, and not forgotten.

First day of school this year came on the 24th of August, which happens to be also Liam's 12th birthday. Let's just say that the dude was not happy about this, not happy at all. The day went off without a hitch. We got up with plenty of time for a good breakfast, and the obligatory first day photos. This year l have a 7th grader and a Freshman (gulp!). They are both very much enjoying school and are very busy with so many activities.

Liam is doing Football for the first time ever. He's continuing to play the Saxophone, and will also be doing Fall Baseball.

Maddy is enrolled in the AMP ( Academy of Medical Professions) program and has joined Student Council, along with doing piano lessons.

PAD 2010

Here's March's photo a day.

.

PAD 2010

I'm still doing the Photo a Day challeng, just haven't really posted any photos. So here's a collage of the month of February.

will post March soon.

I want to remember :

I want to remember so much about our trip to Australia. So l thought what better way than to post some photos and a list of what l want to remember.

Queenscliff

• The beautiful sunny day and brilliant blue sky.

• The drive down to Queenscliff and seeing the ocean in the horizon.
  
• Getting Fish n Chips,from the same shop that's been there since we were kids, and eating them at the picnic ground near the pier where we've always had picnics.




• watching the kids playing on the playground and kicking the footy.




• Walking along the beach and taking numerous photos under the pier all the time worried that the water was going to get us.
  




• The kids exploring and discovering shells and cool sea life




• Walking along the marina and seeing all the boats, and the fresh catch of crayfish that had just come in.
  


• walking into town and looking in at all the cute stores while getting a chai latte to warm us up.



• going out to the bluff and feeling the air and smell of the ocean all around us.



• looking out at the ocean in the afternoon sun, and thinking how beautiful it all looks.



• Spending the day with mum, dad, Tiz ,Paul and the boys.
  
  
• seeing the warm yellow boathouse over the pier and remembering all the fun times we'd fish off that pier.

• watching the sunset on our drive back home.



• wishing we could live closer to this beautiful seaside town and how connected both our families are to it.

25th -31st of January

Wow l can't believe January is already over. I'm so glad that l have Project life to help remind me of what exactly we did in January, cause right now it just seems like a blur!
Today was spent mostly helping Maddy work on her school project for BCIS. She had to plan and organize a vacation for two to Rome, complete with Slide show.


Having always played baseball since we got to the States, Liam decided he wanted to give Flag football a try this season. So most of our Saturday afternoons have been going to watching him play. He's really enjoying it, although I'm still struggling to understand the game.


I felt like cooking today, so l decided to take out mum's pasta machine and got to work making whole wheat Fettuccine and pasta sauce.


A very wet and dark gray day, the lighting wasn't good inside so l ventured out to take some photos of the rain.


Working on my project life journal cards, I struggle with journaling in general and don't really like my handwriting, but this is good for me, to go outside my comfort zone, and learn to express myself with words.


In honour of Australia day l decided that we would celebrate by eating a home made Aussie meat pie complete with Tomato sauce (ketchup) and it was delicious!


I am so thankful for my iphone, it comes in handy while waiting to pick up the kids from school and taxi them to their activities.