January 31st - Flower Power

It may be winter outside, but the daisies in my bathroom make it feel a little bit like spring!

January 30th - Mastermind

Do you think he's plotting another disaster?

January 29th - A Weekend of Skating

I love U.S. Nationals week - it's my favorite week of the year. This year I couldn't watch quite as much on my computer (ahem*Sammy*ahem), but I watched everything NBC showed on TV this weekend. I was happy with all of the results, especially with Alissa Czisny (pictured above) winning her second national title.

January 28th - Rice Treatment

After taking my computer to the Apple store yesterday, I learned that water had seeped all the way through (you can never say Sammy does things halfway). I have to leave the computer off for 5-6 days and put it in a bag with rice to soak up the moisture (pictured above). Hopefully it will work fine after all this. Otherwise, there are some costly repairs that might be in order.

I'm posting this from my computer at work. I couldn't let my fan base go for too many days without a new photo!

January 27th - Free cat to good home

The reason I haven't posted a picture from Jan. 27 is because Sammy knocked a glass of water onto my computer (while I was watching skating, I might add). I had stepped out of the room for a moment, and I guess he just saw his chance to shine. I'm taking the computer to the Apple store this afternoon and hoping they can give me good news.

Would anyone like a cat?

ETA: The photo has been added.

January 26th - It doesn't snow in Austin (usually)

Over the last few weeks, I have become even more grateful that I made the decision to move back to Texas this summer. Oh, Boston - it appears that I took your mild winter weather and winning sports teams with me when I left. Stay warm, friends, stay warm.

BTW, I lived in the green section of this map.

January 25th - Mirror, Mirror

Mom and I put this mirror together when she was here two weekends ago. I'm enjoying it, but Sammy is just loving it.

P.S. This is my 300th post - only 65 more to go!

January 24th - Castle

Monday nights mean Castle!

January 23rd - All the colors of the world

As I put my clothes on the drying rack this evening, I realized once again that no one could ever accuse me of being afraid of color.

January 22nd - Humidify me

It's that time of year again. The air is so dry I feel like every part of me is about to crack. Last year I discovered the wonders of the humidifier, and I had to bring it out again this year. Unfortunately, last year's model no longer worked (it was cheap), so I decided to upgrade to a better version. So far, it seems to be working well. I'm looking forward to having smoother skin and less dry eyes in the coming weeks.

P.S. Sammy is also a fan. :)

January 21st - Photo Booth Fun

This evening in a fit of boredom, I tried out the Photo Booth application on my computer. I didn't realize there were so many different options for taking self-portraits. The Andy Warhol-pop art choice was my favorite.

January 20th - Life Member

After 5 years of making bi-monthly payments, I'm now an official Life Member of the Texas Exes. Yay!

January 19th - Panera Bread

It's become a weekly tradition - I eat lunch once a week at Panera Bread. I usually order the same thing (chicken noodle soup and Caesar salad) and read whatever book I'm currently reading. It's always a nice break in my day.

January 18th - Reduce, reuse, recycle

I began recycling in earnest a few years ago while I was working at BCM (the whole "green museum" thing was a huge motivator). Now I'm reluctant to toss anything in the trash if I know it can be recycled, which leads me to stockpile things in one of my bottom cabinets and my car until I make a trip to the recycling bin. Sometimes I wonder if my devotion to recycling makes me just a little . . . trashy. :)

January 17th - Pictures on my wall

One of our other weekend projects was hanging a picture shelf on the wall. I finally have a place to hang the prints I bought in Paris a few years ago.

January 16th - Finished project

We finished the TV stand this afternoon. We also completed several other projects around the apartment since Mom decided to head home tomorrow instead of today. It's beginning to look more like home.

January 15th - True Women

After driving around in the rain all day to shop at thrift stores and IKEA, my mom and I came home this evening to hang new curtains in my bedroom and put together a new TV stand - all while watching Miss America. We are women, hear us roar.

January 14th - George and Reba

Mom and I went to the George Strait/Reba McEntire concert on Friday night. We both enjoyed it, even though the music was VERY. LOUD.

P.S. I apologize for the poor quality of the photo. We didn't think we would be able to bring in real cameras so we relied on the cameras on our phones.

January 13th - Cupcake War?

One of the gifts I received for Christmas this year was a mini cupcake maker. The little machine bakes 7 tiny cupcakes in less than 10 minutes. I tried it out for the first time tonight since my mom is coming to visit this weekend. The baking was a success but took awhile since I could only make 7 at one time. I ended up baking some in a regular mini muffin tin so I could finish more quickly. The final product tasted yummy!

January 12th - Dear Diary

My mom and I have both started a new journal project this year. It's been fun to write a little bit about my day each night.

January 11th - Sudoku

I discovered a free Sudoku game on the new Apple App Store. Apparently, I'm really out of practice - I'm only better than 19% of the people who play the game. I guess that just means I'll need to spend some more time on it. :)

January 10th - Foggy Morning

I had a foggy, cold drive to work this morning, and it never really warmed up during the day. It's beginning to feel a little like winter here in Austin.

January 9th - Lazy Sunday

With cooler weather outside, I spent a lazy Sunday inside after church this morning. Sammy also relaxed on the couch, pushing the cushions almost all the way down.

January 8th - Amazon Order

My order from Amazon finally arrived!

January 7th - Bop it!

Twist it! Pull it!

January 6th - Rack 'em

This is a pretty boring picture, I know. However, I like that the heaviest coat on the rack is my leather jacket. And I didn't even have to wear it today. In January. I love Texas winters!

January 5th - Pretty Sky

The sky was beautiful yesterday after work.

P.S. I apologize for not posting last night. Blogger was having technical issues.

January 4th - Reflection

Guess who I can see?

January 3rd - Hot Air

Imagine my surprise this morning when I saw a hot air balloon in the sky while I was driving to work. At first I thought it was one of those attached balloons that businesses use to advertise, but the more I looked, the more I realized it was a real hot air balloon. All I could think was that the people in the balloon were getting a very cold ride!

January 2nd - TV

Yay for late Christmas presents! Thanks, Mom and Dad!

January 1st - Lone Star

I thought I had packed up all of my Christmas decorations (besides the tree, of course) until I looked up and saw the star still on the tree. I guess I didn't look high enough earlier.

Happy new year, everyone! Here's to a wonderful, blessed 2011!