January 31, 2009

Day 31 - Sun


Day 31 - Sun
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
There is still lots of snow on our roof and on the ground, but with the sunny sky & temperatures above freezing today & tomorrow, hopefully a lot will melt! This is the view from our bathroom window at about noon.

January 30, 2009

Day 30 - Latvia


Day 30 - Latvia
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
I had dinner tonight with my dear friend, Dace. She was born in Latvia, but her family was forced from their home by the the Communists when she was a child. During her visit to Latvia last summer, her family was able to gather and celebrate together at the home owned by her family before it was taken over by Communists. The house once again belongs to her family. Dace shared her photo book with me tonight and I very much enjoyed hearing her stories.

January 29, 2009

Day 29 - Goo


Day 29 - Goo
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
Today I'm playing with the Goo application in Dumper. Won't kids have fun with this photo site?! No wise cracks about how it looks just like me! :-)



January 28, 2009

Day 28 - Rainbow


Day 28 - Rainbow
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
Sometimes it is simple things that make me smile.....such as this indoor rainbow that appears on my floor when the sun shines through the window in my front door.

January 27, 2009

Day 27 - Candle


Day 27 - Candle
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
This favorite candle sits on the table in our living room by the chair where I like to read. The candle has a nice scent, so I light it when I read in the evening and enjoy relaxing, away from the TV & computer.

January 26, 2009

Day 26 - District 25 Alumni Holiday Luncheon

I'm cheating a bit today. I actually took these photos in early December, but I'm working on a newsletter for our retirement group and I wanted to try embedding the photo slideshow into a blog. We had about 80 retirees attend this lovely luncheon. It was my first time celebrating the holidays with this group since I just retired in June. What a fun time!




January 25, 2009

Day 25 - Yoga


Day 25 - Yoga
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
I have been doing all 15 yoga poses on our Wii Fit. That is about a 30 minute yoga routine. I'm improving - getting more flexible, more stable, and improving my posture. I feel so much better when I'm finished each day.

January 24, 2009

Day 24 - Wedding


Day 24 - Wedding
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
I was playing around online this afternoon with the befunky website. This photo was taken at my daughter's wedding on July 28, 2008, but I 'cartoonized' it today using befunky. In the photo from the left are: me, my son-in-law Seth and daughter Cheryl, hubby Scott, and daughter Kristin. This was a fun way to remember a very happy day!

January 23, 2009

Day 23 - Buckets


Day 23 - Buckets
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
These buckets were catching drips from leaks in our kitchen ceiling yesterday. :-( I'm not sure if our new roof has a problem or if we have a wicked ice dam from all the 'damn' snow & cold weather. Dear hubby cleaned the snow off the small roof area above our kitchen last night, and there were no drips today. I hate winters like this!

January 22, 2009

Day 22 - Birdhouse


Day 22 - Birdhouse
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
Our Chicago Cubs birdhouse still has a snowy roof. With temperatures above freezing for the first time in a few weeks, our snow is doing some melting today. I wonder if the birds are as happy as I am.

January 21, 2009

Day 21 - Vases


Day 21 - Vases
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
My dad brought these vases home as a gift for my mom when he returned from Korea in 1954 (he served in the U.S. Air Force). Mom was very fond of them and the vases always held a prominent place in her living room. Dad passed away in 1974 and Mom in 1999. I'm very happy to have the vases as a lovely reminder of my parents. Someday, I will give each of my daughters one of the vases so that they will have a beautiful reminder of their grandparents.

January 20, 2009

Day 20 - President Obama


Day 20 - President Obama
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
I was filled with emotion as I watched the inauguration activities on television today. I truly believe Barack Obama will be a great president and I'm excited that he is striving to unite our nation. I was sad while watching the ceremonies, missing my mom, who would have been a huge Obama supporter. I was also sad that I wasn't in a classroom with students as history was being made today.

January 19, 2009

Day 19 - Icicles




Day 19 - Icicles
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
Jan. 19, 2009 - I had to post three photos today! First, this was the view out our bedroom window this morning. The icicles are hanging off our 2nd story gutter. Even though the temperature was still only about 10º F., the sun was shining brightly. The next two photos are from a lunch out for a friend's birthday. Betsy baked cookies for Karen (the birthday girl) and Julie baked a giant cupcake for Karen's birthday. A cold day is warm when the sun shines and time is spent with friends!

January 18, 2009

Day 18 - Theatre


Day 18 - Theatre
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
Today we went to see "Don't Dress for Dinner" at the Royal George Theatre in Chicago. It was very well done and so funny! I've enjoyed attending plays & musicals since I was in high school. I'm lucky that my husband also enjoys seeing good shows. Today's date was my Christmas gift from him. We also had a great dinner at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba.

January 17, 2009

Day 17 - Rainman


Day 17 - Rainman
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
My photo today is of Rainman, my box turtle. I've had him for 18+ years. He went to school with me every year while I was teaching. Past students often came back to visit him! Now he is at home with us. Today he was out 'exercising' on the pink yoga mat!

January 16, 2009

Day 16 - Strength


Day 16 - Strength
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
Hubby came home from work and wanted to do Wii Fit before dinner. He gets a great score on this strength exercise. That's one that he is definitely beating me at! Here he is doing a right side plank. (Shhhh.....don't tell him I was taking his picture!)

January 15, 2009

Day 15 - Salad


Day 15 - Salad
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
Today was very cold, below zero all day. But, despite the weather, I met my daughter for some shopping and a light dinner at Sweet Tomatoes. They have a great salad bar. This was my healthy dinner!

January 14, 2009

Day 14 - Bowling


Day 14 - Bowling
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
I've been bowling in a school district league off and on for over 30 years. It is a great way to network with colleagues from all the schools in the district in a social environment. I'm not a great bowler, but I continue to enjoy our every other week of fun at the bowling alley.

January 13, 2009

Day 13 - Wintry house


Day 13 - Wintery house
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
In keeping with the 'snow theme', here is a picture of our house from this morning. I loved seeing the beautiful blue sky and sun today. The snow will be around for quite awhile, since our temperature dipped into single digits today.

January 12, 2009

Day 12 - Snow


Day 12 - Snow
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
Jan. 12, 2009 - It is snowing here again tonight, ever so lightly. It looks like the 'blizzard' conditions that were west of here most of the day missed us. This photo is of our patio, taken out our dining room door.

January 11, 2009

Day 11 - Feeding birds


Day 11 - Feeding birds
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
My husband, Scott, is refilling his bird feeder. He enjoys this simple pleasure. I'm sure the birds were grateful for a free meal during this snowy weekend!

January 10, 2009

Day 10 - Friends


Friends
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
We were in the middle of a snowstorm this morning, but 10 of us ventured out to have breakfast to help a dear friend celebrate her birthday. At one time, all 10 of us worked at the same school, but only 4 are still at that school. We get together often and treasure our friendship.

January 9, 2009

Day 9 - Snowy evening


Day 9 - Snowy evening
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
This is the view out my front door. It got dark shortly after I arrived home from subbing today. The 4 or so inches of snow we got today is pretty, but I don't care for these short days. They are predicting another 4-6 inches of snow overnight. I wonder why I live in the midwest since I'm not much of a winter lover.

January 8, 2009

Day 8 - Bags


Bags
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
This is a picture of my trunk after grocery shopping today. I'm finally getting in the habit of regularly using my cloth bags when I shop. Five bags of groceries = $130......lots of fruit & vegetables. It is expensive to eat healthy!

January 7, 2009

Day 7 - Snowy bird feeder


Snowy birdfeeder
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
We had about an inch of snow this morning. I'm not a great fan of winter, but small amounts of snow are pretty. The mourning dove in this photo took shelter under our feeder for most of the morning.

January 6, 2009

Day 6 - Old to new


Old to new
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
A friend came over today with a tech project for me. She wanted the files from her old zip disks burned to a CD so she could look at them again. She's been retired for 4 years. She has a newish Mac, but no longer has a zip drive. The files from 8 zip disks fit nicely onto 1 CD.

January 5, 2009

Day 5 - Backyard


Backyard
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
Today is a sunny day after a weekend of gloom. During the winter, we enjoy watching the birds and squirrels from our windows. The squirrels are especially frisky today as they enjoy finding treasures left under the melted snow.

January 4, 2009

Day 4 - Resume


Resume
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
Who still writes things out longhand on yellow legal paper? My hubby, that's who! He needed to update his resume for the first time in 21 years. I don't think we owned a computer when his last resume was typed! I'm typing it for him today. We're hoping he lands the job he is wishing for with the new company!

January 3, 2009

Day 3 - Good-bye


Good-bye
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
We spent the evening taking down the Christmas tree and packing away the decorations. We had them up for less than a month this year. It is a lot of work, but I do love the festive mood the decorations bring to our home.

January 2, 2009

Day 2 - Balance


Balance
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
As I begin the new year, I'm setting goals. Exercise is at the top of my list. I've learned that I must exercise to feel well. When I feel well, I'm able to reach out and help those around me.

January 1, 2009

Day 1 - Joy


Joy
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
My first photo of the new year is a favorite Christmas decoration in our home. I hope you all have a lot of JOY during 2009!