More project photos

Another day, another batch of 365 photos.

I forgot to post this one yesterday because I took it with a different camera. This was from Sunday.

My family loves to shop Big Lots once in a while. They always have some really good bargains. On Sunday, I hit the jackpot with scrapbooking supplies. They had lots and lots of it, name brands too, like heidi grace, Making Memories, Basic Gray, American Crafts, Autumn Leaves, etc...

Isn't this so colorful and happy ? Matthew made this for school...his assignment was to make an island. And he was insistent on including a volcano! He worked on this yesterday with his occupational therapist, and she said he did at least 90% of the work. (Thanks, Valerie!)

Hoping to talk Ed into seeing the new movie, New in Town maybe on Sunday. You've gotta watch the trailer. Looks hilarious! Well...that's about it for today. Have a great Thursday.

A Whiz of a week!

What a start to my week! I had my yearly check-up with my ob-gyn and a mammogram yesterday, and today I had a follow-up with my allergist. Between the two of them, these doctors scheduled me for a chest x-ray, a CT scan, a biopsy, and an ultrasound! Talk about stress! But I am trying to remain positive in light of all this. The chest x-ray just showed some bronchitis, and the CT scan of my sinuses was fine. And I am choosing to not dwell on the other up-coming tests in a couple of weeks...so enough of that! Geez....why didn't someone warn me that you fall apart after 40? LOL!
Okay...an update on the dogs. We still have them. I want to make sure I have done everything possible before giving them over to someone else. The pit bull puppy is just the sweetest thing, but because of the breed's reputation, I am afraid to keep her, though a part of me would love to! The Westie is cute but a total pain in my backside. We've nicknamed him Whizzer! Yep...you guessed it. That's all that poor dog knows how to do. It's like his way of showing he's in charge. He pees on everything! So hopefully, someone will take him in to a home where he can stay inside and not escape (he's gotten away from us THREE times!). He would do better if he were neutered. So just to let you know....they are both still in need of a home!

How could you say no to this sweet face?

And I know I'm behind on my Project 365 postings, but I'm still taking photos! Here are a few to share.

Bad photo, but I snapped this right after I put away groceries. For some reason, I like the feeling of a full freezer! ;)

The dogs want to help Matthew play the drums. (The black dog is ours!)

The puppy loves a belly rub!

Love these two photos. Matthew called it breakfast day, because I made breakfast food (sausage biscuits, grits and eggs) for supper. My mom used to do this sometimes when I was a kid, and I remember that so fondly. If you look closely at the other plate visible in the photo, Jonathan ate the eggs and biscuits, but left the grits! Come on son...you're a Southern boy! You HAVE to like grits!

I am still enjoying this project. Taking the pictures is easy....finding the time to post them here on my blog is a challenge sometimes. But it's all good, dude! LOL! Until next time, have a great week!

Want a dog?

Oh...let me tell you. I am sooooooo ready for someone to take these dogs off my hands. It's unreal how much more poop there is with three dogs as opposed to one. We were considering keeping the little Westie, but I found out yesterday that he's not housebroken. (He didn't seem to mind relieving himself in my house anyway.) I just don't have the time for that. Anyway....I spent the better part of the day yesterday looking for their owners. I called vets and groomers, got them scanned for a microchip (no chip), and I found a cool website that one of the groomers told me about. It's called dogdetective.com. Cool site that does a lot of good. I posted both with photos there, and I am so hoping to get a call! My fear is that we'll hear from the owners AFTER we've given them away. I definately don't want to take them to the pound. The thought of them being put down is enough for me to keep them around a little longer. They really are cute! Don't you want one?

On a more positive note, the boys got their report cards yesterday. I'm sooo proud of them. Jonathan had 5 A's and 1 B, and he found out that he's first chair trombone player. The band director is going to take him and the first chair clarinet player to some band festival in the spring to play with the 7th and 8th graders. What an honor! In first grade, Matthew had a B in reading and a B in Math. The work is most surely getting harder, so I'm proud of him for making the honor roll for second quarter.

Well that's all I've got for today. Got to get scrap stuff packed for our church crop tonight! Have a great weekend! :)

25 Random Things

1. I'm making baked spaghetti tonight for dinner, with garlic bread of course.
2. I do not care who is going to the Super Bowl this year!
3. I cannot stand to see dogs whose owners let them run loose near a major highway! It's insane!
4. I also cannot stand to see dogs tied to trees. Why have a dog then?
5. I've been trying to eat more healthy lately.
6. I decided not to do my Project 365 posts on a separate blog. After all...it's still all about the life of the Ketuskys.
7. I'm wondering if my friend, Kim, found a new job yet.
8. I'm so looking forward to finding out who the top 12 will be on American Idol.
9. I can't believe the Bachelor kept Megan on for another week when her witchiness is staring him right in the face!
10. I am a channel flipper. I can not stand to sit through boring commercials!
11. I could really go for some Zaxby's chicken strips, but I will not leave my house today
12. I have not given a thought to Valentine's Day. Better get some creative wheels turning!
13. I just finished eating a "Sesame Chicken" Lean Cuisine. So tasty!
14. I am NOT a morning person! I'm not grumpy....but I don't like a lot of noise waking me up!
15. I know today is a special day in our country's history...but why must the Inaugeration be on EVERY stinking channel?
16. It's been days since I've played with Matthew's Webkinz online.
17. I have started reading Nicholas Sparks' The Notebook. I just have to see how it's different from the movie...which I just LOVE by the way (Note to self: Get the DVD.)
18. I do not have a My Space or Facebook account...nor do I want one.
19. I want to download a new ringtone to my phone...I'm thinking Mandisa or Toby Mac.
20. I love my husband....I mean...I REALLY love him a lot!
21. I am currently taking a break from laundry and organizing my scrapbook room.
22. I would love to take a nap today!
23. I am looking forward to scrapbooking with the girls Friday night!
24. I call my mother and grandmother on the phone at least every other day.
25. I hope to one day in the not-so-distant future get a new 50 mm (f1.8 or f1.4) lens for my Canon.

Lost Dogs and Lost Causes

Okay, this is going to be my photo of the day for Project 365...but it's pretty sad really. This is about all we got of the snow! SO disappointing! The sleep I lost last night over the excitement of a possible snowfall was a lost cause! We are still getting flurries right now (as of 11:40 AM), but it's not sticking much. There's some on the rooftops of houses and cars, the fence, and the sliding board....and that's about it. The kids were just sick about having to go to school today! Oh well...I'm sure winter is not over yet.

And I just have to share this. We had two visitors yesterday. And they are probably really sad they showed up....because we locked them up!

Okay...now that I have your attention, I'm talking about dogs! These two cuties showed up at our house yesterday and apparently have been in and around the neighborhood for 2 or 3 days.
I was so worried about them in this cold weather. We put our dog, Sally, in the laundry room last night, and we put the dogs in Sally's outdoor kennel (which you can barely see in the photo above). There's a light bulb and blankets in the house, so they stayed warm. But today, I had to put Sally back outside. So they all three are sharing the kennel. One of the strays is a West Highland Terrier, and the other is a puppy of a mixed breed I think...part pit bull. It is the cutest and friendliest little girl! The Westie is a male who likes my Sally VERY much! LOL! Anyway...I have put up signs at the main road, put a free ad in the paper, called the SPCA, and put a notice on a couple of petfinder websites. So now we're waiting and hoping the owners will claim them. They both had collars but no tags. So sad for them! Hopefully they'll be at their own home soon!

Until next time...have a great Tuesday!

Lazy Weekend

Hey! It has been a lazy weekend around here, and I know I'm a little behind on my photos for project 365. I haven't posted ANY layouts....until now that is. Here are the first two weeks.

Week One
Week Two

Can you imagine what fun this album will be to look at by the end of the year? I LOVE scrapbooking a week at a time. It makes me feel so caught up! LOL! And it's so easy!

The boys and I are just a little under the weather this weekend. Jonathan has a cold, and Matthew woke up yesterday sounding croupy, and my sinuses are about to kill me. But what doesn't kill us will only make us stronger, right? The kids are enjoying being off from school a couple of extra days. Friday was a teacher workday, and they're off today for MLK day. We went to Blockbuster earlier today and rented a couple of movies for them. It's possible that they'll go to school late in the morning or miss completely, because believe it or not....they're forecasting snow for our area tonight and tomorrow morning. I don't know how much if any will stick around, but I hope we get to see it....if only for a day!

Sunday's photo

My preteen's messy room!

Monday's Photo

The boys watching "Underdog" beneath the electric blanket on the living room floor!

Well, that's it until next time. Have a great week! And cross your fingers that we get snow! :)

Winter Jam 09

Okay, if you've never been to Winter Jam, you've missed an experience! We've gone several times...in fact, last year, we drove 2 1/2 hours to see Mandisa in Greenville. In case you aren't familiar with Winter Jam, it is a tour of Contemporary Christian artists and speakers that travel from city to city every WINTER! We usually catch it in January. And it's only $10 at the door! Last night, we got to hear Stephanie Smith (a relative newbie), Pure NRG, Hawk Nelson, New Song, Francesca Battistelli, Brandon Heath, and the biggest name of all....Toby Mac! We had awesome seats, and I'm so thankful our friend, Charles had some spare ear plugs. Without them, I had a headache 5 minutes into it....so loud!
Anyway....the music was great. My kids thoroughly enjoyed it, and we can't wait to hear who's coming next year! Following are some photos I managed to get with my Canon.


Toby Mac!


The adoreable Brandon Heath sings, "Give Me Your Eyes" on my playlist!


Hawk Nelson


Pure NRG


Francesca Battistelli


Toby Mac!


Toby Mac and the Diverse City Band


The confettiful finale!

More 365 photos

Sorry I'm a bit behind with posting my Project 365 photos. Here we go.

First, here's the shot for Wednesday, the 14th .

I have just begun the new Beth Moore Bible study called Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman. I am already enjoying the homework.

And now for Thursday + Friday:

These are our good friends, The Shoups. We met them at the Mellow Mushroom for dinner, then left them there so we could go grab them some seats with us at Winter Jam. What a great night! More photos of the concert to follow.

And here's the most special photo of all to round out the week.

This is what I walked into the living room to see when I got up this morning...my sweet boys getting a good morning cuddle! (You'd never guess how much they fight! LOL!)

Late night post-Not for the weak-stomached!

Wow! I'm still up at 11:54 PM. That Prednisone the doctor put me on doesn't do much for my sleep, but I'll tolerate it if it will clear up this allergic reaction....to what? We're still not sure. Anyway....hope this doesn't gross you out, but this is my left shin right about now. It itches almost as badly as it looks. Fortunately it didn't get that bad on the rest of me (well...except for my right shin). Hoping to say goodbye to this episode soon. My Granny Margaret told me to use Noxzema cream for the itch. Works like a charm (temporarily)! Amazing how those old home remedies work sometimes!

On a brighter note, my son, Matthew was chosen as "Good Citizen of the Month" at his school. He got a pencil, a badge to wear, a certificate, his photo on the bulletin board, and he got to help lead the Pledge of Allegiance this morning in front of the whole school! We're so proud--more importantly though --he's proud of himself! Ed tried to get video, but the quality was so poor...I won't put you through any more misery after that rash photo! LOL! Here's a photo of our cutie just before he stepped in front of the school camera!

By the way, this was my Tuesday photo for Project 365, and below is Monday's photo. So excited to finally get this kit! I was blown away by the amount of stuff that came with it! Layouts coming soon!

YEAH! It's here!

Oh...and I have to mention that I love the new song in the top position of my playlist! It's John Waller singing, "While I'm Waiting." Does anyone besides me hear Aerosmith in their heads during the chorus? :)

Day 15 of Project 365

Here is today's photo. Not that good, taken with my point and shoot, but I captured the moment.

Yesterday, I bought Jonathan and Matthew matching South Carolina long-sleeve t-shirts at TJ Maxx. Such a sweet photo. They really do love each other!

More project 365

Here are the photos from the second week of Project 365. Hopefully I'll catch up enough with posts to just share one per day. These next photos are from Saturday of week one (which I failed to post last time) through Saturday of the second week. Can't wait to get my Project 365 kit! It is supposed to be here tomorrow! Then soon I will be posting layouts!


This is Ed making homemade chicken vegetable soup last Saturday. It was delicious (and so much of it that it lasted a week!)

This is our Sunday afternoon tradition. After church, we have lunch, then sit or lie on our bed and read the Sunday newspaper. Then sometimes we nap!

Every Monday night that The Bachelor comes on, I know that my 81 year old Granny Margaret is watching it with me at her house. Then we gab on the phone about it the next morning!

Wednesday night we usually eat take-out because Matthew's therapy runs so late. This was pizza night! Yum! (Notice 2 photos here...and none for Tuesday. Matthew has a pizza all to himself because he earned a free one with Pizza Hut's Book-it program!)

On Thursday, I made healthy after school snacks for the kids. I bought new parfait glasses and layered organic granola, mixed fruit and nonfat vanilla yogurt. And they liked it!!!

On Friday, I had procrastinated all week! It was time to do my least favorite household task of all...bills and the checkbook. Yuck! But I feel so much better when it's done.

Okay....I almost didn't include this....but we're trying to create an accurate representation of our lives with this project, right? This was me after a shower on Saturday. That big red thing on my face is a hive! At the time of the photo, I only had them on my face and arms. Now I have an ugly rash from just about head to toe. I'm experiencing an allergic reaction to some meds my allergist prescribed. Don't know if it's my antibiotic (Augmentin) or my new asthma inhaler. I called the doc on Friday, and she told me to stop the antibiotic. I did. But now my rash is much worse. And since I have sores in my mouth as well...I'm leaning toward the Symbicort! Going to the doc on Monday! :)
Tomorrow I'll try to post Sunday and Monday's photos, then shoot for one per day. Thanks for reading this far. Have a great week!

Life and Project 365

I promise you that I don't continually sit in front of the TV, but unfortunately, during this season, there are 3 shows I really want to follow. Two of them started this week, The Bachelor, and The Biggest Loser/Couples. Next week, American Idol begins. It's not a big deal because I can just record and watch whenever I want, but if I just sit and watch them, they all come on during "getting ready for bed" time for the kids on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights. Oh well...I'll just catch them when I can, I guess.
On Tuesday of next week, I begin participating in a new Beth Moore Bible study. I'm really looking forward to it, but for those of you who have done them, you know how much work they are. Also, Matthew starts "Listening Therapy" this weekend. That is an extra 20-30 minutes a day on top of homework and school most days of the week. Wednesdays are even longer due to OT and speech. But hey....that's why I'm a stay at home mom. I am doing what I've always wanted to do...be a mom. And I love to scrapbook about it too, but it seems I never have as much time for that as I want. That's where Project 365 comes in.
I will be taking a photo nearly every day about some aspect of our family's life...it could be anything really. I will keep a brief log for journaling purposes. Then I will scrapbook a two page layout of a week at a time. At the end of the year, I will have recorded a whole 365 days of my family's daily life and history. Now who can't scrapbook two pages a week, especially if you use a kit? I can't wait to show you some of my finished pages, but in the meantime, here are the photos I took for the first week. Read more about Project 365 HERE.

The 1000 piece puzzle we've been working on for weeks!

The apples and Cool Whip breakfast Matthew requested

Ed teaching Matthew how to play Monopoly

New Year's Eve at Dan & Jenny's house

Taking down the tree and admiring some of my favorite ornaments.

Notice that I took only 5 photos the first week. That's okay. For a couple of those days, I took more than one photo. As long as I have seven, I'm good to go! This is an exciting and simple project. Won't you try it too?

PS. I will try to catch you up on the second week's photos tomorrow.

Right Now

Taking this challenge from Lisa Bearnson to discuss what's happening right now!

Out of my window: Cloudy, grey skies, birds scratching in the leaves, and rain water weighing down the pool cover from all the icky weather we've had lately.

I am wearing: dark grey sweatpants and a light grey CKU-Orlando t-shirt, no make-up.

I am hearing: the hum of my refrigerator and the pecking of my fingers on the computer's keyboard.

I am thinking: about my friends going through such tough times...my friend, Margaret's baby diagnosed with Retinal Blastoma, my friend MC's mom who has 3 months to live, suffering with cancer; my messy scrapbook room, from months of neglect; missing my kids after having them home for two weeks...now it's their second day back at school.

I am creating: a photo-album scrapbook of our trip to the NC mountains; trying to keep up with Project 365 (more details to come on blog).

I am going: to pick up my kids from school later today. In the meantime, I'm going up to my scrapbook room to get cleaning and organizing...and hopefully some scrapping.

I am hoping: I get a lot done today, and that the new meds my allergist put me on help my sinuses and asthma; that my friend Margaret's baby recovers quickly from his surgery, and that MC's mom has minimal pain and maximum happy during her last days.

I am reading: Clean Eating Magazine.

Around the house: Breakfast dishes to clean up, laundry to do; major quiet with Ed at work and the boys at school.

One of my favorite things: Scrapbooking, of course. But there's also relaxing with a dish of vanilla ice cream topped with anything I want to put on it!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Clean the scrapbook room; take Matthew to OT and order his auditory therapy equipment; work on the checkbook and pay bills (Major YUCK!); watch Biggest Loser-couples; Plan our January crop; usual stuff like meal planning and prep, laundry, etc....

Now your turn. Let me know what's going on with you....RIGHT NOW!

Your prayers requested

Please pray for a friend of mine. Her six-week old baby is currently in surgery (4:30 PM EST, 1/5/09) at Emory in Atlanta, having one of his eyes removed. Baby Lucas was diagnosed last week with Retinal Blastoma. Please pray for healing and a quick recovery for this baby and for peace and strength for his family. They are great people who are dearly loved! And I can only imagine how agonizing this must be for them.
Thanks so much!

Update: Baby Lucas is home from the hospital (1/6/08), and his surgery went fine. He still has a lot to go through yet, so keep him in your prayers. Thanks!

Happy New Year!

Hi! We had a wonderful New Years Eve last night with friends. We celebrated at Jenny and Dan's house, along with their kids, our kids, Chris and Sheila, and the dogs. Check out this collage.

Jenny cooked some awesome black-eyed peas, collard greens (I've never had so good), and cornbread, while Dan barbequed some awesome pork tenderloin. Yum! Sheila brought dessert, and we brought fireworks! We had such a super time! Thanks, guys for doing life with us! :)
Here's hoping your 2009 is everything you want it to be!
PS. No...I am not in any of the photos. The photographer rarely is!