January One Day at a Time

Every once in awhile I like to do "a day in the life of" kind of post. It is fun to find something different to photograph everyday and I find them to be fun posts to read when others do them.

Here is mine for January....

January 1

While shopping after Christmas at the mall we came upon a Hallmark store that is going out of business.....50% off! I got this Cranberry Chutney Yankee Candle for a fresh scent to start the New Year off....heavenly!

January 2

I had promised my granddaughter Cassidy that we would go to the mall today while she was visiting me all day. She had a gift card to spend and I just wanted to shop.....again!

 

She got to ride the carousel twice....alone...because NaNa can barely even watch her go around let alone get on it!!

 



January 3

Been working on taking decorations down.....finally got the ornaments off the tree. It seems such a shame to throw it outside yet. It is as fresh and nice as the day we got it!

January 4

Basketball, basketball every weekend! That's my son Michael going for a shot.

 

Januay 5

 

My daughter Jena with her new haircut. She had been growing it long forever and then just decided to cut it off. A new baby will do that to you! It was long enough to donate to Locks of Love.

 

 

January 6

 

My kitty has been hiding out in the basement for a few weeks, never coming up to see the light of day. Then all of a sudden she made an appearance and spent the day with me. Welcome back Miss Kitty!

 

 

January 7

 

The great, huge northeast snow storm........that wasn't.

 

 

January 8

 

It is absolutely frigid out but the local VOA had a sale! I had to go!

 

 

January 9

 

I was in the mood for chocolate chip cookies after receiving my 50% off Food Network calendar in the mail. The picture for January is these cookies. They were supposed to be the best chocolate chip cookies ever. Eh, not so much!

 



 

January 10

 

The Health curriculum in our high school requires students to take this electronic baby home and care for it for a full weekend to teach the reality of having a child in the teen years. Either that for a grade or an extensive research and essay paper. My son chose the baby. It kept him up both nights and was generally annoying the rest of the time. I think the message got across!!

 

 

January 11

 

After two nights of a baby crying and limiting our social life, we decided to just take a down day on the couch with football on the TV all day. And of course with my computer by my side.

 

 

January 12

 

 As always, I am just trying to maintain my weight, so no resolutions on any great weight loss. I have had the weight loss cabbage soup in the past, just for a healthy meal. But this new recipe is a lot better with more veggies. It is called Magic Weight Loss Soup.  It doesn't feel like you are eating a diet food. I made a batch just to have for lunch.

 

 

 January 13

 

 Sometimes the snow is really pretty the way it settles on things. I never removed the dead bee balm stalks from my garden, vowing to move them in the fall to rearrange the garden. That never happened and they got left to winter over. I am glad they did so that I could capture this picture with the snow like icing on the very tips of them.

 

 

 

January 14

 

Cuties! Wednesday is the day for my granddaughter Chloe to come and spend the day with me. Today I had both Chloe and JC here, getting used to having both and giving my daughter Jena a break. JC is 4 months old today!

 

 

January 15

 

Frozen! It has been so cold here! I went to get my favorite carbonated drink, Cherry Limeade, in the back room and it was frozen almost solid. Our back room is not insulated so it serves as a huge extra refrigerator during the winter, which is usually a good thing!

 

 

January 16

 

A moment in the sun. The sun has been pretty absent in our frigid weather but it came out today and Miss Kitty found it on my parlor window seat. If there is something to lay on she will find it and so she squeezed herself on the corner of the placemat under my jar décor.

 

 

January 17

 

Morning light. I was walking through the dining room and the light on my pie cupboard caught my eye. I'm glad I grabbed my camera to capture it.....a little while later it was gone.

 

January 18

 

My son had another basketball game today. There is always the question of what and where we will eat after the game. This game was almost an hour away so there were lots of options on the way home. Some really nice person handed this coupon to my husband so we decided to try this new to us pizza place. When do you ever get $25 off a meal at one time, let alone a pizza place?! They honored it and the pizza and wings were phenomenal! We'll be back! We have another one of the same coupon!

 

 

January 19

 

I found myself making cookies again....this time for a school assignment for my son's health class. He had to make something healthy to eat or with healthy ingredients. What could be healthier than avocados.....and chocolate! You can find the recipe for these delicious, rich, Chocolate Avocado cookies here.

 



 

January 20

 

I found these beautiful needlepoint pillows at my favorite thrift store last week. They have been on my parlor chairs since then because I can't decide whether or not to sell them or keep them! They match perfectly with the style and color of the room. Do I NEED pillows on my chairs? ( I have two matching chairs.....one for each!) What do you think?

 

 



January 21

 

I can't resist the antics of my kitty. This box is from something my husband ordered. While he was putting the item together she decided to lay on it.....like I said earlier, if it is there she will lay on it. When he decided he may want to return the item he picked the box up to repack everything. Kitty had a fit until he put the box back on the floor for her to lay on. She has been there everyday, all day, since. Can somebody explain this to me?! No, no one can explain the behavior of a cat!

 

 

 January 22

 

Baking again! I had some bananas to use up and some time today to bake. We never get tired of eating our favorite banana chocolate chip bread....

 

Hmmm, just scrolled up and there seems to be a lot of Miss Kitty and food in this post. Guess that means one thing.....I have been staying home ALOT this month!

 

January 23

 

I went into my back room this morning where there are a lot of random items that are listed in my shop. I spotted the gorgeous Victorian lamp just sitting there and decided that until it sells it would look just fabulous in my parlor. In this picture, taken early morning, I added the lamp and the pillows on the chairs are the ones I can't decide if I will keep or not. The needlepoint pillow on the window seat is newly listed. I buy what I love to sell so why not display them while they are waiting for a new home?

 

 

It was not on my agenda to stop at the VOA today since I had so much to do and so many places to go! But on the way home from knitting something just told me to stop there just to see. Well, I obeyed and I am glad I did! Look what I found!

 

 

 



 It is a 1956 Guild Country Belle Telephone Radio. It is made of pine and really looks like a real antique phone. I don't think this one works but it is quite the décor piece. Happy dance!

 

January 25th

 

My son Michael had a basketball game this afternoon, just before dinner. The plan was to go out to eat after the game to celebrate my birthday a little early. There is a fabulous Japanese Hibachi restaurant on the way home so that is where we went. He ate every last rice ball on his plate and then on the way home says "Can I get McDonald's?" What?? He's 16 and just played four quarters of basketball........

 

 

January 26

 

My knitting buddy Bonnie told me about these As Seen On TV copper hand gloves that help with arthritis.  I am having a painful time right now trying to knit or crochet. I went and got them today and I could not open the box. I. HAVE. ARTHRITIS. IN. MY. HANDS! Why would they make a box designed where all the edges are glued shut? After I got the thing opened I really needed the gloves.....hmmmmmm.

 

 

January 27

 

Today is my birthday! Yeah!

It's a little scary that Google knows that too! If you hover over one of the cupcakes it says "Happy Birthday, AnnMarie!"

 

That's my home page....I'm a Google girl

 January 28

 

As I was driving home today I noticed how bad everyone's vehicle looks from all the salt on the roads. It has been so cold that a lot of salt is needed to keep the roads from freezing. On a sunny, but cold day, living in Upstate NY, this is how we all look driving around. Yeah, black is not the best color this time of year!

  

 

January 29

 

Today my sweet friend Bonnie took me out to lunch for my birthday. We went to The Mad Hatter restaurant which is a cafe and tea place. They serve high tea daily.

 

 

She is my knitting mentor and so her gift to me is so perfect. A book on Prayer Shawl's, which we are currently knitting for her knitting ministry The Knit Whits, and a hand made pottery yarn bowl from a local potter that has been around since the 1980's. I love it!!

 



 

January 30

 

Another day out to lunch with girlfriends for my birthday (I am so spoiled!). We went to an organic bakery and café and had a delicious lunch.

 

 

I told them no gifts because I am so spoiled, but they couldn't resist! Irene gave me this fabulous, thick, cozy scarf that I had to put on even though it clashed horribly with my sweater! Yup, I did it! I wore the same outfit both days!!

 

 

Kim gave me a beautiful hand towel with an A on it.....she knows I have to have my own towel in the bathroom with two boys in the house!! Colleen is the only one who obeyed my wishes so she bought me a fabulous ginger molasses cookie for dessert! The greatest gift was spending 3 1/2 hours in the restaurant with all of them!

 

January 31

 

On this last day of January, we are hanging around home and my granddaughter Cassidy is joining us. Have you heard of Trivia Crack? You play it on your smart phone or I Pod. Both my son and Cassidy have an I Pod 4 so they are playing back and forth in the same room! They both are also playing my daughter Jena, who is in another town.  One day while texting back and forth with Jena I realized she was also playing this trivia game with my son who was in the same room as me. I don't get it but then, I don't want to!!!

 

 

 So long January! Hello February!

 

Oh, P.S.......I baked again today. Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzel Bars....MmMmMm

 

 

 AnnMarie xoxo

 

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