More photo assignments
(I'm more than halfway done with the class!)

Day 14
Photo assignment: a yummy treat
Just for fun - do something special for yourself today! Light a candle, take a bubble bath, and enjoy some ice cream or other special treat.
Ice cream. I love it. I mean, I really, really love it. And when I was in Denmark, I enjoyed the yummiest, freshest ice cream ever. But, that still doesn't compare to Thrifty's Ice Cream. If you grew up in So Cal then you know what I'm talking about. When I was a kid, we used to go to Thrifty's and get two or three scoops on a sugar cone. It was beyond cheap and so tasty! I loved the Mocha Almond Fudge and the Black Cherry flavors the best. The Rocky Road wasn't too bad either. Well, much to my surprise, there is an ice cream parlor near my new house here in Tucson that sells Thrifty's Ice Cream! So, I got myself a scoop the other day (Peanut Butter Chocolate) , after I had a pedicure -- talk about a heavenly day!

Day 15

Photo assignment: your comfy ______________ Fill in the blank on this one. Maybe your first thought was slippers, maybe spot on the couch, or even teddy bear.
I picked two comfy things for this assignment. My microfiber blanket and my travel socks. I bought the blanket a few months ago for our guest bedroom, but it was so soft and cuddly, I hijacked it. I sleep with it every night (and I don't share even a inch of it with Mike). The socks are a new thing. Since I travel so much, I'm always looking for ways to feel cozier on the road. And these socks do the trick. I got them at a Brookstone and they are super soft. I put them on as soon as I get on the plane and they keep my feet nice and warm. I have three pairs of them and I use them ALL the time.

Day 16
Photo assignment: a pile of … whatever
We all have them. You know what I'm talking about: the pile that sits and grows… papers, junk mail, or bills. Whatever your pile is, take a picture of it. If you can't think of anything, ask yourself this: "what's the stack of stuff I clean up right before company comes?" That's probably your pile of … whatever!
Oh the lovely piles that I have all over my house! I'm an expert at hiding them, but they are there. I had a lot of trouble deciding what pile to use for this assignment. I took a picture of our mail, which was a pretty crazy looking pile. I love opening the mail. It's the highlight of my day. Getting the mail is a special treat for me, especially when there are REAL letters inside my box. Because I love it so much and am SO particular about how the mail is sorted, Mike leaves the mail in a big pile on my desk whenever I'm gone. He'd much rather let me go through all the stuff, so it's one of the first things I do when I get home from a trip, Just imagine how much mail I had waiting for me this weekend after being gone for 10 days!?

I also thought about taking a picture of the pile of dirt on our driveway. Work on our backyard is underway and we had ordered a whole lotta top soil to be used for platers that are being build along our back wall.

However, the pile I ended up with was our laundry. My dear husband doesn't do a lot of laundry. I do it all. There are countless reasons why, mostly I'm a perfectionist and what things done my way. But when I'm gone, the laundry just piles up. And if I'm gone for 10 days the pile is humongous! Bless Mike's heart, he tried to get the laundry going .. three hours before my plane landed. Needless to say, there was no hope it would all be done. So, I've been a laundry doing machine for days now. Luckily, Shelby has quite the wardrobe, so it didn't matter she hadn't had anything washed in weeks!

Day 17

Photo assignment: something colorful
My favorite color is lime green, so I went with a favorite candle (that I refuse to light because it looks way too cute as it is!).

I picked the red rug in our formal living room. It's red. Red is one of my favorite colors -- if you didn't already know, then you'd pick up on it as soon as you walk into my house. Red drapes. Red pillows. Red rugs. Red walls. Mike on the other hand, isn't a fan of red. He prefers blue. But luckily, he lets me have my way when to comes to decorating. However, this red rug is a source of great contention. Mike hates it. I love it. And Bruno likes to poop on it. Yep, it's his favorite place to poop. Does anyone know how to get a 3-year-old Dachshund to stop pooping in the house?

Day 18
Photo assignment: a sign or billboard
Pick a sign that you are drawn to.

On Sunday, we went to the Shishkebab House to celebrate Great Aunt Dorothy's 88th birthday. The Kalil family is fond of Middle Eastern food and since it was Dorothy's birthday, she got to pick our dinner destination ... so it was no surprise we ended up feasting on falafel, hummus, grape leaves, etc. Shelby loved the meat pie, hummus, pita bread .... and of course the carrot cake we had for dessert (more pictures to come). I picked this sign, because how often do you get to celebrate someone's 88th birthday? This was a significant night. It makes me so happy to spend time with family, and I'm grateful Shelby is blessed with a loving extended family.