Welcome to my first foray into: Grab a beer and look at what I did last week

My friend, Kimberly, of the much-loved local blog, Yep, they are all mine, started this thingumajig several weeks back where she took pictures she had taken throughout her weekly shenanigans and posted them along with some fun and sarcastic comments about what she and her gaggle got up to. It was so much fun that it became a weekly thing. And then it became a linky-thing. And everyone has been doing it. Well, that is, everyone but me. 
(I know, this is where I say "I've been busy!"...yawn)
Well, last week I said "NO. MORE." No more will I be left out in the blogger cold. No more would I miss the opportunity to shamelessly cross-promote myself on the blogosphere. No more would... Ok, right, you get it. And I should get on with it.
So, quite literally, grab yourself a beer (or you beverage of choice - I know I have some mothers-to-be reading this and I don't want to be responsible for corrupting you and your fetus) and let's see what the hell I got up to last week. Which is still this week but, again, I digress on a technicality. 
SUNDAY
Daisy said: "I want to stay home today, Mumma."


I turned to Hubby and I think the look of panic on my face was plain. I had stayed home yesterday afternoon with her. Gulp. 
We lounged around in the house in our PJs and did the odd little thing here and there. Like wash laundry...


... and fold laundry. Which Daisy promptly hijacked, unfolded, and ran off with.

Predictably, we were out of the house by noon to Panera for lunch and to Safeway to buy some meat. You see, I had decided to give in to my inner domestic diva and cook my famous Winter Pot Roast.
Yes, in June. Had I forgot to mention that it was cold and rainy? Yes, in California.
Some of the ingredients, waiting for toddler naptime for me to attack them.

While all that was percolating and Daisy was napping, I had a glass of wine (or two, maybe three) and edited some photos. (I swear, the wine makes me more creative, not more careless. Promise!)

 And then, the final product. Yummy!

Ha! You didn't know I could cook, didya? I have such depths.

MONDAY

...looked like this...

 

No, I didn't move back to the U.K. There is the palm tree to prove it.

Daisy played outside in the rain in her sandbox. The benefits of "Nanny Day"



TUESDAY


What a difference a day makes!



Frickin' Sacramento summers. They don't creep up on you, they jump out at you from behind a tree and say "BOOOOO!"

So, of course, there was ice cream instead of hot chocolate after school.

In fact, it was SO sunny that Ms. Daisy put on a pair of sunglasses.

You don't understand. Daisy DOES. NOT. put anything on the sacred shrine that is her head - hats, bows, pony-tail bands, or glasses. Thus is the testament to the sudden brightness of the afternoon.


WEDNESDAY
Ummm....


THURSDAY

Second morning in a row that I had to wake Daisy up, or we would have been late for school.
She's like her Dad in that she doesn't wake up quickly or easily. 

FRIDAY

This is not anywhere near as kinky as it looks.

I spent my lunch hour working on a self-portrait for my 52-week photo project.

I was going to work out or read a book but then I realized this was my last real alone time of the entire week to get this done. As it goes, it was a flippin' good workout. The number of times I had to run from the bed to the camera, squat down, prep, and run back, was ludicrous. Yes, I do have a remote shutter release button but it's not wireless and the wire did not stretch far enough. I could have switched to my 24-70 lens, which would have helped me get closer but, meh, I like my nifty-50 better.

Here is one one of the better ones I didn't decide to use.
You'll see the final picture on the Memories by Michelle blog on Monday.

How much "airbrushing" did I do? I tried not to do a lot, although I confess to fixing the dimple that runs along the top of my nose (I may not be vain but I am human!) I basically wanted the pics to be pretty raw because "self-portrait", to me at least, kind of demands that you reveal something intimate about yourself. And in reality, this is how I look on any given day working from home. Of course, I don't spend all day laying on my bed reading (I WISH) but the vampire book is pretty true-to-life if I could/did!

SATURDAY
Photo shoot in the a.m. and then nut burgers with mum and Daisy at Sunrise Drive In, in Fair Oaks.
FINALLY, a sunny weekend.



And we have come full circle.

To see all the other folks who grabbed a beer, head on over to Yep, they are all mine.