Welcome to the New Maddness

As you can see this place got a bit of a makeover.

It really all began as I came to realize I needed three columns and not two. I'd just collected far too many links and of course with links come all their stuff.

Of course when it comes to renovating a blog you're really just better off completely knocking the old girl down and rebuilding from the ground up. The XML was a bit of a challenge and man did we not see the termite damage coming.

We still don't have all the links hooked up right but hopefully after the contractors call us back we can get all those up and running. Otherwise feel free to have a look around.

Up in the left corner you'll see a nice little slideshow of all those pictures I've been taking. I hear more blogs are coming with those already equipped like granite counter tops. It's the new answer to not having a window.

Below that is the free flowing thoughts from the Newlyweds. I've made sure to leave some room there in case I have to expand. You just never know when another little blog could catch your eye.

On the right column I've kept up the "Followers" section though it sadly had to be re-named due to zoning rights. Then below that we tried something a bit different. Sandwiched in between the links to other Picture-a-Day blogs and the Wedding blogs are my archives.

We'd talked about putting the library front and center in the blog, but after thinking it over we decided to go for a more cozy fireplace and brandy type of archive as opposed to a menacing warehouse depository of books.

Then we totally ran out of money and had to quickly slap on a coat of paint and some new curtains.

So what do you think of the new girl? Hopefully she'll hold up well in this anti-blogage economy.

Picture a Day-Day 37

Today is my hubby's birthday! He's an old man at age 26 now (I can always pick on him as I'm a whole 6 months younger, he he he) but he can still enjoy some of the finer things in life:When he was younger it was a tradition for his mom to make him a banana cake on his birthday. I attempted it last year though it was sort of a lazy mans cake (in a rectangular pan with some frosting on top kinda thing). This year I worked a bit harder and spiced up the recipe a touch adding cinnamon, nutmeg, and banana liquor.

The fun part was getting to smoosh up all the bananas with a whisk.It always amazes me sometimes how just the addition of flour, eggs, and baking soda can create something completely different. Powdery and wet ingredients form something hard and spongy. That's chemistry at work though sadly baking a cake won't help you to pass your test.

Since I did make the cake up from scratch (Not that a box was an option. Who has banana cake sitting on the shelves in a grocery store?) I went the lazy route and used canned frosting. Actually I have a deep fear of ever attempting to make frosting at home after some very nasty attempts that failed fantastically.I've also come to adore my cake spreader thing. Before I had it I tried using a butter knife. Ever try using a butter knife to frost a red velvet cake? It looked like a horrible Christmas massacre had taken place as the red crumbly bits mixed with the white cream cheese leaving a slightly bloody pink slick on parts of the cake.

Once the cake was nicely covered in chocolate goo, I thought "Well this looks nice but it's kinda plain. How can I dress it up?" Then I remembered we still had some leftover yellow frosting that was the mustard in the hot dog groom's cake.

Being all so clever I thought hey I can tell people what this cake is by adding some yellow bananas. But that didn't look right, so then I added some more yellow stuff to try again.

It still looked weird so I finally decided screw it, I'm going for broke and tried to line the edge with the last of the yellow frosting. Then for good measure I put some sprinkles on top cause we all want sprinkles.

This is why I should never ever decorate cakes unless I have a plan in my head thought out for a few months:

Every time I look at it I break out into giggles. It looks so awful, like Big Bird had an accident on it or it was the site of a radioactive waste dump. (I bet you guys can come up with better explanations for the random yellow droppings)

I tried to take a picture of myself laughing while also eating up the last of the chocolate frosting but I don't think it worked too well:This whole challenge for That Wife of taking a picture of someone laughing is hard. Other people as soon as you put the camera on them clam up or do a weird pose and my own personal portraits are a touch avaunt garde I'd say. But maybe as you guys get a good look at the cake I made you can join in the laughter, take a picture and enter that.

P.S. I promise to explain the whole makeover and 365 links later but I just had to share this cake as soon as possible.

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

In trying out (or more like trying to make some new templates works) I have completely lost all of my links.

Every single one, just up in smoke. I'm trying to piece it all together but this cursed XML has fried my brain.

Please if I forgot you just leave a comment or berate me for a while. I'm gonna see what else I can dredge up from the recesses of my memory. Also if anyone knows where to find a good template please direct me as I can't get a damn one to work.

Picture a Day-Day 36

Yesterday we had the clearest skies and blindingly bright sun I've seen since summer long ago abandoned us for the Snow Miser. I just had to document it to help get me through this nasty winter (I think our reprieve will last a few days and then back to subzero weather).

It all started with this beautiful sunrise: Then once work was over I made my usual trek across campus to find my husband. Campus actually has a small section of prairie grass they grow every year (I think for the bugs, Entymologists are weird) I cross through.

Doesn't this picture almost look like the "You're all gonna die" desert scene from a movie?

This tree has so much character I remember it every walk, and as I wandered past it I saw the sun just peeking past its branch. So I felt compelled to take a picture.

I love campus when the students are all gone. In fact I think everyone is so happy when there are no students: the administration, faculty, staff, and most of all the students.

Is anyone else enjoying some gorgeous weather right now (or at least pretty picture weather)? What's your walk to work (or around work) look like? Anyone else missing spring and summer like crazy?

Also don't forget to leave a little comment down below if you are thinking of getting into this madness. I'll soon start compiling the list and try to find a nice place for it. I fear I may have to overhaul again to get all these links to fit.

But all the pretty pictures are worth it. I never would have thought to take a picture of the sunrise if I hadn't of been in the middle of this.

I had no idea

Apparently this picture a day thing is more popular than I thought.

All the way back in 2006, photojojo had published a little tutorial on how to take a picture a day. I swear I had no idea about it, it was just a random thought in my brain at the time, but the tutorial is quite good. I would include though that it's good to have some ideas during the day of what to take a picture of. Just being spontaneous and waiting for something cool is sure to leave you scrambling at the end of the day.

Also, maybe it's just me, but I at first felt really weird to just whip out a camera and start taking pictures. I'd wait til no one was around, but I'm slowly starting to loosen up.

It seems that with the new year more people are jumping on the picture a day bandwagon.

Life of a Square(d) started hers with a cute picture of her puppy.

A little of this . . . a little of that is trying to post a weeks worth in one post. So many more pictures much less talk.

Has anyone else started (or perhaps re-started? Valerie and Grosgrain Bride) to take a picture a day or 365 as some more numerically inclined like to call it?

I'd love to have a feed or even a blog list we could all share of everyone that's doing this. So if you're game or have been for a while just leave me a comment or e-mail me. It'd be kinda cool to have a little support group going.

Edit to add: I found another one from Indefinately Definite who got the idea from Take a Look into my Life.