School.Blue.Understated Loveliness.

Blue.

I love blue.  It is one of my favorite colors.  No, it IS my favorite color.  And that is why I chose the word "blue".  But I didn't think it through in advance.  Something I will do in the future.  So it has taken a while for me to come up with something blue.  This is one of my favorite new blue things

We have been to a number of Thunder games and it is always fun.  But...once a year, we go to a Thunder game with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law.  They have floor tickets.  It is absolutely awesome.  You can hear the athletes talking to each other during the game, you can check out the size of their feet, their sweat flips onto you..and sometimes this happens

That is Kate eating a giant caramel apple when Thunder spied her and wanted a bite.  
But as fun as those Thunder games are...my favorite "blue" is OCU's Blue Crew...

Clay is the first one on the far left.  

SCHOOL. BLUE. UNDERSTATED LOVLINESS.

SCHOOL.  Okay Okay.  I got a little carried away with this one.  Japanese School Children are so wonderful .  Matching uniforms.  usually with a hat or at least with a hat.  The best backpacks ever.  And, they always seem happy.  I had to start with a school crossing sign.................

And then the rest.    Just happy children.  I had to snap away and pretend I was snapping at something else.....who would want a random foreigner taking a picture of their children.  Be Happy.  They Usually Are.

do you think that little one in the middle was on to me?

smart children.  running from me. 

BLUE.

The Blue and White Shop.  It is one of the lovliest shops in Azabu Juban.  The Juban - a wonderful little area by our neighborhood that will always promise a good restaurant, a new massage house, or an interesting trinket shop. Everything in the shop is blue and white.  It is odd that the quilt in the window has so much color.    The Blue and White Shop.  In the Juban. 

Understated Lovliness. 

Oh, this one was so hard for me.  I wanted to put the picture of Bill and Grace from the Father Daughter Dance.  Really, that is so perfect.  Is this cheating?  Well, we didn't make up any rules did we?

Okay, so to avoid the guilt I'm feeling, I have a traditional picture as well.

What?  A Patisserie?  In Tokyo?  Yes, right in the middle of The Juban.  A Perfect Patisserie that makes me feel like I've just come from Paris.  Understated Lovliness?  The Pain Au Chocolate, of course. 

Have a Fabulous Day xoxo

MORNING. FIRE. JUST FOR YOU.

MORNING.  This is morning rush hour.  All the bicycles are parked.  Most are not locked.  And they will still be there at the end of the day.

FIRE.  really, this looks like steps?  really?  No, these are the steps in the park by my house.  that I walk almost daily.  It's still not easy.  And my legs.  feel like fire.  It started as a house fire.  Now, is just a campfire.  Unless I miss a day. 

JUST FOR YOU.  TIMES TWO.  I couldn't decide.  The top picture is candy.  So cute on the shelf.  SO cheery.  And most of it is very good.  Some days, if you accidentally choose the one that is green tea flavored.  not so good.  I know that the next picture just looks like fruit.  Yes, I know it does.  But it is gift fruit.  And is in a special section of the grocery store.  It is very important not to accidentally pick up a piece of gift fruit and take it to the cashier before doing a little dollar conversion in your head.  Because, you see, that cantalope - it is about $115.  And his friend, the pleasant looking melon next door in the fancy white coat, a similar price.  Gift fruit is grown specifically as "gift fruit" and is a lovely gift to take to someone when you are invited to their home.  I don't know if it is actually better than their friends from the trailer park who live in the regular produce section because I've not yet been able to splurge to try one out. 

Morning. Fire. Just For Me.

We got 12 inches of snow last Monday night and another inch yesterday.  The kids had snow days Tuesday through Friday!!!  The idea of sitting outside this morning in this winter wonderland was more appealing than actually doing it!  But it did make a pretty picture...the end to a beautiful, lazy week.




                                          






                                          And this...was the night before.
                                          We've had LOTS of these all week.

And finally,



this is completely materialistic
but as of 10 minutes ago
i am a year older
i loved my Blackberry
for many years
but Charley 
gave me a Mac for our anniversary
it made me want an iPhone
desperately
so Monday I bought one 
for myself
for my birthday
because we were going to have
massive amounts of snow this week
and I wanted to play with my new toy
i love it
it is "just for me"

Resolution Checked Off

This is to report that I have completed one of my New Year's Resolutions!!!  This is Kyle's bedroom.  It had not been painted since we moved into this house 5 years ago (and we didn't paint it at that time either!)  Ugly, dirty, banged up off-white walls are now a nice Sherwin Williams blonde.  I also painted this headboard black (was pine).  I have black/blondish houndstooth fabric for a pleated dust ruffle and a stripe to recover the small pillows.  Maybe this week?

Janet's Books Read in 2011

On the Banks of Plum Creek, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I had never read the entire Laura Ingalls Wilder series and neither had Kate. So when school began this year, we decided to read the series. She has insomnia, so I decided, for the most part, I would read to her when she went to bed each night. This is the 4th book in the series and we finished it in early January. Although it's not on my reading list, I love it that my almost-13 year old wants me to read with her every night. I figure in a short time she will consider me a dork and not want me in her room, much less reading Laura Ingalls Wilder with her. Hopefully, it will create a memory for both of us (definitely me). And it just might be the only way I read 2 books a month this year!

Resolutions?

Resolutions you ask? Check checking the date of this post will give you an idea of how mine are going. I wanted to just read 1 book a month- I have a great list thanks to wonderful FB friends. I have purchased 2 of them. I have not opened either. so sad for my lame self. I have a long flight home on Monday. I will do my best to read. Though I do have 3 People Magazine crosswords I've been saving so it may not be promising. Secondly, swimming 3 days a week. I love to swim for exercise. Its one of the few things where I can actually see a change in my body right away. Our health club is beautiful and has a pool that looks out all over Tokyo. no excuses for me really. This blog. Resolution #3. I wish I did creative projects like I used to and I'm hoping this will help. And, if it reconnects me with one of my favorite old friends it will be worth it. Thats it for resolutions- not too many. I should be able to stick to them.

Photo Project- 3 words for next week. Morning. Fire. Just for you. I'm hoping they will make us both be creative and need to think a little. I'll post as soon as I've got them. You can too. And come up with next weeks words.


I'll try to get rid of the Japanese words. Sure wish I knew what I did...

Happy Weekend.

Janet's Books Read in 2011

A Gift From the Sea, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh


This is a very sweet book and a quick read.  My copy belonged to my mom and still had the price tag inside the front cover...$2.75...a hardback!  The book was written in 1955 and I loved it that Anne Morrow Lindbergh was either so ahead of her time or that some things just never change.  Anyway, I loved her writing style and it was a great way to start the year!

Janet's 2011 New Year's Resolutions

I've been working desperately on my New Year's resolutions!  I do realize we will be starting our 4th week of 2011 this weekend but, as usual, I procrastinated.  So guess what my first resolution is going to be???  To be honest, I'm trying very hard to come up with a realistic list of improvements in my life.  What do you think about these?

• Stop procrastinating
• Go paperless (and get rid of unnecessary paper that I own)
• Reduce expenses
• Read 2 books per month
• Develop and stick with a morning routine
• Paint Kyle's bedroom, hall into my bedroom, and my bathroom
• Work on Jennifer's book and a gf book

Even though my list is still a work in progress, my self-correction has begun!

How 'bout you?