A Great Ad Combo

I was a little slow to really look into 'programmatic marketing,' I think my Literature Masters took me away a bit from my Mass Communications roots. Of course at some level, I was aware of this type of campaign in digital marketing - I think we all are. Steph's work advertising Stephanie Beach Photography has dealt with this type, and it really is one of the key ways to create a targeted digital campaign. We will be moving towards this at work too - so I should be able to learn about it in much more detail.

A brief overview is that -in digital marketing, programmatic marketing campaigns are automatically triggered by any type of event and deployed according to a set of rules applied by software and algorithms. So, for example, if I owned a bakery I could set up a programmatic marketing campaign with a rule that had my ads appearing for a user (whose IP located them in Toronto) for a week after they had Googled "Cupcakes Toronto." My ads were then appear across multiple sites, connected to this triggered campaign. This is super noticeable with Facebook ads.

I love looking at what AdSense has posted for my 3 banner ads on Always Standing.
- In 2010, I talked about it twice
- Again in 2011
- Most recently in 2014

I used to assume that it was based on what I wrote - and in some cases that is true. AdSense does scan my content to post ads that match what I am talking about. However, ads also appear based on where that specific platform (computer, phone, tablet, etc.) has been/done. It is interesting to think - what did I click to get that?

Today's Ads (For Me) Are:
- Polysporn - about treating pink-eye (which I don't have)
- Insure.ca - about getting the best premium on my car insurance (which I don't have)
- Favor Mart - about choosing chair covers for my wedding reception (which I don't have)

Domestic Bliss

Conversations with Jason

Any of these interactions could have easily happened; in reality though, only one actually did - I will let you guess which. However, I feel like they all represent our relationship pretty accurately.

Tidy Up Time
Jason: Can you look at your stuff on the kitchen table?
*I review the multiple piles of envelopes and open them.*
Me: *Yelling to Jason in the other room.* Mainly tax stuff, investment stuff, some cards from people, and letters about magazine subscriptions.
Jason: So... what did you do about them?
Me: The magazine stuff is in the recycling and the rest is tidied up.
*Later Jason passes the kitchen and sees my neat pile of opened mail on the table."
Jason: Stacking them all together on the table does not count as tidying up!
Me: What do you mean?
Jason: Well, is this their spot?
Me: It could be their spot.
Jason: It is not their spot.
*I transfer the pile of mail to my desk in the back room which is covered in various teetering piles of similar things - the only spot I have left.*

Cooking
*Getting home late in the evening after doing a spinning class together.*
Me: Okay, you shower and I will make dinner. Do you want white cheddar or normal Kraft dinner?
Jason: I had Kraft dinner for lunch, can you make something different?
Me: Well, did you have the orange one or the white cheddar for lunch?
Jason: The orange one.
Me: Okay, I'll do the white one.
Jason: That isn't different enough.
Me: Hey, shower-ers can't be choosers. I'm cooking here.
Jason: Well, perpetual dishwashers should have a say.

Veggies
Jason: I am pulling out pork chops to defrost for dinner tonight.
Me: Okay, we should figure out a side, what veggies do we have?
Jason: Ugh, I don't know why we need to have vegetables in our lives.
Me: So we can poop.
Jason: That's what coffee is for.

The Grandmas

Avery has now met both of his grandmothers. (I don't know what they are being 'called' yet, but I think my mom wants to be Nana.)

The Grandmothers

Avery and Jo / Avery and Mom

Photos by Aimee (I assume)

Mom was in Edmonton for about a week right after Avery was born, and she has written a cute little post about it on Vicarious Travelling, with lots of pictures too. (As a far away aunt, I have to say, there never seems to be enough photos!!)

SNOW!!!!

That is all I have to say.




Oh, and that I miss Ottawa.

Nope, It's The Plugs

Last week, I posted about time zones being an issue when planning our attendance at tradeshows overseas. Nope! I realized a bigger challenge this week - in fact I think it is the first time I have encountered it - international electrical sockets. Why do so many countries have to be different!?! Normally this isn't a problem at all because we rent/build/buy everything in the specific country the show is being held. However, this time we are shipping a small booth from Canada, which means all the electrical parts have North American plugs, but the sockets will be quite different in the United Arab Eremites. In fact, the electrical current is different as well, so without a converter it could wreck our stuff. We do keep power converters and adapters in stock but there are just so many variations and combinations that we might need it doesn't cover all cases. Some of the types are really difficult to acquire as well. The challenges keep on coming - and I love it.

A Comparison In Brunch

Sunday Mornin' Coming Down - A post about my Dad each Sunday, named after a song that he loved.

Taylor was in town for Kristen's birthday. Today we did brunch out before heading to the mall to do some shopping, Tessa came too. We ended up going to eat at a place close to Rrunuv Bayit called Brunchworks, where, Kristen reminded me, we had been with my parents before. It made me think about the difference between my dad and I when it came to eating breakfast out.

TIME
Me: Between 10am and 3pm
Dad: Before 11am

LOCATION
Me: Toronto Brunch Specific: Boom, Brunchworks, or Cora's. Toronto Fancy Brunch: School or Mildred's Temple Kitchen. Toronto Restaurant: The Drake or Wychwood Pub.
Dad: Paris: Scott's Family Restaurant or Paris Country Grill. Brantford: Angel's or Kel's. Port Dover: The Port Dover Dairy Bar. Other: Any small town diner or locally owned family restaurant.

COST
Me: Usually between $10 to $12, though at the fancy places it can be closer to $15 to $18. This usually doesn't include coffee, which is okay because I don't drink it.
Dad: Would like it to be under $5. Usually this includes coffee and despite also not being a coffee drinker, if it came with the breakfast than he would get a half cup to ensure he had his money's worth.

VALUE
Me: Very happy when I can get the standard breakfast (eggs, meat, toast, and hash-browns) for under $10.
Dad: Thinks the above price is ridiculous.
Note: When my parents joined Kristen and I for breakfast once at Brunchworks, they found the $8 standard breakfast too expensive and chose to split it.

ORDER
Me: At a fancy place the standard breakfast isn't an option, so I might get pancakes, french toast, or something more interesting. However, I prefer the standard breakfast: Eggs: poached super hard Toast: changes depending on how I am feeling. Meat: bacon. Drink: water.
Dad: The standard breakfast: Eggs: fried, over easy. Toast: rye, as long as there is no extra charge,. Meat: sausages, butterflied. Drink: water and, if it comes with it, half a cup of coffee with milk and sugar.

EXTRAS
Me: I usually put jam on one or two pieces of toast. I will eat all the fruit, usually included as a small garnish, on the plate, though sometimes left the orange. I sometimes eat the lettuce leaf that is often also used as a garnish. I don't like baked beans.
Dad: Eats everything on his plate. Sometimes uses ketchup with his hash-browns. Puts pepper on everything.

HEALTH
Me: I often order the just eggs style breakfast since I don't really care about the meet that much. I also try as hard as I can not to eat all the hash-browns.
Dad: Rye bread because it tends to be healthier, for some reason. However, hash-browns were his favorite thing, he would judge the place on how good they were. He would eat all of them, and then often more from people (Mom and I) who didn't want to finish theirs.
Note: Mom also sometimes got the just eggs breakfast so as to not have the meat. She also always tried to not have the hash-browns, usually trying to get a substitution of sliced tomato or fruit.

LOVE
We both love going out for breakfast. (Together and with others.) It always feels like a special treat.

Two Used To Be Tiny

Watching Raindrops

Two at The Cottage, a Tiny Kitten

Photo by Mom

A Way Back Wedding

I was thinking about some wedding 'firsts' to post for Wedding Wednesday. I often equate Taylor's 2011 wedding with a lot of big first for me, in terms of friends getting married - first time I knew about a pending engagement before a friend; first Toronto bachelorette party; first time I was in a wedding party; first time I felt involved in the lead-up; first time I helped a friend the night before; first pre-wedding sleepover with a bride; first wedding I was at that Steph was the photographer for; first time I helped guys with boutonnieres; first (and probably will stay as the only) time I arrived at a wedding in the back of a pick up truck; and first time I had to hide tears while standing up front during the ceremony.

However, I often forget that there was an earlier wedding - in 2009. My first friend to get engaged (and married) was ERin. Anne and I went to the wedding together and had an amazing time, it was a serious blast with a lot of army guys. It was this bride that showed me how much I love bachelorette parties (See image to the left) I didn't help plan the party with marching shirts, limos, fancy cars, drinking games during dinner and dancing all night in Ottawa. ERin's wedding party did an incredible job, setting the bar high. Anne and I got to tag along and partake in all the fun.

The wedding itself was beautiful. (See image to the right). ERin looked stunning, her dress was beautiful. Her and Matt are complete sweethearts, I look forward to visiting them in Edmonton next month since I missed them when I was there over Christmas. I can still remember the funny speeches at their wedding and stealing all the wine off the tables after dinner. They were married at a resort on a lake, and I think I went swimming in the very early hours of the morning, after staying up all night.

Everyone I Need Is Sleeping

My main focus at work lately has been organizing the logistics for our attendance at two overseas tradeshows - one in India and the other in The United Arab Emirates. I really enjoy planning events (and event participation, which is mainly the case here) and it is exciting no matter where they are being held. It would probably be even more exciting if I got to go to them too, but no one ever sends marketing employees to these things. We obviously have our people in sales or business development  go, so that our participation can turn into project leads and then, ideally, become projects.

Working with overseas conferences and tradeshows has a few extra challenges than those that are in North America. Often people mention that language barriers would be an issue, but I find that not the case. It is the time zones! Every single email has to wait a day for a reply. I do my work during the day, and ask questions, place orders, make requests, submit forms, etc via email. Then that evening/night, due to the time difference, while I am at home in bed, all the event organizers and vendors are working and replying to my emails. I then get these emails when I come into work the next morning. The day-delay makes things so much more challenging.

Great Math Joke!

-------------------- from Facebook

Dear Algebra,

Stop asking us to find your X
She`s not coming back

We don`t know Y either

Stacked Sheets

Sunday Mornin' Coming Down - A post about my Dad each Sunday, named after a song that he loved.

My dad always changed my sheets when I was growing up. (And when I say 'growing up' I mean up to the age of 19 when I went to university. Then when he visited, I would often ask for his help with my bed.) He has amazing tucking talent! I don't think it is 'nurse style' corners but the bed ends up being very tight and neat.

I really loved when this happened when we lived in Paris, because it would make the room so messy. I prefer to sleep with lots of blankets (instead of just a single big duvet) and they would get thrown all over the floor in my room. My dad would turn or flip my mattress most of the time too.

Some of the time, Dad would ask which way I would like my sheets. Sheets have a 'pretty side,' this is especially true with ones with patterns, the pattern is darker on the good side. Plain sheets just have a good/bad side based on the hems and stuff at the ends.

I don't like the envelope style. My dad was always explaining that if you make the bed that way, your body is surrounded by the good parts of the sheets. (Obviously the fitted/bottom sheet it always put on the same way, so mainly this is about the top sheet.) In an envelope, you can lift up the sheets and blankets and see the pretty pattern, etc. But I always wanted (and still do) 'stacked sheets' where the top sheet faces up. The good part faces the ceiling, which means I am lying under the 'bad' side and the pretty pattern is covered by the blankets, I prefer that though. Stacked sheets are the only way for me. Which way is your bed made, or do you not notice a good/bad side with your top sheet?

Oakville Cats

From Speed Bump

By Dave Covely

Ladies Night

It's Friday night and I am heading out dancing with the girls; time for a terribly fuzzy/grainy selfie...

On Our Way

Myself, Kristen, and Tessa

Badly taken by me with my phone

Avery Inspires The House

I shall not flag or fail. I shall go on to the end. I shall sleep and eat and shit in Edmonton, I shall sleep on the laps and the cribs, I shall cry with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, I shall defend against changing, wherever the pee may go. I shall eat on the breasts, I shall eat on the bottles, I shall eat of the milk and of the formula, I shall be adorable in of the places; I shall never surrender.

Following the same theme as yesterday's post, the above is adapted from the great We Shall Fight on the Beaches speech by Winston Churchill given on June 4, 1940 to the House of Commons at the British Parliament.

Chicken Or The Churchill

Everyone always says that new babies look like Winston Churchill. I wish they talked like him, so funny!

Lady Astor: Winston, if I were your wife I'd put poison in your coffee
Churchill: Nancy, if I were your husband I'd drink it!

Baby looking like Churchill: The photograph above was taken by my mom on the night she met her grandson. Avery is about 4 days old in this picture and is in my mom's lap. Recently he has started to open his eyes more, but in general there has been a lot of sleeping in these early days. Not that Mike and Aimee get to do a lot of sleeping because he still needs to be fed and changed all the time. But basically between those activities he isn't usually awake, he just passes back out - looking like Winston Churchill.

The thing is, babies don't look any different now than they did hundreds of years ago. So I don't think that it is actually accurate to say that babies look like a British Prime Minister from the mid-twentieth century; it is more accurate to say that Winston Churchill looked like a baby. I wonder if people said/thought that at the time.

More Great Churchill Quotes

To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.

I may be drunk Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly.

If you are going through hell, keep going. 

 The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.

You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.

Slow On The Joke

I ran across the following joke (though I gather it is actually considered a fable) while reading a business article:

Pig and a Chicken are walking down the road.
Chicken: Hey Pig, I was thinking we should open a restaurant! 
Pig: Hm, maybe, what would we call it?
Chicken: How about 'Ham-N-Eggs' ? 
Pig: No thanks. I'd be committed, but you'd only be involved!

It took me a second to actually get the punch line, but I definitely chuckled when I did. As a fable, the joke is used to discuss two types of project managers: those who are accountable and those who consult.

Slow On The Uptake

---------- from Facebook

A Little Intelligence Test
(See comments for my response.)

6   + 4 = 210
9   + 2 = 711
8   + 5 = 313
5   + 2 = 37
7   + 6 = 113
9   + 8 = 117
10 + 6 = 416
15 + 3 = 1218

A Grandfather

Sunday Mornin' Coming Down - A post about my Dad each Sunday, named after a song that he loved.

Yesterday my dad became a grandfather, posthumously. This situation is the same as my own grandfather on my dad's side - he died before I was born. Grandma often talked about how much he would have loved to be a grandfather, and the same is true for Dad.

My parents are not the type to pressure their kids to marry or have children. They have always left that part of our personal lives alone. They are supportive and loving but don't bug us about these types of choices. So, I don't have memories of my father talking about how excited he would be to have grandchildren. He didn't talk about wanting to be a grandparent.

On a certain level I think that the title of Grandfather would have made my dad feel old, something he hated. On another level, he loved kids, and prioritized family. If he wasn't eagerly awaiting the arrival of a grandchildren, once it became a reality he would have been thrilled - and very emotional.

My hope is that we see some of my dad in Avery. I want my whole family to collectively share their love for Dad with our new little Sweeton so that he feels close to this person he will never know. But most importantly, I hope that we can continue to pass my dad's values (family, friends, honesty, hard work, value for money, standing by your word, commitment) forward with this new generation of our family.

Born Today

The day has arrived...

I AM AN AUNT!

I would like to be called Aunty C, but I don't know if it will stick. I am so excited to introduce my new nephew:

AVERY MICHEAL SWEETON

Avery In Aimee's Arms

(Very Shortly After Birth)

Born: 5:35am on Saturday January 10, 2015

Weight: 7.1 lbs    Length: 18 inches

Photo by Aimee, Edits by Me

Rusty Is Growing

So THIS is Rusty...

The Most Spoiled Of Cats

Rusty on Aunty Laura's Dresser

Boiled Chicken

So much for Sliced Bread, the saying should be, "The greatest thing since boiled chicken!"

On the plane ride back from Edmonton my mom was reading magazines on her tablet (she is really into the Next Issue app.) I saw a recipe with what looked like 'pulled chicken' but used chicken breast. I love pulled chicken, it is always what I order at Swiss Chalet because I hate dealing with fish and poultry that has bones. (Yes, this means that I don't like chicken wings.)

Steph sometimes buys one of those cooked rotisserie chickens you can get at the grocery store and pulls apart the chicken to use in wraps and salads when she is "doesn't want to cook and is feeling lazy." This is incredible to me because it still sounds like a lot of work, I would count it as cooking, and the very idea of doing that kind of grosses me out. However, the end product is delicious.

Anyway, if you boil chicken breast it can be shredded easily with two forks to become the same texture/style as pulled chicken. THIS IS AMAZING! I told Jason I want to only cook chicken this way from now one. I guess I am pretty sick of the texture/consistency of cooked chicken breast - even cubed or sliced - I am bored of eating it (we have it a lot because it is a healthy, lean protein.)

Here is the recipe I tried last night (adjusted from the one my mom and I read in the magazine Eating Well):

BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

1. Put boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 3 large ones) in a medium pan with 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently , turning once or twice, until chicken is no longer pink in the middle. (About 15 minutes)

2.  Meanwhile, combine: 1 3/4 cups cider vinegar; 1 tbsp sugar; 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper; and 1/4 tsp of salt; in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half. (About 10 minutes)

3. Shred the boiled chicken into bite-sized pieces with two forks. (I did this in a 9" glass baking dish). Add chicken to saucepan with vinegar mixture and stir until well combined. Cover and let marinate for 10 minutes.

4. Serve the chicken on buns or rolls. (I used toasted hamburger buns, also Jason added Franks Hot Sauce to his.)

Not Helpful This Time

When my mom visits she tends to try to clean my place. This is always welcome, since I hate cleaning. On one of her recent times at Rrunuv Bayit she put away some of my pants that had been out (either on a chair or the futon, or somewhere). However, one of them was a pair of jeans that had ripped a bit. I set these aside last month when it happened, thinking that I would use them as 'painting pants' (basically I have an outfit or two that I wear when painting a room or doing dirty yard work, etc.) Well, my mom put them away in the box marked 'Bottoms'  (I keep my clothes on an open bookshelf in black decorative boxes.) This morning I was having a hard time finding normal blue jeans that were clean, the only ones around were my red polka dot ones and a bright blue pair. Then I glanced in the 'Bottoms' box, saw the pair in there and threw them on.

Within 5 minutes of sitting in my chair at work this morning, I twisted in such a way that the rip stretched across the width of my thigh (in the back, right below my bum.) I wish this was a funny story, which people respond to with a, "oh man, haha, yup that sucks, we have all been there, don't worry about it, not a big deal." Then I could add it to my list of strange, slightly dumb, awkward work situations (See TAG: Dumb) but instead it became much more embarrassing (See TAG: Embarrassed) than I would have thought. The few that I told at work, along with the explanation, "I am just going to stay here, sitting in this chair, all day," were helpful, offering me various sweaters and shirts to help cover when going around the office. However, I was greeted with a lot of pity and even a comment that this should 'inspire me to get back to the gym,' all of which dampened my mood. So, I guess it ended up being more humiliating than I normally would have thought a wardrobe malfunction could be. Not my best day at the office.

And of note, I am going to ensure that I participate in any cleaning/tidying that my mom does now at my place so as to stay aware if any important items getting moved to a new place.

Wrong Cat!

I accidentally labeled the picture to the right that I posted on Saturday! This is Rasta! I mistakenly called him Rusty. Rusty is Aunty Laura's cat, a ginger male, who Tessa and I found abandoned down at Long Point and asked if my aunt would take care of. Rasta, a black and white polydactyl male, is my mom's cat. (Two is my cat, an adorable ginger female.) Too many cats in my family!

It isn't even like I got confused once in the post on Saturday either; I said he was Rusty in the title for the post, the caption for the photo, and the little bit of writing as well. Three times! Normally I would just go back and correct the post, but I didn't notice the error until my mom made a comment on it - so I am going to leave it as is, that way the comment will make sense. I will just make a quick note on the post.

My Year?

Here's what 'the stars' have in store for me (Gemini) in 2015...
(I have reworded them slightly.) There seems to be a common theme of something happening in regards to my career in the summer. This is both exciting and scary as my contract at Forrec currently ends in late July. I find the Horoscope.com one the most vague and generic. At the completion of the year it would be hard to verify if it really provided any insight.

From The Globe and Mail 
There will be a continued uncertain air to your career prospects this year – it’s as if you don’t want to commit yourself too deeply in case something better arrives out of the blue. Most likely it will, but maybe not in the way you were expecting. August will bring good news about your home life, which in turn will make you more relaxed about what goes on in your working environment. It does not mean you will no longer be ambitious – if anything you will be even more determined to succeed – but you will see career choices from a higher perspective.

From Horoscope.com 
2015 is an exciting year, when relationships bloom, opportunities for personal growth and maturity abound, and friends and family become more cherished. As blazing and energetic as the year begins, you have plenty of built-in pauses to stay on track and take care of all those people and things you love. January 21 to February 11 is a calmer social period; May 18 to June 11 lets you mentally regroup and rethink what might have been done with too much haste the month before. September 17 to October 9 offers a chance to take a second look at any agreements or commitments you made or that were made to you earlier in the year. Socially, you will be running in high gear all year. Eat healthy and get enough rest, and moderate social indulgences. Friends and family are there to remind you how important you are, especially in the July. It is a fun, fabulous year!

From Astrology.com 
All of your diligence and handwork is totally paying off in 2015. You've fought your way through enough bumps and bruises on the road to success over the past few years, and now you're ready to truly claim your foothold and take your vision to the next level. Spend the first half of the year pursuing excellent collaborations and stellar people to partner with. Relationships of the romantic variety will take priority in 2015 as well. You're learning and re-learning the art of partnering. This requires quality-time and attention, good boundaries, reciprocity and the ever-elusive balance of self and other. One of your strongest assets in 2015 (if not always) is your mind. The difference this year is your knack for large-scale dreaming.

You're totally a creative visionary as the New Year begins and that powerful and exuberant influence will push you to new heights for the first half of 2015. Life will be more playful and joyful with childlike enthusiasm all around. Wait until spring to launch your biggest-of-the-big-shot projects. If you've had home improvement dreams or the fantasy of a total change of residence in your brain, the second half of the year could bring tremendous opportunity for expanding your domes-tic horizons. August will bring a strong urge to spread out and take over more living space and land. You're ready to live large in whatever context that best supports your fabulous dreams of the moment. In late September and October mark your calendars for your new home or biggest renovation project during that time. Don't worry; you should be making enough cash to support some pimped out, extravagant living. You continues to bring the glamour to your career zone for the fourth year in a row.

At The Beach

Sunday Mornin' Coming Down - A post about my Dad each Sunday, named after a song that he loved.

This is one of my mom's favorite pictures of my dad. He is holding Mike. I believe he standing on the beach at Ipperwash. (Mike looks a little concerned.) I think this was probably the summer of 1988, meaning Mike is about 8 months old and my dad would have just turned 34. It is a great picture of Dad, and even perplexed little Mike looks good (though he was such a super cute baby and toddler that he is almost always adorable in photos.)

George With Micheal

Ipperwash Beach, Ontario

Summer 1988

Mom liked this white shirt that dad is wearing. Memory is a strange thing because I swear I can remember this shirt. I was 4 when this picture was taken, so it is in the realm of remembrance. Also my Dad tended to keep, and wear, clothing for an exceedingly long time despite fashion or deterioration, so the shirt was probably around for much longer. However, part of me wonders if I only think that I remember it and in fact it is just from pictures and my mom mentioning it. (Her liking this photo and that shirt is not new information to me.)

Rusty At Christmas

Rusty's First Christmas

Taken by Mom

Mom has done a full blog post with Christmas themed Rusty photos. Check it out HERE. You can always visit my mom's blog by using the links to the left.

NOTE: This post contains some incorrect information. Please see THIS POST for details.

Comic Caturday

My Aunt gave my mom the book How To Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting To Kill You for Christmas, which she has since lent me to read. (Yes, Two is for sure planning to kill me, but I already knew that.)

Here is a taste of the types of valuable lessons to be learned:

From How To Pet A Kitty

By The Oatmeal

View the full comic HERE

There's A Zergling In There

I keep meaning to announce this in a much more exciting fashion, however, time is drawing closer and I think the important thing is to get it out there before this 'thing' arrives:

I AM GOING TO BE AN AUNT!

In May, Aimee and Mike informed Mom and I that they were expecting (and yes, for some reason I unexpectedly started crying immediately.) Well, Aimee is due in a matter of weeks now and I haven't mentioned this on Always Standing. I hoped to explain the genesis of calling the baby a Zergling and plan to still get that post done sometime before the birth. They have decided to be surprised in terms of the baby's gender so I have taken to using the word Nibling, taught to me by Steph.

Here is an amazing before and after picture of my beautiful sister-in-law:

9 months ago vs. now. 36 weeks pregnant

Taken by Aimee with her phone

Third Time's The Charm?

In 2013, I planned to post on Always Standing everyday, though quickly lessened that to 6 times a week. I wasn't even close, in fact with 234 posts written in 2013, I was actually only writing 4.5 times each week. I decided to renew the resolution in early 2014 and try again to post everyday. I did a bit better last year and wrote 40 more posts than the year before, but I still didn't push over that 300 mark.

I think the main reason that I missed the mark again in 2014 was that I took two big breaks. In July and again in December. I should have better planned for Always Standing during vacation time, written ahead or had Guest Writers. I hope to improve on this and not have such long hiatuses in the future.

So, I am going to try again. I would like to try to get a post up pretty much everyday in 2015, without the liberal use of backdating that I increasingly started to use as a crutch. Let's see if this time next year the little number in brackets beside 2015 reads 365 or more!