Photo Project: Day 1

Posted by Melissa Baumgart
(You better read the whole post, because you could win something.  For real!)
My first project is going to be to take a photo at the same time every day.  Yesterday I picked 7:20 pm as the time of day.  I remember once that Amy told me the lighting can be nice later in the day.  Or was it in the morning?  Well, anyway, I am not doing 7:20 am, because I usually still have my pajamas on at the time.  But perhaps this could be a motivating force, to get back into being an early riser.  Yes, I do like that.

Both the times, am and pm, happen to be times when I am most likely to be home.  Does that offer enough variety?  Do I really want a bunch of boring photos of my apartment?  "Hey, here's my toilet!  And tomorrow, you'll get to see map of the world I made in Montessori when I was 4!"  Well, this could just be part of the challenge...maybe taking a walk in the evening or finding unique ways to see things around my home in a new light.

Eh, after all that, I will stick with the original 7:20 pm.   Here is the photo from yesterday, Day 1.  I ran out to the front of my house in the middle of making dinner and snapped a shot of the contrast between the beautiful blue sky and the industrial looking scaffolding that obstructs my view of that aforementioned sky.  Seriously, for the past few weeks, I have been looking at gray windows from the plastic covering.  The one time of year when it is gorgeous in Seattle, and I can't see a damn thing but gray.  Oh well, it's all good.  I mean, I can at least walk outside.

Join me?  Anyone?  You can pick your own time of day.  Just be sure to post your photo on our Facebook page.  I'll give away a prize for the person whose photo gets the most likes.  Let's make the prize something really special, like that map of the world I am going to photograph on Day 13!  Psyche.  Just kidding.  I'll find something better.   

A Sweepstakes for you, the Good Luck With That reader!

posted by Melissa Baumgart and Amy Baranski
Guess what, everyone?  YOU have a chance to WIN in January!

Good Luck With That is not only giving you a sneak peek into our next year's adventures, but also a jump start on joining us in February's fun.

Our next month, kicking off 2012 for the blog, will be Read a Book a Week.  It's a lofty goal (says Melissa) that was chosen by Amy for one of her 6 things to do.  Amy says she would like to read more, and thought this would be a fun way to bring that back into her life.  Melissa was happy to hear the challenge, as she recently was swept away by a young adult fiction novel, and finished it within 24 hours.

So, the good news for you is that we are offering one lucky winner 4 books of our choosing, each with its very own Powerball ticket bookmark!  We chose books that we have read and found to be read-able within a week.  The kind of books that you don't want to put down.  The kind that have you forgetting to eat, or forgetting to make dinner for your kids.  The really good kind.

The books range in variety from a young adult fiction novel with an emotionally brave heroine (yes, the aforementioned one) to a post-apocalyptic drama, and from a story narrated by a nine-year-old boy who searches for clues about a found key from his grandfather to the 2007 National Book Award winner for young adult fiction that's written from the viewpoint of a Native American teenager.

By entering, You can win a copy of each of these books:

• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
• Becoming Naomi León by Pam Muñoz Ryan
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy

AND 4 of your very own Powerball tickets, for a chance to win even more!

Here's how to enter:

• Leave a comment on our blog.  Simply click on the link that says "comment" below and post a message with the title of your favorite "can't put it down" book.  
• Make sure to put your name on the comment.  (You do not have to be a google member.)
• If you don't already "like" us on Facebook, click here and stop on over to our page and like us.  That way we can have you contact info if you win!

On Monday, January 30th, we will announce the winner of our Sweepstakes!  The comments will be numbered and we will draw the winning number out of a hat.   We'll hastily put your books in the mail so you'll have them to read throughout February!

Thank to everyone for reading along on our journeys.  We are so grateful to share our ups and downs of trying new things with all of you!

-Amy and Melissa