Note: This week, instead of taking a specific photo according to the prompt every day, I was not inspired by what I could photograph in my house and it was a bit rainy and cold to want to get outside. So, I ended up running around at the last minute on Sunday after Mass to take photos to fit the prompts. To keep up our last minute theme of this week, I also didn’t get to upload these photos until 10 minutes before the 10 pm cutoff time where my blog was set to auto-publish (I did this to give myself a deadline on purpose). This means that all of my photos are currently unedited.
This might not be a bad thing, though. While they will not look as good as they usually do, when I do get around to editing them, I can talk a bit about what my normal editing routine is like and what I choose to change.
Week 2 Prompt: Patterns in nature
I had intended to use a different photo for this prompt, but as I was uploading them, there was something about the shape of this tree that I really liked and swapped it out at the last minute.
Week 2, Day 2: A quiet corner
Knowing that I was going to be taking these photos after Mass, I had thought that either the Divine Mercy chapel or the area in the church with the votive candles by the statue of Mary between the confessionals. Both of these are quiet, reflective places that are great for prayer and reflection. The Divine Mercy chapel is a favorite place of mine. I love how cozy it is.
This is the edited version of my photo, added to the post as a Flickr embed. To my eye, it looks like this is a bit soft or blurry, compared to the actual photo. So, as an experiment, I uploaded the photo directly to my WordPress Media library below.
To my eye, looking at this from my laptop display, this direct upload appears to be slightly sharper. Let me know if you can see a difference.
Comparing the edited version to the unedited photo, I had adjusted the tilt (because I’ve never been able to hold a camera level), added contrast and pulled highlights. This helped to provide a bit more detail to the Divine Mercy painting and the stained glass window.
Week 2, Day 3: Something you’re looking forward to
On our latest grocery run, I picked up some chicken and carrots with the intention of making some homemade chicken soup. In an ideal week, I would make some kind of soup or stew on Sunday that we could keep in the fridge and have throughout the week.
Week 2, Day 4: Hands holding something warm
It was pretty cold today, but the wind was strong and made it feel quite a bit colder. After Mass, we were hungry and Donald was wanting a nice bowl of chili. We tried City Barbecue for the first time. Donald’s chili was made with brisket, and he liked it. I had the chicken tenders and mac & cheese – also pretty good. We liked their Original barbecue sauce best (after trying all of them), and the honey mustard and spicy ranch that they gave me for the tenders.
I did have a vision for this photo ahead of time and it did take another photo at a slightly lower point of view. Sometimes playing with perspective can give different moods to your image.
Week 2, Day 5: A peaceful walk view
After lunch, we went to Raintree Park, looking for a walking path that was close to the parking lot (since the cold wind was pretty vicious). The sun had peeked out between the clouds, so we got some sunshine and blue skies. The dusting of snow on the ground gives a bit of texture to the grass.
This photo (like all of them this week, except for the chicken soup) hasn’t been edited. It looks a little dark and flat because of the bright light of the sun, so I would play with the contrast and exposure a bit when I go to edit this.
In my edited photo, I tried to bring out the darkened pathway and ground, while preserving the blue of the sky. This happened due to the difference in light between the sun and the ground; the camera meters for an average exposure value for the photo, not wanting to blow out the sun, but the result is everything else being a bit too dark. Some fixes for this in camera are to use a graduated neutral density filter, so that it evenly darkens the sky portion of the photo, to make the overall exposure values similar, or to take several photos in a row where you use exposure compensation (or just adjust your settings manually) to take the same shot a couple stops overexposed and a couple stops underexposed (from your metered value) and edit them together with your editing software later. In your editing software, you may have an HDR feature that will try to approximate this for you automagically.
Week 2, Day 6: Something blue
We were so excited to see the blue skies arrive a bit later in the day. Seeing the sun comes out really lifts our spirits, especially since Michigan winter days are so often gray.
Week 2, Day 7: A reflection
I had expected to have to take a photo back at home for “A reflection,” but when I took a look at the photos I had taken and looked closely at this one, I saw a lot of reflection of the woods in the windows and paint and kind of liked that.
I’ll try to draw more attention to these reflections in the edit.
Final Thoughts for This Week
This is going to have to be a week where I give myself some grace. Not every week is going to have the same success or level of effort as other weeks. I may not have the same time or energy to pour into it. But I want to be okay with that. That is real life and this should be a fun thing to allow me to rediscover my love for taking photos instead of a string of deadlines.
I would love to hear of your photography stories and see any images you’ve created. Are you doing a Project 52 this year?
Granted, not the best photo, and I took it after we had already dug into our dinner, but making a warm dinner with my fiancé on a cold winter evening, and having the house fill with delicious smells – that’s a very calm and cozy feeling!
This is a Ground Turkey and Sweet Potato Bake (with rice and topped with cheese). It was tasty and filling, and we will have a ton of leftovers!
Week 1, Day 2: Morning light through a window
I like these patterned, sheer curtains in the living room. My pine tree, Sport, loves all the light.
The lesson of the day is … I don’t know where exposure compensation is on this new camera. A Google search and YouTube video later, and I now have one of my dials set to adjust this on the fly! There is a learning curve to entering a new camera ecosystem, but I’m excited to get to know my Alpha better!
Week 1, Day 3: A favorite mug or cup
This is a bit difficult, since I have a lot of mugs that I really like! However, this one is special because my fiancé, Donald, took me to St. Thomas for my birthday one year. It was our first US Territory together! We will have to return and make the trip to the National Park there, but we had a lot of fun driving on all the steep and winding roads in our rental Jeep and looking at the beautiful water!
Week 1, Day 4: Cozy layers
Nothing is cozier than freshly laundered bed linens! It was my idea to look into the Scandinavian (?) method of having separate duvets/duvet covers per person. I figured that it would help with any cover-hogging situations. And, so far, it’s been nice and works for us. I especially love to snuggle into bed right after a wash day, when the bedding still smells like detergent. Sure, it’s work to remake the bed and wrestle with the fitted sheets and duvets, but it’s a nice little gift to yourself at bed time!
My friend, Stacy, used to run a Project 52 group on Facebook a number of years ago, and since then, I’ve always toyed with the idea of doing this again. I loved the community aspect of it. I loved how the different prompts would push me to think just a bit more creatively. And I loved how it encouraged me to keep picking up my camera.
This past December, I got a new camera for my birthday/Christmas: a Sony Alpha 7 IV, and I’m going to start up a P52! And, since it’s really hard for me to contain myself to “just” a P52 when the possibility exists for me to do a 365… I will have one “official” prompt for the week, but then add in 6 additional prompts in case I (or anyone who wants to join me) feels a little extra that week and wants to make it a daily thing.
My current plan is to post the images on IG, on FB (which is probably going to be the easiest place for friends to reply with images of their own, if they choose), on my Flickr in a P52.26 album that I will share publicly, and here on Cadyly.com, where I can write more about the image, how I took it, and my thoughts around it.
I have a link.tree in my Instagram bio, which will take you to all the places.
I will be starting today, Thursday, January 1, 2026, because “New Year,” but I will have my weeks start on Monday and go through Sunday – so this week will be a short week.
My plan is to have all of the prompts out by mid-month for the upcoming month, so you have some time to plan out your images, if you are the planning type.
🌱 January’s Theme 🌱
January’s Theme is Fresh Starts & Winter Light. I’ve listed out each week’s main prompt, as well as 6 additional prompts per week. Feel free to do any of the prompts that you want, switch them out, do something entirely different… Whatever makes you feel happy and engaged. This isn’t graded and it’s supposed to be fun! (I need that reminder more than anyone!)
Week 1 (1/1 – 1/4): Something that feels calm
Morning light through a window
A favorite mug or cup
Cozy layers
Week 2 (1/5 – 1/11): Patterns in nature
A quiet corner
Something you’re looking forward to
Hands holding something warm
A peaceful walk view
Something blue
A reflection
Week 3 (1/12 – 1/18): Light and shadow
Winter sky
Your favorite snack
Something old you still love
A moment of rest
A simple breakfast
A texture you enjoy
Week 4 (1/19 – 1/25): Your current view
Something that smells good
A sign or word that stands out
Something silver or gray
A self-care moment
Something handmade
A book or page
Week 5 (1/26 – 2/1): Something that makes you smile
Footprints or paths
A soft fabric
A daily ritual
Window reflections
Something white
A favorite color
I hope you enjoy watching my photography journey this year, and I look forward to seeing what you capture!
I’m following Courtney from The Order of the Planner Stencils as she takes us through Soft Launch 2026! This is where we get our planners ready for the new year in slow steps, so we are not thrust into the new year with a blank page, feeling that we are already behind on Day 1.
Courtney started this series about 3 weeks ago at this point, but I just had my 2026 planner delivered today, so I’m jumping in now and hoping to catch up!
(Quick note: I have a lot of links to vendors in this post. I don’t get any money from the links, but just sharing them in case you are interested in seeing the things I’m talking about or are interested in getting some for yourself.)
Evaluate Your 2025 Planners
The first question is how many planners are you using. Good question. I have been all over the place searching for that elusive “planner peace.” I like the idea of simplicity, but I find that if it’s not too engaging, then… I don’t engage with my planner and I miss things. However, if it is too complicated, I will not have enough time to keep up with it and – again – it just won’t work for me. I like making my weekly planner spreads look pretty, but often this requires me to back-plan in order to space everything out aesthetically. So, how do I balance functional planning with decorative planning?
For many years, I have had one planner solely dedicated to work and (at least) one for “everything else.” Frequently, I would copy my work events into my primary planner. Starting two years ago or so, I started only putting work items into my primary planner if they affected my life outside of work, E.g . if I had to do something off-hours or was on-call for the week, or if there was an event happening that would call me into the office. (Now that I primarily work from home, I have to prepare myself for the commute!)
I have been using a daily planner for work for quite some time, but this year, after religiously updating my work planner every day, I’ve found that I have been neglecting this habit and not using it as often. I don’t tend to have as many To Dos day-to-day, so a dedicated To Do list hasn’t been needed lately. For this reason, I’m thinking of ditching my daily work planner for 2026 and just using our company’s Outlook.
I’ve been fairly happy with my MakseLife planner for my primary weekly planner, but finding that I haven’t been using the goal-setting sections as much as I had thought. Also, I like the idea of having my weekly spreads back-to-back, instead of having the weekly goal sheets in between. So this year, I am switching back to using an Erin Condren vertical. And for the first time in my life, I’m selecting the neutral inside instead of the bold, colorful one (WHAT?! I know.) Since I use sticker kits every week, it’s just easier than trying to cover up a large, darkly colored hexagon cluster on the monthly spread, or have to change the color blocks in the weekly view.
One planner for 2026! Whoo!
Well, maybe not quite….
I’m still hoping to get married in 2026, so there’s the Wedding Planner that has been sitting on the shelf WAITING for a wedding date…. TBD. Pray for us!
Make a 2026 Wishlist
What do I need to make my planning game work? My first thought was that I have all the things I need already, but this isn’t quite true.
I will need monthly kits and weekly kits. I like the monthly kits to all match, so I probably want to get them from the same shop. Last year, I got them all from TheCoffeeMonsterzCo. For 2026, I might buy from PlannerKate or Krissyanne Designs.
I tried using a tracker last year to plan out which weekly kits I was going to use during the year, both to use up what I have and to avoid overbuying for a specific holiday or season. This worked more or less, but I’m interested to see how I can make this more efficient.
For my Bookworm Life planner, I will need date dots (since it is undated).
Make a 2026 Line-Up
EC Vertical Neutral Weekly Lifeplanner
EC Wedding Planner (hopefully!)
Bookworm Life Planner from PeanutButterTaco – As a note, the 2026 version of the BWL will be on sale starting October 14th on Etsy.
Junk Journal – Does this count? I put in here random memories, photos, and ephemera from my day-to-day.
This was a super cute Christmas story that follows 3 siblings and their partners gathering at their childhood home for the holiday. Each of the siblings has a big secret they have been keeping from their normally close-knit family, and Mom Jenny is anxious to have one last perfect Christmas before everything changes. It had all of the feels of a cozy Hallmark-style movie. I enjoyed the multiple POVs and how each character was genuinely interested in the feelings of their family members and in resolving conflict in a respectful and peaceful manner. We don’t often get to see healthy conflict resolution in the media we consume. Each of these secrets had the potential to cause some serious emotional damage, but the characters approached the revelations seeking to understand and heal instead of blame and reject.
There were several different twists in the story. One, I predicted pretty early on, but then was led to reject my prediction – a pretty clever redirect by the author! The main point of the story was that keeping feelings bottled up, swept under a rug, or creating little white lies to “protect” others is never going to lead to anything but isolation and hurt feelings. Being open, honest, and emotionally mature is always the best way to go.
This felt very authentic – coming from someone who is used to having large, chaotic family holiday get-togethers with plenty of drama. And of course, all of the adult sibling squabbling, which always seems to crop up, no matter how old you get.
I would enthusiastically recommend this to my friends, especially as the nights get colder and longer and the holiday season approaches. Bake some cookies, make some hot chocolate, and settle in for a enjoyable night!
I was able to read and review this book before it is released thanks to Netgalley! It is scheduled to be released on October 7, 2025. Below is a sample of the book from Amazon.
Last week when I started playing the Nature’s Calling event, I just took a million screenshots, and then chose a select few to illustrate my blog post. This week, I’m playing around with some video editing.
I’ve screen captured myself playing the Sims 4 Nature’s Calling event for Week 2 and put it on my personal YouTube channel. I’ll embed that below, so you can watch it if you are interested.
I haven’t done any serious video editing in quite a while (and that was in Final Cut Pro, and I’m using Adobe Premiere now), so I’m back to newbie skill level. I’m hoping that this will inspire me to edit and post more of our travel videos (since we have a 3 1/2 year backlog already!). My edits are pretty minimal in this video, although I did learn how to do my closed captioning, so I’m pretty excited about that.
Here is a link to the video I watched to learn how to do the closed captioning. Both for your benefit, and my future reference. You’re welcome!
I also got to hear all of my “so,” “like,” and “um” words…. Sooo, that’s great….
I’m sure my narration will get better the more that I do it and am aware of what I’m saying.
I played these quests a bit later in the week – because life – so the Week 3 quests should be available in just a couple days. Let me know in comments if you’d prefer I share my experience via screenshots like in Week 1, or if you prefer the video walkthrough from this week.
The screenshot method is certainly a lot quicker to do, but I feel that the video option is a bit more… personable. (And by my unpolished presentation, you can be sure that it’s not AI generated!) I captured just over an hour of gameplay (after capturing and then losing about 1/3 of the gameplay because I didn’t know what I was doing). Next, I recorded my voiceover where I narrated the gameplay events. This took the same length of time, since I did it all in one take. I used Quicktime for both the screen capture and audio recording. I think it worked pretty well, considering that it’s a free app that came pre-installed on my Mac. Editing the video in Premiere took several hours, but I got it down to about 40 minutes. It took another 40 minutes to encode. Then, I was ready to upload it to YouTube. It was 1 am at this point and said that it would take 3 hours, so I went to bed. I ended up waking up around 5 am and couldn’t resist working on it some more. I finished all of the background video settings in YouTube Studio and published it. Then, learned how to do the captions and added those. After finalizing things on YouTube, I linked it on my Facebook page, and came here to make this blog post. It’s just about 7:30 am now, so post-upload editing took me 2 1/2 hours. I’m confident that I can get my production times down as I get more competent!
I hope you enjoy, and thank you for your feedback!
The Sims is by far my favorite game. It’s the only one that I’ve played with any regularity over quite a span of years. I’ve nearly collected all of the expansion packs, game packs and stuff packs (who can keep up with all of the kits unless you’re a Sims YouTuber or Twitch streamer?) and love finding out new ways to play the game.
To celebrate the upcoming Enchanted by Nature expansion pack (dropping July 10!), EA just launched a new in-game event called Nature’s Calling, and I jumped in as soon as it dropped today.
🌿 Week 1, Quest 1: Whispers on the Wind
The first quest, Whispers on the Wind, had two required and one optional tasks. The optional tasks in this event require specific content to have been purchased for your version of Sims 4.
⚠️ Don’t skip the optional task! Once you complete the required objectives, the optional one disappears. Do it first if you want the bonus reward.
📌 Tasks:
✅ [Optional] Place a Romantic Blanket from the Lovestruck Pack on your home lot
✅ Spend time outdoors
✅ Visit any park
I bought the blanket first, and put it on the lot, then had my Sim, Linden Zamia (a plant name, of course), make herself a nice garden salad picnic and enjoy it outside (fulfilling another task).
After her picnic lunch, I had Linden go to the Isle of Volpe Park in her home neighborhood of Henford-on-Bagley. This completed the Whispers on the Wind quest and I received the Reclaimed Woodworking Table, 5,000 Simoleons, and the Odonata Glasses.
🌿 Week 1, Quest 2: Attuned to the Echoes
The Quests tab on the Rewards pop-up showed the next quest available this week: Attuned to the Echoes.
📌 Tasks:
🎣 Fish from a pond (It took me a minute to find the fishing sign by the river, and apparently a river works – doesn’t have to literally be a pond)
🌥️ Cloudgaze or stargaze
🪑 Sit on a park bench and “listen to the wind” (The picnic table by the river worked to fulfill this one)
🗣️ Ask a Sim if they “hear the whisperings” (Luckily, a nearby Sim was grilling)
🛠️ Place the Reclaimed Woodworking Table on your home lot
🪵 Craft two sculptures on the woodworking table (Linden’s handiness skill is … a work in progress)
Fishing in the riverListening to the windCloudgazing“Do you hear this too?!”Jog in the park
When listening to the wind at the picnic table, I received this notification:
Linden hard at work making sculptures. It’s all about the skill gainz!
Once all of the Attuned to the Echoes tasks have been completed, I received the following rewards:
Handiness Vol 1
Reclaimed Wood Wall
Instant Hygiene
Touch Grass Weekly, Issue #1
⏳ What’s Next?
Once the weekly quests are done, the event window shows a countdown until the next quest set unlocks. Good news: if you’re joining late, you can still access previous weeks’ quests, and there’s a two-week grace period after the final week to catch up.
See you next week for the more Nature’s Calling quests!
For several years, we have used the Merlin Bird ID app to identify different birds while on our walks. This morning, I heard a different bird (from our usual robins and house sparrows), and it said it was a red-bellied woodpecker. I stepped out on the porch and quickly found the little guy on a tree in our front yard!
Paroxysm of Giggles / Critical Mass 