photoshop talk

I'm just now discovering the magical powers of photoshop. I've always been so intimidated, until I discovered "actions". I know there are many experts out there probably rolling their eyes and saying , "that is sooooo yesterday", but in case there are any fellow photoshop virgins out there, here are a few tips...

Pioneer woman has the best actions (what doesn't pioneer woman do that's the best?) go here to follow her instructions to download them for free. Once you have them downloaded, prepare to spend hours playing around with it. My favorites, and the ones I used for this photo, are fresh & colorful + boost (both in her first set) + colorized (in her second set). I love that with one click you can change the whole look of the photo instead of spending so long manually adjusting each setting.



Coffeeteaphotography.blogspot.com also has some fun free actions and iheartfaces.com also has some great photography tips, that's where I learned how to make the eyes pop. When you have your picture opened in photoshop, use the magnetic lasso tool to highlight the eyes (push shift when you're highlighting the second eye so they're both on the same layer), click "copy", then "paste" (this should create the new layer). Then go to "filter", "other", "high pass". Then click on "layer", "vivid light", and prepare to be amazed at them eyes. My friend was nice to let me interrupt her cleaning day {gasp} and kidnap her beautiful baby so that I could play around with my camera...

Another trick I learned is how to make your pictures bigger on blogger. Once you upload your picture, click on the "edit html" button (next to compose in the edit post mode), on the code for the picture look for "WIDTH: 400 px; DISPLAY;block; HEIGHT: 267 px" and delete that whole line. Then look for "s400" and change it to "s576", then click the "compose" button and that's it!

Projects

We have been busy, busy, busy at our house. Ricky got the dining room floor finished this week and I love the way it turned out. Parker was his trusty assistant this time around and was so excited to put some of his plastic toy tools to use. A safe and cautious carpenter always wears safety goggles, of course. Now that the wood floors are done, it's time to think about the carpet. That'll be next month's project. We'll have them installed though.

I'll admit, I didn't help much with the dining room floor (thanks for all your work honey!) but I've been busy working some magic of my own. With a little spray paint love, I turned these beauties:

Into this:

I love the splash of blue that it adds to my brown book shelf. Speaking of the brown bookshelf, I need you all to weigh in on my internal debate - should I paint that bookshelf and if so, black or white? I'm kind of leaning towards black, but I'm not sure. It's a nice solid wood shelf and I don't want to ruin it with a less then perfect paint job.

Next project...We got some forest green canisters for our wedding. They have served us well for 11+ years but it was time for them to go.

I've been on the look out for just the right canisters and finally found my canister soul mates at Goodwill. Who would have guessed? I brought these babies home, added a little paint and...

voila! They are a prefect match for my kitchen now!

I could tell my little wood block knife holder thing (what are they called?) was feeling very left out. So, being the loving decorator that I am, I let him in on the fun too.

They're not as impressive as new wood floors, but we all have to do our part. I love my new little set!

D is for....

(these are pre-Cannon days, bear with me :)

Drive-in movies. It may have been a little toasty (I think we sweated off the popcorn and candy calories in the first 5 minutes), and a little late at night, but it was such a fun night with friends and a great way to say good-bye to summer.

Duck tape crafts. I had this on my list so I was excited when my mom took the bull by the horns at our reunion and headed up the duck tape craft extravaganza. We made the purses by wrapping the duck tape around ziploc freezer bags then decorating them. I wish I would have gotten a picture of all the different ones, we had some creative ladies who let loose with duck tape flowers, ruffles, stripes and weaving.


Donuts. Is there anything you can't make with Rhodes dough? Defrost, make a donut shape, fry in hot oil and dip immediately in cinnamon/sugar mixture (you can also dip in powdered sugar)

Daddy lunch. One last hurrah before the kids start school and are doomed to PB&J for the next 10 months.

Dinosaur pictures. They didn't turn out quite like this, but the kids always have fun anytime paint is involved.

Dodgeball. Waterballoons were the only way to go with this, but the rules of the game didn't last long before it turned into a full on water fight.

Dirt drawings. Just like the elementary school glitter projects, just pour dirt on the glue instead.

What 6 year olds do on their birthday


They wake up at 5 am to open presents

They act surprised even though they already picked their present out 2 months ago and have asked about it every day since

They love all the special attention

They think everything tastes better with a candle in it

They spend all morning absorbed in the new legos and get mad when they can't skip school to play with them

They get so excited for mom to come eat lunch with them at school. They look so cute when mom comes to eat lunch with them at school.

They thrive on being the center of attention because everyone wants to be friends with the boy who brings cupcakes

They have been counting down the days and hours until their party for the past 11 months and anxiously await the arrival of each guest

They insist on plain cheese pizza because next to ramen noodles and cold cereal, that's all they ever want to eat

They don't care that their whole party had to change at the last minute since the movie times at the drive-in switched and they had to see a movie at they dollar theater that they've already seen, because all they really care about is the presents anyway

They love their friends. Especially the ones that give really good presents.

They don't care that their mom makes really crappy cakes, as long as it has lots of frosting and candy (I saw these cute cake/cupcake toppers that were right up my ally, it's just dum dums dipped in water-not licked, contrary to popular belief-and rolled in sprinkles)

They don't care when their little brother blows out their candles. Okay, maybe they do, but they're quick to forgive

They have way too much energy and show off way too much, but hey, it's your birthday. Go buck wild, you deserve it.

We love you Jayden, you bring a whole new element of excitement into our family. You are a very determined little guy, and although your stubborness can get the most of you sometimes, I love that when you set your mind to something you don't stop until you get it. You march to the beat of your own drum and I admire the way you could care less what other people think. You have such an infectious laugh and a smile to die for. I can't wait to see what amazing things you accomplish as you grow up, we love you Jayden! Happy birthday!

Beezus and Ramona


I told Kylie I would take her to this movie when she finished reading the book, but I couldn't wait that long. It was such a cute movie (I loved those books when I was little) and I walked away all inspired that I should be one of those moms that don't care what their kids wear but let them thrive in the lime light of their individual personality. That lasted a whole 12 hours until Kylie was begging me to the point of tears to let her have bangs and I refused. Sure I shouldn't care, as long as she is confident about herself and loves the way she looks. But seriously, I have been counting down the days until her bangs are long enough to tuck behind her ears and I am going to scream if I see another strand hanging in her eyes ever again. Bad mom, no bangs, end of story.

Capturing a Moment

This morning Parker and I were sitting on the floor in the family room together. He was so happy telling me about the dream he had had that night and delighted about our plans to spend the day together. He had on his astronaut pajamas, train engineer hat and a smile to die for. The morning sunlight was shining right on his face giving his blue eyes an extra sparkle. It was a seemingly simple moment but one that really left an impression on me. What a blessing it is to be a mother. To teach and prepare these sweet little angles for the things that lie ahead of them in this earth life and through eternity. As I savoured this simple yet profound moment I wished there was some way to capture it. To stick in in a jar and put it on a shelf so that when my reservoir of patience and joy runs low I can pull it out and pour myself a bowl full of motherly bliss. Our special little moment was just that, a moment. Then it was back to breakfast, getting the house cleaned and on with life. What a sweet and refreshing pause in my day though to reflect on the significance of why I do what I do and the eternal impact it has on my sweet kids. I'm grateful for the little glimpse of heaven I had this morning in the eyes of my child.