Butterfly Kisses & Elephant Parades

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-27T11:46:00.002-07:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

I've posted some updates on my new blog. Check them out here!

A new blog

2011-10-02T22:51:00.002-06:00

I have started up a new blog: http://hooperpalooza.blogspot.com/

I couldn't figure out how to change my sign-in email address with this blog (it signs in through Google), and I've changed my email address.

Thank you,

Commitment Issues

2011-02-06T11:37:00.003-07:00

In March 2009, I posted about a very optimistic plan to lose weight. I had goals, both short term and long term. I had hope.

I even wrote a poem that expressed my feelings of being overweight

When I look in the mirror

I don't like what I see

Flab handing from my arms

How can that be?

I look at my waistline

Love handles all around

And when I see my profile

A double chin hanging down

A bulging belly

and thunderous thighs.

I look at my backside

to a behind that I despise.

Lugging pound after pound

I find myself out of breath.

If I keep up this trend,

it will surely lead to my death

Well, it is now 2011. Nearly two years later. I can tell you that up until last fall, I really didn't make any progress. In fact, I got worse during part of the year. Below is a chart of my weight from March 2009 to March 2010. My highest weight during that period was 249 pounds.

Alright, so last fall, I stepped up my game and really attempted to "stick to it." I cut back on what I ate, I went to the gym 3 times a week, and found other ways to be active. I actually made progress! A lot of progress!

Check it out:

On September 1st, 2010, I weighed 235 pounds. I went to Zumba class, tried Turbo Kickboxing, and really watched my eating habits. I lost about 17 pounds in a month. I've lost another 13 pounds during the last few months of the year, for a total of 30 pounds.

The holidays kicked my butt and I was too busy for the gym. Too busy to watch what I ate. So, I've gained about 4 pounds back. At my last weigh in, I was at 206 pounds. My lowest during all this was 203 pounds.

I still have a ways to go before I reach my goal. Even though I started much later than I had planned, I think I've made some good progress.

Here's a collage that illustrates the weight loss a bit more clearly than charts.

Update

2011-01-25T18:45:00.003-07:00

Okay....I neglected my blog. I know it. I figured I would set a record for inactivity. Not buying it? Neither am I. Here's a few pictures and I'll see if I'm feeling froggy to get some major updates on this site. :)

Tristan's pouty face

Kisses for little sister

Look ma! I have two ring pops!

My babies!

Belated greetings

2010-04-11T23:02:00.003-06:00

Life has become quite hectic and has sped by this year. I cannot believe it is already April. I haven't posted since 2009! Why? Taking three classes this semester may have had a bit to do with it. Work becoming overly busy the past few months may have not helped. Here's my first quarter, 2010, recap:

Tristan was kicked out of daycare - it was a home daycare. Our provider told us she couldn't handle him and that he was showing signs of severe ADD.
We put the kids in Tristan's old daycare, a commercial one, for a premium (over $300 a week)
We take Tristan to the doctor's to get evaluated.
Doctor says he's an active four year old that we don't have to worry too much about until he is closer to school age. In the meantime, praise him when he is quiet and following directions and offer him a fairly structured day.
We're not sure, but we think it really wasn't our son that was the problem. We are still a bit upset about the ordeal.
Scott now is a stay at home dad with the children. I work full time and go to school about 3/4 time (3 classes a semester is my goal).
I'm happy that my children get to be at home with their father. Not many children have that privilege and I hope one day they will appreciate that.
I'm jealous that it isn't me staying at home with them. Unfortunately, the job market is still pretty horrible and he wouldn't be able to make enough to let me stay at home.
Tristan is now playing on a soccer team through the city's Park and Recreation program.
Tristan isn't so enthusiastic about playing. He's more enthusiastic about watching his shadow.
Melayna is more enthusiastic about soccer than her big brother is. Maybe we'll save the cleats and shin guards for her.
I'm turning 27 this month. Not any major milestone or anything. Just another year that I can be thankful to be alive.

Honestly not much exciting stuff has been happening lately. A few personal things going on, but otherwise pretty darn good. I can be very thankful that we were able to manage living on one income without to many adjustments. I'd have to say the hardest would be the groceries. I've tried so hard to cut down on our spending, but I just can't seem to stay within budget. Perhaps my budget is unreasonable.

Anyway, I'll leave you with some of the few pictures (and I mean few - poor cameras have been neglected) I've taken over the past quarter.

Melayna sporting a pretty cool sweater from her Uncle Robert. It is a little big for her, but she'll grow into it.

Melayna testing out the balance beam at the YMCA downtown. They had a free Easter celebration and I went along with some good friends.

Tristan playing at the YMCA for Easter.

Melayna going through a crawling tube. She was having a blast!

Tristan having fun.

December recap

2009-12-26T13:04:00.001-07:00

My goodness, it has been busy. I successfully passed both my classes with A's. I wasn't so sure about Research Writing, but I got through them. I start the next semester January 11th. I'll be taking two classes on Monday and Tuesday nights for eight weeks before heading into the next bunch of classes.

Well, I completely missed posting about Tristan's fourth birthday and his birthday party. I also didn't post about putting up Christmas lights and decorations. And of course, I didn't post about Christmas yesterday.

Ten days ago, Tristan turned four. I really can't believe that four years has gone by since he first came into our lives. He is quite the kiddo. He's very smart and articulate. However, he can be quite bossy, hard-headed, and impatient. What young boy isn't, though? In celebration of his fourth birthday, we had a party for him at L'il Biggs (kind of like Chuckie Cheese's but without the big mouse). He and some friends got to play and have fun. It almost ended in disaster though. He got sick just an hour before the party and luckily we brought a bucket with us because he got sick in the car, too. He was so upset and miserable. We couldn't cancel so close to party time. So, we gave it a shot. If all else, we'd be there to greet guests, pay for the party and let the guests have fun while we took Tristan home. But I guess, fun was his remedy of choice. He must have gotten whatever was bugging him out of his system.

We had a Transformers themed party since he is obsessed with them. Almost every gift he received was something Transformers related.

And Tristan got to play air hockey for the first time. He was super excited.

So, overall he had an enjoyable time. In fact, at one point during the party, he came up to me and told me, "Mommy, this is the best birthday party!"

Tristan has definitely blossomed into a big boy. He is, for the most part, a good big brother and such a fun, energetic child. I can't wait to see how much he develops and grows in this next year.

Gingerbread House

2009-12-12T10:40:00.001-07:00

I am short on time as of late (I don't even have Christmas lights up - just the tree, a wreath, and our mantle decorations), so I bought a neat little Gingerbread House kit for Tristan to help decorate. He was super excited about it. He kept bugging me about it when we got home but I told him that it would have to wait until his sister went to bed.

A familiar kit you find in just about any supermarket or Walmart you visit. I even saw a gingerbread train at Albertson's.

Tristan was absolutely proud of his creation. I controlled the icing and he controlled the candy (for the most part). That icing was so difficult to work with and I cut the corner a little to bit so being precise was next to near impossible.

Of course, Daddy had fun trying to "eat" the gingerbread house, while Tristan adamantly insisted he not do so.

Enjoying the bed

2009-12-06T09:06:00.001-07:00

I'm testing out a new blog writing software that is compatible with Mac. I'm really missing LiveWriter, but it is only compatible with Windows. There is some awesome looking software for Mac for blog writing purposes but they cost upwards of about $40. I found this add-on for FireFox that works write off of my browser called ScribeFire. I'm mainly looking for ample writing space, instead of Blogger's tiny little window that takes less than a quarter of your screen, and image manipulation, making pictures larger and such without degrading picture quality. I know I probably won't get the cool border looking stuff that LiveWriter has without paying for software.

So far, this add-on is promising. I can adjust the screen to take up all of my browser window or less depending on if I need to browse at the same time.

Now for the pictures. Here are pictures of the children enjoying the loft bed.

Well, the picture insertion is somewhat of a pain. Blogger allows you to upload up to five images at a time. This add-on only uploads one at a time (and you have to wait for it to fully upload). Editing of pictures is limited to resizing it and alignment (left, center, right) and text wrap.

Some cool features:
Post splitter (see line just above)
Add YouTube video
Custom HTML and HTML editing (if you're good at that stuff)
Editing previous entries
Post preview (seeing your entry on your actual blog before posting it)
Adding Technorati tags, TrackBack URLS, Timestamp modification
Editing multiple blogs
Ability to save your post even though this is a browser based application

The flipside:
While the in browser editing is cool, if you're a tab user the editing software will be on every tab. This reduces your browsing space if you like to keep the editor large.
The picture editing is very limited and super slow
Limited font styles available (Live Writer pretty much had whatever fonts you had in Word and fonts you installed on your PC I believe)

If you have a Mac and you are looking for free blog writing software, this one may work. It is only an add-on so it isn't a complete program that you have to install. You'll need Firefox and you'll need to search for ScribeFire on the add-ons page.

I'll be testing out another Mac compatible software with another posting as well.

Project Completed

2009-12-03T22:53:00.003-07:00

I can't believe how busy I've been lately. I also can't believe that December is here and the year is drawing to a close.

Well, I've been busy, busy, busy with school work, house work, work work, and everything else in between. I don't have much time to just sit and reflect. I don't have much time to just collect my thoughts.

Scott and I have been busy almost every Sunday completing a project. We built a loft bed for Tristan. It has been a long process. It certainly is not perfect. However, it is something we created that will last us a good long time.

I wasn't involved during the first few Sundays. I mostly watched the kiddos while Scott and our friends, Brad and Dani, worked on the bed.

Scott designed the bed using images we found on the internet as a guide. He opted to create a box that holds the mattress that was to be bolted to the frame. Here Scott is drilling the holes for the carriage bolts while Brad holds up the other side.
Once it was all put together, we worked hard at sanding it. Don't be fooled, though. I did a majority of the sanding.
After sanding it, we conditioned the wood with pre-treatment and stained it "gun barrel" On Thanksgiving, we put the polyurethane coat to finish off the bed. Scott took it apart, his mother transported everything in her pick-up, and it was set up in the kids' room.
Here is the final product. It is just tall enough for Tristan to walk underneath without having to duck. At first Tristan freaked out and was too scared to be up in his bed. Less than ten minutes later and he was going up and down with no problems. We've since put up blankets and sheets to turn the bottom area into a "house" or "fort" The kids had a blast. I'll post pictures of the children enjoying the bed at a later time.

For now, I must retire to bed. I worked overtime today so I'm a bit tired.

I♥Faces: Week 47

2009-12-01T20:32:00.003-07:00

This week's theme is tooshies. Pictures from the back side. I thought I was going to get a cutsie picture of my one year old in cloth diapers, but I ran into an issue: time - I work, I have school, and I get home late (it is dark, so not good for lighting, and my daughter is asleep).

So, I instead have this picture of my boy from our visit to the zoo. They have this awesome play area where I got a cute picture of him crawling over the tunnels.

Check out all the cute tooshies at www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com

I♥Faces: Week 46

2009-11-23T22:14:00.003-07:00

This week is all about sun flares. Here's a pic I captured at Melayna while hanging out at my dad's. Her poor nose was all banged up from falling face first into the pavement. She's a trooper though.

Check out all the sun flares at www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com

I♥Faces: Week 45

2009-11-17T06:50:00.003-07:00

Check out all the other Autumn Beauties at www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com

A new beginning

2009-11-03T22:13:00.002-07:00

So, life has been crazy hectic lately. School, work, family and other obligations have me just absolutely busy. To make matters worse my computer crashed. But there is an interesting story that goes with that, so let me rewind a bit.

Since starting school, I've been having laptop fever. I will be doing some weekend intensive courses in the future that will be in a city a couple hours away. This means that I'll be away from home with no computer access (except on campus before and after class). Well, on Halloween, we went to the Apple store here in town. I've never owned an Apple computer before. I have always been intrigued. Sadly, we left without a Mac in hand.

Later that evening we go home to get ready for Trick-or-Treating. I go to turn on my computer and what happens? It doesn't come on. It doesn't boot up. Some root file is corrupt or missing. What? Really? Why now? At least a thousand pictures, gone. Nearly a hundred videos, gone. Paint Shop Pro projects, gone. Tax files, gone. Devastated cannot begin to describe how I feel.

There is hope. I might have a solution. But the computer itself is pretty much done for. So, what do I do in light of my situation? I buy a Mac. Not just any Mac, a Macbook Pro. Excited? Yes. Happy? Yes. I finally took the plunge and went to the other side.

So far I am liking this bad boy. I'm in bed, typing up this post. I'm hooked up via our wireless router so I can check Facebook from anywhere in the home. We went to Panera Bread today for dinner. Tristan was having some hissy fit. So, I bust out the laptop, connect to their free wireless network and start up Harold and the Purple Crayon for him on Hulu. He was quiet and happy.

So, as I attempt to retrieve my pictures and files, I will bask in my new laptop. I am super excited to figure out all it can do.

Friendship Bread

2009-10-24T12:20:00.001-06:00

Over a week ago, our daycare provider, Lisa, gave us “Amish” friendship bread. Its instructions were simple. Moosh the bag for five days, add flour, sugar, and milk on the sixth day, and moosh the bag for four more days. On the tenth day, follow the recipe instructions to make two loaves of bread and four one-cup starter bags to give out and/or keep.

Today is day ten. Tristan was my assistant in the kitchen as we added ingredients, divided the starter batter, and added more ingredients to make the bread. I have four bags, one of which I’ll keep for myself, and three others I will distribute to friends.

While my bread is baking, and filling our home with its yummy aroma, I decided to do a bit of research.

According to Wikipedia, Amish Friendship Bread is “a type of bread or cake made from a sourdough starter that is often shared in a manner similar to a chain letter.” Although named “Amish” Friendship Bread, the recipe itself did not originate with the Amish. “True Amish Friendship Bread is just sourdough bread that is passed around to the sick and needy” – Wikipedia. In fact, this method of feeding yeast every five days is an old method dating back to Ancient Egypt. Before cultured yeasts became available and commercialized, bakers would use natural yeasts to make sourdough bread. It is not uncommon for a baker’s starter dough to have years of history. In fact, each bakery can have it’s own distinct taste based on culture, air temperature, humidity, and elevation.

As for the friendship bread, it is a neat thing to share with friends and family. There is a air of mystery as I often wonder when our batch of starter really got its start. Regardless, I’ll be passing this along to three people who I believe will truly appreciate the mix.

In my search I found a website that shares the starter recipe, the ten day instructions on what to do with your starter, a basic (the most common) recipe, and variations of that recipe to suit your tastes.

At MomsWhotThink.com (http://www.momswhothink.com/bread-recipes/amish-friendship-bread.html) the starter, the ten day instructions, and the basic recipe are included on this one page. They include some variations; however, I found more at armchair.com (http://www.armchair.com/recipe/bake002.html – scroll to the bottom for their variations page). I have the instructions and basic recipe below since the recipe I was given varies slightly from those on the websites.

Since I am keeping one of the four starters, I plan to make more bread and distribute more starters to friends who have shown an interest. However, I plan on trying the variations.

Update: The bread came out of the oven and meant to take pictures. But it smelled oh so yummy that I couldn’t resist. The children and I love it! It is a bit sweet, but it goes great with a glass of milk.

Instructions

Day 1 – Do nothing. This is the day you receive the starter batter

Day 2 – 5 – Moosh and burp the bag. Since the yeast is fermenting inside the bag, you’ll notice it bubbling. Just squish the bag to mix up the batter and let the air out.

Day 6 – Add 1 cup each: flour, sugar, milk. Moosh, then burp the bag.

Day 7 – 9 – Moosh and burp the bag

Day 10 – Moosh and burp the bag, then make the bread

Use non-metal utensils and bowls. Loaf pan can be metal.

Pour contents of bag into bowl.

Add 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and 1 1/2 cups milk.

Pour 1 cup of the mixture each into four gallon sized Ziploc bags (or plastic containers with lids if you have no Ziploc bags).

Give three to friends and keep one for yourself if you want to make more bread in 10 ten days. (Mark the date on the bag just in case you don’t give your friend the bag on the first day).

In a small bowl mix 1/2 cup sugar with 1 tsp cinnamon

Add to the remaining batter in the bowl the following ingredients:

1 cup oil
3 eggs
Mix batter.

Add the following:

1/2 cup milk

1 cup sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups flour

1 large box vanilla instant pudding mix

Mix batter.

Divide batter evenly into two bread pans (pans greased and lightly dusted with cinnamon/sugar mixture). Top with dusting of cinnamon/sugar mixture. Bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees.

Variations I plan on trying:

Healthier mix – substitute 1 cup oil with 1 cup applesauce, use sugar free pudding mix, and 2% milk instead of whole

Cinnamon rolls – so not healthy, but sounds oh so yummy

Pancakes and waffles

Creating a chocolate version with chocolate pudding (instead of vanilla) and 1 cup of chocolate chips.

And so many more!

I♥Faces: Week 41

2009-10-20T19:43:00.001-06:00

It has been months since I last entered into iheartfaces weekly themes, but I really want to get back into the swing of things. As if life hasn’t been busy enough with work, school, the children, and anything else I’ve got going on. I’ve enjoyed catching up with the site, seeing all the beautiful and inspirational entries.

This week’s theme is pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness.
Here is a picture of my daughter taken a bit ago. I made her a pink tutu and pink flowered headband.

Check out all the pink submissions at iheartfaces.blogspot.com

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-10-14T21:34:00.000-06:00

Oh my goodness! You have to check out these spectacular costumes at Grosgrain! I think this is one of her best creations yet! Melayna might be able to wear the Alice costume since she is in 18 month clothes, but I really can't wait for her to be old enough for the Queen of Hearts costume. I'm crossing my fingers! :)

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

TINaciousPhoto.com

2009-10-10T09:15:00.001-06:00

On Melayna’s first birthday, Tristan stayed with Grandpa while Melayna got Mommy and Daddy all to herself. We took her to see Coleen Swanson, a very talented photographer here in Colorado Springs. I first met Coleen almost two years ago when my company hired her to do some event work. Since then, she’s been to numerous events of ours taking pictures. I love photography and seeing her work really inspired me to take my photography to the next level (DSLR, instead of point and shoots).

I really didn’t know what to expect, but we came prepared with several outfits, including a homemade tutu, and a small cake for Melayna to dig into during the session. We must have changed her five times during the session. Coleen let us do what we liked and kept everything natural. She would see Scott interact with Melayna and start taking pictures. She valued our opinion and thoughts as well as suggest our own. She was patient with our curious, active baby. I was amazed at how easy the process was and how relaxing it was. When Tristan turned one, we took him to one of the mall places (Sears, JCPenny’s, or some department store like that). We waited and waited because they were running behind. While Tristan was cute, he never smiled. The pictures were too plain, too ordinary. After our session with Coleen, we got to preview the SOOC shots and choose what we liked. She took at least two hundred shots! While I wish I could keep almost every one of them, we had to narrow it down. I think we got it down to just over fifty. Anyway, none of the shots were too plain or ordinary. It was our little girl’s personality shot after shot. Her cheesy grin when digging into the cake. That trouble-maker shining through when she was doing something she really shouldn’t be doing. Her curiosity seeking out something hidden. And her persistence, always trying to go for what she’s after over and over again.

If you’re in Colorado Springs, or close by, and looking for a photographer that is personal and creative, I suggest meeting Coleen. She doesn’t just do portraits of babies. She does family sessions, senior photography, sensual photography, weddings, and more. She’ll come to you where you want to shoot (the park, the mountains, your home, etc) or you can see her in her studio. Either way, you’ll be impressed with what she does. For a sample of her work, check out her site at TINaciousphoto.com.

Here is a teaser photo she sent us after post processing work:

A birthday Celebration

2009-10-04T10:54:00.001-06:00

Yesterday we had family and friends over to celebrate Melayna’s birthday.

Hello Sweet Girl

2009-10-01T22:00:00.001-06:00

One year ago today we welcomed her into this world. We didn’t know who she was or what she would be like. We only knew that we loved her unconditionally and that she was ours.

My intelligent, beautiful little girl. You are everything I have ever wanted in a daughter. That and so much much more. I cannot believe how fast time flew. It was just yesterday that I held you in my arms and you weren’t trying to wriggle free. We have watched you become a toddler – from crawling to walking. We have seen your personality develop.

I still can’t help myself comparing you and your brother. How you’ve reached this milestone first or that milestone later than he. I realize, though, that you are unique. That you are your own person.

When, and if ever, you read this, I’d like you to know a little bit about yourself:

You had your 12 month check-up today. Yes, on your birthday.
You’re 25 lbs and 30 inches tall
You were immunized today….you didn’t like it
You love “talking” – you can clearly say “mama”, “daddy”, and “hi”
You’ve been walking since around 10 months
You have more bumps and bruises than your brother ever did at this age
You love to climb on and off things – hence the bumps and bruises
You “cuddle” and “hug” stuffed animals
You can growl
You pretend to talk on the phone
You dance
You love food….really love food.
You don’t want to get off the bottle quite yet
You’re a light sleeper
You’re quite ornery for your age
You like to point at things for mama or dada to tell you what it is
You love games like peek-a-boo
Your hair is still really, really blonde and your eyes are hazel (they look green when you wear green, blue when wearing blue, etc)

If I missed something, I’m sorry. There is so much about you that I could go on forever. You’re an active little girl and you love getting into everything.

Today, on your birthday, Mommy and Daddy took you to get your pictures taken by Coleen. She’s an awesome photographer and really took some great pictures of you. You had a blast for most of it. We changed you into and out of outfits. But your favorite part of all was the cake. Dressed only in a diaper and a birthday hat, you were allowed to dig in. And you dug right in! You did it with style by flashing your cutest, cheesiest grin.

You went almost all day without a nap and without getting too cranky. We had you out from morning until after your check-up. You were so tired that you fell asleep in your car seat on the way home (which rarely happens).

Melayna – you are an amazing child and we are so proud and so blessed to have you in our lives. I pray that this year is the first of many for you. I can’t wait to see you grow into a little girl and see what kind of person you become. We will always love you from the bottom of our hearts.

Happy Birthday, my sweet little girl!

Tristan was here

2009-09-14T07:07:00.001-06:00

The Denver Children’s Museum is such a fun place for the kids. We let them do whatever they want without too much worry. One cool thing about the museum is seeing our daughter experience the same things her brother did.

Tristan’s first visit was when he was about fifteen months. He has just really started walking in the month prior. On a holiday weekend, we decided to make a trip to the Aquarium in Denver. After our visit (which Tristan absolutely loved by the way), we saw the Children’s Museum was right next door. We figured that since we were up there, we would take a look.

This picture below was taken in an area that had a child-sized ant hill and other things that small animals live in. The children could dress up as ants and other small animals while crawling through the tunnels. Below Tristan’s picture is Melayna in the same spot. She is still quite a few months younger than Tristan was in this picture, but

PatchWork

2009-09-13T08:55:00.001-06:00

On Friday nights, Scott usually heads over to his friend’s house and plays board games. Not your average board game like Monopoly and Candyland. They play games such as Ubongo, Wasabi, and Small World. You see, Scott’s friend Joe is an avid collector of board games. By avid collector, I mean he has hundreds of board games (I really don’t know the exact number but I think it is close to five hundred). Before Scott met Joe through a mutual friend, Joe had started a group called the Friday Night Gamers. It is a group of friends (some have come and gone) that hang out at Joe’s to play board games on, you guessed it, Friday nights. Joe must have the most tolerant wife ever, because it gets pretty crowded in their home most nights and it is usually around 3am when the last few people leave (this includes Scott on most occasions).

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I really didn’t care much for Scott leaving me alone with the kids on Friday nights (he’s worked nights, so I have the kids by myself just about every night except Saturdays because of his gaming habit). I’ve tried going with him and while it is a blast to play, it isn’t so much fun trying to keep track of two little ones – and finding a babysitter on Friday nights is pretty hard for us.

Honestly, it isn't so bad that he hangs out with his buddies on Fridays. It is better than the alternative, such as going to bars, drinking, and so on. Oh, I forgot to mention that Joe’s is a non-alcoholic establishment. Joe is a family man and besides, board games are better played when everyone can think straight.

So, why all this game talk? I’ll get to that in a second.

Scott bought a motorcycle two summers ago for the first time. It was a small starter bike. But he was excited to have a motorcycle. That same summer Joe bought one (actually I think he got two – one to work on and one to ride). Over the last two years, at least four others from the gaming group have bought motorcycles. My father (not associated with the gaming group) bought a motorcycle this past summer. Apparently, Scott started some motorcycle fever.

Well, the gaming group now has an official subsection of just motorcycle riders. So, the idea of a patch for their leather jackets came up. Joe worked on concept. Scott told him that he has program that can do better. He worked off of Joe’s idea and came up with several designs. This is one they liked but it wasn’t “perfection” yet.

I, then, volunteered my services to create a patch. I was told to incorporate dice, a motorcycle, the checkered pattern, and the text included in Scott’s design. I didn’t get far with the text, but here are my first two concepts:

They loved my concept, but liked Scott’s elements (the motorcycle, his dice, flaming text). While I really, really love my die, I had to go with the group’s concept. It isn’t my patch anyway.

So with some collaboration with Scott, we came up with this:

From what I gathered, it is being submitted for proof and pricing with a patch making company.

So, this is what it would possibly look like on the back of a jacket.

Vroom!

2009-09-11T22:19:00.001-06:00

Over a month ago, Scott was in a motorcycle accident. Fortunately, he was wearing his jacket, gloves, and helmet. Fortunately, he was going under 20mph making a turn when he hit the sand.

Unfortunately, his bike was a loss. The insurance company paid us for the bike and we used the money for a down payment on a mini-van. A new motorcycle wasn’t to enter the equation until tax time next year. We figured since winter was right around the corner that we’d just get a second vehicle instead of a motorcycle that wouldn’t get ridden.

We were going to wait to get him a bike. That is, until my dad told him that he’d loan him the money. I’m not a big fan of borrowing money, especially from loved ones. But this was a transaction between Scott and my father. Additionally, I didn’t really have a problem with this because it is one thing they have in common. My dad bought a motorcycle earlier this summer and has been loving the thrill of riding. It is something Scott and my father share, so I really couldn’t argue.

Besides, a new bike means photo opportunities, right?

Isn’t he just handsome? I can’t believe that he’s not a baby anymore.

I don’t know where this picture came from. I must have been laughing pretty good about something.

Side view of the bike. Very big and very pretty looking.

Doesn’t he look happy? He, of course, got a bigger, louder motorcycle. His grin just doesn’t go away when he talks about his new bike.

Gaga Bum Reversible Pinafore GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-09-05T21:05:00.000-06:00

This pinafore is adorable. I don't know what size it is, but it wouldn't hurt to try. Check it out by clicking the link below:

Gaga Bum Reversible Pinafore GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Spaghetti

2009-09-03T22:05:00.001-06:00

Have I mentioned my daughter’s love for food? More accurately, her love of putting just about anything in her mouth. I thought that as a baby gets closer to the one year mark, that sticking things in mouths tends to dissipate. As a matter of fact, it not only gets worse, but they start to put things in whoever's mouth happens to be within reaching distance. Regardless of putting just anything in her mouth, Melayna loves food. She has always had a hammering for food. Especially food that doesn’t come from a jar and not made especially for baby (you know, the bland stuff). This girl loves flavor.

I can’t deny my little peanut the wonders of food. More importantly, I cannot deny her the joys of getting good and messy.

What better dish to do the job than spaghetti?

This was one satisfied little lady.

Splish splash I was takin’ a bath!

2009-08-31T22:52:00.002-06:00

I realized that I really don’t have many pictures of the girlie enjoying a good ‘ole bath. Tristan, I had tons of pics of him in the tub. It is so much fun for little kiddos (as long as the aren’t afraid).

Anyway, I was giving the girlie her bath and I decided to bring my camera along. Tristan later joined in on the splashing fun. When I’ve got both kids in the tub, the floor is guaranteed to get soaked.

Look at that girl

2009-08-31T22:13:00.001-06:00

Melayna will be eleven months old tomorrow. Eleven months. Just one more and she’ll be a year old. Has it been that long already? This year seems a blur. In fact, each passing year seems to be a blur. Even Tristan is growing up right before my eyes.

At eleven months, Melayna can already walk. She’s been walking for a few weeks now, but progress is slow. Currently, she averages six steps before plopping on the floor. Her personal best (at least that I’ve seen) is about ten steps (which increases just about every day). She uses her index finger to point at things. She tries to use objects for what they are intended for. Notable ones would be the phone (she holds it up to her head and babbles), spoon (she tries to dip it in the bowl to get food), and straws and cups (she can sip through saws and she’s been able to drink from a cup for quite a long time already). She dances whenever she hears music (dancing usually means swaying and bouncing to her). She can wave by opening and closing her hand (not the side to side motion yet).

This little lady, though, can be quite the spit fire. She’s got quite the scream when things don’t go her way. She knows how to get on her daddy’s and brother’s buttons. If she wants something, she usually first tries to grab it, but if that fails, then she screams….loud….very loud. She grabs and pinches, sometimes on purpose. She throws and smacks. She has tantrums. Basically, my little girl has quite the attitude already. She is not mellow like her brother. She isn’t content with just sitting still and playing. She definitely is teaching me what it truly means to be patient.

Despite my little sassafras being the way she is, I wouldn’t ask for her to be any other way. She is still an adorable, intelligent little girl. She is all I could as for in a daughter. I’m quite excited to see how she grows up. What direction her disposition and attitude take her in life. She could mellow out eventually. But only time will tell. Until then, I’ll enjoy this last month of infanthood. This last month of her first year.

Family Trip

2009-08-20T22:19:00.001-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, I took a vacation. It was the first extended vacation that I have taken since working as an administrative assistant (over two years). My longest time out, though, was maternity leave last quarter of 2008.

For three days of my vacation, we took a family trip to Forbes Park near Fort Garland, Colorado. We got to stay in one of my bosses’ cabin. It was pretty neat getting away from the city.

We did some nature walks, shoot with BB guns and rifles, went to the Sand Dunes (I’ll post pictures from that portion of the trip later), went fishing, made s’mores, and just had a good time.

Hooked on Phonics

2009-08-16T16:22:00.000-06:00

A while back I was introduced to Bob Books by Thingamababy. His daughter began reading Bob Books at an early age. Read about it here. Shortly after learning about the books, I bought the first set. We didn’t have much luck. Over time they were mostly forgotten as other books became Tristan’s favorites. Tristan was still interested in reading and eventually writing.

Here a month shy of three is his writing (mostly tracing) a few letters (he could write some letters without tracing, but this was the only time I bothered to take a picture of his writing):

Yes, he’s a lefty. I was corrected by my mother-in-law. Apparently, her mother and her grandmother were both lefty’s. Now I know where he got it from. ~~An oddity since I don’t know of any lefty’s on either side of the family~~.

I did some searching for programs and sites that are kid friendly as Tristan became more interested in the computer. I found www.starfall.com. It focuses on literacy through phonetics. Some parts of it is kind of cheesy, but to a three year old, it was something new and something Mommy and Daddy would allow him to play around with while on the computer. I would let him play around on his own and with our guidance. Before I knew it, he was pronouncing all the letters phonetically with amazing accuracy. We revisited the Bob books and I was amazed that around the age of 3 1/2 he could read them. With some assistance, he was able to get through the first set.

For the last couple of weeks, I’d catch him sounding out words. He would break them down and sound them out phonetically. This morning I wanted to test his ability to spell words. We talked a little bit about fire. He was sounding the word out when I asked him to tell me the letters. At first, he would just say the letters phonetically. “Ffff” “ahh” “rrr”. So, I had him type the letters.

Here is what he spelled (correct spelling in parentheses):

FORR (fire)

FOOG (frog)

CAML (camel)

ELFANT (elephant)

FLOMEGOO (flamingo)

DOG (dog)

SNAC (snake)

CAT (cat)

.FINK (fink – correctly spelled – name comes from One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss)

SSOC (shark)

Tristan had always been interested in reading and writing. I’m excited about his interest in spelling, too. I haven’t tried to force the issue on him, but I do try to encourage it. Lately, we’ve been reading Green Eggs and Ham almost every night before bedtime. He loves the rhythm, rhymes and repetition.

“I’m a Big Boy now”

2009-08-16T13:27:00.001-06:00

Tristan has been growing up lately. The little boy is unfolding before my eyes and the little baby is saying good bye. It makes me so sad to say good-bye, but I am so proud of what he can accomplish.

Recently, his big accomplishment is potty training. Yes, my son at the age of 3 1/2 wasn’t yet potty trained. We tried many things. Books, a video, bribery with stickers and candy (I know, bad mommy), watching mommy and daddy use the potty, and the list goes on.

A visit to Toys’R ’Us recently, led us to the discovery of Piddlers. Targets for little boys. I thought, ‘why not?’. What have we got to loose besides a few bucks?

Piddlers were the design of a company called CHeeKY MoNKey. You can see their site here; however, despite really nice graphics and web design, it doesn’t offer much information. With only the description of “Just drop one in and let the kids aim”, you have no idea what the item looks like, what it is composed of, how big they might be, and so on. However, a better description and even a picture can be found at this site (but I’ll just copy it below for better convenience.

Here is what pottytrainingconcepts.com have to say about Piddlers:

These Piddlers Toilet Targets are great for potty training boys. Of course they can be used to potty train girls as well.

Piddler Toilet Targets are:

Dissolvable
Non-Toxic
Flushable
Made in the USA

Piddlers Toilet Targets make potty training fun. Just drop the flushable foam shapes into the toilet and let kids aim. Toddlers love the bright colors and they're thrilled when they can hit the floating targets. Plus, parents are happy to avoid hours of pleading in the bathroom. Piddlers Toilet Targets are made from starch and dyed with food coloring, so they’re non-toxic. 30 targets per pack. Ages 2 years and up.

For little boys working on their aim
Makes potty training fun
Non-toxic, eco-friendly and gallons of fun

Now our experience.

Like I’ve mention before, we’ve tried just about everything. We bought these on a whim thinking they may or may not work, but it was worth a shot – no pun intended. The day we brought them home, Scott took Tristan in the bathroom and gave him a demo. When he asked Tristan to give it a try, he promptly said no and left the bathroom. Another failed attempt. Or, so we thought.

The next day, Scott went to work and it was just me and the kids. I thought, maybe I’ll try it out. I know that he can be a bit shy about going potty. So, I got him set up. I let him choose which target he wanted and I explained him what he has to do. Then I told him that I’ll leave him alone so he can go potty. With no objection, I left but kept the door slightly cracked so I could look in. To my surprise, he did it. I gave him a sticker (it is what they do at school/daycare) and even let him have a snack. I asked him if he wanted to wear “big boy” underwear so he did. And he even went potty again later that evening, no accidents. It has been two weeks since that day. He has had accidents, especially with number two. But he hasn’t worn a diaper since. Only pull-ups at night and underwear during the day. He doesn’t need to be asked anymore. This morning he got up and went to the bathroom without any prompting.

It may not work for every child, but these Piddlers were what did it. Scott and I are proud of him for his accomplishment. He’s taken one big step towards finally leaving babyhood and entering boyhood. Now I just need to break his finger sucking habit (mostly at naptime and bedtime though).

Watermelons & squirt guns

2009-08-14T21:10:00.001-06:00

The economy is hurting. Businesses are cutting back on unnecessary expenses. So, what did that mean for my work? No company picnic at Elitch Gardens this summer. So, what do we do instead? On a much smaller scale and much smaller budget have a department picnic (we have less than thirty people in our department). Honestly, this is what a company picnic is supposed to be. Camaraderie, good food, fun activities, and just a nice afternoon hanging out with those you work with. Yeah, the amusement park is nice, but it is such an easy way for people to simply avoid each other with the exception of lunch in the pavilion. Granted, it can be a little weird to see your boss in the water park when you’re used to a much different kind of dress code at work.

I really appreciate the hard work a few of the ladies in our department put into this picnic. All the planning, organizing, purchasing, and setting up. They did a fantastic job.

I would have liked to have done more to help, but having two children, especially a clingy baby, made things rather difficult. I did make the best of my time though….

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This little lady sure loves watermelon.

Of course, Tristan got in on the watermelon action, too.

Besides watermelon, there were water balloons, squirt guns, tetherball, corn hole, volleyball, tug-of-war, horseshoes, Frisbee golf, and a piñata.

Oh, and food. Lots of food. Yummy food.

Hello Sun

2009-08-12T22:14:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago, I took a week off from work. For three of those days we enjoyed the great outdoors staying at a cozy cabin in southwestern Colorado. The air was refreshing. The scenery was breathtaking. The solitude (despite having two small children in tow) was wonderful. My father accompanied us on our trip which I am very glad he was there. He introduced Tristan to fishing, despite Tristan being impatient and scaring the fish away by throwing large rocks into the water. We had a good time even though it was short.

Anyway, what better opportunity to take a stab at some pictures? I mostly did scenery shots. What was amazing though, was the beauty of the sun and its effect on the landscape around us.

We spent some time at Smith Reservoir fishing. It was close to sunset. I wanted to fish. I tried to fish. But the baby was not content sitting idle in her stroller. So, I put her in her backpack carrier and took a short walk with my camera at the ready.

As we were finishing up, the sun was starting to set. In the distance from our fishing spot was the restrooms. With the sun in the background and the restroom building nestled behind some shrubs, I thought the silhouette would look interesting. So I took a few photos. What I didn’t expect though, was the sun’s rays bouncing off of dust in the air creating the “sparkles” in the picture. Truly amazing.

Earlier that day, I got up early and watched the sunrise. I haven’t watched the sunrise in years. And I’m thinking before my son was born. In fact, it was during our drive to Minnesota in 2005.

These are shots from the back patio of the cabin.

Other than needing to clean my lens, I think they turned out well. It was mostly quiet. Except for two protective birds with a nest on the patio. And the peace was disturbed when Tristan woke up and joined me.

Live Writer

2009-08-12T20:52:00.001-06:00

I just learned about this software that makes blogging easier and I’m giving it a test spin. I like that this isn’t the small window that blogger gives you to type into. Pretty nifty.

If you’re a Windows user, check out Live Writer here.

Just a test picture (sizing is easy, there are border options, watermark insert, picture effects):

This picture is Melayna enjoying a watermelon. That’s Grandpa holding her steady. I’ll blog about the picnic a bit later.

So far, this software is pretty cool. When I have more of a chance to test it out I will. It has been a busy week. Scott got into a motorcycle accident (minor by comparison to most), but it just means I’m busier than usual.

Anyway, I’ve got to run and take care of a few things.

A big baby

2009-07-21T22:11:00.005-06:00

Melayna had her nine month check up two weeks ago. She's a big girl, apparently.

According to the charts, she is in the 98th percentile for weight and 96th for height.

Our daughter weighed in at 23.5 lbs and 29.75 inches long!

Funny thing about our little girl is that even though she has the typical baby Buddha belly and chunky legs, I don't think she's fat.

She definitely loves food. And her brother. And getting into things she shouldn't be getting into. And standing up. And putting things in her mouth.

She is definitely going to cause trouble as she gets older. I know that she and her brother are going to fight and argue. I have a feeling, though, that she will be the instigator. She will be the source of most disagreements. I can see it happening already.

Busy, busy, busy

2009-07-21T21:58:00.003-06:00

So, life has been busy. Life has been hectic.
Besides being super busy with work, we've had a whole bunch going on that I just haven't been motivated to post.

Since my last posting, we made our second trip to the Renaissance Festival. We dressed up Tristan in usual fashion, but for Melayna I finished a princess dress just for her.

These pictures don't show everything, like the shoes I made to match. The dress isn't perfect, but it looked adorable on her.

She wasn't happy here. She really needed a nap.
This time, Tristan got an octopus painted on his face. An even better picture of Captain Jack of the Colorado Renaissance. Not bad, eh?

More teeth...

2009-06-23T21:03:00.003-06:00

So, Melayna has another tooth...well, now it is actually two more.

Friday, I discovered one of her two front teeth (on the top) had finally poked through her gums. Naturally, I wanted to take some pictures. But I'll get to that in a second.

So, today, I decided to post about the new tooth. I got home, got dinner on the table and set up Melayna in her chair with some noodles. That's when I noticed another little bit of white sticking out from her gums. I checked it out and sure enough there were two of her teeth poking through. Now my little girl has four teeth.

Back up a few days to when I was trying to take some pictures.

All I kept getting were pictures of stuff in her mouth, her trying to grab the camera strap, and not correctly centered. It was hard trying to take a picture and manage to get a wriggling infant to open her mouth and lay still.
Then I had an idea. I called Tristan over and had him stand just above her head with her toy in hand. Melayna loves her big brother. She loves to look at him, smile at him, squeal at him, and play with what he's playing with.

It worked perfectly! If you look closely at the one below, you can see the second tooth close to poking through.

I♥Faces: Week 24

2009-06-23T20:52:00.003-06:00

Let's Hear It For The Boys!

This week's theme means no pictures with girls and women in it. Only boys and men. I'm sure it is in honor of Father's Day.

Anyway, I've decided to enter both categories...

Here is a picture of my son, Tristan, when I took the kids outside on a nice evening. This pose is very rare and, in fact, lasted long enough for me to take it. Then he was off running again.
This picture was taken at the Colorado Renaissance Festival. These guys were hilarious. You can't see it in the picture, but the back of their vests have pretzels embroidered on them. If you're curious to see what it looks like, I have a picture in this post.

Well, that's my entry for this week. Check out other boyish and manly faces at iheartfaces.blogspot.com.

Renaissance: part three

2009-06-21T14:31:00.004-06:00

Now it is Melayna's turn. :)

Check out parts one and two for more pictures of a great time at the Renaissance Festival in Larkspur, Colorado!

So, Melayna, despite being limited in size and abilities, had a very enjoyable time as well. She was carried in wrap for part of the time, but mostly enjoyed the scenery from the Radio Flyer. She didn't get any special outfits. She didn't get her face painted. But she still had fun.

Melayna had fun because she was outside, enjoying the good weather (albeit windy), and she was with family, especially her grandma.

Who wouldn't be happy with Grandma? She even got her face painted.

Just chillin' with Grandma at the jousting tournament.

I think Melayna's eyes does the same thing that Grandma's does when she smiles. What do you think?

Grandma loves her grandkids. She spoils them rotten.

She loves to take Melayna around just like what she did with Tristan (and still does, too)

I think one of Melayna's most favorite part of the festival was the food. Most everything served there is on a stick or served without utensils.

She loved the sausage on a stick. Seen her after stick was removed for safety reasons.

But what is even better than a sausage on a stick? Why, turkey leg, of course!

Quick, daddy isn't looking!

Shoot, he's starting to look this way. Better hurry!

I got it!

Oh, no. He's taking it away. Slipping from fingers, must pull harder!

But, but.....it's mine.

Thanks Daddy!

Get your own turkey leg!

Renaissance: part two

2009-06-21T14:01:00.002-06:00

My last post about the Renaissance Festival from over a week ago featured pictures of people we saw at the festival. Of course, what outing would be complete without getting pictures of my beautiful family. Because of the amount of pictures, I've yet another post to do on the festival.

This post focuses on Tristan.

Tristan, as you may know from previous posts of mine and the title of my blog, loves elephants. Although, now he is starting to branch out to other likes and dislikes. He still loves elephants above all.

Well, at the festival, you can pay for a brief, yet exciting for a three-year-old, ride on an elephant.

Tristan probably got the most out of this trip. He is old enough to enjoy the ride, the petting zoo, the maze, and some of the entertainment. We even bought him an outfit that makes him look like a swashbuckler or pirate. It is a bit big, but we did that on purpose. Garb is not cheap and kids grow too quickly.

Here are a few pics of him enjoying what the festival has to offer: open space, rides, animals, and shows.

He isn't in pain here. He's just trying to get on top of this tree stump with a board attached to it for a seat.

Watching the jousting tournament with his grandma.

Petting zoo.

Human powered kid's ride.

Faster, I say!

Open space to run and play.

I♥Faces: Week 23

2009-06-15T23:11:00.003-06:00

iheartfaces is now back to its regularly scheduled programming. This week...sepia toned pictures.

Here are my entries...

Kid's entry

Tristan at Renaissance Festival this weekend. I don't know what it is about his expression that gets to me, but I really love his eyes in this one. Normally, his eyes are just dark pools of brown. The light reflected well off his eyes and, I believe the sepia tone made them stand out just a tad bit more.

Adult Entry

My friend and neighbor with his daughter on her second birthday. She is definitely daddy's little girl. I wish I got a more focused shot (the moment, though dear, happened at a two-year-old's pace....very quick). What I love about this shot was the genuine love and affection he shows for his daughter.

Check out more sepia toned pictures at iheartfaces.blogspot.com.

Renaissance

2009-06-14T12:06:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was opening weekend at the Colorado Renaissance Festival. I used to go every summer. I even own garb. Since having Tristan, I've only gone once.

Well, we got a coupon for buy one, get one adult admission. That saves us $17.95! Plus, children under 5 are free. It was only good for opening weekend, though. So, we decided to go. Now, I really wanted us to go in costumes, but I had make something for the kids if that was going to happen. With no time and no money for the right kinds of materials meant no garb for the kids. So, I decided it wasn't fair for us to wear our costumes and the children none.

With or without costumes, the Renaissance Festival is always fun. At Colorado's Renaissance Festival, in the town of Larkspur, the walk can be quite a workout. It is filled with all sorts of hills. The last time we were there, Tristan's stroller broke. We had to carry him in the sling the rest of the time. Last year, before Melayna was born, we bought a wagon. It wasn't just any old wagon we bought. It was a Radio Flyer. No, it was the Cadillac of Radio Flyers.

Equipped with a canopy to block those harmful sun rays, multiple seating arrangement possibilities (two seats facing same direction, two seats facing each other, one seat with a table top, or flat bottom/no seats, storage space for stuff, and all terrain wheels, we were unstoppable. Well, maybe not unstoppable, but better equipped to handle the festival's terrain and two children.

What I love about the festival is the variety of things to see, do, eat, and try. What I love now is that my children can enjoy these things, especially Tristan.

There were so many things to see and enjoy.

At one shoppe, they had some birds of prey. Tristan loved looking at these guys and talking to them.

A beautiful owl:

A magnificent eagle:

These guys were talking with German accents saying all sorts of ridiculous stuff to people passing by. They saw that I was going to take their picture when they started to make funny poses for me. Unfortunately, I didn't get many because I didn't realize my timer was on. Here are a couple of good ones. I love the pretzels on their backs!

While I would still prefer Johnny Depp, this guy played the part well. Of course, he had to have his rum handy.

This lady was dressed up as a fairy, playing a wooden recorder of some sort. She would stop and give the children "magic stones" and sprinkle fairy dust on them.

We needed a nice break from walking around, so we spread out a blanket by the jousting arena. We relaxed a bit. Took turns heading out to check out a few things so we didn't have to pull the wagon around too much. Then we watched the jousting show.

I've got more pictures, but have to get back to taking care of the kiddos and getting the house cleaned up. I'll post more later - especially ones of the kids.

I♥Faces: Week 22

2009-06-08T08:00:00.001-06:00

This week is kind of a special week at iheartfaces. Instead of the normal weekly judging, we've been asked to write about a family vacation. This will give a much needed break for those who run the show at iheartfaces and allow all of us who participate the chance to share a little bit about ourselves.

When I read about the theme: "My Story Through Photos: Vacation Edition", I almost decided to back out. I haven't taken an "official" vacation in years. Partly, this has been due to using up all my leave for maternity leave, twelve weeks each for both kids, and taking up leave every time one of the kids become ill. Sure, we've had a little excursions to the Children's Museum, the local zoo, and the like, but not an actual vacation. A real vacation.

I was just going to share one of those excursions, but then decided to share with you that last real vacation I ever took.

Let me take you back to a time when our family was half the size of what it is today. Just Scott and me. No children. No diaper bags to pack. No bottles to prepare. No car seats and strollers.

In fact, this was maybe about a month or two before we found out I was pregnant.

My mother, who was still alive then, lived in Minnesota with my stepdad. She really wanted me to come see her and visit. Living poorly then, we made a road trip out of a long weekend. My mother also wanted me to bring her some of her stuff kept at my dad's house. That's what having a pick-up is good for, right?Scott and I left after working early morning shifts that day. We live in Colorado Springs. We were traveling to Little Canada, Minnesota. That's a long, long, long drive. Scott and I divvied up the driving shifts. I took the trek through Colorado. He'd take the Nebraska bit. I'd take over in Iowa. Then him in Minnesota.By the time we reached Nebraska, the sun had pretty much set. We stopped at a gas station and Scott took over so I could get some rest. No sooner had I fallen asleep that I had awoken to us stopped at a rest stop and Scott was starting to sleep! We had no time to waste. I didn't want to sleep in a rest stop and lose precious time. So, I took over. I drove all night until the sun was starting to come up. I drove almost all the way to Iowa. Scott slept, in and out mostly. I drove. It was a long, long drive. Boring and long. And I was exhausted.Scott took over for the rest of Nebraska and most of Iowa. Either way, we finally made it to Minnesota.
Despite being exhausted, I caught my second wind and we headed out to have some fun (of course, after eating and showering).

Here are a few things we did that weekend.

Visit the Mall of America.
Go skiing/snowboarding. Weird, though. I live in Colorado and up to that point had never gone to any of Colorado's beautiful ski slopes. This was my first time and it was in Minnesota, not Colorado. Self portrait.
Visited a small town near the Minnesota/Wisconsin border. In fact, the bridge behind my mother leads into Wisconsin. As you can see from my mother's expression, it was very, very cold.
The weekend was too short. I didn't want to say good-bye to my mother. The next time I saw my mother, we were both pregnant and she was getting ready to move back (my stepdad was preparing to serve a tour in the Middle East).

Our ride back was a bit more fairly spread out. It seemed quicker because much was during daylight hours and our load was lighter (no piles of boxes in the pick-up bed)
As the day faded, I took a picture of a beautiful sunset and surprised it actually turned out well.

10 Years

2009-06-04T22:52:00.004-06:00

Ever heard of them? If you're part of the rock scene, then your answer will most likely be a resounding yes. Otherwise, check them out here: http://www.myspace.com/10years. I also added two of their songs to the top of my playlist (Wasteland and Beautiful).

Anyway, why am I writing about this?

Well, last Saturday I took the car in for an oil change (I ended up getting my 15,000 mile service done, too). I took it to the dealership where we bought our car. I've pretty much done that since we bought it brand new two years ago. Well, me and the girlie were waiting for a bit when she got fidgety. So, I decided to walk around the show room floor (on a different level than the shop). It was nice and quiet because it wasn't open yet. In fact, the only light was coming in from outside. Every time I've been to the dealership, they usually have a sign up box for giveaways from a local rock station (94.3 KILO). In fact, during one oil change visit, they happened to be there and I procured some KILO shwag and free pizza. I listen to them all the time in the car. Anyway, I thought I'd enter my name for whatever drawing they had, but I didn't give it a second thought. (Can you tell where this is going?).

So, here we are, just less than a week later, I was going about my normal evening routine. I just put the kids to bed, when I saw I had a voicemail. I checked it out and my jaw began to drop as I began to hear Sid Black from KILO on my voicemail. He said they pulled my name from McCloskey Motors entry box and that I won a pair of tickets to go see (you guessed it) 10 Years!

No flippin' way! I freaked. I called the number back promptly afraid I lost my chance. He had just called less than three minutes ago. I got through. I never get through when calling to radio stations (not that I do it often). Well, I can't say never. Once, I won tickets to see The Lion King on IMAX.

Anyway, I just about freaked out. I couldn't believe it. I really couldn't believe it.

Now, I know that 10 Years isn't the biggest name out there, but they have some great songs and I've been listening to a few others and so far they're great! And how am I going to pass up this rare opportunity to go out with Scott, sans children, and go to a concert.

I'm so excited, I can't wait. I won't be able to concentrate at work tomorrow!

I'll have a report this weekend.

I♥Faces: Week 21

2009-06-02T20:14:00.003-06:00

This week is birthday themed!

Here's my submission. This little beauty was celebrating her 2nd birthday. She, like any other youngster, decided to get a nice messy cake face going.
see all the other birthday faces at iheartfaces.blogspot.com

I♥Faces: Week 20

2009-05-26T22:10:00.002-06:00

This week at iheartfaces the theme is silhouettes. I had planned to try getting some silhouettes of the kids this weekend, but we had a gloomy, wet weekend. I even practiced the weekend before on inanimate objects and even got a couple walking with a stroller (I don't think it is good enough to submit though, because the stroller and guy were cut off by trees).

Anyway, this picture is the only decent silhouette I have. I took it when my son was just over a year old at his first visit to the aquarium. I love how his hand is reaching out touching the glass. I miss him being that little, but at the same time I'm so proud of him and the things he can do now.

Check out more amazing silhouettes this week at iheartfaces.blogspot.com

I think we're in trouble now....

2009-05-24T14:18:00.004-06:00

Remember my post about Melayna....so close to crawling? That was just a few weeks ago. Since then she's taken off.

About a week after that post she was officially crawling. Not the scooting around, but the full-on hands and knees motion.

Well, today we got an unexpected surprise.

Scott went in to our room to get the girlie (who woke up from her nap in a good mood). He then called me to come over quick.

This is what I saw....
Yes, she figured out how to pull herself up to a standing position all by herself. She isn't even eight months yet. We at least had time to get ready for movement milestones with him. This little lady just isn't content just crawling or sitting still. Even with diaper changes she's much more wriggly than Tristan ever was.

We're in trouble now....pretty soon she'll be up and walking about. I can't believe how fast she's growing.

An unwelcomed visitor...

2009-05-24T13:53:00.003-06:00

About two weeks ago, we got a visit from someone with the Department of Human Services. It was about the kids. I think ever parent's heat just about stops when something like this happens.

Let me rewind just a bit....

Earlier in the week, my mother-in-law was visited by DHS because of some anonymous complaint. a child, about four or five years of age, was seen playing in the apartment complex playground by himself and later was climbing the patio fence to his grandparents' apartment because he was locked out. The address they told DHS was my mother-in-law's. The date of the complaint was around April 30th.

Issue one: Our children haven't been over to Grandma's in over six weeks.
Issue two: Our son, who is 3 1/2 albeit tall for his age, cannot climb the fence that surrounds her patio. It is way too tall and there aren't any footholds (meaning someone would have to jump to grab a hold of the ledge, then climb over).
Issue three: It wasn't even at our home.

After questioning her, they got our phone and address. Then they called Scott. Scott didn't take the news lightly that we were to be visited by DHS so they could inspect our home, see our children, check to make sure they had beds, and ask us questions. The visit was scheduled for a Friday (Scott's day off) for 10:00am.

Although, I knew that we would be fine I still worried. I still conjured images in my head of someone taking my sweet babies away. I decided to take the day off to make sure things went smoothly.

Fast forward to the visit...

We had cleaned our home from top to bottom. Everything as a neat and tidy as it could be. We didn't want to risk anything. We may have gone a bit overboard with cleaning, but hey, the house was clean.

10:00am came and went and no sign of the lady from DHS. Scott called a little after to find out what was going on. She was running a late. An emergency came up. He immediately gave her a hard time for not giving us a call. She said we could reschedule if we had things to do. He told her that he didn't want to reschedule and that he didn't appreciate having to wait around for her on his day off.

She finally showed up at about 10:45am. Forty-five minutes late. She stood in our doorway. Asked the kids birthdays and correct spelling of their names, glanced at the kids and said that's it. That's it!?? She made us worry, expect an inspection of our home, a laundry list of questions, and that's it? We didn't know whether or not we should have been glad that she didn't take our kids away or angry that she put us through all that. What a waste of our time and our tax dollars.

Scott called her after she had left asking her for her supervisor's contact information. She immediately got defensive saying things like, "it didn't seem like you wanted me there" and "you're trying to get me in trouble". Scott wanted to find out why they had to come to our home for an unfounded complaint made at a different home. He also wanted to let them know about being made to wait.

Scott finally got the number and spoke to her supervisor. She explained that it is actually part of their code to follow up at the child's primary residence as well. It was just to merely see if they were living in hospitable conditions (meaning the place isn't trashed and filthy and unsafe). The social worker should have let us know she was running late. And Scott did let her know of her attitude on the phone when he asked for her supervisor's number.

I am glad that all turned out well. I am not happy, though, that the situation ever happened.

Oh boy..

2009-05-22T21:58:00.001-06:00

We've been having some warmer weather lately. As such, we have better reason to run outside.

I share with you today a few pictures I took of my sweet, baby boy. Okay, he isn't a baby anymore. He's turning into a boy. What happened to his sweet baby roundness? What happened to his chunky thighs and baby belly? What happened to my baby? He's grown so much.

Ah, here's my baby. Still utterly dependent on my help, love, and presence. Sweet motherhood.
By the way, he looks so desperate here because he wanted my help crossing the creek because I was on the other side. He couldn't be content playing while I took pictures of him from a better angle.

I♥Faces: Week 19

2009-05-19T19:21:00.004-06:00

This week is a special week at iheartfaces. Check it out at www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com.
We get to choose what we think is our best picture. I had a difficult time choosing. I hope this one fits the bill. :)

"I am submitting this photo into the www.iheartfaces.com Blurb Book photo contest. I am granting I ♥ Faces permission to use my photo in a printed version of a book for commercial use and possibly advertising of a photo book on both the Blurb and I ♥ Faces web sites."

Bubble Blowing Skirt and Top GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-05-14T20:51:00.000-06:00

Bubble Blowing Skirt and Top GIVEAWAY!!!!

Loose Teeth Vintage Inspired Sundress with Petticoat GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-05-12T22:20:00.000-06:00

Loose Teeth Vintage Inspired Sundress with Petticoat GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

I♥Faces: Week 18

2009-05-11T22:03:00.002-06:00

This week's theme is laughter. I took this one during our ski trip to Monarch Ski Resort last month. Tristan had so much fun skiing for the first time.

Check out other faces depicting laughter at iheartfaces.blogspot.com.

A Mother's Day Tribute

2009-05-10T16:38:00.004-06:00

Let me tell you about a mother.

My mother.

This will be the third Mother's Day without her.

The first Mother's Day missed with her granddaughter.

My mother, just like everyone else in the world, was not perfect. But she was my mother. And I miss her.

A little over three years ago, she passed away. My son was only about two months old. My baby sister was just a few weeks old.

I cherish the moments I had with her - the good and the bad ones. I cherish the fact that I got to spend almost twenty-three years of my life with her.

I am sadden by the fact that my sister only got to spend the first three weeks of her life with my mother. I am sadden that my sister won't get to have moments just as I had. I could picture her doing all these things with her (hoping to do them better with her than with my brother and I - even though I believe she did the best job she could). She would be braiding her hair. Putting her in countless number of dresses and taking as many pictures as she could. She would be singing and dancing with her. My sister would be missing out on some of the important moments that mother and daughter share.

I am also sadden by the fact that my children are without their "Lola". They won't ever hear her infectious laughter. They won't ever get to listen to her sweet lullabies. They won't ever get to be smothered by her hugs and kisses.

I am happy that she got to enjoy being a grandmother, even for just a short amount of time. I am happy that she got to at least see my sister before passing away. I am happy to have had her for my mom.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you wonderful mothers out there!

My mother with Tristan (he was under a month old in this picture)
Me and my baby sister - she was about seven to eight months old here.My baby sister at her third birthday

On the move

2009-05-04T21:50:00.003-06:00

Melayna is so close to crawling. She's on the move....scooting, pushing, creeping, and rolling her way around our living room floor. She just doesn't have the coordination yet. Soon, though. Really soon. I can't believe how fast she's growing. Seven months have already gone by. She can sit upright on her own. She already has two teeth and I can feel her upper teeth just below the surface. She loves food...even pickles. She'll stick just about anything in her mouth...even a dandelion. She doesn't like to sit in the grass - especially barefooted - which leads me to believe she might be all girl. She doesn't like to be tossed near as much as Tristan did. She prefers watch and hear you talk than being left alone. And she's really starting to show affection. She's much better at sleeping, although she still needs at least one nighttime bottle. And she loves to "talk" to her brother.

Here are a few pics of my baby on the move.

She loves doing these "push-ups" It is so cute when she does them.

Would you believe me if I told you...

2009-05-04T21:00:00.003-06:00

that this shot has not been post-processed? that it is SOOC? that I used my point and shoot?

Don't believe me? I don't know how I can prove that all this is true, but I can tell you how I did it. Do you ever play around with the built in flash on your camera? I hate how harsh and bright images come out when I use the flash. Unfortunately, it is all I have in an indoor setting with low light. I'm not skilled enough to get good pictures without a flash indoors yet. I don't have the equipment to bounce the flash off the ceiling instead of my subject's face. I recently read about how to make your own light box for really cheap. Part of the light box was just using tissue paper (the kind you put in gift boxes) to diffuse the flash (or light source). Hmmm, what if I tried that on my camera's flash? What if I put some tissue over the flash to reduce the light? So I played around. Then I got this weird effect in the picture above. I wanted to reproduce the effect. I found out that if I took the tissue (I used toilet paper since I didn't have any gift wrap tissue) and held it just above the lens on my camera a inch or so away from the flash, it produced the effect above. I don't know why, but it did. I don't know if it is just my camera and if it is a fluke, but I thought it was pretty darn cool.

I♥Faces: Week 17

2009-05-04T07:49:00.003-06:00

This week's theme is hats. Check out all the awesome hats at iheartfaces.blogspot.com

Brotherly Love

2009-05-03T19:43:00.003-06:00

Melayna, I think, has grown quite fond of her big brother. She loves to watch him (she's been doing so for months now). She loves to laugh with him. She loves to laugh at him. And she loves to scream with him.....

My silly son

2009-05-03T00:01:00.000-06:00

Tristan isn't usually cooperative with me when I want to take his picture. This is why you mostly see pictures of girlie and not him. I caught the two of them having a blast screaming at each other (video post to follow), so I pulled out the camera. Tristan thought I was taking pictures and immediately begin to make his silliest faces ever. Each time I took a picture he would say "Let me see" and come to see the picture on my camera.

Here are a few pictures that were just too funny to not share...

Finally some dressy pics of the baby...

2009-05-02T09:59:00.003-06:00

Okay, so I finished two sewing projects in the last week posted here and here. But I haven't taken any pics of girlie...until today.

Bad thing about today, though, is that the weather is rainy and gloomy - not lending any natural light to make its way into my home. So, I had a lot of flashy pictures.

Anyway, here are a few of my favorites:

I♥Faces: Alien Skin Bokeh Giveaway

2009-05-02T07:36:00.000-06:00

They are having another giveaway at iheartfaces.

Check it out! Click on the logo above.

Another dress

2009-05-01T23:07:00.003-06:00

I found another awesome tutorial for a cute dress/blouse. This one is located at Kuky Ideas here.

It is a shirred dress/blouse. Shirring is a neat method of using elastic thread and making a normally unstretchable fabric stretchy. It is very intimidating and takes a lot of trial and error. It was very hard to find the right tension and I still didn't find the right tension after working at it all evening.

Anyway, Scott left town to hang out with friends, so after the kids went down for bed I pulled out my sewing machine and went to work. I worked from about 8:30 until 11:00pm. So, it took me about two and half hours to figure out how to shirr and put the thing together.

Well, here's what I ended up with. It isn't perfect. It is probably too big for my daughter (better too big than too small. My lines aren't straight. I am still unsure about strap (right now it is just two straps sewn to the front - probably going to tie it around the neck for now). I am, however, quite pleased that I was able to figure this out by online tutorials. Besides Kuky Ideas, I found a tutorial on shirring at Portabellopixie (scroll down and in the right sidebar find tutorials - it is a pdf file so you'll need Adobe Acrobat reader - it is an awesome tutorial with plenty of pictures).

Anyway, here's my finished project (I still have to get pics of the girlie in the green dress I made last week - hopefully tomorrow):

I can't wait to make my next dress for the girlie! This is so much fun and a bit addicting.

I♥Faces: Week 16

2009-04-28T07:39:00.004-06:00

I've been missing out on Iheartfaces the last few weeks. Mostly because of little time, but also because of little inspiration. I did take pictures of myself for last week's theme but didn't have them edited in time to post before the deadline. Oh, well.

Anyway, this week's theme is: reflections.

I'm pulling this one out of my archives because it fits this category the best.

Go on over to iheartfaces and check it out (maybe even join in on the fun).

Baby Dress/Tunic

2009-04-27T21:02:00.006-06:00

So, I've been at the sewing machine this past weekend trying a few new things. Two projects were made from old shirts and one was with material I bought from the store.

I made a pair of pants from one of Scott's old t-shirts. There are plenty of examples of this on the Internet, but I got it first from Amanda Blake Soule's book, The Creative Family. Check out her blog and book here. The pants honestly aren't anything fancy, especially since I used a solid black t-shirt. But they look super comfy and will be perfect for warming weather since the material is so light.

I then made a skirt and leg warmers out of an old shirt of Tristan's. It is a long sleeved shirt and the material is a bit on the warm side, but that is okay. I used the body of the shirt to make the skirt (no pattern - just winged it). I used the sleeves to make the leg warmers. I'm not sure how I feel about this project, but we'll see.

Lastly, I found an awesome pattern at Made by Petchy here for a baby dress/tunic. It seemed so simple to do, so I gave it a whirl. I used a cute bright green fabric covered in flowers and butterflies. When Melayna becomes too tall for the dress, I can put jeans or shorts on her and it can be a cute top.

Here are a few pics of the dress. Sorry I don't have pics of my other two projects.

On a side note, Melayna has her second tooth now. It started to poke through the gums yesterday and today it finally emerged. She's been cranky but mostly due to a cold. Here's a toothy picture. I wish I got her whole face in it, but she just kept moving too much.
Oh, and speaking of illnesses. Tristan has Fifth's Disease. Apparently, it is pretty harmless. A fever (not always, though), pink cheeks, and a rash on arms, butt, and legs. Tristan's cheeks started to look flush last night but I took no notice of them. They were unusually pink this morning, but again I didn't really take much notice. Then his daycare told me that he had Fifth's Disease, but not to worry. There was another child in his class that had it about a month or so ago. Cool thing is they say it is okay for Tristan to be there which is good. He seems to not be bothered at all by the rash, too. Here's a picture of what I mean. The flash kind of subdued the rash a bit and made it hard to see. This is the upper part of his leg across the top to the inside. It was really bright when he was taking a bath tonight.

Simple Skirts GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-04-24T21:49:00.000-06:00

Simple Skirts GIVEAWAY!!!!

26 years ago

2009-04-20T20:30:00.001-06:00

I came into this crazy world. Yes, today is my birthday. Nothing thrilling. I don't dread it, yet I don't get all excited.

Tristan had a weekend of screaming every time he tried to go number 2, so instead of going to school he stayed with us. We took him to the doctor's and he was prescribed a laxative. Yay. Since we were on that end of town, we met up with my dad for lunch at Red Robin. Of course, I was subjected to the usual ritual of complete strangers singing an off rendition of happy birthday while I attempted to avoid stares from other patrons.

Other than lunch, not much else to report. My mother-in-law got me a really cool gift that I opened last weekend. A tote for my sewing machine (kind of like a suitcase on wheels but for a sewing machine) and a tackle organizer tote (I like to put notions in those lure and bait cases). Scott didn't get anything for me (except roses two days ago) because I spent my birthday money on a personal trainer almost two months ago (well worth it, I think).

Anyway, that's about it. Nothing special, just another day. Oh, and I got to take a nap in the middle of the day (peaceful, bliss - since both kids napped at the same time).

A few new teethers...

2009-04-18T14:24:00.005-06:00

So, a blog friend of mine, who also happens to live here in Colorado Springs, and her husband have a few home businesses. Lisa and Don are really awesome people and are all about green, simple living. Lisa has her own website all about cloth diapering. It is a great resource and definitely helped me out when we started out with Melayna. She's not full on cloth, though, like when she is watched we have her in disposables. Anyway, if you ever want to learn more about cloth diapering or you need another great resource at your fingertips, check out her site: http://www.cloth-diapers-made-easy.com/.

The main reason that I am posting is because of what Don does for a living. He makes wooden toys for children. He is very, very talented at what he does. I love the idea of wooden toys. They are so natural, live on much longer than the plastic stuff (meaning people feel more compelled to keep around and pass down a handmade wooden toy than a mass produced, store bought one), and inspire creative play. I encourage you to check out their site to see the array of goodies Don can make. Also, if you have a project in mind, Don can probably do it. Head over to http://stores.chubbasnboop.com/StoreFront.bok. They even do lay-a-way. I am so getting a kitchen set for the kids later this year. It'll probably be Melayna's 1st birthday gift in October, but I think it'll be great for both kids to play with it together. I can't wait for yummy, imaginative cakes and chicken and soup and everything else!

Anyway, I posted recently about Melayna's emerged tooth. So, yes, there has been lots of drool and gnawing on whatever she can get her hands on. What better time than this to get a set of wooden teethers?! Even though their standard teethers are very cute and simple, I wanted something extra special for my baby girl. So, I asked if Don could make some animals...safari animals. He said yes! Earlier this week I picked them up and met Don, Lisa, and their two beautiful children, Chubbas and Boop (such cute nicknames for such cute kids - and perfect that they named their shop after their kids). They were so nice and wonderful! I am glad to have met them and thankful for all that they do.

Well, here are a few pics of the girlie enjoying her new teethers. Also, if you want to see the teethers alone (Melayna is playing with the giraffe, Don made an elephant and a lion as well), go check out Lisa's post on her blog here.

The stare down

2009-04-14T22:06:00.004-06:00

Tristan can be a defiant little child sometimes. He can be pretty adamant about what he wants and trying to get his way. He can also be very stubborn. Scott can be just as stubborn and adamant as Tristan, if not more so. It is sometimes cute to see the two get into their "stare down" contests. I never have the camera handy when such instances occur....until our ski trip last Saturday. I don't even remember why the stare down took place. Scott was getting Tristan out of his jacket and bib (snow suit) and I'm sure Tristan had his mind set on doing something else. I'm sure that's how it went down.

Regardless of how it went down, I happened to capture this oh-so serious moment on camera. I quietly laugh every time I see this picture.

*It just occurred to me why they had a stare down. Tristan kept insisting that he take his bib (snow suit) off. He proceeded to take them off when Scott told him no. After the stare down, though, I suggested that he have it taken off since we didn't want him to get too warm inside and during the car ride home.

Pretty in pink

2009-04-14T21:24:00.003-06:00

I am not purposefully trying to push the pretty in pink, princess syndrome on my little girl, but she is just so darn cute I couldn't help myself. I made a tutu. A simple tutu of two shades of pink. I put a headband on her adorned with a pink and white flower. I sat her down on a pink blanket. Then I took picture after picture. And why wouldn't I? Just look how adorable and chubby she is.

Ski Trip

2009-04-13T21:03:00.003-06:00

We had the opportunity this weekend to go skiing. So, early Saturday morning (after dropping Melayna off with my dad) we took a road trip to the slopes. Our friend, Samantha, came with us - which turned out to be a really good thing since I had no clue how to ski. I've gone snowboarding once, but that was over four years ago.

The mountains were pretty, the air was crisp, cold and pure, the slopes busy from closing weekend. Scott and I had our issues with the slopes. Enough so that we were pretty sore and tired from falling. I did get the hang of things eventually, but I had to stop because I believe I bruised my tailbone. Anyway, I think it was much more exciting once we got Tristan into some skis. It was so cool to see Tristan take to something new without hesitation and fear. He was eager to try it out and love almost every moment of it. He looked so grown up to me.

Anyway, here are a few pictures of Tristan enjoying the snow and skiing.

Snow angel!

Eager to hit the slopes.

Maintaining his balance.

Pure joy.

A good teacher and guide. Sam was awesome with Tristan. She took him down a pretty long (but not steep) slope. She was great with how she talked to him which I think helped him feel better and more confident. Her assistance definitely helped enhance Tristan's experience.

Despite getting bruised all over and being really sore, I had a fun time. It was really nice driving through the country side up into the mountains. Passing through a few of the smaller towns really made me think about where I'd really like to raise my children. Besides, if we lived in one of those towns, then our drive would only be less than thirty minutes instead of over two hours!

You Capture: Week 6

2009-04-05T21:41:00.004-06:00

This week's theme is spring. Here in Colorado, we had very spring-like weather until spring officially began. Since spring started we have had a blizzard and several days of gloomy, snowy weather. Despite the cold temperatures and white fluffy stuff, nature still drudges on. I live in an apartment in the city. There is a small creek that runs through the apartment complex, but it is surrounded by a small clearing with some trees, then major roadways and apartment buildings. Just yesterday, while it was snowing, we happened to have a few visitors come by. Our visitors were a pair of mallard ducks, a male and a female, probably taking refuge from the cold wind and snow. They were just feet away from our door. What is amazing is that we believe (by we, my neighbor and I) that these are the same two ducks that come to the creek on the apartment grounds in years past. It is almost like clockwork. Spring arrives and so do they.

Of course, they may have not only been looking for refuge but a free meal, too. We have fed them bread in the past, so what makes this year any different. Tristan was all too happy to tear bread up and throw it their way. Not only that, he kept declaring, "I'm not scared"

So, without hesitation, I grabbed my camera to take a few shots. These haven't been altered except for cropping.

Head on over to http://www.ishouldbefoldinglaundry.com/ to see other spring related entries and details on how you can join in. ^_^

A breakthrough

2009-04-04T14:48:00.005-06:00

Melayna, who is now six months old, has decided to do things just like her brother. Just a couple of days after turning six months her first tooth made its appearance. Melayna hasn't been really showing any signs of teething besides massive amounts of drooling, enough to rival Niagara Falls, and the automatic impulse to stick everything and anything in the mouth.

So, I wanted to capture the moment even though you really can't see the tooth yet (it just cut through the surface). I get the camera out. Sit right in front of a open window and attempt to take pictures with one hand while pulling her lip out of the way with the other.

But there was a problem...My daughter has a weird thing with blowing raspberries and sticking her tongue out. She loves it. If there is something near her mouth, she wants to stick her tongue out and try to lick it. What a goober!

But persistance pays off and she soon realizes that mommy's fingers are no fun to lick. Hello gums.Hello again. (See the teeth just below the surface?)

By the way, did you notice her eyes? Definitely takes after her daddy. Tristan's eyes were dark pools of brown by this age. Here's a picture of him just a week or so short of six months.

Six months already

2009-04-01T23:31:00.003-06:00

So, my sweet, darling baby girl is six months today. Wow. I just can't believe time has gone by so quickly.

Since it is late and I have work tomorrow, I'll leave you with a few pictures I took of her. These are unedited.

What's Your Play - no. 39

2009-03-31T20:17:00.003-06:00

So, I'm just finding all sorts of photography related sites and blogs. I'm loving it. This one, "What's Your Play?" is all about post processing photos. It is kind of like Fix-it Fridays at iheartfaces. But these pictures can be of anything.

This week's photo is a pair of wedding rings, seen here.

This is my modification...

I honestly didn't do much to it.

Program: Paint Shop Pro 8

Things I did:

Straighten tool - tilted picture a bit and made the background line/horizon straight or parallel to horizontal plane
Cropped picture to put the rings off center, closer to bottom third of picture
Unsharpen mask - sharpened the image a bit
Screen on duplicate layer - adjusted percentage
Hard Light on a second duplicate layer - adjusted percentage

That's about it. Not much, though the picture didn't need a whole lot.

You Capture: Week 5

2009-03-31T19:11:00.004-06:00

Through one of the blogs participating in iheartfaces, I found You Capture, hosted by I Should Be Folding Laundry.

There is a weekly theme just like at iheartfaces, but this doesn't necessarily have to be of people and faces. So, this is my first try. I don't know if I can have more than one photo for the theme, so if I'm breaking the rules...I apologize.

I have the following three photos from my archives for this week's theme, reflections. These were taken with an old point and shoot I used to have. I didn't have time to take any new photos since I found out about this site this morning.

Anyway, here are my pictures:

Reflections

Tristan from behind. I don't know what it is about this picture, but I love how you can see his expression despite it being out of focus. I did crop the photo, but no other post processing was performed.

Tristan adoring himself in the mirror. Such a cutie. Only cropping was done - no other post processing performed.

This is my favorite for the theme. This was taken when Tristan was about fourteen months old (he's now 3). We were at the aquarium when Scott decided to pick up Tristan for a closer look. He was having so much fun.

I♥Faces: Week 12

2009-03-30T21:34:00.004-06:00

Pouting...

All children do this at some point in their lives. Many children become experts at pouting. Tristan is certainly good at pouting when he doesn't get his way. But looking through my pictures, I couldn't find any pouty pictures of him. So, I looks to see if Melayna, my almost six month old, had any pouty faces (even though at this age it isn't the same type of pouting, I think).

Anyway, Melayna has really become attached to us. She has also started up a bit of stranger anxiety. When I was at Ari's birthday party two weekends ago, a friend wanted to hold Melayna. So, she held her. At first, Melayna was fine - I think she was mostly oblivious to a "stranger" holding her. Then she became aware. Then she looked at Scott and I imploringly. And then....the face. Why, Mommy? Why, Daddy? Why don't you hold me? Hold me now or else I will throw a fit and cry until you do.

This week has no adult entry, but rather a pet entry. We had a dog named Samantha. I had her since high school. After Tristan was born, she started to show some bits of jealousy. So, we had to give her away - fortunately to a very good home. She was my puppy-dog and I loved her to bits. She had cateracts so her eyes were clouded over. But that didn't stop this dog from absolutely loving to play fetch.
Now, head on over to ihearfaces.blogspot.com and try it out for yourself. Or at least go check out the rest of the pouty faces. :)

Post processing attempt

2009-03-27T20:50:00.003-06:00

I really, really wanted to do a vignette, but there aren't many tutorials out there for Paint Shop Pro (I really need PhotoShop).

Anyway, this is what I came up with of my friend and his daughter:I did quite a bit of playing around to see if I could make this out of focus picture (see this post) much better. So, I thought a sepia-like tone would add to the focus of his expression and softening the picture added to the feeling. I really wanted to do a vignette, but it is beyond me...for now. So, i just added a frame. Oh, did you notice that I took out the guy in the background? Check out the post link above to see the original.

After posting this, I took another look at the photo and realized that it just looked a bit dark. So here's a lightened version without the frame:

Please let me know your thoughts, input, etc. Thanks! :)

Practice, practice, practice.

2009-03-27T20:37:00.004-06:00

I love taking pictures. I'm sure you know that by now if you've read any of my blog. I don't think I've missed a week at iheartfaces since I started. But I have only been really practicing on my own children. Don't get me wrong. I love taking pictures of the kidlets. They are just so stinkin cute. It amazes me what I can produce with my camera. But sometimes I need to get my feet wet and take pictures of some other subjects. Last Saturday the perfect opportunity arrose. My friends and neighbors were having a birthday party for their sweet little girl, Ari. She's an adorable little lady who just turned two years old. She has no fear like no other kid I've met and can surprise you with the sweetest, most girliest of gestures. I asked if I could take some pictures at her party and not only did I get a "yes, of course" but a sigh of relief because their camera wasn't working.

So, without further ado, here are a few of my favorites....

I really, really love this picture of Ari and her daddy. I just wish it came out sharper. It was a very quick moment and I reacted a bit too hasty, I think. Either way, I think you can really see that her daddy is absolutely smitten with her (and she's just as smitten with him). I'm gonna work this one in Paint Shop to see what I can come up with. :)

Twilight Tide Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-03-27T20:34:00.001-06:00

I love pettiskirts! They are just so darn cute and pretty. This one is no exception. At the same time it is an exception to the rule. It's a black pettiskirt! It is goth meets inner princess...kind of. Although, I love how it is showcased at Grosgrain with rainbow tights and bright tops and rain boots. Anyway, check out this awesome giveaway here: Twilight Tide Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

A blizzard they say...

2009-03-26T19:24:00.004-06:00

So, we had forecasts of a snow storm to come. What I didn't expect though was white-out conditions, wind blowing sideways, and icy conditions in less than an hour of it starting. One cool thing about a blizzard and working for a company with a headquarters based out of Texas is: complete shutdown and closure at 1:30 in the afternoon. Yay! But what I didn't like about it was the over half hour commute home when it normally takes me less than ten minutes and seeing over fifteen cars slipping and sliding and pretty much stuck. Yikes!

So, home I went and I just hung out with my mother-in-law (who watches the kids on Thursdays) until Scott came home. After dinner though, I thought it a neat idea to take Tristan outside. We had enough accumulation to take him out on his sled.

Not the greatest shots but you get the idea...

See, his cheeks weren't rosy yet. He and the snow were just starting to get acquainted.

Sled...check. Ratchet strap...check. Happy kid...check.

First attempt at a snow angel (or snow man according to him)

And nothing like a busted lip to finish off our fun in the snow...he cared for a second or two. But the thought of going inside was enough to stave off the pain and chase mommy around.

Another local mom took her son out for some fun, too. Check out this adorable picture here at Chubbas 'n Boop. While you're there check out their shop. Lisa's husband does amazing work with toys made of wood. Firetrucks, horse stables, play kitchens, and baby teethers are just a few of the many things he can make. He'll even do custom work, too. And Lisa has her own site about cloth diapering. I've learned quite a bit from her and am really, really thankful for that.

I♥Faces: Week 11

2009-03-22T23:07:00.003-06:00

This week's theme is "no flash". I wanted to enter an indoor, no flash entry and here's what I came up with:This is Tristan being sweet as can be. I know the back lighting from outside is a bit bright, but I think it softens and highlights his features.

Check out all the other entries at www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com

I♥Faces: Photojojo Giveaway

2009-03-18T08:02:00.002-06:00

If you haven't joined the masses at I♥Faces yet, you should go on and check it out. To top it off, they're having a giveaway from Photojojo (check out their products at: http://photojojo.com/store/)

Anyway, check out all the fun, submit a picture or two at I♥Faces and share the love of photography with beginners to professionals from around the globe!

Home again...

2009-03-17T09:27:00.006-06:00

So, I'm home again with this stomach crud. I'm bored and I really don't want to lay in bed all day. So, I'm here. At my computer. Sitting in my comfy desk chair. Browsing, checking my email, checking out my facebook, and typing away. I don't get this much. Nice, long quiet time at my computer. Usually I'm in between doing things...making dinner....bath time for kids....agreeing to strange requests from my three year old. This is just quiet. Do you hear that? Click...clack...click...clack. Just typing. Isn't it nice?

Oh, by the way..Happy St. Patrick's Day. I'm not Irish. I'm not wearing green. But I thought I'd be nice and wish you a happy one just in case you were.

So, besides internet adventures, I've been working on a photo from yesterday that I took of the girlie. I mostly shoot in full auto. I haven't begun to be that adventurous yet. Well, at least I tried some other modes yesterday to no avail. Most of the pictures I took were too blue. I don't mean depressing, but literally blue.

Here's one that I absolutely love. Her eyes are just absolutely wonderful in it. But again, it is just too blue. I also needed to crop out Scott from the picture, but that's the easy part. Go ahead and click on the picture. See what I mean about the eyes?

Alright, so this photo is definitely in need of some post-processing. I took it to Paint Shop Pro 8 and started some magic. First I tried Automatic Color Balance. Here's the result:

Not bad. But it still lacked warmth. By the way, in Automatic Color Balance, there is one bar to slide left and right for the illuminant temperature. You can also adjust the strength as well. From the far left, it looks very orange to the far right where it looks very blue. Just slide around until your pictures looks right. Great for an easy fix, but if your picture has some serious color issues, like mine, then Color Balance is better.

In PSP8's Color Balance (I'm not sure if it is the same for Photoshop), you have three bars to adjust called Color Levels and three areas to work on: Shadows, Midtones, and Highlights. I hope you're still with me.

Here are the Color Levels: Cyan to Red, Magenta to Green, and Yellow to Blue.

For Midtones and highlights, I adjusted all three color levels. More Red than Cyan, more greent than magenta, and more yellow than blue. In fact my numbers were: 57, 26, -35.

After getting the color just right, I sharpened the eyes to make them "pop", fixed a few blemishes and voila!

Here is the original side-by-side with my final fix:

What do you think? To yellow? Not enough pink? Did I go overboard? Or is it just right?

More green theme pics

2009-03-16T12:55:00.003-06:00

I absolutely loved taking pictures of Melayna today for this week's iheartfaces theme: Green. Who knew she looked this good in green? Here are more adorable pictures of her that didn't quite make the final cut for my kid's entry.

Oh, and I can't discount my point & shoot. This camera is awesome and I get some very crisp, excellent pictures with it. See, what I mean?

I♥Faces: Week 10

2009-03-16T12:24:00.007-06:00

An appropriate theme this week for the holiday: Green.

So, first thought was to go back into my archives and find a good picture. I didn't think I would have time to take a new one. While I had many pictures that would qualify, none fit the bill. So, what did I do, since I'm stuck at home feeling sick? Take pictures of my beautiful baby girl...in green! We did a huge switcheroo this weekend by giving Tristan the master room and us the smaller room since the kiddos will be sharing it later this year. Another thing about our new room, is it has a sliding glass door. Tristan was pretty close to figuring out the safety bar and lock. I really didn't want him having the ability to go and wander the streets. Anyway, with a sliding glass door in our room, there is way more natural light coming in. So, I dressed Melayna in green and put her atop a green blanket. Green enough?

I got so many pictures of her. Lots of bright smiles. Lots of thoughtful expressions. She started to get a bit fussy and wanted to be held. She protested a bit and then laid her head down quietly looking out the window. She was calm and in perfect thought as I took a few shots. It only last for those few shots before she protested again, but here is the result:

Oh, if you click on the picture you can get a larger version of it. Melayna's eyes right now have stayed at a gray color. When I started to take pictures with all this green I noticed tints of green in her eyes. It could just be reflections, but I thought it was pretty cool. I'd be pretty excited if her eyes end up being hazel. Her daddy's eyes are hazel, but mine are a dark brown. Tristan's eyes were dark brown by three or four months. She's already 5 1/2 months. If you'd like to see more pictures of her from today, check out this post.

See more green pictures at www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com

Baggu Grosgrain Guest GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-03-10T19:15:00.000-06:00

Baggu Grosgrain Guest GIVEAWAY!!!!

I♥Faces: Week 9

2009-03-10T18:51:00.003-06:00

This week's theme is Creative Crop. Either creatively crop while shooting the picture or show a before and after of cropping afterwards.

I chose a shot that I think was well cropped SOOC. So, I really don't have a before and after pic. I just fixed it up a bit in Paint Shop Pro, but no after shot cropping. I have the SOOC picture in a previous post of mine (not an iheartfaces entry). You can click here to see the SOOC shot.

This little beauty is my daughter, Melayna. She's a great little gal and I love her to pieces. I think she looks so serious in this shot but the bubbles from her mouth just take away any of that seriousness.
Check out all the other great entries at www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com

Mmmm..tasty

2009-03-04T22:30:00.003-07:00

Melayna's been eating rice cereal for the past month now. It is mostly every other day, but this week, I've been giving her cereal at dinner time. She's really getting the hang of it, too. She just loves going after the spoon.

See? She loves the spoon.

Again...this time grabbing the spoon.

The joys of simple food.

What a messy face. I think we need to take a bath.

What was that?! (This is her pear juice from a cup face) I don't know what she likes least: pear juice or drinking from a cup. Whichever it was, she didn't like it.

Time to start a bath and get the kids ready for bed, then repeat the process again tomorrow. Sigh.

Just chillin'

2009-03-03T02:30:00.004-07:00

Last month, I had to come home early to watch the kids. My mother-in-law, who watches them on Thursdays, was sick and couldn't make it. I don't like calling in sick or leaving work. Especially when I'm not the one who is sick (or my kids aren't the ones either). Regardless, I got to spend a nice afternoon with them. In fact, it was so nice, that I decided to have an impromptu picnic. We have some nice grassy areas around our apartment complex with a little creek and trees about. So, I brought out a blanket, some munchies, and kids. I let Tristan run around and explore on his own, while I sat with the girlie on the blanket. Natural light is my favorite when taking the kids pictures. I can set a fast shutter speed to freeze their movement and not feel like I'm compromising the focus and lighting.

These were a few shots I managed to get of them while having fun outdoors.

I♥Faces: Week 8

2009-03-02T15:30:00.004-07:00

It is that time again. :)

This week is special, though. They have a beginner's entry.

So, I can enter because I said yes to at least three of the following questions:

• Have you recently started taking photos or taking photography more seriously? yes
• Do you have NO idea how your camera works yet? does point and shoot count? I know only some things, but honestly have not clue what I'm doing.
• Are your skills average or below average? yes
• Are you clueless when we talk about Aperture? somewhat - I know what aperture is, but how to use in photography is another story.
• You don't even know what editing means.... let alone have an editing program for your photos? this I have, this I like doing, but I can definitely learn more
• Are you willing to be open for constructive criticism from the other participants? Bring on the criticism! I need to know what I can do to improve and bring photography to another level for me.

Okay, so I qualify. This week's theme is messy. I have a few really good photos I could submit for the messy category, but they were taken a while back and I really want to be critiqued on my skills now. So, the closest I have to messy taken in the last month or so are a few pictures of Melayna trying out her first rice cereal. The funny thing is, she really didn't get all that messy. She really wasn't sure what to think of the whole ordeal either.

Well, here's my entry. I did do some touching up on Paint Shop Pro 8. I'm not entering this necessarily to win, but to get some good feedback.

For anyone wanting to give me some constructive criticism, I do have a question:
How can you effectively get an indoor shot without the flash and not have a blurred effect? I took some other pictures of her without the flash and they turned out blurry. You can see other messy pictures of her (and a few others that I could have entered but were taken a while back) here.

Check out I♥Faces here.

I♥Faces: Week 8 - Messy Pictures

2009-03-02T00:30:00.003-07:00

I am having a hard time deciding which photo to choose for this week's theme: Messy.

I could go with one of my older ones:

Tristan enjoying a cupcake. Well, what used to be a cupcake.

My friend's daughter at Tristan's 2nd birthday enjoying a crafty mess.

Or one of my newer ones:Melayna's first cereal. This one is a bit blurry.

Melayna's first cereal. In focus, but I don't like the flash effect.

I think I'll go with the newer ones just so I can get critiqued on my abilities now and not then. I'll be entering a special beginner's category so we can receive feedback.

Exposed..

2009-03-01T19:58:00.007-07:00

Hi there. It's been a while. I've been quite inattentive to my blog. Only posting for I♥Faces and giveaways. Shame on me. But I don't consider myself a bad blogger; I'm just a busy blogger. A very busy blogger. Who knew that working full time and having two children would be that much busier.

Anyway, I mostly blog about my kids. I'm like most mothers out there in blog land. We love to talk about our children. We love showing them off. We love talking about their funny moments, their cute moments, their horrible moments, their every moments. However, there comes a time when a mommy's blog can take a different focus. Don't get me wrong...I love posting about my kids and I still will. I just want to talk about a little project of mine. Something that I will put my shame aside and hopefully help keep myself accountable when achieving my goals.

I think that everyone at some point in their life has self-image issues. There are very few people in this world that are completely content with who they are, whether it be physically, emotionally, intellectually, and so on. Many of us bloggers can safely hide behind our keyboards and type away about our lives without worrying about being judged (at least about our looks). In fact, most of us put up a picture of our children or some graphic instead of ourselves in our profile picture. I like hiding. It is safe. It is not confrontational.

But who am I denying? Myself, right? Well, recently I decided to take up a new goal. However, before I share it with you, I should present to you the issue at hand. The reason behind this goal.

I'm overweight. If I keep going where I'm currently headed, I'll have health problems and be morbidly fat. I am ashamed of it; however, I'm not one to let it get me down. I'm not going to be depressed and cry over it. I'm not going to binge or starve myself. I do value myself as a good person. However, I think I've been in denial. And I'm lazy - or perhaps too busy to focus on my health.

I've started a poem. Something I'd like to finish later on with a happy ending.

When I look in the mirror
I don't like what I see
Flab handing from my arms
How can that be?

I look at my waistline
Love handles all around
And when I see my profile
A double chin hanging down

A bulging belly
and thunderous thighs.
I look at my backside
to a behind that I despise.

Lugging pound after pound
I find myself out of breath.
If I keep up this trend,
it will surely lead to my death

Okay, so here's the deal. I want to be able to finish this poem on a good note. I want to add in about success and attaining my fitness and health goals. So, here's my project. I am going to get back into shape, lose weight, and live a healthier lifestyle.

So, I've set the following goals:

3 months - meet with personal trainer to obtain ideal workout, workout at least three times a week, cut back on fast food (once every two weeks), climb the Incline (a very steep 1-mile hike that can lead you up to Pikes Peak if you transfer trails)
6 months - increase workout to at least four times a week, cut fast food to once a month, start buying organic when possible and feasible (cost-wise), lose 25 pounds, climb a 14er (I live in Colorado and have yet to climb our beautiful mountain - especially Pikes Peak).
12 months - workout five times a week, join a fitness class at the gym, try a new sport (skiing, tennis, snowboarding, etc), lose 40 to 50 pounds.
life long - continue habit of working out and staying fit, continue to eat healthy and avoid fast food as much as possible, continue to lose weight until eventual goal of being 150-160 pounds is made - then maintain weight, share active lifestyle with my children (encourage them to be active as well)

So, how does that sound? Well, you must be wondering how bad things are for me. Truth be told, I could be much worse off. I weigh about 230 pounds and I am 5'6". Healthy for me should be around 150. I don't know if I'll ever get there and if I should, but I will try. Most importantly, I will try the right way. No diet pills, no diet fads, no eating disorders for me. I will do it by watching what I eat and exercising.

Here's a picture of me and Scott right around Christmas time. Like I said, not too horrible. I'm just overweight. Although, I don't know what I was doing with my face to make it look so flat. And geez, look at my arms and that's after cropping!

I've actually already started. My work offers a free gym membership to 24hour Fitness. Even better, I can walk to the nearest 24hour Fitness from my work. So, for the past three weeks, I've been going to the gym. I went four days last week during my lunch breaks. I averaged 30 minutes on the machines (elliptical, stair stepper, treadmill, stationary bike). I just hope that my enthusiasm doesn't wane and I keep it up.

I want to be able to do a before and after picture. Here's my before pictures:
I can't wait to see my after picture. :)

Born 2 Impress GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-03-01T15:45:00.001-07:00

So, if you have a little girl...then you have to check out this giveaway. Shoot, you should just go and see all the goodies at Born2Impress. They has such cute head bands, hair clips, and hats for little girls from infant to big girls. Anyway, Grosgrain is hosting the giveaway - just click the link below the picture.

Isn't this flower clip just absolutely fabulous. I can't wait until Melayna has a head full of hair to sport these clips. In the meantime, I'll have to try a head band or hat. Hmmm, now the problem is which one should I choose?

Born 2 Impress GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Giveaway at 30 days

2009-02-28T20:25:00.002-07:00

Thank you Sara at Football & Fried Rice for mentioning this awesome giveaway at 30 Days. She's giving away a few cute outfits and messenger bag from Matilda Jane. I first heard of Matilda Jane from Sara when she posted some really cute pictures of her daughter, Mya, wearing this cute dress. I went over to their site and took a look. Their creations are absolutely wonderful and so cute. Unfortunately, my little cutie-pie won't be able to wear something like this for a little while. Anyway, 30 Days is doing this pretty cool giveaway and I am sure crossing my fingers to win one of these cute little outfits. Aren't they adorable?

I♥Faces: Fix It Friday

2009-02-28T00:14:00.002-07:00

It is another great week for Fix-It Friday. This little cutie required very little work. As usual, I use Paint Shop Pro 8.

Here's the SOOC:A few scratches on her face and a mark on her arm were the only real things that needed a fix. It could use maybe a little more color, but that's all I really saw. But I decided to have fun with the picture.

So, here's my fix:

A few things I did:

use the clone tool to remove the blemish on her arm and the scratches on her face.
crop the picture to put her a little more off center and filling the frame a bit more
used feather and unsharpen mask on her eyes
used a few textures to change the background (this was mostly for fun and playing around with masks - which I have little experience in)
changed hues, saturation, and colors a tad to give it a bit more color

That's about it. Head on over to http://www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com/ and check out the other fixes.

I♥Faces: Week 7

2009-02-23T01:00:00.004-07:00

Are you getting tired of my posts yet? I know, I've been a bad blogger lately with only photo entries to I♥Faces and Fix-it Fridays. But I'm enjoying this and its my only way to blog right now. Anyway, if you're into photography I♥Faces is a great way to check out techniques, show off your own talent, and find others who enjoy the art of photography as well. I'm like most parents with a database of photos, but it has just been recently that I've taken it seriously. Armed with better tools (camera, photo editing software, etc), photography has reached a new level for me.

Well, enough rambling. This week's theme is B&W. Okay, so you can take any photo and convert it to black and white, right? Well, I think there are some photos that are screaming to be black and white and others that abhor it. Maybe it's just me, but I think there are just some pictures that shouldn't be converted. Well, Tristan is my model yet again. When am I just going to find that perfect picture of my sweet baby girl that fits the theme just right? And, when am I going to find a picture that I've taken with my new camera? All of my entries thus far have been with an old Canon Powershot - even my entries below.

Well, here they are:Kids Entry: Tristan - Thanksgiving 2006

Adult Entry: Scott with Tristan - Relay for Life, Summer 2006

For my kid's entry, I chose a shot with Tristan in this wonderful little hat. It is so classic looking that it complemented the black and white conversion. For my adult entry, I know it has Tristan in it (I hardly have any adult photos without the kids in them), but when I see this photo my eyes go straight to Scott's expression. I'm not sure what he's feeling in this picture, but I just love it.

Well, go on and check out those beautiful faces at www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com

Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-02-23T00:02:00.002-07:00

Oh my goodness! It's a pettiskirt! Oh, I wish, I wish, I wish! Melayna would look wonderful in this (of course, once she's big enough).

Check out the giveaway here at Grosgrain:
Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

I♥Faces: Fix It Friday

2009-02-19T23:58:00.003-07:00

Another round of Fix-It Friday. I don't think I did this photo justice....at least compared to the fixes featured here.

SOOC (Original)

My fix

Other than a few blemishes, I really didn't do much to this photo. I changed the background color (something quite different from my usual), I sharpened her eyes a bit, and cropped the photo. Check out the contributor's fixes. My favorite is where the contributor cropped and rotated the image.

I♥Faces: Week 6

2009-02-17T06:58:00.003-07:00

This week's theme is wonder. I took this picture last year when we took Tristan to the zoo. If there is one thing he loves it is animals. This was taken in the ape exhibit building. He saw a group of chimpanzees huddled together and there was a baby one moving about. Tristan plopped himself down on the ledge and just watched. Because of the camera and the lighting the pictures turned out a bit grainy, but his expression just fit the theme. I did do some modifications to the original - I wanted to focus on his face and not that water bottle in the front (how much I wish I moved it).

If you want to participate or just see all the beautiful faces, just head on over to www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com.

By the way, this is such a great creative outlet and such a blog saver for me. I've been so busy lately that it is hard to find a few moments to sit at the computer and just put my thoughts out there. There is so much to blog about, I hope that I'll have time soon to tell you all about it. Recent adventures include the Denver Children's Museum, going full cloth diapers for Melayna (except when she's with the sitter - she has a thing about the poop I guess), weight-loss/get healthy reformation plan in place, and more. One day, some day, I can blog about it. Until then, back to my busy life - I have to get ready for work.

I ♥ Faces: Fix-It Friday

2009-02-15T09:09:00.005-07:00

I love participating in Fix-It Fridays. It is nice to get to work on other pictures and see everyone's results. I got a late start to this because I was just downright tired on Friday night (I went to sleep when the kids went down for the night) and yesterday we spent most of the day in Denver at the Children's Museum. I actually did the fix last night, but didn't post it.

Anyway, this darling photo below is what we worked with. I really loved his eyes and wanted to draw them out and be the main focus. I also loved the background - the colors were so wonderfully chosen and accent his eyes very well.

SOOC (straight out of camera)

my fixed version

I reframed the shot. I gave his face the majority of the frame, but leaving some of the colorful background in. I also tilted the angle a bit - I think it gives it character. I tend to do the same things to fix a picture and adjust when necessary, but here's what I did:

(All modifications were done in Paint Shop Pro 8 - I so wish I could have Adobe, though)

Create two duplicate layers
Run Hard Light and Soft Light on one layer, went with Hard Light at 100%
Run Screen on the other layer, went with 100% as well (it is rare that I have 100% strength for both layers of this combination, but I think it worked well)
Merge (flatten) all the layers
Unsharp mask - I only did this just a tad (sorry I can't remember the numbers I used)
Eyes: since his eyes varied so much in brightness, I had to treat them a little differently. For both eyes, I feathered them a bit (10) and unsharp mask to give them more emphasis. For his left eye (the darker of the two), I had to brighten it just a bit so it matched his right eye.
Tilt and crop
Voila! I am finished.

Go check out their site: www.iheartfaces.com

I ♥ Faces: 5th Week - Silly

2009-02-10T22:38:00.007-07:00

This week's theme is "Silly". So, what parent doesn't have pictures of their children being silly? Very few I'm sure. While I thought of going into my archives, for this week's entry I decided to have some fun with the camera.

I asked Tristan to give me all sorts of faces...mean face, silly face, happy face, etc. He even gave me a sad face. But whenever we ask him to do a silly face, this is what we get.

If you giggle and laugh at him, he laughs right back and tries to do it again. Give him the face and he breaks out in a fit of laughter.

For my adult entry, I chose this photo I took of my mother about four years ago. Seeing this photo brings back some really good memories of her. In this instance, imagine a very, very, very cold day. This was taken in a small town in Minnesota, right along a huge river or lake (it was too big for me to tell and too long ago for me to remember). The wind off the water just made things even colder. My mother, being from a warm, tropical country, never really liked the cold. This photo, I think, really captured her dislike for the cold. I makes me chuckle every time I see it.

I had some fun with Paint Shop editing this photo. Her jacket and gloves really stood out in the original against the bleak, colorless winter. I thought making it really stand out gave this picture a little bit of oomph it needed. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know if I went overboard with Paint Shop Pro. I'm still learning the program and what it has to offer.

For more silly faces, go to www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com. There's a bunch of really good ones!

I ♥ Faces: Fix-it Friday

2009-02-06T19:34:00.003-07:00

So far, I've been having fun posting for the I♥Faces weekly contests. Well, they've put in an installment called "Fix-It Fridays". They post great tips on how to enhance and fix-up your photos, typically using Photoshop, or like program. This week, we were challenged to fix up the photo and post about it.

Before
Lacks contrast, a bit bland - needs more color, a small blemish

After

I used Paint Shop Pro 8. I've taught myself how to use the program and read up on the internet for tips and tricks (most of the time having to convert tips in Photoshop to Paintshop).

So, here's what I did:

Create two duplicate layers. I had the background layer and two layers above that
On the topmost layer, I used the Hard Light function. This really added a lot of color to the photo, which is the effect I wanted.
On the middle layer, I used the Screen function. Because this lightened the photo too much, I dropped it to about 5%.
I flattened the image, so that it was one solid image instead of several layers.
I used Pioneer Woman's technique on how to make eyes pop by selecting just the eyes, feathering them at a 10, and unsharpen mask (R 3.6 S 30 C 0).
I then did unsharpen mask on the whole image (R 2 S 15 C 5).
Using the clone tool, I remove a blemish that stood out.
Using a light effect, I adjusted the lighting on the photo to give it a darkness around the edges and highlight her face more. I didn't create too dramatic of an effect though.

So, what do you think? Paint Shop, Photo Shop or whatever other programs there are out there can be very, very useful. They can take a good photo and make them better, so long as you know what you're doing. I only pretend. :P