I know I say this too often, but I really have been awfully busy. Honest. But I do think (and hope and pray) that things are soon going to return to normal, whatever that might be. : )
The special section from hell is over. It's the biggest ever this year and I must say that everyone did really well working together this year. I probably would have had a nervous breakdown otherwise. I honestly wasn't even that stressed about it all. When I have lots of work, I go into deep concentration mode, which is often mistaken for being stressed out. By today, however, I'm just plain worn out. Sheer willpower got me out of bed and out of the house this morning.
I'm excited about getting a bit of a break tomorrow, though. Depending on how things go, it might be a full-blown day off, although I hope not, because then Friday will just be more hectic. Too bad my "break" comes in the form of my yearly check-up. Eeeww. You'd think after pregnancy, that wouldn't even phase me, but I dread it just the same. Ugh.
Wednesday, February 22
Wednesday, February 15
Photo Magic
The other day in all my free time (ha ha ha) I decided to play around with this photo of Ashleigh. I'll show you my final version, then the original, then tell you what I did. So if you don't care what I did, you can easily skip it. : )
The FInished Product
What I Started With
Don't you just LOVE Photoshop? I do!
First, I made 2 copies of the original layer. On the top layer, I applied a surface blur that gives Ashleigh that softer look, almost like a painting. On the middle layer, I applied a lens blur, to obscure the background. I applied a mask to the top layer, and painted on it to reveal the blurred background on the middle layer, then I merged the top two layers. Then I applied a mask and then painted on that to reveal the red heart on her jumper underneath. I started to make her shirt red too, but decided that it was too much. Next I set the pencil opacity to about 10% and colored her eyes blue. This was about the third way I tried to do that and got the most satisfactory results with it. Then, I cropped it.
Sorry if the little tutorial bored you, but I just don't have alot to talk about right now!
The FInished Product
What I Started With
Don't you just LOVE Photoshop? I do!
First, I made 2 copies of the original layer. On the top layer, I applied a surface blur that gives Ashleigh that softer look, almost like a painting. On the middle layer, I applied a lens blur, to obscure the background. I applied a mask to the top layer, and painted on it to reveal the blurred background on the middle layer, then I merged the top two layers. Then I applied a mask and then painted on that to reveal the red heart on her jumper underneath. I started to make her shirt red too, but decided that it was too much. Next I set the pencil opacity to about 10% and colored her eyes blue. This was about the third way I tried to do that and got the most satisfactory results with it. Then, I cropped it.
Sorry if the little tutorial bored you, but I just don't have alot to talk about right now!
Tuesday, February 14
Happy Heart Day!
Whether you have big plans, small plans, or no plans at all, I hope you have a wonderful day! Kenneth and I don't do big Valentine's Days. We do acknowledge it, but there are no huge bouquets or bunches of balloons or anything grandiose. Tonight will involve the usual cooking dinner, hanging out, etc. No pressure-and we like that.
Although chocolate would be nice....
Have a wonderful day!
Monday, February 13
Busy, Busy, BUSY!
Busy at work, busy at home....and I don't even have that little "it'll slow down after the holidays" mantra to recite in my head when I get overwhelmed!
For those who don't know, I work at a newspaper and our biggest special section of the year deadlines soon so we are swamped. And at home, well...I work full-time, have a husband, a 14-month old daughter and a cat. And all the housework that come with that. ; )
Pam, her hubby and son, Rachel and her children came to the house Saturday to scrapbook. And we ate. Alot. Rachel threated her son's life a time or two, which lead to one of many funny moments in our day: Rachel is holding Clay by his wrist, telling him what she'll do to him if he doesn't behave and he tells her that she's cutting off his insulation. Most of the others were more of a visual nature and wouldn't translate well here.
I got 4 pages completed and 3 more planned. Ashleigh was really fussy Saturday night and Sunday. Her jaw teeth are coming in and they are hurting her pretty badly, I think. My poor baby.
And for all of you out there who are into digital cameras, tell me what you use. I've pretty much settled on a Canon PowerShot S2 IS. It's 5MP with a 12X optical zoom. Not sure about digital zoom, because I wouldn't use that anyway. I'd love to get a Nikon D50 or D70, OR a Canon Digital Rebel, but those are out of my price range. (I'm trying to stick around $500--don't wan't to blow our entire refund!!!)
I'd make the promise here to blog more regularly, but who am I kidding? Maybe in another week or two...
For those who don't know, I work at a newspaper and our biggest special section of the year deadlines soon so we are swamped. And at home, well...I work full-time, have a husband, a 14-month old daughter and a cat. And all the housework that come with that. ; )
Pam, her hubby and son, Rachel and her children came to the house Saturday to scrapbook. And we ate. Alot. Rachel threated her son's life a time or two, which lead to one of many funny moments in our day: Rachel is holding Clay by his wrist, telling him what she'll do to him if he doesn't behave and he tells her that she's cutting off his insulation. Most of the others were more of a visual nature and wouldn't translate well here.
I got 4 pages completed and 3 more planned. Ashleigh was really fussy Saturday night and Sunday. Her jaw teeth are coming in and they are hurting her pretty badly, I think. My poor baby.
And for all of you out there who are into digital cameras, tell me what you use. I've pretty much settled on a Canon PowerShot S2 IS. It's 5MP with a 12X optical zoom. Not sure about digital zoom, because I wouldn't use that anyway. I'd love to get a Nikon D50 or D70, OR a Canon Digital Rebel, but those are out of my price range. (I'm trying to stick around $500--don't wan't to blow our entire refund!!!)
I'd make the promise here to blog more regularly, but who am I kidding? Maybe in another week or two...
Tuesday, February 7
This & That...
::Do instant potatoes count as a vegetable? I didnt' think so....Well, that was the only "veggie" Ashleigh had for dinner. Does that make me a bad Mom? (Hint: If your answer is yes, keep it to yourself!)
::Two signs my parents are gaga over their only grandchild:
*My Mom just had to go get Ashleigh out of bed Sunday morning so she could cuddle her before she
woke up. (She tolerates minimal cuddling from most anyone but me.)
*My Dad voluntarily tuned in to the Wiggles before church. Ashleigh was still and watched
for a good 5-7 minutes! After she lost total interest, I think he changed the channel. : )
::One sign I'm a sure nerd:
*I got a little too excited that I figured out (all by myself) how to make adjustments in Quark to keep
my imported graphics from going all crazy, color-wise.
::One sign I'm getting old:
*It's almost 10 and I just wondered why I'm not in bed yet!!!
::Two signs my parents are gaga over their only grandchild:
*My Mom just had to go get Ashleigh out of bed Sunday morning so she could cuddle her before she
woke up. (She tolerates minimal cuddling from most anyone but me.)
*My Dad voluntarily tuned in to the Wiggles before church. Ashleigh was still and watched
for a good 5-7 minutes! After she lost total interest, I think he changed the channel. : )
::One sign I'm a sure nerd:
*I got a little too excited that I figured out (all by myself) how to make adjustments in Quark to keep
my imported graphics from going all crazy, color-wise.
::One sign I'm getting old:
*It's almost 10 and I just wondered why I'm not in bed yet!!!
Monday, February 6
Busy Weekend
Well, I had a very busy but fun weekend.
Cory came up and spent the night Friday night, then she, Ashleigh and I met Mom and Regina in Tupelo. We got the stuff for her wedding dress (Mom is making it) and did some other shopping. It was a long day, but lots of fun. Especially since Ashleigh didn't have a major meltdown until about 30 minutes before we got to my parent's house to spend the night! But it only took me singing Old McDonald THE ENTIRE TIME to keep her quiet. You should all be very thankful you weren't in the car with us!
Ashleigh was thoroughly spoiled by her Aunt Cory, as well as her grandparents. But I suppose in a way she earned it, she put on quite a show dancing for them! Tell me, what's cuter than a 14-month-old trying to shake her booty to the music? When she's your 14-month-old, probably nothing!
My aunt brought her granddaughter over Saturday night, and Ashleigh decided it'd be fun to sit in Jayden's lap!
She also loved the 5 foot caterpillar my parents bought her for Valentine's Day. They're in Wal-Mart if you want to check it out in person. Here she is snuggling with it first thing Sunday morning:
Cory came up and spent the night Friday night, then she, Ashleigh and I met Mom and Regina in Tupelo. We got the stuff for her wedding dress (Mom is making it) and did some other shopping. It was a long day, but lots of fun. Especially since Ashleigh didn't have a major meltdown until about 30 minutes before we got to my parent's house to spend the night! But it only took me singing Old McDonald THE ENTIRE TIME to keep her quiet. You should all be very thankful you weren't in the car with us!
Ashleigh was thoroughly spoiled by her Aunt Cory, as well as her grandparents. But I suppose in a way she earned it, she put on quite a show dancing for them! Tell me, what's cuter than a 14-month-old trying to shake her booty to the music? When she's your 14-month-old, probably nothing!
My aunt brought her granddaughter over Saturday night, and Ashleigh decided it'd be fun to sit in Jayden's lap!
She also loved the 5 foot caterpillar my parents bought her for Valentine's Day. They're in Wal-Mart if you want to check it out in person. Here she is snuggling with it first thing Sunday morning:
Friday, February 3
Ready for the Weekend
I'm so ready for the weekend! I'm sure you are too.
Random Thoughts
::If a man nearly knocks you over to get to the door first so he can open it for you, it isn't really being polite, is it?
::Why is it that in the 1,900 sq. ft. of our home, if the cat is going to produce a hairball or throw up in the middle of the night, it will always be where I will step on in within 15 minutes of getting out of bed and 95% of the time, it will be on carpet?
I've refrained as long as possible from posting photos of Ashleigh. Here are a few from last night:
She loves her books! She loves looking at them, having me read them to her AND chewing on them!
Bathtime is always a hit. I think we'll spend alot of time in the kiddie pool this summer!
And remember that homemade apple pie I told you I made last weekend? Well, here is photographic proof of that adventure:
The mess I created.
It might not be beautiful, but it sure tasted good!!! Just ask Rachel.
Also, thanks so much to everyone who let me know that not feeling good enough is something most of us deal with. And for saying I'm a great Mom-well, that's just the best compliment in the world!
Random Thoughts
::If a man nearly knocks you over to get to the door first so he can open it for you, it isn't really being polite, is it?
::Why is it that in the 1,900 sq. ft. of our home, if the cat is going to produce a hairball or throw up in the middle of the night, it will always be where I will step on in within 15 minutes of getting out of bed and 95% of the time, it will be on carpet?
I've refrained as long as possible from posting photos of Ashleigh. Here are a few from last night:
She loves her books! She loves looking at them, having me read them to her AND chewing on them!
Bathtime is always a hit. I think we'll spend alot of time in the kiddie pool this summer!
And remember that homemade apple pie I told you I made last weekend? Well, here is photographic proof of that adventure:
The mess I created.
It might not be beautiful, but it sure tasted good!!! Just ask Rachel.
Also, thanks so much to everyone who let me know that not feeling good enough is something most of us deal with. And for saying I'm a great Mom-well, that's just the best compliment in the world!
Wednesday, February 1
Mood Swings, Anyone?
Does you mood ever go south for no discernable reason? If so, don't you just HATE that?
I sure do.
Today I arrived at work in a fine mood. And left in quite a crappy one, despite my best efforts to NOT be in a bad mood. My day was fine. Nobody made me angry or wronged me in any way. Nothing went particularly wrong. I didn't go to long without food, I didn't miss my morning dose of caffiene...so what is wrong with me? (And no, it's not PMS, either.)
The first half of my day was a little weird, I had a high school junior "shadow" me from 8-12 to learn about my job, to help her make career choices. But she was really pretty cool it was pretty neat to sit there and dispense my advice. For example: if your college offers an honors program, don't bother! Unless you're going to be working in the academic world where people might care, it's just a lot of extra effort for nothing, basically. You might disagree, but I went through the honors program in college and looking back, I would certainly not do it again.
ANYWAY, back on track: I've been wondering what my problem might be and while I think I know what it is, I don't know if I can put it into words very well. You know how some people are really great at something? Well, I just don't think I'm really great at anything. I don't mean just good, I mean really kick-butt awesome. I am constantly frustrated at work because I don't have the resources or the time to create pieces I'm really proud of. I've got to work hard to get out of this mindset, because when I found out I'd won some state press association awards for my work, I was disappointed I didn't win more, rather than be happy I won any at all. It isn't just work though. I'm sure you've notice my ongoing saga to have the perfectly neat and tidy house. If I achieved that type of perfection, we probably wouldn't be comfortable in our own home! And I've used that house-work bit as a reason/excuse not to scrapbook, but maybe I'm not scrapbooking because I think my pages won't be good enough.
I'm not sure how I ended up in this place where I think everyone else's "stuff" is better than mine, but it's so not me! I've never been one to think I'm "all that" but I've always had a healthy self-esteem. And I still do, but it's just got a few bruises, I think.
I feel better just getting that all out there in the open! It also helped that my wonderful mother-in-law made dinner for us and sent it home with Kenneth, so I got to spend the evening hanging out with him and Ashleigh. We had tons of fun, especially to Ashleigh's dancing! She's doing this whole booty bounce/shake her booty thing that is really cute. But now that she's in bed and I've gotten all this off my chest, I think I'll read a few pages in Michael Connely's "The Closers" before I go to sleep. And I'm going to have a great, good mood day tomorrow, darn it!!
I sure do.
Today I arrived at work in a fine mood. And left in quite a crappy one, despite my best efforts to NOT be in a bad mood. My day was fine. Nobody made me angry or wronged me in any way. Nothing went particularly wrong. I didn't go to long without food, I didn't miss my morning dose of caffiene...so what is wrong with me? (And no, it's not PMS, either.)
The first half of my day was a little weird, I had a high school junior "shadow" me from 8-12 to learn about my job, to help her make career choices. But she was really pretty cool it was pretty neat to sit there and dispense my advice. For example: if your college offers an honors program, don't bother! Unless you're going to be working in the academic world where people might care, it's just a lot of extra effort for nothing, basically. You might disagree, but I went through the honors program in college and looking back, I would certainly not do it again.
ANYWAY, back on track: I've been wondering what my problem might be and while I think I know what it is, I don't know if I can put it into words very well. You know how some people are really great at something? Well, I just don't think I'm really great at anything. I don't mean just good, I mean really kick-butt awesome. I am constantly frustrated at work because I don't have the resources or the time to create pieces I'm really proud of. I've got to work hard to get out of this mindset, because when I found out I'd won some state press association awards for my work, I was disappointed I didn't win more, rather than be happy I won any at all. It isn't just work though. I'm sure you've notice my ongoing saga to have the perfectly neat and tidy house. If I achieved that type of perfection, we probably wouldn't be comfortable in our own home! And I've used that house-work bit as a reason/excuse not to scrapbook, but maybe I'm not scrapbooking because I think my pages won't be good enough.
I'm not sure how I ended up in this place where I think everyone else's "stuff" is better than mine, but it's so not me! I've never been one to think I'm "all that" but I've always had a healthy self-esteem. And I still do, but it's just got a few bruises, I think.
I feel better just getting that all out there in the open! It also helped that my wonderful mother-in-law made dinner for us and sent it home with Kenneth, so I got to spend the evening hanging out with him and Ashleigh. We had tons of fun, especially to Ashleigh's dancing! She's doing this whole booty bounce/shake her booty thing that is really cute. But now that she's in bed and I've gotten all this off my chest, I think I'll read a few pages in Michael Connely's "The Closers" before I go to sleep. And I'm going to have a great, good mood day tomorrow, darn it!!
Playing TV
When you were a child, did you ever "play" tv games? What I mean is, did you every pretend like you were the character on the tv show, something like that? I remember when my cousin and I would spend several days at a time with our grandparents, we'd pretend we were Cagney & Lacey, or pretend we were Bo & Luke Duke's girlfriends on the Dukes of Hazzard. And of course, how many girls pretended they were WonderWoman? And I don't remember this show at all, but I do remember playing B.J. & the Bear on the playground in first grade. There were probably others that I've forgotten. Like I'm not sure which show it was, but we make walkie-talkies out of band-aid boxes, construction paper and paper clips for something. (Back when Band-Aid boxes were metal-remember that?) And some goofy boy thought they were real...come on, we weren't THAT talented!
If you remember doing things like this, please let me know!! I enjoy fun little walks down memory lane like that....
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