just be.

Packing for college

2011-08-20T16:25:00.004-05:00

I won't waste time bemusing the time gone by since my last post. Obviously, life is busy and priorities haven't included 'blogging'. But I find myself with a laptop, some free time and a dire need to wax poetic today.

Alexa is 13 days away from moving to college. I don't know for sure who is more nervous as the day approaches, her or me? It's so difficult to tell since she gets quieter and I get more "organizational" so we are both doing much of what we tend to do when we get nervous. I have been the one making lists upon lists of things for her to take with her to college. I have created a sortable excel file list - sortable alphabetically, or by category. I like to think it's pretty darn thorough, too!

I saved this file here for those who may have a need to use such a list.

In other news, we just returned from a beautiful vacation to Florida, celebrating Alexa's graduation with a visit to Harry Potter world at Universal's Islands of Adventure. It was amazing. We followed the parks craziness with a few days in Sanibel Island which was a perfect way to rest and relax.

Came home to news that a dear friend had passed away. A quick means of eliminating the rest and relaxation and sending the anxiety levels through the roof!

Ah well, on the work of the day - continuing the process of preparing my 18 year old to move out into this world, and to set her up for success in college. Here's to the future - may hers be bright and filled with joy!!

Till later - could be months!
Vanessa

Random blogger thoughts.

2010-11-28T15:11:00.002-06:00

Wow - where has 2010 gone? Here are my random theories:
1) I've been dreaming for the past several months - dreams filled with working, commuting, eating, sleeping - repeat as needed.
2) The dog ate the pages of the calendar between January and November.
3) It's not really November, but instead a really goofy April Fool's Day joke.
4) I'm living my own personal "Groundhog Day" movie.
5) It is actually November 28th and I am just burying my head in the sand.

What has life been filled with - besides that listed in theory number 1 - lately?
1) Three kids in high school. Need I say more? (Of course, I don't need to but I most certainly will anyway!)
2) A 30 mile each way commute to work for me - which throws at least 2 gas station stops per week into the schedule.
3) Paul recently started a new job (a contract position) which led to a recent trip to France for a week. He has other travel coming up as well - to Houston TX and possibly to Ireland. His being away makes a crazy life turn absolutely insane!
4) Puppy dog has an urgent daily need for cuddles and scratching and he's darn persistent about seeking that time!
5) All the other normal average tasks that any family needs to do to keep a household running smoothly - making and traveling to doctor/dentist/orthodontist/optical/vet/orthopedist/rheumatologist appointments - did I mention we're getting older? Grocery/toiletry/gift shopping. Hair/groomer appointments. Mowing/snow blowing as needed. Cooking/cleaning/car maintenance. Choir concerts/fundraisers/conferences/college tours. And so on, and so on. You know how it is!

So, as you can read, we are alive. We try to find occasional quality time - like going out for brunch this morning. But mostly we are eeking out tiny bits of time to do the things we LOVE to do amongst all that we HAVE to do. Such is the human existence. And we will one day look back upon all this craziness with fond memories. At least, that is what I tell myself each morning as I contemplate not getting out of bed ;-)

On the bright side, we have a Christmas card pending at Shutterfly that should actually be delivered prior to the close of business on December 23rd. Cheers to checking off an item on the to-do list!!
Until next time,
Vanessa

2010 Christmas card

2010-11-28T15:05:00.001-06:00

Classic Without Edge 5x7 folded card

Unique party invitations and announcements by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Summer?

2010-08-09T18:31:00.003-05:00

I think I blinked and missed it. Here it is, almost the middle of August, sweltering hot, and the kids only have a couple of weeks until school starts again!

Sorry that I've been MIA. Something about being employed full-time has made blogging more challenging. After 10+ hours at my computer for work, it's not too terribly enticing to get onto my home office computer for more typing, thinking, writing, or anything like that. Plus, I've developed the sudden need to go to bed by about 8pm. Getting up at 4:30am makes me tired so early...

Let's catch you up:

The kids finished another school year in June. Brady is done with middle school and all three will be at the high school in September. Wow!

Alexa was named a National Merit Scholar, which means she has the chance to become a National Merit Semi-Finalist in September. She was so nonchalant about the whole thing. Told me so quietly, that she might as well have been telling me the sky was blue.

Amara auditioned and was chosen for the Chorale choir at the high school. That means a very special trip to Germany and the Czech Republic for her next spring! She is very excited about that!

Brady has become legendary at COD. If you don't know what COD is, trust me, you don't want to know. (Think PS3, shooting, and bombs.) Now he's working on narrating via a recording device which I cannot begin to explain, so I won't. He's also working on a Balhorn Family website. We'll let you know when it goes live!

Paul has been trying to find a job. It's a tough market out there right now. Leads are appreciated ;-)

Jackson is plump, happy, and begging for another "Crabby Dog Bone", so named because he'll guard it with his entire ferocious growl repertoire if you should dare to get too near.

And, as for me, I'm working full time in Clinical Research. Love my job!! But I do miss being around during the day to spend quality time with my kids, my dog, and my Target store. Our bank account has been grateful for the respite however!

So there you have it. Life in the Balhorn household in a nutshell.

And for my finale: my personal favorite photo of Alexa for her senior picture -->

Isn't she gorgeous? I can hardly wrap my neurons around the idea that she'll be a senior in high school in a few short weeks. Where does the time go? Seems like only yesterday she was toddling around...

Still kicking in 2010.

2010-01-07T19:52:00.002-06:00

Long time no post! That darn job of mine has kept me VERY busy so I haven't done much of anything besides eating, sleeping, and working...

In fact - life has been so hectic that I never mailed the Christmas cards...sigh. I'll have to get on the other computer to post it here. Later (think Christmas in July!)

2009 in review:
Highlights -
Travel to Mexico in February, the North Shore in June and November, and Las Vegas in August.

Going back to work in July. See previous post. And the beginning of this post. And perhaps follow me on my 30 mile drive to work at 5:45am on any given weekday. Or perhaps you are not a morning person - so you'd rather follow me home anywhere from 9 to 12 hours later...just pick a non-snowy day. That commute is killer in the snow.

The kids - growing older, wiser, funnier and ever more teenaged!

Lowlights -
Paul's layoff in October. We've become a statistic in the recession.

Here's to 2010 being a better year! (Clink glass with mine - the Pinot is on the counter!)

Is it really 8pm already? It's past my bedtime. Isn't aging fun?

Some highlights from Vegas

2009-08-24T21:06:00.003-05:00

The top photo is from Zion National Park in Utah. The other three photos are from Valley of Fire - a Nevada State Park. Both parks were beautiful, rugged scenery. Makes one appreciate the hazards that the earliest settlers encountered as they traversed this enormous country...no highways, no resorts, no casinos! Don't quite know how they survived...and realizing that many did not.

More later. Exhausted from a busy schedule.

Vegas, Bridesmaids, and Work.

2009-08-08T22:58:00.002-05:00

Not necessarily in that order!

Highlights of the recent activities in our household:

Paul is full throttle on a deck remodeling project. The man must always have a project. The more involved that Home Depot must be, the better.
I went back to work. It's been 4 yrs. And I'm stepping into a new/old role at St Jude Medical - no, not the Children's Hospital with the infomercials - this is a biomedical device company. My title is "Safety Specialist" and that means I am the Clinical Studies department's go-to person for all adverse events. Now if you stretch your memory a bit, you might recall that I did this before. And yep, same company. Even some of the same people. So far - I am loving it.
Right when I am ready to dig in and start contributing on the new job, we are heading south to the hot, hot desert. Off to celebrate Alicia and Brian's wedding in Las Vegas. Even couple of bridesmaids in our house, all set with their strapless tangerine dresses and strappy gold sandals. We are all very excited to get out of town and celebrate the newlywed's special day!
Jackson will be terribly depressed as he must go to the....shhhhhh....k e n n e l....don't say it loud enough for him to hear. You will get a snarky look and maybe he'll even walk away in his "talk to the butt" way....
And now, I must go remake my bed so that I can fall onto my freshly washed sheets and snore the night away....let's hope that the storms stay away tonight! I don't need anymore bizarre electrical impulses coursing through my body during the night as I await the final flash of a lightning strike death...don't ask. It was weird. And I will never sleep near a window during a storm again. Trust me on that....

Ok. Good night and good luck.

Wait. Let me check...

2009-06-23T19:24:00.003-05:00

yep, I am still alive. Bet you were wondering!

The summer baseball season has been crazy busy - but, as always, full of fun! Lakeville's 13AA Panther's are having a great season - now 10-3 in regular, non-tourney play. They have taken 4th and 3rd in their two tournaments so far. Another tournament will fill this next weekend with games once again!

For the girls, summer homework is a factor. Mari will be taking APUSH (AP US History) her sophomore year, which means she needed to write a report and have a photo taken at an historical site during her summer vacation. So Alexa, Mari, my mom and I headed north to spend a few days tooling around Two Harbors, Duluth and other north shore communities.

Here is Mari with the required photograph taken at the historical site she is reporting on for her homework. A good way for the teacher to be sure that they actually visited the site, rather than doing online research only!

For myself - editing photos continues to be a fun hobby. Here is a side by side example of using photoshop's tools to take an okay photo and turn it into a good one.

In this example, the camera made the difference. Both photos received identical post-processing in photoshop. The difference was shutter speed - how long the shutter stays open to allow light into the sensor. You will notice that the water in the slower speed photo looks soft and flowing. I was not able to go any slower on the shutter speed without a tripod to prevent any extra camera vibration from blurring the trees. Also - it was a bright day - and the water can quickly become "blown-out" from too much light entering the camera.

In other news - Paul has been able to travel to Quebec recently, although I'm sure he'd rather be here to watch a baseball game or two!

A fun little exercise in capturing this moment in time coming from Bits & Pieces - Cathy Zielske's blog.

Outside my window... boys are biking in circles around the cul-de-sac.
I am thinking... how funny it is that I am watching a baseball game on TV on my one baseball free evening.
I am thankful for... air conditioning on steamy, hot Minnesota days.
From the kitchen... no cooking going on - it was a B-Dub's night for me and the kids.
I am wearing... my favorite bracelet, as always.
I am creating... my first blog post in eons.
I am going... to take the girls to the tailor tomorrow - no more procrastinating.
I am reading... Angels and Demons. I don't like to see a movie BEFORE I've read the book.

I am hoping... that I can get motivated to get some things done around the house tomorrow.
I am hearing... the Twins announcers on my den speakers. Can't get enough baseball!
Around the house... the sun is shining on the thermostat - it's now reading 87 degrees. That's gotta be tough on the AC.
One of my favorite things... Photoshop.
A few plans for the rest of the week... be back soon with another tournament update and some more photos from the North Shore!

C-ya!

Busy baseball season has begun....

2009-05-08T12:11:00.002-05:00

and that means I am once again delinquint with my blog updates....

Ok. I have to be honest here. I have let the blog take a backseat to Facebook and Twitter.

But I promise that I will get back to blogging soon. After all I have been taking numerous photos for Project 365. And baseball photos are always a part of that!

Till I get ambitious enough to do some photo editing (and until I finish the pro bono photoshop work I've been assigned) I'll bid you adios, amigos!

Later.

Cool backwards video.

2009-04-15T14:53:00.000-05:00

Stepping back in time

2009-03-31T19:39:00.005-05:00

A photo of my dad with his 3 sisters and his parents circa 1946. A precious glimpse into a time gone by in a photo I had never seen before. This reminds me why I take photos: to capture a fragment of life.

Hi Aunt Mary!! Hope you enjoy the photo!

Mexico remembered...

2009-03-20T20:56:00.005-05:00

A quick splash of photos from our Mexico trip - Valentine's Day and Feb 15th.

First: Looking along the beach toward the Moon Grand end of Moon Palace.
Second: Looking toward the Sunrise side of the resort.

A very sunburned Alexa, playing her DS and relaxing. She was finally feeling better.

The boys playing on the beach.

A scavenger hunt find by Brady and Logan. They cheated - found it in the gift shop!! But they got the photo they needed!

Sunset over the Golf Club pool.

Another scavenger hunt photo, taken by Brady. This pelican was sitting on the top of the pool bar thatched roof.

Our favorite Nizuc pool spot to play and relax.

Valentine's Day dinner at La Trattoria (Italian restaurant at the Moon Palace Golf Club)

The kids had a great time - most of the restaurants were more than willing to seat the six kids at a table adjacent to ours.

Still have more to post on another day :) Happy Vernal Equinox!

More Mexico, por favor!

2009-03-08T20:49:00.003-05:00

Going to try again to get blogger to upload my photos...here goes nothing!

These two photos were taken at Xpu Ha (shpoo-ha) Palace resort...heavily damaged in 2005's Hurricane Wilma.

And more views of the spectacular sea at Tulum.

We'll try more tomorrow as this is still painfully slow!!

Wish I were there right this very minute.

Let's try again!!

2009-02-23T20:25:00.002-06:00

Wow - blogger is still painfully slow, so this will be today's splash of photos! The first few were taken in Tulum - the ruins of a beautiful Mayan village, overlooking the torquoise sea.

The sunrise side pool - simply enormous! The largest hotel pool in the Yucatan peninsula (and that was just ONE of the many pools at Moon Palace.

And more Tulum - such an incredible place to visit.

The beach at Tulum - truly spectacular!! I have to say that I thought this vacation was amazing and I would go back to Moon Palace in a heartbeat. (But I won't pull my oldest out of school, ever, ever again...as I promised her today...she hates catching up on school work after a vacation...) So next year - if we can afford a winter trip - it will be adults only. Nothing wrong with that!

Missing Mexico...

2009-02-22T19:54:00.003-06:00

Views of the pool on Sunrise side of Moon Palace.
Looking toward the beach.

Palm in paradise.

Curly hair meets with the humidity!

Another view of the beach.

The view from room 7126, Flamenco building of Moon Palace. Mayan Riveria, Mexico. Miss it.

Sunrise as captured from the airplane.

First glimpses of Mexico from the airplane.

Alexa and puppy, ready to ride to Grandpa and Grandma's house. Poor nervous puppy.

Moonrise at home. The photo doesn't quite capture the enormous glowing moon that I spotted from our front windows. But the picture is beautiful just the same.

That's all for now - blogger is taking it's sweet ol' time to upload photos tonight. I will add some more tomorrow!

Later amigos!

Photos from Project 365

2009-02-04T18:48:00.010-06:00

How I ended 2008:
Miss M at the Solo/Ensemble Competition. She was so incredibly nervous but she sang wonderfully and earned Superior marks - the highest possible - for her performance!!

Date night with my hubby at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Can't wait to get to Mexico next week :)

My puppy loves to sleep in the sunbeam on our porch. And I love to take photos of him - it's a match made in heaven!

My Belle - eats an apple a day (till we run out! I buy A LOT of apples!) and works faithfully on her AP US History homework.

My guys love to wrestle!

The photo says it all - Home Sweet chilly Home :)

These shoes need to see more us...

More puppy photos. I'll probably have 75 out of 365 photos of him by the end of 2009.

Inauguration Day. The network changed the shot via fade as I snapped the photo. Kind of a cool resulting picture of the moment!

Sunset through the trees. Brightly lit sunset - snow falling gently to the ground. Almost mystical. Too bad the photo doesn't due it justice.

A recent read. Very interesting perspective on relationships. A must read to anyone who cares to do it right.

Lazy Saturday. Fire in the porch, glass of Pinot Noir, a good book (see above) - a very perfect day.

This is why the deer keep returning to our yard. They knock the seed right out of the BIRD feeders! Sneaky!

Belle knows how to get the dog to work for his treats.

Why do we live in Minnesota? Days like this one really make me question the sanity of our choice!

Miss M's mask creation for school - she needs to find a Mardi Gras party to go to with it :)

Sunset through a dirty porch window and a suncatcher.

Back to school after Christmas vacation - back to the homework! Mr. B doesn't let moss grow under his books!

Today's photo: my calendar creation with a photo of Paul & I from our Cayman Islands trip.

Mr B with his fresh, ready to go to Mexico haircut. If you look closely though, you'll see his eyes look glassy and his lids are pink. Little did we know that 24 hours later he'd be diagnosed with an ear infection! Better now than a week from now!!

I forgot to take a photo on Sunday when my sister, Stacey, and her family, joined us for the Superbowl. Shoot! This was the only photo I took that day....

This isn't even all 35 of the photos taken thus far...but this is proof that I have done SOMETHING recently!

Superbowl Sunday!

2009-02-01T21:10:00.002-06:00

Darn - I hit enter and my title posted!!

You'd think I'd be capable of managing blogger by now :)

So, have I come up with any thoughts worthy of typing here? No, not really. But having just watched a very disappointing Superbowl, I decided to sit here, type and PRETEND that I have something to say.

Got nothing. Seriously. I'm trying to come up with something worth typing...

Maybe a little about life in the past few days?

Mari kicked some vocal butt at the Regional Solo/Ensemble competition on Saturday at Lakeville South. Her ensemble, Lakeville North's Cantibile - all girls choir - scored "Superior" in their two vocal auditions. Mari didn't stick around for her "score" but her review from the judge was quite nice following her solo piece. I was very proud of my freshman daughter, doing something only 2 other freshman choir students were attempting - a solo in the competition. She sang beautifully :)

My sister's family came over for the Superbowl and I forgot to take a photo for Project 365. Shoot! That was my planned photo for today. Dang. We enjoyed some tacos for dinner and looked forward to our Mexico trip with great longing. Never been a better winter to escape to somewhere warm!

We also booked our summer trip to Las Vegas for my sister Alicia's wedding. Can't wait to get back there and explore some more great National Parks. I think Zion is the major park we are targeting for the trip.

That's all I've got. Sorry.

Everyone's cranky here tonight. I think we are all tired. My oldest is crabbing about my youngest not eating a Blizzard - and leaving it in the freezer to tempt her. Hey - she had her own - get over it already! But that's not going to help - so I say, he'll eat it when he wants to...stupid thing to fight about. What a waste of time.

Ok. That's all folks...I'm off to bed in hopes of a brighter day tomorrow :)

Every single day...

2009-01-25T20:36:00.002-06:00

I think about writing here. And every single day I hesitate. I'm in a strange place right now, emotionally. Needing something more in my life. Feeling kind of useless. I'm not depressed, per say, just feeling a lack of substance as my kids get older. Feeling like I need to be contributing in a way that I haven't been. Feeling like I need to make a change to be a better person. But not knowing where to begin.

I will be back. I will post photos. I've been faithfully adding photos for my Project 365, but haven't posted here for lack of words. Give me time. I will return and better for the deep thoughts.

Peace out \m/(>.<)\m/ and rock on.

Rambling thoughts.

2009-01-09T06:28:00.002-06:00

I know I've been MIA on this blog lately. I wish I had a really exciting excuse but, to be truthful, I just haven't known what to write about.

I contemplated switching to an all photo posting style. I thought maybe I could rant about the emotional toll of being 40. I could concentrate on the Project 365, photo per day for 2009. Hmmm, but nothing strikes a chord. Yet.

It'll come to me. Something profound. Or maybe not so profound but simply random. For now, I'll continue to be wrapped up in my rambling thoughts about life; past, present, future. And hope that I figure out where I fit into the big picture.

I'll try not to wait THAT long to post here :)

While I'm searching for mid-life answers to God-only-knows kind of questions - here are some of the highlights/lowlights from 2008 in our home:

Maui.
A very late start to spring weather...winter seemed to last an eternity!
My sister, Alicia's graduation from law school
Alicia and Brian's engagement
Brady's baseball season - consolation championship at state!
Alexa's driving permit (yikes!)
Mari's perfect attendance for 8th grade
Jackson's allergy season woes - poor dog nearly chewed off a leg till he started the steroids!
Brady had a swimming break-thru and suddenly started swimming like a fish (okay - maybe tadpole is a more apt description!)
Paul finished re-doing the paver patio out back. Emphasis on FINALLY.
Both girls in high school - doing the honors/AP classes - using their impressive minds!
A wonderful trip to the North Shore, again. Sigh.
Brady's struggles with his growth issues and anxiety related to it.
Our struggles to get insurance to pay for growth hormone. No luck.
And much, much more. That's all that jumps out at me, on this very sleep deprived morning.

I'll post again soon.

I've fallen and I can't get up...

2008-12-22T22:03:00.002-06:00

because my tush has frozen to the floor! It's too *^%$# cold outside. All I can do is shiver between sips of hot coffee. (And play on Facebook, but don't tell anyone else, ok?)

No seriously. I have been transitioning to a new computer. As a digital scrapbooking professional (ha ha!) I have been overwhelmed with the process of re-tagging all my supplies in the latest version of ACDSee. Plus setting up Photoshop CS3 and PSE5. Plus this is the 12th and final week of my online class. Plus getting ready for Christmas. Plus napping every afternoon. (Just kidding - don't I wish!)

I plan (strong emphasis on plan) to take a whole slew of photos for Christmas and I will be inundating this blog with photographic goodness as soon as I am able to get up again. Sorry for the delay.

And now I've been summoned to bedtime dog ear medicine duty. Heaven help me. The dog would hardly let the vet put drops in. Guaranteed I won't be having much success!!

Catching up on my class!

2008-12-06T21:48:00.003-06:00

Finally catching up on my Design Your Life class from Big Picture Scrapbooking. Here are my layouts from Week 9.

And now week 10.

Hoping to get caught up on the paper versions soon too:)

Putting up the tree (and other catastrophes.)

2008-12-02T16:34:00.005-06:00

Not really on the "castastrophes"...just went for the dramatic headline!!

We love to put the Christmas tree up during the long Thanksgiving weekend. Sometimes it happens as early as Friday, but often we spend Sunday afternoon decorating, watching holiday movies and listening to Christmas music. (And for those of us who are old enough, drinking wine/beer and getting goofy with the sing-alongs!)

Note: This girl is NOT old enough - but she's got goofy aplenty!! Heaven help her future college roommates!
The kids will be involved up to the point of sorting "their" ornaments (they each have a sizable collection of Hallmark collectible ornaments thanks to Grandma G's Thanksgiving gift tradition!!) and hanging those in the primo locations on the tree. Then they tend to lose interest.

The dog likes to get right in the middle of things - for the first few minutes - then he typically settles in for a nap. Of course, he's almost always napping, so maybe the festivities have no impact on his day?

A few years ago, we invested in a gorgeous "prelit" artificial tree. It's full, lush and fairly realistic looking...sans the free cut tree smell. And the lights made the whole tree glow!! But in the past couple of Christmases a small problem has become a bigger problem...My photos are out of order - here's Jackson in his supervisory role...

Notice anything unusual about the tree. Yep. Only the bottom section of lights worked this year...two years ago, one section wouldn't light. So I painstakingly pulled each bulb in the section out, until finally the section lit up. I earned that nights glass of wine. My fingers are permanently calloused! Last year, the small top section plus some other random areas of the tree refused to light up. Hmmm, tried (for hours) to fix it the way I had in 2006 - all to no avail. We ended up wrapping part of the tree in extra lights.

But this year, only the bottom section lit up. Dear hubby worked tirelessly (ok, maybe kind of half-heartedly, while watching football) to fix it. But again, we ended up wrapping the tree in extra lights. Notice a trend? I'm guessing next year the tree won't light at all. So much for 'prelit'.

Bah-humbug.

Eventually, the tree was decorated. And I was able to capture a couple of photos but notice the difference? See how the bottom section of the tree has a wonderful glow? That's the prelit part...I will miss that next year...

And so the moral of the story is: a prelit tree may save you effort for a year of two, but ultimately, the battle of the lights will win. Sorry to burst your bubble.

Next time: Our random ornaments, up close and personal. You won't want to miss it!

Thanksgiving revisited.

2008-12-01T11:02:00.007-06:00

Thanksgiving - I used to feel like it's a ton of work, for a ton of calories, and maybe 20 minutes of eating...then it's a ton of clean-up! But this year, and the most recent holidays of the past, has found the process a bit easier. Now that I have helpful teenagers (I know, an oxymoron to most families!) that chip in when I ask (okay, I might actually beg, but they cave in to mom's request eventually!)

The day of Thanksgiving started with a holiday traditional breakfast of hot and fresh-from-the-oven cinnamon rolls. Cinnamon rolls I had intended to photograph. But they were too fresh, too hot, too delectible for the family to wait for the camera to come out...hence, a measley photo of a nearly devoured roll. Yummm. They were tasty!

Then the to-do list and the coffee are put to work.

The stuffing ingredients were assembled.My oldest is becoming quite adept at chopping celery. Of course, stuffing (or dressing if you prefer) is her favorite part of Thanksgiving!

And the finished product...it's hard to keep the hands of young and old from reaching into that pan while it awaits its turn in the ovens!

Then we pulled out a new-fangled type of turkey. No fuss, no mess.

And no idea which side is up.

Yep. Cooked the bird upside down.

Might actually plan it that way in the future.

Moist and warmer than usual during the carving process.

Kind of ugly though - as you will see below!

Thank goodness for Photoshop. I was able to make my blurry photo look more colorful than the anemic looking reality! I love my little fantasy photoshop world:)

And here is a view of the aftermath...notice: all six kids have vanished. An amazing trick!

Next time: Putting up the tree. (Aka, why prelit trees are a pain in the a$$.)

See you then. I'll bring the popcorn.

Ready to mail right after Thanksgiving.

2008-11-21T13:18:00.004-06:00

Here are the 2008 photo cards I created: ordered from Shutterfly because they offer an option for a 'blank' card that I can fill with my creation rather than just adding my photos to one of their templates...

I am ready to get them out the door the day after Thanksgiving (when I get home from my shopping spree, that is!)

Two and a half hours till we see "Twilight" - can you tell that I am anxious to see this movie? I really hope that it isn't as bad as the StarTrib's review of 1/2 out of 4 stars!?!?!?!

Counting down to Twilight...

2008-11-20T21:30:00.003-06:00

My daughters and I are really looking forward to seeing the movie "Twilight" tomorrow!! I purchased advance tickets to the 3:50pm showing on opening day. Didn't think I wanted to leave my 12 year old son home alone at midnight tonight while we went to see the show - probably wouldn't be the wisest parenting move;-) So we won't be the first to see it in the neighborhood, but we'll be seeing it on opening day nonetheless.

We all read the Twilight series (at least once!) - some of us have read it again! (What's a couple thousand pages of vampire love??) When we visited my sister Stacey's cabin in August we brought the books along for her to read - and she ended up hooked like us. So Stacey is driving down to see the movie with us too!! Add in a couple of friends of the girls and we are a small crowd of Twilight junkies!

I created a cute Twilight bookmark with photos I saved off the internet. Gave one to Miss M and she started showing it off at school. Next thing I knew I was printing a mere 68 bookmarks!! M. kept coming home with more orders - "I need 4 Jacobs and 2 Edwards" - ha, ha! I should have been selling them instead of burning photo printer ink and premium photo paper on these freebies! But it was fun to feed the obsession:-)

Also have some new layouts for week 8 of my Design Your Life class by Cathy Zielske for Big Picture Scrapbooking.

I must be feeling the Christmas spirit - and it isn't even Thanksgiving yet!

Doggie wants to go out into the tundra. Then it's time to sleep! I'll be back with a review of "Twilight" the movie!!! I can hardly wait - I hope it's as good as the book:-)

Week 6 Design Your Life Digital Pages

2008-11-09T19:37:00.002-06:00

Running behind on my Cathy Zielske class and I have another class starting tomorrow! Better get busy:) Here are my digital pages for week six. I have yet to create the paper pages for this weeks lesson! Procrastination...it's a big part of my life!
This first page is actually the third layout for the week and it was for the "Real World Color" portion of the class - a weekly component of the class which forces me to make use of a chosen color scheme. This weeks was the Halloween m&m colors!!

That's all for now. Stay warm...and don't be alarmed when I remind you that Christmas is a mere 39 days away...ok! You can stop screaming now!! Oh...wait...that was ME doing the screaming. I'll stop now...

The Weekend in Photos

2008-11-02T20:07:00.003-06:00

The big lonely tree along our favorite walking trail.

Halloween: The zombie child.

McCain might have some free time for hunting after Tuesday's election.

And our own personal mad scientist. And she WILL be mad after she sees that I posted this photo. This child HATES (with a capital H) being photographed!!

And now for my week 5 digital pages. I also have 2 out of the 3 layouts completed in paper form. I really should be working on my parent's anniversary album!!!!

And now it's Sunday evening and the clock is ticking ever closer to Monday. And then it's Election Day. Wow. Finally we shall be freed from the political commercials. Ahhhh, maybe then I can watch TV live again. For now though, it's Tivo all the way, baby. Gotta be able to zip right past all the mud slinging!!

A Boo to You Too, Charlie Brown.

2008-10-31T14:16:00.004-05:00

Highlights from 2007 (aka: reminder of what I'm in for tonight. Except this Halloween is a Friday, involves a sleepover, a section championship for football, and nice weather!)
Photo 1: What a slightly OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) child does with his candy.

Photo 2: My all time favorite pumpkin. Carved last year...tried to do it this year with a white pumpkin but no one told me white pumpkins have about 1 square inch of hollow space in the center. Bummer.

Photo 3: Pumpkin guts. Please cover your children's eyes.

Photo 4: Carving. Messy annual tradition started back in the days when floors were made of dirt and the farm animals ate the scraps?

Photo 5: Some ghoulish creatures haunted our home...hope he grabbed a kleenex after he finished drilling for gold.

And so tonight may be our family's last night of trick-or-treat adventure. Our youngest has declared this his last year...washed up at 12...at least we can still buy candy for all the neighbor kids:)

Happy Halloween!!

Time to get rid of that four-letter word!

2008-10-25T14:15:00.003-05:00

And post something more upbeat. Rah-rah-rah!! Gooooooooooo, blog addict!

No new layouts to post - I have only created some Photoshop templates so far. Need to work on the paper scrapping too, but haven't gotten to it yet. Feeling a bit laaaazzzzzyyyy today. Feel like curling up with a good book - currently reading "Snowflower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See. It is our December book for book club. For October we meet on Monday to discuss Jodi Picoult's "Second Glance" which was a good book but pretty light and easy to read.

Snowflower is an interesting read from the perspective of cultural differences. It is set in 19th century China and delves into the life (from early childhood through adulthood) of a character called Lily. She endures the torturous ritual footbinding at age 7 and then develops a laotong relationship - which is a lifelong friendship - with a girl from another village whose is matched carefully. They call each other "old sames". Their lives diverge in many ways and the story follows this deep intimate friendship through the cultural transitions of their lives.

Beyond the cultural intrigue, the story, like the characters is, what I would describe as, quiet, subdued, anti-climactic. Although there are some scenes which are sad, even despairing in the events, the characters - perhaps culturally so - are almost sedate, minimally reactive to the course of events. In that way the story is slow-moving. To me, it's sole fascination lies in it's vast difference (and I do mean VAST) from our current societal norms. It's one of those books that I find difficult to call "good" but more like "compelling".

Second Glance - not much to talk about there. Not a deep book. But an interesting fictional rendering of ghosts and connection to the energy of the afterlife. Fairly typical Jodi Picoult. However, a good read if you like lighter reading.

Next up I am planning to read the Shack. Author William ??? (can't recall the last name right now) but a bestseller with many intriguing reviews. Looking forward to getting into that one.

Time to stop stalling and get busy with some scrapbooking. I'd love to just dive right in - but there is always the tedious task of tracking down photos that I feel like scrapping....that is always one of the slower parts of the process for me. When I feel lazy, that is what keeps me from getting going. Ahhh, no sense delaying the inevitable. Gotta pick some photos. (Or maybe I'll just go take some new ones???? Even that seems easier right now!!!)

Later.

M. O. N. D. A. Y.

2008-10-20T21:12:00.003-05:00

It should be a four letter word.

So, for lack of anything inspiring to say, here are some photos from the weekend and a couple of week 3 class digital scrapbook pages.

And that's all I've got on this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad Monday. I guess it could be worse. But it still sucked:(

Later. Hopefully with a more appropriate attitude to go with my blog header.

Tuesday.

2008-10-14T09:34:00.003-05:00

Some more pages and photos. Starting with a paper layout of My Belle.
Our trip to Epcot in 2001.
My Miss M.
And a blurry photo of the view from my porch window. I love fall. I wish winter didn't have to come after it. And any day now:(

Taken last Saturday, at the local cemetery..

A digital page for my BPS class Design Your Life by Cathy Zielske.
And another digital page for the class. I'm definitely liking the digi pages better than the paper scrapped pages...if for no other reason, just because they are easier to share!!
And finally, for the second week of the class, another Real World Color page. Where we create a page based on a sketch and a specific color scheme. That can be a challenge!! This week it was pink, orange and brown...not my typical choices...

And that's it for today. Off to Caribou for some much needed coffee! And some chitchat:)

Rainy Mondays.

2008-10-13T09:28:00.003-05:00

Seems like Mondays should always be rainy. At least in my tiny little corner of the universe, when it rains on Monday I usually get more things checked off on my "to do" list. I'm less likely to leave the house on unnecessary errands. So if I'm to be stuck at home, then I might as well get something done.

Monday, in our house, is laundry day. Oh, I could rant crazy-like about the laundry. The one daughter whose hamper is filled with twice as many clothes as anyone else in the family, is also the one whose every shirt is inside-out, every pocket holds tiny little shreds of notebook paper, and even some wrappers from gum or candy. She's the same child who throws numerous hoodies (hooded sweatshirts for those who don't know the teen lingo) unzipped into the heaps of laundry, only to have those zippers bang around inside my dryer. At least I think of her each time I hear that sound. I may not be able to type in a public forum what I think, but believe me she crosses my mind...I won't name names. She knows who she is. She's working on the issue. (I think the issue would be cured if she did the whole 8-10 loads of laundry one Monday!!)

Oops, I think I did rant crazy-like about the laundry...sorry.

On a sunnier note: A few photos I captured this past weekend...starting with the gorgeous sunrise. Literally within 2 minutes this glorious color had dissipated and the sky had taken on a gray haze. And I have the photos to prove it! This one photo was the only one that captured the sky filled with the color that lured me out onto the driveway at such a ridiculous time of day.

And while my teen daughters were participating in a writing workshop at the local library, I spent a couple of hours snapping photos around our town - seeking out some of the best fall color. This was right across the street from the library!!
And there is a hill near the girls high school that showcases some of the best fall color each year. And every year since we've lived in Lakeville (11 years now - wow!) I've vowed to run (more like drive) up there and snap a few photos. This year I finally did it. And the trees were beautiful. The sun was a bit strong though, so hence, a blown-out sky. If the leaves didn't all come down with yesterday's wind, I may wander back up there when the rain settles down and try again.
And the view from the living room window. With pup-ito sleeping on the chair in the foreground. Ahhh, you can almost hear the peck, peck, pecking sound of the lovely - WAIT - is that crazy woodpecker back???? Time to pound on the door. I read up on that lovely creature, and it seems they create cavities to nest in...adjacent to the front door? I think not.
I have many other photos to share but also have many loads of laundry to do. And a trip to the grocery store in the rain...so much for spending the day inside.

Later:)

Decorating advice wanted.

2008-10-10T17:23:00.002-05:00

This room needs a makeover. But I am beyond ideas. Anyone? Anyone?
My main desire is to paint (or have someone else get on the ladder to paint) these 18 foot walls. Right now the color is "Simplify Beige" by Sherwin Williams. And it is simply beige boring... the conversation couch is a mossy green that has brownish hints in certain lighting. The furniture is new-ish - 4 years old - same as the house (and that boring beige builder paint!!) so it's not going anywhere. So just give me some paint color ideas...I'm not sure which way to go with this. The stuff on the wall and the pillows are expendable, so the red hue can be ignored. One note: I loathe the color yellow. So don't tell me to paint it yellow!!!

In other exciting news, we have a woodpecker problem. This downy woodpecker has decided to carve holes in the post outside our front door. And those holes are getting deep fast!! Might have some BB-gun action this weekend if that bird doesn't get the message from my frequent pounding on the front door. I'd open the door and scare him away but our house is covered with box elder bugs and Japanese lady beetles and we don't need to invite any more of those into our house. They seem to find a way in regardless!!

Ok this picture was really cute in photoshop - on my other monitor!!! On this one and possibly on yours it's looking a bit too yellowed and dark. Sorry about that.

But Jackson looks so happy and content in this photo because he just got back from his allergy-inflaming walk...he loves walks. He hates allergies. Late summer and fall kind of stink for the poor dog. Especially now, when the weather is perfect for a fur-covered beast...but soon a solid freeze will come and the allergies will subside and he can get back into shape with a post-ragweed workout plan. (Me too on that one!!)

And one other family member might enjoy a hard freeze as the bees are horrific right now. This one Autumn Rose Sedum had three bees crawling on it. And it sits right along our sidewalk. Along with several exact duplicates. All with multiple bees on them. Poor Miss M, with her bee-sting allergies....
Another important thing to note: Today is my sister Alicia's 27th birthday!!! Happy Birthday, 'Licia!!! Just think, when I was 27 I had two kids and a third on the way...ahhh, to be young again...but I'd have to go back further than 27!! Hope you have fun, Alicia!! (And hope you got my card and email!!)

Time to finish up dinner for the munchkins. Later.

Where do you stand?

2008-10-09T06:34:00.002-05:00

The political race is heated now and the clock is ticking ever closer to the election. Somedays it feels like picking between bad and worse...but how much of that is related to the exhaustive coverage of every. single. word. these. people. say. I thank my lucky stars that I do not have to live under that microscope.

Still undecided? Feel like rocking the boat a little? Try checking out this website to see how your views line up with the candidates. Maybe you'll be surprised. Maybe you'll be confirming your vote. Maybe you'll figure out that you know less about the issues than you thought.

As I was listening to some pundent rehashing the Tuesday night debate, I realized that no matter who wins this election, it will be difficult for them to overcome the pile of negative messages that have circulated about who they are and what they believe. It appears that the more technologically advanced this nation becomes the more divided we seem to be. As if all our uncontrolled opinion-sharing is filling our heads with so much negative crap (sorry.) that we can't seem to find room for the positive side of things. Hmmmm. Something to think about.

Wonder what this election would look like if we truly focused on the issues and not try to drill each candidate into the ground...

How to leave a comment...

2008-10-08T11:33:00.003-05:00

aka, things you always wanted to know about blogger but were afraid to ask...

So here's the deal. I know that there are people who read this blog...not many (and that's okay with me) but there are people reading it. Don't ask me HOW I know this as it is proprietary information. I could tell you but then I'd have to employ you. (And as I have no substantial income that isn't also my husbands, that is not possible.)

But, and herein lies the problem, (that sounds so political, doesn't it? Can you tell I've been a good citizen and have watched all the debates?) no one leaves any juicy comments. Now I do realize that my random ramblings are not the stuff of TV analysis (thank the Lord!) but doesn't anyone have anything to say? Don't you dare say "no" - okay, say "no", it's better than NOTHING!! But I know you people and you are not without commentary!! So make some comments, get some discussion going. Don't be afraid - I won't mock you! (Ok, maybe a little, but you know you'll enjoy it anyway!)

So here is how you can leave a comment on this blog the (one that you loyally read or at least occasionally check to see if I am in fact still alive)...yep, I'm here, I'm bored (all those debates) and I want some comment love.

See the tiny little font, there, on the lower right side at the bottom of this posted message? You see it, it says - in it's tiny little font voice - "comments". Click that. Yep, don't be afraid. Click that. And, lo and behold, it will open up a very simple and self explanatory page in which you can type a comment!!! Try it. You'll like it. And so would I.

Whew. I'm tired now. All that manic ranting....

See this here - the desk in my "studio" as I lovingly refer to it (don't worry, my family laughs when I say that too.) This is where I am waiting to read your comments...

And here, my sweet little terror of a dog is plotting his attack on those who read and run...he's onto you, don't do it.
Darn it dog, you were supposed to look ferocious... not all cute and cuddly like that.

Oh, wait, he's begging you to say hello...that's it!! How can you resist that face? I know I can't. I'm going to go cuddle with my dog.

Later. (Maybe I'll even be less needy...)

Digital Scrapbooking

2008-10-06T19:27:00.003-05:00

I love it. No mess. No scraps. Can reuse favorite papers over and over and over...in short, it's just perfect. Sadly, it doesn't organize itself any easier than the paper stuff, though;P

In digi-nirvana, it is simple to precisely line up items, or just as easy to randomly scatter them.
In digi-utopia you can assemble a layout completely and then easily change the background paper, no messing with adhesives. No pencil marks. No crooked cuts (my paper trimmer is wacky!). I love digital scrapbooking.

I am seriously considering selling off all but the most basic of paper scrapping supplies. I'd keep my pens, cardstock. A few cute and current patterned papers. And some adhesives. But truthfully my kids have gotten more use from those items in the past year than I have since I started using CS3.

Here are my "Design Your Life" class layouts, digi-style. Working hard to get double for my money here...

This last layout is made with one of my all-time favorite photos of Mr B in Florida at the Twins vs Red Sox home preseason opener in 2004. He was SO HAPPY to be there and his smile says it all.

Time to finish the laundry. Not bad for a day's work. Three digital layouts with journaling and eight loads of laundry plus a delicious dinner. All on a Monday.

Who spiked my coffee?

Random ramblings on a Sunday evening

2008-10-05T19:30:00.004-05:00

No news here. Still a bit under the weather although I think I'm finally turning the corner on this virus:)

Some random shots from life this past week:

The blinding sunlight of late afternoon in our family room.

The first apple pie of the season. Yum.
And my favorite time of day, the dusky blue and orange of twilight. The silhouette of trees. Sitting on the porch with a glass of wine. Quiet. Ahhhh, love it.

Started a new class called "Design Your Life", this time at Big Picture Scrapbooking and it's forcing me to use some real hands-on paper scrapping supplies. ('Bout time, huh?!) So I figured that if I'm going to be using real hands-on paper supplies that I'd dig into some real hands-on photographs. Going back into the mid-90's here!

This is a 12 week class taught by Cathy Zielske of Simple Scrapbooks - one of my all-time favorite scrapbookers. She's been described as the "Pottery Barn Scrapper" due to her clean and simple style.

Here are a couple of the layouts I've completed for week one:

First, using one of my most favorite photos of my girls...

Second, remembering the day Mr. B joined our family...
And third, a random compilation of things that represent me as a scrapbooker. I'm not very happy with this page but decided to just go with the flow on it.
I am contemplating doing another set of layouts using the same sketches, but in digital scrapping style with more current photos. Get double for the money, so to speak! I've already created the templates in .psd files so I can speed right through it. (Or make use of the layouts whenever I need a fast result!) And I need FAST about now. I spent the ENTIRE day in my "studio", futzing, organizing, creating. It was nice, but the family is getting antsy. Better get back to my "real job".

Good luck with Monday. {Note to self: Don't think about Monday on Sunday. Cuts too much time out of the weekend.}

She got the job!!

2008-09-25T13:08:00.003-05:00

Just had to post Alicia's good news!! Go lawyer girl!!

Also just had a good chuckle watching this YouTube video:) Check it out!!

Still sick. But coping better. I think.

Maybe not. Cough, cough, sputter, choke...

Having a Positive Attitude...

2008-09-24T09:01:00.002-05:00

even if it kills me. I'm going to live by the theme of my blog...never mind that my sick kids decided to SHARE for once...germs...

Seriously, though, I am going to make an effort to will myself into feeling better. Off to a rip-roaring start, aren't I?

No photos today. I have been mostly away from the computer, away from the camera, and busy with the normal daily activities of life. Catching up from the past two weeks of class, when I let the condition of my house deteriorate a bit...feeling the need to clean, but not so much in the motivation department. If I could just shake off this cold, maybe I could accomplish something!!

On the living vicariously through my youngest sister front: Alicia got to go see the Daily Show last night and I am seriously jealous!! (Whhoooosssshhhh! Did you hear the positive attitude fly out the door??) Oh, the fun she gets to have by living in New York City.

My fingers are crossed for her that she gets the job shes interviewed for yesterday...sounds like an awesome opportunity for her!! (And I'm sure the money thing would be nice for her post-law school wallet!)

On the winter-is-coming-hide-me-quick front: We booked a trip to Mexico for mid-February. This year we will travel with my sister, Stacey and her family. My B is thrilled beyond compare to be looking at a week in the caribbean with his cousin-brothers. He keeps joking that "it will no longer be a 4 star resort when we get done with it". Makes him sound so tough and reckless. Um, no, B. You will be on your usual best behavior...and then maybe we'll let you have a little fun!!

Planning a winter vacation is very nearly the only thing that pulls me through those bitter cold, dreary gray months. Last year we left the kids home with their grandma and took off on a belated Hawaiian celebration for our 15th anniversary. It was bliss.

This year, as we realize that Belle is a sophomore, there will be only a handful of family vacation opportunities left. So we decided to pull the kids from school over President's Day weekend...at least that Monday is one less day missed from school. Fortunately my kids are excellent students, but it is always a debate within our parental conscience on whether to have them miss school for a vacation. My pros and cons:
Pros - the family together time is undeniable, the memories, the learning opportunities that help them see the world more clearly (we will be visiting some Mayan Ruins), the mental health effects of getting out of town in the dead of winter (and I do mean DEAD - February in Minnesota is NASTY!), cheaper than trying to go over spring break, especially with their break falling in the second week of April this year!! It's actually getting nice in MN by then -why we would leave then???

Cons - they miss some class time instruction, the schools/some teachers frown upon taking the kids out of school for a vacation, they have alot of catching up to do when we return.

In defense of our choice, I will say that I plan these trips with school calendar in hand, and try to avoid testing weeks, concerts, sports try-outs. Once we hit March, baseball gets going, the MCA testing starts, and then Belle is getting pretty close to her AP tests...so if we are going to make these great family memories, it has to be February.

Plus, my sanity is really rather important to us all. After all, they have to live with the results if we are stuck here all winter long. (Just saying that depresses me!!)

Ah, so much for the positive attitude. Maybe I'll take some ibuprofen and try again later...

Then again, maybe not.

Wicked, wicked weekend

2008-09-20T20:54:00.003-05:00

So it's Saturday and normally that's a good thing, right? No school, flexible schedule (excluding baseball season, that is) and lazy mornings. But this week and now weekend have been out of the ordinary to be certain! How so, you ask?

1) Sick kids all week. Fevers, coughs, more fevers and bad headaches...just when you think they are doing better (clears throat - Miss M - cough, cough) they spike another fever...

2) My mom calls last night after she gets home from the pseudo-ER (Apple Valley Medical Center) where she was treated for injuries sustained being hit by A HOCKEY PUCK!!! In the face!!! Owwww!!!! They spent well over two hours trying to stop the bleeding from her nose and ended up packing it. My parents had been watching my 2nd cousin (my cousin Shirlene's son Brandon) playing at the Schwan's Super Arena. Actually the U18 game finishing up before his game when a shot bounced off the glass and hit her in the face. She says, "Luckily it didn't break my glasses." No, good thing it was just your nose...ow.

3) Shoulder pain. Shoulder pain. Shoulder pain. Enough said. Ow.

4) My daughter no longer has braces on her teeth. She looks strangely happy about it too. Darn her. Seriously though, she looks beautiful.

5) I should be sleeping. But instead I'm sitting at this time eating PC typing messages into cyberspace that no one will actually read...What's up with that?

6) I have more reasons but I am too flustered about the whole hockey puck thing to remember them. Man, whose mom gets hit in the face with a hockey puck? And what arena lets at 65 year old woman, bleeding heavily from the nose, leave on their own to seek treatment oh lets say an hour away from home? Geez, really concerned about the paying guests aren't we? And I'm sure they charged my dad again today to watch another game. Lame, lame, lame.

Hmmmm. Maybe I need a glass of wine. Been a long day:( And I'm getting crankier by the second.

I'll leave you with art. My final two layouts from the Type+Writer class. Loved the class. Sad that it's over already...

Wait a second, wasn't I just here?

2008-09-16T15:24:00.003-05:00

Ha! It's September 16th and I'm back. What's up with that?

Actually just wanted to add today's work of art...

This goofy girl was home sick yesterday and so she begrudgingly let me interview her for my class...and now her words are immortalized for all to see. Don't you love how this girl adores her 'mums'? (And no, we don't live down under - she has adopted this nickname for me to be funny.) She is daddy's girl, through and through. And I'm cool with that.

Is it really September 15th?

2008-09-15T08:29:00.004-05:00

I had good intentions of blogging. I really did. But then the laundry piled up. And the husband's car broke down. And my class is taking up more time than I planned. And the dog's allergies have been bad...and so on & so on & so on...
Enough with the excuses. The sad fact is the days are going faster than I'd predicted.
And I'm trying to keep up - hanging by my fingernails - till things settle into a routine.
For the time being - here are the class projects created so far in my Jessica Sprague class. The focus is on the writing, aka journaling in the scrapbooking world. Type+writer has been a great class - two thumbs up from me!! {Great work Liv and Jess!!!}

Be back soon...loosely translated, by the the end of September?

Dipping the proverbial toe?

2008-08-30T20:27:00.004-05:00

First some photos. Then some words. Keeping it simple.

My babies - taking a brief respite during our 2.5 mile hike on the Oberg Mountain Loop, just off the Onion River Road near Lutsen MN. Fantastic vistas from atop the mountain and the luxury of it comes in the form of driving to a parking lot most of the way up. Then you hike uphill (up mountain??) enjoying nine scenic overlooks, some with scary sloping edges leading to cliffs, but mostly easy to hike and enjoy. Our favorite hike, thus far.
My B. at lunch in Grand Marais. I used Pioneer Woman's (with help from Totally Rad Actions) Lovely and Ethereal action on this photo with some nice results. Also sharpened and defined his eyes for some pop. Although he's quite the handsome kid without any help from Photoshop - I enjoy playing and testing some of these actions.
And the gorgeous shoreline at the Father Baraga's cross site. Stunning blues and greens in the nearly luminescent waters. I could sit here for hours...wish I was sitting there now! Okay, maybe not now cause it's all dark out and probably about 20 degrees colder than here...

Now for the cryptic title for this post...I'm thinking of dipping my toes into the home business world. No "Tastefully Simple" or "Pampered Chef" for me, thank you. I'm toying with the idea of something entirely different. The ideas have been tumbling (lots of room in my skull, I guess) and I've been debating and considering, discussing and rehashing the possibilities. And today my husband said, "You don't have to dive in. Just dip a toe in and see how it goes."

Good advice. I will mull that tidbit over a bit. (Ha, ha...I'm a painfully slow decision maker on this particular idea!!)

A fleeting glimpse of the North Shore

2008-08-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

Just a few moments captured for reminiscing...
a glorious sunrise at Bluefin Bay.
The crystal clear but icy cold waters of Lake Superior. As evidenced by frozen feet that tried to dip in the water!! Not recommended unless you are advised to ice an injury. Seriously. Very cold water.
A dragonfly that literally posed for me. All I can say is "Wow!". Too cool.
And Father Baragas cross near Schroeder, MN. I've always wanted to stop and see this small monument commemorating the crossing of Lake Superior in a CANOE by Father Baraga. Interesting story. Beautiful scenery. Well worth a stop to see.
I'll work up a few more photos soon. But, for some reason, my family doesn't want me to spend the entire weekend in my studio...hmmmm. Maybe I can wait till next week when they are all gone all day long (insert evil laughter here!!!)?

Later.

Recovering from R&R

2008-08-29T16:09:00.003-05:00

There is nothing quite like vacation. And coming home is often a highlight for me too. I look forward to routine activities again, all those things that disappear for a brief time while you linger in the la-la land of a siesta from daily life. Going up to the "North Shore" is my favorite vacation that feels like home away from home. We know where things are. We know what we like to do. We love (absolutely can't get enough of) Lake Superior and the crashing power of the waves. But after a few days of indulging in the luxuries of food that you don't usually eat, naps that you wouldn't normally take and hours of not doing too much, it becomes a little bit tiresome.

OK. That's the long version. Short version: I missed my puppy. I missed my stuff. I missed my Photoshop. And I was more than ready, with 404 photos on my 4G memory card to get my tush home and load those beauties onto my computer. And start a marathon session of playing with the colors, the layers, the fun actions of CS3.

And then reality set in...picking up a miserably itchy dog from Grandma's house. (Poor Grandma feels so guilty...but did she plant the ragweed? Did she choose for us to get a breed of dog that is prone to seasonal allergies? No. She bears no guilt.)

Laundry. Mountains of laundry.

School starts next Tuesday. (Hallelujah!) But that means filling lockers and buying last minutes 3 ring notebooks and labeling stuff with silver sharpies and attending orientation sessions and catching up with long lost friends.

So it took me two days to even pull the memory card out of the camera.

Took an hour plus for my PC to load 404 Raw images from my Nikon D40x.

And now it's taken me another day to edit even 2 photos from the vacation. Not much progress being made.

Here are 2 examples of random shots taken in Grand Marais, MN harbor. The day was the only gloomy one we had on our trip and the photos are quite gray as a result. But I wanted to show the process from beginning with the Straight Out Of Camera (SOOC) photo, through the adjustments that can be made within Camera Raw (namely the exposure and when shot in RAW format you can change the white balance post-processing), to the effects that layers and blending modes have on the image. And finally an example of one action that I really like. From Pioneer Woman's set, the Soft and Faded action gives the photo a slightly aged look.

Notice how dark my images were SOOC. For some reason my camera was metering very dark on this day. I am so grateful that I can brighten the exposure without losing any details in the dark and lightest areas of the shot.

Sadly, that is all I've accomplished with my photos so far.

But there is hope on the horizon.

Hope in the form of Tuesday.

Whew. One more mom survives the summer vacation...

From one zoo to another...

2008-08-18T19:01:00.004-05:00

the one in my house to the one they charge admission to enter. My mission for today was to make use of our zoo membership. We had only visited the zoo one time this year and I knew that we needed to go at least twice to break even on the membership. Now if I can just drag our sorry tushies back to the zoo before the snow flies then we will actually be ahead, financially speaking. At least in the line item for zoo memberships anyway. If only financially being "in the black" were so easy all around.

But before I show off the zoo photos I captured (proof that we used that membership!!), I wanted to show off my moonrise photo from last night. I apologize for the slight blur but I was too anxious to capture the orangy glowing moon in it's enormous glory to run back inside for my tripod. So I was a rebel and took this hand-held. A rebel using a Nikon. (Canon users will get that one:P)

I love the purplish sky and the silhouette of my neighborhood. I also captured this next photo of my puppy-crush as he snuggled up to his bucket of toys...yes, I confess. My dog is spoiled. I made use of the 1600 ISO setting.
But that's where the problem enters the picture (no pun intended!!) When we got to the zoo I was all gung-ho about my aperture, my shutter speed, my focal length, my composition but guess what I forgot? I never changed my ISO speed. So sadly, my photos from today's zoo visit are all a bit grainy from the high ISO...maybe I'll call it artistic license. We'll just pretend that I wanted them grainy to get that old, faded out photo look. Like this:
Actually I used Pioneer Woman's faded action to fade out the color a bit. I like the result. But too darn bad about the ISO. Hope I learned a lesson from that mistake!!! A grainy Prairie Dog. A grainy moose.
A grainy grizzly...
Some grainy camels too. (Starting to sound a little like Dr. Suess!)
And several grainy monkeys, even babies there too.

And one silly grainy sea otter is laughing at you.
Ah, well. The pictures that got away...

Damselfly love...

2008-08-17T16:14:00.004-05:00

Just playing a little in Photoshop CS3 today, trying to get a closer image of the damselflies that were feeling amorous at Sugar Lake last weekend.

Need to zoom a little more, crisp up the photos a bit more, something more?!?

Back to work...I'm feeling a bit anxious today - might be screaming like that hawk soon...something festering in my brain...darn. Going to be a sleepless night...

Some days I feel like doing this...

2008-08-17T11:04:00.003-05:00

and today is one of them...ah, the joys of PMS.

Off to a baby shower for my sweet neighbor, Martha! Then off to Bloomington to see my sister, Alicia while she's home from NYC for a few days.

Later.

Peaceful weekends...

2008-08-14T12:47:00.004-05:00

they are few and far between in our busy life. But this past weekend was filled with the serenity that can only be found on the shores of a Minnesota lake. We thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful views, the calling loons, the soaring bald eagle, the bass and northern pike action as well as the unbelievable starry skies! I only wish that I could have captured the stars in a photo on Friday night. There is nothing like the feeling that comes from seeing the universe in it's fullest glory on a crisp summer night. Here are a few photos from the weekend:

Old dock turned into a lakeside seating area.
Dusk. Rosy, photographic perfection.
The fishing-king cousin, starting the day with fishing pole in hand.
Each morning, as I sat on one of the docks looking out over the water, I was so struck with the calm reflectiveness of the water. It seemed to radiate peace. And after a busy summer of running three kids here and there, peace was just what we needed!! Thanks for sharing your piece of heaven, Matt and Stacey!! We really appreciate all that you do to make the weekend perfect for our visit. And my Mr. B, he just adores having his cousins all to himself. They are like brothers to him:) The boys, hanging out, just as I imagined it would be when they all were babies.
Dragonfly (actually, to be technically correct, these are damselflies) love.
The morning mists drifting off the water - they burned off quickly but I managed to grab the camera in time!

And finally, before we headed northward, the hawk that graced our backyard. Calling loudly to some unseen comrade. It stayed in photographic range for nearly half an hour. That's all I needed to snap some 80+ photos...I'll spare you the effort of viewing them all!!

Back to reality. School is drawing near and supplies have yet to be purchased (I'm shying away from having to buy Miss M her needed $115 scientific calculator!), time is limited in the days ahead. But after September 2nd, when my kids head off to this high school and middle school, my time will be more flexible and maybe I'll post more often? Or maybe I'll find some other way to waste time.

Till then, here's to peaceful weekends. May we all find one, right when we need it.

Later.

It's not raining...

2008-07-31T12:45:00.003-05:00

but I have to post anyway: to give my sister a shout out! Way to go, Alicia!!! You survived the bar exam!!! Read the grueling details here .

I'm sure she's enjoying her first day of freedom...

Other than that - I'll be back to post when it rains again. May be awhile~but I'll post photos...

Thoughts on the season...

2008-07-19T11:08:00.003-05:00

the baseball season, that is!
Our team pulled off a sound victory on Wednesday evening. 16-2. Thereby ending our opponents (the other 12A Lakeville North team) season. And adding at least one more game to ours. Then Thursday the team had a pool party at the "managers" house. Boys had a great time - even my anti-swimmer enjoyed the water.
Now we will play again on Tuesday, the 22nd against Apple Valley. A team we have met 4 times this year. And a team we have handily defeated 4 times this year. Twice within the last 2 weeks. I'm sure they are not too happy to find our team as their opponents!!
As our coach says (although I'm not beyond 'knocking on wood') - when we win the Tuesday game, we will go onto the League (MBL) Championship 12A game in Bloomington at Kent Hrbek fields on Thursday. There we will likely meet Eagan. A team who has beat us every time we've met...although their record for the season would suggest that they are quite "beatable". This we shall have to see. Assuming we get the chance. And you know what they say about "assuming" anything!!!
I thought I had prepped some photos from last Wednesday's game as I had a blast playing the "mom-arrazzi". But I guess I didn't. So I will do that and add some photos in a bit!!

Edited to add photos/correct typos:)

An assortment of photos from Wednesday's game. The Mom-arrazzi was on fire!!

Photography 101...

2008-07-16T16:49:00.003-05:00

Taking photographs: Cents on the dollar
DSLR: $699
Photoshop: $299 + $89 class to figure it out
Willing subjects: Priceless.

My 12 year old, pausing to pose in the pool. (Alot of aliteration for an aspiring author, ain't it?)
My, now 4 year old, puppy - pausing with his "crabby dog bone". And I thought it was my stellar photography skills that held his attention, but it turned out that my son was holding one of the dogs toys over my head!!!

We're back to baseball tonight. Could be the last game if our opponent wins? Don't want to jinx it but we've beat them every time we've played them this year. Could be that we're just that good. Or they are due to beat us. Only innings will tell!!

Later.

Fall, winter, spring, baseball, remnants of summer...

2008-07-12T18:40:00.003-05:00

The last several years these have been the seasons for our family. Baseball season hits and 'wham' it is all that we seem to live and breathe for weeks on end. Whole weekends are consumed with folding chairs, coolers, and gallons of Gatorade.

This year is no exception. Dear son decided to forego "house baseball" this year and tried out for a traveling team. And although the "traveling" hasn't been too taxing, the baseball games have been exciting to watch. This weekend we have spent hours in a nearby suburb watching these 12 year olds chase, hit, win some and lose some. And we've enjoyed nearly every minute of the state tournament. Today we thought might end the tourney for us, but we pulled out a sleek victory and will continue our quest in the morning, albeit in the consolation bracket.

Earlier in the season our team had a spectacular weekend at a state qualifying tournament about 45 minutes away. We lost our first game, badly, to a rival team. But we managed to handily beat two other opponents to clinch the one-and-only wildcard spot in the semi-finals. We beat a very tough team to hit the championship game, where we were faced with playing the team that 10-runned us in the first game!!! (OOOhhh were we stressed!!) But our boys played hard in all the ways that mattered and in a MAJOR UPSET - we won the Championship!!! It was a truly fantastic weekend for the team and the parents were voiceless and exhausted at the end.

As yet another baseball season winds down for us, I wanted to post the team photo from that day. It's a memory we'll enjoy for years to come!! Go Panthers!!

Now it's time for a beer! And maybe some napping:)

It's sprinkling today!!!

2008-07-07T13:36:00.003-05:00

Hurray! I won't be at the pool, or at the baseball diamond, or outside for a few hours!! A break, at last:)

So, of course, the very first thing I decided to do with all this "free time" (besides laundry!) is to post an update to the blog.

And that means photos too! Since I have started Candice Stringham's "Oh Shoot" photography class at http://www.jessicasprague.com I have been snapping away. Loving my Nikkor 50mm 1.4 lens...love it, love it, love it! And with that lens I snapped these two photos of my 12 year old son. He is, after all, my only willing subject other than the dog. And frankly, my dog looks pretty much the same in every photo...

Photo taken yesterday, in beautiful overcast conditions. Nikon D40x. 1/640 sec. f/2.0. ISO 400. Focal length 50mm.
This photo: 1/200 sec. f/5. Focal length 50mm. ISO 400.

This week's class is dealing with apertures, which I have a little experience with already. For the love of depth of field I have played around with the beautiful 50mm 1.4 at the f/1.4 setting. Love the way the background disappears into a fuzzy haze. I've also learned when that setting does not work...but that's the point. Practice and learn.

Time's up. The drizzle has stopped. The flowers still need to be watered. And my son's friend just arrived to play...better get back to my summer job. The Mom-who-is-the-source-of-all-entertainment!!! (How many days till Labor Day?!?!?!)

Later:)

The sun is still shining!!

2008-06-26T16:56:00.002-05:00

So I'm still away from the computer:) Collecting photos of baseball tournaments, flowers and starting an online photography class on Monday!

You can be sure I'll be here to post some photographic goodness soon.

Happy summer:)

Too difficult

2008-06-14T16:42:00.003-05:00

to be inside blogging when it's beautiful outside.

I'll be back when it rains. (As long as the laundry isn't Mt Everest by then!!)

Doggie agrees. So all is well with the world.

Just an ordinary post.

2008-05-28T17:47:00.003-05:00

On an ordinary day.

With a few photos to share.

I need to tame the aperture fetish.

I've become obsessed with a shallow depth of field with my newest lens and I can't seem to switch up the f-stop.

You'll see the issue in these photographs.

Our white crabapple trees finally bloomed this past week. And then the wind swept the blossoms away. Thankfully I captured them in a few shots. Note the blurred background - works well for this type of shot - focused on a few blooms.
My 12 year old. Note the shallow depth of field resulted in a one eye in focus, one eye slightly blurred look. Not what I was aiming for here. Should have bumped up the aperture.
And my new little niece. The focus is where it should be here - on her eyes, but she was too busy studying her cousin to look my way.

Loving the lens, but learning quickly that using an f-stop of 1.4 does not work for group shots!!

Live and learn. That's the point I guess.

Later.

100th post...

2008-05-24T11:49:00.004-05:00

Lots of words, not much meaning! Here's to the next 100: May wisdom spew forth from my fingertips. (Yeah right!!)

Now onto my recent excursion to the Big Apple. My parents, sister Stacey and I traveled to NYC to see my youngest sister, Alicia, graduate from New York Law School! Three years of hard work, walking from subway stop to subway stop, shlepping her way from her humble Brooklyn apartment to midtown Manhattan. Hauling textbooks the size of a hybrid vehicle, she is now on her trek to study for the bar exam. More massive textbooks. More late nights. More stress. Of course, when does stress really end? Sorry to say this Ali, but the answer is 'never'.

We visited the Met. Two cabs. 30 bucks - each. Rain. Crowds. But some amazing Egyptian relics. My favorite photo from this trip, SOOC (straight out of the camera) looks like a postcard, until you notice my reflection in the glass...

New meaning to the phrase, "a bird's eye view": from the 86th floor observatory of the Empire State Building.
Ali's graduation in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center.
And Alicia with Brian - newly graduated, newly engaged, happy, with so much future before her!!
Highlight of the trip: Seeing Alicia so happy and thoroughly enjoying this time in her life!

And although I, personally, would not choose to live in such an enormous city, I am not surprised in the least to find her in her element. She's always been a much braver, more adventurous soul than I am.

Congratulations, Alicia!!

Later.

MIA.

2008-05-23T08:51:00.002-05:00

Nope, not an abbrev for Miami. Not a favorite name. Just me, missing in action.

Been another busy month as the school year dwindles to a close, baseball season hits full swing, and the weather is simply too delicious to sit inside at my computer.

Promise, next rainy day I will post something intellectually stimulating. Or maybe just not too obtuse (like maybe quoting some G-dub??). Or perhaps I'll just stick to some photos, using my newest lens?

I will post. Leave it at that. (And it will be good because it will be my 100th post - always looking for a reason to celebrate!!!)

At the end of a very nice week...

2008-05-10T16:32:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to wish all my bookclub friends, my family and my many random fans (ha, ha!) a big thank you for the wonderful birthday wishes! I enjoyed many special meals, gifts, cards - even several handmade greetings - and I truly appreciated the kind thoughts.

And with Mother's Day tomorrow - I wanted to honor the three reasons I will be celebrating the day!! My sweet babies...they are truly proof of how quickly the years are speeding past!

My Belle - 15 years and starting to drive. There are no words...
My Miss M - 14 and full of sass and spirit!
And Mr B. If I could bottle your charm and sell on eBay - we'd be rich. But I'm selfish and plan to hoard your attention! You are an awesome 12 year old!!

Thank you sweet babies for being all that you are. I couldn't be more blessed!

May 9.

2008-05-09T15:20:00.004-05:00

Fourteen thousand six hundred and 10 days ago - aka 40 years - I landed, er...erupted, er...burst, er...arrived screaming. This morning I nearly awoke screaming - yikes, I'm 40 years old!!!

In all honesty I've always joked about the big 4-0, but it was always just a joke. I really thought of the "landmark" birthdays as just another ordinary day, but this one has really invaded my mind! When I went to bed last night, my last thought was "these are my last waking moments of my thirties..." and when I woke up this morning - I couldn't shake the "OMG - I'm 40!!!" out of my head. And really, why does it even matter? I'm merely 24 hours older than I was yesterday...but dang, 40 sounds so much older than 30.

I was going to wax poetic about my oh so mature confidence (yeah, right!), my profound comfort in my own skin (can I make a skin trade?) and how the 30's were so tough that I am HAPPY to float on to the 40's. But I can't. I really just don't like how time marches on - and as someone once said, "Sooner or later you realize that it's marching right across your face!!! (Name that movie!!)

Ok. Enough whining. Now that I'm celebrating the 11th anniversary of my 29th birthday, I may as well have a beer.

There's a perk. I'm not likely to be carded...

Later. When I'm 40 plus.

The weekend that was...

2008-04-27T21:14:00.002-05:00

a partial flop here but brought some nice additions to the extended family version of our life. (Sorry I don't make much sense - you'll soon understand why!)

Friday - when I last posted the scintillating story of life in my household - was day 1 of a headache. Not a rhetorical pain inside my skull, but a real, live, temple crushing sensation followed me around ALL DAY LONG. But I muddled along, tried to ignore it, after all, my baby girl was turning 15 and I was not going to be the party pooper of the year. So I popped instead of pooped (popped ibuprofen, that is) and although it didn't take the pain away, it did lessen the sensation of an ice pick piercing my brains.

Got through birthday celebration, mother-in-law chatter and incessant phone ringing. Happily learned that my youngest sister, Alicia, is now engaged to Brian - her boyfriend of three years! WTG Ali!!! (She is also graduating from Law School in a couple of weeks, so life is definitely looking rosy in NYC these days!!!)

I was SO happy to hit the sheets Friday night, assuming that I would awaken on Saturday - at whatever lazy hours I chose to do so - headache free...but WRONG! Headache 1, me 500 ibuprofen tablets later at the big goose-egg.

Saturday was a total bust. Slept off and on between doses of Motrin. Felt like barfing. Wanted to crawl into a hole and hide from the world of noise and interruptions. Had a fever of 102 by evening. Yuck.

Woke up this morning to the happy news that my sister-in-law had a baby girl last night! And she named her "Alana" (pronounced A-lay-na) which was coincidentally the name my dear son would have been given, had he been a she. So obviously, love the name!! Good news - happy news - and then the reality hit - I still have a headache. And so my Sunday continued. Although I did manage to forgo the naps today, I still feel pretty miserable.

So does it balance out? An engaged sister, a new niece - on the happy side. A 3 -day migraine on the bad side. Being that the headache is STILL pounding the inside of my skull, I think the weekend was a wash for me. But hopefully I'll wake up tomorrow, feeling right with the world and fully able to appreciate the blessings that the weekend did bring! How's that for optimism? And if the headache persists tomorrow: I promise not to come back here to continue complaining about it. Because I'm sure that, by now, you've got one too!!

Later. Unless the Motrin runs out.

A big thank you

2008-04-25T12:12:00.003-05:00

to everyone who sent photos for Becky's album! I think it turned out great and hopefully she will enjoy it in her new home. (Boo, hoo...I hate it when friends move away!)

I also wanted to post my latest creation: my oldest daughters 15th birthday is today! Happiest Birthday sweet baby girl!! So I created her card this morning - nothing like waiting till the last moment! The large empty area on the left is simply the back of the card. And I handwrote some thoughts inside. So proud of my growing-up-too-quickly girl!!

And now onto very important things. Baking! She "isn't a cake eater" (per her own words!!) so she has requested birthday cookies instead - monster cookies to be specific.

Have a great weekend - and if the creative urge strikes between naps this weekend, I may be back to post my latest!

Later!

Trying for some more...

2008-04-22T20:12:00.005-05:00

and I think I got them all posted...I am still needing a couple of photos of faces but those will only take a minute to add to the page. Please don't hesitate letting me know if you see any errors or changes that are needed. Or if the page looks "blah"...shoot me an email or leave a comment (click the word "comments" below). If I don't hear anything, I will be printing these pages on Thursday morning. Thanks!!!

Trying again...

2008-04-22T20:04:00.006-05:00

got a few more to upload! Let me know if I need to make changes before I print these. Also keep in mind that these are web resolution versions - they won't print well from this posting. I have the high res copies on my external hard drive.

A few uploaded before blogger burped...

2008-04-22T18:58:00.004-05:00

again:( It keeps giving me an internal error, so I will keep trying. Here are some of the layouts I've put together. They are not in any particular order. But in the album they will be divided up into sections. Let me know if you see any glaring errors or think of anything witty to add for words...I'm at a loss for words, as everything seems to come out sappy.

I'll try to post more later this evening. Right now, Brady wants me to come watch American Idol with him:) Must do some mom duty, you know!

Becky's book - planning for final revisions!

2008-04-22T14:33:00.002-05:00

I will be posting the layouts later today after I have prepped them for web viewing. Blogger is giving me some trouble with uploads today - but hopefully I'll have them uploaded by 5pm!

Stay tuned!!

Becky's pages...

2008-04-16T16:17:00.003-05:00

are underway - I have posted those that I have started. Please note that you can click on the photo to see the image larger!

These are not final pages, but just a few that I have started to get a feel for which colors work well together so I can get some cohesiveness! I started out with a color scheme but it has evolved as I have worked with the pictures.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions! (Color, journaling, a favorite layout) as I may decide to pick one or two and remodel the other pages after that design. It's a process!!

Sorry these are so simplistic - I am trying to keep the project realistic for the time we have!!

Please keep sending me those head shots!!! (Otherwise I may have to use creative ideas to fill in the blanks...could be interesting?!?)

Project Becky...

2008-04-15T21:18:00.002-05:00

underway. I will try to post some initial pages using the decor photos on Wednesday! Check back then!!

And SEND the photos for the "group" page!!! Don't be shy! I'm creative at cropping - going for the look like I used in my blog header.

And yes, I am a computer geek.

Hi - my name is Vanessa and I'm

2008-04-13T19:56:00.004-05:00

in hiding. Yeah. That's it. I'm in hiding so that is why I haven't been blogging!

No seriously though. Between the month of all months (aka Birthdays all around) and my digi class, I have barely had time to think about blogging, let alone actually typing something!

To fill you in on the grand to-do's here in MN. Let's see. Uhmm, I'm told that it is April. Yep. Couldn't prove it by me though, since the highs have been in the 20's to 30's! And that white stuff - it keeps falling from the sky. So much so that when I felt ill the other evening, I described exactly how yucky I was feeling by using that much maligned s-word. Yep, I felt like SNOW. Snow in springtime. Yep - that bad...

On a happier note - my baby boy turned 12 this past Tuesday. Yep 12. Dang it. One more year and I'll have 3 teenagers in the house. Add my dear hubby into the mix (as he typically aggravates the kids like a 13 year old brother might...) and it's looking like 2009 might be a good year to take a sabbatical from my tenured role as "mom". Hmmm. Something to thing about. Maybe I'll be like that gal from "Eat, Pray, Love" and go roam some places that all start with the same letter of the alphabet. Maybe Mexico, Michigan, and Maui. Hey no one says I have to rough it!

In my digi class (the one high point of what has proven to be a very depressing month!) Jessica Sprague has been teaching us some incredible new Photoshop skills. She really does an amazing job of clearly explaining the process. And her design details are second to none!

This is the week two assignment layout. My dear son at two and at twelve. Wow. Time truly does fly.

And another layout I created to put in my parents anniversary album. Part of an intentions challenge that Jessica started in week one. My intention is to create one digi layout per grandchild for my parents 40th anniversary album. Never mind that they will celebrate their 42nd wedding anniversary this next July...what can I say? I procrastinate like nobody else!

This layout is of my nephew Gunnar. One down. Five to go.

And on that note, better get some cleaning up done. Just had DH's family over for a birthday party. Wasn't the best party ever...as the day got off to a rough start...hard to celebrate too much when you feel like wringing someone's neck instead!!

Enough said. Later.

Back to class...

2008-04-04T17:39:00.003-05:00

Hurray! Now that I'm nearly 30 (he he I wish) - I am actually excited about learning!

Of course, when the learning is directly related to my favorite hobby it's even better! This past Monday was the first day of class for "Digi In Deep" with Jessica Sprague. And it is better than ever!! {As you can see by my first assignment results!!!} She is such a great designer.

Here is my sorry attempt at assignment 1B...I am terribly dissatisfied with my results here - but I vow to keep trying!! I think the page is simply too "green" - it sorely needs some splashes of color. I am just not feeling the creative mojo today:(
And finally, this is my mood of the day, tired and ready to say goodnight.
That is the sunset, as seen from my deck. And with that thought:

Goodnight. Guten Nacht.

Random thoughts on a Random Friday...

2008-03-28T16:09:00.003-05:00

Thought no. 1: She needs a haircut. No actually that's her thought. My thought is: this girl is awesome! She came home today, on the verge of 14, with a tattoo. Not a real tattoo (I have SOME control over my children!) but co-conspirator artwork on her arm. She is my dear daughter, the sequel.

Thought no. 2: I'm thinking that they have far too much free time in middle school.
Thought no. 3: Zapped again. Such a funny teenaged game, should have made her flip her hand over to reveal the "boy name" on her palm.

Thought no.4: Love this photo of my Divine Miss M at Red Rock Canyon last summer. She loves to travel, to see new things. I love to see her enthusiasm!
Thought no. 5: I love to watch the deer wander through our yard, stopping to rob our bird feeders. They really ought to thank the squirrels for tipping those feeders over and loading the snow with seeds.
Thought no. 6: It is spring. But sure doesn't look like it. Dang-nabbit!
Thought no. 7: TGIF. Seriously capital T, capital G (halleluia!), it's FRIDAY!!!

Thought no. 8: Why think? It's the WEEKEND!!

Later.

Exhibit N: {as in Needed to post more Maui photos!}

2008-03-27T11:09:00.002-05:00

But first, a picture of one of my all time favorite people in the whole wide universe:

It's my dear baby girl - at 14 - focused on a video game at Game Works in Las Vegas. This was taken during our summer vacation to the area last summer. This girl rocks my world - never mind that she's my daughter - she is simply wonderful!!

More Maui - from a beach park pit stop on the way to the airport to come home to frigid, freakin' Minnesota. (Are you feelin' the love?)
And below - a freaky, leaf-walking bird. It honestly walked ON TOP of the leaves all around the resort. It kept getting in my way (cause, of course, I walk on leaves - hehe - kidding) so I had to snap a photo. It just looked annoyed.
And the beloved humpback whales. Hard to capture on film, their presence so very random and fleeting, the sight of these enormous creatures was simply breathtaking. Everywhere we looked these spouts of mist were rising from the sea. Amazing. Can only say it: amazing.
Back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Later.

American Idol revisited...

2008-03-26T12:16:00.005-05:00

I'm not even going to write out my thoughts, because I totally agree with Aimee on last nights performance. Check it out.

On a related note: my nephew, Gunnar, bears such a strong resemblence to Jason Castro that I'm seriously thinking he should consider dreadlocks in his future. So what if he's only 11. He's already having to fend off the groupies:) Unfortunately, the photos I have of him don't show the classic expression which Jason Castro is always flashing to the arm-waving fans (could that part of the show get any cornier???)

But here is a glimpse of the look-alike:

And Jason Castro (very cute, but kind of loopy!)

Maybe I'm imagining things...but Gunnar has the same flirty, eyebrow raising expressions. I will definitely have to capture them on film sometime...or keep looking through my photos, maybe it's already there somewhere!!

Later.

How to entice your child to brush their teeth...

2008-03-24T16:19:00.003-05:00

You'd think that just the good feeling of fresh, clean teeth would be incentive enough, eh? (No, I am not Canadian, but I greatly admire a friend who is, so I threw that in for good measure!) So I have discovered a really, really good tool.

Show them this:

Then be prepared to buy them whatever flavor toothpaste they like best - that very same day. Reuse, as needed. Heck, I feel the need to brush more often when I see this picture too (and I already brush about 4 times daily!!)

And now onto happier thoughts: Ahhhh, sweet Hawaii. Or more specifically Lana'i.

This last photo is the Four Seasons at Hulapoe Bay. Stunning. But very isolated. Not the kind of resort you'd want to visit if you love trying new restaurants. When staying here, you are pretty much a captive audience for the Four Seasons chain of resorts.

But if solitude and opulance is what floats your canoe, then you'd be in heaven here!

On a more serious note: Dr. Barb Berg passed away on Saturday afternoon. Although she now rejoices with the angels above, her loving husband, Jim and the rest of her family are left in sorrow. She will be missed by many.

More Later.

So how's this for the first day of spring?

2008-03-21T16:40:00.002-05:00

We think we hit a total of 8 inches of snow today. Ugh.

On the positive side: it makes the birds easier to spot at the feeders (see the Blue Jay?)

The neighborhood. Yesterday - no snow. Today - well, yuck.
The paver walkway along our house. Covered. Again.
My DH is a snowblowing angel. When it snows, he makes good use of this toy, and clears off the neighbors driveways too.
And finally, a Downy Woodpecker (I think) tapping at our tree. Better than the house!
OK. The people have spoken. The people being my family. Mom needs to get off her duff and do some cleaning and food prep for the holiday weekend. Darn Photoshop, sucked me in again!

From here...

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in frosty Minnesota:

To the warm memories of Hawaii - more specifically photos of Lanai, as seen from the Trilogy catamaran.

The day of our snorkel sail to Lana'i was intermittently cloudy with a rough surf. So my photos from our visit alternate blue and gray skies.

Strangest item of note on this tiny island, population 3200, was that DH & I had a solid 4 bars of cellular service here even though we only have 1.5 bars of service from OUR HOME! The wonders of technology!!

Trivia for the Easter minded

2008-03-21T10:33:00.002-05:00

If you are like me, you may have been wondering why Easter is falling so darn early this year. It's still raw winter weather here in Minnesota, and normally an April Easter coincides with the budding of springtime. Not this year! (See my previous post for concrete evidence!!)

Here is what I found about this anomaly to the holiday calendar: (from canada dot com )
Pity the poor Easter Bunny. This is the first year since 1913 that he'll be showing up so early and contending with the sloppy weather conditions.
Easter in the western world is generally celebrated in April, but there are the unusual years, like this one, when it occurs in March.
Easter is a movable feast tied to the cycles of the moon. It is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full paschal moon, which appeared Thursday.
No one alive today will be around to see that happen again. The next time Easter Sunday will come so early in March will be 2228.
The last time it fell on a March 23 was 95 years ago.
Until AD 325, Easter coincided with the Jewish festival of Passover.
But that year, bishops at the First Council of the Christian church meeting in Nicaea decreed that the feast be celebrated on the first Sunday after the paschal, or spring moon.
The next three days are the most rigorous on the liturgical calendar. Easter observances in most Christian churches begin Saturday with a dramatic evening candlelight vigil.
Christians consider Easter Sunday their greatest feast day, as it commemorates the central tenet of their faith: Christ's triumph over death.

So that is the story.

Next year it falls on April 12. And we'll be feeling back to normal. Assuming I survive THAT winter. (Ugh. Too soon to go there!!! Time to start job hunting in Tahiti.)

How far is Minnesota from Hawaii?

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Too damn far...

This is what we woke up to this morning...piles of white fluffy snow (I prefer a different 4 letter s-word but I'm doing my best to keep the ol' blog clean, in case my kids stop by!)

This was our deck and grill 10 days ago, when we enjoyed some tasty burgers on the barbie.

And this is what our grill looks like today. Good Friday. Yep. I'm feeling the mood. Which I guess is pretty appropriate for what Good Friday represents. On a religious note: please pray for peace for Dr. Barb Berg. She is a pediatrician here in the Twin Cities who was diagnosed with cancer about 3 years ago. She's waged a valient battle with her eyes fully focused on the Lord and now it would seem that she's nearing her heavenly reward. It's not been without much physical suffering, unfortunately, so please pray for her peace. She deserves it. I'm certain the Father in heaven will soon be greeting her with "Well done, my child, well done."

On that note - best wishes to all for a Happy Easter!

Exhibit M: Might be done for today!

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Near the pool at the Westin, there was some amazing flowering plants with both pink & orange blooms. This isn't some funky photographic error, they were really pink & orange on the same shrub!

Sunrise, as seen from Trilogy VI, as we headed out of the Lahaina Marina toward the island of Lanai on Thursday, February 28th. The beginning of a wonderful day of boating & basking.

Looking back toward Lahaina, Maui.

Exhibit L: Luau anyone?

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Some memories from the Old Lahaina Luau.

Exhibit K: Kindly tolerate my ongoing saga...

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More views from the northern end of West Maui - near Kapalua.

Plus another shots of the crashing surf - where my DH lost two (yes, TWO) pairs of sunglasses to the ocean...the gift shop has some sort of deal with the ocean, I think! Thankfully he's not a $300 sunglasses kind of guy!!

Exhibit J: Just ridiculous, I know!

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The waves from further down the beach, nearer to Black Rock. We were looking for a "less rocky" area, as DH cut his foot on some rocks during one of his "wave riding (read: crashing) sessions.

The most interesting species of pines (yes, pines in Hawaii!!) we saw were near Kapalua, on the drive to the Pineapple Grill. Uhmmm, I could so go for some Opakapaka...and some pineapple upside down cake...
The following photo is one of my favorites from the trip. Maybe because it's less traditional. Who knows. I just find the view through the chainlink fence to be an interesting irony.
Kapalua Sunset...
Another blown out sky, but the sea is just too beautiful to kiss the photo adieu.

Exhibit I: I thoroughly loved relaxing on the beach

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We spent one whole day just soaking up the glorious sunshine on the beach. The surf was pretty rough on this particular day, with waves knocking people over (us included!) for the entertainment of those sitting safely on the sand.

In this first photo, my DH is the person in the water to his shoulders.

Believe it or not: my DH is INSIDE this crashing wave!!!
Note: my feet were firmly planted in the sand most of the day.
These next two photos are of the surf crashing in, with Molokai visible through the vog in the distance.

My DH had to coax me into the water during a seemingly calmer phase...ha! Calm lasts approximately 2 waves here and I was quickly brought to my knees (ok, I admit, it was my butt!), and I couldn't even get back up. The force of the water rushing back to sea is more powerful than pictures can convey. It was an amazing thing to experience. But I could do without the sand intrusion - the post beach shower was quite enlightening, as there is no place that sand couldn't adhere...yuck!!

Exhibit H (aka: Holy Toledo, there's more?)

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Last couple of images from the Road the Hana. More blown out sky photos that I tried desperately to resurrect. Sorry about that!

The next photo is the first one I took in Maui. While Paul was checking us in at the Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas, I was waiting with the car, I took this blurry (heck, I was bone-tired after that ridiculously long flight!!) picture of the entrance.
And finally a view of the Westin pool.

Exhibit G (as in going on & on & on...)

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The Road to Hana - yep, it's a pretty darn long road...

Exhibit F

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More scenes from the Hana Highway.

Exhibit E

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The following four photos were taken at Mama's Fish House - a highly regarded seafood restaurant (read: highly expensive!!). DH & I stopped here for lunch once the motion sickness subsided:) He had the seared ahi and I had the macadamia crusted mahimahi. They were good but not the "spectacular" meal we were led to expect. I think sticker shock may have played a role - $16 for a cocktail!!! My meal was priced at a whopping $54...needless to say, we ate a light dinner that evening.
While we were eating a brief shower moved in and dimmed the sunshine. Not unusual for this rain forest side of Maui in the winter.

Exhibit D

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More views from the Road to Hana, Maui.

Exhibit C

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This isn't the best picture, but the forest of waving bamboo was amazing to see. I've never seen anything like it before. Too bad the photo doesn't capture it effectively. Unfortunately, there wasn't room to stop on the side of the road where the best view of the bamboo was visible. Alas, it will simply have to live on in my memory.

The sun was a bit harsh during this portion of the drive. Alot of my photos were over exposed. Something we didn't expect on Maui - besides Palms of course - were the many interesting species of trees. Some of the tree trunks had the most fascinating textures and colors.
The rugged shoreline was stunning.
And there were so many waterfalls! One could easily fall prey to waterfall overload!

Exhibit B

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Last photo at Hookipa. Sorry - I am a card carrying member of the "Society for Redundancy Society".
Further on down the "Heavenly Road to Hana" aka the "wishing you'd find a heavenly bucket to puke in, 300 plus hairpin turn highway". On the positive side, great scenery. Negatives: Too much traffic, too many inconsiderate drivers, too many one lane bridges, not enough room to stop and take the once in a lifetime photograph. Frankly, I don't know that I'd even bother in the future. But that's just me - some people can't get enough of this drive.

Some odd notables from this day trip. Roosters. Cock-a-doodle-doo-ing everywhere. And alot of happy looking cats. And several pick-ups carrying cages full of pit bulls. All were in a hurry. Hmmm, dog-fighting ring?

Exhibit A

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Hookipa Beach Point: More photos from the "Windsurfing Capitol of the World"

Blah, blah, blah, blah...

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Like looking at the slideshows of old. Ah, good times. Good times.

More training rescue photos.

A self-potrait taken while watching the chopper do it's thing. In case it's not clearly apparent to you, I suck at self-portraits...sorry. Not a photo I'd ordinarily share!

And so on and so on....

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While we were at Hookipa Beach Park, there was a training rescue with a helicopter taking place. The first photo is the chopper taking off from the adjacent field.
Then the chopped dropped a "victim" off at sea (actually two people).
More of the same. Chopper at sea.
And with my puny SD1000 zoom (note: all the Hawaii photos were taken using my Canon SD1000. I did not want to travel with my brand spanking new Nikon D40x, especially around the ocean! In hind sight, alot of my photos may have turned out much clearer with less noise & artifact if I had hauled the big dog around instead!!)
BTW, El Patio was DELIGHTFUL!

Maui: A Photographic Essay

2008-03-15T17:26:00.002-05:00

More photographs from our trip: day 2.

This first photo is the view through the trees toward Lana'i.
The second photo is one I desperately tried to resurrect in CS3 but the sky was simply overexposed and washed out, hence the "rainbow-like" halos in the sky. I will probably revisit the original and try a gradient mask to re-establish some depth of blue to the sky. Nothing quite uglier than a washed out looking sky - except maybe a fakey blue rainbow of a sky!! The photo is the view from our lanai toward the water.
Our view of the kiddie pool.
And the surfers at Hookipa Beach Overlook. This was at the beginning of our 'attempt' to drive the road to Hana (read: I got car sick on the zillion turns, single lane bridges road!).
More to come! DH and I are going to El Patio for dinner - yum!

Check this out...

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it is an Interview with God and it is worthy of a moment of your time. If I could make it work as a screensaver on my dual monitor set-up, I would.

Back to PS CS3. We will resume our regularly scheduled program of awesome, yet freakishly colorful photos shortly. For the time being, please enjoy the previous weeks blog postings:)

Later.

Still at it.

2008-03-13T14:33:00.003-05:00

Did I mention I broke a tooth this morning? Yep. Big chunk of molar. On a soggy waffle, no less. So I will be taking a break from my photo editing career (HA!) to go to the dentist shortly. But first, I will post the last four photos from day one of the trip. Last four post-worthy photos that is. Took lots of junk pictures too. No saving those.

Another flower. Would you agree that I am mildly obsessed. Don't worry. I mellowed on the flower photography after day one.
Dear hubby gazing at the pool area over breakfast.
Our view of the pool from the breakfast table.
The far north end of Ka'anapali Beach. Strangely enough, there were dozens of "tents" set up in the trees along this stretch of coast. I italicized tents due to the fact that they were haphazardly anchored and some were more like improvised fake tents. Also strange to note: several pit bulls tied up outside the tents here.

Needless to say, I'm sure, we didn't venture back this way again on our beach walks.

Better go brush for the dentist. Don't want to knock him over with killer breath BEFORE he fixes my broken tooth.

Later.

Do I have nothing better to do

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than play with my photos all day? I might have to copy Pioneer Woman and say "I love Photoshop - I think I want to marry it!" OK. This isn't the bachelor, and I don't fall in love that easily, but I do think I'm in deep like here with the power of CS3!

More flowers. Flowers - I do love flowers.
An outrigger sitting on the grass outside our resort.
And the sepia version. I used the default sepia action in CS3 and am very pleased with the results. Maybe a little dark, but I like dark.
And a view to the Pacific through the trees. Simply breathtaking.

Maui. I'd marry Maui in a heartbeat.

Later. {This isn't even all the photos from day ONE!}

Now I'm just getting carried away...

2008-03-13T09:01:00.003-05:00

So I'm playing around in CS3 and tweaking things here and there, no plan, just random tweaks. Playing with lab color. Playing with blending modes. "Painting with light" here and there. And the result? Freakishly bright photos, with greatly varied shades of blue for the sky!

Well, at least I saved the originals. Which now look sad, drab and dull. Ah. My eye for the "perfect" photo is not improving! (Ha - like I thought it would!!)

Here's this morning's victims (aka photos):

At Black Rock - the north side. Looking out toward Lana'i - which you can faintly see through the vog. (Note: not a typo, they call it vog due to the volcanic component from the Big Island's eruptions.)
Yet another gi-normous and beau-terrific blossom!
Looking inland over Ka'anapali Golf Course, where the Wendy's Skins Challenge was played during our trip. Many amazing Senior PGA golfers spotted on this course!
And from the same vantage point, looking north along Ka'anapali Beach toward our resort from the edge of Black Rock. Tough walking to get to this spot. The sand on the beach is soft & squishy - about the consistency of risen bread dough (hmmmm, must be breakfast time?). We both struggled to walk in it and paid the price of very sore calves the next morning. Such a rough life. Sore legs from walking the beach in Maui....I'm sure you feel so sorry for me!

Be back later with more freakishly colorful memories from the islands. I'll try to contain my Photoshop mania:) Till then...

Maui revealed (aka "How to Mess Up Your Vacation Photos")

2008-03-12T18:23:00.003-05:00

This shot is of Ka'anapali Beach looking toward Black Rock (Sheraton sits on top) from the beach at the Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas.
And this is looking northward along Ka'anapali Beach toward Napili and Kapalua.
We walked along the beach until we reached Black Rock, where we detoured through the Sheraton grounds. So many gorgeous flowers there! (To a Minnesotan, in February, that is a truly luscious sight!)
This is the catamaran we were SUPPOSED to have a sunset sail upon, but alas, they messed up our reservation and our night ended up having a brief (15 minute storm) that cancelled it anyway. Bummer. But nice boat nonetheless.

After going through all 21 (!!) step by step tutorials in Scott Kelby's book, I started opening up some of my trip photos and felt baffled as to what to do to them. Frankly, they looked pretty good SOOC (straight out of camera). Of course, my untrained eye doesn't usually see color casts and less than tack sharp focus. I am more affected by the way a photo (subject) makes me feel. This is why I am an amatuer. And so I shall remain. I can't seem to learn how to see what could be better about a photo unless someone spells it out to me. Maybe my impatience to post these photos here is playing a role too!!

I'm still struggling with the differences between my two monitors as well. Not sure which shows the truer color! So they are what they are. They look how they look. The perfectionist in me will just have to chill about it already.

I'll work on some more photos and post them as I get them done. Hope you enjoy!

Later.