Send your own ElfYourself eCards
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Crafty Fall!
I've noticed a pattern.... fall = blogging, or at least the return to blogging. I offer no apologies, I've admitted before that I'm a very very bad blogger. I have good intentions....
So, what have we been up to? Are you still hanging by a thread waiting for the witty comments Abigale has made?? (You'll have to wait on the second, as I have nothing coming to mind, but rest assured she is very very witty!)
Here is a quick wrap up....
We just finished up Fall Tball. Abigale really enjoyed it, it has a little more "turn taking" than soccer. Everyone gets a chance to bat and run the bases, everyone has a place out in the field. Sadly, I'm glad to take one thing off the schedule (really two, practice and game!).
Robbie just fished his second "season" of softball. He played in the summer league and again in the fall league. He and Dave are hoping to round up enough guys to make a team this spring.
Our annual trip to the pumpkin patch was a little soggier than normal. We delayed lunch to hold out through the rain.... then as we finally gave up and headed toward the home there was a break and we were able to get out a take a few photos. Abigale picked out a couple of pie pumpkins and a small gourd and now I need to actually do something with the pumpkins. I'm hoping to follow a tutorial over on the Pioneer Woman's blog to process the pumpkin.... wish me luck! I haven't decided if I'll make pumpkin pie, or pumpkin bread... or pumpkin butter... yum!
This little pose makes me laugh:
Other wise we're having a pretty crafty fall! I love that Abigale is old enough to enjoy making things! She love to paint especially! I'm a huge fan of creative activities - free play/paint or structured step by step art - there is so much to learn by doing it. I've also really enjoyed the weather and our new (end of season) wooden picnic table - it's great for taking the paint outside and not worrying over the mess.
Fall Kitty:
Pumpkin Painting
Abigale's pumpkin with the "biiiiiiiiiiig" mouth from a ceramic craft class:
And my favorite so far, the fall handprint tree:
I found the idea here, but it's really easy. Brown paint on the arm and hand for the trunk/branches. Red, Orange, Green, Yellow thumbprint leaves. We also played a little bit with mixing colors, green/yellow and red/orange, for new shades. I had an extra art canvas sitting around, so we used that and I'm so glad I did! (You can find sets of 3, flattened, at Walmart really reasonably - they turn a normal painting into a nice sturdy artwork.)
Today we're practicing fine motor skills by cutting colored straws and stringing them on a ribbon to make a necklace. Fancy stuff over here! :)
I've been working on a rag quilt for Abigale. I bought the fabric a year ago (typical) but finally started working on it this fall. It's very small and simple, but I just don't have a lot of patience with my sewing machine and not a lot of time to work on it. I'm hoping to finish up this afternoon!
Hope everyone's fall is just as fun! What special activities or traditions do you have?
So, what have we been up to? Are you still hanging by a thread waiting for the witty comments Abigale has made?? (You'll have to wait on the second, as I have nothing coming to mind, but rest assured she is very very witty!)
Here is a quick wrap up....
We just finished up Fall Tball. Abigale really enjoyed it, it has a little more "turn taking" than soccer. Everyone gets a chance to bat and run the bases, everyone has a place out in the field. Sadly, I'm glad to take one thing off the schedule (really two, practice and game!).
Robbie just fished his second "season" of softball. He played in the summer league and again in the fall league. He and Dave are hoping to round up enough guys to make a team this spring.
Our annual trip to the pumpkin patch was a little soggier than normal. We delayed lunch to hold out through the rain.... then as we finally gave up and headed toward the home there was a break and we were able to get out a take a few photos. Abigale picked out a couple of pie pumpkins and a small gourd and now I need to actually do something with the pumpkins. I'm hoping to follow a tutorial over on the Pioneer Woman's blog to process the pumpkin.... wish me luck! I haven't decided if I'll make pumpkin pie, or pumpkin bread... or pumpkin butter... yum!
This little pose makes me laugh:
 |
| From Blog |
Other wise we're having a pretty crafty fall! I love that Abigale is old enough to enjoy making things! She love to paint especially! I'm a huge fan of creative activities - free play/paint or structured step by step art - there is so much to learn by doing it. I've also really enjoyed the weather and our new (end of season) wooden picnic table - it's great for taking the paint outside and not worrying over the mess.
Fall Kitty:
 |
| From Blog |
Pumpkin Painting
 |
| From Blog |
 |
| From Blog |
Abigale's pumpkin with the "biiiiiiiiiiig" mouth from a ceramic craft class:
 |
| From Blog |
And my favorite so far, the fall handprint tree:
 |
| From Blog |
I found the idea here, but it's really easy. Brown paint on the arm and hand for the trunk/branches. Red, Orange, Green, Yellow thumbprint leaves. We also played a little bit with mixing colors, green/yellow and red/orange, for new shades. I had an extra art canvas sitting around, so we used that and I'm so glad I did! (You can find sets of 3, flattened, at Walmart really reasonably - they turn a normal painting into a nice sturdy artwork.)
Today we're practicing fine motor skills by cutting colored straws and stringing them on a ribbon to make a necklace. Fancy stuff over here! :)
I've been working on a rag quilt for Abigale. I bought the fabric a year ago (typical) but finally started working on it this fall. It's very small and simple, but I just don't have a lot of patience with my sewing machine and not a lot of time to work on it. I'm hoping to finish up this afternoon!
Hope everyone's fall is just as fun! What special activities or traditions do you have?
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Hey Look, I Scrapped!
Life has been busy - not necessarily bad busy - but even fun busy can throw your life for a loop. This week has been a bit calmer, why I'm not sure, but I'm very grateful for it. We've been at home a little more, and the house is clean.... it's been nice!
So - given this extra time, I sat down and scrapped a page for Abigale's album. WOW am I behind! I'm trying not to focus on that though! Here is the little page I did today! I need to do a few pages with her scanned art work too! I'm also thinking I may put together a very simple little blurb book with her artwork - sounds like grandparent Christmas gift material too!
Abigale has been saying so many funny things lately, and I really need to share them before I forget...however, I have a little one ready for dinner, so I'll *hopefully* get back to that soon!
Have a fun day!
So - given this extra time, I sat down and scrapped a page for Abigale's album. WOW am I behind! I'm trying not to focus on that though! Here is the little page I did today! I need to do a few pages with her scanned art work too! I'm also thinking I may put together a very simple little blurb book with her artwork - sounds like grandparent Christmas gift material too!
Abigale has been saying so many funny things lately, and I really need to share them before I forget...however, I have a little one ready for dinner, so I'll *hopefully* get back to that soon!
Have a fun day!
Monday, March 17, 2008
I just saw my life flash before my eyes...
...or at least the last 10 years of it! :)
My ScanMyPhotos box came just a few moments ago! Lucky me, Abigale was taking a nap, so I unwrapped and popped in the cd instead of finishing up my work in the kitchen... lol :)
I popped the photos over to iphoto, so that I would immediately have a backup, and a surreal thing happened. iphoto started importing them, and they were flashing in no particular order across the screen. One of Abigale's first smile, my honeymoon, a graduation, family Christmas, friends, the state fair, etc etc. It really was as if my life was flashing before my eyes - and I have a lot to be grateful for. Nice, surreal, but nice. :)
Anyway, on to my honest review.
Service: I sent the photos in last Monday and received them this Monday. The photos were returned in good condition nicely packed. CD is packed in an envelope with my name and date of scan on it.
Scanning: All photos were scanned in entirety. There were a few with a slight black edge on the bottom - but I think that is to be expected as not all 4x6 are exactly 4x6. (I noticed that as I was packing them off to mail).
Quality: Now, keeping in mind that the monitor does illuminate the photos a bit more than what they would look like printed....but I do have a Mac with a great screen which I use for photo editing and graphic related things so I have a relatively trained eye (which also brings out the perfectionist in me...) so here is what I think. The scan picked up high key white and the darkest colors and slightly exaggerated them. So, some of the faces look washed out - or some of the darker backgrounds blend together more. This was true in both color photos and some of the black and white scans. Photos were the colors were mostly midrange were not as bad. Also photos that were grainy to begin with seemed worse in the scan, in my opinion. On the other hand, I didn't notice any additional noise on the photos - such as dust that slipped in during the scan.
Was it worth it? With the special they are running ($19.99 shipping/handling only for members of blogger, myspace, facebook, etc) YES! I don't regret sending them one bit and although I'll need to do touchups before I scrap or reprint any of them - it was definitely worth my time to send them in. Would I order again at the $99 flat rate box fee (increasing to $124 soon) - undecided. For the price, I feel the photos should be a more exact duplicate of the original - in both color and clarity. Mind you, I'm not asking for miracles on photos that were not top quality to begin with, just a simple what you see is what you get. I know a photo enhancement is offered at an additional cost (maybe $50?) but in order to maintain the highest quality, I would think that would be included as a standard in the scanning. That just my opinion, and I do tend to be pretty picky about photos.
Another consideration is time. I was able to go through my photos, picking out the photos to scan in a few hours. I can not imagine the amount of time it would take me to hand scan each one...ok I can imagine and that's why I still have a box full of my grandmothers photos that hasn't been touched! I do feel better seeing the photos back and in good condition, but I am still hesitant to send anything that doesn't have a duplicate photo or negative. So, of course, there is a huge benefit to sending the photos off and having a machine scan through them all.
Is it worth having a backup of my photos - YES, without a doubt. My photos are precious to me and one glance can bring back so much emotion and memories! I would highly recommend creating a back up, either with your own home scanner or through ScanMyPhotos.
ETA: ScanMyPhotos has extended their deadline on the special through Mother's Day, May 11th. You can find more info about it here.
My ScanMyPhotos box came just a few moments ago! Lucky me, Abigale was taking a nap, so I unwrapped and popped in the cd instead of finishing up my work in the kitchen... lol :)
I popped the photos over to iphoto, so that I would immediately have a backup, and a surreal thing happened. iphoto started importing them, and they were flashing in no particular order across the screen. One of Abigale's first smile, my honeymoon, a graduation, family Christmas, friends, the state fair, etc etc. It really was as if my life was flashing before my eyes - and I have a lot to be grateful for. Nice, surreal, but nice. :)
Anyway, on to my honest review.
Service: I sent the photos in last Monday and received them this Monday. The photos were returned in good condition nicely packed. CD is packed in an envelope with my name and date of scan on it.
Scanning: All photos were scanned in entirety. There were a few with a slight black edge on the bottom - but I think that is to be expected as not all 4x6 are exactly 4x6. (I noticed that as I was packing them off to mail).
Quality: Now, keeping in mind that the monitor does illuminate the photos a bit more than what they would look like printed....but I do have a Mac with a great screen which I use for photo editing and graphic related things so I have a relatively trained eye (which also brings out the perfectionist in me...) so here is what I think. The scan picked up high key white and the darkest colors and slightly exaggerated them. So, some of the faces look washed out - or some of the darker backgrounds blend together more. This was true in both color photos and some of the black and white scans. Photos were the colors were mostly midrange were not as bad. Also photos that were grainy to begin with seemed worse in the scan, in my opinion. On the other hand, I didn't notice any additional noise on the photos - such as dust that slipped in during the scan.
Was it worth it? With the special they are running ($19.99 shipping/handling only for members of blogger, myspace, facebook, etc) YES! I don't regret sending them one bit and although I'll need to do touchups before I scrap or reprint any of them - it was definitely worth my time to send them in. Would I order again at the $99 flat rate box fee (increasing to $124 soon) - undecided. For the price, I feel the photos should be a more exact duplicate of the original - in both color and clarity. Mind you, I'm not asking for miracles on photos that were not top quality to begin with, just a simple what you see is what you get. I know a photo enhancement is offered at an additional cost (maybe $50?) but in order to maintain the highest quality, I would think that would be included as a standard in the scanning. That just my opinion, and I do tend to be pretty picky about photos.
Another consideration is time. I was able to go through my photos, picking out the photos to scan in a few hours. I can not imagine the amount of time it would take me to hand scan each one...ok I can imagine and that's why I still have a box full of my grandmothers photos that hasn't been touched! I do feel better seeing the photos back and in good condition, but I am still hesitant to send anything that doesn't have a duplicate photo or negative. So, of course, there is a huge benefit to sending the photos off and having a machine scan through them all.
Is it worth having a backup of my photos - YES, without a doubt. My photos are precious to me and one glance can bring back so much emotion and memories! I would highly recommend creating a back up, either with your own home scanner or through ScanMyPhotos.
ETA: ScanMyPhotos has extended their deadline on the special through Mother's Day, May 11th. You can find more info about it here.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Undeniable
Abigale's "wa-oh song". It's her "favorite".
Undeniable by Mat Kearney
Lately we can't start the car without the request to play it!
Undeniable by Mat Kearney
Lately we can't start the car without the request to play it!
Sunday, March 09, 2008
985
That's the number of photos that I'm sending off to scanmyphotos tomorrow!
I was able to knock it all out this afternoon. (Thank goodness for an afternoon with out plans!!) Robbie was skeptical that I could pull together that many photos and started naming off people I could ask if they had a few to throw in....I question if he realizes just how many photos I take....
I was actually hoping I could get a broader span of time with the photos! Inclosed in my tightly packed box are baby photos of Abigale pre the digital rebel, preg photos and showers, graduations (times 2!), pre-baby cruise, honeymoon, a few random wedding shots and showers, other people's wedding shots (yup Laura that means YOU!), and lots of random photos that fall somewhere in between all that....
I would have liked to have squeezed in college photos, but I knew that if I even went looking for the 15 more I would be lost in a sea of photos! So I threw in the white flag and packed up what I have together!
Last night Abigale had nightmares all night, so she crawled into bed with us and kicked me each time she whimpered. Needless to say I'm exhausted!!! Off to bed early for me!
I was able to knock it all out this afternoon. (Thank goodness for an afternoon with out plans!!) Robbie was skeptical that I could pull together that many photos and started naming off people I could ask if they had a few to throw in....I question if he realizes just how many photos I take....
I was actually hoping I could get a broader span of time with the photos! Inclosed in my tightly packed box are baby photos of Abigale pre the digital rebel, preg photos and showers, graduations (times 2!), pre-baby cruise, honeymoon, a few random wedding shots and showers, other people's wedding shots (yup Laura that means YOU!), and lots of random photos that fall somewhere in between all that....
I would have liked to have squeezed in college photos, but I knew that if I even went looking for the 15 more I would be lost in a sea of photos! So I threw in the white flag and packed up what I have together!
Last night Abigale had nightmares all night, so she crawled into bed with us and kicked me each time she whimpered. Needless to say I'm exhausted!!! Off to bed early for me!
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Snow!
Snow!!!! I want to go out! :)
Tasting the snow!
I couldn't resist taking Abigale out for a few minutes. How often is it that we get such big beautiful flakes???
Then we came in for some hot chocolate!
And it's still coming down!
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Helicopter
We were driving down the road today when Abigale spotted a helicopter.
A: I want to ride in a helicopter!
A: ...I want our car to turn into a helicopter....
Me: Ummmm, Sorry, it's just not possible for our car to do that.
A: annoyed sigh - I'm PRETENDING
Me: OK! Where do you want to go?
A: To the top! :)
This brings me back to the conversation I had with Abigale before I left for Chicago (she was a little over 2 1/2 then)...
Me: Mama is leaving today, I'm going to ride in an airplane
A: I want to come!
Me: Not this time, but maybe we can do that someday.
A: That's ok - you ride in airplane... Me and Daddy ride HELICOPTER
:)
A: I want to ride in a helicopter!
A: ...I want our car to turn into a helicopter....
Me: Ummmm, Sorry, it's just not possible for our car to do that.
A: annoyed sigh - I'm PRETENDING
Me: OK! Where do you want to go?
A: To the top! :)
This brings me back to the conversation I had with Abigale before I left for Chicago (she was a little over 2 1/2 then)...
Me: Mama is leaving today, I'm going to ride in an airplane
A: I want to come!
Me: Not this time, but maybe we can do that someday.
A: That's ok - you ride in airplane... Me and Daddy ride HELICOPTER
:)
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Soccer, where have you been all my life?
First soccer game = happy Abigale! :)
It was so much fun to watch her play! She ran with the biggest smile and enjoyed every second of it! She caught on very quickly for a 3 year old with only one practice under her belt!!!
Here are a couple of game photos!
Yes, that is what a 3 year old mob looks like. :)
She can't wait to play again! :)
It was so much fun to watch her play! She ran with the biggest smile and enjoyed every second of it! She caught on very quickly for a 3 year old with only one practice under her belt!!!
Here are a couple of game photos!
Yes, that is what a 3 year old mob looks like. :)
She can't wait to play again! :)
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Almost 6 months
Ok - I know, I'm the world's worst blogger. :) Enough said.
Things have been incredibly busy in the last six months and Abigale is constantly amazing me with the new things she's learning daily!
She (and our family) is the main reason I picked up blogging - as an online journal. Lately, it seems I've heard one horror story after another about photos or personal information shared on the internet and it makes me nervous. I think sorting that out for me is one reason I've been a little slack on the blog. I may ultimately change to a private blog with a password for friends/family to view, but I'm still thinking on it.
Tonight is Abigale's very first soccer practice. She is VERY excited! I'm expecting mass confusion and a little herd of 3 to 4 year olds moving in a giant mass from one end of the field to the other. She is expecting to have fun, and hopefully it will be just that for her!
With soccer comes the soccer uniform. It's great that the organization we are going through provides the jersey, shorts, and socks. HOWEVER, they smallest they offer is a youth small (aka size for a 6 or 7 year old)..... and Abigale is small for a 3 year old... so this uniform literally swallows her whole! Both of her legs and then some can fit in one leg of the shorts to make a nice long skirt....and the socks stretch from her toes to her waist when held against her. Luckily the shorts and socks are just solid black - so I was able to track those down in her size, the jersey is a whole other story. So everyone, please say a little prayer that she doesn't trip over the bottom of her shirt as she runs for the winning goal!
Ashley pointed out a great deal Scan My Photos is running through March 15th. They will scan 1000 photos for just the shipping and handling price of $19.99. It's good for anyone with a blogger, facebook, myspace, or flicker account. So, I'm strongly thinking about taking advantage of this. I would love to get some of my high school, college, honeymoon, and early photos of Abigale on disk - it really would make them much easier to scrap and share! Of course with that comes the reality of all the photos I have yet to scrap and all the memories that go with them. I can just see myself now sobbing over photos of Abigale at 3 weeks old.....
Anyway - if anyone else is interested in checking it out, click here for more info.
Should I choose to take part, I'll definitely come back with some feedback! :)
Well, it's back to the to do list for me! At least I can finally check off update blog! (even if it was a short update!) Have a great day! :)
Things have been incredibly busy in the last six months and Abigale is constantly amazing me with the new things she's learning daily!
She (and our family) is the main reason I picked up blogging - as an online journal. Lately, it seems I've heard one horror story after another about photos or personal information shared on the internet and it makes me nervous. I think sorting that out for me is one reason I've been a little slack on the blog. I may ultimately change to a private blog with a password for friends/family to view, but I'm still thinking on it.
Tonight is Abigale's very first soccer practice. She is VERY excited! I'm expecting mass confusion and a little herd of 3 to 4 year olds moving in a giant mass from one end of the field to the other. She is expecting to have fun, and hopefully it will be just that for her!
With soccer comes the soccer uniform. It's great that the organization we are going through provides the jersey, shorts, and socks. HOWEVER, they smallest they offer is a youth small (aka size for a 6 or 7 year old)..... and Abigale is small for a 3 year old... so this uniform literally swallows her whole! Both of her legs and then some can fit in one leg of the shorts to make a nice long skirt....and the socks stretch from her toes to her waist when held against her. Luckily the shorts and socks are just solid black - so I was able to track those down in her size, the jersey is a whole other story. So everyone, please say a little prayer that she doesn't trip over the bottom of her shirt as she runs for the winning goal!
Ashley pointed out a great deal Scan My Photos is running through March 15th. They will scan 1000 photos for just the shipping and handling price of $19.99. It's good for anyone with a blogger, facebook, myspace, or flicker account. So, I'm strongly thinking about taking advantage of this. I would love to get some of my high school, college, honeymoon, and early photos of Abigale on disk - it really would make them much easier to scrap and share! Of course with that comes the reality of all the photos I have yet to scrap and all the memories that go with them. I can just see myself now sobbing over photos of Abigale at 3 weeks old.....
Anyway - if anyone else is interested in checking it out, click here for more info.
Should I choose to take part, I'll definitely come back with some feedback! :)
Well, it's back to the to do list for me! At least I can finally check off update blog! (even if it was a short update!) Have a great day! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)