Outside:)

Today I was determined to get the boys outdoors to burn off some energy, regardless of the temperature. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was quite warm! I put hats on the boys, but they had those off in just a few minutes:) They ran around, playing soccer, driving the Jeep, and finding chunks of ice that had frozen on various things in the yard. They stayed busy while I raked some leaves, bagged some brush, and threw away all the pumpkins we still had sitting around outside:) Here are a couple of pictures of the boys before they took off their hats!

I Heart Faces: Scenic B&W

This week's photo challenge at I Heart Faces is Scenic B&W. I love B&W pictures, so this should be a week full of great pictures. To check out other entries, click here.

New actions

I bought a few new Photoshop actions yesterday. I've really enjoyed learning Photoshop and how each layer you apply effects your original picture. But, I have to say, it's nice to have a set of actions you can click on and let Photoshop do the rest. It may seem like "cheating," but the great thing is you can then study each layer that the action applied and learn a lot about Photoshop. So, it may be a short cut, but one you can learn a lot from. And, it still doesn't change the fact that you have to have a good picture to start with. Or, the fact that each action does not look good on every picture. So, it does require using your personal judgement to decide which action best enhances each picture. Here are a couple before and afters:)




The differences are very subtle, but I think when it comes to Photoshop, less is definitely more:)

Pictures:)

I had such a great time yesterday taking pictures for an old friend. I babysat for Stacy's kids for about 3 years while I was in college and graduate school. I can't believe how much they've grown!

Shutterfly's Holiday Cards

Shutterfly is offering 50 free holiday cards to bloggers who blog about their new cards. So, here goes:)

Just the other day, I was on Shutterfly's website, browsing all their new holiday cards. I was so excited to find a card to go with our family pictures! I couldn't believe how many (hundreds) of designs they had. And, they were so classy! Not to mention, there were so many colors to choose from. I wasn't sure I would be able to find something to go along with our blue/cream clothing, but I had a lot to choose from! There were even cards that has a place for a picture as well as a place to write your Christmas letter...I thought this was a great idea! This has been a great year and I can't wait for others to see our beautiful family pictures displayed on such elegant cards!

I have ordered Shutterfly products in the past and have been very pleased. Their photo books are really nice, and I always order their picture cards for birthday invitations or adoption announcements. Their products have always shipped quickly and are great quality.

This may be the first year I am actually really excited to address all those Christmas cards! I may even get them sent out in a timely fashion!

Here's my favorite card!




And, here's links to their other great products

greeting cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/5x7-folded-greeting-cards
· Christmas photo cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards
· personalized mugs to http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-gifts/photo-mugs
· birthday cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/birthday-cards-stationery
· photo cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery
· graduation invitations to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/announcements/graduation-announcements


Be sure to check out Shutterfly for your holiday cards:)

Just a little Thursday afternoon/evening project:)

That's right; I tore up more carpet:)

It all started with a play date in our neighborhood earlier this week. The other ladies were talking about their hardwood floors and I was sharing that I had just ripped up the carpet in our dining room. They asked if we had hardwood upstairs and said their houses did. So, as soon as I got home, I went up to our bedroom, crawled in the closet, and tore up a corner of the carpet....HARDWOOD:) I checked the linen closet in the hallway and found more! I'm telling you, this discovery really did my soul good. I love old houses, and was beginning to feel our 1968-built home was too new. I had been looking at houses for sale online, dreaming of built-ins, hardwood floors, and leaded glass windows. Aaron was beginning to get really nervous. You see, I'm afraid if we moved again we would have ZERO friends...their backs are still recovering from this past move. So, while it may seem silly to tear up brand new carpet, I can't help it. And, if Aaron acts the least bit annoyed, I just tell him to start packing boxes and he immediately begins admiring the hardwood floors:) No, in all seriousness, he has been VERY helpful in this project. He lugs the carpet to the curb and spends his evenings installing new thresholds between rooms:) Yesterday's project was the upstairs hallway. We are planning to leave the carpet in the bedrooms (for now), but wanted to expose the floors in the hall and eventually down the stairs. I can't wait to begin shopping for an oriental runner to be installed on the stairs:)

Just a little Monday morning project:)

I love Mondays because we have no where that we HAVE to be. For the most part, we stay home and just enjoy a day before the busy week starts. Today, I was feeling motivated to do a project. I had stared at the carpet in our dining room long enough...today was the day it was going to the curb:) So, I started ripping it up! It only took a little over 2 hours to get the carpet and padding up (and out the door), tack strip removed, staples out, floor swept and mopped with Orange Glo, and all the furniture moved back in:) And, I only had to stop about 15 times to help the boys with snacks, drinks, DVD's, games, puzzles, etc. I sent Aaron a text message telling him what I was doing (he hates these kinds of projects) and then made sure it was complete before he got home! I sent him a picture message letting him know it was done (I was afraid he might not come home until super late in hopes of avoiding the project). The only thing he needs to do is get the carpet to the curb:) Here are some pics!

More pics...

Here are some more pictures from this weekend...just because:)

K Family Pictures

I've been wanting to take pictures of someone other than the boys, so our wonderful friends volunteered! Here are some pics from today.

Another puzzle update...

I bought Abram a 35-piece Thomas puzzle today, thinking that would surely slow him down. He put it together for the first time like he'd done it a million times. It took a little longer than the others simply because it's more pieces. When he's doing puzzles it's not a simple trial and error thing. He starts in one spot of the puzzle and looks for the specific piece that matches up with the spot he's working on. It's amazing! So, we're now in search of a 48-piece puzzle that has a character on it that he's interested in. Problem is, 48-piece puzzles are recommended for ages 5-7 so the characters are typically Spiderman, Transformers, etc. I think I know what Abram will be getting for Christmas this year:)

More textures and a puzzle update.

I'm really enjoying working with textures in Photoshop. They can really put the finishing touches on a picture. I really liked the way this picture of the berries turned out.

An update on Abram, the puzzle genius. He completed a 24-piece puzzle that I bought him just 2 days ago in under 4 minutes. Such a little smarty-pants. I had a shirt when I was young that said, "Left-handed Genius." Wonder if I could find it for him:)

Family Pics

So, I realize this spoils the surprise of your Christmas present for many of you:) But, I can't possibly wait 6 weeks (is that all) to show you. They turned out so good! We'll definitely be making pics with Jenny an annual (if not more) occurrence.

Watermarks

I've been working on watermarks in Photoshop. Not that I see myself being a professional photographer anytime soon, but I think they are neat:) And, it never hurts to protect your pictures when posting them on the internet! Here's a pic I took today at the museum with a watermark I created this afternoon:)

Learning more and more:)

I'm sure it's starting to get a bit old, but I am just loving Photoshop! I've been working on textures and (with help from Jenny) figured out how to erase the texture off the subject of the photo, leaving just the background textured. It really gives the photo more dimension. I've also been practicing taking more pictures indoors. This is something I've struggled with due to poor lighting. The camera has trouble auto-focusing without the flash, but using the flash can cast all kinds of shadows. So, I've been making the most of the natural light from the windows and having Grayson pose for me near a window:)

In more exciting news, Abram has become quite the puzzle genius! While out visiting Courtney, he started sitting at the table doing 24-piece puzzles. At the beginning of the week he really struggled and had to have me do most of it for him. But, over the course of the week, he would sit at the table with the puzzle completed (by me) and take out a few pieces and then put them back. He did this over and over. Eventually, he was doing the puzzle on his own. When we got home, I got out four 24-piece puzzles. By the end of the week, he was doing all four on his own. Today, I bought him 2 more puzzles, hoping to challenge him. He had them both together in a matter of minutes. It's amazing! So, I think I'm going to look for a 48-piece puzzle. I love that he just sits at the table so content and works and works. He's so engaged that he's actual had a couple of accidents while sitting in the chair because he forgets to go potty!!

Family Pics Sneak Peek:)

Here's a sneak peek of a few of the pictures Jenny took yesterday! She is an amazing photographer and was great with the boys (even with a grouchy, uncooperative Abram). If you want to take a look at more of her pictures you can check out her website here.

Busy Weekend

It's nice to be spending the weekend at home, but that doesn't mean we've actually spent too much time at our house:) Yesterday we headed up to Lafayette for a get-together with our Ethiopia group. I love this group. No matter how much time lapses between our get-togethers, I feel like we pick up right where we left off, like old friends. It's so neat to see all the kids together...there are an over-whelming number of boys...maybe some of the families who are in process to adopt again will add some girls to the mix:)

This evening we're heading back up to Lafayette for family pictures! A very talented lady in our Ethiopia group has recently started her own photography business. Check out her website here . I absolutely LOVE her pictures and any opportunity to support a fellow adoptive parent:)

I've also been spending a lot of time reading more and more about photography as well as working on learning Photoshop. I've been looking into classes here in Indy and hope to get registered for a photography class at the beginning of the year. Here is a picture of Abram in which I used a texture...I love the pictures I see that use textures, so I'm practicing this in Photoshop:)

Another collage

I'm having a lot of fun learning all there is to do in Photoshop. Here's what I've been working on:)

Collages

I've been trying to teach myself to use Photoshop. It is so complex, but I'm learning...slowly:) I don't always have the patience to sit and try something over and over until I get it right, but am getting better. Today I figured out how to do simple collages. Here are a couple I made today!

Back home again in Indiana:)

We spent the last week in Virginia, visiting my sister and her 3 kids. The boys and I had a great time! I should start by saying that they are AMAZING in the car. On the way down we drove 12 hours, stopping only twice! They barely made a peep the whole way. I don't know what I would do without the DVD player and handheld video games:)

The boys had a great time playing with their cousins Coleson, Ellie, and Cooper. We took them to the beach one day to try to get some good pictures of them. We were also there for Halloween (and Courtney's birthday) and took them trick or treating. We made the drive home yesterday and though sad to leave their cousins, the boys were excited to get home to see Daddy! Here are some pictures from the trip....more to come:)