Products of the "Clown-White Skin" Tribe

By Amy

I think I've mentioned that I'm going to Costa Rica. In ONE WEEK. I do not have a single item packed or any sort of schedule typed out for my sister who will be taking charge of my boys. The only thing I have done is throw some "must not forget" stuff in a pile on my couch. More then half are skin care products. It's actually kind of funny.

I am DETERMINED not to burn. Every time I am anywhere with sun and heat I burn. And it hurts. And it ruins the trip. Well, not completely but it does put a damper on my mood. So I am going to take every precaution possible not to burn but still enjoy the sun. I'll let you know how it goes.

On another note, guess who I am watching tomorrow?!?!?! You'll never guess!!!! Ok, I'll give you a hint. Her name starts with a A and she is quite possibly the cutest nine month old ever. Give up? Ok I'll just tell you.....

I'm pretty sure my next post will be full of her cute grin and pretty blue eyes. I've got my camera battery already charging. (:

Photos

by Ang

Amy's last post got me thinking about my own photography skills (which are ZERO...NADA...NOTHING). But I have taken a few pictures that I like with my own little point and shoot camera.

Because I left my camera at work (long story) and have no new pictures to share tonight, I'll just post some of my favorites below!

Jackson, WY - 2008

Jackson, WY - 2009

Imperial Beach, CA - 2009

Little Miss A - 2009

San Diego, CA - 2009

Paris - 2009

Paris - 2009

Amsterdam - 2009

One of these days I'd like to get a fancy camera and learn Photoshop. But for now, I'll just work with what I have!

Photography Project: RED

By Amy

Here is my first installment of the Rainbow Photography Project. Let me first warn you that the images below are not very exciting. Some are nice but some are just down right boring. For each image I took between 10 to 20 pictures. I fiddled with my camera, playing around with shutter speed, aperture and other settings to try and get the best picture possible. I didn't photo shop any of these. I learned that natural light is the best light. Always. Unless you are in a super market in the produce section. For some reason that light was awesome. You will see what I mean. Ok without further delay....here they are.

This was the first one I took. Kind of boring but clear.

These curtains were taken at my mom's in the evening. No natural light at all. That's why the walls are kind of pinkish and the curtains are a little orangy. Not really happy with this one. But there wasn't a whole lot I could do.

Will you just look at these peppers?!? Look at how shiny they are! I really liked this one.

Just had to include all my red books.

I had high hopes for this one. Very cool subject. But it turned out dull and boring. Not sure what I should have done differently.

I liked this one. Perfect light coming in through my kitchen window. Yum.

I cheated here. I took this way before I even started this project. But how can I have a project about red things without including something Husker?

Not much to say about this one. Boring but nice.

This one is without a doubt my favorite. Gorgeous light. Gorgeous subject.

I took about 30 pictures of this stupid stop sign. And never got the look I really wanted.

So that's it for my first color. I actually learned alot playing with my camera. I also learned that just because you have a fancy camera doesn't mean you are a great photographer. I have a long ways to go! Next up: ORANGE.

Another Loss

By Amy & Angela

We don't feel like blogging today. We lost our Uncle to cancer yesterday morning. Our Grandma lost another child. Our dad lost his brother. Our cousins lost there father. This weekend we will remember and comfort and cry and hope. See you on Monday.

Where to Start

by Ang

I don't scrapbook anymore. Not like I used to. It's time consuming when you don't have an entire room to dedicate to the hobby (where you can shut the door so your cats don't jump up on the table and ruin your pages-in-progress). It's a lot of work to drag all of your supplies out if you only have 1 or 2 hours a week to dedicate to it.

About a year ago though, I came up with a new way of scrapbooking. Well, I'm sure it's not NEW (some other genius probably thought of it before I did) but it was new to me. I decided to give it a try with my pictures from Costa Rica 3 years ago.

I bought a cute photo album that looked sort of island-y, with 4 places for photos per open-page spread.


For each open-page spread, I would place 2-3 pictures in the slots, then leave the remaining slot(s) open. The open slot is the one I would 'scrapbook' with patterned paper, stickers, stamps, flowers, journaling, etc. It was sooooo much easier than the traditional scrapbook and I loved how it turned out.

I've never been a big fan of busy pages with just one photo on them. The focus of the book should be the pictures, not the embellishments on the page.

So from here on out, this is how I'm going to do it. But now comes the task of paring down my mounds of supplies. With my newfound way of simplifying my photo albums, I'm not going to need all of THIS:

I'm not getting rid of everything though. I love patterned paper and flowers, so I'll be keeping a lot of that. But I'll be selling a lot of my tools. I don't want to drag all of this to New Mexico with me. I'm going to start going through it this week and hopefully will make a lot of progress by the weekend.

Less is more!

P.S. - Costa Rica is AWESOME.

It's been almost three months....

By Amy

.....since we have had our family pictures done. I am just now sending them out. Thought I would share some of my favorites. By the way, I was given a cd of my pictures and full rights to copy them myself. Just so you know I'm not breaking the law or anything. (:

Here is the photographers website. http://melindarichardphotography.com/ I loved what she did with Lightroom and Photoshop. She made the pictures look beautiful without ruining the original photo. One talented lady!

I tried on a swimsuit yesterday.....

By Amy

It was very very disappointing. Remember my challenge a few months ago? Where I told the world (5 people) that I was going to lose weight and get fit and I gave myself a deadline and I even posted my weight (136). Well I will tell you that the number is EXACTLY the same. I was going to dedicate a entire post about what happened and all my excuses and how disappointed I am in myself, but in light of all the tragic events that are going on in the world, I started feeling really petty and self-absorbed. So what if I have a muffin and a top? I have a warm home that hasn't been shaken to the ground. And oh ya my legs are a little on the flabby side. I've got all members of my family with me right now. Alive. So that is that. No more whining about it ok?

You may be wondering what in the world I was doing trying on a swimsuit in the middle of January. Any sane person would not be doing this. I was forced though because I will be WEARING one in THREE WEEKS. Not anywhere around here silly! I'm going to be in COSTA RICA! So if I would have stuck with my challenge I would feel alot better being half naked in front of people. Unfortunately my very white, slightly chubby body will just have to do.

Because I can't post with out a picture, here is one. I get to take him with me on this trip. (:

The Neverending List(s)

by Ang

As I prepare for HUGE changes in my life, my list of things to do keeps growing and growing. At times, it’s so overwhelming that all I want to do is escape….like go visit my parents or Little Miss A for a day. Or two. Or even just get out of my apartment for a while so I don’t have to face the un-fun reality of un-fun tasks.

Don’t get me wrong -- I am thrilled with how things are turning out in my life. In just a few short months, I will be moving out of state with my kitties (800 miles away), and gaining a dog, two more cats, a fish, and, oh yes, a husband (who is amazing), a mother-in-law, and a whole new set of friends. I am excited about everything….but I have tons to do to prepare.

Such as the wedding plans. We are having a VERY small wedding, but even the smallest weddings require lots of planning (I’m discovering). Last Wednesday, HTB (Hubby-to-Be) and I were going through our list of wedding related things that still needed done. It was a little daunting. But we have some of the ‘majors’ done:

-we have a date, time and place for the wedding and reception
-invitations – DONE (for the most part)
-cake has been ordered
-jewelry maker has been notified

We still need to think about food, clothing, favors, flowers, the honeymoon details, logistics and on and on and on.

But before the wedding….i’ll be moving. Which creates another monstrous list. I’m not bringing tons of stuff with me. Most of my stuff is just a hodgepodge mix of furniture that I’ve picked up here and there or inherited. I’m not extremely attached to any of it, so the less I bring with me, the easier it will be. I’m bringing a few small pieces (my little writing desk, some of my smaller tables/cabinets) but the majority of it I need to sell.

And then there’s the little stuff. I’ve been trying to weed through things and see what I want to sell/get rid of and what I love enough to pack and move with me. HTB says I can bring as much or as little as I want, and that I can change anything I want, which is very nice. But I actually like his stuff that he has now, and I really don’t think I’ll be changing a whole lot.

I’m trying to stay focused and not get too overwhelmed with everything. Some days I am totally motivated and other days I just want to be a slug. Today has been a motivated day. I have crossed many things of my ‘today’ list, and that is a good feeling. I paid all my bills, made a few phone calls, had a successful doctor’s appointment, went to the post office, and even crossed a couple things off of the ‘wedding list’. I’m chipping away it, and I am completely confident that it WILL get done. Because it has to!

Ssshhhh…..they don’t know they’re moving yet…

Crochet Lesson 101

By Amy

Start with a mother (the teacher) and a daughter (the student)

Let the student try to do it on her own

The teacher examines the work and recognizes trouble

The teacher will then try to help the student undo mistakes




The mistakes are to large and the teacher must take over






Laughter is a requirement






After the lesson is complete, the student must give the teacher a back rub for being so patient





**This lesson brought to you by my beautiful mom-in-law & sis-in-law