yellowsunnybear

catching up a bit

2010-11-11T10:58:00.002-06:00

so I have a day off work today and I'm spending some time catching up with blog reading and I came across this post from amy at artsyville. Love it!

artsyville: art every day month #5: gabbling to my coffee: "nothing deep going on this morning, just penning a cheery convo to my coffee. it never complains, never refuses to get dressed, never trie..."

27/365 - Winter Sunset

2010-01-27T21:33:00.003-06:00

Well, I haven't done a very good job of blogging my photos for this year's Project 365. I just had to post this one! It is one of my all time favorite photos. I only caught it because one of my sons yelled at me to come see the sunset! I grabbed my camera and ran outside. I'm so happy to get this shot after all the bad weather we've had this winter.

If you click on the photo, it will take you to my Flickr page and you can see more of my Project 365 photos including one of the blizzard we had 2 days ago!

5/365 - Not Staring

2010-01-05T18:37:00.001-06:00

A rare photo of Monster when he's not staring at me! I had to be very patient to get this shot because he knew I was there. Look for lots of Monster shots as long as it stays so cold outside!

And speaking of being cold outside....we have another Blizzard Warning going into effect tomorrow at noon. The forecast is for 5 to 8 inches of snow with 25 to 35 mph winds. My guess is school will get out early tomorrow with no school on Thursday. At least the days are getting longer and we're getting closer to Spring!

Project 365

2010-01-04T20:13:00.001-06:00

1. 1/365 - Sunny in a Box, 2. 2/365 - He Still Stares, 3. 3/365 - Handmade Books, 4. 4/365 – Cold

I have decided to give Project 365 another go. Although I made it through most of the year last year, I did not finish. I did, however, end up with a lot of good photos that I probably wouldn’t have taken otherwise. I also learned more about my camera and post-processing. I do intend to take at least a photo a day but if I miss a day, I’m not going to beat myself up about it.

You can click on the links above to see the photos larger and with longer descriptions.

2010-01-03T17:01:00.003-06:00

This is amazing!

Patience from Glowing Heads on Vimeo.

My niece and I have been learning the art of bookbinding. So far we've made 12 books. I even gave some as gifts for Christmas! We have been having fun figure out new stitch patterns and binding types and I think this is just the beginning of our adventure. Look for some photos of some of mine in the next day or so.

Happy New Year!

Blizzard!

2009-12-09T22:32:00.001-06:00

We had a blizzard warning in effect from 6pm last night until 6pm tonight. It WAS a blizzard! I don’t know what the official snow total is but it is somewhere around 12”. Add 4o mph winds to that, and you get this:

and this:

The first two were taken by sticking my head and camera out the door and the last one was taken through a window. It was bitterly cold and I didn’t want to go all the way outside. No school today or tomorrow which made Presten very happy! He even played outside for awhile even though it was so cold. Hopefully we will get the driveway plowed by Friday so that we can go to his program at school. Off to make a warm cup of coffee to keep warm!

Personas for Firefox | Christmas dream

2009-11-29T19:20:00.001-06:00

Personas for Firefox | Christmas dream

Posted using ShareThis

Remembering

2009-11-29T15:52:00.002-06:00

This link was shared on Facebook - The Big Sleep. (If you want to go read it, the link will open to a new window/tab). Four years ago this weekend we lost our daughter and granddaughter in a car accident. Even after four years, there is pain and difficult feelings. Especially the feeling that everyone else has forgotten them and "moved on." I am a Christian (as was she) and know that yes, "they are in a better place.' I also know that I will never "get over" losing them. Going back to work one week after losing them was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. This scrapbook page was one of the first digital scrapbook pages I ever made. Someday I will redo it.

Brown - 11/17/09

2009-11-17T23:39:00.001-06:00

Brown - this the color of just about everything right now. This is some tall grass along the walking path around the outdoor classroom.

Worn

2009-11-08T20:38:00.001-06:00

My friend Marcia and I went on a little photo shoot this weekend. We were looking for barns and old houses. We found a few and had fun imagining what they might have looked like in better days. I used a worn overlay from Lynn Grieveson (Designer Digitals) on the photo.

Scrapping, Blogging and Photographing the Ordinary

2009-11-05T20:47:00.001-06:00

I started a "Project365" this year. Notice I said "started." I have struggled with it the past couple of months. Why? Because my life has been ordinary (i.e. boring) for the last couple of months. I stopped taking photos. I stopped blogging. I stopped scrapping. And then I see this class being offered by Simmelle called "Blogging for Scrapbookers." Just what I needed to get me going again! I've prettied up my blog, I finished a scrapbook page and I've even taken a couple of photos. And I've spent some time looking back at my "ordinary" photos. If I hadn't been trying to take at least one photo a day for my Project365 I might have missed this shot: and this one: and definitely this one:

I think I might be getting back on track! (These and many more of my Project365 photos can be found at my flickr site.)

recent flickr faves

2009-11-04T19:06:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite places on the internet is flickr. I can ~~waste~~ spend a lot of time there. This mosaic represents my most recent 25 images that I have marked as favorites. You can find a lot of inspiration of flickr - I highly recommend checking it out! (note: if you click on the image, it will take you to my flickr photostream where you can see it larger and see the credits).

Finished Layout

2009-11-04T00:09:00.004-06:00

After posting this layout in the previous post, I decided to finish it. Credits: Template from Irene O'Neil. Background papers and frame from Lynn Grieveson's Summer Splash kit. Word art from Sue Cummings' 52 Inspirations Week 7 kit.

Blogger Template

2009-11-03T19:37:00.001-06:00

Just messing around a bit with my background and header. I plan to do more but for now this will do. I would like to set up a 3 column layout (using this tutorial) and make my posting space wider. I am amazed at all the beautiful blogs I have been seeing on the blog list for Shimelle’s class. My biggest frustration today was trying to get my background image to appear the correct size. I wanted to use my images from Picassa but they just wouldn’t size properly. I had to resort to using Photobucket. Can anyone tell me how to get my images the correct size using Picassa?

Anyway…no photo for today. It was very cold and windy by the time I got up and about today. We did plant tulip, crocus and daffodil bulbs. I love these springtime flowers!

Here is a layout that I have in progress:

I still need to to the title and journaling.

Today’s prompt was “Public vs Private”. I’m somewhere in the middle ground on this. I don’t publish too much personal information but don’t feel like I have to hide either. If I had journaling that I felt was too personal, I would probably just blur it with PhotoShop.

Off to view some of the blogs of other class participants!

Almost Leafless - 110209

2009-11-02T19:04:00.001-06:00

These are my "driveway" trees that I photograph to show the passing of the seasons. All of our rainy weather in October made the leaves fall. There was very little color in the leaves this year. This is the 2nd sunny day in a row - yay!

Also today is the first day of Shimelle's "Blogging for Scrapbookers" class. My goal is to be inspired to post photos and scrapbook layouts on a more regular basis. I am a digital scrapbooker so I will be posting digital pages.

Rosebud - 082609

2009-08-26T21:28:00.001-05:00

A mostly dreary day with some drizzle but there was a little sunshine and I was able to get this shot.

I mowed today but it didn't seem like I got much else done. I did finish ordering the materials for our Sunday School class. We will be trying some new materials and I'm excited to start using them.

In My Garden - 082509

2009-08-25T18:03:00.001-05:00

We dug our potatoes last week. This morning when I walked with Presten out to the bus, I found these kittens sleeping there. Silly cats!

Caramel PS action from My Four Hens Photography (from the Randomly Vintage set) myfourhensphotography.com/

Yesterday and Today

2009-08-24T19:14:00.001-05:00

Yesterday. Presten was playing with Cookie. She was purring the whole time so I don’t think she minded. This is how he gets scratched so often by the cats – he always like to have them up by his face. She didn’t scratch him at all and she follows him around everywhere when we are outside.

Today. Today was “meet the teacher” day for Presten. His teacher for 4th grade is Mrs. Mallen. I’ve heard good things about her and I enjoyed meeting her today. Tomorrow is the first official day of school for the elementary kids. 7 – 12 th grades started today. I hope it is a really good year for Presten. He has come a long way since the beginning of last school year!

Project 365

2009-08-22T18:23:00.001-05:00

Here are my latest Project 365 photos. You can see the full photos on my Flickr site. Sometimes I have considered “dropping out” of Project 365 since I have missed a few days. All it takes for me to change my mind is to review all the photos I have taken this year – most of which I would not have taken if it weren’t for Project 365. Overall I am very pleased with many of the photos I have selected for my daily shots and there are a lot of others that I’m very happy with as well. I think I’ll keep going!

Fix-it-Friday

2009-08-21T10:07:00.001-05:00

The I ♥ Faces website has a Friday feature called “Fix-it-Friday”. I thought I would give it a try this week.

This is the original photo:

The first one is after adjusting levels and curves. I also sharpened the eyes just a bit.

For the second one, I added Pioneer Woman’s Seventies action.

And this last one I converted to sepia using a black and white adjustment layer. This one is my favorite.

This is my first “Fix-it-Friday” so constructive criticism is appreciated.

Siblings - 080609

2009-08-06T22:01:00.001-05:00

This is my little gray kitten with his litter mates. Yesterday he had a mouse and he was so ferocious when any other kitten or cat came near him. I picked him up briefly and he clutched the mouse in his mouth and growled the whole time. It was a small mouse so it is entirely possible that he caught it himself.

Blue Cornflower - 080409

2009-08-04T21:37:00.001-05:00

Just playing around with textures and overlay blend modes. Texture from CottageArts.net

Bathtime - 080209

2009-08-02T21:18:00.001-05:00

First one paw, then the other.

I figured that I should "feature" a different kitten. This is another of Tippy's kittens. They are all so cute. This one is almost as tame as the little gray and white one. There are also 2 little black and white ones.

I'm Ready..- 080109

2009-08-02T21:14:00.001-05:00

...for my almost daily portrait. I'm just so cute. But I need a name. (He does need a name but I'm waiting for just the right one to pop into my head.)

Kitty Paws - 072709

2009-07-27T20:10:00.001-05:00

Little Guy was outside for a bit while I was taking photos of stuff outside. He followed me around and would lay next to me. I caught this shot of his paws.

This is a perfect example of my P365 photo being completely different than what I originally thought it would be. On the other hand, I did take about 70 photos and when I have that many to chose from, I never really know what I'm going to use until it pops out at me.

Cookie on Patrol -072609

2009-07-26T20:36:00.001-05:00

Cookie chasing bugs in the grass. At least that's what I think she was doing. She seems pretty intent!

Not sure why I haven't been uploading my photos here...just lazy I guess.

Tonight I'm bored. I shouldn't be because there are a ton of things I could be doing. Even some things I SHOULD be doing. Like finish my paper for my on-line class. I have put it off for months and I don't have any reason. ...

sorry....guess a little pitty party going on here.

Waiting

2009-07-09T19:08:00.001-05:00

Nevaeh and Crissy waiting for the 4th of July parade to start. Photo edited using "hand tinting" effect taught in Jessica Sprague's Photo Editing: Frame-ups & Special Effects class. I love how this turned out!

Monster Looking Out - 185/365

2009-07-04T20:57:00.001-05:00

Just Monster looking out the window at me. I went outside this afternoon to look for things to photograph. He was watching me through the window. I know I take way too many photos of him but he is so photogenic and he's a poser. I'm sure to the casual observer he just another gray cat but to me he's beautiful. Like all cats, he has his own unique personality.

And once again, I'm behind on updating my blog. I'll try to do better :).

Catching up

2009-06-12T23:57:00.001-05:00

Monday’s photo. Joe and the kids. This was supposed to be a semi-serious photo for Ann to take to show her children. Ann is my mom’s oldest sister. We met her officially for the first time. It’s a long story and those that need to know it, know it.

Tuesday’s photo. Just another photo of Tippy. She usually around when I’m outside and she takes awesome photos. I really like this one.

Wednesday’s photo. This is one of three hydrants on our property. Although the other 2 work, this one doesn't. If you look closely you can see a spider (and its web), a cottonwood seed and a fly all on the hydrant.

Thursday’s photo. Just Soldier Boy looking for a little tummy rub. Just don't do it too hard or too long or he will let you know that he's not happy! Although this photo has had 10 views on Flickr, no one has commented. That is unusual for one of my cat photos. Maybe it’s just Soldier Boy – an earlier shot of him didn’t get any comments either. Oh, well, at least Presten and I think he’s a neat cat!

I haven’t edited today’s photos yet. I will do them tomorrow. I did participate in Cassie’s 30 Minute Masterpiece Chat at Designer Digitals tonight. I’ve tried before but didn’t come close to finishing. Tonight I actually finished and am pleased with the layout.

560 - 158/365

2009-06-07T20:41:00.001-05:00

I missed out on capturing the number 100 for day 100 but ever since then I've been on the lookout for numbers. I found this one today. Who knows - maybe I'll make it to day 560! (Even if I do, I'd forget where this number is - LOL.)

It was so dreary today. A little bit of rain this evening. This is the 2nd day of off/on rain so I haven't been in the garden to weed. I will need to do that as soon as it is dry enough. I can't believe how fast everything is growing!!!

Growing Geese - 155/365

2009-06-04T21:40:00.001-05:00

The geese are growing so fast. The parents are still protective of them. I'm surprised that I was able to get this close. I like how the young ones are all walking in unison. The new fence was put up today so now they are a little more restricted in where they can go. We also received 8 young African geese that will be staying here until fall.

June 3 - Hen - 154/365

2009-06-03T22:54:00.001-05:00

Our chickens are free range. They go wherever they want and that means they build their nests in all sorts of places. This one is on top of the old doghouse. She is one of 3 hens (that we know about) that are sitting on eggs right now.
I'm going to try to get back in the habit of posting my photos here again also. I usually add more comments here and sometimes other stuff.

June 2 - The Tour - 153/365

2009-06-03T22:51:00.001-05:00

AJ is working for us this summer. Yesterday he got the big tour to show him where all the trees/plants are that need to be watered. The clipboard on his lap is the big master list of projects for the summer. Note the cat (Tippy) riding on the back of the golf cart.

June 1 - Looking Around - 152/365

2009-06-03T22:50:00.001-05:00

Little Guy looking around while I watered the newly planted fruit trees. He absolutely loves being outside but he likes to come inside when he's had enough. Or when Soldier Boy is around.

Goslings - 139/365

2009-05-19T19:33:00.001-05:00

Here are the four goslings up a bit closer. If you look closely you will see that they are already starting to get feathers! This photo isn't as clear as I'd like but they will NOT let me get very close.

Crissy - 138/365

2009-05-18T18:48:00.001-05:00

Crissy, my oldest granddaughter, was running around the yard. She slowed down enough for me to grab this shot. She is always on the move so it is so hard to get photos of her.

Lilacs! - 137/365

2009-05-17T22:00:00.001-05:00

This is what I have been waiting for all Spring! I love lilacs. We had two bushes of them when I was growing up and I always took a big bouquet to my teachers. Now we have 3 small bushes but they bloom heavily and are getting bigger each year. Thankfully the frost we had last night didn't hurt them.

Blue Bus

2009-05-16T21:05:00.001-05:00

Photo: Uploaded by photographic*leigh on 15 May 09, 10.38PM CDT.

Ok this photo brought back memories from college! DaleAnn's family had one of these. I rode in it many times including a trip to Chicago and back. I even have photos of it somewhere!

Family - 136/365

2009-05-16T19:54:00.001-05:00

The parents are very protective so it is very difficult to get close. I'm thinking I will try again tomorrow with a zoom lens. We have had this pair of Canadians for several years. This is the first year that they have had more than one gosling survive. I "think" we have had 5 previous babies. The first two flew away after they were grown - presumably to find mates. The other three are still here although one of them flies away from time to time but always seems to come back.

Bad Kitty - 135/365

2009-05-15T20:04:00.001-05:00

Monster was sleeping on top of the DVR (where he isn't supposed to be). I didn't wake him up - he looked too innocent to disturb.

I'm not sure how I got out of the habit of posting my Project 365 photos, but I did. Now I need to get back on track posting them (and other things).

Spring Reading Thing 2009- Update

2009-04-21T12:37:00.001-05:00

I am participating in the the Spring Reading Thing challenge by Callapidder Days. Below is my list of book – I have crossed off the ones that I have completed and noted the one(s) in progress.

1. ~~Warriors – Into the Wild by Erin Hunter~~

2. God's Solutions for Your Life by Charles F. Stanley

3. The Pathway by Laurel Mellin

4. The Eyre Affair by Jasper FForde

5. ~~Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert~~

6. Just Think by Nancy Nordenson

7. ~~The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs~~

8. I Married Adventure by Luci Swindoll

9. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller – in progress

10. The Leader in Me – Stephen R. Covey

11. Adobe Photoshop CS3 Classroom in a Book

12. Get Out of that Pit by Beth Moore

13. Living Artfully – create the life you imagine by Sandra Magsamen

14. Style Statement by Carrie McCarthy & Danielle LaPorte

15. Youth Workers’ Guide to Creative Bible Study – Karen Dockrey

I’m a little behind schedule to complete all of them by June 20th but it is still doable.

you are my sunshine

2009-04-18T21:16:00.001-05:00

Today I photographed some watercolor painted backgrounds that Emily & I made. I thought I would use one as a background for a scrapbook page. This is what I came up with. I really like how this came together.

Credits: watercolor background by me, Damask pattern overlay by CoffeeShop, ribbon (recolored) from Kasia Design's Summer Afternoon kit, title word art (recolored)from Jen Wilson's Sunnyside kit, blended word art from Paislee Press's presslines Summer Collection, PhotoMask #10 from Kylie M. Designs, and TotallyRad's Cinnamon action.

Watercolors - 108/365

2009-04-18T21:14:00.001-05:00

Emily and I spent the afternoon painting watercolor patterns. I'm planning to bind them into a journal sometime in the future. In the meantime I thought this one would make a cool background for a scrapbook page

Nap - 107/365

2009-04-17T20:20:00.001-05:00

Monster found an empty chair with a spot of sunlight for a nap. He is such a great cat to photograph.

I Believe I Can Fly - 106/365

2009-04-17T20:19:00.001-05:00

Presten playing on a hill in the late afternoon sun. He kept saying "watch", "watch", "Grandma watch." So I watched and snapped a few photos.

I am tiger...105/365

2009-04-15T18:55:00.001-05:00

..and I'm on the prowl! Just Little Guy outside for a bit. He loves it but I have to keep an eye on him because he is fearless when it comes to the outside cats. He doesn't realize that they mean business when they hiss or snarl at him. He rules the roost in the house and just naturally assumes that he does outside also.

It was 70° and sunny today! We planted raspberry, blackberry and blueberry bushes. We also planted some pine trees to replace ones that died a couple of years ago.

Catnip! - 104/365

2009-04-14T18:56:00.001-05:00

We bought a catnip plant today to plant in the garden. We broke off a leaf for the cats. Sunny loved it! He wouldn't share with Little Guy and Monster. They weren't very persistent so he pretty much had it all to himself.

Well, I've fallen a bit behind in posting my Project 365 photos. If you click on the photo, it will take you to my Flickr site and you can see all of them.

Growing Up - 96/365

2009-04-06T21:46:00.001-05:00

Monster sitting in the sunlight. Where did my kitten go???? He looks so grown up here. He still plays like a kitten. He likes to play tag - especially at night when we first go to bed. He will run up and "smack" one of us and then he runs. He comes back a few times before he gives up.

Palm Sunday - 95/365

2009-04-05T17:05:00.001-05:00

Today is Palm Sunday. The children march around the church with their palm leaves while we sing Hosanna! This is James with his cousin Austin behind him. I know it's cluttered but it represents my day (Palm Sunday or cluttered???).

Really feeling blah the last couple of days. The weather is partially to blame. It has been cold and dreary. We were supposed to get a bunch of snow last night/today but it stayed south of us. About 30 miles south of here, they DID get the blizzard. Just flurries and drizzle here.

Can I come out to play? - 93/365

2009-04-03T22:41:00.001-05:00

Little Guy was looking out the window wanting to come outside. He was sitting in our window garden. I did let him go outside for a little while but I kept a close watch on him. We have an un-neutered male cat outside that Little Guy likes to "challenge." They usually just grumble at each other but I still keep an eye on them.

Sunny - 92/365

2009-04-03T22:40:00.001-05:00

Photo from April 2nd. This is our sweet Sunny. He is blind (from birth) and is so amazing! Most people don't realize at first that he is blind. He has adopted Monster (a kitten we brought into the house in November) and is so tolerant of his kitten antics. I "gave" Sunny to Presten but Presten shares him with me. I like this photo because Monster is in it too.

Sprouts - 91/365

2009-04-03T22:39:00.001-05:00

We planted a bunch of seeds so they could get a head start. The nights are still too cold to plant outside (and a snowstorm is forecast for this weekend). Hopefully there will be a lot more sprouts soon! Photo from April 1st.

Texture - 90/365

2009-03-31T22:25:00.001-05:00

One thing about living on a farm, is that there are lots of things to photograph for textures. This is sticker residue on an old car door window. If you would like to use it, please download it from my Flickr site - you can get there by clicking on the image.

Textures are fun to play with. I love layering them over photos or papers. I have others that I should upload to Flickr. I guess I'll put that on my 'to-do-list."

Little Guy - 89/365

2009-03-31T03:27:00.001-05:00

This is my Little Guy. He will be 8 years old in May. He has lots of nicknames but the two that I use most are "Runt Boy" and "Grumble Butt." He has a great personality and rules the house.

Can you see me? - 88/365

2009-03-29T22:21:00.001-05:00

Shoes is hiding. I was looking for signs of spring and almost didn't see him.

There were actually several signs of spring outside today. I saw several robins, the lilac buds are growing and the rhubarb is coming up. Now if it would just warm up a bit.

I See it First! - 87/365

2009-03-29T22:20:00.001-05:00

This is the first view of our house when we come from the South (the direction we usually come from). Ever since he was 4 Presten has always played a game where he shouts " I See it First" if he sees our house first. Sometimes if someone else sees it first he will say " I'm not playing that game!" or "Let's do it again."

The other part of this story is that he originally would say " I see YOUR house first" but after he had lived with us for a little while he started saying " I see OUR house first." Now it is just "it."

Big Meeting - 86/365

2009-03-28T00:37:00.003-05:00

Presten got a new Star Wars set today to replace the ones that Monster (the cat) chewed up. They had a big meeting before getting put out of reach of Monster.

Just Ducky - 85/365

2009-03-28T00:37:00.001-05:00

Although I'm not too happy about the cooler temperatures, the ducks don't seem to mind. They love roaming around the yard. I did see my first robin in the yard today. Finally. Still waiting for Spring.

Friends - 84/365

2009-03-26T11:41:00.001-05:00

Emily and her friend at the Awana Grand Prix. I usually get photos of the two of them making goofy faces or giving each other "rabbit ears."

365week7

2009-03-24T21:45:00.001-05:00

Still catching up on my weekly layouts. I think this template and using the elements to replace missed photos worked fairly well. I decided that I wasn't going to beat myself up if I missed a day here and there. I am trying to get something for everyday but if I don't....

Credits: template from Amy Pearson, background paper and elements from Julie Matkinosky's Kaleidoscope kit and the fonts are Tahoma and Pea Carrie.

Rainy View - 83/365

2009-03-24T21:42:00.001-05:00

The view this afternoon through the porch window. It rained almost all day. On the positive side - the grass is getting greener!
I just love how this shot turned out. Actually I had several good shots today and it was hard to pick one. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I love my Jeep!

365week6

2009-03-23T22:25:00.001-05:00

Working on getting caught up on my weekly layouts. Credits: Template from Janet Phillips' Fun and Fresh set 2 (modified), all papers from Katie Pertiet's SunPrint3 kit and the font is Bambino.

I love starting with a template. This one originally had space for 9 photos. I eliminated 2 and used the space for journaling. It also had 12 tabs (6 down each side). I moved them around and stuck them "under" the photos. I left them a little "wonky" to match the variations in the photo blocks. One thing that I haven't been able to avoid, is cropping my photos on my layouts. I take a variety of landscape and portrait photos. In addition, I crop some. The full photos are on my Flickr site and some will probably show up in additional layouts.

Frappuccino - 82/365

2009-03-23T22:16:00.001-05:00

Love this stuff! It is a special treat since it has gone up so much in price. I never find it on sale any more either. Credits: PW Seventies action and Totally Rad's Rusty Cage (at 50%).

Spring Reading Thing 2009

2009-03-23T00:35:00.001-05:00

Here’s my list. Below the list are copies of the covers. These are linked to Amazon.com where all of them have the “look inside” feature if you want to know more about them.

1. Warriors – Into the Wild by Erin Hunter

2. God's Solutions for Your Life by Charles F. Stanley

3. The Pathway by Laurel Mellin

4. The Eyre Affair by Jasper FForde

5. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

6. Just Think by Nancy Nordenson

7. The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs

8. I Married Adventure by Luci Swindoll

9. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

10. The Leader in Me – Stephen R. Covey

11. Adobe Photoshop CS3 Classroom in a Book

12. Get Out of that Pit by Beth Moore

13. Living Artfully – create the life you imagine by Sandra Magsamen

14. Style Statement by Carrie McCarthy & Danielle LaPorte

15. Youth Workers’ Guide to Creative Bible Study – Karen Dockrey

February Summary

2009-03-22T22:54:00.001-05:00

This is my February summary layout. I did miss a couple of days but overall I think I got a pretty good variety of shots. Now I just need to get caught up on my weekly layouts.

Spring Reading - 81/365

2009-03-22T22:52:00.001-05:00

This is my Spring Reading list for the challenge over at Callipidder days. I will post a better list with links & stuff tomorrow.

Rooster - 80/365

2009-03-21T20:59:00.001-05:00

Here is today's photo. I have been taking photos most days and posting them to my Flickr account. I intend to start posting them here again also along with the weekly and monthly scrapbook layouts. Here's to getting caught up on that!

My Word

2009-02-12T08:10:00.001-06:00

Your Word is "Think"

You see life as an amazing mix of possibilities, ideas, and fascinations.

And sometimes you feel like you don't have enough time to take it all in.

You love learning. Whether you're in school or not, you're probably immersed in several subjects right now.

When you're not learning, you're busy reflecting. You think a lot about the people you know and the things you've experienced.

What's Your Word?

Project 365 Week 5 Layout

2009-01-31T23:40:00.001-06:00

Digital scrapbook layout for Week 5. Credits: template by Katy Larson and background papers from Kristen Rice.

Well Loved - 31/365

2009-01-31T23:39:00.001-06:00

This was my husband's as a child. It was strange when I first saw it because I had one just like this when I was young. I don't know what happened to mine. I don't have any of my childhood toys. I know some of them were "lost" when I chose to stay with my grandparents. I really didn't have very many toys and I suppose they weren't important to anyone else once I left home for college. I really don't know.

Well, I did it! I took photos everyday this month and posted at least one everyday! I also blogged almost everyday (I made up for the days I missed by posting the next day). I'm still waiting for warmer weather though so I can shoot more outdoors.

James

2009-01-30T20:18:00.001-06:00

Grandpa was singing silly songs to him. He was just giggling away to hear Grandpa singing such silly, silly songs!

Newborn - 29/365

2009-01-29T20:36:00.001-06:00

It's lambing time. So far we have 2 sets of twins with 7 more ewes left to lamb. This little girl had just been born and her sister was on her way. They are so cute. In a few days they will be running and hopping all over the place.

On the road again...28/365

2009-01-29T12:38:00.001-06:00

On the road again...28/365, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

Each Wednesday I take Emily (and sometimes Eli) to Awana. This is the road to their house tonight. It is nice that it is not completely dark when I pick them up. The days are getting longer and for that I am grateful.

Not Transparent - 27/365

2009-01-29T12:36:00.001-06:00

Not Transparent - 27/365, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

This is Little Guy sitting on my desk in front of my monitor. Apparently he thinks he's transparent. Definitely not a good shot but trust me it looks waaaaay better in BW than in color.

Little Guy (aka Runt Boy) loves to jump up on my computer table for a little attention. I was trying to take this shot without flash. He doesn't stay still very long so its hard to get a clear shot. I love it anyway since it is so him!

This was Tuesday's photo.

Sleepy Monster - 26/365

2009-01-26T21:55:00.001-06:00

Sleepy Monster - 26/365, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

Kittens are born with their eyes shut. They open them in about six days, take a look around, then close them again for the better part of their lives. - Stephen Baker

Monster was sleeping on my camera bag. He is so sweet when he sleeps. Not much going on today. I went to the doctor this a.m for some routine blood work and meds check. A few snow flurries today. Pretty quiet day.

Project365Week4 - layout

2009-01-25T21:50:00.001-06:00

Project365Week4 - layout, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

Here is the layout for last week. This one was much easier than last weeks. I found the template easier to use and decided to just keep it simple.

To answer a comment/question on an earlier post - Am I finding this hard to do? Not really. I think the winter is/will be the hardest for me since I don't go out nearly as much. But it will also get me to think outside the box on what/how to shoot. I really am enjoying it. My niece, Emily, is doing it also and that is an encouragement.

Over or under? - 25/365

2009-01-25T20:53:00.001-06:00

Over or under? - 25/365, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

I guess this is a really big deal to some people. I prefer it over but don't get too concerned if its the other way - I just change it! Probably a dumb thing to take a photo of but I'm trying to do a couple of things with this project. I want to improve my skills AND I want to document my "everyday." How much more "everyday" can you get than this??

And I had a "duh" moment today. Sometimes I get frustrated that my some of my photos are blurry (when I don't want them to be). Well, I think I know why. I try to take some photos without my glasses because I don't always have them on when I'm in the house. So I guess unless I'm using auto-exposure, I should make sure I have my glasses on.

Here... - 24/365

2009-01-24T21:52:00.001-06:00

Here... - 24/365, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

have an apple! Not a particularly good shot but I like it! Edited in Lightroom before posting.

Love My Jeep - 23/365

2009-01-24T21:45:00.001-06:00

Love My Jeep - 23/365, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

Love my Jeep! Also love shooting in RAW - I forgot to change my white balance before I shot outside. This was so easy to fix using the RAW file!

The Nose Knows - 22/365

2009-01-22T22:12:00.001-06:00

The Nose Knows - 22/365, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

It was warm today - above freezing. I ventured outside and took a bunch of photos. Ultimately, this was my favorite. This is Shoes. He was soaking of the sun on top of Duane's Jeep. I was holding my camera above my head. Only his nose was in the frame. I did crop it a little on the sides and bottom.

The other "big" event of the day was that Monster purred for me! Finally! Sunny and Little Guy were nowhere around so it was just for me. I've never had a kitten/cat that didn't purr right away. We haven't made a decision yet whether he will be going back outside in the Spring. We'll just have to wait and see.

Test Tube Alien - 20/365

2009-01-22T22:04:00.001-06:00

Test Tube Alien - 20/365, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

Tuesday's photo. Guess I forgot to post this one also!

Friends - 21/365

2009-01-22T22:02:00.001-06:00

Friends - 21/365, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

Emily and Madeline (her BFF) at Awana last night. They have so much fun together. They have been friends for 6 years. I played around with Rita's CoffeeShop Barista PS Action on this one. I was trying to compensate for the flash. Sort of successful.

Sentimental - 19/365

2009-01-19T20:13:00.002-06:00

Sentimental - 19/365, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

Just a couple of things hanging next to my desk. Emily made the heart for me and the two necklaces were Bethany's. I wore the cross on my wedding day.

ClayPot - 18/365

2009-01-19T08:29:00.001-06:00

ClayPot - 18/365, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

Sunday's photo - a clay pot made for Duane by our friend Jack. Jack is the art teacher at one of the local high schools. We love to get these pottery gifts from him.

365Week3

2009-01-18T23:10:00.001-06:00

365Week3, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

This layout was challenging since the one photo was so bright in comparison to the others. I wanted a background that didn't overwhelm the more subdued photos and yet complement the brighter photo. I tried several before I found the perfect one! I also struggled with this template. I use a lot of template but I found this one to be very frustrating. The layers were not in order of the photos nor were they numbered the same as the template preview indicated. I generally make some modifications to the templates that I use but this one needed a major overhaul.

Skiing Lesson - 17/365

2009-01-18T23:06:00.001-06:00

Skiing Lesson - 17/365, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

We went to Seven Oaks near Boone to ski on Saturday. We were guests of Don & Sue. The Griffioens (except Kristine) also went. Sue & I didn't ski but everyone else did - including Joe! This was the first time Presten had ever been skiing. He really enjoyed it!

In the Bag - 16/365

2009-01-18T23:03:00.001-06:00

In the Bag - 16/365, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

Friday's photo.

Blue Eyes

2009-01-15T20:05:00.002-06:00

Blue Eyes, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

Some more messing around in Photoshop. I used Nichole Van's Urban action & textures on this one. James has beautiful eyes!

Glasses - 15/365

2009-01-15T20:03:00.001-06:00

Glasses - 15/365, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

Today's photo. I need to wear glasses all the time but I have found that I do better on the computer without them. So they are usually sitting on my desk in front of my monitor. It was a rather boring photo so I messed around with it in Photoshop.

Another "snow" day today. It was because it was so cold. It was -26° F this morning without factoring in the wind chill. The high today was -11° F. It is supposed to be a little warmer tomorrow with a high around 12° F above zero!!

Snow Day - Before&After

2009-01-14T21:29:00.001-06:00

Snow Day - Before&After, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

We had another snow day! This is the 5th one so far this year. Some schools have already canceled for tomorrow because it is supposed to be so cold tonight and tomorrow. So far, our school is only delayed. Anyway I braved the cold today to get some outdoor snow shots. Presten had a blast playing in the snow - crawling, jumping and "swimming" in it. The snow was halfway up Buddy's chest but he just plowed right through it. The camera didn't really like the cold after awhile so I came in. The "after" shot has Pioneer Woman's seventies action applied to it. I like both but I posted the "after" one as my Project 365 shot.

Lace - 13/365

2009-01-13T19:36:00.001-06:00

Lace - 13/365, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

Curtain above the kitchen sink. I'm a little frustrated this evening. I've been trying to use my "Nifty Fifty" lens. Most of the shots come out really crappy. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I think some of it may have to do with the lack of light in our house (especially this time of year). I may put it away until I can go outside more. This lens is supposed to be good for low light situations. I'll try again tomorrow.

On another note - it is snowing - AGAIN!

The Others - 12/365

2009-01-12T20:47:00.001-06:00

The Others - 12/365, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

I LOVE how this one turned out! I used Something Blue Studio's Image Transfer action on this (after converting to B&W). I have had that action for a looooong time and never used it until now. I love it! I will most definitely be using it again!

11/365 - Goofy Smile

2009-01-11T19:14:00.001-06:00

11/365 - Goofy Smile, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

I took Presten to Cub Scouts tonight since Grandpa wasn't home. I took a bunch of shots but I like this one best. It's a goofy smile, but it is his smile!

Project 365 - Week2

2009-01-10T22:48:00.001-06:00

Project 365 - Week2, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

Here is this week's page. It was challenging to fit all 7 photos into one layout and still have space to journal just a bit. I do like how it came out, though.

Groceries - 10/365

2009-01-10T22:46:00.001-06:00

Groceries - 10/365, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

This week's grocery shopping. We went in to just get a few things and ended up with a full cart. Funny how that happens!

I'm back to using the "post this" function on Flickr. I misunderstood how the Flickr plug-in for Live Writer was supposed to work. I was under the impression that any photos IN the blog post would be upload to Flickr. They aren't. You can upload to Flickr from LiveWriter but it didn't work for me. This way is probably easier (for now anyway).

Trying something different

2009-01-09T21:10:00.001-06:00

I’ve been posting my Project 365 photos on Flickr and then using the “Blog This” function there to get them here. I’m going to try it the opposite way. There is a new plug-in for Windows Live Writer that is supposed to allow uploads to Flickr from blog posts. So here goes:

9/365 – My Newest Time Waster

Pepsi - 8/365

2009-01-08T23:05:00.001-06:00

Pepsi - 8/365, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

Diet Pepsi is my choice of carbonated beverages. I used to drink a lot more than I do now. Now I drink more coffee and water. I have always preferred Pepsi over Coke. The only time that I drank Coke was when Vanilla Coke first came out. After drinking it for a couple of months, I started breaking out in hives and was advised to stop drinking it. So I did and just went back to Diet Pepsi. I have tried Vanilla Pepsi (is it still available?) but I didn't drink it very much. I prefer bottles and I could only find it in cans. So regular Diet Pepsi it is!

EM - 7/365

2009-01-07T23:24:00.001-06:00

EM - 7/365, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

Words cannot express how much I love this girl. When she hurts, I hurt. Brothers can be such a pain and so hurtful sometimes. I don't always know how to help but I hope spending time with her today did help. The words are not coming easily tonight but she knows what I'm talking about and how I feel.

On a happier note, I am so excited that she is going to be doing Project 365 also. I love it that we share so many of the same interests.

Reading - 6/365

2009-01-06T23:20:00.001-06:00

Reading - 6/365, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

Snapped a shot of Presten reading to Grandpa tonight. He read to me this morning before school. He is doing so well with his reading. I am very proud of the progress he has made!

365Week1 Layout

2009-01-06T23:16:00.001-06:00

365Week1, originally uploaded by yellowsunnybear.

I am planning to scrap (digitally, of course) my Project 365 photos. Here is the layout for week 1. I am very pleased with how this came out. I'm planning to use a variety of layouts and kits. This will allow me to have more creative flexibility. Sometimes I will journal and sometimes I won't. I want this to stay fun and challenging. Wish me luck!