Summer...

Summer is ending and I am not ready for Little Man to head back to school. I feel like our summer has gone by in a flash. But, signs are all around us that school is just around the corner. There is the back to school sales, teacher assignment letters, fall sports practices starting, etc. Everywhere you look there is a sign that summer is ending. So, how do you all handle this time of year?

On another note, we had our camp. This year it was ART camp. It was a great day for it and I am pretty sure the kids had fun. Might have to post some photos for you all to see in the future.

Speaking of photos Little Man is getting some printed that he has taken to enter in a contest. Excited for him. I love his eye. It's got something magical to it, of course it could be that I am his Mom and just a wee bit proud of him.

Next week, I will be back to posting on a more regular basis. But, don't expect anything too regular until September. (Keeping it real)

Have a great day everyone!

Guest Blogger...

will be back I promise. First, the computer needs a tune up. Until then, this Friday is an Organization day! Check back to see how you too can organize your Bathroom.
Tomorrow a cooking post. Yeah, me with a cooking post. Should be interesting! :)

Guest blogger will be later...EDITED

with his pictures. Little Man took it Thursday and will be editing it Friday Morning.

But, now I am doing a little give away. A blog header for ONE lucky winner. You give me the photos, text you want and we'll get a blog header put together for you. :) It will be chosen by Random.org unless I have only one reader respond and then well, it will be easy to pick. You know, come to think of it. This might not be fair to the readers without blogs, so let's say a blog OR notecard layout for you. Whatever you choose, it will be sent to you in jpeg format. I'll edit the photos a bit if you request it. :) All you have to do is leave a comment to be entered. I will be picking the Winner on February 25th.

Have a great Friday! Back later with the Guest Bloggers picture...

Sorry for the delay...Guest Blogger...

Today, I gave the guest blogger a day off. We talked about it and there were other things that filled our week this week and so, we made the choice to post an old picture.

This was from last year and it was a picture that he felt so good about because someone asked him for note cards for their son for this. Thanks S! :) It meant to him that people were looking at his work. That they liked what they saw and thought it was good enough to share with others. We all look for the reassurance. I am anxiously waiting for us to be able to go out and see the green grass like this and enjoy the warm fresh air.

He'll be back next week with a new picture. Until then, enjoy the old one. I say, it's an oldie but a goodie! :)

Guest Blogger Friday: Topic: Valentines...

Just so you all know this idea was originally from: the crafting chicks. This year he is doing something different for the valentines and today's post.

To complete this he had to:
1. Take a picture of my phone.
2. Photoshop that picture and learn some new things in the process.
So, this week, I taught him more in photoshop than photography. I walked him through the steps by showing him. Deleted what I did and had him recreate it. He's proud of his valentines. He should be he worked hard on them and he was excited to learn new things in the process.

Incase you missed the details in this picture:
The calendar was changes to February 14th, time 2:14PM, the photo was changed, and it had his name for the network. But, since this was going to be online and I only refer to him as Little Man, I deleted that. There are cut out around the phone part.

The treat part of them is melted crayons. He made girl colored ones for the girls and then tried to make sure he did favorite football team colors for the boys. I love how thoughtful he is. :)

One last thing he wants me to post: GO STEELERS!!! :) And he asks that you all cheer for them.

Guest Blogger, a recipe, and photo topics -Whew what a Friday!

Little man is sharing a picture of some cookies that he enjoyed after playing in the most recent snow.  Coming inside to cookies and hot cocoa has become a tradition. These are Oatmeal Toffee Cookies.

Those of you that know these are hungry already. Those of you that don't, are totally missing out! :)  But, because you should not miss out on such cookies. I say, make some of your own.

Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

(Recipe from Hershey's Kitchens and can be found by clicking here or just looking below.)

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1-1/3 cups (8 oz. pkg.) HEATH BITS 'O BRICKLE Toffee Bits
• 1 cup MOUNDS Sweetened Coconut Flakes (optional-we don't add these as we are not coconut people)

Directions

1. 1 Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. Beat butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; beat until blended.
2. 2 Stir in oats, toffee bits and coconut, if desired, with spoon. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons about 2 inches apart onto prepared sheet.
3. 3 Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 1 minute; remove to wire rack. About 4 dozen cookies

FYI: Photography things I have on the docket to cover based on what has been asked so far:

• Tips on using a DSLR--this will be multiple posts!
• Where to begin with editing? (Beginners based and again multiple posts!)
• Nailing exposure (Oh my, this is really more for a one on one session with a camera in hand. But, I will see what I can do for you via a blog.)
• Workflow (I can cover the basics, but I always think this is more of a personal style than a formula.)
• Tutorials on: Popping the color, Enhancing the eyes--honestly folks this is more about finding good light than post processing. But, we will discuss that.

Any others to add to my to do list? Shout them out.
Have a great weekend everyone!

Guest Blogger Friday & Questions...

So, the guest blogger is up and it's his turn to share the picture that he took for you all this week. Plus, I wanted to ask you more specific questions as to what you want me to share about photography.
1. Did you want the focus to be more on editing or taking the photos?
2. Did you want to have tips for using a point and shoot or DSLR?
3. Any specifics that you want me to cover?
You see, I don't want to put stuff up here if it's a waste of your time. So, letting me know what you'd like will help me focus what I will share with all of you.

Now, the guest blogger's picture. Have you all seen these erasers?

Enjoy your weekend.

Guest Blogger and Tip on how to create a header for your blog...

1.) The guest blogger is back with a bit of winter for you this week. I look at the boots and they look so big, then I wonder when did that happen? When did his boots go from being tiny to this? In the blink of an eye I tell you, in the blink of an eye.

2.) Here is a video that will walk you through on creating a header for your own blog. I would put up a step by step. But, sometimes it's easier to follow a video. :)

Creating a blog header tutorial

3.) Inspiration for your weekend. I really liked this movie (Facing the Giants)--my whole family did. Here are 3 clips from the movie. The whole movie is so worth watching though.
Facing the Giants--inspiration
Message-Bloom where you are planted
Prepare your Field

Guest Blogger...

Did you notice the beautiful sunrise the other morning? Wasn't it amazing? Don't worry if you missed it, the guest blogger didn't and he captured it to share with all of you. It really was beautiful and he captured it in such a beautiful way.