Photo Editing at Picnik with Sepia

I'm not sure exactly what it is about sepia toned photos that I love so much or what or why they draw me in, but they do. They just feel so timeless, I guess. I am also a fan of black and white photos, but this particular day, I was playing around with the sepia tones obviously. My husband just doesn't understand why anyone would want either of those, when you can have color!

Anyway, I've played around a little over at the Picnik site with some photo editing. I probably couldn't even tell you exactly what I did to all of these pictures to get the final product, but I had fun doing it! I just play around with it until I like what I see...whatever is pleasing to my eye. :)

Here's a few of the final products:

Our Home...


Colt and Amber....I think I did black and white with some sepia tone around the faces to give a glow...I can't remember....



Joy in the Snow Pics....This one especially has that timeless feel to me for some reason...




Black and white with a hint of color added in:




Okay, Jason thought I was completely crazy for liking this one, but I did. It really was a toss away photo where we meant to get a better picture, but I liked just the eye shot of us, (even if I didn't have on makeup).



Colt....I like this one because of two things in the background that say "Colt"...cell phone and guitar...


More Joy photos....on the playground...


I like this one because it definitely sums up Joy too...love the girly sundress with the cap on backwards...


I've also had Adobe Photoshop CS3 for over a year now (which wasn't exactly cheap by the way) and it still sits on my shelf. I'm bound and determined to sit down long enough and try to learn how to use it. I know it has a large learning curve, and I guess I've just been too scared of it! I really must do that....I know the possibilities with it are endless!

Have a great Wednesday! :) And thank you for stopping by!

Joy's First Official Solo Dance Competition

For those of you that stop by to see what's going on around here as far as decorating, I have to apologize that I have nothing to share in that department. We have lots of projects going on. At this point in our home, there are three rooms that are in some form of remodel mode. And the major reason we can't make alot of headway is because we can't stay home long enough a solid day to get alot accomplished (especially the weekends)!

This past weekend, we spent just about the entire day Saturday at the Star Systems Dance Competition. On this day, Joy competed with her first solo dance, "Tell Me Something I Don't Know". And I'm so excited to tell you that she won first place for her division (junior jazz solo) with a gold rating! We were so proud of her!



On Sunday, our dance school's company division performed the production number, "Havana Heat" and won 4th overall in that division. That was a really fun spanish number that was great! Joy has been talking about it so much and was so excited for us to see it, and it was fantastic.

My little girl is growing up quickly....she informed me that she wanted to put on her own makeup Sunday. And the part that she did, she did a great job!

We did manage to squeeze in painting trimwork in Joy's new bedroom Saturday night and I hope to give it another coat today. But wouldn't you know it, we have more plans this weekend.....my Grandma's 92nd birthday party! Oh well, one thing's for sure, keeping busy helps pass the time as we wait for our LOA to Luke!

In the meanwhile, thank you so much for stopping by! Have a great week! :)

Colt is 21 Today!

How can it possibly be that our Colt is 21 years old today? In so many ways, it feels like just yesterday that we were anticipating his arrival and so excited to be parents! So today, in honor of Colt's 21st birthday, I invite you to take a trip down memory lane with me......

As I've said before, he arrived full of personality! He was 5 1/2 months old when he joined our family and had been nicknamed "Smiley" on the plane from Korea! Here's a photo of him at 5 1/2 months just a few days after he came home to us.



Colt has always been on the go! Here he is at 9 months. He and my nephew were "partners in crime" (Trey is 3 months older) and I'm pretty sure in this picture that Colt and Trey were making their way all over Grandmama's house! He was a busy bee! (Or should I say cowboy...he wore many hats).



The poor kid grew up with a camera in his face....no wonder he hated it when he got a little older! He didn't seem to mind too much back then....he just hammed it up for me!



Oh how I remember these days.....he must be have been around 13 months old here, right after he started walking and then there was definitely no slowing him down! He kept me on my toes!



It's definitely that smile, not the roaring fire, that lit up the room!



Little man at church.....People were always telling us things that he told them at church, especially those in the nursery (he said whatever he thought).....I never knew what to expect.....we always said he was "too smart for his own good"! I think his mission was sometimes "outsmart the ole parents". He would notice everything too...what everybody wore and comment on it!



Here he is....almost 4 I believe. He loved playing with the goats next door in Pop's pasture (and riding them)!



He's going to love me for sharing this one, but I couldn't resist that snaggle-toothed grin! I love it! (Hey Colt, at least I didn't post the one of you playing guitar in your birthday suit)! :)



When it came time for Senior Pics, I guess Colt was so used to ole mom taking his pictures that he preferred that I do them instead of someone else, so I did. We shot tons of pictures. Here's a couple (we both love black and white):





Being a mother means so much to me, one that I consider the highest calling, and I love being Colt's mom! I'm so very proud of him! He is a responsible young man, going to school full time and working full time as well. He uses his talents for God's glory, playing the drums, guitar, and singing! I've never regretted one day of homeschooling all the way from kindergarten to high school and having everyday home with him!



To Colt....I just wanted to tell you that dad and I love being your parents. We love you so very much totally and unconditionally! I know you're 21, but just to warn you, you'll always be my baby and the hugs and kisses won't ever stop, so you better just get used to them! :)



Happy 21st Birthday, Son!

Love,
Mom and Dad (& Joy)

New Pics of Luke On His Birthday!!!!!!

Could you hear me squeal when I opened my inbox and found an email from Ann of Red Thread China at 11:00 p.m. Monday? She wanted to surprise me and let me know that not only did she have photos of Luke for us enjoying his birthday cake that we arranged for him through her, but that he got it on his actual birthday in his foster family's home!



And just look at that cake! Isn't it gorgeous? We all agreed here that we want a cake like that. It looks to have candy and fruit on top. I'm not sure what's in the pink tulip bowl, but I think it might have been ice cream inside it that was part of the decoration on top! Joy said she wants a cake like that when we go to China!



Those of you that stopped by and prayed when you read the previous post, THANK YOU! I appreciate those prayers so much! I appreciate Ann of Red Thread and I am thankful for the director of the orphanage that Luke is from for seeing that he received his cake on his birthday! I know she went the extra mile to do that!



These pictures put a huge smile on my face, to put it mildly! It's obvious to see that he is a very happy little boy; that he's well taken care of; that his foster family loves him very much; and that he loves to eat cake! (I think he loves to eat, period.)!



Ann also told us that his foster family are very nice people and that they love him very much! I knew it in my heart already, but to read that does this mama's heart a heap of good! :)



I can just about bet that he was taking care of some left over cake or icing off his arm in this pic! I love it....love those eyes!



And doesn't that look like a Burger King crown? They sure gave him a special day for his 2nd birthday and I'm beyond happy! :)

Today is Luke's 2nd Birthday!

Today, I have very mixed emotions. I'm very happy to know that Luke is safe and sound and happy in China, but also sad that we aren't there (or he isn't here) to spend this day with him......his 2nd birthday! I wish I could hold him, hug him, kiss him, and wish him a happy birthday. I remember very well Colt and Joy's 2nd birthdays. In a way, it doesn't seem like that long ago! And oh how I love the age of two! :) The kids are like little sponges and everyday is an adventure!



We arranged to send a cake to Luke through Ann of Red Thread China and we've sent a care package through her as well that included these things:



That's a shirt/jean outfit with guitars on the shirt and a tractor for Luke, a can of cashews for the foster family, and a disposable camera so they can take more pictures of Luke to fill the gap of times we're missing!

I can just picture him playing with this tractor. It makes the coolest sounds!



Believe me, there's lots of stuff that I see (or we see) that we'd love to send his way, but you can only fit so much in these little flat rate boxes (and even those are expensive to send to China). This will go to Ann and she will make sure he gets his package as well as his cake and is translating a letter to him and his foster family. I'm very thankful to have this third party connection (which is the only way allowed during the adoption process as well). Ann has been wonderful!

Ann is also going to ask for pictures from his birthday party and oh how I hope and pray that she gets them! I guarantee you that if I open my inbox and find birthday party pictures of Luke in the days ahead, you just might hear me squeal where ever you are! I will be one happy mama!

I'm very thankful for Luke having a foster family to take care of him and love him during this time and I know they will shower him with hugs and kisses too. We've come to accept the things we cannot change and know that everything is in God's hands and that He is looking after Luke! Maybe you could just pray with us God's birthday blessings over Luke in everyway for his life now and for the future. We'd appreciate it so much!



So to Luke......although you haven't met us yet, we already love you so much and wish we could be with you on this day....your 2nd birthday.....Happy Birthday! :)

A Little Progress on the Bedroom Makeover....

This past weekend, Joy was gone to a sleepover birthday party and Jason and I worked on her new bedroom while she was gone. Although I would have loved for much more to be done by now, we did get a good bit accomplished. Her bedroom is painted and the actual color is much deeper than the primer and we all love it. It's called Pool House. I think it's going to be great with the rich brown accents added in there. The doors lying there in the floor soaked up the primer like crazy! They were stained before and it took three coats of high hiding primer to cover them! I hope to get to the actual painting of them one day this week, so we're done with them before the weekend!



Jason worked on painting the furniture out in the workshop while I was painting her room. It also took several coats of primer for the bed and armoire as they both had a fairly dark stain finish on them. When those have their cream mocha paint on them, then we have to move her desk and night stand in there and do the same with them. It's just kind of slow going because of all the coats that are needed and we only have so much room to work with out there. (Sorry no picture of that stuff yet). Oh, and he did get her ballet barre painted too. (Now to find affordable mirrors to go behind the ballet barre).

This weekend, we also hope to paint the door frame trim and window trim as well as the trim that has been removed that is out in the workshop waiting for the cream mocha color too.

Colt's girlfriend, Amber, is giving these name letters a makeover. She is very talented at this sort of thing. We gave her a pic of Joy's comforter and the paints and she's going to give them her touch. I know they'll be perfect for Joy's new room when she's done!



Oh, and we walked past this scene I-can't-tell-you-how-many-times this weekend. I'm so used to seeing things like this around here ever since Joy came along and it always makes me smile. She's always lined up figurines and had hours of imaginative play. But I have to admit I was glad to see she doesn't feel like she's getting "too old" to do this sort of thing.





When she was younger if she couldn't find figurines to use, she would just use bottles or anything on the bathroom sink. She would line up entire families and they would go swimming in the pool (the bathroom sink). I hope she doesn't give up all this too soon because I'll miss that kind of stuff! :)

However, this had Jason and me stumped. We couldn't decide exactly why these two were hanging out of the books up above the others like this. Jason concluded that they must be cliff climbing. I didn't even try to guess. Maybe you all figured it out?



I couldn't stand it much longer, so when Joy came home, I asked her why.......and would you believe that these two were spying on the others that were hanging out and playing a game? lol! Evidently when they were playing the game, there was some bullying going on and the two were spying to see if it was true! lol!

And so the mystery was solved and I would like to say that it's all cleaned up now, but the truth is those folks are still sitting there on my bookshelves and those two are still spying on the others! Oh well it just goes along with all the other messes from the makeovers, I guess!

Hopefully I'll have more progress to share after the weekend! Oh, and I noticed I now have 302 followers. I promised a giveaway when I reached 300, so I'm trying to come up with something in the middle of our makeovers....I haven't forgotten! I'll be back before long with something! :)

Have a great Tuesday everyone and thank you for stopping by!

A Trip Across the USA in an Hour and a Half.....

This past Tuesday, Joy and I were lucky enough to be able to take an educational trip across the USA in about an hour and a half! We participated in our homeschool support group's annaul geography fair. If you remember from past years, we usually focus on various countries (Joy has done South Korea and India)....but this year our group decided to focus on studying states. Joy chose Alaska.

Although we have about 30 families in our homeschool group, only 11 families actually participated by exhibiting a state. There were others that came to support and listen and glean knowledge from the presentations. The states represented by the 11 families were: (US Territory) Puerto Rico, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alaska, Florida, Arizona, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Kentucky, Montana, and Texas.

The way it works is each family takes time to read and study about their state. Then they gather the info that they would like to present and put together an exhibit. This usually is a variety of exhibit boards, hands-on-projects, educational hand-outs, dressing in costume according to your country/state, and/or sharing a food from that area.......it can be as simple or involved as each family wishes. Then the children have 3-5 minutes for an oral presentation for their state/country. (When we studied countries, we also had our passports and each family had a stamp to put on each child's passport from that country). However, no passports were needed this time, since we didn't travel out of the country!

Here's a few highlights from our trip across the U.S.....

Joy with her Alaska presentation.....


She and her daddy had fun on this little project. During our study of Alaska, we did alot of reading on the Eskimos (Inuits) from Alaska. They built an igloo from sugar cubes with mortar made from powdered sugar and egg whites.


It was fun reading about the life of an Eskimo family. the Northern Lights, the Iditarod (dog sled racing), the animals of Alaska, and the beautiful landscaping of Alaska. I never knew that the only way to reach Juneau, Alaska, was by boat or plane! I know after studying it that I would one day love to visit there!


Here's Benjamin, Madeline and John Alex presenting Puerto Rico...


Dunnivan and Suzanna presented Arkansas (shown here with their mom and Dison)...


Weslea and Sydney presented Tennessee....


Isabella, Sophia and Alaina presented Florida....


Sarah presented Arizona....


Bobbi and Tyler presented Pennsylvania.....


Daniel and Ellen presented South Carolina and Kentucky (couldn't find them for the picture).....


I did get a shot of Daniel during his presentation of South Carolina...


Drew and Lilly presenting Montana.....




And Graham and Eli presented Texas......


As you can see the exhibits were set up around the gym.




The kids would sit in the floor in front of each display table as that state was being presented, then we would all shift around to the next table to listen to the next presentation. When it was over, everyone went back and visited the tables again, tasting the foods, reading the exhibit boards, and picking up hand-outs from each family that had them.


And here's Joy and her little sidekick....Lilly. We think she's pretty adorable! They were much pretty stuck to each other the entire time. You know how Joy loves little ones and I think the feeling might be mutual between them! :)


I think we had another successful year with our geography fair! I just love our little homeschool group and each and every family, and I'm proud to be part of it. I imagine we'll be back to countries next year and I have a sneaking suspicion that Joy will choose the country of China for her presentation........hmmm.......I wonder why! :)