Wordless Wednesday: Good Reasons

Here's why I've been such a bad blogger: in pictures (note: not all reasons are pictured...LOL)

Backyard BEFORE:

Backyard IN PROGRESS:

Still in progress but getting MUCH closer:

You checked out the first picture of the playground, right?  See the bye-bye banana yellow and green?

Gaither Vocal Band in concert (Greenville, SC) (also KC and I with David Phelps...whoa...starstruck....haha)


Giant cookie I made for Munchkin's birthday and took it to her at school:

Bookcase that Pawpaw built for Munchkin's birthday (in process of me decorating it):
BEFORE:

IN PROG:

And I think this is all I'm gonna get to do cuz I'm outa time:   I'll try to get some close-ups of the rooms later.

Munchkin's office bag from mommy and daddy for her birthday....I blocked out her name, but her name is written in pink puffy paint around the flowers.  The flowers are covering up the logo that was on the bag when I picked it up at the thrift store.
  

Suddenly I'm feeling like this is not so "wordless" after all.  LOL. 

Anyways, this kinda almost catches me up on pictures, so unless I run across some I missed (which is totally likely with this whole computer switching thing...) I should be good for awhile.  LOL.  Well, except for the rest of the wedding pictures, but I'll get to those soon, I hope.  *wincing*

Life is SOOO busy.  I'm losing track of my schedule!

Still Bad

Well, I'm still being a bad blogger, obviously, but really, there has been so little free time around here. So many projects in the works...i'm trying to do good about taking pictures, so just to warn you....whenever I get a little time on here, there will probably be a picture OVERLOAD.

*sigh*

Munchkin quote tonight: "My cat-a-piwwer needs a wa-coon." (mommy: "a raccoon?") "Yeah, a wa-coon." (mommy: "you mean a COCOON?") "YEAH. A CUCK-COON! So it can be a butterfly. Where do we get those?" (mommy: "the worm makes it.") "iT DOES? REALLY? When will it do it? Cuz I don't wanna wait fow-EVER!"

LOL

I miss blogging. Regular blogging, that is, not this pathetic apologizing for lack of....LOL!

SOON. I hope.

AWESOME!

Just had to pop in and post really quick. The Gaither Vocal Band is back on my top ten list now that they've got Mark Lowry back with the group!!!! LOL!!! As Mark said last night....the new GVB has not been reorganized....it's been recycled! Ha. Anyways, it rocked.

I'll have to post a few more pictures later, but I'm feeling a bit handicapped on this new computer and I really need to finish loading all my shortcuts and everything before I can really feel comfortable on this thing.

Bad Blogger

I have joined the ranks of the slackers....LOL.  Not intentionally though...it just seems like I blog and then I turn around and 5 days have somehow disappeared.

Yes.  It's been busy.  Sorry to those who have missed the updates (HI Aunt Carol....*smiles*)

Anyways, we're going to a concert tonight and then another busy weekend again so I am not sure when I'll get another chance to blog, but just so you know....I'm busy, not dead.  *GRIN*  =)

One of these days I'll get caught up again!  =) 

Fun Days

Today was pleasant....rain disappeared, did math....

K-man was sick.  I went back to the doc to get blood work done....(that was actually rather funny, since K-man was with me for that....he was FASCINATED by the big needle in mommy's arm.  "Oh no!  POOR MOMMY!" he says.  LOL!!!)

Got a few groceries, cleaned house, did a little laundry.....

Okay, so part of it was pleasant. 

Obviously, it's been busy as usual...more of the same tomorrow....

A few more edits from Saturday's wedding are up here.  I'll just have to do them little bits at a time....

That picture over there -->
Is making me want to go get a snack. 

Later!

Whew

I'm still tired. Off to bed now, but just wanted to post a few pics from the wedding today (all I had time for tonight) and they are up here on the photography blog.

MIA - ME

Feels like I've kinda sorta fell off the face of the planet for the last few days.  Life has been insane this week.  Course, myself being a part of the life around here, things are typically nuts anyways, but it's been extraordinarily crazy this particular week. 

I don't really have much to say at this moment except that I am utterly exhausted and I will never photograph another wedding again.  I said that after the last wedding, too. 

This week has been crazy, not only all the stress over doing the photography for the wedding today....but...

• The whole filling thing
• The backyard project has made leaps and bounds -- as in, the old 10x10 deck is dismantled in the yard and the decking crew has built part of the frame for gargantuan deck.  The deck project, in itself, has been a time-eater just because I've tried to be available for multiple trips to pick up screws, washers, wood, etc -- but it's worth it....the deck is going to be AWESOME!.
• Also in project backyard, I painted the playground (bye bye banana yellow and forest green) and dug out the last bit of area for the last piece of retaining wall that still needs to be put next to the playground area. 
• I painted a couple of shelves for the munchkin's room and a windchime that my dad made me for Christmas a couple years ago.  I can't wait to get it hung....I also can't believe it's taken me this long to get to it....it's going to be cool....maybe I'll have KC hang it on the deck when we finish it...that could be cool! 
• Planted some plants on the front porch.
• Munchkin's been out of school on spring break, so one day we went to the park with some friends from church...that was fun...they talked me into putting on my skates for the first time skating outside a rink in AGES...go figure that the last time I used them in the rink, I forgot to put the brakes back in....my bum did not thank me for that.
• Oh, and I have to teach Sunday School in the morning.  I hope I can find that lesson I put together and didn't use the LAST time I was s'posed to teach. 

And as if that weren't enough, my new laptop came mid week and I still haven't had time to transfer everything over....and now I've got some major edit work on these pics to work on. 

Note to self, next time you're doing event photography, preprinted web addresses would come in handy.  Also a skirt with pockets.  What am I sayin?  There will be no "next time."  Sheesh.

When I get this week's pictures ready to go, I will post again....

I Am So ANTI-Cavities!!!

Yeah....a week or two back, I had that cleaning of the ol' chompers.  Same time as KC, actually.  Nothing like getting your gums poked while hearing your hubby's contagious laughter from the chair in the next room.  LOL. 

ANYWAYS.  The dentist checked mine first and while thankfully he didn't find 11 or 9 like he did in two consecutive visits a few years ago, he did find one.  ICK.  I tried to convince him that KC should have a few cavities, too, but as USUAL, KC had none.  ZERO.  I am having tooth envy. 

Well, today was filling day.  So I entertained myself with my camera/phone. 

I HATE DRILLS.  The worst part about getting fillings is that whine...it rates right up there with fingernails on a chalkboard. 

Then there's me looking at the drill.  And accessories.  And thinking about the needle full of numbing that is getting ready to pinch the fire out of my gum. 

And then there's me modeling the beautiful blue paper napkin.  It makes me look kinda green (or maybe that's the tooth envy over KC's cavity-less teeth...LOL).  Hey check out the hair...don't it look like it's not falling out?  It's the cut.  Looks are deceiving. =)

And then there's the long, long way down the chair to my feet.  This was my view until I had to lay back and then I got to count ceiling tiles.  And look into a really bright light.  And the dentist hiding the giant needle behind his back until he could bring it around outside of my line of vision and secretly zap me with it.  Teehehe.  He's a nice guy...but I like him better when it's cleaning day and he doesn't find any cavities.

But one thing in his favor, he talks the whole time he's doing the filling.  You know like..."We're gonna sand now."  "Just a little more."  "A little pinch and it'll be out." "Now we'll put the filling in." or "Let's get the light on that and dry it."  But my favorite part today was when he said..."It's just a little one, won't take much to drill it out."  And boy was he right.  Less than 15 seconds of drill time.  That is MY KIND OF CAVITY, ya'll!  I was out in 30 minutes.  Course, my entire face was frozen for about 6 hours, but hey.  At least they weren't drillin' for 6 hours!!!! 

If I have to have a cavity, I'd say today's was the kind I prefer to have...quick and painless.  LOL!  There was one (I think it was during the time I had 11 in one visit) that they had to numb 3 times because they kept hitting a nerve or something....that was painful....but we won't go there.  Some things I'd rather forget! 

Ten on Tuesday - Getting Old

This week's Ten on Tuesday is Ten Signs You're Getting Older.  I think this might be a fairly easy list.  =) 

1. You run into the four year old kid you babysat when you were 14.....and not only would you not have recognized them if they had not been with their parent, but they are as tall as you and all grown up.
2. You start going bald.
3. Your knees start popping when you get up or sit down.
4. Sitting on the floor begins to hurt in less than five minutes.
5. You don't remember what you ate last week.
6. You have to think hard to remember what you ate TODAY.  (Course, it helps if you have actually EATEN today....and yes.  I did.  And I do.  Most of the time. LOL)
7. You don't fight sleep at naptime.
8. Trampolines are less fun...and more likely to kill you.
9. You realize that the potential for your own grandparenthood could exist in less than 15 years.
10. You take more vitamins than Methuselah did. Course, vitamins probably weren't around when Methuselah was alive....

Wow.  I could keep going.  But I won't.  And for the record, no, I'm not overdosing on vitamins.  LOL!

See all the Ten on Tuesday participants here.

Life Is...

Busy.  Wonderful.  Frustrating.  Happy.  Hard.  Sweet.  Stressful.  Good.....

But most definitely crazy.  At least these days.  Someday I will get it all caught up.  I will not be constantly behind....

That day has not yet arrived. 

I really just need to make this post quick because it's late and I've got another busy day tomorrow.  PHOOEY.

I just this second remembered that I forgot to call (AGAIN) today to renew my overdue library stuff.  Rats rats rats. 

Anyways.  Today was busy.  I'm not real surprised that I forgot.  Again.

Have I said yet that it's been busy lately?  LOL.

Hang on a sec while I go grab my camera(s) and do a little uploading.  *grin*

Kay.  The kids in their Easter outfits are posted on the private photo blog.  Email me if you need access.  Here's one that doesn't really show the K-man's face...hehehe...they were adorable.  Lasted all of 15 minutes.  Good thing I took pictures as soon as I got them dressed is all I can say!  hahaha!  Didn't think to get pics of the hubby and I with them...oh well.  We weren't all matchy matchy anyways, so I guess it's no big deal.

Quick rundown of the day:

Went to Big BIG city down the road a ways....found a cheap filing cabinet on craigslist, so made my tutor-ee come early and ride with me since I didn't want to go alone.  We did math in the car.  Munchkin went along, too.  (Spring break for preschool)  I was glad to not be alone when we found the house where the filing cabinet was...let me just put it this way: The house we went to was clean and decent looking but it was the neighborhood exception.  Not to mention the "folks" hanging out in the 'hood....were....um....well, I was just glad it wasn't dark. 

Anyway, we left there asap and went looking for the goodwill in Big City but couldn't find it.  So we settled.  For Giant-ormica mall....woohooo!  Walked in and three hours later came out.  Retail therapy, you see.  For our near brush with death....HA.  KIDDING, M's mom.  And my mom.  And KC's mom.  And any other mom.  I exaggerate.  (Well, sometimes I do.  This may or may not be one of those times.) 

Movin' on.  We finished M's math on the way home....while Munchkin napped.  She was a trooper and on perfect behavior today....(thank you, Lord)...I mean, MUNCHKIN was on perfect behavior... (LOL, M....I'm kidding...you were well behaved, too! LOL)

Got home and did some cleaning and got my stuff together and picked up pizza and met KC and a guy from our church and his wife and kids up at a different/local church in town to get a crash course in indoor flash photography for the wedding I'm supposed to photograph this weekend.  Our kids and his kids played together (and his wife supervised the kids cuz she didn't want to get stuck being the guinea pig...LOL) and KC got roped into being stood patiently as the test subject.  Ha.  I think I have a little more of a clue now...hopefully I'll ace the wedding...can't say I'm not still nervous, but at least I feel a little more confident about it.  A little.  LOL.  You know how when you get around a pro, it makes you all that much more aware of your amateur skills?  Yeah...well, that's me, the amatuer, nervous about being the photographer at a wedding in which people much more qualified to do it will be in attendance.  YIKES.  Anyways. 

All I can say is I'm glad for the practice because....well....you can look at the pictures....these are all straight out of camera...

I think I took these.

 
I think S took these.  I KNOW he took the second one, because that's when he switched to Manual (and proved his Pro capabilities by immediately making a few adjustments and getting a near perfect shot).

 
Then he experimented with the settings to get the lighting adjusted so that the florescent lighting wouldn't be an issue....and the flash....and told me how to do it and what settings to use (please God, take my faulty memory away for a few days and make all those settings stick in my head for at least a week?  PLEASE?)

And then I took this one to experiment with faces on different....oh what's it called?  (God? Faulty memory problem?  HELP!)....anyways, like faces that are different distances from the camera....whatever that term is. 

 
These aren't all of the pictures (there were like around 40), but these pretty much show the progression of the experimenting...(LOL...I wonder if my hubby was facebookin' on his phone here.  I'll have to go check his page tomorrow to see if he was griping about getting the test subject job.  LOL!!!  Or maybe he was checkin his stocks...hahaha!)  Anyways, at this point, we were trying out the secondary off camera flash....again, the terminology slips me.

So, um...ya'll pray for Munchkin this week, kay?  Cause she's out of school all week (except tomorrow....I have a filling...one stinkin ol cavity...and I don't want her to be scarred for life, so I'm sending her to daycare tomorrow).  I digress.  Where was I?  Oh, she's out of school most of the week and by the time I get a few more on-my-own practices in, she may be seeing white spots for an indefinite amount of time.  LOL. 

For anyone who may still be reading, I'll leave you with this chorus....

Life is great and getting better
Each day His grace shines through the stormy weather
Got my family and friends and when you put it all together
Life is great....and getting better!

Live & Learn

First off, I just have to say....does anyone need a pet?  OR FIFTY?  Cuz really, ya'll...it's been raining cats and dogs here ALL DAY!  (LOL)  I'm kidding...you'll have to go find your pets somewhere else.  I mean, I am kidding on the pet offer, not on the raining part.  Haha.  Lesson Learned: Don't plan to get anything done on the backyard when you have such a perfect day AND A HUBBY HOME TO HELP...because it WILL RAIN ON YOUR PARADE.  Or shovel, rake, and wheelbarrow.

Also, while we're on the subject of the backyard, let me just go straight to Lesson learned: 17.61 ton of pea gravel.......is a LOT OF GRAVEL!!!!!  I think we could comfortably cover around 6 playground surfaces....sweet heavens!!  Lesson number two: A full to topplin' wheelbarrow load of pea gravel will be the near death of a person like myself to get up that teeny tiny (NOT) hill, yet it will not even put the slightest dent in either the pile of gravel, NOR the surface you're wishing to cover.  Oh the lessons I've learned with the backyard project.  We'll just move on....

By the way, on things I've learned, be sure to check out the first post in the Bloggy How-To Series if you're clueless about the Header aspect of your blog.

Next up: It is a true fact that you can tell how far away a storm is by counting seconds between thunder and lightning.  My husband made me prove my story by googling it.  So now I'm doubly sure.  And if you have a hard time dividing the seconds by five (you think I'm nuts, quick, tell me what's 11 divided by 5?!?) check out this handy dandy lightning calculator (of course, if you're out in the middle of a storm and you wonder how close it is, this calculator will be of no use...or you may have already been struck by lightning and no longer care).  Lesson learned: Wow.  Where do I start?  Um...I actually learned the dividing by 5 part tonight.  I also learned that my kids have Ceraunophobia and possibly Astraphobia as well.  Oh and let's not forget the lesson of my husband insulting my intelligence by making me google it before he'd believe me.  HAHA. I'm kidding.  Besides, I was calculating wrong so I guess it's good that he didn't believe me.  LOL!  One last thing, I learned that I should always be inside during a thunderstorm so I can use the lightning calculator.  HA...I'M KIDDING.  I should stay inside because it's safer.  NO WORRIES, MOTHER!  LOL!

Last of all, I tried to use a small word.  Or so I thought.  Que.  As in: waiting in line....but the spellchecker caught me.  Huh.  How else would you spell it?  Well. Google to the rescue again.  According to the dictionary result that google found for me, que is not spelled like that.  Nor is it "cue."  Lesson learned: If your husband tells you how to spell something, he needs a google check, too!  Also, queue is the actual spelling, and no, it doesn't LOOK right, but it still is.  And just in case you wondered, I was using definition 3b of the word queue.

Bloggy How-To's #1

A series of Blogger HTML How-To's For Dummies...by a Dummy (lol)

In the interest of full disclosure, I am no expert, so be sure to copy all your code into Notepad and save so that if you mess up your blog, you can't blame me. =)

Since I was asked, and also since I see a lot of blogs in my surfing who seem to have a problem with this, the first How-To is on headers. 

(Click on any screenshot to see it larger)

The simple answer is: Go to your Layout > Page Elements (you can get there from Dashboard by going to the Layout Tab - see screenshot at right) and then click on the "Edit" button for the Header (see screenshot below)

Once you've clicked on the Edit for your header, a Configure Header screen will pop up and you'll enter your blog title.  Skip description because you won't see it anyways.  Next is the option to choose a photo.  Choose upload from your computer and find your header image (hopefully it's one that has your blog name on it because it just makes things a lot easier).  Next is placement, and if your photo has your blog name on it, choose "INSTEAD OF"....if your photo is just a photo, you'll want the "BEHIND" option.  Mine is set on Shrink to Fit, but this may or may not work if your photo isn't sized correctly.  More on that in a sec.  Then click Save and the window disappears bringing you back to the screen shown in the screenshot above.  Click on that orange SAVE button in the top right area and then a view blog option appears in that white space above your blog layout.  Click it and see how it looks. 

NOW.  If you've done that all good and well and it's still not working, you might want to check your picture. 

Here's where it comes in handy for me to know what kind of picture editing program you're using.  Or actually, it may NOT be very handy since most of you all use programs of whose capabilities and functions I'm not quite sure.  SO.  IF you happen to use an editing program in which you can crop or resize an image, you'll want to resize or crop to an image size that is more appropriate for the area of the header in which you're trying to put it.  And for those of you who checked the box of "HUH? WHAT'S EDITING?" Let me just put it in these terms....if you have a 5x7 photo and you try to put it in a panorama picture frame, it's not going to work so well.

So.  What image size do you need to be cropping/resizing to?  Okay...screens are different, but as far as I can tell, resolution is generally 72ppi (pixels per inch) for web purposes.  So when I crop a photo or design a piece for my header, mine is 980 px wide x (somewhere between 3-400 px tall) at 72ppi.  The height is negotiable because it's not a fixed distance in my html (or at least that's the answer that seems to fit my experiences).  To find out what your header width needs to be, you'll need to go to Layout > Edit HTML and scroll down a ways until you see the code I've highlighted in the next screenshot. 

Then, if you scroll on down a little further, you'll come to the /*Content section or something called content-wrapper, which will tell you if your width of your wrapper is the same as your header.  If it's not and your header placement is off, this is probably why, and it will probably require some troubleshooting (which I'm not getting into in this post -- LOL). 

 

A good template to play around with customizing is the Minima templates in blogger, because they're fairly simple and easy to read.  Some of the other ones stretch areas (which means that you're not dealing in fixed pixels and therefore -- at least in my experience -- will have trouble figuring out how to move and adjust areas of your blog...like the header).  Maybe I'll figure that one out and How-To it later. 

Anyways, this concludes How-To #1.  If you want some homework, you can go read this post where I originally started when I was FIRST trying to learn how to do this stuff.  I would have just referred you to it to start with, but it was written in the days of OLD blogger and parts of it are no longer applicable.  She writes a good how-to though and let me tell ya, it was a WHOLE lot harder back then to put a banner on your blog than just clicking Edit and uploading.  LOL! 

Hope this was not too totally confusing.  And if any NON-Dummies (in HTML world) happen to stumble across this post, please feel free to correct any technical errors (gently please, dummies have feelings, too...LOL). 

Wordless Wednesday (mostly)

   
UGH! Kindergarten Registration!

HONEY!  I can relate!!!

(FINALLY!)