Fix-it Friday #32

This week’s FIF was a real challenge!  I could not get the color right so I decided to go with a tinted B&W….. I also added a gaussian blur around the edge to give it a softer dreamier feel….. The harsh shadows were just really difficult to deal with, that’s not all bad though as I have so many pics that are similar, I needed the practice :o)  So here is the original picture of the pretty little princess:

 

and here is my fix:

 

For more FIF fun, head on over to IHEARTFaces to see the other great fixes :o)

Sneak Peek…..

   Last night I had the privilege of taking senior pics of a friend…… “A” was so much fun to work with and very patient with this first time photographer! :o) I took around 200 photos and have not weeded through them all yet, but I couldn’t wait to process a few (probably the best) and post them! So, *drum roll please*,  here are my faves so far:

 

 

 

Doesn’t she have gorgeous eyes?!?!

I was so pleased with the processing on this next one…. very artsy for me, I tend to stick to traditional stuff.

 

I hope that she is pleased with them!  I am sure looking forward to processing more of the pics, though I have to admit that my poor old ‘photoshop elements 4’ is trying to die on me.  :o(  I hope it lasts until I can get a newer program….. Probably just another elements as the “real” photoshop is in the $600 range. :oO

Here by popular demand: My Home school curricula

Since I have a small # of blog readers, 1 request for post topic is popular demand :o) so, if you are reading this, MamaGriffith this is for you!!!

  This year I am using the First grade curriculum from My Father’s World. We are really loving it! We are currently in the review section (or at least it is review for J) in which they discuss the basics of phonics and make sure that the child has a good grasp on phonics and reading. This has been a very good refresher for J and has really helped boost her confidence. (Please note that the following is what happens most days but not all…. Some days just don’t go as well as others!)During our “opening ceremonies” (haha) I&B join us for prayer, a hymn, and memory verse. J then does her work book pages (phonics, reading, handwriting*) while they go play in the bedroom with their special school time stuff. She then does her math pages, we are using the ABeka math program. She started the first grade book near the end of last year and so is continuing with that. The younger 2 come out for our science, or whatever other subject is scheduled for the day. We are struggling to get an early enough start (due to my health issues) to get the extra stuff in as I would like. We had good intentions of doing art and Latin weekly but we have not officially started either yet. Later in the year she will have a Bible reading book added. We also read together. Our book titles and levels vary, but it is a great time to instill in them a love of great literature. On Wednesdays we have “Exploration Day” or as my children call it “Inspiration Day”. On this day we don’t have any regular work but spend the day reading books on our science subject of the week (which I get from the library), exploring outside, doing science experiments, and just plain having fun. It is great and breaks up the week into very doable pieces for me. This curriculum is based on the Charlotte Mason theory of education, which I highly recommend! I am currently reading a book called ‘For The Children’s Sake’ by Susan Schaeffer-Macaulay. Fascinating!!!

For B I am doing random bits here and there as I can. It worked well for J so I am hopeful that it will work well for B also. :o)  I have her do ‘ReadyWriter’ sheets, practice writing her letters, talk about letter sounds, and ‘Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons’. For math we fluctuate between ABeka Kindergarten, writing numbers, and dot-to-dots. We also just try to incorporate learning throughout the day in our day-to-day life stuff. :o)

So, MamaG, I hope this is what you were looking for! :o)

 

* Note: For handwriting we use the ‘Italic Handwriting Series’ by Getty & Dubay.

Fix-it Friday #31

This photo actually needed very little fixing. I just ran a noise reduction, cropped a little to straighten the background a bit, brightened it, dodged the highlights in and sharpened his eyes, dodged the shadows on his face, played with the hue/saturation, removed a few spots on his face-primarily his nose, and then sharpened for the web.  It was too cute as is so I decided against a B&W this time.  So here is the handsome little man’s original photo:

 

and here is my  first “fix”:

Then, for fun, I cropped out his arm and added a levels layer set to multiply. Then, using a layer mask technique, removed it from his face (hope that makes sense….).

To see more edits of this photo head on over to IHeartFaces!

My Garden Trophy

My garden has been an interesting one this year….. I have learned a lot and, esp considering my lack of weeding, attention, etc…. I think that we got a pretty good harvest. I learned that you can plant too many varieties of squash and end up with some cross pollination wonders….. At least that is what we are assuming happened!  I learned that too much nitrogen in the soil turns your tomato plants into wild, leggy creatures that tower above your head but bear little fruit, that I don’t like turnips nearly as well as I thought I did, that nasturtium flowers are hot and peppery, that home grown radishes can be hotter than any raw garlic you have eaten, that powdery mildew is BAD stuff, and just how much I DETEST slugs. I learned that weeds do VERY well here (as do slugs), that first year gardens have a LOT of weeds (and slugs), that if you want to make salsa you should NOT plant you tomatoes and cilantro at the same time, even if your tomatoes are starts and your cilantro comes in seed form. It has been a lot of fun sharing my garden with my folks….. They have been a lot of help and I am so thankful that they let me tear up part of their yard to convert into my garden! My folks are the best!!! (and no, I did not write that because you read my blog Mom, I just love you and Dad like crazy and am not afraid to post it! :o)  

Anyhow, Dad and I picked a couple of the large squash before the slugs got them and tonight I took pics of the kids with the largest so you could get an idea of just what beauty this baby is! :o)  The lighting was a bit too low so the pics aren’t the greatest but I had fun fixing them up so that hopefully you won’t be able to tell just how mediocre they were! :o)

J: 

B:  O.k. replaced the scary photo that I posted last night….. obviously it was late and I was tired. I can think of no other excuse for such a freaky pic…… This one, though it has it’s deficiencies, is much better!

 

I: Wish he were smiling but sometimes you just have to take what you can get!

Now isn’t that a beauty of a pumpkin? :o)

 

Hoping for a family play day tomorrow…… If we get to go play, there should be more fun, photo filled posts coming!  :o) 

More textures and randomness…..

  Tonight my hubby is out at a meeting and I am alone again…… I was going to watch a movie but a) I wanted to watch a Jane Austen  movie and I don’t have any and b) by the time the kids got settled in bed it was too late to start one. *Sigh*  The results of this lack of movie watching is that I am blogging, now, before you get too excited (haha), I have the beginnings of a cold and so my thinker is in a serious state of confusion…… I am not sure that you will be able to understand and/or follow any of it!

  O.k. I will get the randomness out of the way first and then for the fun, the pics!!!  I got to visit with SpecialEdsWife last night!!! It was so refreshing to just visit! I hadn’t realized just how much I was missing visiting with a friend. If you read this “E”, I would LOVE to visit again soon. It was so much fun!  :o)  Oh, and i haven’t REALLY forgotten about the link, just sort of um, didn’t think about it today…… I will send it soon, if I don’t um, not think about it again.   

 I am very frustrated with my disorganized self…… I have been reading (too many books simultaneously, actually) lately and came across this great quote which I was going to write a post around…… Can I find the book? No. I KNOW where I think I put it……. but it isn’t there. GRRR!!! I guess, as I don’t have a dog, I will have to blame it on the kids! :o)

Um, there was more but my brain is shutting down… :oP  So, on to the pics! :o) 

I have been playing with textures more in my spare moments…… haha, o.k., so instead of doing what I really should be doing but don’t want to be doing…. There, now you have the ugly truth. Anyway, I did this pic of my middle child….. Same texture as that of my eldest in the previous post but, because the background in the pic is different (dry grass as opposed to green grass) the look is very different:

and then, just for grins I did one of my niece  M:

and my niece S (aren’t they gorgeous little girls?)

and an old car…….

 

So, I REALLY need help with quotes and such to write on my little projects…. Anybody have any good sources of neat sayings?

Well, in the words of BugsBunny, (whom I haven’t seen in light years) “That’s all for now folks!”   :o)

As a DISCLAIMER: I did NOT write this under the influence of cold medicine, I promise. Late nights, colds, stress, and not enough chocolate just have this effect on me……. :oP

I assure you, I will try to always eat chocolate before posting from here on out……… :o)

When the cat’s away…….

 

  Tonight I am alone while my hubby is out late and the kids are sleeping…..Now, the wise thing to do would be go to bed early, but I couldn’t do the wise thing… Nope, not me! My excuse for my foolishness is that I can’t sleep when he is gone. Not sure that this excuse is going to cut it come tomorrow a.m. when my kids rise early and I don’t want to!  My foolishness has been productive (though not in the ways it probably should have been :o)  I spent my time trying some new photo editing ideas!  Through this site I found these free textures!  They are so much nicer than the stock ones that came with my editing software!!!  It took me so long to figure out the ins and outs of getting things just right that I only got one pic done but thought I would share it…..

Here is my first attempt at texture with one of my new textures:

 

I am pleased with it…… I would love feedback, what do you think?

If I am going to do much more of this I am going to have to find some inspiring quotes…. The ones rattling around my brain (which I am going to share soon) don’t really fit the pic.  Oh well, it is late and this was the best I could do! :o)

I have to admit a fascination with textures and fonts. 

I just LOVE fonts!!! :o)