Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday... 

Fix it Friday #81

I took a break from painting bedrooms to try my hand at editing this week's Fix it Friday photo from I Heart Faces.  I had fun - and tried to remember what I used on my edits this time!

Here's the original shot:

Here's my first edit.  It's my B&W version.

I used PW's Boost, then PW's B&W Beauty.  I think there was another step in there - but I can't find my notes.

Here's the sepia version...

Same steps as above - then added PW's Sepia.

And finally...my favorite one.

I used PW's Boost, PW's Colorized, Everyday Elements Vermont, and then PSE's colorful center.  Finally, I gave it a frame.  I really like this one.  I like how it's soft and there's a hint of color that highlight's her face.

Check out the other edits over at IHF...

Wordless Wednesday

Matt - helping Dad hang the last of the Chirstmas lights.  On a ladder ~ in spite of his fear of heights!

Macro Monday

I might be getting the hang of these Macro shots.  At least they aren't blurry anymore!

See other cool shots here: 

I Heart Faces - Fix It Friday #80

I'm a little late with this one.  but my monsters are each getting redecorated bedrooms for Christmas and I've been painting up a storm!  I shouldn't have let them talk me into decorative paint jobs....

I only did one edit on this one.  It's such a beautiful shot that I really wasn't sure how to improve it.  And since I did the edit on Friday, I can't really remember what I did during the edit either.  I do know that I used PW's Heartland.  But I don't know what else I did.  I've lost my short term memory since I had kids....

Here's the original shot:

Here's my edit:

Check out the other wonderful edits at:

Christmas time is finally here!

We finally, FINALLY got our Christmas tree up and decorated tonight.  It just hasn't felt like Christmas without it. 

I tried taking pictures to mark the occasion.  And they just didn't turn out.  I find that my camera has a terrible noise problem inside the house or in low light.  Any idea how to fix it??

I have a Panasonic DMC-FZ50.  Nope, not a DSLR...  Here's an example, SOOC:

Any thoughts?

Wordless Wednesday

Sweet Shot Tuesday

I think this is the first time I've posted for Sweet Shot Tuesday.  I think...??  But I think this is one of the better shots I took in the last week.  And I had fun with PSE when I edited it. 

Check out some of the other shots here...
And even more here...

Trendy Treehouse - Vroom Vroom

I like this theme and wasn't sure what picture I would use.  Then I remembered some of the shots that I took of an old Chevy truck back in October.  Here's one of them...

check out the other cool shots over at the Trendy Treehouse 

Macro Monday ~ Frozen

I think I'm finally learning to use the Macro setting on my camera.  I think :)

These are some crystal snow flake ornaments.  It's as close as we can currently get to frozen here in Texas.

  

I Heart Faces - Self Portrait

I cannot tell you how much I HATE having my picture taken.  I took dozens of pictures.  I hated every one of them.  I have to admit that I took one while we were camping that wasn't too bad.  Once I got home, I realized how dirty the mirror was.  So couldn't use that one.  I took this one while Christmas decorating. 

I still hate it - and you can probably tell by the look on my face.  <sigh>

Head on over to I Heart Faces to check out the other - very creative - self portraits. 



Also linking it to the Happy Monday Challenge ~ with the same theme - over here...

Check it out!

I'm behind on my blog reading... if I could just shake this cold, life would be so much better.  Staying home from work today so decided to play on the computer before taking my monsters to school.  Anyway...I headed over to Allie Photography and discovered that my "Monday" shot last week was in the top 5!  So...just had to add the button!  :)

Fix it Friday #79

This is a fun edit!  I love the photo.  Her expression, her outfit... love it all.  Here's the original shot:

And here are two of the edits I did...

Check out the other wonderul edits over at I Heart Faces...

Football

I have been bad about posting pictures from Matt's football games lately.  I'm not sure why...

Maybe it's because this flag football through the Y is so - low key.  I mean, the 4+ months that we spend during tackle football season is so very competitive.  You drive home like a maniac with a time schedule.  You drag yourself out to watch 2 hours of practice three times a week - sitting at practice STARVING because you made sure the kids had supper but you forgot to eat.  You drag yourself to the game every weekend...arriving an hour early and *sweating* your bum off (this is Texas after all) for hours.  You scream, yell, cheer and booo at the top of your lungs for at least two hours every single Saturday.  Not to mention cheer practice twice a week and THOSE games (because it would be too much to ask to be able to cheer for your twin brother's team every week!).  And then it's over and you breathe a huge sigh of relief because you are so sick and tired of football. 

But THEN what do you do?  All of the sudden, the weather is cold and you have all this extra time on your hands.  You're bored.  You're driving home like a normal (sane) human being.  You eat dinner.  You do house work.  You look back on the life that you had for 4 months and miss it (because we Mothers are stupid sometimes).  So you start looking around and realize that the Y has flag football ~ so you sign him up!  Kid's thrilled ~ he loves to play after all.  And the Y is only one practice a week and one game a week.  So how hard can THAT be?

Love the look on Matt's face as he tries to catch the interception.  ooof!

And you sit at that first weekly game with your noise makers, your hats, whistles...whatever else it was that you dragged around for 4 months ... and you realize that you are the ONLY parent screaming and cheering.  And you remember the "good old days" when your son/daughter/twins played T-ball through the Y and you remember.... THEY DON'T EVEN KEEP SCORE.  So you sit there...take some pictures...and wait for the next "real" sport.

10 years old - still haven't learned to block for the ball carrier!

GO!!  Run!!!



So bummed that this wasn't in focus.  :(



Kat was so thrilled to watch her brother's game.

How long until spring baseball?????



Wordless Wednesday

Happy Monday!

Found this new link.  Really like it...and I know I'll really like it when I'm off my cold meds too.  Anyway, here's a link for something that makes me happy... fire roasted marshmallows (or what was left of my first one).  :)

Happy Monday...I'm going to bed. 

I Heart Faces - Scenic Black and White

We escaped the city this last weekend.  (It's deer season in Texas!)  We camped near a beautiful lake and I was so glad that I remembered my camera in the rush to leave.  Here's one of the shots that I took Saturday morning...

I was very glad to see that I Heart Faces was featuring a B&W contest this time.  Not that my shots are all that good...but I really enjoy looking at all of the black and white shots.  Check them out...

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone has a happy and family filled Thanksgiving!
                      
                Gobble Gobble Gobble!

Wordless Wednesday

Shutter Love Tuesday

Today's theme is Fall .... I love fall!  Since my monsters haven't played in the leaves this year, I don't have any fun pictures from that.  But I do have this photo from this year's pumpkin patch.  I love this picture :)

Check out some of the other beautiful pictures here...

Paper Heart Camera's A View from Above

Here's a shot of Kat while she was cheering...taken from up in the stands.  :)

Check out some of the others over at Paper Heart Camera's...

I Heart Faces - Paper

Kat - as usual - with her nose buried in a book.  Probably one of the Twilight series...

OK ... why did I think it was still Monday???  I missed the deadline to link this by an hour.  Oh well...

Macro Monday

I was learning to use the Macro setting on my camera a couple of months ago.  My son was laying on the floor and I wanted to get a close up shot of his eyes.  Of course, he couldn't just LAY there and let me get a nice picture...no, he had to make a face.  <sigh>

Check out the other shots over at Lisa's Chaos...
 

I Heart Faces Fix It Friday #78

I'm a little late posting this but it was a really, really busy weekend.  But here's what I did:

Original Shot SOOC:

I really love this shot (and wish I could take pictures like this) but felt it needed to be a little brighter.  Expecially with that wonderful shirt!

I didn't think it needed to be cropped because I liked the composition as is.  So I ran PW's Boost and Perfect Portrait from Coffee Shop.  Adjusted everything until I liked it and got this:

I really like this look.  Added on more thing on the edit below (Oh the Drama from DPM) and it darked the backgound a little:

As usual, I don't know what I like better.  Check out the other edits over at IHF: