Catch Up Post!

Well I've obviously failed at my photo a day for the month of January, lol. Well, let's not look at it as a failure, I got part of the month done, better than none. :)

My birthday was on January 24 and Jason took me to a *very* nice hotel, on Friday, January 26 and we went to the mall and Ikea. It was so much fun! We stayed at Hotel Sofitel. Wow. I want that bed and shower, LOL. Very upscale and elegant, not anything like the Days Inn's that we usually stay in, LOL. I'm hoping we can stay there again when Jason's brother gets married in April. The wedding is up in the cities somewhere, so I'm hoping it's close to the hotel and that we can afford it. :) Also for my birthday Jason got me the book "Created to be His Helpmeet." I've started to read it and really like it so far. I need to pick it back up again. I got sidetracked my a couple of other books I'm reading. I seriously have 3 books started right now.

I was off on January 24-26 and on January 25 I did some baking. I received some Amish Friendship Bread starter, and had already split it once and had no idea who I would give the other starters to, so I decided that I would just bake it all up. I had 10 loaves of bread! WOW, that is a ton of bread, LOL. The freezer is well stocked with 5 varieties of snack breads, plus the one loaf left over from before. :)

Speaking of baking, I'm still baking our own bread! I'm so proud of myself that I have kept with it. Granted it's not that hard to do since I'm blessed with a bread machine, but for the longest time I never used it. I'm making two different kinds, the Crust Cuban for me, and the Softest Ever Bread for Jason. About every week to week and a half I'm making bread, but it's all good and it smells delish when it's cooking, love that bread.

I'm still on the search for an Apron. I'm seriously considering making myself one and also making curtains for my scrapbooking room. It seems like all of the curtains I'm falling in love with are so expensive, and I don't need or want anything expensive. Plus it would put my sewing machine to good use. Ma, I want to go through the patterns that I brought up to you. I'm going to borrow a couple of them back, LOL. I'm pretty sure I have a curtain pattern and maybe even an apron one. :) Don't worry I don't take back any of the fabric I gave you, LOL.

Since I'm still on the topic of sewing, I just read a book called "Wedding Ring" (can't remember the author right now, it escapes me) and that book really has inspired me to try to quilt. I am going to try to make a quilt, even though I can't figure out how to thread my sewing machine right now, LOL. I'm going to find a very basic, easy pattern I like, buy some fabric (when it's on sale at Hobby Lobby of course) and make a quilt. I hope it turns out. But I don't know when I'm going to start that, lol.

After seeing what some of these people are knitting on 2peas, I want to knit. But I was hopeless at crocheting, so I don't think I'm a good fit for that, LOL. All I managed to learn how to do was the chain stitch.

I was reading the Biblical Womanhood blog and they Crystal had an anti procrastination list going, of things to accomplish that she has been putting off. Following her lead, I'm starting a list. There are a million things I could put on there, but I'm going try to keep it simple.

Amber's Anti-Procrastination List
-Finish off a CJ book that I've had for too long.
-Start going through my scrapbook area. Fill at least one paper box of things to go. (had to make this one measurable. :))
-Make hearts for retirement party at work
-Make scrapbook for retirement party at work
-Submit pictures to ScrapSubmit
-Do at least 4 LO's in February for me. Not to give away.
-Look into starting my own business.
-Create budget.
-Read Creating to Be His Helpmeet.
-Get all my Stampin' Up orders delivered.

Ok, that's long enough. :)

While I was typing that I realized that I needed to deep clean each room of the house. I deep cleaned the bathroom last Sunday and boy does it look great! I hate cleaning and tend not to do it. But on Sunday I scrubbed the walls, the ceiling, washed the window, mirrors, scrubbed the floorboards, the floor, the tub, sink, went through everything on the few shelves we have and organized it all. It took much longer than it should have, but boy does it look great for an old bathroom. :) I think the next room that I'm going to tackle is the kitchen. That room I'm going to break it down though, since it's bigger. Do it in chunks I believe. Make it seem more manageable to me.

Well this was an epic length catch up post and I'm sure that you are bored by now and that your cup of coffee and snack are long gone, so I'm going to end this. :) I'm going to try harder to update more so I don't have to have epic length posts, lol. :)

Essentials

In the Ali Edwards Life Artist News letter, Ali asked us what our essentials were for scrapbooking. Here are mine, in no particular order. :)

Pictures & Memories. What would you scrap if you didn't have pictures and memories? Those two are necessities in my world anyway! :)

Camera. I love my camera. I have a Canon IS 2. Now I want a camera that is small enough to carry around in my purse. But I'm dreaming on that one, LOL.

Textured cardstock. I tend to reach for my black and white staples more than anything, I love that I can buy a huge pack of black & white from Hobby Lobby for cheap. :) I could honestly get by with only cardstock and still scrap. I'm sorta patterned paper challenged, although that doesn't keep me from buying loads of PP. :)

Black Pen, Pencil, and Extra Fine Sharpie. The black pen, I have two of them for journaling. I honestly don't use them on every LO that I do, but I love how they write. The brand name of them escapes me at the moment. The Pen is for making lines on the paper I'm cutting. I can't cut straight without a line, LOL. The Extra Fine Sharpie is for marking on my ruler. I'm awful with measurements and do much better when I mark on my ruler.

Paper Trimmer. I'm currently using a Provo Craft trimmer and I love it. It was the best money I spent. I got it at Hobby Lobby using a 40% off coupon. It was normally $6.99. ;) I absolutely love it! And of course it's pink and green and can't go wrong with that cutting combination.

Ruler. I always use one of my color plastic rulers. They are transparent and I *love* them. I think I have 4 of them. Picked them up at the $1 store, they were 3 for $1. :) And of course I can write on them with my Sharpie and when I'm done, just wipe the marker off with an alcohol wipe. If you do that, just don't wipe off the bottom of the ruler where the actual measurements are. They tend to disappear. (Don't ask me how I know that. ;))

X-acto Knife. I just this for *everything*. I honestly don't think I could scrap if I didn't have my trusty little knife with a blade in in. Oh, a tip on those, don't try to catch it if it falls off the table. Especially if the cap is off.

Bone Folder. I use this when I'm making cards or anything that needs a crease! I paid $5 for mine, and it is *so* worth the money. It comes in really handy when you are folding paper for 100 Christmas Cards to send out.

Baby wipes. I use these all the time. I buy the Pampers, unscented ones, because they are cheaper than the store brand ones when I have a coupon. Plus I get more of them. :) I've started to just buy the refill packs. I was thinking I should alter my wipe container too. That way it will look pretty sitting on my desk. I tend to use a lot of Mod Podge when altering stuff, or my inks and I'm not a neat person at all when I scrap. They are so handy to use to use to clean up messes, or if you accidentally set your elbow on your Mod Podge brush. ;)

Adhesives. I think I have an adhesive addiction problem. I have a whole basket FULL of adhesives. It's kinda comical how many I have. If I had to narrow it down, I would go for my Tombow Mono Adhesive Runner, UHU liquid glue and of course, Mod Podge.
Rub-ons. I seriously think I use rubons on every LO I do. I use those so much more than stickers. I love them. Once again, I have a huge basket full, LOL.

What are your essentials for your hobby? If you take this challenge, link me to your blog! :)

My Love!

Here is my lovely husband. :) I don't think he was in the mood to have his picture taken though, lol, he was trying to clean up the kitchen. :) Great timing I have, right? ;)

I'm so lucky

I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful husband. Last night I came in the door and there were a dozen pink roses sitting on the table in a vase for me! No reason, just because. Isn't he so sweet? I've never dreamed I'd have such a wonderful husband. I am so blessed.

January 9, 2007 Picture

Last night (January 9) I took a class at the LSS for beginning digital photography and learned quite a bit! Granted, some if it was very basic, but it was well worth the $13.50 I spent. :) Here are some of what I learned.

• Hold the shutter half down to focus on what you want to take the picture of, then when you take the picture, EXHALE. When you exhale, it steadies the picture and the picture turns out better.


• Don't use Zoom as often as you think you should. Use your feet first. Move closer to your subjet rather than use the zoom, if possible. You also become more involved in your pictures that way. The more you zoom in, 75% less light gets through the lens, and the flash is less effective. The pictures turn out darker. The more you zoom, the higher chance you have of pictures being blurry beause you must hold the camera steadier while shooting.


• Make sure that your settings are on the highest Megapixle on your camera and on superfine. Yes, your memory card holds fewer pictures, but the quality is MUCH better.


• Use your flash on EVERY picture you take with people smiling. Even if it's outside and sunny, the pictures turn out better.


• If you have your camera on Auto, it makes all the decisions for you. Jeff (our instructor) had us turn our camera to "P" beause we have more options for flash and exposure and to leave it there for 2-3 months. Notice the difference in your pictures.


• Warn people what the camera is going to do when using the flash. That way they can be prepared for it. The flash works only between 10-12 feet. Anything over that use your feet and move closer to your subject.


• Make sure you focus between the eyes of the subject. If the eyes are in focus, the picture will look in focus. If the eyes are not in focus, the picture will not look in focus.


• Other reasons for using the flash, is to illuminate the subject, even out the shadow and make sure the flash on your camera goes toward where the shadow is. It elimiates the shadow. The flash also balances the color out in artifical lighting. The flash also makes the background darker, and focuses on the subject.


• Don't use the flash on reflected surfaces that you can't avoid, of if the subject is out of range. (Use your feet, move closer to the subject and use the flash)


• ALWAYS use the strap on your camera.


• Say that you are going to shoot on 3, but really shoot on 2. Much better pictures that way. If your subject realizes what you are doing, start shooting on 3 then.


• Shoot loose! Don't zoom in to get a close picture. You have megapixles to spare, so shoot loose and don't zoom as much. You can always crop more, but you can't un-zoom after the picture is taken!


• Use the rule of thirds when taking pictures. Think tic-tac-toe. The pictures are much more visually pleasing, and if you watch TV, or look at ads or anything, the majority of the pictures are taken using the rule of thirds.


• He suggested not using places like Target, Sam's, and Wal-Mart to print your pictures. The quality is not consitent and his sister has pictures that are 5-10 years old that she had printed at Sam's or Wal-Mart and he has pictures that he printed at Ritz and Proex and his pictures are not faded and hers are. He showed examples of this, and after seeing the examples, I will only get my pictures printed at quality photo places even though it is more expensive. At Ritz he said you can pre-pay for 300-500 prints at 19 cents a print for 4x6's and you can pre-pay for 50 5x7's at 79 cents a print. Not that much more and you can ensure that the quality is consistent and they will not fade.


• He also said that the point & shoot cameras last only about 5 years, the Canon SLR calendars 10 years, and the Nikon SLR cameras about 15 years. I thought that was interesting.


• He also suggested in investing in a quality 1 GB or higher memory card. He said that some brands would be Lexar, Panisonic, San Disk Ultra 2 or 3. Any card that is made in Japan is decent, but if you have any cards made in China re-invest. Your memories are worth it.


• He also said that if you accidentally reformat or delete pictures off your card that you want. DO NOT take any more pictures using the card. For every 1 picture that you take, an additional 20 are lost. You can bring your card into a high quality photo shop and they should be able to recover the information for you. Jeff said that he can recover generally 95% of all the pictures.


• We also went over some settings. Macro (generally the flower icon) is used for close up pictures. For Night settings, the shutter stays open longer, so make a 4x4 inch beanbag to use as a "tri-pod" to stabalize the camera. The mountain setting is the setting that you use to take a picture on what's outside rather than inside, generally through class. Also, when taking a picture through glass, angle the camera, and that will help the picture turn out better.

I hope that some of these tips that I learned at my class help you. I know they did me! Especially since I'm doing the photo a day. Oh, speaking of photo a day, I was playing around with my camera a bit in class, and took that picture. I thought it turned out neat. :)

January 8, 2007 Photo

Who needs coffee in the morning when you got Halo2? ;) I got all ready for work today and played a couple games before work. Jason thought that I looked cute and snapped a pic. :)

January 7, 2006

Here is my photo a day from January 7. Nothing like a bubble bath and a good book to end a day. :)

January 6, 2007 Pictures

Here are my photo a day pics from January 6! Playing Halo2! :)

Photo a day

Yes, I'm a day late in posting it, but oh well, LOL.

Scrappy Chic is back up!

Scrappy Chic appears to be back up. According to the hosting company our server crashed, and they moved it to another server, but the database wasn't synched properly, and then they had to implement other fixes as well. They said that they currently only notify customers of scheduled maintenance and down time, but hope to find a way to implement a way to let the owners know if something unexpected happens. Anyway, it appears we are back up and running again!!

Yet another Scrappy Chic update

SC is having problems again. Sometimes you are able to access it, but right now I'm forbidden from it. The hosting company has been contacted. Both Jason and I are very frustrated by all of the problems, and apologize for the inconvenience.

Scrappy Chic

Is back up again! YAY! Hope you all didn't go through too many withdrawals. ;)

Update on Scrappy Chic

Just got this email from the hosting company. :)

Hello.We are experiencing a problem with the server where your account is located. Sowe decided to install a new box and now all accounts are being restored on it.Please wait and your website will be accessible soon. I am sorry for the inconveniences.-- Thank you

I hope it will be back up soon! :)

Not a good start to the day & Scrappy Chic

Yup, that is my photo for the day. Let me explain.

This morning I went through my normal routine. Up at 5:30, make a stop in the bathroom, grab a water, and my laptop, sit down in front of the TV to watch the news and check my boards/emails. Realized Scrappy Chic was still down, and tried to find the login information to contact the hosting company. Couldn't find it, so I got up and went to shower.

Showered, did my make up, and started making breakfast. Next thing I know I was in the dark. All that was left on was the stove and phone. I tried to call Jason, and finally got a hold of him and he came to my rescue and realized that a fuse was blown and fixed it for me. What a great start to the day, I'm not feeling that good to begin with and then I'm in the dark, LOL.

Anyway, Jason contacted the hosting company for Scrappy Chic and hopefully it will be up again soon.

Pizza!

This was supper tonight. :) Nothing too exciting.

















I think I'm going to go scrap again now! I'm determined to scrap more this year and so far I've scrapped or made cards each day this year, except for the first. That is good for me. :)

Digi Scrappin'

Here is day 2! Who said you can't make a mess Digi Scrappin'? LOL, ok I admit some of the mess is left over from making cards last night. :)

Plus a bonus. My first ever digi LO! :)

Baking & Decorating Pics

So in my quest to be a better wife, here are some things I made last Friday & Saturday. :)

Bread :)

Digging right in, of course. ;) The bread was good, not crumbly or anything, but it got a little too crispy for Jason's liking. After this loaf is gone I'm going to try another recipe to see if that turns out better. :) The recipe was one of Maggies. :)


I also made homemade biscuits and gravy for supper. I used the recipe that Chele posted for biscuits. DELISH!!! I have never made homemade biscuits before, only the ones out of a can. We will never be buying biscuits again!






And finally, the cake. Turned out MUCH better than my first attempt. Jason was impressed. I will be making more and getting better. Still plently of room for improvement though. :)

Photo a Day

On a couple of the other blogs I follow, they do a photo a day. I'm going to try to do that for January. :)

Today's picture:
For Christmas Jason gave me a *huge* set of Lincoln logs. I remember playing with these when I was a kid, at Toby and Katie's house. This morning I just had to play with them. I had a blast. :) Nothing like going back to your childhood. :)