Playing with PhotoShop

Playing with photos in Photoshop tonight.  This was a blurry photo of a yellow rose that I was going to delete but first I had to play with it to see what a blurry photo could become. 

Here is the blurry photo

And here is the photo after I played with it.

If you have photoshop here is how you can play yourself. 

Hope you don't have anything else to do because you'll be hooked.

1. Open a JPG file

2. Go to Filter > Pixelate > Mezzotint > Short Lines

3. Go to Filter > Blur > Radial Blur. Set amount to 100, Method Zoom, Quality Good

4. Do Step #3 again

5. Go to Filter > Distort > Twirl. Set angle to 125

6. Duplicate layer

7. Go to Filter > Distort > Twirl. Set angle to -175

8. Change Overlay Mode on the top layer from Normal to Lighten

9. You can then adjust levels, curves, selective color, etc. to suit you.

Mailboxes in a Row

Not sure why I love seeing lots of mailboxes in a row but I do. 

Visitor

We had a visitor while I was taking pictures, he wasn't scared at all. 

Weekend Get-Away

This weekend we headed for a little rest and relaxation for John's birthday.  As much as we would have liked to have gone to an island with palm trees and sandy beaches we got an island with a very narrow bridge being the only means to get there.  As the truck is going over the bridge I was holding my breath and then John was sure to point out all the missing and rotten wood.  I was just about blue by the time we got over it but we made it and what was on the other side was so worth the slight moment of panic.

Here is our one lane bridge of fear.

And here is our motel 

What a wonderful weekend away from home with the love of my life.

more spring

1st day of Spring

More Lynn Maternity Photos

I wanted to make sure Lynn was okay with these being posted and after a few days she decided it was okay.  I think they are beautiful, I think she's a naturally beautiful person but of course all mom's think they're kids are the smartest, cutest, funniest.... and they are, because they are YOUR KIDS. 

I remember the days of me being pregnant with Lynn, I was young, I looked just like this (only 80ish hairstyle), you couldn't tell I was pregnant from the back.  I remember walking down the street to the post office and everyone wondering when I was going to have that baby.  I was huge.... (Lynn was 9#2ozs.)  The night Lynn was born we were celebrating my Dad and John's birthday at mom and dad's tavern.  I felt funny that night and there was this friend of the family, Grease, he kept telling me how fun it would be to deliver a baby on the pool table.  We spent the whole night there and when I was really feeling sick and wanted to go home John's brother Paul thought they should finish the pitcher of beer before we left...... ohhhhh I forgot to tell you.... I'm 3 weeks over due.  We sat at the bar as they finished the pitcher.... then, as my dad calls them , "a belly rubbing song" was played by the band so John and I danced..... I finally talked him into taking me home at 2AM.  John decided to take the long way home and go through town, I was so mad since I wanted to go home as fast as I could.  Well it was a good thing he decided to drive through town and then he decided to stop at the hospital to find out why I felt so "funny".... I was in full labor, you should see those nurses fly, they really know their stuff..... 1 hour later Lynn was born.  The nurses that night thanked me for coming in since they had to miss the big birthday party, they were happy I brought it to them.  

Here's my baby girl that started this family out.... with a fantastic ending to her dad and grandpa's birthday party.

Little baby "Lovey" will be very proud of his momma, she is a glowing pregnant mommy.

No place to park

I don't even have words for this photo.... I just wish Josh, Jake and Jett could have drove by and seen it.  On second thought they don't need to think Adam is cooler than they already thought.... or that Adam's car is cooler than what they thought.... or that they need to grow up and be just like Adam..... or that Adam needs to keep this car until they are old enough to drive....

I made him move it before the boys drove by........ you're welcome Shawna.

Lynn's Maternity Peek

Lynn had a doctor's appointment last week and she called me on the way home.  "Mom we have to do my belly shots now, the mid-wife said I have the perfect baby belly so let's do it before it turns big and gross."  I think her belly is cute right up to the day the baby is born, she of course didn't want to wait any longer.  Lynn is a planner and a list maker... she likes to have things crossed off her list and this is just one more thing to cross off before baby comes.  

You can tell that these two spend lots of time together.  As soon as Lynn was sitting on the floor eating ice cream Mally plopped right down and grabbed the pickle.  They sat there sharing pickles and ice cream just like it was their daily snack time.

Mally has been sick for the last week and needed so much Mommy time that today she was feeling a little better and didn't want Mommy to hold her at all.  But she did give "baby brotder" a kiss.

This next photo is my favorite. 

Baby still needs time to grow, but pretty soon we'll get to take photos of the little man.  This weekend I get to paint his bedroom..... another item to cross off the list :)

Maternity Sneak Peek

This little guy will be here real soon so Lynn had a few belly shots done today.  I don't have time tonight to give them the post that the new little guy deserves so I'll hold you over with one from today. 

I have to call him something so let's just call him "Lovey" (long story, think football player and John wanting to know the babies name).   Lovey started out with Lynn not even being about to open the frig without losing her cookies but now he's making Lynn eat some pretty weird stuff so this should be appropriate for Lovey's first photo.

Miss Ava's Sneak Peek

Miss Ava came to help me out today.  She will be 2 real soon and looks just like her mommy.  Her mom almost called to say she couldn't come because Ava woke up in a grumpy mood and she thought this session would not go so well.  This is the first photo I took, I think mom will be pretty impressed with how her little girl turned her grumpy mood into a sweet lovable little girl.

Ava is wearing the dress that her grandmother wore when she was a little girl.  This is just the slip....

This is the crocheted dress that goes over the top of her slip.  Grandma added some fun ribbon and Ava added the personality...... doesn't get any better than this.

Her cousin Jett came along and let me take 1 photo of him, he's such a handsome young man.  Okay that's it now let me go back to playing with Adam's legos.



Ahhhhhhh the weekend

is finally here.  I love my weekends.

Random Pic

One photo from my camera walk tonight...... I might add it was cooooooold out there with that nasty wind.

We'll try something with my random photos, not that I'm an expert at this but I'll share with you the "why's" I like the photo and what it's speaking creatively to me.  Remember it's only my opinion not a rule.  If you want to try this before reading the below paragraph stop right here..... go back up to the photo and pay attention to where your eye starts with the photo and where it ends. 

Okay now read on....

Having the orange rust color circled in the black tire draws my eye right to that center area of the tire.  The black rubber makes my eyes follow around the circle until they get to the weeds.   The out of focus weeds in the foreground leaning to the right carries my eyes to the bars on the front of the tractor (both bars), bounces them off the top of the photo and then back down onto back bars hitting the tall straight weeds and ending on the bottom left of the photo.  With this photo my eyes keep moving looking at the whole photo vs getting stuck on one area.  Try this with other photos and pay attention to why you like the photo and I bet most of the time it's because your eyes keep moving.



Shannon's Yellow Love

My daughter Shannon loves, loves, loves the color yellow and has since she was old enough to say it.  For her 5th birthday she didn't care what she got for her birthday gifts as long as they were yellow.  I remember she got a dozen yellow roses, yellow balloons, a yellow sweater, a big bird birthday cake.... I can't remember the rest but everything was yellow.

My clotheslines were always full of yellow clothes.... she still has a love for yellow but not quite like it used to be.  Shan this one's for you before this sunny yellow flower is gone.

Where is spring?

I've been pretty lazy about posting everyday so this is me trying to get back into my POTD no matter what random photo I decide to take that day.  You might roll your eyes some days wondering why in the heck did I waste my time, but this is something I enjoy and it really gets my creative side thinking.  So here's me hopping back on the wagon or sled for this time of year. 

I bought this yellow rose at the grocery store yesterday just to have a glimpse of spring in the house and then I wake up to snow this morning..... urghhhhhh. 

How long is it going to take to melt 6 feet of snow?

Not to depress the rest of you but this is the post from last year March 6th....  click here

Grandgirls Visits

Miss Mally came over to play, she's been sick and her Mommy needed to get out of the house and where else do you go with a germy child....... Grandma and Grandpa's they don't care.  I was trying to teach her how to play Old Maid and she gets the Old Maid card and says to Lynn "Grandma?" 

Gotta love those chubby legs

Then Miss El had to come over and spend the night..... I promised her last weekend and she doesn't forget.  This is her photo for the day.

Ohhhhh Adam

At least now he's bringing them right into the yard.......

For all those mom's out there with boys that are true boys and play with cars and trucks the minute you bring them home from the hospital.  They make car noises before they begin to speak, they wrench on their first bike until they figure out how to get the training wheels off and learn to ride a two wheeled bike at 3 years old.  They ride a dirt bike on one wheel, they paint every snowmobile, or car they have.  They come home covered in grease and turn their shirts inside out when you ask them to clean up before sitting on the furniture, they melt your heart when they kiss you goodnight or assure me their middle name is "careful" when leaving the house...... good luck, they are one adventure after another.  :)

My kids

My hardest job is getting a good photo of my kids, it never happens.  At Rusty's wedding I got the kids to at least stand up and try to take a photo together and then their brother and sisterness comes out in them and I get silliness and fighting to who stands in front, who smiles the best, who shouldn't look at the camera, how to stand, move closer...... 

By that time the little ones want mommy to pick them up and then I get the whole clan.... except for Jesse and Kyle, they wanted nothing to do with this group. 

These kids are getting so big, it's almost time for a newborn again ;)