New Banner

Oh my GOODNESS!!! Look up and see what I did. I finally figured out how to do a banner for Blogger. I am extra proud of myself and think it looks good for a first try. Go me and Go Blogger for making some changes, so I could do this without pulling my hair out :-)

I have had a pretty good week. You will be happy to know that I am steadily working on my New Year Life Changes. They have not fallen by the wayside and I am keeping a journal of how I am working toward the changes each day. Holding myself accountable. I did fall off the wagon last week with the health change, but I got back up and implemented some strategies that are working well right now. Go me for problem solving!!!

If you are looking for a great site to learn design software online in a class format, then check out this site: Scott Kelby They are offering free previews of the first 3 weeks of lessons for all courses. I learned a lot watching the previews. I think I may have to do this.

Toodles :-)

Always Learning

Before and After shots playing around with my Adobe Elements. It's amazing what you can do with an ordinary picture. The after photo looks almost surreal. This is a shot of a famous square in France. I have really been spending a lot more time trying to learn more about photography and Adobe. I am enjoying the challenge and I always enjoy learning new things. I figure it's about time I learn what the expensive camera and editing equipment I have can really do :-) NEWS FLASH: I scrapped two layouts this week. First time in almost five months. I will post this weekend once I get a chance to scan or photograph them. I felt a bit rusty, but it was also freeing to just create. I realized how much I miss it. I don't think we are going to sell in this market, so I may just as well unpack my scrap stuff and get back to creating and documenting our family memories.

Surprise Pick

Might seem like an odd post, but here goes. Today I lost the battle against the scale and I was super down. So I curled up on the sofa, said screw the gym for today (counter productive I know, but obviously it wasn't helping anyway) and watched a movie I hadn't seen before. Bridge To Terabithia isn't my normal pick, but I am so glad that I watched it. The story was so real and so inspiring that I cried through like the second half of the movie. It really is about friendship, beauty, inspiration and believing in yourself. It is also about over coming loss and tranforming it into something wonderful. It is also about nurturing your imagination and loving each day for what can unfold. I even downloaded the soudtrack which I found very uplifting and encouraging even if it is a bit popish. So if you need a feel good movie, I say give it a go. You may be pleasantly surprised.

A couple of pics from the holiday party.

New Year

New Years was really nice. It was the first time I actually went out to a formal VIP type party. Free food, drinks and music. My friend's husband plays in a band, so we got free tickets in exchange for me taking a couple of pics. I will try to post a few once I clean them up a bit. We got a room at a downtown hotel and shared breakfast the next morning. Not a bad way to start the new year. Went back to work today and had a decent experience. I brainstormed some active changes to help me meet the goal of rediscovering my passion for my job. I am prayerful that they will lead to a positive year.

At the party, a professional photographer gave me some advice on how to use my Cannon Speedlight. It was a simple correction that made a big difference. It made me realize that online classes are good, but that maybe I need some one on one tutoring. Any suggestions on how to find someone who does one on one lessons. Or how much something like that can go for.