thinking

it is that time of year for the annual family photo.

i should share the funny photos i took of our next door neighbours. for now i am taking it as a compliment that they asked me to take a "bad photo" of them for their Christmas card. they wanted to do it old style 80's. considering only one of them was alive to see the 80's....they didn't do too badly! i added a laser background to one of the photos. then i could not resist. i had to add the garden gnomes peaking over their shoulders.

remember this post about some traveling gnomes?

it is always good to have comedy relief now and then.

on to our photo....




what do you think? i decided to add a texture i found.

i would have loved to have either a more plain or more interesting background (Christmas tree). outside was not an option. not with a timer.

now just to get busy on the cards.


i have to take a snack to our bible study group tomorrow. i decided to make banana chocolate chip muffins. i make them all the time. they are not difficult. tonight i forget to add the eggs until i reached the dry ingredient stage. even with Kris running out to get some eggs, i still forgot. i tried one and it didn't taste too badly, but they look very golden. my guess is that the eggs help the sugar dissolve. i think it is the sugar that changed the appearance. the good thing is that there will not be a huge sign by the container saying i was the baker! a little anonymity will be appreciated tomorrow!

i wish i could say it was the first time. a few months ago i made the most amazing steak recipe. Beef Tenderloin with Mustard-Cognac sauce. i forgot to add the mustard. thankfully the Cognac saved it!


it is one thing to be scatterbrained. but a whole new level when i behave that way in front of others. well. better to be beautiful than smart. ha! yeah, humility is not a strong feature as well. aren't you glad you know me?!!

what silly mistakes have you done? do share!

some photo fun

could we have fit more into the past few months? yes. and no!

what a crazy busy fall. then we all caught the cold going around town. bonus. thankfully we are all pretty much healthy now. but it meant that two out of four of us needed antibiotics in the end.

Kristian missed an entire week of work. as the week went on and he was not getting any better i got more worried. partly due to not liking it when he is sick and feeling bad for him. partly due to my plans for the weekend. i planned to leave town with some girlfriends. i know how tough it is to be a parent and be sick at the same time. i didn't want to leave him home with the kids and be sick. thankfully he was feeling better by Friday and even better by Saturday. perhaps it was a blessing because they had a more restful weekend staying home. he was back to work on Monday and it is great to see him feeling more like himself.

here are some photos he took of me using his iPhone4. not bad considering it is taken by a phone!



a little grainy. but still impressive.

he took this of me when i was having trouble with my camera. it wouldn't focus. ugh! i was sweating!! then i realized that i had accidentally switched from 'auto' to 'manual'. amazing what a little switch can do.



a perfect afternoon for a camera.



i have an interesting stance with a camera up to my eyeball. same pose in many of these photos.



this was not taken by a phone. i just poked my lens out the car window and snapped as we sped along the curvy road. i got a few that were fun! this is why i love digital. i would be much less daring if i had to pay for the developing of the 'wonder what this will do?" photos.


i took one photo while i was away on my weekend. it was a ladies retreat with about 800 women. they did have a professional photographer as part of the event. i admit i was distracted at times when i was checking out her equipment and seeing if i could figure out what shots she was trying to get. funny! my photo was of a purse i was thinking of buying for Kiara...a cute little pink flowery thing. i had thought about messaging it home to see what she thought, then changed my mind and decided to surprise her instead. she LOVED it. when we were not shopping, we were being inspired.

the keynote speaker was Carol Kent. she is a professional speaker and also book author. her personal story was unique and incredible. it is hard for me to express in my own words her story. there just is no coles' notes version happening from me! but it did leave me with a stronger desire to enjoy each day with joy. more gratitude for the blessings in my life.


we woke up to a foggy morning. the kids are beyond excited that Halloween is around the corner. AWANA had 'crazy-hair-night' last night, so that helped with their excitement. Aidan's costume this year is a store bought version. i have a feeling that he may have a desire to be more creative next year. i do personally prefer the home-made costumes....but i lack the skill to create them well.





i just learned about this one last night. wow! talk about the cool kid.

thankful

10 - 10 - 10

(10th month) October 10, 2010

we FINALLY celebrated Kristian's and Kiara's birthdays with the Olsen family. and since it is right around the corner, we also also included Aidan in the party.

we kind of had our own version of the Thanksgiving celebration at the same time. minus the traditional turkey. i will eat turkey. whether or not it was due to having a turkey farmer in the family...we had turkey at every family dinner for every major holiday. sometimes there was a baked ham too. mashed potatoes and gravy. stuffing...for the record, my Aunt Ruth was the best stuffing maker - if you like stuffing. baked yams.

i cooked a turkey with all the fixings once in my life. i was given a free turkey at Christmas as a bonus at a job. i invited friends to come and eat with my room-mate and i. we even had apple pie. and everything tasted great! ha!!

it has become a tradition for us to be as non-traditional in the food department at holidays, i think.

rack of lamb at Christmas.

one of my amazing neighbours gave me a recipe for steak with a Mustard-Cognac sauce that is dreamy. we decided to cook it up for Kristians' family and the birthday parties. it is a bit of a time consuming sauce to prepare, and it nearly drove them crazy with the smells....but it is so worth the trouble. good enough that we didn't hear one complaint about not eating turkey!


i also warned Kris' family that i was wanting family photos.



being the photographer and a part of the portrait is not easy. photoshop will have to help me! there will be some pixel head surgery happening. i'm not sure if it would have made a difference if i was not in the photo. in the above photo i asked for goofy faces. it is actually one of my favourites! definitely shows our true colours.....



what a surprise this one was. i LOVE the blur here.



some of the best photos came with just the grands. (grandparents and grandkids)




i love the light coming in behind them. they are good posers too.



4 of the 5 goofballs. what a crew these ones make!



here is our lovely sis-in-law holding the newest Olsen. has that boy grown!



and now we rest. Aidan just can't seem to shake the fall cold he found at school. last year he was sick and missed school on his birthday. i really hope and pray it will be different this year! after losing TWO days in one week for just me being sick in bed...i don't relish the thought of possibly catching something else.

just for you

Carol, i thought you and John would love to see these....

do they bring back plenty of happy memories?!












Pyramid Lake, Jasper




i just realized that every one of the photos i took has not one of my children in them. and there are more of Kristian and myself. i also realized that landscape photography is relatively simple...not to sound like i have a swollen head or anything...but you've seen how fast children move!


there were also signs of a wedding nearby: a group of women holding matching umbrellas blocking the road. a photographer poised, also in the middle of the road, with his lens pointing at them. (a very cool shot i immediately thought!) a fully packed little restaurant who could find no room for us. (had we been dressed for it, i think we may have considered crashing it!) it would have been a perfect day for a wedding.

another note, so that i don't forget. there was one man who was sitting by one of the benches, with his camera on a tripod. when we arrived on the island he was there. we were there for a long time, perhaps nearly an hour? when we left, he was in the same position. it was an excellent spot for a photo. i'm guessing he was going for a particular photo at a specific time? it made me wonder if i was that patient to get a single and specific photo.


if you are ever in Jasper....there are some very nice places to purchase framed photography. the most amazing ones i saw were hanging in a little cafe called Coco's. just an amateur with a really good eye and some talent for showing it off. i left with a happy tummy and inspired for some great and remote shots. now if i could only remember his name....

beauty

perfect day. much needed rejuvenation. with a treat like this sunset.

in his eyes

Aidan said to me on the way to the bus stop today:

"Mom, i know all about how to use my camera now. i know all of what it can do."

i am so not surprised.




his face has that concentrating look like i get when i'm taking the "perfect shot".



not too often do i post a photo of myself here.



an action shot. supper right before soccer this week.



stuffies dangling from the staircase. artistic? scary!



we had some neighbours over for supper one evening. too funny that he didn't come outside to take the picture.



this one REALLY IMPRESSED me!



so did this. they found some gigantic mushrooms near our house. i wonder what kind they are?




we also did some group shots with the timer. if it hadn't been for my camera strap, this would have been THE BEST photo of the day.


there were plenty more photos of toys and Kiara dancing. some self-portaits. even a lifestyle shot of his room....real life too. he did not bother to tidy it up before taking the shot! he does talk a lot {any idea who he gets that from?!} and we hear a lot of what he thinks of life. but it is fun to see what is important in his day too. it would be tempting to send the camera with him to school and see his day from his perspective.



i just finished a layout of Kiara from 2008. we were so glad to close the door on 2008 and welcome 2009! it was one of those years filled with far too much sadness and grief. it has been hard to scrapbook some of the photos that remind me of the pain. but we're moving on and finally able to celebrate the joy that the year also brought. finally. anyways....back to the point! if you think i ramble when i write, you should watch me ramble when i'm working on a layout! the kids change in leaps and bounds some days. and sometimes the growth and changes are so subtle that it is only visible in photos. thank goodness for photos!! when Kristian saw the photo of Kiara he didn't recognize her at first. here are a few that i took of her that same day. it's so easy to forget how little she was. to think she was just learning how to blow bubbles....now she is nearly ready to ride a bike without training wheels. the title on that layout?

"if only time could stand still for a moment...."

so true. at times.

we're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo....

seriously, it's Wednesday already?

time flies when you are having fun.

Sunday brought us to the local zoo to meet up with family. i hold my sister-in-law in much higher regard after that day. she is about to give birth to a nephew or niece any day....and she walked the zoo with as much energy as the rest of us. did i mention it was at least 30 degrees Celsius? she is amazing.





i like this one of the group reading the info sheet....




then looking for the animal.

a glimpse of the maturity we've seen growing? recognizing that words and pictures have real meaning?




ah. here are the kids we know!

another new exhibit?

what healthy kid can resist a perfect climbing tree?



they really enjoyed this exhibit of animal skins and parts. kids learn so much more when they can experience knowledge like this. i too am amazed at how much i can learn along with my kids.



you have no idea how THRILLED i was to capture this! it is tough enough to catch the tigers being active and playing. never mind the weekend crowd. or the double chain link fences.

{there are 5 evenings the zoo offers to photographers. an opportunity to participate in some special photographic activities. hmmmm....might be fun to learn tips from other photographers too!?}

their are a few exhibits that my kids love to see. Lucy the elephant. the Siberian tigers. the snow leopards. anything related to the monkeys. ducks.



who can resist the sprinklers on a hot day?



i got some more camera practice yesterday. i can't wait to share those photos! i got to go to a local farm with Aidan's kindergarten class. sadly, next year will be the last year they will host programs for kids. i take it for granted the lack of exposure city kids have to farm animals. the zoo does have an area with goats, rabbits and chickens for the kids to pet and interact with. however it just can't compete with a genuine farm.


i used the 'colorized' and 'quick edge burn' actions from Pioneer Woman on these photos. neither of them at 100%, i just adjusted each photo to an individual setting. i liked the real colours that came out on the camera. but it was fun to change them up even more! it helped that Monday morning was cloudy and cold. ha!

sweet

another great day.

kids slept in. i slept in. Kristian is on holidays, so he slept in too.

lazy morning.

lots of coffee! oh yes....caffeine and no grounds included. a bit of a luxury after camping.


an afternoon filled with playtime with new neighbors. i have to keep a bit of an eye out here. the kids will gravitate towards the walking path and play games or ride bikes together. i've learned that eventually they make their way into someones' yard. today was no exception! i got caught up with a few of them as i followed the kids journey.

they eventually settled in one yard, and three of us moms got to visit with a cold glass of wine while the kids played. for the first time since the move, i felt like i belonged. or maybe it was the wine?! Kristian didn't join "the wives"....but i'm sure he enjoyed a bit of a break from the noise the kids create. he did run some errands...so maybe it wasn't really a break....

none of the kids were happy about the afternoon of fun ending. Kris surprised them with chinese take-out and Star Wars. Aidan was glued to the screen. Kiara only cared about "princess yeya". robots....space fighters....light sabers...not exactly girl stuff. she did like the fortune cookie, however.

nobody complained about bedtime.

and i got to play around with some photos from the camping trip.

yes, mama is now in love with actions!

it was my goal to learn and play with actions (Photoshop) in March....well, can check that off the list. of course now i will be playing with others and choosing my favourites. my next goal is to figure out the best way to have large photos on my blog. some photos are more documentary and i don't do anything with them. but others i've played with and it seems pointless to see them the size of a large thumbnail....you can't tell i'm a firstborn can you?!

i really love the bottom photo. Kristian took it. i manipulated it with actions. straight out of the camera...it is awesome! for the record....he is an amazing photographer.

playing around

with picnik this morning.

once our move is complete and i'm feeling more settled, i plan to spend time organizing my computer files. maybe keep some online somewhere. i find the photos get so small on blogger. it has been so long since i had fun editing my photos too. i took a SIStv class on photo-editing, but haven't had the time (or energy!) to work through the lessons. but a few photos i took yesterday really inspired me to try some of the techniques.

i thought i'd do a couple of lessons...but only made it through one of them. it had me check out picnik. i'd heard of it before. however PSE does so much stuff and i'm familiar with it. i know i will always love my PSE....but picnik is the quick and easy way to edit photos. so i have discovered.

seriously.

it's free.

you also have the option to store your photos online.

in my un-researched opinion....i think it does decrease the quality of the photo compared to PSE. i think it will be fine for 4x6 printing, and most likely 5x7. i tend to only print my photos in that size anyway. it is always good to have a copy of your original photo and only save your edited version as a copy! if i am wanting to use a particular photo for a project i often print out the original and then different edited versions. nothing can replace that 'hands-on' decision making. at least for me!


cross-processing....i hope that i will have enough space at our new house to plant these flowers. i know that one tray would have been good enough....but i was having a terrible time deciding which ones to take. worst case scenario: they will make great gifts!!

vintage silhouette...our little girl got her first two wheeler bike this weekend. surprisingly she is more cautious on a bicycle. at least for now.

vintage silhouette and CinemaScope...in his bedtime prayers, Aidan asked Daddy to pray for a sunny and warm day with now rain. he really wanted to ride his bike with Kiara because it was so much fun. {we are in desperate need for some decent weather. Kiara isn't able to wear off enough energy during the day when she is stuck inside.}

literally with a simple click. great time saver. tell me what you think. try some more of the options. you can add text. stickers. frames. just make sure you have your coffee mug filled....you won't want to take the time to get up to do that once you are on the site!

enjoy your weekend!!

just one of those things

soooo....i am terribly bad!
Kristian just shakes his head at me.

yesterday i signed up for a scrapbook class at Urban. it was amazing!! anyways...my story. i decided that it was also a great opportunity for me to take some new photos of the kids. i made sure they had clean clothes....brushed hair...clean faces...i even got a sheet and prepared a backdrop. yes! i was very proud of myself.

and as they say...pride goeth before the fall. {sooo glad we don't speak like that anymore!}

the kids were awesome. cooperative. smiley. funny. cute. i knew i got some great pics. at least i hoped!

i patted my back and began the download. at 95% complete my computer shut down the operation. due to...not enough disk space.

no surprise that i am in need of a decent storage system and back up. but today?!

not only did i not get to use the new and latest photos for the project. but i had to wait to see how the photos turned out! have i ever mentioned that i have a patience problem?!

i was able to make some room....and downloaded them successfully today. wahoo!!

and this is one of many great shots of these two. yay for us!!


as a reward for great posing i took them to Galaxyland. and it was a great time for all of us. i managed to make it home in time to shower, pack up my bag of tools, choose two photos that i had on hand, and get to the class on time.

laying low

still run low with this cold. trying to appreciate that i don't have to rush off to work or other responsibilities that are a higher priority than feeling well. there has to be something good! the kids have been most understanding. phew!

Kristian is healthy. which is good because he was back at work yesterday. lucky guy to be either sick or taking care of sickies on his holiday. he seemed to be most appreciative to be with us. i think that should push him up to sainthood....

Kiara is struggling with a runny nose. which we can handle! it has been tough on her potty learning....too many days where making it to the potty were the least of everyone's concerns. i'm just thankful that she recognizes what she is forgetting...hopefully it will balance out soon. soon. we hope soon.

Aidan missed his first day back at playschool yesterday. he came down with 'pink eye' on the weekend. today he is complaining that his sore head is making his throat hurt. so much for hoping he had the mild version of "The Cold". for him {okay, and for me too!} it has been horrible to miss school. he has also had a later onset of more stomach flu. thankfully no throwing up this round.

we were supposed to go out on Saturday night....babysitter lined up....and wham! this is the second time in the last month that she got lucky. it would have been a rough night for her if she had been at our house. somehow i don't think we could have afforded to pay her what she would have deserved! hopefully our plans for this Saturday night will still work out....

and the weather outside is truly FRIGHTFUL. not like we're wanting to be outside. but the running from one warm place to the next is brutal. it warmed up yesterday to about -15 Celsius. lovely. this reminds me of the winter in 1996...ice fog....ice....ice....the only good thing about that was that we had a sauna in our appartment building. my other memory of that winter...i can still remember my brother-in-law wearing a t-shirt/jeans and an unbuttoned leather coat. {i think he was only 19 years old at the time } and me? sweater, fleece coat, winter coat, scarf, hat, mitts.... i still froze!! he must have had skin like a buffalo or something!


not sure if i should be grateful for the bad weather and sickness to come at the same time? jury is still out on that debate.

we spent most of our day yesterday being creative with paper and glue at the kitchen table. i had prepared an album last month....a photo and some journalling each day for the 25 days leading up to Christmas. ALL i had to do was take a photo, print it and add journalling. i couldn't even get that accomplished! so i finished it yesterday. all in all, i'm still glad i did the project. it was great to look back on the positive of the month! {i would not describe December 2008 as a perfect Christmas month.}

i have been inspired by the book 'Creative Family' but it has been hard...the author lives on the east coast....sooooo different from the prairies. ever read 'Sarah, Plain and Tall'? it's actually a children's book. definitely a good read-aloud one too. if i had to criticize....it's too bad the author did not write about the winter. our historical park, 'Fort Edmonton' is only open on special days October through May. that should speak for itself.

the tree is down. Aidan is fighting tears because it was a good tree and he wants to keep it forever.

we were talking one day about school next year. then he announced that he had some things he wanted to accomplish before kindergarten. i can already sense a scrapbook starting! he would like to be one of Santa's Elves for awhile and then be a fireman. when he has done those two things, then he would like to go on and do kindergarten. he breaks into tears if we even mention kindergarten. i'm frightened to think about what he may want to accomplish before grade one!!



last week Aidan and Kris brought this home for me:

lovely. i love the single colour. Aidan did try to convice Daddy that i would like a more 'brightly' coloured bouquet. hmmm...

of course i take photos. and then did some playing around with my faves...


this is with a sepia tone.

i used some soft focus on this one.

this has a few touches added.

i wonder what it would look like with a vellum type overlay? hmmmm.....

i'm hoping that my digital photobook will arrive in the mail this week....can't wait to see that!

stay warm. and healthy.

cheers!

i'm dreaming

of photography lessons....



i've been noticing some amazing photography lately. some people have an eye for detail and it shows. and then some of those people actually know how to get the most out of their camera. and it shows. and then there are the people who know what a good photo actually looks like.


and then there is me.


i try.


digital cameras have saved me. like the day i snapped nearly 300 photos of Kiara....just to make sure i got ONE good shot! can you imagine me explaining to Kristian why i just used ten rolls of 35mm film and spent a couple hundred on developing costs. and if you knew me well...you'd also wonder how i could explain it to myself. because we know that i would never have taken that many photos in the first place if that were the case!! yes, i would have bought just one roll and crossed my fingers that i got lucky. besides, what would i do with 299 bad photos?! more than likely there would probably be some kind of support group for me. scary thought.


so now i can snap off a million photos in a few minutes. and the only cost is my time. (seeing as the camera has been paid for!)


and then came adobe photoshop elements. oh yeah.


i can take photos that actually show the face. there is no blur. eyes are open. smiling. nothing busy in the background.


and then i can play around with them in photoshop.

at this point i should mention that i do not have a fancy shmancy camera. it is just a point and shoot. 5.1 megapixels. this is working for now. one day we'd love to have one of those heavy cameras that need their own suitcase....haha. seriously there is a lot of stuff that can be done with a simple point and shoot.

like this. and i caution you. i am FAR from an expert. just a gal who likes to play and see what happens. sometimes i develop the masterpiece. and other times i trash it. to keep my self-confidence at a high level i also don't like to keep track. it would be sad.


so here is a shot straight out of the camera. (yes after i turned the image on my computer!)



like i said. all the basics to me are there. there is a little blur in the hands. but other than that, not too bad.

and here is the same photo after some photoshop alterations. i used a "recipe" i got from pioneer womans' photography website. and a trick of my own..."adjust color to skin tone", works magic in some photos if they include people.(still working through Scott Kelby's book....but saw this recipe first and am playing around with it right now...until Scott tells me otherwise....man i am such a follower....) the jacket is a little scratchy. but since it is denim i like it.

really, this is where i could stop. and usually do for regular photos.

but why stop when there is more to add....like this!

then a little burn on the edges. this is my new thing. still working on this one too.

and this has been fun. add text. move the text. play with the settings.

and here i added some brushes. photoshops' version of stamps....in "roxanne-speak". (which is a language most people would benefit from knowing....and would help me out a ton....)

in case you have forgotten how cheap i can be...these brushes were downloaded for free. i have paid for some, but i don't pass up a free deal either. honestly...pay for a digital camera--but i think the majority of us have these now anyway. download some free photo-editing programs to test out, or buy adobe. download free fonts, brushes, overlays, etc.

here is the comparison of the photo straight out of the camera and the one that has been photoshopped.

right now i am trying to put together photos for Kiara's final month baby album layout (see...you are starting to understand "roxanne-speak"..not that hard....really). and it should be fun because they are summer photos. but for some reason i can't get my mind to relax and just enjoy cropping. i'm worried that the problem is that i have read too much about things to do with photoshop that i'm being too perfectionistic about it all. ugh! i have also chosen the paper before i developed the photos. and one of them is a transparency overlay with the coolest frames....and i need to crop them to fit. yeah, that is part of it. but i think i need to lighten up on the photoshopping....just want to start putting the page together.

because then i get to do her first birthday page.

and then i need to go through the digital photo album and actually develop some of the photos from the last 9 months.

hmmmm.....maybe the problem is that i'm thinking too far ahead?

i think i need to lighten up and just take this one step at a time. story of my life!!

anyways, you can download a free trial version of adobe photoshop elements here. i hope that i have inspired you to play around and do funky things to your digital photos. Nitty Gritty Jody also mentioned a free site on her blog the other day. it looks like fun too.

okay no excuses. go have some fun.

and i'll take it easy and just enjoy putting this one page together. and not think about my to do list.

and to add as a post-script....Kris and I actually love reading Scott Kelby's book. sure we are learning stuff...but he is totally funny. i think you might even enjoy his humour if you were allergic to photography. no exaggeration. Sherri, i can't believe you forgot to tell me how funny he is!

and the deadline is up for ordering sausages or perogies. i know i should have told you earlier. that is what happens when you are lazy. i am trying to learn. this is an instance when telepathy would have been very useful. plus it would allow me to continue to be lazy, right?