Jared's Favorite Scripture Hero

I bet you'll never guess who his favorite scripture hero is!

 

Top Ten {Tuesday}: Favorite PSE Shortcuts

Find more great Top Ten lists at www.ohamanda.com


I love teaching people to use Photoshop Elements. It's not a very expensive program, and it can do so much! I use it for photo editing and digital scrapbooking. The more you use PSE, the quicker and easier it becomes. Knowing a few shortcuts can really kick things into high gear. I like to work with my right hand on my mouse, and my left hand on the keyboard, ready to use shortcuts. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. CTRL+Z (Undo) has to be the best part of PSE, hands down. It's so freeing to know that you can undo anything you want. Don't hesitate to play because you can't permanently mess anything up.

2. Knowing the keyboard shortcuts for the tools that get used the most: V=Move, B=Brush, C=Crop, W=Magic Wand, I=Eyedropper, K=Paint Bucket, S=Clone Stamp, M=Marquee, L=Lasso, U=Shape Tool. If a tool shares a spot with another tool (like the shape tool, pressing the key again will move it to the next tool. So, pressing U once gives you the Rectangle Shape tool. Press it again and you have the Rounded Rectangle tool. Again, and you get the Ellipse tool, etc.).

3. ALT+Click on the line between layers in the layers palette instead of CTRL+G for a clipping mask. I like it because you can use it to unclip as well.

4. CTRL+J to copy a layer or a selection,Shift+CTRL+J to cut a selection and paste it onto a new layer.

5. Hold the ALT key while resizing to resize from the center instead of from one side.

6. After applying a style (especially one you have customized), right click on the layer in the layers palette and choose "copy layer". Then, highlight and layers you want the style applied to, right click, and choose "paste style".

7. Hold the Space Bar down to get the "Hand" tool, especially when you are zoomed way in for fine brush work or making a detailed selection. Don't switch tools or zoom out, just hold the Space bar down, move to a new spot, and keep working.

8. Brackets [ and ] to change the size of your brush. And Right+Clicking to get the Brush Palette.

9. To quickly lighten an under exposed photo, make a copy of the photo layer (just drag the photo layer up on top of the New Layer Icon at the top of the Layers Palette and release), and change the Blending Mode to Screen. If it still isn't light enough, make a copy of the copy layer. The Blending Mode will be copied too. You can keep making copies until you get it light enough. Merge all of the layers together when you are done.

10. To quickly darken an over exposed photo, make a copy of the photo layer and change the Blending Mode to Multiply. If it still isn't dark enough, make a copy of the copy layer. You can keep making copies until you get it dark enough. If it's too dark, you can lower the opacity of the copied layer to get the look you want.

Top Ten {Tuesday}: Things I LOVE (or don't love) about living in Houston

Things I love about living in Houston:
1. Our church. I really feel apart of things, people have been so welcoming and inclusive here. I've never felt that before. It feels like we are part of a church family.
2. Making several great friends. I haven't had friends like this since high school. I think it's because before moving here, I always lived close to family, so I didn't feel the need to make friends. I miss my family, but I love having friends to do stuff with, to commiserate with, to chat on the phone about nothing in particular.
3. The summer rainstorms (unless I have to drive someplace). Rainstorms here are unlike anything I've ever experienced. It's amazing to me how quickly a storm can start, how hard it can rain, and how fast it clears up. Actually, let's just say the weather in general. I love the mild weather for three seasons out of the year. It totally makes the summer bearable. And summer can be spent in the pool, so it's pretty pleasant as well. (knowing I won't ever have to shovel snow helps too!)
4. Fresh tortillas. Yummy-yummy-yummy. Hot and soft and fabulous, made and packaged right before your eyes in the regular grocery store. I'll never go back to regular tortillas.
5. The fresh produce that you can get almost year round here.

Things I could do without:
6. Being so far from family. I miss spending time with them, going to family events, etc.
7. The bugs - especially the fire ants. And the cockroaches. Ugh.
8. The temperatures never cool down at night
9. Having to mow the lawn almost year round.
10. The humidity. Sometimes I think I'm going to melt

 
You can find lots of other fun Top Ten {Tuesday} lists at www.ohamanda.com

Service

So, I was really grumpy this afternoon. I don't know why. It wasn't a particularly bad day, the kids weren't being difficult, I got a good night's sleep, I wasn't running low on chocolate. But, I was just feeling grumpy. Out of sorts, out of patience, out of motivation.

And then, while I was doing the dishes before dinner, Megan and Jared decided to "do some service to make mama happy" (that's what they told me later that they were doing). There was a big pile of laundry that needed to be folded in the living room, and the two of them sat down and folded the whole thing. Then they put it all away. There are moments that the two of them drive me to distraction with their fighting and arguing, but then there are moments that they amaze me with their kindness and thoughtfulness. Seeing them work together, knowing what kind of people they are becoming, it makes me feel humble that the Lord allows me to be their mother.

Top Ten {Tuesday}: Highlights (and lowlights) of the week

 
Yes, I'm doing Top Ten {Tuesday} on Wednesday afternoon. That alone should tell you how the week's going. Yes, I know it's only Wednesday, so I shouldn't call this Highlights and Lowlights of the week, but I'm hoping that the rest of the week will be even keel, uneventful, and uninteresting...A girl can hope, can't she?

Let's just jump in here...

1. Travis got home at the end of last week and got to go to church with us. Love it when that happens. Total Highlight.
2. Neighbors starting setting off fireworks at 7:30 Sunday evening. They were still at it at 1 AM. Monday morning, we found our driveway and yard littered with firework bits. As well as a few on our porch and on the roof of our house. Not so much of a highlight.
3. Travis had Monday off. We relaxed, I slept in, he cooked, we went swimming.Big highlight.
4. Tuesday I dropped the kids off at play group and they both went happily. Highlight.
5. I drove directly from dropping them off to an appointment with my new OB/GYN. Got lost, was late, ornery and flustered. Not a highlight. I got to have an internal exam at my appointment. I wasn't expecting an internal exam. I was expecting blood work....I'm going to get my legs waxed, so I've been growing my leg hair out (it has to be at least 1/4 inch long. Do you know how long 1/4 inch is in leg hair terms? Do you know how long it takes to get it that long? Do you know how difficult that is in July in Houston? I didn't. Now I do). I got to have an internal exam with my new OB with ridiculously hairy legs. Soooo not a highlight.
6. I drove straight from that appointment to pick up the kids, and take them to the dentist for check ups. No cavities, and Jared didn't bite anyone this time. Highlight.
7. Spent the afternoon visiting with a friend. Total highlight.
8. Wednesday went to the park with the kids and some friends. Got to talk to grown ups and didn't have to mediate between fighting kids. Highlight. Almost got carried away by vulture-sized mosquitoes. Not so much of a highlight, but worth it.
9. Went to the dentist for my own check up. ugh....I'd pick going back to the OB with hairy legs over this one.
10. Finally time to be home, relaxing, emailing, blogging, preparing for my Brushes class tonight. Big highlight. :D

You can find more top ten lists over at www.ohamanda.com.

Swiming with the Family

I told the kids that we could go swimming today. We had a race to see if the kids or the parents could get ready first.Megan and Jared were ready really quickly. While they were waiting for us, Megan wrote this letter:

I thought it was pretty cute. It says:
Me and Jared beetid (beated) you beecus (because) I helpt (helped) Jared beecus (because) that is wat (what) berothers (brothers) and sisters do beecus (because) we love eathcher (each other).

We had a lot of fun swimming. It was great to have Travis home to go with us. The kids love spending time with him.

 Megan is getting to be quite a good swimmer.

All in all, it was a lovely, relaxing day with the family.

4th of July 2010

Happy Fourth, Everyone!