PHOTOSHOP FUN!!

So, I have had the opportunity to install Photoshop on my computer and play with it a bit. What a great program! I have a TON to learn but I will learn it for sure. Today, I decided to play with this photo of Shae that I took and on the right side of her it was darker than I wanted and her eyes didn't pop out so here is what I did.

Straight out of the camera (SOOC)

In Photoshop I used the Vintage Action from Pioneer Woman action pack 1 and then added a bit of green at 5% opacity to her eyes and used the dodge tool at 20% to lighten the right side of her face and for fun used the dodge with a smaller tool at 10% to brighten her teeth and finally lightened up her hair a bit on the left side.

This was turned to B&W and then used the lighting effects filter.

I used the seventies action, lightened the right side of the face a bit and added a little green to her eyes on this one.

Just a little play'n around and thank goodness for my hubby being able to answer my questions and guiding me on this Photoshop journey.

It's not even Wednesday yet!

So, it's not even Wednesday yet and my calendar has been minute by minute full and over flowing! But we are having lots of fun, doing great things, spending time with family and friends, and exploring new adventures. I just finished sewing 24 gogo boot covers,12 vests, and 24 hats for the next show "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and also finished reading "The Well Trained Mind". So, I am getting a little of my projects completed as well as the girls list. :0)

We got a much needed day with Tom's family! We had 9 of them up here and we spent the day together on Saturday. We had a nice BBQ and went to the car show at Tsunami on the square and then back to the house for lots of play time with the kids and yummy dessert. My nephews are getting so big and so darn cute! Great family time! I wish they would all move up here and we could see them more!

The girls are taking a art class with about 50 kids on Mondays for an hour and a half. They studied Egypt this Monday and loved the exhibit along with being able to rap up the mummy. Over dinner Kayla told Tom and I all about how the Egyptians pulled the brain out threw the nose and how they took out the body parts and left the heart. She wants to go visit Egypt one day.

The girls have never played Tennis before so I decided to have them try out a class this week. Both girls are enjoying it and may get their own racquet's one day soon.

Today we got to spend some volunteer time at the Heritage Park Zoo in the garden. A friend of mine came up with the wonderful idea of creating a garden to grow vegetables and feeding the zoo animals from it and having a "Garden Club" of volunteers maintain it. Today, we brought some friends with us and we got to clear out and make a path from the main walkway to the garden area and also move dirt and create a rock drain for the one low corner.

The is a great community service project for the kids and the animals will love their fresh food taken right from their own garden.

Now, I must finish the rest of my week with 2 birthday parties, lunch at a friends house, helping a friend with her garage sale and watch the celtic dancers at the library.

Whew! I need a nap x 5!

We have a Cecropia Moth

Here is the cocoon (very large!)

I checked on the cocoons about 9:30pm and there it was.... gently flapping its wings in the habitat. I had to wake the girls up to see it and then we decided to release it since moths are more active at night. It wasn't quite ready to fly yet so the girls got to hold it until it was ready.
It's wing span was as large as their hands.

We put the moth on the juniper tree and let it be.

Isn't it beautiful!

Then this am Tom went outside to take the dogs out and he noticed these two moths and called me out to see them. I wonder if one was ours and it found a mate? So, I picked up the rock they were on and placed it on the Juniper tree and we noticed there were having a little fun. tee,hee,hee! Here is a close up of them. Shae asked them what they were doing and quickly all I could think of was "They were kissing with their butts" and she says "GROSS!"

Congrats Kayla!!!

In the mail today Kayla received a special package! A couple of months ago Kayla wrote and illustrated her second book. While we were working on her book we found out about the Reading Rainbow contest ................. so we submitted her original artwork and story to Arizona State University and PBS. She has been waiting patiently and finally we got the news.

Kayla's submission was selected for and sent on to the 2009 NATIONAL READING RAINBOW YOUNG WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS contest! She received a Certificate of Achievement and 3 DVD's. We will now watch for more information in the mail from National PBS and in August we will find out more. Way to go Kayla! In the mean time Kayla's book has been formatted and ready to be published and printed. The title of her book is called "Tom the Turkey". The story line is very cute and she came up with the entire story herself including her illustrations. More on her second book later. And don't forget she still has her first book on Amazon.com "Green Aliens in Space."

Oh Crack .... I mean Crap!

What another wonderful day today was! It started out with the girls wanting to go golfing. I thought and said " you just golfed all week at camp for 2 1/2 hours a day." So, I took them and they golfed for about 1 hour. Shae is great at putting and Kayla at chipping and they both love to drive.
As I was preparing dinner with my Red Stripe in hand .......... Kayla says "someone pooped!" And sure enough one of the dogs pooped! And that is the problem with having 2 dogs as I don't know which one did it. Damn!
So, after that was all taken care of we all sit down for salad and the famous French Bread Pizza that we decided we like my homemade pizza much better....................... anyway, I look out the window towards my neighbors house and there it was! The CRACK! Our neighbor is having some work done on their house and the workers were cleaning up and yes ... bending over and the CRACK was right there as I take a bite of my pizza and wash it down with my Red Stripe. Yummy! Crack and Crap all within the hour.

SUMMER DELIGHT

What a joy it has been hanging out on the golf course with the girls all week. What fun they had at golf camp! Kayla and Shae both worked on their swing and Shae LOVED to help gather up the golf balls. It was like a easter egg hunt to her.

Hang'n out with their friends was the best part!

CAMP

Golf camp is now is session and the girls loved their first day! To my surprise Shae really liked it even though the day before she told me that she thought golf was "dumb". They had several friends there so that made it even more fun. I got to hang out with my mommy friends on deck and enjoyed our 71 degree afternoon with overcast cloud coverage. Just BEAUTIFUL!!

And this is for Nala and Tuesday's foster mom Jody and the min pin haven rescue.

We are enjoying every day with our new min pins! They are learning the sit and stay command and are getting the hang of walking on leash. They are so darn cute and fun to have around!

A Proud Little Lady!

Kayla was a proud little lady this week! We are so lucky to have such great neighbors and one of them is a great quilter. Kayla went to her house every week on Thursday afternoons for the past month and learned to measure, cut, sew, layout her design and snip. She did everything including the shopping for the fabric. She just loves her new quilt! Thanks Sherry!

This one is for you Jamie. Artisan Bread in just 5 minutes! Yes, it really is true! I first read about it on my weekly read of the Everyday Cheapskate. So, I checked the book from our local library and gave it a try. I have made homemade Artisan bread just about every other day for the past 2 weeks. It is so simple and fresh that I have no need to buy that fresh baked bread at the bakery.

Kayla even made her first batch all by herself and brought a loaf to our neighbor Sherry as a thank you for showing her how to make her quilt.

(last night's fresh baked bread)

Got TWO??

Wow!! We must like things in TWO'S!! Two daughters, two cocoons, two hamsters and now two adorable dogs. The addition to our family has been great! Nala and Tuesday have settled right in and made their self a home and now have an instant family. They are so funny to watch! They do nothing without the other. One is mellow and stubborn and the other is a slight spaz and likes to obey. The girls are enjoying them very much and I think Tom is as well. When the girls and I are out they like to lay in their bed near Tom in his office. Today he said that they were snuggled so close together that it looked like one dog with 2 heads.