December 31, 2009 - Living For Jesus is FUN

Sick. Coughing. Sneezing. Snot. Feel rotten but NOT DEAD YET (just mostly dead, like Wesley).

The Whitley's brought soup over for us, bless their hearts!

Abby is NOT sick and gets to go to the New Year's Party at the Bigelows, Camden is super chapped that he doesn't get to go - but his cough is worse than mine.

Happy New Year! We didn't even light the fireworks we saved for the occasion...perhaps for Lunar New Year!

December 30, 2009 - Living For Jesus is Fun

Kurt brought yummy frozen chicken soup concentrate from Cash & Carry home with him - YAY! Because I didn't get out of bed all day except to shower and do the dishes. For real people. We are all sick and we all lounged all day except Kurt who had to work anyway.

The only pics again today are screen shots from *windows* shopping...

I almost bought these, then remembered, I have Mindy kits almost these colors and the colors are what I liked...so I didn't - I bought some things at digitalscrapcafe.com though...just not these lol - I had never heard of that particular shop until sometime last month I stumbled across it and found some neat things :D

December 29, 2009 - Living For Jesus is Fun

I was sick. SICK SICK and didn't really want to work but had no choice...made it through that...

I got tired of trying to sleep while coughing and did some *windows* shopping...and resisted the urge to buy this Glam New Year kit by Leora of Little Dreamer Designs - because I know I wouldn't use them even if I am in love with the bokeh texture on the big paper and the colors make me think fondly of Burns High while victory chants from football season go through my head...silly. I know.

December 28, 2009 - Living For Jesus is Fun

Photo of lens cap...new white balance lens cap from Ebay for like $6 including shipping - to help set a custom white balance for any situation...I may even learn how to use it effectively :D

December 27, 2009 - Living For Jesus is Fun

Everyone, please take note... Ruby's teeth are coming in, She really IS going to get those front teeth she wanted for Christmas after all...and she thought it was just a song....

December 26, 2009 - Living For Jesus is Fun

Abby replaced her gizmo that played music and was supposed to take pictures with something wonderful that she's in love with even though it's red, not pink. She got a Canon Powershot A480. And the first thing she did was take my picture.

She can do video with sound. She can take pictures. She has a real Canon. She's one happy chiquita!

December 25, 2009 - MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Oh dear...is that a pizza box in the gift pile? Folks, it's true...Kurt got tired of wrapping and decided the pizza box was WHITE and looked LOVELY with nothing but a label on it...

I made him wrap the other 4 or 5 chicken and pizza boxes...

Now - even though this day did not go perfectly - Kurt was so sick he was out of bed long enough for the kids to unwrap gifts; Abby's gift didn't work right and when we emailed the customer service for the product their AUTO RESPONDER instantly sent us an email stating everything that could/would go wrong with their product and what we could do to temporarily reboot the thing...and ultimately, at the end, the suggestion to return the product to place of purchase within 2 weeks of purchase. NICE. that was a bummer lol - in the end we were all VERY blessed. We (well, the kids and I, minus sleeping Kurt) had a lovely dinner at Dad & Kelli's house with Kortni & Rob, Kent, Becky and their children and I don't think we even had to take a photo of Dad with his Lutefisk this time...

Abby and her gizmo that took 6 photos then crashed (like software, internal malfunction crash...cute but useless device)

Ruby and her new pajamas and bag of PAINTS to go with her easel and brushes.

Kurt and his special new mugger mask for work.

Camden being nice to his sister and wearing his new soft (and manly) pajama bottoms (he begged for pink happy bunny pajama bottoms once because they were soft fleece and the men's section usually only has flannel that isn't soft...)

I assume my Dad will have a photo of ME from Christmas to prove I was there :D

December 24, 2009 - Living For Jesus is...what it's all about!

Monika's sister and Dad - Chrsitmas Eve. We all had to work (not her sister, but all of the Gino's supervisers and most of the crew). Becky, Katie and I closed, we had several really sweet customers! Kurt showed up around 7 pm to start wrapping our Christmas gifts for home (we figured large tables, no kids, sort of like a date out of the house - good plan).

Monika's Dad, Jaun, also promised to bring me shrimp salad - he makes this KILLER shrimp salad, it's more like shrimp with salsa but it wasn't spicy hot...killer. Amazing. WONDERFUL STUFF :o)

December 23, 2009 - Living For Jesus is Fun

I BOUGHT THESE. Funkyplayground Designs is having a best of 2009 sale and things were $1.35 which is in my budget - so I think I actually bought these in the pack that had 60 different paper pattern templates in it, I even unzipped it. Sometime in 2010 I will even open the folder and at least look at them ;o)

December 20, 2009 - Living For Jesus is FUN

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Christopher England!

December 19, 2009 - Living For Jesus is Fun

Tattling...with proof. Shhhh. Don't tell the little people that I log into their webkinz when they aren't around...I like Zingoz Pop! :)

December 18, 2009 - Living For Jesus is Fun

See, I could have an addiction to story boards, I love these too, they're at OScraps and Emily Powers did them...and no, I didn't buy these either because even on a lazy day, I really could do this myself too (well, maybe not the sweet black and white photos she's displaying them with...but the blocks with my pics I could).

December 17, 2009 - Living For Jesus is Fun

We went to Cape Arago to check out the high waves...the speck on the rock down near the water is CAMDEN who didn't listen when he was told not to go down there...








Hmmm...I think I love these templates :o)
By Cre@bisontine at After Five Designs, but they weren't in my Christmas shopping budget and if I would just learn to leave simple and plain alone...I really could do this myself :)

December 16, 2009 - Living For Jesus is Fun

posed? perhaps. cute curls rubz!

December 15, 2009 - Living For Jesus is Fun

Okay, here we have the budged flash diffuser combo...

I saw a little Photojojo tip on how to use a film canister, which I had actually put off since August because I am not safe with sharp objects and thick plastic (I'm clumsy, what can I say), so in a pinch, I decided a portion cup would work (happened to be during the employee Christmas party at Gino's where we have stacks of these little gems).

So the portion cup worked great! Easily attaches with scotch tape (dollar tree variety used here). Then I got brave and tried the film canister at home...then tried them side by side and then together (by side by side, I mean one shot with just the canister, then one with just the portion cup) and decided that together they work well for close up shots in which you need a flash that would normally wash out the subject.

So a fancy flash, speedlight, off camera remote strobes, or even $60 diffuser attachment would be *cool* but this is way cool...and while I still dream of that delightful Canon 7D...I really think I need the Superheadz Golden Twin that shoots regular 35mm film...and I admit, I could totally get sucked into the toy camera thing. There are some amazing film cameras out there that we in the digital age pay money to filter, grunge and grain up - why not shoot it that way in the first place? Actually, I have to confess, I don't edit my photos to look like they were shot with shoddy film and equipment, but I LOVE THE LOOK!! I'm actually gonna' load the film I have into Abby's *hannah montana* plastic real *toy* camera. Should be FUN!

This fancy contraption should work with ANY on camera flash, pop up or not, providing you can find the portion cup the size you need...scotch tape can be cut to needed size. :) Mine is the 3.25 ounce size, that's what we have at Gino's :o)

December 14, 2009 - Living For Jesus is Fun

My Artscow books came today. NINE of them, all at once. Very cool :)

December 13, 2009 - Living For Jesus is Fun

The Tipsy Man with his *SPIRITS* of Christmas, counting how long he's been sick on his fingers...

The youth group and kids that did the program were AWESOME!! Ruby did a fantastic job on her solo and even got the words mostly right. Jesus was a wonderful child and Joseph got to be his EARTHLY father when she finally got up to perform - as opposed to His *early* father which he'd been all week :D

December 12, 2009 - Living For Jesus is Fun

Monika's page from her wedding planning book that has the list of photos she wants taken at her wedding. I should look over that list before Sunday.

December 11, 2009 - Living For Jesus is Fun

Chocolate fountain.
Sause Christmas party :)
this year there was a little caramel fountain as well - tasty.

December 10, 2009 - Living For Jesus is Fun

Windows shopping...found a new store on accident. I love simple kits and this one was cute and simple.

Digital Scrap Cafe

There was lots of cute stuff there :D