I am totally and completely in love with this picture of Ella, awake only minutes and already demanding to wear boots to go play in the snow.   And the sunflare!  I can’t believe the sun was in *just* the right spot for me to have captured such lovely sunflare!

Alright, I cannot tell a lie.

The sunflare was added in Photoshop.  I am both appalled at this new knowledge, that sunflare can just be added with a simple click and overjoyed that sunflare can just be ADDED WITH A SIMPLE CLICK.

“Tate!  Look at this picture!  Look at the sunflare I added!  I’ve been trying to capture sunflare with my camera forever and all I had to do was add it in Photoshop!”

He looked at me with a stern expression.  “Isn’t that kind of cheating?”

I don’t have an answer.  I don’t know!  Is it cheating?  (Even if it is cheating, I love this picture with the power of  a thousand burning photoshopped sun(flare)s.)

You can see my entire set of photos for my project 365 {2010} on Flickr.

©2012 Playgroups are No Place For Children. All Rights Reserved.

week 3.  escort.

This photo was one of those that I just snapped, there was no set up or begging the children to cooperate. I love it when it’s easy.

I wish I would have saved a copy of this photo SOOC (straight out of the camera) to show how great a few simple edits in Photoshop changed this okay picture into a pretty darn good one.

Speaking of Photoshop, one of the reasons I’m doing this whole 365 project is because I need to actually learn how to use the version of Photoshop that’s been on my computer for over 2 years (Elements 6).  I’ve found Photoshop to be incredibly frustrating, but I refuse to buy any books about how to use it because reading something like that sounds about as fun as a root canal.  I just want to magically know how to use it.

I did find a FANTASTIC, LIFE CHANGING tutorial on Pioneer Woman’s site.  It was so simple to follow and basically I’ve done a version of this very thing to every single picture I’ve taken the past three weeks.  This tutorial covered the whole “layers” thing, which is PIVOTAL to Photoshop success and explains why I never could get it to do anything for me before.

Of course, I still have a looooooong way to go with learning Photoshop.   For example, I need to start using some of the actions I’ve downloaded from Coffee Shop Photography.  It’s sorta kinda complicated to get the actions to work, so I just need about a month of uninterrupted time on the computer to work on it.  (See also:  Things that will never happen.)

Just for giggles, please note the picture below.  I decided to do some experimenting in Photoshop. The color?  Is atrocious.    In my defense, you shoulda seen it before I did anything to it.  It looked even worse.  I was sick of photo editing by the time it got to this point, so this was the final result.  GEEZ.  I’m LEARNING, okay??

For anybody who is still reading and decides to comment on this terribly boring photography babble post, I just want to say that you are a true friend.  For those of you who think Photoshop is sooooo easy, I’ve got my fingers in my ears saying, “La, la, la, la.  I CAN’T HEAR YOU.”

You can see my entire set of photos for my project 365 {2010} on Flickr.

©2012 Playgroups are No Place For Children. All Rights Reserved.

Yesterday when going to meet the Blind man at my house (he can actually see…he just sells blinds), I nearly wrecked my car when I drove by this scene.

Thank goodness I’ve taken everyone’s advice and I tote my camera EVERYWHERE I go.

I knew I had to turn the car around and shoot some photos, it was so beautiful! The orange leaves, the way the trees lined the road along the cemetery, the sun and how it filtered through the leaves…

I couldn’t wait to get home and play around on Photoshop with the photos, I had just Stumbled on some free textures on Flickr and wanted to see if I could figure out how to use them.

Of course I never have been able to figure out how to do the vignette in Photoshop, so I just added that part using THE GREATEST PHOTO SOFTWARE ON THE INTERNET, Picnik.  (PS…I’m giving away a PREMIUM Picnik subscription next week!)

There is a certain peace in having moved to Tennessee during the fall and makes leaving my beloved Indiana less painful.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Don’t forget, you can still enter the Vintage Body Spa giveaway until tomorrow morning!

©2012 Playgroups are No Place For Children. All Rights Reserved.

Trying something new
Carmen Electra’s striptease
instead of yoga

Seductive moves and
bedroom eyes to tone my arse
I felt like a tool

It is now clear that
stripping is not my calling
I am no Carmen

Yesterday I decided that instead of spending the children’s nap time on the computer, I would work out. Flipping through the exercise video choices on On Demand, I stumbled across Carmen Electra’s “Fit to Strip” workout. To be honest, I had actually seen it before, and wanted to try it out, but felt too silly. Since no one would be watching I decided to coax out my inner stripper.

It didn’t go so well.

First of all, I didn’t have the proper attire, perky boobs, or pigtails. 

Even though no one could see me, I felt like a complete jackass doing these moves. I embarrassed myself. 

“Now it’s time for body rolls!” Carmen exclaimed.  Yeah, that’s what I need.  MORE body rolls!  Whee!

“Let’s sex it up!”  she encouraged.  Let’s not.  HOW EMBARRASSING.

Also.  Beans for lunch before a “strenuous” workout.  Bad idea.  And NOT sexy.

(I’m totally kidding about the last part. That NEVER happened. *ahem*)

Note to self:  Workouts would be more efficient if the majority of the time wasn’t spent pausing the TV, taking pictures and giggling at my own jokes.

To play along for Haiku Friday, follow these steps:
1. Write your own haiku on your blog. You can do one or many, all following a theme or just random. What’s a haiku, you ask? Click here.

2. Sign the Mister Linky below with your name and the link to your haiku post (the specific post URL, not your generic blog URL). We will delete your link if it doesn’t go to a haiku. If you need help with this, contact Christina or myself. REMEMBER…ONLY sign Mr. Linky if you have a HAIKU POST.

3. Pick up a Haiku Friday button to display on the post or in your sidebar by clicking the button above.

©2012 Playgroups are No Place For Children. All Rights Reserved.

One of the symptoms of Icantdecorateforsh*t-itis is the inability to decorate a large patio door with anything besides UGLY VERTICAL BLINDS.    Help!   This will eventually will be a door that we will go in and out of frequently, although right now we don’t actually have a yard.  In the mornings we need something that blocks the sun’s blinding fury. 

I think my dilemma is obvious.  Those blinds SCREAM 1990.

Yet another symptom of this very serious disease, is the utter and complete feeling of being overwhelmed when trying to figure out how to decorate this wall…

Please note the monstrosity that is our television, currently fulfilling the role of “focal point.”  I’d like to hang some pictures along the wall next to the TV, but I’m afraid it will look terrible.  Also, I wonder if I need some sort of table thing to “anchor” the pictures.  How would something like this look?  Table?  No table?

You can help!  For just one comment, you can cure me of Icantdecorateforsh*t-itis. 

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I had the pleasure of meeting several great bloggers at the Indianapolis area blogger meet-up this past weekend.  I would have written about it yesterday, but my thumb and elbow were too sore from bowling.  Have I mentioned how much I love Indiana?  Well, I DO.

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One last thing, you can check out my new celebrity buzz column over at Blissfully Domestic (among many other far better columns) every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday!

©2012 Playgroups are No Place For Children. All Rights Reserved.

Blech.

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Speaking of Valentine’s Day and White Castle (which is wrong on SO.  MANY.  LEVELS), Tate and I had a little disagreement about this.   Tate is certain that EVERYONE knows that White Castle has this Valentine’s Day “celebration,”  you know, like it’s common knowledge.  It certainly isn’t part of my common knowledge, nor do I think that it is part of most people’s common knowledge.  My theory was that maybe since I (thankfully) didn’t grow up in a town with Whities , I hadn’t heard of it. 

But I hated to concede to TATE.

Luckily, his sister, who not surprisingly grew up in the same city, didn’t know about this ridiculousness known as a date to White Castle for Valentine’s Day.  So HA!  Well, maybe not HA! since it blew my proximity to a White Castle theory out of the water.  But!!  It did add a person to my never heard of this very bad idea camp.

So far, Tate 1,  Jennifer 2.

Helpa girl out, wouldya?  You’re in my camp, RIGHT?

©2012 Playgroups are No Place For Children. All Rights Reserved.

My excuse?  I eat too much and don’t exercise AT ALL.  (Mmmm, taco dip!  Pizza!  Ice Cream!  Butter!  I’ll have a stick and a half, thanks!)

I’ve always been pear-shaped, heavier in my ass region and fairly slender through my waist.  Now I’m even MORE pear-shaped, but my waist isn’t what you’d describe as “slender.”  I’m lumpy and squishy and uncomfortable in my own skin.

I have pockets of flub in places I’ve never had it before.  Backfat, backfat.  Backfat, backfat.  I’ve got backfat, loaded up with things and nick nac’s, too.  Anything that you might need, I’ve got inside for you.

You can also meet Sarcastic Mom’s “friends” Kevin and Leroy here.

So why am I showing off my less than flattering goods?  Making you hurl your last meal?  (Sorry about that, by the way.)  I’m tired of looking like this, feeling like this, eating like this.  The other day I read this post by Mrs. Flinger about her “one day diets” and it made so much sense.  I cannot completely cut out all the foods I love and change the way I eat forever, every single day, for the rest of my life.  In the past I’ve cut out FAT or CARBS, but I know deep down that I can’t do that again, at least not everyday for all of eternity.  Also, I hate when you’re dieting and “cheat” and then feel so guilty and certain that the extra helping of Chubby Hubby is why Guissepe and Pierre just won’t go away.

But I can go on a series of “one day diets.”  I can eat healthy TODAY.  I can eat less TODAY.  I could do 10 sit-ups TODAY.  Maybe tomorrow I can eat healthy, too.  And maybe I could walk for 20 minutes AND do 10 sit-ups.

One day.

I started yesterday by just eating less.  Instead of finishing everything on my plate and then whatever Carson didn’t eat and then a few more bites while I’m putting everything back in the fridge, I just ate a smaller portion.  I drank more water than usual.

Today I’m on a diet again.  

And hopefully tomorrow, too.

©2012 Playgroups are No Place For Children. All Rights Reserved.

©2012 Playgroups are No Place For Children. All Rights Reserved.

I don’t even know a “Chester Drawer” and have no idea why I have his clothes and two pairs of his boots. 

©2012 Playgroups are No Place For Children. All Rights Reserved.