Photoshop Phenomena

I can't apologize enough for the blog becoming blogless lately. It's not intentional that posts have been few and far between. I will explain later. Maybe tonight. Maybe another day. Soon enough you'll be on board the train, I promise!

I promised something else. A picture of a tutu. I can't post it yet, because, well...it's simple. I have yet to take the picture. The tutu is sitting here in the living room and every time I walk by it I think to myself "hmmm I should go ahead and take that picture for the blog." I just haven't.

Which brings me to Photoshop Phenomena...

Rory surprised me with a professional SLR digital camera for Christmas. I was so excited! It's not your typical digital camera. I see all these pictures on the internet that are beautiful taken from the same exact camera. I've taken about 600 pictures since Christmas and I'm a little embarrassed to say, that even after reading the book for the stupid thing...my pictures look NOTHING like others on the internet. This is where I came to my first conclusion. It must be me, right? It must be the way I'm taking the picture. My choice in lighting, backgrounds, surroundings, etc.

WRONG!

I did a little "research." Okay, not really research. Let's face it, Google doesn't know eeeeverything. Does it?

Back to what I was saying. I was online looking up photos that have been taken on the same model as my camera. I came across a photographers site that instantly boosted my self esteem! He teaches you step by step how to photoshop a picture to look a certain way. He also includes before and after photos.

I'm feeling good folks...real good. I pull up the before and after shots. The before shots...They look JUST LIKE MINE! The after shots...They look like they came out of a magazine!

I'm totally convinced now, I must learn photoshop. I have too, otherwise I could let potentially beautiful photos slip right through my hands. Let me rephrase that. My family is beautiful; however, I have no problem "enhancing" MY teeth to look whiter or even "smoothing" out some of those fine lines starting to wrinkle up by MY eyes so I feel beautiful! :)

Any suggestions of what Photoshop version to start out with?

Oh, The Diva got her 18 month shots. Daddy took her to that appointment. I can't bear it anymore. I just can't stand seeing my little girl get jabbed in the thighs like a wild animal getting sedated. Dad did great and so did Ava! :) Mommy is proud of them both!

Well let me get to work on this tutu photo and maybe over the weekend I'll have posted a magazine quality picture. Basically that means I'm going to email my sloppy pic to Sydney and beg and plead her to skip a frat party this weekend to help her fav gal pal look technologically intelligent!

Thanks for being patient with new posts and coming back to check on me. One thing I've learned lately "patience pays off!"

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

Why Wait?

Why wait you ask? Why wait for what? Wait for anything. We might have our own goals and our own time lines that we live off of, but in reality we are on God's time. Things might not always be in black and white. Usually they are very gray. Not always can we see clearly of what God has in store for us.

Guilty as charged!

I'm extremely guilty for this. I'll admit it. I pray and pray for things that never seem to happen. I torture myself continuously wondering why something is not going my way. Then I have to stop dead in my tracks and give myself a reality check. It's NOT my way. It's NOT my plan. It's God's plan.

Sometimes we get in such a hurry and want to rush things to the end, that we don't enjoy the wait. We don't embrace the patience God has taught us to have.

There are so many cliches that drive me crazy.; however, the more I think about them the more truth I see in them. One of them is "All good things come to those who wait."

It seems to me that in the process of waiting and wanting (because if you're waiting for something you're wanting something) we don't see the good things that have passed us by...so how on earth can something good come out in the end.

When I realized that the Bible contains a verse similar to this cliche, it help bring light and truth to me.

"The LORD is my portion,"
says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!"
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one
should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD."(Lamentations 3:24-26)

Don't rush things, okay? Take time. Remember you're taking the Lords time, not your own. Don't be selfish, pushy, or ungrateful. Embrace each day and good things will come!

Seriously Slackin'

I bet you thought I'd never come back and update this thing *coughs* kinda like Michael & Andrea's Blog *coughs again!* By the way, I'm still waiting to see pictures of my nieces first birthday. I will cut them a little bit of slack. Everybody has been sick and Andrea's sister had gallbladder surgery.

Well folks I feel like I'm seriously slackin' lately. Ever get into the pits where you feel like you can't get anything done no matter how hard you try? It hasn't mattered if I open Door Number One, Two, or Three but behind every door there has been something that slows me down. This week I feel like what better way to handle this than to "roll with the punches" and "ride the waves." Why fight it when you can join it, right? :)

Ava was sent home from school on Tuesday with a fever. Wednesday I believe a little case of pink eye set in. Thursday...well...Thursday was just simply a "play hooky" day for her. Finally today she was back at school. She never seemed to have a fever while she was home all 2 1/2 days, thankfully! I think on top of the congestion and cold a stomach bug has also taken over her body. She's not a puker; however, the past few days seem to have made up for the lack of puking over the last 18 months of her precious life. Right now she is sound asleep in her own bed. Which of course is a big horrah if you've ever had a sick child. We did manage one night to snuggle up on the couch together. Although I love cuddling with my daughter, her attempts at laying sideways on the couch made for a loooong night!

Today I was feeling a little more motivated with fewer obstacles. I tried my hand at tutu making. I'll have to post a picture tomorrow. I was pretty impressed with the way it turned out. Seeing how I did it at my desk the last hour of work, since I was able to get all of my work finished. Two days worth of work finished in 1/2 a day, yeah, I'll pat myself on the back for the one.

I'm sitting up waiting on a load of wash to finish(remember the puking thing...otherwise I would not be doing laundry at midnight on a friday) and my washing machine just let me know there are only 3 minutes left. Gonna run for now.

Before I do, I wanted to share this with you. I did not become familiar with this verse until tonight after watching a 20/20 special. There was a lady that was attacked my a mountain lion and had her face mauled. Her Pastor read this verse her first Sunday back to church after her recovery.

2 Timothy 4:17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion's mouth.

We all have our "lion's" to fight but when the fight is over you can walk away stronger than before you were when you entered the battle.

God Bless and Good Night!

Helping Harper

Baby Harper needs our help. She was born to the most wonderful parents Kelly and Scott. They are devoted Christians whose faith is currently being tested and tried. Harper was born last Friday (January 16th) and seemed very healthy; however, she was born with a bad case of pneumonia and it has put her in critical condition. She was not able to be taken to AR Children's Hospital because they were full, so she's is in Tulsa.

Little Miss Harper has hundreds of monogrammed clothes at home that she needs to start wearing.

Please pray for her and the other 40 babies in the Tulsa NICU.

Pee Pee Progress

Not in a million years did I think that I would be talking of topics such as peeing to people I dont even know. Trust me, it's just the Mommy in me.! I don't normally talk of bodily functions on public websites...well...wait a second. Yes, I sometimes do. As a member of a world wide web fertility forum, I can say that YES I have spoken of bowel movements, urination, cervical blah blah blah discharge blah blah blah, etc. As a woman and a mom you tend not to be so censored. I guess I'll speak for myself on that, right? ;)

Rory and I were not 100% dedicated to the potty training this weekend. Not only do we not have a training potty or the little tykes version of a toilet seat to set on top of ours, but we weren't home most of the weekend.

We took Ava to Monkey Joes. ***Pictures on Photobucket***The place that has all the indoor inflatable bounce houses. We met up with my sister and niece and enjoyed a fun day running around and playing. I think Rory had more fun that any of us. I just played paparazzi most of the time, snapping shots when I could. Then we took the kids to Burger King, home of the indoor playground filled with snotty nose rug rats that smell like nursing home pee. Regardless of the aroma, it was a fun time!

I digress.

Yesterday afternoon I ask Ava if she has to go potty. Her response was "yeesh." So I put her on the toilet while managing to hold her up under her arms so she doesn't fall in ,as my arms were getting numb by the second. She didn't pee but she tried...wanna know how I know? She let out a little toot, so I know some pushing was being attempted from somewhere down there.

Last night I am in the process of putting her in the bathtub. Before I put her over the side of the tub, I ask again if she has to go potty. This time I get the same response "yeesh." So again, I hover her up over the toilet (might I add...I dont know how this is not traumatizing for a kid. A huge water hole below you and your parent dangling you above it) she agggain doesn't pee. I put her down on the floor to try and get the feeling back in my arms.

I then said "I thought you had to pee."

She said "uh huh." (which usually means yes)

I said "so you DO have to pee pee?"

She said "yeesh."

I said "well are you gonna pee pee in the bathtub."

Her response "yeesh."

Now just to make sure I knew that she knew what I was talking about, since I kept getting the yeesh answer, this is how the conversation finishes.

I said "Ava, mommy is confused. I thought you said you have to pee, baby. You don't want to pee on the potty?"

Ava says "nooo."

I said "well don't pee in the bathtub, okay? The bath is to wash up and get clean."

Her response "k."

Did any of you realize how I just completely set myself up for what is about to happen next? For what you ask. Usually after I get Ava out of the tub I always let her stand up on the bathroom countertop to look at the "baby"(herself) in the mirror. This bath night is no different than any other. I dry her off with the hooded ducky towel and lift her up on the countertop. No sooner do I put her down...SHE PEES ALL OVER!

I said "Ava did you just pee because mommy told you not to pee in the tub."

Naturally her answer is "YEESH!"

I love being Ava's Mom!

Potty Patty

It's time. It's official. It begins this weekend.

The official potty training.

Yesterday Ava told the teacher (she insisted Ava said it as clear as day) "I have to go potty."

I've tried to encourage her for the past few months to get her interested in the potty. If I'm using the bathroom and she wanders in there then I explain that I just had a drink and I'm going potty. You all thought the bathroom was my most serene place in the house, didn't you? Now tell me sorry, as you can see with this new trend it's hard to find any serenity in this house lol ;)

The past month or so she has begun this new "copy cat" mode. She wants to do everything you do. Whether it's brushing teeth, putting on perfume, taking Libby (our dog) outside. She wants to be involved and she wants to do things too.

Rory and I try to make Ava aware of things but do not really push her to actually act on them. I've always lived with the philosophy that she'll do things in her own time. We've done this with everything from crawling to walking, bottles to cups, etc. There never seems to be a problem when we let her go at her own pace. She is now giving us the signs that she's ready to use the potty.

I've thought about this Potty Patty to try with her. I just can't justify the money. Ninety dollars for a doll that pees. Won't I have enough of cleaning up pee to deal with until Ava gets in a routine? I mean, I'm just curious. I've crate trained Libby but I have this tiny inclination that Ava might be a liiiittle different from the dog. I can't just stick her in her room with a puppy pee pad and tell her to go there. There's a process. This is a system.

I need prayers people, lots of prayers. I'll keep you posted on our progress this weekend! :)

Growling Girl

I'm gonna keep this short since American Idol has started.

Just take a moment and prepare yourself before you press play, and I'll set the atmosphere for you.

Rory, Ava, Sydney and me were sitting down to eat dinner. Usually this is when Ava thinks it's time to place herself on center stage. All of her performances go on at the dinner table along with the exploitation of her newly learned words. I wish I could have captured more, but I was a little unprepared and not fast enough getting to my phone to record. Prior to this moment I had sneezed. That's all. Just sneezed. Ava decided to take this opportunity to make fun of me. She mocked me by sneezing again and then began doing her "silly face." If you have seen her silly face then you'll know how hilarious this must have been. If you haven't been able to see it, well you'll just have to come back another day and hope I've posted a video of it.

I kind of got a little annoyed (as funny as it was) and Rory reassured me that she only did it because we are her parents and she gets her sense of humor honestly.

Back to this video. I sneezed. Got made fun of. All of a sudden I hear this growling noise. I look over and this is what the kid is doing...***turn your volume on***

We did NOT teach this to her. I swear! Until the other night we've never even heard her make the noise before. She's absolutely hilarious! Hope you enjoyed as much as we did! :)

Weekend Wildness

This was a weekend? What? Did I miss something? I don't think Rory, Ava, or I stopped for two seconds this weekend to just sit down and chill out.

Saturday started by having a yard sale in Hawkinsville. We were up at 4am and basically possession less (except for the things we wanted) by 9am. Rory and I made some good money but it was sad. Months ago we decided to move to Warner Robins (something we've been wanting to do for a year or so now) to be closer to work and have more time with Ava. The Hawkinsville house finally sold and there was so much that I did not want to move and/or keep. It's amazing how many "things" you can accumulate over the period of time. You don't realize it until you clean out every nook and cranny in your house. So needless to say the house has to be empty by Feb. 1st. Mission Accomplished! :D

Today we took our wonderful Squidtastic back to Atlanta. If you don't remember her she is the beloved babysitter that we miss so much. She has been consumed with beer, boys, and from what I hear a little class every now and then. I guess that's what happens when you got to school at Georgia Tech or any colleges. It's called prioritising :) Just teasing Syd. She's a terrific person! She came down to watch Ava while Rory and I were having our sale. Ava was sad to see her leave. We did get to spend time at the Georgia Aquarium for the day with Sydney and her new beau Leo.

We took quite a few pics that I'll upload on photobucket when I get to work tomorrow. Remember, if you need the name and password just send me an email or leave a comment, and I'll get it to you.

Besides all of the weekend wildness things were pretty calm. Wait a second. I take that back! Ava has gotten a head start on her terrible twos. She's not terrible, she is just persistent on testing her boundaries. Sometimes I just laugh at her and walk away and sometimes it's just plain old aggravating and sometimes even a time out or two gets her under control. This weekend was one of those weekends. She was on a testing the limit marathon.

If you want to know the truth...I've escaped to my secret hideout (maybe not so secret to most of you) in order to write this blog tonight. Otherwise if I were in the living room this is what would happen...Ava would climb on the couch the second she saw the computer. Then she would jump on top of my lap trying to tackle the laptop all while smashing the keyboard. If that were the case then this blog might say something like

"alkdjfaoiwjerofiajdfknasdhnfaiuy8ewn;aklnm239e80a9eufaoijdfalknmalkhf98wu082u098u3."

Hard to understand? Yes, I know. I don't have to mention again why exactly I'm in my hideout room now do I :)

Hope your weekend was as eventful and fun as ours has been!

Wax What

Are you curious what the end of my post meant yesterday? I know you refreshed the screen until you had carpel tunnel to see if I updated today didn't you ;) I won't flatter myself.

Let's start from the begining. I'll take you back to mid November...ish.

I went to a new dermatologist. Here's what happened in the 30 minutes of my life that wasted away in boredom. I sat down. The dr. asked what was wrong. I said "I'm 27 and randomly my face will break out...oh, and I'm getting these crows feet things in my eyes when I smile." He said "Okay, here's a prescription and I'll see you in a few months."

I thought that was pretty easy. I was expecting my face to get poked and prodded. I guess I'm just a dermatological virgin.

Do you see anywhere in the above information that says "DO NOT WAX ANYTHING ON YOUR FACE!?!"

*rereading*

NOPE! NO WHERE DO I SEE THAT.

Now let me bring you back to earlier this week. I tell it like it is, right? Women feel the need to look good for themselves and their spouses so we wax. At least I do. I don't know about you but I'm not ashamed to admit I wax my upper lip. I take that back. I wasn't ashamed to admit it until this past Tuesday.

This is how it went down. I get out my little wax strips. Rub them really fast in between the palms of my hands. The heat warms up the wax strip and then you slap it over the hair you want out. Then you grab the sheet the wax strip is on and TEAR really fast in the opposite direction of your hair growth...kind of like ripping a bandaid off .This will take the hair right from the root and you'll be mustache free for weeks.

I got what I wished for and more! Not only did the hair come off with the wax but so did LAYERS of my skin!

Can I just say excruciating pain! No seriously. You know when you accidentally burn your hand in the stove getting the cookie sheet out. The burning sensation that hits you for the first few minutes, as you're running cold water over it to try and cool it down. Imagine that feeling times 5 and it lasts all day, on your upper lip! Doesn't sound fun does it? I can attest. It has not been fun.

It never clicked to me that the prescription the dr. gave me might just make my skin extra extra sensitive. Ya I know you don't have to tell me. It makes complete sense now...after the fact. I called the Dermatologists office and the nurse says "oh nobody told you not to wax." Here's your sign lady! If somebody told me not to do it would I be sitting here in tears on the phone with you because I'm in such pain.

SORRY DIDN'T GET THAT MEMO.

Lesson learned kids. Beauty isn't always on the outside.

1 Samuel 16:7 - "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Tired Tonight

***update: Rory just got done with his Wii workout session and I'm proud to announce for him...his new Wii Fit age is 25 WOO HOO! Now we don't have to take him to the retirement home! ***
Ever have one of those days that nothing really happens? Not one thing amazing happened today to grab my attention and not one thing terrible happened. Why am I not thankful for a day like this?

I guess I'm use to something ALWAYS happening good or bad.

I'm super tired tonight. I even fell asleep about an hour ago on the couch and when I'm done with this, I'm headed to bed. An uneventful day calls for an enjoyable evening wrapped up in a blanket snuggled in my bed! :) Funny thing is I don't think Rory minds one bit. I don't know if it's because maybe a new episode of Monster Quest might be on tonight or both of his girls will be in bed sound asleep and he can have a quiet evening all to himself. Can I just mention how much I hate Monster Quest. Whoever came up with that show...ugh...Big Foot doesn't exist people!

Now that I'm off that soapbox.

Well, The Diva is becoming more and more independent every day. She can officially eat with utensils. Whether she adheres to this at mealtime is a different story but hey we try ;) She can officially put her jacket without any help. It's called "Tag to Toes" I recommend every mom and dad teach their child this. Here are instructions on how to do it: http://mommylife.net/archives/2008/11/putting_on_a_ja.html

I'm tired tonight y'all and my pillowtop mattress is calling my name.

Oh and for all you women (and maybe men) out there who wax your eyebrows, upper lip, anything on your face...well...stayed tuned for tomorrows post. It contains some advice, I mean, not that I found out the hard way or anything...

Fit Happens

We had a few "fits" going on in our house today. That's nothing out of the ordinary, right? Of course it is! Well...not at least the first fit.

The first fit is brought to you by none other than *DRUMROLL PLEASE* The Diva! Surprise huh? ;) Now I do have a little tee tiny ounce of sympathy for this precious child. She's been out of her normal routine for the past two weeks and today was the first day back at school. Granted she acts like a perfect angel for the teachers in her class and not us, but hey what can ya do? I know when she came home she was just extremely exhausted. As was I. She wanted a snack. She wanted it right then. I was busy starting dinner and baking a dessert. Rory was busy. Ava had a fit! I love her to death, but Lord have mercy on my soul. Fruit snacks are gonna be the death of me and Rory. It's like an addiction to her. If she doesn't get her fruit snacks...watch out! Ever see the movie Exorcist...joking...not thaaat bad.

The second fit is brought to you by Nintendo Wii. I have a new love affair. His name is Mr. Wii Balance Board. This cute fella told me that I had a Wii age of 26. I wasn't too happy about it until I asked Rory how old I am. Don't laugh, you know you don't keep up with your age either. Plus, it's easier to ask him then to do the math from my birth year until now...we did just start a new year ya know. So my Wii age is a year younger than my real age.

Confidence Boost...CHECK!

My BMI was in the lower end of the normal range. I can't remember the exact number but my avatar girl didn't explode, so I was happy.

Self Esteem Boost...CHECK!

Now I cannot volunteer Rory's information but lets just say he's pushing "geriatric age." Rory, I love you! ;)

Remember laugh, play, have fun...keeps ya young!

Mexican Mama

Ava is apparently a die hard Tex-Mex food fan! Last night for dinner I made burritos and we also had chips and salsa. She has begun some weird obsession with dipping things in sauce. Like chicken tenders in ranch, fries in ketchup, chips in salsa. You get the drift don't you?

Not only was this child dipping her chips in salsa, she pulled a Ryan.

Let me explain.

Ryan is my younger brother. When we lived in Buffalo, NY we had this chip dip called "Bison Chip Dip." It is your basic french onion dip. Wait. I take that back. It tastes nothing like the oh so common sour cream french onion flavored generic chip dip...it tastes 100x's better! Everybody in my family loves this chip dip, you just don't understand. Ryan especially LOVES this dip. When we moved away from Buffalo and family would come visit, we would all try to get our hands on a container of the dip and ration it. You never knew when you'd get a chance to eat more so you also made sure to save some for later. Ryan on the other hand...he would get the largest spoon in the house he could find, grab a container of the dip and eat it by the spoonful! His container never lasted long. As a matter of fact, he was done with all of it in about 4 spoonfuls. If you timed it on a stop watch he could probably finish it off in...3.2 seconds.

Good Memories...which brings me to last night.

Now that you understand a little better about Ryan, maybe you are starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together. For those of you who are up extremely late reading this and are just as delirious as I am, let me explain in more detail.

Close your eyes okay. Picture this...Ava took her spoon and pulled her bowl of salsa closer to her. She ditched the chips and decided to do this love affair solo. Just her and her bowl of "dip." She took her spoon and was feeding herself SCOOPS of salsa. No joke! It was absolutely disgusting and might I add...painful to watch. I cannot imagine the heartburn this child had last night. Now that I think about it, that might be the reason she woke up crying a few times. I'm not that bad of a mom. I didn't let her eat the whole entire bowl of it. Okay, she might as well have because there was only about one more spoonful left. She was so happy and content though. I just couldn't take it from her.

All I can say is thank the Lord Ava has a love for Mexican food! I just didn't know she loved it that much.

My Mommy lesson of the week: "give your children salsa in moderation," otherwise it could make for a loooong night.