Edu.macation

One day Riley surprised me with this little gem so I had to get it on video!  Kids are so stinkin cute!!

Before/After

I've made a decision.  Actions are fun to play with but I've decided that I am not going to spend money (upwards of $150 per bundle of actions) each time a new set of actions comes out.  Sure- I like the result and it's time saving but when it comes down to it, I don't know how they are getting to the end result and therefore I'm becoming more and more dependent on another person's editing skills and falling deeper and deeper into the trap where I'll have to continue forkin over money every time I get bored of the current action sets I have and wish for a new one.  I've decided instead of the hundreds of dollars I'd spend on actions, I'm going to buy a couple of good Photoshop how-to books and learn all the tricks and how to get the effects I want myself.  I also want to learn to efficiently make my own actions.  I've made a couple and so far have learned that the simpler ones work better.  The more complex I get, the more jumbled it is when I try it out.

Anyway, I figured with this revelation I'd post a before and after.  This is sins actions (well- i used my own "my tweaks" action) and since my editing style is always evolving, this is my current look- and I do feel like I can claim it myself instead of giving credit to the gal who makes and sells actions.

Who knows...  maybe someday I'll be able to sell my actions for hundreds of dollars.  A girl can dream- right?

10 months!

What a fun age!!  My little Scarlett is such a joy with her giggles and smiles.  Although it is the stage where diaper changing is near impossible...  Who has time for that anyway- there's things to put in mouths and places to explore! 

She's become quite independent and crawls all over the place.  She still comes back to mommy for loves when she's ready though!  <3

 

She still thinks her brother is pretty much the coolest person to walk the planet.

 Gosh- I love those sweet smiles!

A place to call home

The Wilson's have been busy.    It's funny how we've always chosen a good, move-in ready home and we're usually drawn to well kept homes.  Well, desperate times call for desperate measures and since I did not want to take up permanent residence in the TLF's (Temporary Living Facilities- on base about the size of a 1BR small apartment), we had to find something pronto.  I fell in love with the neighborhood, since it's just three houses away from bay access and has another great park so close. 

(This is our beach park just down from the house...  Riley's finding hermit crabs- which btw he's now horrified of...  we're working on it.)

 The house....  has potential.  First off, let me disclose to you that this time we decided to rent.  The crashing housing market left a pretty sour taste in our mouths from Phoenix and since we are only staying for such short stints, we thought it best to rent.  The previous renters did not care much about how this home was kept so we've been putting our time and effort into making it nicer.  It's rewarding, until we remember that it's not ours anyway but none-the-less, we feel better about where we live.

We raked the leaves and collected 32 bags worth of leaves.  That's a lot of covered ground that wasn't getting sun and therefore wasn't growing grass.  Hopefully that will fix the grass problem- or lack there of.

 We painted almost all the walls, repaired lots of little fixes here and there and I think it's finally starting to feel like home.  

I have been pretty down on this place.  It's been a difficult move for us as John and I left a life that we loved so dearly behind...  So I decided that I am going to stop pouting and start embracing the beauty that this place has to offer.  I bought an annual state park pass and have been out exploring in both the parks and the nearby towns.  There's an adorable little town called Seaside that is nestled on the Gulf shore and has a very quaint feel.  I'm sure that will be a place I frequent.  Last weekend, John and I got the bikes out and hitched up the ol' bike trailer.  The kids got a ride in the trailer while John and I took a leisurely ride on a scenic bike trail with an ocean view.  We stopped along the way to enjoy a smoothie and some delectable freshly baked goodies from the local shops and continued on to Seaside.  We stopped there for some beach time, then meandered back home.  It was perfect. 

As you may have noticed, I've also been playing with the stamps that I can put on pictures.  It's just something fun that I have figured out how to do through tutorials.  A lot of people pay for that, but I just think I'm too wishy washy to like a logo for a long time which I would feel necessary if I paid for it.  

So to conclude, things are just fine here.  We're moved in.  The weather is getting so nice.  God is good.  As much as I try, I really can't complain.