Playing Around...

Today instead of making my grocery list (obviously my favorite thing to do), I decided to play around on Photoshop. I wanted to see how the effects work and mess around with them a little. I first took a picture of my eye. Cropped it close up, then tried a bunch of the different effects. Here are my favorite ones. The one on top is called Mosaic Tile. You can select more or less tiles, grout size, and lighten the grout. I like how it turned out.

Next one below is pretty freaky. It's called Glowing Edges. I think it looks like an alien eye or some sort of science fictional character! I can't help but love it!

This one is Rough Pastels. I like how it looks like a painting on a canvas.

This one is my absolute favorite. It's called Dry Brush. I'm pretty sure this effect will be used again. I absolutely love the look it gives to the photo. All the texture in it is smooth and enhances the lines.

This is a slow and steady learning process I am having with this program, but I am totally loving it. I am blogging my progress so I will be able to look back and see how much I grow. Hopefully someday I will be a pro at this and can make great things with my talent. One thing I do know is my grocery list is not growing. I guess I need to focus on that now!

Heavy...

Yesterday my friend asked me to go to a weight training class at the gym with her. I was reluctant at first, but decided that I needed something to motivate me. I hadn't been to the gym in almost 2 weeks, so I had to get my butt into gear somehow!

If you know me very well you know that I am pretty wimpy when it comes to being "strong" or "sporty". I just don't do well in those concepts. You might know also that working my arms at the gym is my least favorite activity. I will work my legs up the wazoo before I do anything with my arms. Going to this weight class I knew there would be arm working, and it freaked me out, but I decided it's about time my arms got some attention.

The class was hard, but I LOVED it! Thanks to Heather for making me go with her. She had to help me, but I felt that I could do most of the stuff (especially after she showed me how)! I had very little weights on my bar, but I feel that with practice I will be able to add on more.

I can't help but think of how parts of our life sometimes gets hard and heavy and we just don't want to work on it. We will carry on with the easy parts, just because it's easier, but the things that are uncomfortable we ignore. There are things in my life I know I have been trying to neglect, but I am going to try to lift a little at a time and hopefully be able to get strong enough I can lift it all. Even if it does mean I may be hardly able to move the next day. :)

Nature...

I love Oregon and I need something to distract me from my kid who is home from school. She is pretty much better from her sickness except for a very persistent cough. I took these pictures when we went there last month. Love the green. Love the trees. Love the water. Love the sand. Oh and I even love the spiders. (Only if they are perched safely away from the house and in the middle of their webs!)

Bathroom Redo...

If you have been to my house you have seen my little tiny bathroom that's at the front of the house. You step up a couple steps and there you have it, a little tiny bathroom. The ceiling is very low, I can even touch it standing on my tippy toes. Oh and the thing I really dislike about it is there is a stinkin' window right to the side of the toilet! I can't do anything about the window, unfortunately, but I can do something to make it not seem like a midget bathroom. With some ideas from my friend and some inspiration from a pillow I have I gave my bathroom a little makeover! Here is the photographic evidence:

Before and during pictures (click to enlarge)

Now for the BIG REVEAL!

Looking into the bathroom from outside it.

Above the toilet some much needed decor.

We installed a hand towel ring for your hand drying convenience.

Towels are a work in progress. I like them but Marshall's didn't have enough of the print I wanted (the big one), so I am trying to see if the other one (the small one) will work.

Rug is also trying to win it's way into my heart. What do you think?

Finishing touch is the window valance I made. Big thanks to Darla, I could never do things like this without her inspiration and drill!

Project complete!