Cool Photo Site!

Ok, I know I just recommended Fotoflexor.com a couple of posts ago, but I just found a site I like even better! :) Picnik.com. I like all the different effects they have and the editing tools. There are also really cool effects and frames. It is really easy to add text where you want it and they have many different fonts to choose from. Anyway, maybe you will want to give it a try! :) Also you don't have to download any software or even register, if you don't want too. Just upload the picture you want to edit and save it to your computer when you are done.

Here is one that I played with a bit:

Knitting

I just wanted to do a quick post about some of my recent knitting projects.

First a gift I made for our pastor's wife for her birthday. We had a tea party/ salad luncheon for her yesterday at Regina's home.

Here is the gift:

It is a mug cozy and matching dishcloth. (and some tea bags thrown in to complete the gift!) :) The pattern can be found at KnittingDaily.com, it's a free download with registration. It was a really quick knit and with the washcloth I still have yarn leftover from a small skein of Sugar 'n Cream cotton.

Here she is showing it off: I think she liked it!

Also I've been making a camera "sock" with the leftover yarn from my socks. I used this method to make the stripes and really liked how it worked. It isn't quite finished yet. Hopefully in the next couple of days.

Here you can see the stripes on the inside.

I will try to post a picture of the sock with the camera inside, but I will have to use another camera! :)

Have a great day everyone!

Fun with Fotos!

I enjoy taking pictures! I'm sure this comes as no surprise to most of you. :) And in the past year, I have discovered that our camera takes pretty good close ups. I love our camera! I highly recommend Cannons (this is not a paid advertisement!) :) Here is the camera I use. I also have fun editing the pictures after I have loaded them on to the computer. The program I use the most, Picasa, has several editing tools. So the following are several pictures that I have taken recently and how I have edited them. (warning: many pictures to follow!) :)

First a cool close up of a visitor on our front porch:


Now a look at a dogwood
This one is straight out of camera (SOOC) to our pc:


For some reason, pictures seem to have a grayish cast to them. I first did a little tweaking with the color under "tuning" in Picasa.
Much better!

And now for a little fun! I increase the Saturation (found under "More Effects")


Here's another flower: (SOOC)

A little fine tuning and...


I have more in an album online (click here). I put some of how I edit pictures of people, reducing redeye and improving less quality pictures.

Anyone else have fun with their pictures? :) I would love to see some of your tweaking. Another great editing tool I've used is FotoFlexor.com. You don't have to download software, just upload the photo to their site and save it to your computer when you're done. I used this software to put the frame around the picture on my header.

I hope everyone has a great Saturday and a restful Sunday!

Blessings!

Edited to add: I hope you have enjoyed my pictures. Please remember that they are my property, not public domain. Thank you! :)

Why I blog

Blogging has become a favorite pastime for many of us. (I use the term us assuming that even if you don’t have a blog, you have an interest in blogging because you are reading this.) But why do we do it? What is the motivation? Why do we return to blogs again and again? To answer this question, I must think of my reasons for blogging.

One of the main reasons for me is that blogging is a form of hospitality. My blog has become an extension of my home. Because many of my readers are too far away for an afternoon visit, my blog for me is a way to connect with you. To sit for a while and visit with friends I haven’t seen in years. To connect with new friends that I have made through my blog that I probably would never have met in person. To share a virtual cup of tea or coffee and some banana bread or scones. This is one reason why I’m here.

Closely related to hospitality is another reason for blogging: keeping up with life events with friends and family. For some, this is the main or only reason they have a blog. Extended families of today are so spread out that it is sometimes difficult to keep up with those we love (and it is difficult to cram a whole year of life into the annual Christmas letter!) Blogs certainly fill this need. On the other hand, friends and family that read your blog already know what has been going on in your life and have seen the pictures… what is there to talk about at family reunions? And with friends you haven’t seen in a while? :) I noticed this when we got together with some family and friends recently. When I started to speak of something that had been going on in my life, they already knew all about it! But seriously, it works out well… you don’t have to spend as much time playing “catch up” and you can pick up right where you left off the last time you saw them. (and anyway… you only blogged about 10% of the pictures, there are so many more to show!)

When one of my friends encouraged me to start a blog, my excuse was that I don’t have children, what do I have to blog about? :) Well, I started and I have enjoyed it. Blogs are so versatile, and mine certainly has been. (Besides, I just blog about other people’s kids and it fills the void!) Blogs are also a place where we share ideas and viewpoints. We share decorating and other household tips. I like to share about the books I have read, my thoughts on being a Keeper at Home, and other various and sundry topics.

Blogging is also a form of creativity. My blog design is a reflection of me, and even my blog title reflects my name. I know many of you enjoy designing your blog; adding pictures or widgets. Creating this blog design is an art form, if you will. I enjoy decorating this site, much as I enjoy decorating my home. The actual writing in the blog is also a creative outlet. I don’t know that I would classify myself as a writer, but I do write now and then. Sometimes thoughts come to my head and I need to write them down. Sometimes they end up here, or on my other blog. Another form of blog creativity is in the posts. I like to post about my knitting projects or different creative things I have done around our home with decorating. Others post about sewing, quilting, you name it. Not only is this showing individual creativity, but it is an inspiration to others to be creative.

Many bloggers are an encouragement to me. They have written about things that encourage them, or even some of their problems. When I read these, it helps me to know that I am not alone. I like to read blogs that encourage me as a keeper of our home. I like to read blogs that are uplifting and cheering, and I endeavor to create a blog that has those virtues. I like to post things that have been an encouragement to me spiritually. These posts usually end up on Time to Bloom, a blog that I have dedicated more for that purpose.

However, in all those reasons for blogging, it is important to keep blogging in balance. It is easy to keep reading about life on various blogs so much that I am not actually “living.” Michele at Cherish the Home puts it this way in her post today, “I realized that I need some balance in this area so I am going to try and approach my blogging/e-mailing as I would a visit with friends: Something you enjoy in moderation but not for hours a day, every day.” I think balance is definitely the key. Too much of a good thing can be not good, right? :) One way I keep my time to more of a minimum is by subscribing to my favorite blogs using Google Reader. This way, I know when a blog has a new post, and I don’t have to go down my list of blogs. (So what if I have 72 subscriptions? Who’s counting?) :) Balance is really key to every area of a Christian’s life.

Well, if you’ve stuck with me this far, thanks for reading. I hope this has given food for thought. Everyone has their own list of reasons for blogging (and for not blogging, for that matter!) Thanks to each of you that come again and again to visit me here at my little blog home!

Blessings!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Images courtesy of:
AllPosters.com

ETA: This post has been linked to Talk to Me Tuesday over at Tip Junkie! If you're visiting from there, thanks for stopping by and you are welcome to check out my more recent posts - you may like the pumpkin story! :)

Socks and stuff

Finally... I finished the socks! :) Here's the finished product:

They are pretty comfy and I think I'm getting addicted to socks... to bad sock yarn isn't cheaper and sold more conveniently. (Big hint there to Hobby Lobby!)

In other news... Because of concerns over blogging security, I have decided to quit using the names of children that I blog about. (You have seen me use initials, or just no name at all.) For the two I post most about, I am giving them blog names. Thus....

This is Faithie:
(I love her left hand in this picture.)

and this is Gracey:

You may have also noticed that I am vague about where I live, and that I don't use my last name (and never have). This is also for security reasons. It is important for us to remember that anyone can read what you are writing (unless your blog is private). Here is an interesting article on security, and while I don't go quite that far... :) I do think certain precautions are in order. Just remember, there are those out there who are creeps and you don't know who all is reading your blog.

You may have noticed the poll at right... I am just interested to know what people enjoy about my blog! :)

Anyway,... enough of the service announcements for today! :) I hope everyone has a beautiful weekend. We are enjoying a beautiful day here in East Texas, after all that rain last night! and maybe I can get more interesting posts in next week! :)

I've Been Tagged!

I've been reading others' answers to this meme going around in blogland, knowing that it would eventually make it's way to me. And it has! :) I've been tagged by Shari and Lynnette, however I am only going to answer the questions once! :)

1) What I was doing 10 years ago:
Hmm... 1998, OUCH I remember... this time ten years ago, I had a terrible case of the chicken pox!!! (Moms out there, make sure your kids have it as kids or get the vaccine!) I had it a lot worse than my friend that got it at the same time. Thanks a lot, Angie! :)

2) Things on my to-do list today:
Wash sheets and remake beds (almost done)
Finish sock!
Clean up kitchen (done for now... it never stays clean!)
Rest from a busy revival week (I'm working on that!) :)
Cook supper - fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, veggies and salad (can't get much more southern than that!) :) Yum!

3) Snacks I enjoy:
Air popped popcorn with real butter and salt! (Much better than that bagged stuff!)
Fruit
Junk food (see bad habits)

4) If I were a billionaire I'd ...
Pay to pave our church parking lot and put in plenty of lighting
Give money to finish the church.
Do more to support missions and friends doing mission/humanitarian work.
Save!
Invest in more knitting stuff
Build a home.

5) My three worst habits are...
Procrastination (I think I'll answer the rest later) J/K!
Eating candy/junk food
Worrying

6) Places I have lived:
I was born in Texas and have lived here ever since (except for a couple of years sojourn to OH for Bible College.)

7) Jobs I have held:
Babysitter
Classroom helper
Deputy County Clerk
Wife

8) People I would like to tag:
Let's see, who hasn't been tagged...?
Angie
Melissa M.
Stephanie
Sarah (Walking by Faith)
Gina

(But only if you want to participate!)

Post for the week!

Well, I have been very busy with revival and everything... I really don't even have time for a post now, but here I am. We are having a very good revival! Bro. S. was our church's first pastor. We have enjoyed visiting with them again! I wanted to share this picture from the other night. Love the cherries!

I've got a crazy grin, I know... but it was hard to get her to pose for a picture after having to be quiet all through church, thus my funny smile. And, no, we didn't plan to match... it just worked out that way! :) (That's my new dress from our favorite discount store. Melissa, you've shopped there. It's actually a Chadwick's and I got it for $4.00!)

Show and Tell: Cherries

I haven't done a Friday Show and Tell for a while. I have been wanting to "Show and Tell" some of my cherry collection. So here it is!

First a little arrangement in my dining room. This little part of the counter kind of juts out into a little nook. Melissa sent me this beautiful cherry picture recently, her mom was gracious to deliver it! ;) The lamp is a gift from my mother-in-law shortly before we were married. (She finds the neatest things!) The black and white picture is of my grandparents shortly before they were married. My grandmother worked at the local drugstore where the picture was taken.

I took this picture before the above one and decided it needed a little extra touch. I love what a difference just the little bit of ivy made!

This is a teapot and cream/sugar set I got for my birthday several year ago from Mom and Dad. The cake plate was my grandmother's.

I love Mary Engelbreit! She has so many cute cherry things! Here is a teacup/saucer and little soap that are M.E. The coke salt/pepper shakers are a gift from my aunt and uncle several years ago. And the coke candle was my grandmother's - she added the cherries to the top! :)

To see other show and tells click the picture below:

Knitting Identity

Certain crafters have a certain identity. Or to put it another way, there is a certain stereotype of people identified with certain crafts. If you think of certain crafts, a certain type of person comes to mind: scrapbooker... quilter... painter... However, it is not so much with crafts anymore, and especially with knitters. (Of which, I of course am one!) One of the main reasons for this is of course due to the surge in popularity of the craft. And the boldness that goes along with it. Stephanie, a well known author in the knitting world, calls this "Inexplicable Knitter Behavior" in a recent post. (Disclaimer: I am not promoting her blog.) Not many crafters will take their craft along with them to a coffee shop, or a doctor's office, or a concert. (Scrapbooking isn't exactly portable, anyway.) And not many crafters take finished objects along looking for photo opportunities! Case in point: your's truly this weekend!

A Sock in progress photo. (Yes, I'm finally on the second sock!)

Knitting at a concert. (a little side note: my purse size has grown larger. Guess why? To accommodate my knitting, of course!)

Another progress photo, I know it's not a very good shot, but it proves my point! (I embarrassed my mom taking this one. She doesn't know my behavior has been diagnosed! but Mark is holding it for me, so I guess he is resigned to my "knitterhood.") :)

Oh, and we knitters take opportunities to get great pictures of the finished product! Natural lighting is best, and there are limited opportunities in our own yard! (This one was taken earlier this spring, I featured it in an earlier post.)

Hey, you never know when you are going to need it! I now feel a little funny if I leave the house without something to knit on if I have a couple of free minutes! Another blogger described this phenomena in a post in January. (You never know when you are going to need it!) I love the name of her blog, by the way, "A Friend to Knit With." I need more of those! (Melissa has joined me... any others?) :)

** Note to other knitters: I've discovered I need to take pictures of my finished projects, or I won't remember what all I have done. Ravelry is also a great way to keep track, of projects, yarn, patterns in queue . I encourage fellow knitters to join up... and if you have let me know what your name is there so we can be "friends!" Mine is "Charitree" ...no surprise there!**