Adding a Little Spice...

I have decided to add a little spice to this here blog of mine. Here are a few details of what is to come...

"Music Monday"-I LOVE music and want to share the love whether you love the music that I do or not. :) So every Monday I'm going to post a song/video. It might be an old favorite, something new, a song that is attached to memories, a song that evokes strong emotions in me, one that makes me what to move it or something totally random.

"Whatever Wednesday"-This will be exactly what it says. Whatever I feel like posting that day. A random thought, picture, something on my mind, WHATEVER!

"Flashback Friday"-This will be for my memories, old photos, etc. I've been trying to get motivated and scan in a bunch of old photos so I can get started on my blurb book and this will give me a reason to actually get going. Coming soon...Wedding pictures, Childhood pictures, Vacation pictures, etc.

These Two Make Me Laugh...

Don't you just love his helmet! My mom gave Maddy this biker jacket and he just loves it. He runs and puts it on along with his "helmet," gets on his bike and tells me he is going to school. He is really wanting to go to school already. He always tells me he needs to go to school so he can get smarter. A lot of times after he flushes the toilet he tells me the pee is going to school.

Avery loves climbing up on Maddy's desk but is too afraid to get off it. So she will just sit and whine or cry until someone comes and rescues her(as you can see it is such a long ways to the ground!) The other day Maddy went in to rescue her and Steve took these picture.

Avery is finally growing some hair. It seems to just want to grow on the top and back of her head so she kind of looks like she has a mullet going on. I was surprised when I did this to her hair after her bath and saw how long it has gotten.

My cool dude!

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

Saw this and thought it was a fun tag...
Rules are: Anything you have done has to be in bold. How much have you done?

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

1. Started your own blog(duh!)
2. Slept under the stars(heck ya! summers on the tramp. growing up were the best!)
3. Played in a band (Ephraim Middle School Buffalo's!)
4. Visited Hawaii(Maui)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity(depends on your meaning of afford?)
7. Been to Disneyland(Senior Trip)
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a Praying Mantis
10. Sang a solo(only when I'm alone or with my kids, trust me it is better that way!)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning(so not fun!)
17. Been to the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing(if you count an indoor venue)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud(Of course, I'm from a small town.)
54. Gone to a drive-in theater(I guess Mt. Pleasant was good for something.)
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Tied a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous(Does Donny Osmond count?)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Visited Italy

This is what I found Maddy doing today...

"Christmas" & Saturday Projects...

Those of you that know Steve very well know that he is always busy doing something. Here are some of the things that he's been doing(most as a result of my "honey do" list) the last few Saturdays.

Steve and our friend Dan putting up the Christmas lights a few weeks ago. I was so glad Dan was here this year so I didn't have to be out in the freezing cold helping. I love the picture of Maddy, of course he had to be in on the action. Doesn't he look so cute all bundled up!

A couple weeks ago Steve and Dan built these shelves along the top of our garage ceiling. Although I didn't enjoy all the drilling and loud banging noises into the wee hours of the early morning(while I was trying to sleep), I think they did a pretty good job. I think it makes the garage look a lot cleaner and organized.

This past Saturday we put up our Christmas tree. Maddy was really excited once we got it up and has to have the lights on all day. Avery also had to explore the new tree and pulled one of the red balls off the tree and dropped it on the tile and of course it broke. She then decided to try and eat it(this girl will try and eat anything that shouldn't be eaten but for the life of me I can't get her to eat regular food) and got a little cut on her lip. Needless to say she hasn't had much interest in the tree since. I have been talking to Maddy about Christmas(I don't think he quite gets it yet.) He thinks Santa Claus's name is "Christmas" and a couple days ago someone knocked on our door and he said "Mommy, who is here? Is it Christmas?" I just cracked up laughing and tried to explain to him that Christmas is a day not a person. Then last night we were watching "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" and when Santa came on the TV he said "There is Christmas." If you notice in the picture Maddy is watching "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." We have been watching a lot of that lately. Also he decided to only get half dressed for the day. He is still wearing his pajama bottoms. Such a funny kid.

Maddy's Masterpiece...

Today I decided to try and get my Christmas cards ready to be mailed out. I gave Maddy some stickers to hopefully keep him occupied. This is what he decided to do with them. He also gets credit for being my photographer. I was playing around with my updated "Picasa 3" photo. editing program(which I'm loving) so I had to add the text to the back of my shirt. So far the updates I have found in Picasa 3 are "Retouch" which I'm so excited about, "Text" and several additional collage layouts(you know how much I love collages so I'm also excited about this to!) If you haven't checked out "Picasa" you really should! It has most of the options that a lot of programs that you have to pay for have and best of all it is free to download. Thanks Val for turning me on to this!

If I Were a Boy...

I wouldn't call myself a huge Beyonce fan but I'm loving her new song. I love the lyrics and message. Check it out!

Christmas Tag...

Okay, here is what you need to do if you want to play tag. Just copy and paste this list to your blog and change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then tag whoever you choose......

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both-depends on what it is.
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial, just a lot easier-although I love the smell of real ones and loved getting real ones growing up. May be when the kids are older we will be more traditional and get real ones.
3. When do you put up the tree? Usually the weekend after Thanksgiving. We just put it up last night.
4. When do you take the tree down? Steve usually takes it down as soon as Christmas is over, he is usually pretty anxious for the house to be back to normal.
5. Do you like Egg Nog? No, disgusting!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? The doll furniture my dad made us growing up.
7. Hardest person to buy for? Some of Steve's clients that already have everything.
8. Easiest person to buy for? Maddy(how can you go wrong with a two year old boy?)
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Probably a really western looking sweater that I never wore.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Probably the old style "Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer" & "Frosty the Snowman."
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? It varies, sometimes I'm on the ball and start early, other times I'm doing last minute shopping Christmas Eve. I've got a pretty good start this year.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Probably a white elephant gift.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Chocolate covered orange sticks.
16. Lights on the tree? Of course, I like white.
17. Favorite Christmas song? "O Holy Night."
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Both. Before we had kids we took a couple trips to California to stay with Steve's brother's family for Christmas.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Yes.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One on Christmas Eve, the rest Christmas morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? That a lot of people forget the true meaning of Christmas.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Reds and Golds.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Cheesy "funeral" potatoes.
25. Favorite family Christmas tradition? Before my grandma passed away going to her annual Christmas party. She always put something on the tree for all 40+ of us(things like, silver dollar or two dollar bill from the year we were born, a magnet ornament of a picture of us, etc.) We also got our family calenders, had a big dinner, did gift exchanges, saw Santa Claus and had lots of fun.

I tag: Anyone that has caught the Christmas spirit and wants to do the tag.

Charlie the Unicorn...

OK, these two videos are HILARIOUS in that stupid kind of way. We have been laughing and joking about them for two days now. Maddy even makes the weird noise they make while walking towards the end of the first one(you will know what I'm talking about when you hear it.)

Lehi Legacy Swimming Pool...

Last week I took the kids to the Lehi Legacy Swimming Pool. We went with my sisters(and kids) and a bunch of my sister Stacy's extended family. There was a ton of us and we had a blast! It is a really fun pool with several different play areas for the kids.

As expected, Maddy loved going down the slide(over and over.)

I thought this was a pretty funny picture!

Everybody having a fun time. If I counted correctly there were six families(10 kids under the age 5) and my sisters mother in law(who was behind the camera.)

I love how Maddy is just hanging out and kicking his little foot in the air.

As you can see Avery was pooped and couldn't stay awake any longer. Avery never falls asleep while anyone is holding her(she's not cuddly at all.) I don't think this has happened since right after she came home from the hospital. We all had a fun time and will definitely go back again soon.

Hard Working Men...

Due to some recent events and Thanksgiving this week I've been thinking a lot about some of the things I'm very grateful for. Among the top of my list are the great men I've been blessed with to have in my life. I will start with my dad because without him I wouldn't be here. :) My dad has always been a very humble hardworking man. I have learned the value of hard work and integrity from him. He has always been a man of his word and a man of faith. My word has always been a big deal to me(I have a hard time even telling little white lies to surprise someone.) I think I must have picked up that quality from my dad. He has always lived within his means and has always been able to provide for our family of nine without ever paying a penny of interest on a credit card or auto loan(as far as I know anyway.) If there was anything he really wanted he would do side jobs until he saved enough money to buy it. Sometimes he would save for a really long time! :) He has always put the Lord first and has served in numerous church callings including being a Bishop. He is usually pretty quiet(unless you get him going with his jokes or something he is really interested in.) We are also a lot alike in this way. This past week I got a special delivery from my dad. He has spent countless hours making all of us a cedar chest. I think it is pretty safe for me to say that when it comes to wood working and his projects he is a perfectionist so I know he spent a lot of time on these. I love it! I also have to admit I'm the same way. If I'm going to commit to doing anything I go full out(again probably something I got from him.) Here are some pictures of my new favorite thing...

On the very bottom I found this little message that he left for me(he didn't mention it and left it to be found.)

Dad, I know I'm not very good at expressing my feelings and find it a little easier to do in writing so I just want to tell you thank you so much for this "Treasure", it will always hold a special place in my life. I especially want to thank you for being such an unwavering man of faith and having such devotion to your family. You have been the best example of integrity and unconditional love that I could have ever asked for!

I couldn't talk about the men in my life without talking about my husband. He is also such a hardworking man and is completely dedicated to our little family. He recently lost his job and instead of sitting around stressing out he was gone the next morning at 7am doing miscellaneous jobs to make money. I've known since I met him that he takes pride in his work(have you seen our vehicles, yard, garage, fish tank, etc.) and would do whatever it took to make ends meet. He has built up a pretty strong clientele that only want him to train them so they are following him wherever he goes. We are so grateful for them! He is one of the most productive people I know and is always busy doing something. He has always dealt with change really well, almost embracing it, which I admire! I'm the opposite, I fight change tooth and nail. He is also a very good communicator and people find it very easy to talk to him. He is a great motivator and puts up with me no matter how stubborn I'm being(I know, most of you can't believe I'm stubborn but it's true.) We are really optimistic about the future and think that his job change will be a blessing.

Steve, Again you already know I'm not good at expressing my feelings but I want to tell you how much I love you and what a strength you are to me. You are an amazing dad and husband! I am so grateful for all your hard work and everything you do for me and the kids!

I can't talk about blessings without mentioning my mom and siblings. They are truly my best friends! I am so grateful for my kids and am amazed every day at the joy they bring into my life. I am grateful for all our wonderful friends and the kind of people we associate with on a daily business. I am also extremely grateful to live in this country(as scary as it might be right now) and for the gospel and the knowledge of the plan of salvation. Last but certainly not least I'm very grateful for my Brother Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with lots of family and yummy food!

Our GNO with Edward(a.k.a.Twilight movie)...

Myself and seven other fabulous ladies used the Twilight movie as an excuse for a girls night out(as if we needed an excuse.) We had a fabulous time! We got reserved tickets at the Gateway for the 12:35am showing opening night(morning.) I enjoyed the movie and laughed a lot(which I didn't expect.) I have to admit that there were quite a few cheesy parts(to the point that it made me uncomfortable and a little embarrassed) that made it hilarious(I'm not sure if that's what they were going for but that's how it came across for me anyway.)

They had a photographer at the theater taking free pictures so of course we got a group picture. If you look closely you will notice a few "Extras" in the picture(as well as a yellow bike that you can't really see.)

Before we headed to the movie we stopped and grabbed some food at Denny's(we weren't sure what would be open and knew Denny's was a sure bet) and had a lot of fun eating, talking and goofing off(you would've thought we were a bunch of teenagers!) I don't know if our craziness was a result of the time of day(night), or the fact that we were finally going to be spending some quality time with Edward, or the fact that there were no hubby's or kids around, or a combination of all! :) Anyway here is a more detailed review of the movie from my perspective...

Warning: There will be spoilers from this point on...

I loved...

The way the movie started. The first shot was a beautiful picture in the very green, wet Pacific Northwest forests. Then Bella starts narrating telling the story of why she was moving from Phoenix to Forks.

I liked the lines that were taken right from the book(at least the ones that weren't too cheesy.) I admit that I actually reread Twilight the week before the movie so I could see how well the movie followed the book. Also I needed a refresher because after reading all the books everything just kind of ran together for me.

Supporting cast(Bella's friends)-they were totally not how I expected(but I think I liked them more in the movie than in the book.) It made for a lot of humor. Who knew that Eric was Asian and a metrosexual? I thought the guy playing Charlie's character also did a great job.

The "baseball scene"-it was really cool with cool music.

The "kiss scene"(which they did get VERY right...it was really drawn out and you could feel the tension until their lips finally met.)

The first half of the "ballet studio" scene(before the venom sucking.)

The "prom scene" which was super duper romantic and beautiful. Finally the chemistry was oozing and the Edward that I wanted finally showed up.

I also liked how they showed Victoria at the end. I thought it was a great lead into New Moon(which is now officially going to be done.) The movie did $75 million just last weekend(which exceeded all estimations.) Kristen and Rob are reportedly getting $10 million for New Moon(they got $2 million for Twilight.) Lets hope they have a bigger budget and that the effects and such will be better. :)

What I thought was hilarious/cheesy...

The "biology" scene-I haven't laughed that hard in a long time! I died laughing watching Edward's reaction to Bella entering the room. Instead of trying to restrain himself because she was so irresistible he was covering his nose and acting like she had just walked straight to class after bathing in the sewer. Then she very obviously started smelling her hair. Seriously, I couldn't believe what I was seeing-it seemed like a spoof.

Jasper's facial expressions and awkwardness-you just have to see it to know what I'm talking about.

The Special Effects(vampires swift movements, tree hopping, sparkling Edward etc.) They weren't done very well and were really cheesy.

What I disliked/missed from the book...

The lack of romance, passion and chemistry between Edward and Bella(which is the basis of the whole story.) It moved way to fast but I guess that's what you get when you make a 2 hour movie out of a near 500 page book that is centered around the progression of their relationship. The focus was the events of the book, not the emotions of the book.

Bella could have showed a little more excitement once in a while(she was supposedly madly in love right?)

I don't think the danger of Edward and Bella's relationship was portrayed very well.

The lack of character development with all the characters.

The quality of acting was a little lacking.

I was really disappointed with the "meadow scene"(which is one of the ones that I was looking forward to the most.) It was really short and seemed really bitter with a glimpse of happiness as opposed to how it was in the book(very sweet, happy and exciting with a touch of the usual Edward induced hesitation.)

The second half of the "ballet studio" scene. It was really cool until Edward started(and couldn't stop, and was quite enjoying) sucking the venom out of Bella and pretty much had to be stopped by Carlisle in the cheesiest way("Edward, remember who you are!"), it was a little over done. Also in the background there was a strange happy dance around a burning James taking place.

There were some parts that were changed that I thought were unnecessary(like when Jacob was introduced, finding out from other sources what Edward was instead of Jacob telling her, Bella having a cell phone etc.) However I don't think they really effected the story in a negative way.

Summary...

You could tell it was a low budget film and I don't think there was enough development of Bella and Edwards relationship. The movie followed the book pretty well and there were even a lot of word for word phrases from the book. I think most of the characters were cast pretty well but not perfectly(for me.) Check out Caitlin's personal cast picks here(not bad!) Bella's friends(Jessica, Angela, Eric, Tyler, Mike) were completely different than I pictured but were pretty hilarious and acted like typical teenagers. The movie seemed to get better(as far as acting) as it went on and I loved the end. I had a hard time with Edward at the beginning of the movie but he gradually grew on me and I liked him by the end. I think those few people that haven't read the book might be a little confused during the movie. All that said I loved seeing my favorite story played out before me. Even though so many parts were hard for me to watch, I still loved watching it and will probably see it again and end up buying it so I can watch it in my basement on my big screen. :)

After the movie it took us forever to get out of the parking garage and then we got stuck behind a train that was barely moving. Needless to say it was a long fun drive home with three other very tired girls that couldn't stop laughing about various parts of the movie. I finally got home at 4:30am and for a very short couple of hours ended up dreaming about vampires. For real, I had my own family of Cullens.

I would love to hear what you all thought of the movie!

Twilight Chemistry...

I'm a little slow on getting my Twilight movie review up. I'm waiting for my sister to email me some pictures. Hopefully I will have it posted today or tomorrow. In the mean time here are some yummy pictures from a photo shoot. This is the kind of chemistry(and passion) I was hoping for in the movie...

Some of the Many Faces of Maddy...

Making Your Pictures Bigger...

This is a long post but I promise it is worth reading(if you are at all interested in making your pictures bigger)...if you don't think so scroll to the very bottom and see what a difference it makes.

I have had a lot of people asking me how I make my pictures so big. The easiest way to get your pictures bigger is to link from a third party site like Flickr or Photobucket(that's the one I use), etc. The reason you have to do this is because Blogger will only upload a picture with a maximum width of 400pixels wide. For this post I will be using Photobucket(and Blogger) as my example because that is what I am familiar with.

*Linking Photos from Third-Party Image Hosting Sites*

1. Create an account with a third-party image hosting site such as Photobucket, Flickr, Picasa(I haven't figured out how to link and add text from this program), etc. I use Photobucket, which has a free basic account to start with. If you find you need more storage space or want to upload larger images (larger than 1000 pixels wide) you can purchase an upgraded account. I am sure the freebie account will work great to get you started. I am still using the free account and still have a ton of storage space.
2. Resize your images in Photoshop (or whatever photo editing program you use) to the desired size you want. I use Picassa but plan on eventually getting Photoshop. You will of course save the new image as a copy and keep the original file as is. You can also resize your pictures on Photobucket, I just find it faster to resize when I'm in the editing process before I save to a folder. My template allows for images up to around 625 pixels wide and no limit for height. When I resize my images I usually do vertical shots at about 450 pixels by 600 pixels and vice-versa for horizontal. If I go any larger than 600 pixels vertically then the whole image doesn't show on the screen without scrolling down. But it is up to you how you want them cropped.

3. Login in to your new image hosting account and upload your desired photos that you just resized. Once they are uploaded, you will see several different urls and codes underneath your photo. You can add them to your blog several different ways. You can use the direct link url, or you can use the html code (which is what I like to do). Whichever one you choose, you will click the text box so that the address or coding is highlighted. You may see a small yellow box appear below that says “copied”. It has automatically copied the selection to your computer’s clipboard. Sometimes I will still right-click and select copy just in case.
4. Open a new window and login in your blog. Create a new post and then what you do next will depend on which of the choices you made above (direct link url or html coding). If you chose to select the direct link url, click the icon in the system tray above the post box that is for uploading an image. When that box pops up, in the right hand corner you will see a spot where you can upload an image(s) from the web. This is where you will paste those urls. Once you have added all of them in there separate boxes, click upload and then they will appear in your post box. You can then add your text and publish.

If you chose to select and copy the html coding, you will click on the “edit html” tab of the posting box. Place your cursor in the text box and hit “ctrl v” or right click and “paste”. You will see an html code pop up. To see the actual image, you can switch over to the “compose” mode
Or hit “preview post”. You can then add text in either the “edit html” or “compose” mode, your choice. To center the image, click on “compose”, select the image and click the “center” icon.
5. Publish post and if any changes or edits are needed, click “edit post”

*Other random tips*

-Most free blog layouts(like Pyzam and Cutest Blog on the Block) are not wide enough to post your pictures any bigger than what Blogger automatically uploads if you select large(400 pixels.) If you are interested in a custom blog design mine was done by Carly at Playful Pickles Designs. You can check out her site here. She is amazing and can create pretty much anything you want. She also has some designs she created for sale that you can check out here. They will only be sold to one person and they are a fraction of the price she normally charges. If you don't have a custom blog design but want to make your pictures bigger you can switch your "Blogger" template back to "Minima" and then change your settings(sizes) to what you want them to be(but you won't be able to use one of the Pyzam, etc. backgrounds.) To make changes you go to "Layout" and then "Edit html" and then make the changes. Just for reference here are my sizes:

*Header-wrapper*
width-900px
height-525px
margin-10pz

*Outer-wrapper*(which you probably want the same as the header-wrapper)
width-900px

*Main wrapper*
width-625px

*Sidebar-wrapper*
width-220px(which is pretty standard with most layouts)

*Footer*
width-660px

--Just remember if you add size to one(outer wrapper, main wrapper, sidebar wrapper) you need to take that amount from another so it will always add up the same because you only have so much space. Also always preview your changes before saving them to make sure it's what you want.
---Another good thing about linking pictures from a third party site is that it is just a link, it doesn't take up your Blogger picture space(which if you run out you will have to pay for more space.) Just make sure you don't delete your pictures from the photo site after linking them because then your pictures will be gone on your blog.
----I also love editing my pictures before I post them. You would be amazed at how big of a difference a little editing can do for a picture. If you don't have a photo editing program(and don't want to spend money on one) then there are several free programs out there. The one I use the most is "Picassa." It is a google program so just google it and it will come right up and you can download it for free. It also automatically pulls all your pictures from your computer and organizes them for you. It is great! It pulled up pictures that I didn't even know we had on the computer. This is the program I also use to make my collages. Photobucket also has some great photo editing tools and is free as well(in addition to linking I also edit some pictures here.)

I know this sounds confusing and like a lot of work but it is easier than it sounds. It is just a matter of figuring it out. I actually find it faster to copy and paste the html codes(in the order I want my pictures) than uploading them through blogger five at a time and trying to get them in the order I want. Let me know if you have questions or if you want me to show you in person, (if you live near me.) Here is just an example of a picture uploaded through blogger at 400 pixels(large) with no editing verses linking at 625 pixels with editing.

Worth it? I think so!

You May...

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

~Kahlil Gibran

A Little Secret & Some Funny 80's Stuff...

First I want to share a little secret for those of you that missed yesterday's Oprah show. There was a cool giveaway for "Oprah Viewers." It is a free 8 x 11, 20 page digital photo book from Snapfish.com. You just go to their website and click on the little icon for "Oprah Viewers" and set up an acct.(if you don't have one already) and upload your photos to make your book. It is a &29.99 value(you can pay extra for extra pages.) You also get like 20 free prints when you sign up. The only stipulations are you have to go there and start by tomorrow(Fri. at 11:59pm) and you have to have it complete and ordered by Sun. at 11:59. You also have to pay shipping which is $6.99. I started mine today and I'm excited to see how it turns out. I figure for $6.99 I can get a pretty cheap and nice Christmas gift(think vacation photo's, wedding photo's, favorite pictures of your family for your parents, grandparents, hubby, the possibilities are endless) and see how this whole digital photo book thing works. I plan on making a yearly book from my blog posts(since I don't scrapbook or journal) so this will be a good start.

Ok on to the 80's stuff. I got this in an email from my sister and found it pretty funny. I could relate to almost all of them!

You Know You Grew Up In the 80's IF:

1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word SIKE.

2. You can sing the rap to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and can do theCarlton

3. You know that 'WOAH' comes from Joey on Blossom

4. If you ever watched 'Fraggle Rock'

5. It was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.

6. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.

7. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school.

8. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt in a knot on the side .

9. You played the game 'MASH'(Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House)

10. You wore stonewashed Jordache jean jackets and were proud of it.

11. You know the profound meaning of ' WAX ON , WAX OFF'

12. You wanted to be a Goonie.

13. You ever wore fluorescent clothing. (Some of us...head-to-toe)

14. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off, his cheeks shifted and his nationality became questionable.

15. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.

16. You took lunch boxes to school...and traded Garbage Pail Kids in the schoolyard.

17. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.

18. You still get the urge to say 'NOT' after every sentence.

19. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you exchanged handmade friendship bracelets.

21. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes.

22. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying 'I know you are, but what am I?'

23. You remember 'I've fallen and I can't get up'

24. You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline skates.

25. You have ever played with a Skip-It.

26. You remember boom boxes and walking around with one on your shoulder like you were all that.

27. You remember watching both Gremlins movies.

28. You thought Doogie Howser/Samantha Micelli was hot.

29. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac.

30. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool... and don't even flinch when people refer to them as 'NKOTB'

31. You knew all the characters names and their life stories on 'Saved By The Bell,' The ORIGINAL class.

32. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THROUGH THE HEART.

33. You just sang those words to yourself.

34. You still sing 'We are the World'

35. You tight rolled or french cuffed your jeans. And still debate on which is the right term!

36. You owned a banana clip.

37. You remember 'Where's the Beef?'

38. You used to (and probably still do) say 'What you talkin' 'bout Willis?'

39. You're still singing shot through the heart in your head, aren't you!

40. your hair looked like this for at least 1 school picture!