{Yes It's True}

I really am actually writing something on my blog instead of just posting edited photos {which soon will be more and more, so get used to it!}. This has been an interesting month to say the least, nothing interesting to write about just interesting. I have however created a grab & share button that you can post on your blog to link back to me, it is in the column to the right about halfway down. I'm now working on making my blog more uniformed and complete, hopefully soon to be moving to www.disguisedblessings.com/net not sure which way to go as of yet. I'm also working on updating the recipes as well as the book websites, make them a little more cohesive. Included also in all this also-ing I seem to be doing, will be a giveaway that I'm working on, so be sure to stay "moused in" {yes, that was a little well... moving on} for that.

My home laptop isn't able to keep up with me as recently I usually have Adobe Photoshop, PSPX2, iTunes, Firefox, Adobe Fireworks open at the same time now that I've started to take lessons/classes and really learn about digital imaging and editing. {I still have a long way to go, but I have learned I really love doing it}. So my wonderful husband purchased.....

{SPECS: Intel Duo T6600 2.2GHz 2MCache, 64 Bit Vista (soon to be upgraded to Win 7), 4GB DDR2 M @ 800MHz, Back Lit Keyboard, Bright 17 WLED Hi Res Display, Radeon HD 3650 Graphics, 320GB HD,}

At first I was really concerned about getting a Dell, but the more reviews I read I think it will be okay, and a lot better than the HP. I wouldn't go the HP route again, they make great printers but there computers really aren't competitive. So I hope it works fantastically, cause I'm so super excited to get it!

This past weekend we went to Raito night at the A's game, it was a ton of fun - and I got to meet more of the great people my husband works with, the Rockies won! Super exciting. I think it's a little odd though how I think I have seen more Rockies games here in Cali than I have Braves games while I was growing up in GA... I also helped Cinderella move into her new home, I'm so happy for her, and think it will be great - not to mention closer to me :) I also, finally, saw Confessions of a Shopaholic - F.A.N.T.A.S.T.I.C.! I know I had to go into it thinking that it was going to be different from the books, which it was but at the same time the dialouge was exactly how Sophie Kinsella wrote it/would have writtin it. This weekend we are off to NV for the Fourth!


Just as another side note, came across this website and love it, pure love! It makes me even more excited about VTing! Great ideas. There is also a link button to it on the right hand side as well.

{Fix-It-Friday: #18 "Sad Little Guy"}

It's amazing what a little editing can do to one image! I've very much enjoy this process and think it is one of my favorite things to do. I've been taking tutorials and classes on Adobe Photoshop CS4 and little by little I'm learning, I think I'm getting better. But here are the photos for this week!

{ORIGINAL}



{FIRST EDIT}



{SECOND EDIT}



{THIRD EDIT}



{FOURTH EDIT}



Visit iHeartFaces for more inspiring edits!

{Fix-It-Friday: Pretty In Pink #17}

I'm a little late at doing this this week, but loved the photo and wanted to give it a couple of quick fixes. Love this picture :)

{Original}



{First Edit}



{Second Edit}



{Third Edit}



See all the other wonderful edits at iHeartFaces

Life Is Like A Jump Rope

So I admit one of my favorite bands as of late is Blue October - I heart them majorly. Anywho, I was listening to their new CD and pondering the things that have happened in my life lately the good and the bad, the sad the happy, and most especially the trying times that everyone has in thier lives and how one blog I've been reading she said, "I choose to praise God in this storm. In fact, I will praise Him for this storm." How powerful and real. We really should be thanking God for our trials and learning from them but also how to lean on Him for strength. So often we forget that we don't have to handle things on our own, we should never try as it would be so much easier with God at our side help and leading us through them - even the little day by day things, He cares He loves us and wants us to get the most out of life that we can. So on that note here is my new favorite song along with the lyrics, enjoy!

Jump - Blue October

Remember how you used to say
"you couldn't wait till
tomorrow for a brand new day"
No fuss when ya had to ride the bus
You could add a little blush
Just to paralyze your school crush

Now your older and the weight is on your shoulder
Makes the world a little colder
No more hidin in the old day Be strong
don't give up hope
It will get hard

Cause life's like a jump rope
Up down, up down, up down, up down, yeah
cuz it will get hard remember,
life's like a jump rope
up down, up down, up down, up down, yeah
it will get hard, cuz it will get hard


There'll be a bump there will be a bruise
There'll be alarms and there will be a snooze
There'll be a path that you will get to choose
There'll be a win and there will be a lose
You gotta to hold your head up high and
Watch all the negative go by
don't you ever be ashamed to cry
You go ahead

Cuz life's like a jump rope
up down, up down, up down, up down yeah
it will get hard remember,
life's like a jump rope
up down, up down, up down, up down, yeah
it will get hard


I want to tell you that everything will be okay
That everything will
eventually turn itself to gold
Keep pushin through it all
don't follow, lead the way
don't lose yourself or your hope


cuz life's like a jump rope
you stomp your feet so hard you make it pound
you raise it back up to the top
and now we're never coming down
up down stomp your feet spin around
clap your hands to the rhythm and ya slip down

Cuz life's like a jump rope
up down, up down, up down, up down yeah
it will get hard remember,
life's like a jump rope
up down, up down, up down, up down, yeah
it will get hard
Life's like a jump rope

New Beginnings

This week is exceptionally difficult. I've done extremly well considering. Wednesday of last week I really decided to amp up my motivation and start treating my body like, well like a temple. I need to be healthier and I think the biggest thing is I need to realize that I deserve it. My body is for me to take care of, and hopefully as I begin taking care of it and it beginning to function properly maybe children will be in our near future, who knows.

So the first week {last week} I was doing this I went without soda, sugar, and processed foods. I felt amazing and lost a little under five pounds! Can you believe it? So far this week {my weeks start on Wednesdays} I've messed up a couple of little times, but still feel great and am still drinking water like a fish..

Speaking of fish, we have a new family member, his name is Xavier and he is a Blue/Purple Betta fish {or he was when I left this morning}. I'm terrified that I'm going to come home one of the days from work to Minnie sitting on the back of the couch or on the floor {she knows better than to get on my counter} with Xaviers tail sticking out of her mouth. I'll post a picture of him as soon as I can figure out how to take a picture of a fish in a bowl... I'm pretty sure it's about like taking a picture of anything.

Our lives have started to fade back into a little bit of normalancy, well as normal as they can for our little family our little Dinkypop {Double Income No Kids Yet Plenty of Pets} family, or as my father would say a couple of Dinks :) We have fallen for SIMS 3 - which is great considering I've always been a huge SIMS fan. I think Douglas and I will go as SIMS for Halloween this year, where I don't know but we'll still dress up.

Dreams, Goats, and Saturdays

What's it like to have a weekend? You know those days where you can sleep in do copious amounts of chores lounge around and enjoy the day, take a drive to see the crazy animals roaming around your husbands job site, cleaning with the windows open and great music on. Sundays going to all three hours of church, it's been awhile, and even though we were released from our callings only to find out that will be staying was a little painful last Sunday but I am excited to go back to Sunday School and Relief Society - but I sure will miss 'Primary Idol' and 'Weeping Mothers' and the wonderful spirits of the children. This weekend there will be laundry to do and floors to clean, I also need to clean the front room, it's beginning to look like a mail center! And spend it playing Sims 3 with the husband.

Speaking of crazy animals, at Douglas' job site they have a ton of weeds and tall grass, well it costs too much to have someone continually come out and mow and by state law during fire season you can't have them above 4" tall, so this was the solution

Can you find the motorcycle? So apparently they lost control of the goats when they moved them from their pen, {side note: they have over 600 on the site} you can't see the collies in these pictures but from what I hear they are mighty fine goat herders, much better than humans :) Douglas thought it was funny that they all escaped until they surrounded his bike, maybe they thought it was just an oddly colored goat?



What a fun time. Cinderella and I made homemade pizza last night, I've never really liked homemade pizza and for that reason have never made it, well let me just say that the pizza we made last night changed that for good, I don't think we will ever be purchasing pizza again, the from scratch crust was unbelievable! We made a pepperoni and a chicken/artichoke with fresh mozzarella so much tastier and so much cheaper! I was amazed. I can't get over how delish the crust was.

For the past 3 days I have been doing so great with eating and exercising, I really do feel like a new person, I feel so great. My skin looks better and I'm not as tired as I usually am. I'm ready to change, finally - it only took me forever to figure it out. So I joined SparkPeople and I LOVE it! It's a great website either for weight loss or just maintaining a healthy lifestyle I recommend it to anyone.

Have a terrific weekend everyone!

Fix-It-Friday: Little Precious #15

I had a really hard time with this image this week, but here is what I ended up with, I hate how the left side of her pretty little face is all dark, and I couldn't get the processing right so that there wasn't all the 'noise' on that side as well... oh well, did the best I could! Go to iHeartFaces to see the rest of the entries for this week.

{Original}



{First Edit}



{Second Edit}

Am I Still Breathing?

We've been so busy lately it seems I need to remind myself to breathe. Since the beginning of May we have been actively searching for a home to purchase. Meeting with Lenders talking to Banks - looking at homes, peeking in windows, trying to fathom the crazy things people do to their homes and if we can fix it {or if it is worth fixing}. Saying our goodbyes to our ward, friends, and people we know in the area.

We were focusing on living somewhere in the Sierras but have decided on a cute little town here in Nor Cal, which we are excited about.

We are in our lease until the end of next February, so we have to figure out when our new move out day will be so our landlord can show the property to future tenants. I wish we could just give a 30 day notice - maybe we can. I would rather do that then set a date, say we give a formal 'lease breaking' letter saying we will be moving out August 1 - and we don't find anything or closing escrow by then, or end up not purchasing a home right now? Then where would we live? I know it will all work out it is just a new unknown process that is very exciting but equally frightening at the same time.

Douglas new shift hours are 7am - 7pm and he leaves at 6 and gets home at around 8 so I hardly see him but for a couple hours at night {don't get me wrong this is much better than not seeing him at all}. Our weekends have been jammed with Baseball games, house hunting, driving, and when we can laundry. So we are both completely exhausted all the time and hopefully when all this is said and done it will all be worth it. Considering after we move I will be changing my work hours {keep fingers crossed} from 5 eight hour days to 4 ten hour days and I will also be adding a new 2 hour drive to work and a 2 hour drive home... so I will be away from our new home from 5am - 7pm. But I will have 3 day weekends every weekend.

But we are around and we are alive... just very very busy - so I'm warning you now there probably will be very little updating for awhile at least until we find a new place or something major happens in our lives....

Fix-It-Friday: Ponytail Princess #14

I'm still finding the time to edit photos for Fix-It-Friday because I love doing it! So enjoy my edits and head over to iHeartFaces to see some more wonderful takes on "Ponytail Princess"! I really need to find time to write about what's been going on with us over the past couple of weeks! Maybe tonight... {I will update with substance, tonight, yes I promise}

{Original}



{First Edit}



{Second Edit}



{Third Edit}



{Fourth Edit}



{Fifth Edit}

Fix-It-Friday: Little Beauty #13

Let me preface my normal readers by saying, "Yes, I am still alive." We are trying to find a house to buy and it's a little crazy! But I am still here, and I know I haven't finished the other parts (buttons, sidebar, background) of my blog design and it looks unkempt or incomplete... but I am working on it or will work on it one day".

I do however find time to edit photos for Fix-It-Friday because I love doing it! iHeartFaces has to be my favorite obsession and glad I got on the band wagon a while ago. So enjoy my edits and head over to iHeartFaces to see some more wonderful takes on "Little Beauty"!

{Original Image}



{First Fix}



{Second Fix}
i loved the sun in the background and the genuine care in her expression and wanted to highlight that



{Third Fix}
wanted to focus on the vibrancy of the image



{Fourth Fix}
this image is my favorite and makes my heart sing, i absolutely love the tenderness of the hand placement and the way she is holding the flowers, beautiful moment



{Fifth Fix}
this photo was begging to be done in low saturation but a true black & white didn't fit, i like how it turned out

If you haven't noticed it was really hard for me to stop playing with this photo there are so many wonderful things you can do with it - it is a great image!

Generations of Love: Laughter

"Laughter is the shortest distance between two people" `Victor Borge

I captured this loving image awhile ago, but I love it. I love the happiness and the laughter that it embraces as a mother and two of her daughters share this precious memory that I was lucky enough to capture.

Not-Me-Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I'm very excited about this. I have been 'stalking' {hah} MckMammas blog for a while now and am glad to see this fun little weekly tradition arise! It's the first time I've taken part but I think it's great! Enjoy the behind the scenes of our family.

What Not me, I would never items do I have this week? Well let's get to it!

I do not 'borrow' friends pictures from their albums on facebook to edit and play with because I don't have cute things to take pictures of. {however don't worry as after I'm done I delete them}

I would never ruin the endings of a few shows the husband and myself watched this weekend because I have 7th sense when it comes to television and I can predict plots of non easily predictable shows.

I couldn't possibly ignore the laundry for a week because I knew my husband would do it {I know I'm terrible, forgive me, but I'm doing some more today}.

I wouldn't in a million years spend 3x my budget at Costco and can't figure what I bought.

Today I start my cleaning regimen. I'm actually quite excited about it, todays task is just dusting. I then have to go to SFO to pick up Cinderella and our In/Out date! Which I have started using my Eat This Not That books, so I'm excited, this is defiantly a new week for me! Hope it stays as great as today!

If you've noticed I've redone the Blog Layout {yet again I know, I know} but I wanted something more simple and elegant and somewhat bright and happy - all I have left to do is make a button, label cloud, and fix the link buttons at the top, hope ya'll enjoy the new look!

Fix-It-Friday: My Shadow #12

This weeks photo
{click on each image for a larger view}

My fixes



Come play along!

Jumbled Mind

So much is going through my mind! So many things I want to post about! I just finished eating a bowl of cornflakes for dinner, have my feet propped up on the coffee table {which is hardly used for anything other than a clutter collector} while watching House Hunters... I've been in love with the idea of owning my own home - paying rent to myself is a grand thought to me lately. So Douglas and I have seriously started thinking about moving. Nothing too serious just looking around and seeing what's what and getting my hopes up {I shouldn't do that to myself, but I always do}.

I have found myself befriending people that I don't even know, finding way cool blogs for house design {see above if confused}, enjoying other peoples lives far more than I should - but I guess that's what happens when you engross yourself into the blogging world. But I love it! I know I've said it a bazillion times - but it's true. I feel like I get to know these people and it's always great to see such good people in the world especially when you live in an area where you don't get to see the good in people a lot of the time {don't get scared, I just live in a really busy place where people don't tend to see the people around them}. I find the story of MckMama quite fascinating and now I feel a part of the MckFamily {along with millions of other peoples around the world} - her children are adorable and Stellans story is amazing, what a strong little boy.

Onto a totally off the wall topic: American Idol. Have I ever posted about AI? No, probably not. But there is a first time for everything right? My point in doing this mainly is to let the world know my favorite this season is: Allison Iraheta. I love this girl - her voice is amazing. Maybe I'm just drawn to the P!nk, Stevie Nicks raspy strong voice. But she is {insert positive attitude here}. I was happy to see her in the top two this week instead of the bottom 3. My next pick would have to be Kris Allen. Well I'm not really a fan of Danny Gokey or Adam Lambert {I know most of the world is screaming at me right now, but it's true} he's talented and has a good voice just too... I don't know the word, I just don't like him very much.

*Reaches in hat and pulls out another topic* *Drum Roll Please*

Cleaning.... gah cleaning. Is anyone else as annoyed with this chore that never goes away? I'm always cleaning something {maybe it's my OCD no I'm not just saying it I really do have it, at least everyone tells me I do} but it never stops, always cleaning. So I've adapted the Real Simple Periodic Table of Cleaning to my life. I'm starting May 1 - which is tomorrow, why tomorrow not today? I don't feel like it today, there's always tomorrow, right? I'll let you know how this goes. As far as the schedule is going from last post - it's going well, except I have been so tired lately that I have been doing the running in the evening and pilates stretches in the morning.

My last topic for the night is everyones obsession with comparing Harry Potter to Twilight this little Harry vs. Edward feud is absurd {to put it lightly}. You can't compare the two - Wizards and Vampires cannot be compared I'm sorry can't do it, isn't possible, just morally wrong. Okay, maybe not morally wrong but really people? Come on now. {Even if you could we all know that Edward would kick Harrys heiny}, that's not comparing that's being realistic and honest.

Schedule, Me? Really? Yes, Really.

One of those weeks, it's going to be I can just feel it {that sounded a little yoda-ish}! Minnie is running around the house like a mad-woman meowing for no reason... anyway. I've sketched out a new {more permanent} blog design, I've got to get to work on it. So it will be on it's way soon. The only thing I wanted to accomplish this weekend was writing in my planner my schedule, yes I do need to treat myself like a toddler in order to accomplish anything. So I figure if I post it for the whole world to see maybe {just maybe} I will be able to stick with it. So here it goes:

5:00am - Wake up, say prayers
5:10am - Stretch and Run for 30 mins
5:40am - Eat Breakfast, Get Ready
6:15am - Leave for Work

7:00am - Work
9:00am - Practice Piano for 15 min break
10:00am - Snack {Fruit/Cheese}
11:00am - Lunch {Fish/Chicken, Veggies}
1:00pm - Snack {Crackers/Cheese}
3:30pm - Leave Work

4:15pm - Chiropractor Appointment {Tuesdays/Thursdays}
5:00pm - Pilates for 40min
5:40pm - Clean according to daily schedule
6:00pm - Watch TV
7:30pm - Cook Dinner {Wednesday Nights Yoga for an 1.5 hours}
8:30pm - Watch Movie/Play Games with Husband
9:30pm - Read Book, Read Scriptures, Prayers, Bed
11:00pm - Bed Time

There is my rough schedule outline. I also need to cram in there some photo editing/photography class/blogging/picture taking time. Look for the new blog design by Sunday night! Have a great beginning of the week!

Fix-It-Friday: Cooing Baby

I was so excited to do this picture (it might or might not have anything to do with how baby hungry I might or might not be)!

Original

My-Edits



I've never really done a tight crop and always feel strange cutting off parts of peoples faces but I thought I would try it and I think I like how it turned out. I need to play some more with croppings.

Head over to iHeart Faces to see some (I'm sure to be) amazing edits on this precious little one!

Why I Love March/April

These are SOOC - the light was amazing today!

Much More Much Less

For the past few weeks I have been on a decluttering kick, from everything from the house to my soul and everywhere in between. This week I have made 2 trips to DI, cleaned out a whole room {3 if you want to be technical}, started to decorate and organize again. I love my new work space, that hubs is scared to share with me, I'm not sure why.

I've started opening the blinds {well I did until the weather started to get so hot that I have to keep them shut to keep the house somewhat cool} more often, reading more, cleaning more {probably too much, but you can never clean too much can you?}. I went through my RSS Reader in Outlook and I had subscribed to over 150 different life stories of people, so went through and cleaned it out.. now I'm down to 138... {sssh, I know, "Really? That was cleaning it out?"} Yes, yes it was.

Our most recent decision was to cut Comcast from our lives. We were paying {and going to be paying more when our promotion ended} way too much for what we had {DVR, HD, Internet, Phone, Extra Reciever} We only had 200 channels and had to pay for our modem rental and extra receiver unit, with AT&T we will be getting all the movie channels, over 400 regular channels, all the sports channels, HD Access, DVR {that can record 4 things... just what I really need - that's right 4} Internet - all for about $50 less a month than currently! How excited am I? Extremely, only downfall is I have to watch everything I have recorded on the DVR by tomorrow night... not sure how I'm going to accomplish this, but I will. {and I have to clean my room so the cable man can do his thing}.

Hub and I went to Jeff Dunham on Saturday, I have pictures that I will post later on... life is busy but it's a simple busy. Our talks on Sunday went great, and it finally felt like we were part of the ward... only took us a year!

Anyone know of cheap tickets? I'm very ready to go back...

Self Portrait

This weeks contest topic is "self portrait". I took this image of myself (a couple weeks ago) in the mirror in our yellow bathroom I had to remove the color to remove the yellow overcast/glow.

To see lots more wonderful entries for this weeks contest head over to

Game Night