Who'd a thunk it!

Calvin's explanation of his Lemonade Stands business perspective.
It has a resonance to the Auto industry's position in the economy.

Click on the cartoon to have it open in full so you can read the print.

Do you think the government would consider subsidizing scrap booking? I mean, really, we are preserving our history for generations to come. What could be more important? Think of the tax payers money that goes into preserving artifacts, like rocks! Think of the public funds used to build huge museums and display collections of..... art.

Shouldn't society encourage this worthy pursuit of preservation of the family (pictures)?

Scrapbooking is a serious business! And when the word comes down that this month's household budget for food will supersede any new scrapbooking supplies....Well! Where are we to turn?
Government subsidies I say and why not? They love to hand out our money to anyone who asks.

Yes this is very serious!

Well it was, at least, until Paris Hilton decided to show up at CHA with her new line! Thanks to Kate for this link....

Your thoughts on a new line of scrapbooking supplies from Paris Hilton??? and on gov't subsidy for scrapbookers who have been stifled by the family budget keeper???

Five layouts!!

Finally! Some scrap book pages. The pictures on my desk are piling up, especially the 221 I just got back from the Boxing Day sale at Don's!! Oh my - WHEN will they make it into the album!!!!

I decided to take a reprieve from the 2002 pictures...because I had all my Christmas photos organized and on my desk...not to mention all the Christmas paper out from my last project - Christmas cards.

So Christmas 2008 at our home is now captured.

Here we are experiencing all the JOY of Christmas morning.

Our Christmas dinner and into the evening game playing fun.

And finally some photos that capture our home over Christmas.

But... back to 2002...
Here is some great golf paper from Creative Imaginations. It is from the "Old Guys Rule" line but there is nothing OLD about these guys. Just some cool dudes ready for some "Tee Time". Love this paper and the Jolee's embellishment.

Alas - back to the 2002 pictures because I just HAVE to get them done. And 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 AND 2008.

I am determined to get caught up ...because I just have to. And I won't tell you why just yet...but soon.

On a more newsy note...
Number two son, Mark, my firefighter arrived home safely from Thompson last night. I am thankful to have him safely home after 11 hrs on the terrible northern highways and that following a 12 hr shift. Crazy guy, but he is home and will head back early Friday morning, hopefully with more sleep going into the trip home.
Mark is making this whirl wind trip for a job interview with Saskatoon Firefighting Dept tomorrow morning. If you have any connection...make them work. :)
I want this guy back home!!!

On other news, I am heading into five weeks of full time (plus) over the next six weeks. That's what happens when you work two jobs and holiday coverage is needed. I can do this!! I am not that old!!!
Don't expect much in the way of scrapbooking, but I do hope to post now and then because it is my little time of relaxing at the end of a hectic day when dinner is cleared from the table, the dishes done and a load of laundry is put on. This is where I relax until my head hits the keyboard (ouch). About a 20 minute span of time!

Blessings to each of you!

Olympus E-3

As many of you know, I have had the privilege of having an Olympus E-3 in my possession since noon Friday. This is a demo courtesy of Don's Photo.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to use it Friday evening as David and I were enjoying a lovely supper out at John's Prime Rib with some friends. And my Saturday hours were filling up fast too. However, I woke in the wee hours of Sat morning with a very dizzy head. And it was then that I remembered the last time I had that wonderful gravy at John's that I had a similar experience. So all my Saturday plans were laid aside and I slept in. I know, VERY unusual for me. Dear husband brought me my decaf in bed, bless him.

A few hours later I was feeling well enough to read so I dug into the E-3 manual and about four hours later was beginning to get a grasp, literally, on this powerful camera.

Now instead of being dizzy, I was feeling over saturated with all this new knowledge. I spent the next 6 hours taking photos with the E-3 and my E-500 trying to decide if I would fork out the hefty price for this new toy. Despite it's bells and whistles being in completely different places than my E-500, I actually have become quite adept at finding my way around the E-3 and spent a good portion of the day working in manual and A priority. I really tried to use every options it had, including all those fun flash options.

I am still not totally convinced an upgrade to the E-3 will be worth it's big price tag but I do have to admit that the E-3 has the fastest start up and auto focus I could ever imagine. You can count to two from the moment you pick it up, turn it on and have a focused shot taken. It is that fast.

It also has a very nifty playback screen that gives live view. One of the first DSLR's to do this. And this screen actually rotates for those tricky shots. But is this neat feature worth the price?

My E-500, while only an entry level DSLR takes very nice pictures, but the E-3 seems to have just a little more depth and clarity to the pics. I liked them a whole lot.

One disappointment for me is that I like to shoot without a flash. My camera is big enough to draw attention to me without a flash going off, so I prefer to be subtle and not use a flash unless I am doing some macro shots or taking pictures of cutlery! haha

I like to up my ISO for those dark situations. But upping the ISO means noise and graininess and I was hoping the E-3 would wow me with noiseless shots at ISO 1600.

Not even close!! While a tad better than my E-500, there was noise at ISO 600. This was very disappointing and apparently it has something to do with the Olympus 4/3 system - the very system that allows live view. I will take a clear high ISO over live view any day.

Which left me wondering if I shouldn't have gone with Nikon or Canon. But, with this investment in lenses I have, I wasn't going to go there in my thinking. And besides no one makes lenses like Olympus. I guess you can't have it all!!

One fun aspect of the E-3 is the ability to use off camera flashes (strobes) so I had fun with that today and discovered I can take some pretty cool shots with off camera lighting.

This revelation was also a little bit scary because remote flashes are pricey and the umbrella's and stands also pricey. Not to mention that this might cause my husband to put a stop to hauling my camera equipment around for me.

Now.... on to some of the results of spending the weekend with a new camera.

This is an example of what off camera lighting can do. I had an off camera flash on the side for this shot of this wonderful treat my husband brought me this evening.

A picture of my husband trying to watch the football game this afternoon.

My husband still trying to watch the football game, but this time I have him holding an off camera flash in his right hand pointing it into an umbrella held with his left hand so that it would reflect back. See the difference in the colour and lighting on his face? I only got one try because how many guys want to be holding an umbrella in front of their face while they watch a football game!!

More playing with lighting on an abstract piece of art....since there weren't any humans willing to humor me.

With this shot I have an umbrella propped up on the dining room table and a flash going off into the umbrella to give some soft light to the flowers.

I took this picture out the living room window and I also cropped it right down since the yellow electrical cord out to my daughters car was not adding anything to the scene. :) I am impressed with the detail in a zoom, through the window and a crop. However the snow is a little blue and that is because I forgot to set the "metering" to high to pick up those whites. But I did for this next picture!

Again through the living room window.

And there you have it.
The results of having my head in a book, my hands on a camera and my butt on a chair all weekend. I learned lots though. Felt like I took an intensive course all weekend and I guess I did.
And tomorrow the E-3 goes back to Don's. sigh....

I am so excited!!

I have, right now, in my possession...

The Olympus E-3 ~ my dream camera!!

It has the FASTEST auto focusing of any professional camera!! Click, click, click - all in focus with incredible detail.

And I have three days to play with it!!

Three days to be totally distracted with this new toy of mine...

and then Don's Photo photo wants it back!!!

But until then, I plan to put it through every test I can and take a thousand pictures!!!

Here she is... and isn't she beautiful???

I picked her up over lunch today and man it took a lot of self control to let her sit in the corner of my office all afternoon untouched!!

So, if I don't blog for a few days you will know what I am doing.
sigh... and then she has to go back.

The specs? Check this out! And this!

The E-3, the flagship of Olympus' Digital SLR line, combines speed and durability in a splash-proof magnesium alloy body. Early to embrace Live View and Dust Reduction features in a dSRL, Olympus now appears to offer the fastest autofocus in the world. Body-Integrated image stabilization , a 10-megapixel Live MOS image sensor, Supersonic Wave Drive and one of the largest and most accurate viewfinders prove Olympus is not sitting on their laurels but is still an innovator in photographic technology.

Are you ready for the "World's Fastest Autofocus" dSLR? Used in combination with the Zuiko Digital SWD ED 12-60mm f2.8-4 lens, the E-3’s new AF system is the world’s fastest.

watercolour

I have been taking some of my photos and working with them in Photoshop to make them into water color prints.

Stuff about me you MAY not have known!!

I lifted this from Jenni, mother of 12 (yes I said TWELVE) over at One Thing

I know it is making it's rounds in blogosphere...but up until now I haven't felt like playing along.

I don't have any scrap book pages to share with you and I am still working on those photo water colours a la Photoshop that I promised (tomorrow? or Saturday since I am at work the next two days)

So since this was really easy and fast for today's post I succumbed. If you like it, please feel free to copy on to your blog. Then let me know (like leave a comment!!) so I can come on over and learn a little more about you.

Just boldface the items that you HAVE done, and leave the rest normal….and remove my commentary...

Things I have or have not done. Some I have no desire to do... like kill and gut an animal.

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity (I’m throwing this question out too because I don’t like it)

7. Been to Disneyland/world

8. Climbed a mountain.

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

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

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Gone skiing - water or snow

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon (how about a 10 km??)

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 (okay it was only three hrs but it was on the ocean)

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. Slept in a tent

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Been ice skating

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant. ( I plan to make this happen soon)

44. Visited Africa

45 Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance (I was a passenger and not the patient)

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen Pearl Harbor in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (in Mexico yet!)

52. Kissed in the rain (and the snow!)

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie (and yes home movies count?)

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 (bought several boxes of them though!)

62. Gone whale watching

63. Gotten flowers for no reason (all the time cause I married a really sweet guy!)

64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma (always too skinny or pregnant/nursing)

65. Gone sky diving (are you kidding??) ..but my son did!

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter (don't remind me)

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced 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 ouch!

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 (and no plans to)

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life (very subjective - would they have died had I not intervened???)

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby (or four)

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a lawsuit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee (does a wasp count?)

Spheres

Just taking a brief moment here to wish number three son a very happy birthday!!
Not that he visits my blog, but perhaps his wife might and can pass on my greetings.

Or maybe I should just pick up the phone?

Or better yet, send him an Amazon gift certificate?
Now you're talking!!


On to SPHERES

Another day wasted in Photoshop.

I have learned three new techniques in Photoshop in the past two days.

Okay I didn't spend the whole day on the computer today. My day stated at 8am this morning when I spent an hour with a very nice Physiotherapist who gently messaged my wrist for $70 and told me a few stretches I needed to get some mobility back into it. It seems I have spent too much time...ahem...on the computer!

My computer set up at home is great - no problems, but my set up at work where I am on the mouse for 8 hrs straight is less then optimum and so... I had to see a P.T. today.

And oh how nice to be able to start my car WHILE I am forking out the $70 because next on the list was to pick up child number four and drop her off at University because it is darn cold to be waiting for a bus. Still a Mom first and foremost.

And then I was off to the gym to further abuse my now limber wrist with a core class, push ups and a step class. That was two hrs of.... abuse. But I feel great - yeah, I keep telling myself that... I feel great!

So why did I crash this afternoon around four o'clock and end up with my keyboard imprinted on my forehead??? Could it be I overdid the cardio in an effort to work off 26 Pot of Gold chocolates over the past three weeks?????

Why is it I never do anything in moderation?

So somewhere in this glorious day off work from either job, I spent time perfecting "SPHERES" and so now I will share them with you.

His teeth take on a whole new dimension in this sphere!!

And doesn't he just look like my right arm and camera might make a tasty meal...and then my right leg..and then....

Ah yes, I do remember this moment very well and am game to head back there at a moments notice to do it all over again!

But since I can't...

Another sphere.

Hawaii...take me away....

Are you sick of pictures of my husband kissing me?
I promise, this is the last one.

This one was taken on Vancouver Island. Sunrise. Romantic getaway. Best B&B in B.C. that I know of. E-mail me if you need a romantic get away and want to stay in Canada.
Amore By the Sea.

Unlike the alligator, this fellow was behind plexiglass.

Okay -no more spheres.

next up....
converting photographic images to a watercolor painting.

Oh sooo beautiful.

Bubble portraits or Spheres

The web is such a wealth of knowledge.

Okay it can be a time waster too, but I figure if I am on the web learning a new technique in Photoshop while I wait for the spin cycle on the washing machine to finish it's work, I am redeeming the time.

I am not watching Oprah, or anything on TV for that matter...

...so I have indulged and I am having more fun educating myself (again). If only I could make money at this. Send me your photos and I will do funky things with them for a fee!! :)

This time I am making spheres rather than planets.

I took this photo at Ft Sumter, Charleston, South Carolina.

I think this is very cool and just wait because when I find the right portrait of dear husband in my stash of thousands of photos, I am going to have some real fun...stay tuned.

Want to know how to play with your photos?

Check out Digital Photography School ...there is also a link to the left with the most recent posting up there for you.

Is it 2009?? ...remembering...

I am feeling a little bit older today. So I am going to share of picture of me from way back when that makes me feel so wonderful. It reminds me of those long, busy, tiring, activity filled days that I absolutely loved so much!!!

This is me with my precious gifts from above, taken at the museum in Victoria on my birthday in March 1993. I am 36 yrs old in this picture..just a kid!!

Could I love four people any more? Aren't they just all so sweet?

Oh what fun filled, happy days of adventure and learning.

God is so good to us!

My Mojo is starting to return

..well at least I did get two pages done from the spring of 2002 when Allison and I took a trip back to Langley to visit our girlfriends. Not sure if that means my mojo is back, but it is starting to return.

The first layout is Allison with her buddies and the second is of two of my very good friends.

For Allison's fun page I used a bunch of stuff from my stash. The girls did a variety of fun activities the weekend we visited. These photos were of their trip to the huge "Colossus" theater in Langley to see Snow Dogs.

This second layout of my friends was put together courtesy of Basic Grey


So easy - everything is from the granola line of Basic Grey.
I mean really - you don't even have to think.

Thanks for looking.