Catch-up

1.  Homecoming was two weeks ago. We WON! I made Leah and Adrienne's mums this year. I thought Brynlee was still too little, so she had a spirit stick.

2.  Leah tried out for the all school play. She is going to be an angel. We are excited.

3.  Leah & Adrienne are taking gymnastics in a town about 35 min away. They love it.

4.  Brynlee's favorite new gesture is shrugging her shoulders. So if you ask her anything her response is always "I don't know."

5.  My house is under "Extreme Makeover Brenda Edition" ( dang you pinterest).

6.  We celebrated my great-nephews birthday last Saturday. My brother and sister and their families came over. It was a good time.

What have you been up to lately?

(Poor Leah. It was early and my flash was a little bright.)

Good Luck Bobcats! Beat Canadian!

Hello October

I can't believe it's the 1st of October already. Where has this year gone? This has to be my favorite time of year. It is the beginning of fall weather, pumpkin patches & Thanksgiving. I am a little sad this year, because we didn't make it to the Annual Balloon Fest in Albuquerque, NM. We have tried to go almost every year for the last few years.  If you have never been, I suggest you try to make it at least once in your life. It is something you will never forget. I can't explain how truly amazing it is and pictures don't do it justice.

Here are just a few from our visit last year.

I promise they were happy. They were just tired from the long trip the night before.

Shake it like a Polaroid Picture Part 2: A DIY

I loved the title so much I thought I would use it twice, and it went with this DIY too.

Mini Polaroid Magnets

Supplies Needed:

1. Poster board
2. Magnetic Sheets
3. Spray Adhesive
4. Packaging Tape
5. Scissors
6. Pictures of your choice

First you will need to use an editing software to make a small collage. My favorite, because it is free and easy to use, is Picasa from google. When in Picasa you will choose your favorite pictures and make a "collage." One of the reasons I like Picasa for this project is because in the collage settings there is a polaroid border you can choose.  I decided to use an 8x10 setting. I ended up with a print that looked like this.

I sent it to my local supercenter to print. While in there I picked up the magnetic sheets. The rest is simple.

1. You will cut out each individual picture.
2. Once they are all cut, you then use your spray adhesive to stick them to the poster board. I suggest you try to get as many down with one spray. If you have to spray again be sure to cover the pictures that are already on the board, so you won't get the front of them sticky.
3. Cut them out again. (The poster board is an extra step to make them sturdy.)
4. I then put a piece of clear packaging tape over the front to protect the pictures. Almost done.
5. After they are all covered and protected place them on the magnetic sheets as close as possible.
6. Cut them out once more.



 You will end up with a stack of mini polaroids that look something like this.

Put them on your fridge and enjoy!

I found this on Pinterest and made a few changes.

I was thinking these would make a cute gift for the Grandparents.

Shake it like a Polaroid Picture

If you can't tell I am obsessed with pictures and anything that has to do with pictures: cameras, film, black & white, polaroids, digital, etc... To me its a memory, whether good or bad, I want to remember. My fascination began as a young girl. I remember my mom always carrying around her big, bulky, YASHICA camera everywhere. Back then I didn't quite understand why she went through all that trouble, but now I am so grateful she did. Not only did it begin my obsession with photography, but now I can look back at all those pictures again and remember my life.

This need to take pictures all the time didn't come all at once, like most moms, it all started with my kids. When Leah was born I bought a cheap film camera at my local supercenter and started documenting her life.  I quickly realized I needed a digital camera to keep up. But now I have all these picture of my girls on my computer or stored on an SD card. Which brings me to my dilemma. I am capable of taking pictures all the time, but sometimes I forget to take the time to develop them. 

I have a problem with wanting instant gratification. I thought a digital camera would satisfy this problem (being able to see the pic in the little window) but now I find myself wanting pictures, real pictures. So I was on the hunt for a polaroid (just like my grandpa's). To me it was the perfect solution for my 2 wants: memories & instant pictures. Two weeks ago I found one. Actually I found two but only bought one. I haven't tried it out yet, but you could say I am sorta kinda a little excited!

Isn't she beautiful!

And here is the camera that started it all.

(My mom's)