Bobcat Badges

Tonight was a big night for Davin and his cousin Joseph. They both earned their Bobcat Badge at the Pack meeting. To earn the Bobcat, a Tiger Scout must fulfill 8 requirements. The ceremony took place at the Creek Park ampitheater/ fire pit with all the boys of our Pack and their families in attendance.



During the ceremony, the boys got their faces painted by different den leaders. Each color and stripe represents a different part of being a scout.

Proud parents...(doesn't it look like my feet are missing?)


I just love their faces... a great sense of accomplishment has been earned.

Photoshop actions...

I took the plunge and got myself Photoshop Elements 7.0. Here's my reasoning...if I have a great photo editing program, and an average camera, I can soup up my pictures and maybe won't have to spend my hard earned money on a big girl camera. I also have been learning about Photoshop actions. They take a raw picture and add the perfect color effects to really make a picture POP!
Here are a few pictures I "actioned-up"...
before:

after (using Color Pop action):

using soft black & white:

before:

using vintage action: (and my favorite so far)

before:

after using vibrant action:

So fun! So no big girl camera for me for now...don't you agree? Interested? Here's where I read all about the actions... and here's where you can get them. I am so anxious to play around with these more. Can i take your picture?

score keeping

At night after homework, dinner, showers etc... the boys like to jump on the computer and play different games. After getting permission, they race off to their own little internet world together in the office. Turns out they like to check my blog to see who's on it each day. Also, they have been keeping score in the form of tally marks on an index card (hmmmm.... who's kids are those?) Hunter brought it to my attention that Avery is in the lead for the past two weeks. So this picture below is just a typical evening moment...Dusan reading sports magazines, and the boys lounging.

And now you both can each add a tally mark to your scorecards.

sew easy...

A few years ago for my birthday, my mom gave me this 8 inch tall sewing maching to use specifically for scrapbooking. I have thought alot about it, even the day I moved it into the garage. This weekend I finally decided to dust it off and give it a whirl. It has one speed, one style of stitch, and resembles a toy... how hard could it be? After reading the directions written for a trilingual, I proceeded to loop, bob, and thread the machine. It was intense, I may have even broke a little sweat.

Here are my four glorious lines of stitching...Can you tell which one i forgot to put the "presser foot" down for? hee hee. Let's just keep that between you and I... I don't think I am ready to be known as a seamstress quite yet. But it was fun to try. And I do like the texture it adds to a page. And the paw print paper is actually fabric with an adhesive backing.

And another "while its still fresh in my mind" layout from our recent vacation.

I am really enjoying printing my own pictures these days. I especially love the ability to print wallet size photos right from home... that size is really versatile on a 12 X 12.
Okay, off to start a quilt...

sailing...

...into the weekend filled with nothing extraordinary. Some time with friends, a few sports, maybe a trip to IKEA, and looking to find some R & R in the mix of all that.

cheers and enjoy.

Earth Day

What better way to celebrate than with one of my favorite "Earthy" pictures.
Davin at the Adventureland Mud Park in July...
I think he may have been chewing on the mud in this picture.

Avery came home from her "Earth Day" at school wanting to dump out the kitchen trash can and sort the plastic from the paper.
"And then what?" I asked her.
No answer.
At least I know she is getting an education.

army crawling...

...to summer, that is.

Today was filled with sleeping in until 8:00. Blowing up the backyard pool. Beautifying the yard. Snacking on seedless watermelon. Brewing sun tea. Wearing a tube top. Reading "Real Simple" on a beach towel in the sun. Swinging on the rope. Bare feet. Barbecuing chicken... lots of it. And Pinkberry for dessert. I can't wait for summer. I really can't. Maybe if I just click my heels together 3 times...

man boy

It would be perfectly fine with me if Hunter skipped his birthday this year in June, and just stayed 8. No problem at all. Couldn't we just breeze past it and act like it never happened?







I have been noticing signs of his maturity lately that are a little scary. Like on Easter, he secretly pointed to the Target price tag that the Easter Bunny had accidently left on the "Tales of Desperaux" DVD...ooops, my bad. I was grateful he did not point it out to the recipient, Davin. When we do our nighttime reading, he reads...I listen. My favorite though, would have to be when he came home from school this week and asked me, "Mom, do we have a budget?".
Yeah...he did. So with that being said I am off to check for hair under his arms. Have a great weekend.

Miss Ruby Sue

I have been playing around with some of my favorite pictures from our trip, while it is fresh in my mind. I had a good time with my mom over Spring Break ( a little too good) at a scrapbook store near her house. Wow, there is so much beautiful product out there for Spring and Summer. I was definitely a kid in a candy store. I cannot get enough of the yellow that is everywhere right now...



And speaking of beautiful, a few weeks back, I entered a giveaway contest on one of my favorite blogs. The prize was a shopping spree at the amazing etsy shop of Miss Ruby Sue. My necklace arrived yesterday and I couldn't wait to share...

biker babe

Soccer practice was cancelled tonight, so Avery and I hit the road on our bikes. Usually it is all 5 of us and the 2 dogs on leashes which can make bike riding pretty eventful. Tonight it was just the two of us circling the block lap after lap. She is determined to get those training wheels off ASAP. This is her new "trick".



We picked up these new shades for 5 bucks at Old Navy...too bad they didn't come in my size...love that color.
And speaking of new... thanks to the Fabulous Mandi Johnson for the blog facelift. She is one talented twenty-something designer with quite a flare... check her out!

move over Edward Cullen...

Here is my latest obsession. I am reading it to my classes at school. I am reading it with my kids each night at bedtime. I find myself reading it to get ahead after the kids have gone to sleep because I can't wait until the next day. Here's the premise: Edward Tulane is an arrogant china doll rabbit who is very well taken care of by his adorable owner, Abilene. The story documents his journey to get back home after being lost. You fall in love with this self-absorbed rabbit by the fifth chapter. It is a beautiful story for all ages. Even Avery, my 5 year old can't stop talking about it. When I picked her up from school her teachers wanted to know, "Who is this rabbit named Edward?"

You can get it here, or I picked it up at Target on the Bestseller aisle for $9.99. Enjoy.

Monterey

For the last leg of our trip, we stayed in Monterey for 2 nights at a hotel that was walking distance from both the Aquarium and Fisherman's Wharf. It was beautiful...2 days was just not long enough... but the perfect ending to our trip.























A very memorable Spring Break for all of us. This was the first family vacation where we came home NOT needing a vacation from our vacation. No babies, no strollers, no diaper bags... easy breezy.

Ancich Farms

Do you remember this post? Just in time for a visit from the Easter Bunny...Hunter and Avery pulled these up today. Great timing...everyone knows bunnies love carrots.



There is a whole pot waiting to grow a bit more before we can enjoy them. This is our first successful attempt at growing something edible.

And in the spirit of Easter, tonight Buppy and Granny came over to dye 60 eggs.

Have a colorful Easter.