Fun with Photoshop

Well, this will be my last post before our CRUISE, so enjoy. I am in love with photoshop as a photo toy, and I love that I have a graphic designer sis-in-law who will share her secrets with me (sometimes). she has an awesome art blog that has photoshop tips on it. Here are some of my photos I've messed with, enhanced colors on, darkened edges on, and one that i created to tease my sister because she's in love with Twilight's Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black).

Hating Miss Perfect

Today, while basking in the glow of some recent self-betterment progress, the inevitable happened. I was decked out in my full grunge-wear at the grocery store, wrapping up a long day of scrubbing and child wrestling when I ran into HER. You know her too, she's that girl you know from high school/college/church who you couldn't stand to be around because you want so bad to BE her. She's the one with effortlessly flawless hair and makeup, a dazzling wardrobe and every accessory. Everything you can do, she can do better, and she'll probably be doing it on the evening news tonight because her parents know all the right people (of course). Her every effort is met with success and the universe opens itself up to her every aspiration. She has the one, beautiful, perfect child and amazingly looks even better now than before she had kids. She positively glows with the tranquility of motherhood. Yep, that's the one.

So I stood there, makeup and hairdo non-existent, wardrobe questionable at best, long bereft of any talent not involving kids, husband, and the kitchen, and wishing there was a way to convince my post-partum chest to stop trying to migrate to my abdomen. She, of course, just finished coordinating a political convention downtown and is flying to Hawaii to celebrate. Me? I'm just totally geeked out that I found a way to make my whole wheat loaves rise higher, and I'm going to start making my own yogurt. She is late for some big social gathering, and I'm pretty sure my kids are gonna come completely unglued if I chat for one more minute. She's off in a flurry of perfection while I battle toddler meltdown in aisle 5.

It's been a few hours since then and I've reached a conclusion. The only real things separating the two of us are our decisions. I could choose to do so many things, but what makes me happiest is taking care of my family and spending time with them. Other talents and hobbies (and body shapes) have either had their day or will have to wait. So I won't waste any more time worrying about "Miss Perfect" and appreciate that I chose to be Me, I chose to be Mom, Wife & Daughter and when it comes down to it, I'm not interested in being anybody else!

Family Home Evening Lesson Group

I am so excited! Tonight is the second meeting of our FHE lesson group, and the first night we will be swapping lessons. We have 10 people in our group, and after 5 meetings, each person will have enough lessons for one year! Not too shabby eh?

My lesson for this month was on Manners (which proved more challenging than I imagined) and I had to get pretty creative to make it work. I used a lesson I found on http://www.ldssplash.com/ and created my own manners superheroes for the lesson using photos I found on a costume website and modifying them in Photoshop. I can't wait to see what lessons I'm getting tonight!!