Princess Shadows to Frame

I saw these Princess Shadows on Pinterest months ago and saved to do for my goddaughter:

Since then we had a little girl placed with us, and I am finally turning her room into a girl's room. It's pink with (black & white) zebra print. This has been quite popular the past few years, but I am behind the times so it is hard to find things, which is probably better so it isn't too matchy. So, I started looking online and found princess shadows, which I then put on a (pink & white) zebra background. Now, these aren't even printed and framed yet, but here is how they look designed:

I'm thinking a black collage frame, though individual frames would be cute too. I am still doing for my goddaughter as well, but I will do the shadows a different color (on a solid background color), just by layering over a solid color and using the digital software to lasso out the white on both layers. It follows the same principles of doing the old fashioned shadows I posted in a previous blog this year.

Here is the original website to find the shadows:
http://www.victoriancircus.com/Photo-Gallery.html

Despicable Me

Anyone else looking forward to Despicable Me 2? I saw the trailer when I took J to see ParaNorman last week. Can't wait to add it to my own minion's collection ;)
http://youtu.be/axbUCR1nKRA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axbUCR1nKRA

First day of school

I have already dropped JJ off at school but I am ready to pick him back up! I will miss my random hugs and kisses through out the day, his showing me his creations, doing schoolwork with him, just HIM. He will do great, as I told him last night, because he is already such a little smartie. Even though his bookbag was loaded down with supplies (only half, we took some to the teacher last week) he didn't want my help to get it to his classroom. Least he stopped asking to ride the bus, so I get that little bit of extra time in the mornings and afternoons with him! All I can think about is how the little bugger told me last night that he misses me the most during the day. Kids really know how to get under your skin. Least I have errands and chores to do to pass the day today, as well as the little ones.

Lego Photo App

I ran across the Lego Photo App this morning while downloading the Lego Hero game to my iPod for J. It's too cute!

Didn't do anything good this summer?

I couldn't believe when the words came out of JJ's mouth that we didn't do anything good this summer! What?! Is this what he will tell your teacher when she asks? I asked what about the beach, the pools, carnival/fair/festival, family get togethers, the cruise, seeing an alligator in real life, movies, etc. He then "remembered" of course, but it shocked me that this child can do more in 1 summer than some kids get to do their whole childhood! Thankfully he is still young, I can chalk some of it up to his age, but I will stand by my parenting ideal that my kids will not grow up expecting the wonderful things they get to experience in life, that they don't take for granted what they have been blessed with! I know unfortunately we have had a lot of meetings and errands revolving around 3 of the other kids, but what we have done with them fun has more than offset that!

Any text into a shape

The website below will allow you to turn any text of your choosing into a few different shapes. Mind you, there are not many to choose from, but I have been wanting to do something with my hubby and my song, so the heart was perfect. It saves in Adobe, so I had to use the "photo capture" to then paste into the photo program I use, because I didn't just want to print it, I wanted a snapshot from our wedding day as the background. The first picture is what you will get from the website, the 2nd is after I added our wedding day background.
 http://www.festisite.com/text-layout/#2,0

Day is officially a licensed driver!

Woohoo! Day got his license today. A long drawn out process due to fun paperwork, but worth it in the end, especially since we looked at his apartment yesterday, which he moves into on September 1st, and starts classes on September 5th! Everything lining up for him to start out "on his own." I already have a promise from him for Sunday dinners and watching Walking Dead. Not going to be the same... Thanks to everyone who has had a hand in his life, and thank you SO much Lynn for ALL you have done! There is a reason the kids want to call you Aunt!

Family Reunion

It has been more than 30 years since my dad's side of the family has had a reunion, and I am too little to remember any of that one. The picture above was placed on Facebook and the tagging of each other sparked some family members to find one another. (My dad is in the bottom row, 2nd from the left. Wasn't he cute. I see a lot of JJ in him.) In turn, those new found connections have brought together the idea for a family reunion next year that 2 cousins and myself are heading. As apparent, family is very important to me, and I love how much closer I have become to that side of the family the past few years as is, so I am really looking forward to this gathering. I have been researching different ideas, and we are planning a motorcycle ride and the gun range. Yes, I can imagine what image that gives people, but you couldn't be further from the truth. To add to that imagine, I will also be having my next tattoo - my mom's signature - by a family member (who owns his own shop.) Of course there will be other tamer things planned, a lunch boat cruise and golfing, on top of the actual reunion dinner. I can't wait to see everyone, especially one of my sisters and one of my brothers! Dad is excited to have us all under his roof, even if it is only half of his kids!

Family bank?

If you treat family like a bank, realize you have to make some deposits, not just to keep an active account, but to build credit history.

(For those that might not get the meaning, don't just call asking for things. And if you expect someone to do something for you, maybe you should have done it for them. This family doesn't center around one person, we expect everyone not to center on themselves either.)

Cruise Family Photo

So, on our anniversary, it was the Captain's dinner, we were all dressed up, so of course we did pictures! I love this and it was hanging almost as soon as we were home from our cruise! The next night we did beach pics with my in-laws, and yes, of course I have that photo already hanging up too. We are missing Bran & Little Miss, but I have a gift certificate we were given and we will have family pics done later, hopefully they will both be in it, but of course with Little Miss I won't be able to share those pictures anyway due to state law on protecting privacy, perfectly understandable on a public blog such as this! Having the photos taken on the cruise is so worth it, and at $20 each, really no more than you pay at many photo places. Get as many photos taken as you like, you don't have to buy any if you prefer.

JJ lost his first tooth

Ok, so it's not the first time the tooth fairy has visited him, but it is the first tooth JJ has lost naturally. It took a month, it was first loose when we were down in Florida, but he was a little worried it would hurt taking it out. Yesterday I noticed he had the tooth between his lips so we explained if he didn't pull it that he might swallow it and have to wait to find it again for the tooth fairy. He did pull it out himself then and was pleasantly surprised it didn't hurt. He did remind me that we never did the real tooth fairy door, which I couldn't find a wooden one. I did get a chest that has a cover that looks like a door, so he used that last night, and I will paint and personalize it in preparation for his next tooth. My little guy is growing up. It's sad how quickly the years are going by! I already don't want his to go back to school in 3 weeks!

The ripples of giving

I am surrounded by wonderful people who are very giving. I finally see what my parents always said about watching who I surround myself with. But my friends weren't by design, it is just something that happens, which I am grateful for.

This week a friend answered a request for household things for Day, since he is moving into his first new apartment. She is giving him a full bed and mattresses. Did he need it, no, we are giving him his here, but it is only a twin. But, as I told her, it works perfect because our old neighbor (who stayed with us some last year until he got on his feet) is finally getting his own apartment too and needs a bed, so he will get Day's twin bed. I told my friend and she said great, she got to help two people. And it made me think, yes it did, because giving has a ripple effect. It doesn't stop at just the one act.

That made me realize I had to tell my other friend her own ripple effect. She gives me her daughter's (my God-daughter) clothes for Shy's little girl. I had another friend get up with me this week because her granddaughter was in need of clothes, so while Shy came to pick up new clothes for her baby, she dropped off the too small clothes for my friend's grand-daughter. I figured my original friend deserved to know how her giving is still going along.

My cousin gives me my nephew's clothes for J, who I in turn give to a friend, who gives back to me for T, who I then give to another friend's grandson. So what starts with my cousin ripples on to 3 more kids after J. That same cousin and I trade books. Neither of us have the space to save into a library, not with the amount that we read, so we then pass those books on. I tell people to keep passing them. Books and clothes might seem trivial, but it still makes it around.

Now, some will say that giving can end with one person. And yes, there may be a person who cannot continue to pass it on, unfortunately there are also people who just won't pass it on, but that doesn't stop the fact that you can still do in the future for someone else, and if you did once, you likely will again just for the feel good effect it has (and honestly, giving for un-selfish reasons is still selfish, because you are still fulfilling a need of your own, a GOOD need to do for others, but nonetheless your own personal need.)

(There is a post on here from a few years ago about when I bought lunch for a homeless gentleman and gave him a blanket, which he said he knew someone who could use it. Once again, it ripples. And you may be watched, urging someone else to do the same.)