Photo Editing

Ok, well I wasn't going to post again today, but I sat down and played with a couple of photos that I wanted to enter into a contest online. After I finished that, I was so proud of them, I wanted to share them!
This first one I took last year during wheat harvest. It was taken with my cell phone. I wish I had an actual camera on me that day, because the sky was so perfect. But I was dropping Dylan off to ride with daddy in the combine, and didn't think to bring it. So the first one is the original, straight out of the phone picture.

A bit of editing on this copy.

Then, went back to the original and edited it this way. It has a bit of a 1960's style wash to it. I will enter one of these edits in the contest tomorrow. I'm not sure which one yet.

This is the photo I entered in the contest today. I didn't upload the original. I took the original, cropped it to get out meaningless background. I added a texture to the entire picture, and then I erased that texture off of the ladies, leaving it everywhere else. Once I did that, I added grain to it. Then with a couple of color treatments, I got this result...

It is a photo I took in 2008, of my Great Grandmother, Pearl and her sister. I just love what I was able to do with the photo. I know editing like this isn't for everyone, but I love textures, and different color treatments on some photos. I don't expect to win this contest, but it was fun experimenting with photos. And it allows me to share them with others. I shared this photo on another blog.

Oh...and I realize that on some internet browsers the colors may be off. I just hope they aren't "off" enough to make a big difference. In other words, I hope you can see what I see.

The Boys

Ethan wears some hand-me-downs from Dylan. Not all of their sizes and seasons are matching up though. Sometimes they do. Sometimes I actually think to take a picture of Ethan wearing a shirt that I know I have a picture of Dylan wearing. So here is one. The first picture is Dylan. This was Christmas time 2007. Dylan was 14 months old.

Here is Ethan yesterday. Again, 14 months old. Almost. Do you know how hard I tried to get a picture of that kid without something in his mouth? So this is what I got.

I made a better bolognese this time. The recipe came from Joy the Baker. It had a great flavor. Before I started making these, I thought that bolognese was a labor intensive dish. It is so much easier than I ever imagined it. A food processor or blender can chop everything for you and then you just dump it in a pan little by little and let it cook. I thought the house smelled so good while this was simmering. I let it simmer for a few hours before we actually ate it. Then served it over whole wheat pasta.

Yumminess

Last night I made steaks again. This time though with a yummy Chimichurri Sauce. From what I can tell there are a few variations to the sauce. I chose one that sounded good to me. It cant get any easier. You throw everything into a blender or food processor and you are done. It tastes fantastic.

We are still working on the rolls I made the other day. Although I think there are only 3 left. Everyone loves them. We like to put a little bit of butter on them and then drizzle honey over them. But not just any honey. Local honey. I never thought there would be a big difference in the store bought stuff, and the local stuff. I don't know where my grocery store (Kroger) gets their honey, but after tasting a jar of fresh, local, straight from the hive honey, I will NEVER buy the store stuff again. If you can get your hands on local honey, try it. You won't be sorry.

I am attempting another recipe for Bolognese Sauce today. I'm hoping to be happier with the flavors this time. Wish me luck!

Oh! I almost forgot. We got the preschool application for Dylan in early enough, and he will be able to attend! I am so excited. They are having an open house in April, where we will take Dylan in so he can meet his teacher and see his classroom. It will give Ryan a chance as well to see everything. I'm so excited for August more than ever now! Dylan will benefit so much from this. I know he will truly enjoy it.

Time Change

We had a nice weekend. Saturday we went out to dinner with friends. The boys did well. Dylan didn't eat much, but that's been the trend lately with him. Ethan and I split a meal, and I swear he ate half of it. He can be a pig. Sunday we woke up late. Technically it was late, but to our bodies it wasn't. We did the whole time change thing overnight. So Ethan, who is the house's alarm clock woke up at what was really 9 am, but to his mind and body was only 8. I was shocked he slept so late. It was nice. So we all had breakfast and headed out to run errands. Again, the boys did great. When I say the boys, I really am only talking about Ethan. He's like a box of chocolates...you never know what you are going to get. He did fine. We tried to grab lunch, but we hit it at prime lunch time and things were packed. So not wanting to wait, we grabbed fast food and headed home.
It was a strange feeling last night at 6 pm. It was still light out. I'm not used to that at all. I will get used to it, and enjoy it, but it felt off. Then this morning it was awful getting up when it was still dark outside. I really wanted to stay in bed. But Monday mornings are our go days, so I had to wake everyone up. Its a horrible feeling waking Ethan up. The kid actually sleeps and here mommy is waking the beast. Hopefully the beast takes his nap this afternoon. He has been doing fairly well this past week. I have been putting him down a little earlier in the mornings, and letting him sleep only an hour. He stays happy, and then goes down well for his afternoon nap, and we have had nice evenings. Lets hope the trend continues.
I know everyone has seen and heard about the horrible disaster in Japan. The photos and videos are truly amazing and awful. The shear power of the water. I cannot imagine what those people are going through, or what they have been through. The kids. When they mention the kids who have lost their entire families, it tears me apart. I cant handle seeing that. I can't explain what it does to me inside. Its just so sad. Makes you hug your own a little more, and be that much more thankful for where you are and what you have.

Goodness

Yesterday I got the craving for some rolls. It had been a while since I've made any. So I came across this recipe from Tasty Kitchen site called Heavenly Yeast Rolls.
I used my bread machine to make up the dough for me. Its just so much easier. I love that little machine. They were so easy.
Before rising:


After final rise:


All done!


They baked up so golden brown, and were so soft inside. I have had a "go to" roll recipe for a couple of years that I make every time we have a family dinner, or whenever we want rolls. Thanks to this new recipe that old one has been retired. These things are just so good!
Last night's dinner was Cajun Pork Chops from Allrecipes.com. Ryan said they were too spicy. I loved them. There is quite a bit of cayenne pepper in them. Too much for the kids, but I thought it was just right. So I guess if I make these again, I will have to tone down the cayenne some for Ryan. He can be a bit whinny! Haha!



We are supposed to go out to dinner tonight with friends of ours. Should be a nice night. I just hope Ethan naps well today. I swear that kid knows when we have plans, and every time we have plans, he messes with his routine in some way or another. Maybe he finds humor in messing with mommy.

I use a few websites to print out different coloring pages, activities and of course the traceable letters I mentioned before. Its all free which is wonderful. So the other day I printed out a paper with a plate on it and told Dylan to make a picture of what he wanted to eat for dinner. The paper says "thanksgiving" on it, but he didn't know that. Anyway, this is what he came up with. There is a bit of green on it. He says that is broccoli. Then mixed in all of those colors is also bananas, and steak. What a combo, huh? He's funny.

We started using Skype a while back to talk to my grandparents, and we have used it so mom can see the boys. By now though, Dylan is a Skype freak. He knows way to much about it! He barely talks when we use it, but he knows what each sound means, I swear he knows how to call someone on it, and he knows how to end a call. If the internet is running slow, and Skype runs slow, he flips out. He demands for it to be fixed right away. Usually that demand goes to daddy. But I have also been using it to talk to my brother since he's been gone. He got to see both boys yesterday morning and we got to see him. He is halfway across the world right now. It was nice to see and hear him, but on his end, he was having trouble with the connection. I think it was frustrating him a bit. There were times when he was only getting bits and pieces of what he was saying. Anyway, the whole Skype thing is pretty cool. Its great to easily see and stay in touch with family. Now if only Dylan would open up a bit!

No plans for the weekend as of now. We need to run a few errands, but other than that, nothing.

We messed with Ethan's nap a bit today with good results. He went down earlier for his first nap, and I limited that nap to an hour still. He was ready for the afternoon nap that's for sure. He was asleep within 5 minutes or so of being in his crib. He ended up sleeping for about 2 and a half hours. So that was nice. I can't say that he will be ready for that first nap early everyday, because it totally depends on what time he wakes up each morning. It tends to vary a little. And I am certainly not waking him up. I wish he were ready to give up that morning nap all together. I'd be perfectly fine with him just taking an afternoon nap. We'll see what happens each day.
Last night I made Curry Chicken for the first time. Sorry no pictures. It was good. I was pleased with it. I am hoping to find other recipes to use curry powder in because I do like the flavor of the stuff. Dylan didn't care for it all that much but the rest of us liked it. Its fun to try new flavors.
Today I went to the doctor to try to get to the bottom of why my scalp is so dry. Its been getting worse over these last 2 years. Turns out it is psoriasis. Great. Anyway doc gave me some cream to try. I hope I can get it cleared up and at least manage it. I've never been one to have health issues. Despite a rare cold here and there, I am normally fairly healthy. I hate the thought of having to deal with something long term. I know its not that serious compared to what many others go through, but still. At least I know what it is and now we can treat it.
This has been one of those random posts, but that's ok. It happens from time to time. I feel myself getting into a blogging slump. I am hoping to overcome that and keep up with things. I wish I were more creative!