Photography

Since buying my first dital SLR camera this past summer, I have become more and more interested in photography - composition, lighting, editing, etc.  Along with that, I have plans to get my scrapbook caught up (I think I am something like 3 or 4 years behinds :-/).  So I have joined a few Meetup groups - some for scrapbooking, some for photography, even one for running.  Already, without going to any meet-ups, I have learned a few new things about photography composition, and I'm so excited to be able to go to a couple of meet-ups to see what else I can learn. 

Kalin and I have also taken an interest in Adobe Photoshop.  We have been watching videos on how to use all the different functions and how to create amazing pictures and layouts and stuff.  I really want to just jump in and start playing with stuff to see how everything works, but I know I will get more out of it if I watch the videos and then go play with it, because then I at least have an idea of what icon does what to my picture.

Part of photoshop is a program called Camera Raw.  When we first tried to use it, we kept getting an error message, and we just couldn't figure out what the problem was.  After asking Kalin's brother (who uses photoshop for college), we were informed that Camera Raw can only open "RAW" images from my camera - it doesn't work on jpeg images.  So I figured out how to get my camera to take RAW images, and now it works! I have come to the realization that if I want to be able to get the most of my pictures, I should be taking them in RAW and jpeg format (which, luckily, my camera does).  The problem with RAW images is that they take up A LOT of space on a memory card.  Lucky for me, I got a rather large compact flash card to go with my camera, so I have a bit more space for those RAW images. 

If anyone reading this has any tips or tricks for me, I would LOVE to hear them!  Anything about photography, photoshop, etc would be much appreciated! Thanks! :D

Running

I have decided to start running - like training for a 5K, 10K, etc running.  I have recently learned that I enjoyed doing it, and while I have an elliptical at home, it's a bit awkward for me to run on, considering I have short legs and the pedals are about 1.5 feet apart.  When I was in school in the summer of 2009, I used the treadmills at the gym there, and LOVED it.  Also, running does not cost nearly as much money as the Ballet Beautiful classes I blogged about a few days ago - all I need are some shoes, socks, shorts and t-shirts and I'm ready to go.  I got a hydration backpack for Christmas (totally out of the blue, but so grateful I got it), so I will be able to carry my phone, keys, ID, etc in that while I run.  So, I have decided to do it more often and use running to get back into shape. 

I have found a few websites dedicated to helping people like me (beginners) learn how to run properly.  For the most part, I am going to use Best Running Tips, but I will be keeping an eye out for other sites that may be of some help, too.  I am going to start with the Beginners Running Program 3: 30 Minutes in 12 Weeks, which will train me to run for 30 minutes straight. Then I will move on to either the 10K Running Program or the Half Marathon Running Program.  I am also going to be keeping a running journal of the date, time, length, route, speed, and other notes about my runs.  I haven't yet decided if I will start a new blog just for my running stuff, or if I will just include it in this one.  I will let you know what I decide. 

I am hoping that by posting this, I might find someone in my area who would like to train with me - that way we both have someone to be accountable to.  Normally, I would have Kalin be my training partner, but with 2 kids home all day, it would be pretty hard for both of us to go running at the same time without the kids.  We could take the kids, because we do have a double stroller, but it isn't built for jogging/running with, and it's fairly heavy and hard to push.  So, in the end I think the stroller would be a bad idea.  So, I'm looking for someone to run with, because as much as I like running, I know there will be days when I just don't want to run, but my training partner will be depending on me, so I'll go anyway (and vice versa).

For now, I am going to run in the area around my house (FM 1117, if you know where that is), but if I get a running partner, I am willing to run just about anywhere.  The only thing with me is that I have to be able to leave the kids with someone.  Since I will be running fairly often (3, 4, 5 days a week), it would be easiest to leave them with Kalin so I'm not burdening my grandparents or in-laws with watching two kids that often.  So either early mornings or late afternoons/evenings will work best for me.

so, here's to hoping I find a running partner! :D Thanks for reading!

Potty Training

So, as most of you know, I have been potty training Elijah for a while now.  He has been doing pretty good, even though he's not yet able to tell me when he needs to go potty.  Today, he only had one accident this morning, so I decided to leave big boy undies on him during his nap.  Today was also the first day that we put him in his bed for nap time without putting him to sleep first.  So, as you can imagine, I was fairly sure that I was going to have to wash his sheets after his nap, which need to be washed anyway, so it wasn't a big deal. 

During his nap, I worked on a sewing project I had been procrastinating on.  Just as I was finishing up, Elijah comes out of his bedroom.  The first thing I did was check to see if he was still dry - and HE WAS!!! I was SO proud of him! I'm hoping now that he's gone through his nap that he'll start recognizing the feeling, and his potty training will go much quicker!

Ballet Beautiful

So, today, while surfing the internet (instead of doing my 1.5 hours of yoga) I came across an article for the ballerina who trained Natalie Portman for her role in Black Swan, for which she has won a Golden Globe and a Critic's Choice Award both for Best Actress.  If you don't already know, Black Swan was one of my most anticipated movies, and is by far one of my favorites, if only for the dancing part.  So, as you can imagine, when I came across this article, I simply couldn't pass it up.  I then linked to the website for Ballet Beautiful, where I found out about the live, online classes that Mary Helen Bowers offers there.  I have linked to her Facebook page, (here) and have found out that they will soon be releasing videos for Ballet Beautiful, which is great, considering that the live classes are $40 and $25 for the 1 hour and 30 minute classes, respectively.  Now, in all honesty, $40 a class is not that much for lessons from a world-class ballerina, but I simply don't have that kind of money to throw around - who does, these days?  So I am waiting anxiously for the videos to be released, but I am unsure if they are going to be DVD releases or if they will be available for purchase as a download.  Either way, I am hoping that when they come out, I can afford to buy them, because God knows there isn't much I wouldn't do to have my ballerina body back from high school.

Children's Stuff for Sale

Here are some of the items I am selling.  I recently cleaned out my kids' closet to make room for any clothing and toys they got for Christmas, and I am trying to sell what my kids no longer use.  Please let me know if you have any questions about these items.  They are also listen on craigslist - simply search for Seguin or New Braunfels in San Antonio Craigslist - For Sale - Baby & Kid Stuff.  Thanks!

 This is a Rock and Ride Horse - he rocks, his tail and head wiggle and he makes horse noises.  For sale for $20

 Ball popper lawn mower - asking $5

 PlaySkool t-ball set - ball stays on tee, tee rotates when hit; on/off switch on bottom.  Asking $10

 Mega Blocks truck - tailgate opens, megablocks not included.  Asking $5

 HEB brand Size 3 diapers, 52 count.  Asking $5

 Little People School Bus - musical.  No little people included.  Asking $5

 Infantino baby set - includes crab, ball and caterpillar.  Asking $5

 Fisher Price Amazing Animals Train set - includes front engine, which plays music and make animal sounds, middle section and tail end, 7 animals (giraffe, elephant, hippo, zebra, monkey and alligator).  Asking $20

 

 Rainbow xylophone with attached mallet. Asking $5

 Beanie babies - Parrot and Deer are TY, frog and bear are not.  Asking $5 for all 4

 Styrofoam type building blocks - multicolored, multi-shaped, 2 wal-mart bags' worth

 Travel changing pad with two mesh pockets and one wipies container.  Asking $5

 12 month clothing - 6 short sleeve t-shirts, 2 pairs of jeans, 3 long sleeve t-shirts, 4 short sleeve dress shirts, 1 long sleeve dress shirt, 2 pairs of shorts, 1 jumper, 1 pair of pajama pants and 7 pairs of socks.  Asking $25 for the lot

 18 month clothing - 3 short sleeve shirts, 4 long sleeve shirts, 2 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of shorts, 1 set of pajamas.  Asking $20 for the lot

 24 month/2T clothing - 3 long sleeve onesies, 1 pair khaki pants, 1 pair navy blue pants, 1 long sleeve button-up dress shirt, 1 pair navy blue sweat pants.  Asking $15 for the lot

New Year's Resolutions and other stuff

So, as you all know, it's a new year. And with a new year comes new "resolutions"; promises to your self that you will do thing differently this year than you did last year in order to make this better than last year. But the problem is that most people tend to make the same new year's resolutions every year - lose weight, work less, get out of debt, etc etc. I am guilty of doing this very thing - for the last 2 years, I have been vowing that I would get back to my pre-pregnancy body. But, unlike most people I know, I have made more than 1 or 2 new year's resolutions - I have made many. I know that I may not keep them all or even half of them, but I like to set my goals high. Of the many resolutions I have made, here are a few:

• get back to my pre-pregnancy body by watching what I eat and exercising in some way everyday, without excuse
  
• spend more time with my kids - teaching them things, playing with them and learning about them
• de-clutter my house and my life - get rid of those things that I haven't used, or even looked at in years in order to make more space for the things I need space for.
• sit down at the table for dinner more nights than not, giving our family time to communicate, and ensuring that we're all eating better
• have a game night at least once a month
• spend less time watching tv/movies and playing on the computer, and more time outside - with the kids or gardening or just sitting and reading
• take more pictures - I realized I have many many pictures of Micah, and many many pictures of Micah and Elijah, but very few of just Elijah
• have a girls' night at least once a month
• spend less money eating out, and spend more time cooking homemade meals
• Read more books - I think I read 3 books all of last year, and for a girl who "loves" to read, that's not very many
• drink only 1 soda per day
• grow my fingernails instead of picking them short
• keep a regular journal - either electronically or on paper
  

My husband's one resolution this year: have a better year


Enough about that... Here's a quick update on the Nall family

We have recently adopted a calico kitten - we have named her Callie (Kalin's idea). She was born either the week before of the week after Thanksgiving (I don't remember which). The kids love her, but I'm not so sure the feeling is mutual. Today, as I was cleaning out a section of our back room (which is, in essence, our storage room), the kids were left to play. When I came out of the back room to give the kids their lunch, I couldn't find the kitten. I didn't hear her meowing anywhere, so I didn't figure she was stuck in a room or under a piece of furniture, so I didn't think much of it - I figured she'd come out when she was ready and sure that the kids weren't going to attack her again. Just before putting the kids down for their naps, I happened to check the basked under our coffee table where we keep extra blankets, and there she was - napping on top of the blankets. My guess is that she got tired of being chased and picked up by her ears that she found a cozy hiding spot and went to sleep.

Elijah is now potty training - we are on day 3. He has only had 2 accidents this morning, and I'm hoping for no more than that this afternoon, but we will see.

I have cleaned out the kids' toys and am trying to find a home for them - the local baby/kids resale shop isn't taking clothes or toys at this time, and I'm tired of storing all this stuff in my house. I have a rocking horse, a shape sorter box, a blue mega blocks truck (minus the mega blocks), a toddler t-ball set for inside play, a small rainbow colored xylophone with attached mallet, and some summer and winter 18-24 month clothing. I believe there are some TY beanie babies in the mix and a few other items I can't think of off the top of my head right now. Please let me know if you're interested in any of this stuff - I can send pics if you like.

Just today, I cleaned out my old college textbooks - I am not returning to school this semester like I had hoped (but it's for the better), so I decided to sell what books I could. I was able to sell less than half the books I had for more than $100, which is far more than I expected. The other books, I guess, are too old for the bookstores to buy back or have too much writing or too many pages missing (from the study guides and such).

I have also finished putting away my Christmas stuff - the majority of it was put away on new year's day, but I had a few lingering items that I didn't have space for in my totes, so I had to wait and bring in another tote from outside to put those in. Also, I got some great Christmas deals at Goodwill - some LED lights, some solar powered outdoor LED lights (so I can put lights on our front gate without having to trail 50 feet (or more) of extension cord up there, some gold round ornaments, and some regular tree lights with a round storage thing so they don't get tangled.

I have cleaned off 3 flat surfaces in my house to make space for decorative items - silk flowers, candles, pictures, etc. These 3 spaces have been covered in clutter for the past 2 years, and I just got tired of it.

One final thought - I have been thinking of starting up a Mommy Meet-up group for the Seguin area. New Braunfels has a couple, and Seguin used to have one, but it kind of just dissipated. I would like to start one up again - one where we can do playdates with the kids, mom's night out, shopping, movies, lunches, home meets and more. I myself need a few more mom-friends that I can talk to - about the joys of being a mom, advice on how to handle certain situations, even just to vent to every now and then when things aren't working out like we thought they would. Plus, the kids get to learn how to socialize, share, play and make some friends, too. I would love to know if anyone would be interested in something like this. We could plan once-weekly or bi-weekly meet-ups, depending on how many members we have and how often our schedules allow for us to meet. Let me know if you're interested!