Fishy

So I've tried to be so careful with our little fishtank. We got it before was born so Ryan could have his ideal pet...fish, yeah I like things a little fuzzier. Anyway, when Jaden got to where he could move I didn't feel the fish tank was safe in our living room anymore so we put it in our bedroom up on the dresser where Jaden can't get to it. The problem with this is that when the water gets low the filter sounds like a waterfall and for some reason gives me bad dreams at night. (The wind blowing outside does the same thing). So Ryan tries to keep it filled.

Well, the other night I was dreaming about filling the fishtank with water and being careful not to disturb the sugar cookies at the bottom of the tank (you did get that this was a dream right?) I woke up and sure enough it sounded like a waterfall.

"Didn't you just fill that up?" I asked Ryan, not really caring if he was awake.

"It's just the fishtank....wait...yeah I did."

We got up and found that the filter had clogged. (Pluto our scum sucker had been doing such a good job keeping the tank clean we didn't notice.) The water was backing up over the top and onto the cord and running down the cord dripping onto the dresser.

Fortunately we did have a towel under the tank.....unfortunately a full gallon of water had dripped out before I woke up. Our floor is still wet.

Needless to say, the next day Ryan went and got a new filter and moved things around a bit so that it won't happen again. Just thought I'd share that random story with you. You can now get back to your lives. ;)

P.S. Fishtank picture is an old one. We no longer have that many fish.

Starry Night

This Contest is themed

Painting to Photo

Here's the original. Van Goughs Starry Night

Here's My Starry Night

I used the same town he supposedly painted and mountains and tree and put them all together.

Placed 11th out of 33.
I was hoping to place a little higher I feel this is one of my all time best works.

The Contest:

http://www.photoshoptalent.com/photoshop-picture/483e012586e38/Starry-Night.html

Better Than I Thought!

So when I first found this photoshop talent site I was amazed at what people could do. I was timid to sign up thinking myself so far below them, but i saw a few entries where I thought "hey I could do that" I expected to get close to last on all my competitions, but surprisingly I've done much better than that and usually place somewhere in the middle. My pixie trap for the street light competition took 3rd place! I'm so excited. I'm not sure I deserve it, as I look at the other entries, but I'm happy none the less. Now I have some prestige on the site. I'm a level 5 on talent which means I can enter higher contests and I have vote weight. Yay!

In other news Ryan broke down and got me a new camera. It comes today and I can't wait to play with it! Woo hoo!

She's Cold as Ice

More contests

Photoshop this image:

I call it:

She's Cold as Ice

wasn't exactly what I was going for, but the effect is there regardless. Her skin is suppose to look icey.

Placed 31st out of 116!
Wow there were alot of entries for this one!

The contest:
http://www.photoshoptalent.com/photoshop-picture/483d99fe5aca4/She-s-Cold-as-Ice.html

Quote - together

"Together is the nicest place to be."

~Anonymous

Insert Firstborn

Here's my next entry for PST the theme was GAS PRICES

I call it Insert Firstborn

No, I wouldn't really pay for gas with my child. Ryan had the idea yesterday. (I think he's related to Rmplestiltkin) I thought it would be funny for this theme. Not real well done I know, I was in hurry to get it submitted this morning since tomorrow is the last day to submit entries.

placed 9th out of 21!

Here's the contest:

http://www.photoshoptalent.com/photoshop-picture/483584bb8894f/Insert-Firstborn.html

Pixie Trap

Ready for another one? I am!

Photoshop this image:

I call it

Pixie Trap

Don't you just hate being a pixie trapped in a lanturn? I worked really ard on the lighting of this one. Hope you like!

Placed 3rd our of 40!!! Yay my first medal!!!

The contest:
http://www.photoshoptalent.com/photoshop-picture/4834adedd64b7/Pixie-Trap.html

Diamond

Here's my next PST entry

Photoshop this image:

I call it-

Diamond is a Girls Best Friend

Get it? Cause Diamond is a puppy! Aww, so cute, but that would be one pricey pooch!

placed 16th out of 30!

Here's the contest check it out:
http://www.photoshoptalent.com/photoshop-picture/483452fd6732c/Diamond-is-a-Girls-Best-Friend.html

Yellow Butterfly

I know, I know, but when my forum had a compatition with the theme of wings I just had to try another one with my new skills. He's so flippin cute!

Quote - Love/Glory

"Love is the beginning, the middle, and the end of the pathway of discipleship. It comforts, counsels, cures, and consoles, It leads us through valleys of darkness and through the veil of death. In the end love leads us to the glory and grandeur of eternal life."

~Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

My Worst Critic

I've gotten a bit involved in this Photoshop Talent Site. I'm learning so much and really enjoying learning new tricks and techniques, as well as expressing a bit of my creative side.

Most people will say that they are their own worst critic. I will tell you that Ryan is my worst critic. Hard to believe you say? Well I assure you it is true! He's not mean about it, but he will tell me what is wrong in any picture I do. Be it shadow, perspective, lighting, or "you're elephant doesn't look wet enough." Although this is slightly irksome, it's still a good thing, the things I can fix I will fix, and the things I can't...or it would take WAY too much effort to fix I just won't. When I submit it to competition, I must be ready for the critiques from my photoshop peers...by peers I mean people that are WAY better than me. After all,they ARE judging me, hence the whole competition thing.

Just in case you're wondering, there are prizes to these competitions. Money for 1st second and thrid, OR a great editing program or plug-in for adobe. As cool as it would be to win, it's hightly unlikely, but that's okay I'm just doing it to hone my skills. Why? I don't know, it's really a pointless hobby for me, but aren't most hobbys? I was quite impressed with myself though when my very first entry won 9th place out of 53 entries!

Check back to where I posted my entries and I will post the place I scored when that competition is over.

Pet Elelphant

Yup another one:

Photoshop this image:

My Pet Elephant Wouldn't you love a miniture pet elephant?

Placed 5th out of 48!! More talent points for me!

I added a second entry to this contest. Giving my pet elephant a bath!

Placed 30th out of 48!

The contest:
http://www.photoshoptalent.com/photoshop-contest/2413/big-elephant.html

Vegetable House

Here's another

Photoshop this image:

Hansel and Gretel have never been more frightened
This was far more difficult than it should have been. Sheesh, I still have much to learn about prospective.

placed 16th out of 21.

Here's this contest:
http://www.photoshoptalent.com/photoshop-contest/2382/cut-vegetables.html

Quote - The Way I See You

"My friend, if I could give you one
thing, I would wish for you the ability
to see yourself as others see you. Then you
would realize what a truly special person you are."

~B.A. Billingsly

People Nose

I know I know, I should change this from "Thoughts by Rachel" to "Edits by Rachel . . . Hmmm

Anyway here's my next competition entry:

photoshop this image

I made him have a people nose! Hee!

Placed 39th out of 46.

added another entry.
Dog Nose?

Placed 37th out of 46.

Here's this competition if you want to check out the other entries. They are very good!http://www.photoshoptalent.com/photoshop-contest/2379/dog-nose.html

Wax Rabbit

I signed up for a Adobe Photoshop competition site. I enjoy the ideas I get and the things I learn.

Here was the competition I just entered.

Photoshop This Image:

Here's what I made.

I call it Wax Rabbit

I placed 9th out of 53 entries! Yay Me!

Here's the site if you want to see what others in the comptiton have done.

http://www.photoshoptalent.com/photoshop-contest/2378/pink-candle.html

More Teacups!

Told ya there'd be more! He's just oh so cute!

Under Da Sea

Ha! Now I made Jaden a merboy! Is that better than a fairy? I did it for a contest on my editing forum, no I don't get a real prize, just a chance to play with editing. The theme was underwater. Do you like?

Too Hard On Ourselves

Our lesson in church yesterday was interpretedly on women being too hard on themselves. This felt extremely true and applicable. Once we become teenagers it's as if everyone's opinion matters except for those that truely like us the way we are. Sure, this can be blamed on hormones, or teenage fashion and whatnot, and it lessons a bit once we get married and have no one to please but our husbands. . .

But then, we enter the most elite club of women that have ever existed and we are suddenly and immediately suppose to be perfect in every single way. Mothers! We still have to physically perfect ourselves: make-up, hair, clothes, in shape; but now our children also have to look perfectly, and behave perfectly, and our husbands have to look perfectly and behave perfectly, and our houses have to be clean and decorated cute, and our lawns have to be green and have beautiful flowers, and our garden has to grow the best veggies around, and we have to cook like a chef but nothing but wholesome yet tastey meals, our crafts are all handmade, and our clothes all hand sewn. If we lack in any of these catagories, (or like me, all of the above) it is a direct indication of how good of a mother/wife we are.

This is so unfair. Women really do put this kind of pressure on eachother, and then to themselves. I am quite satisfied by accomplishing what I can, how I can, but even I can fall into a pit of self-pity looking at how much better other women are than me.

Example: My sister-in-law, has the amazing talent of decorating. Her home is always so cute and clean and perfect. My home has Jaden's toys scattered everywhere and is a modge podge of whatever random decorations we happen to have, very little planned out. I just don't have an eye for it. I appreciate this talent in her and am glad she has it, but at times I do find myself judging my humble abode to her cute decorated home.

And yet I've learned through life that pretty much anyone you're jelous of is in some way jelous of you as well. Like right now my sister-in-law is probably jelous that my baby sleeps through the night. =o)

Which brings me to another point. Many babies were born in our ward about the same time as Jaden. Because of this it's easy to compare milestones in their development. Right now Jaden is sitting, crawling, and standing (holding on to the couch or anything he can get his hands on). Most of the other babies his age are just starting to sit. I feel a bit of pride at this achievement, but why? It's not like I had anything to do with it. On the other hand, on of the ladies' baby, who was born premature, so is a couple months older than Jaden even though they were due at the same time, is still just just happy to lay on the floor in one place. She has expressed that she feels bad that her baby is so far behind. Why again? It's not her fault. And her baby is healthy and happy. By the way her baby is also sooo cute with is full head of red hair! I've heard of one-upping one another on child development but I never thought it would happen to me. Funny how we naturally take pride or shame in things we have no control over whatsoever.

Anyhow, those are just some thoughts I had on the matter. Mostly I'm happy with who I am. and what I have. I hope you other women are also. We are unique. We raise our families differently, we have different strengths and weaknesses, but we are women, we are strong and we are beautiful. Every one of us. Don't ever let anyone make you think otherwise. Perfection is not a goal any more than a reality, just try to be the best you you can be.

quote - Life

"Don't take life so seriously.
After all, none of us are going
to get out of it alive anyway ."

~Linda Hughes

(She said this in church yesterday. I thought it was funny)

Texture Edits

Like I said I'm using this to post my edits too. This time I've been playing around with textures. Do they add to the pic or is it just distracting, or down right dumb if you prefer?

You may need to click on the pic to get the full size to be able to really see the texture better.

These are textured as well, but mostly it just changed the lighting a bit, then I played with them a bit obviously.

Hobbies

I got my first assignment back from my professor. She did a great job not only editing and critiquing, but she also gave me some reading material for examples of what I need to work on. I love it! I understand what she means entirely! I went back and changed the entire ending of my story. This class is going to be great for me I can tell. On to my next assignment. This one has more of a word limit. I like that. I have a hard time getting any character development across along with the plot in just 500 words. I think I'll get better at it as I go along.

Awhile back I signed up for a forum of moms on photography. This has really peaked my interest and I would like to persue this as a hobby, no not to make money, I can only handle one unlikely business at a time and I've already spent $700 on my writing class. But, I do have an adorable subject to take pictures of and I think it's a lot of fun to edit them, so that's my new fun thing. I do need a better camera, but that will have to wait. In the meantime I'll keep playing with editing tricks.

And that's what I'm up to!

Blockade!

I try to give Jaden the safest, largest run of the house area. With the doors closed, the stairs and kitchen blocked off, he has the entire front room and hall to explore and play in. There is one unprotected place he is not allowed, but the computer.

Yet, This is where he wants to be. I can't blame him really, he comes over here because this is where I am and then he sees all the fun cords he can grab and put in his mouth. Ooo fun! I smack his hand and tell him "no!" then move him away again, but then his happy go lucky exploring mood is spoiled and he comes right back over to the cords crying the whole time.

I needed a better system. So I set up his car seat as a blockade. This worked for a bit, then he figured out he could crawl under the swing and get to me that way. I tried to deter him from this route, but then he figured out how to stand and with that abilitiy could essentially climb and crawl over the seat.

So yesterday I got a blanket and rigged it up blocking my little area at the computer. This worked for awhile. He was very distraught to find that even his no fail route under the swing was blocked, but then he realized if he stood up by the couch he could reach over and pull the whole thing down. You would think I could out engineer a 7 1/2 month old. But in my defense his learning curve is much higher than mine. So this morning I wracked my brain trying to figure out a way to safely keep him away from the computer but I kept coming up empty handed.

Today I got out the port-a-crib for him to play in while I showered. I don't want him to play in it all the time. I think the little guy has a right to explore the house as long as it's safe, so I put him back on the floor and to the computer he went. Out of sheer frustration I pulled the port-a-crib over and used it as blockade with the blanket still blocking the under swing area. Success! At least thus far. He tries, then cries for a bit then plays for a bit then tries again and so on and so forth. It's easier than pulling him away every few seconds. So now I have a giganormous eye sore of a blockade that Ryan is not going to be impressed with as it takes up half our living room and you have to jump the couch to to get the computer, but I win this time! Jaden 106 Me 1 Yay!