Memorial Day

We had a great time with family this weekend. Yesterday we spent the day with my mom and stepdad. Here are a few pictures from the day.

He loves water.

Water gun wars. 

(what the pool looked like after 4 boys had been playing in it all day)

The newest nephew....so cute!


Her blue eyes are the most beautiful I've ever seen!

All of the boys cousins minus the new one. 

All of my nephews and niece.

How did you celebrate your memorial day? 

Before and After Blog Hop

Please continue to pray for those that have been affected by tornados the past few months.   


If you are new, welcome! This blog hop is open to anyone.

• Use only one picture for your entry. I know we sometimes get excited about sharing but how can we judge the most favorite when you have multiple pictures. 
• Post your straight out of camera version and then your edited one. This is where you can really share the art of 
•  photography. 
• Share with everyone the editing program and equipment used. You don't have to go into a step by step process but I know it's appreciated to see the recipe. 
• What makes blog hops fun for everyone is when you check out everyone's entries. You are encouraged to stop by others' blogs and  leave some comment love. 
• Be sure to link back to Pixel Perfect Blog so others can join in on the fun!

Before



After



5D Mark II, 50 mm, and edited with photoshop CS4. 

Tornado season is here

Last night we thought the worst part of the storms was going to miss us. Then the sirens went off. I took the boys into the bathroom while hubby watched the weather. The sirens silenced so I thought we were in the clear. I was on the phone with my sister when she said she thought she saw a tornado. Hubby and I walked outside. We saw it briefly then it went back into the clouds. Back into the bathroom we went.

We are all ok but there was a little bit of damage. (even from such a weak tornado) I am not sure if there was more than one or if everyone in our town had seen the same one. But here are a few videos and pictures from some friends in the area.

           (photo credit: Sidney Mason)

(photo credit: Jennifer Wardlaw) She seemed to be the closest to it. This is where it caused the damage. 

(photo credit: Jennifer Martin)

Family Rules

****If you'd like to purchase a customized "family rules" file for you to print. Click here.****

Is it obvious? I have been in a blogging funk the past few months.  It hasn't just been a blogging funk. It's been an all around funk. I really hope to start feeling better and get back on track soon.

In the mean time I want to share with you our house rules. These were inspired by the Don't Waste Your Cancer blog. You will be blessed by that blog if you've never read it.

PS- In our years of marriage my absolute favorite is our impromptu slow dances in the kitchen. I hope when we are 80 years old we will still be dancing. ;)

PPS -The one that I am printing and placing in our house has our actual last name and not the word "our".

Before and After Blog Hop

Hi friends! I'm not sure what happened to blogger last week. It erased last week's blog hop but it's now back up....so strange.

If you are new, welcome! This blog hop is open to anyone.

• Use only one picture for your entry. I know we sometimes get excited about sharing but how can we judge the most favorite when you have multiple pictures. 
• Post your straight out of camera version and then your edited one. This is where you can really share the art of 
•  photography. 
• Share with everyone the editing program and equipment used. You don't have to go into a step by step process but I know it's appreciated to see the recipe. 
• What makes blog hops fun for everyone is when you check out everyone's entries. You are encouraged to stop by others' blogs and  leave some comment love. 
• Be sure to link back to Pixel Perfect Blog so others can join in on the fun!

Before


After


Have a great Thursday!

Before and After Blog Hop

Happy Thursday everyone! 


If you are new we are glad you are here! You don't have to be a pro to join. This is open to anyone! Here are a few rules to play by.

• Use only one picture for your entry. I know we sometimes get excited about sharing but how can we judge the most favorite when you have multiple pictures. 
• Post your straight out of camera version and then your edited one. This is where you can really share the art of 
•  photography. 
• Share with everyone the editing program and equipment used. You don't have to go into a step by step process but I know it's appreciated to see the recipe. 
• What makes blog hops fun for everyone is when you check out everyone's entries. You are encouraged to stop by others' blogs and  leave some comment love. 
• Be sure to link back to Pixel Perfect Blog so others can join in on the fun!

Before 



After



5D Mark II,Canon 24-105mm F/4 and edited with CS4.


*If you leave the wrong link or misspell a word in your link. I don't think I can delete it until the blog hop has closed. Unless someone can tell me how. :) 

Easy Crock Pot Recipe

This recipe was inspired by a friend on facebook. Thanks Denise!

1 Whole Chicken
4 Cups of chicken broth
Brocolli or celery (as much or as little as you want)
(as many as your heart desires) carrots
2 tablespoons of chopped onion
1 teaspoons of rosemary
Garlic salt to taste

Cook on high for 5 hours. Mom's of little ones be careful with the chicken bones.

This was so good. It fell right off the bone. And like with any crock pot recipe you can add as many vegetables as you like or you can do less.

Enjoy!

*edited to correct 1 teaspoon of rosemary not basil

Mother's Day

This year mother's day was one that I will always remember. Hubby came home from work and asked me if I wanted to go to a NBA playoff game Friday night. Um....sure! He ended up buying floor seats! It was a lot of fun and I'm thankful we were able to find a sitter last minute. (sisters are amazing!)

On Sunday my husband declared he was going to be mommy for the day. He cooked every meal, cleaned, watched the boys...everything. I got to stay in bed (after church). It was hard to take a nap because it sounded like everyone was having a melt down during lunch. But I was very thankful for the day off.

At the end of the day we topped it off with our 2 mile family run and workout. But before the run we were able to snap a few shots. Little man has a new thing. Any time we try to take a picture he runs or falls on the floor. So I am thankful hubby was able to get a few.

(little man only gives his brother kisses)

Mother's day was great but definitely shadowed by our miscarriages and thoughts of those who long to be mothers. I prayed for those of you struggling with infertility and who have had pregnancy losses. God hears you and knows your heart's desires.

Before and After Blog Hop

Happy Thursday everyone! Can you believe it's already May?

If you are new we are glad you are here! You don't have to be a pro to join. This is open to anyone!

• Use only one picture for your entry. I know we sometimes get excited about sharing but how can we judge the most favorite when you have multiple pictures. 
• Post your straight out of camera version and then your edited one. This is where you can really share the art of 
•  photography. 
• Share with everyone the editing program and equipment used. You don't have to go into a step by step process but I know it's appreciated to see the recipe. 
• What makes blog hops fun for everyone is when you check out everyone's entries. You are encouraged to stop by others' blogs and  leave some comment love. 
• Be sure to link back to Pixel Perfect Blog so others can join in on the fun!

Before

After

Taken with a 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105mm F/4, and edited with photoshop CS4.

Tutorial: How to create and add a watermark

In this tutorial I am going to show you how to create a simple watermark using Photoshop CS4.

• Open the program and click on "New"

I chose the size 1500x1500 pixels but you can do whatever you need. Be sure to have the background set on transparent.

• Click "Ok"

Your background should look like this.

• Click on the text icon

                                     























Choose your desired font. I would suggest that you also choose a darker gray or white for the color of the font.

It should look something like this:

• Click on the rectangular marquee tool. 

Place the selection around your watermark.

• Click "image" and then "crop" 
• Click file and save it as a PSD document. 

You did it!

• Open your photo
• Click on "file"
• Under file, click on "place"
• Find your watermark and open it. 

That will place your watermark right on top of your photo.
Be sure to do all of your adjustments such as sizing and opacity.

• Save it (as a copy)

I didn't choose the best font for the watermark. But you get the idea. You can be more creative if you'd like a design with your font. For my business logo and watermark I had a designer design it because at the time I didn't even know how to put text on a picture. :) I'd also suggest having two watermarks, one that is black and another white.

A traumatic event...

When blankie gets a "bath" it's a very traumatic event. I always try to sneak it into the washer but inevitably he notices it missing. On this particular day he walked in on me switching it to the dryer. He had been looking for it for a while and the second he saw it, he lost it. He didn't want to leave the laundry room. He stayed right there until it was finished drying.

The following video is from last night. We were going through our normal bed time routine with the boys, when hubby went and got his guitar.  Little man's favorite song if Forever Reign by Hillsong. And if you listen carefully you can hear little man sing "Jesus, Jesus no name". (any mom would melt at hearing that) Half way through hubby makes up a tune/song to the verse Ephesians 6:1 (Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right). Little man was not impressed.

Real time news: Twitter

Hubby and I first heard that President Obama was going to make a "big" announcement via twitter.
And like the rest of the United States Hubby and I sat on our couch in anticipation for what President Obama was going to say. We had our channel on fox news. A few minutes after 9:30 pm central Fox News announced Osama Bin Laden was dead. Within seconds twitter lit up.


For me it was a historical moment watching the news unfold via twitter. It gave me chills.

Why was it so moving?

Because there were 9/11 widows, friends, and military wives that you may not have ever come in contact with in real life but via twitter you could console, thank and love on.

I could see people real time pictures and videos of people gathering at the World Trade Center before it was broadcasted on TV.

It is where I first saw former President Bush's comments.

And it has been reported that this man tweeted about the Osama Bin Laden raid without knowing it. (read from the bottom up)

And last week during the tornadoes it was twitter that was sending out the first pictures and video of the tornado and it's devastation.

So my question for you... If you are not on twitter, why not?

Critique This Blog Hop

Yes, I know that I already had a blog post today but I don't want to forget about this blog hop.

(every 1st and 3rd Monday of the month)

In your post let us know if you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate, or pro photographer. Also be specific about what editing software you used. Have fun!

Beginner-  Does not know or is learning how to shoot in  manual, editing and not yet charging for photo shoots.
Intermediate- New to shooting in manual, editing and just beginning to charge for photo shoots.
Pro            - Confident in shooting manual, understands photography lingo, knowledgeable in editing, and charges for shoots.

Here's the low down on what to critique:

• Exposure (is the photo too light or too dark)
• Composition (where are your eyes drawn to, is there negative space)
• Editing (is the photo over-saturated, is the color off)

A few game rules:
Post one photo

• You can only critique someone else's photo if you are linking up too! 
• Be considerate of others when giving feedback
• Link back to Pixel Perfect Blog