Shades of a truck . . .

. . . I learned a new skill and have a new 'time-consuming' love.  I finally took the time (yeah, I know the things that I SHOULD be doing but what the heck - I am the STAR of putting off doing the things I SHOULD be doing!) and figured out how to load 'actions' to Photoshop Elements.  Why did I wait so long to do this?  Because technology is not always my friend and I seem to create more computer glitches with my downloads than those that actually work.  But this was one of my successes!   All the time I have spent editing photos one layer at a time and now all it takes is one click to achieve perfect results!

This is my photo of an abandoned truck straight out of the camera.

Pioneer Woman's 'soft and faded' action.  All actions used are free for the taking so go and take!

PW 'colorized'.

The CoffeeShop blog 'vintage blush'.  Oodles and oodles of actions can be found here.  With tutorials!  Gotta love that!

PW 'heartland'.

PW 'sepia'.

PW 'black & white'.

I'm always amazed at the creativity, talent and generosity of fellow PSE users.  And I'm constantly amazed how PSE can transform even my very unprofessional photos into pictures I'm not embarrassed to show. 

My daughter has asked me to create a 'blurb' book with their engagement photos as a guest book for their wedding.  We are even going to be doing a photoshoot and I am taking the photos!  Brave, brave, naive couple!  Not to worry, they will also have professional photos taken but not those cute ones that are all over the wedding blogs.  Those are my job!  Wish me luck and if you have ever done a 'blurb' wedding guest book, I'd appreciate any tips!

Better get back to my Photoshop practice!

Now, which truck would you like to ride in the parade?

Unbelievable . . .

. . . I'm still shaking my head.  So I'm visiting some of my favorite blogs.  Getting great ideas, pinning photos like mad - just being inspired as usual.  One of the blogs that I get to occasionally is The Pioneer Woman.  That Ree is just a hoot and I appreciate a good chuckle before going to bed.  Love her confessions and there are always great tips on the photography side.  For some reason, I clicked on her cooking page, not because I cook but because all of her recipes include butter.  That, to me, is goooood cooking!  Oh, and by the way, if you don't have her cookbook, get it!  Right away!  And make the chicken pot pie.  And the olive bread.  To. Die. For.  But back to my point . . .  She recently had a giveaway for a pot.  Okay, it was an orange French pot but still just a pot.  50,313 comments!  This is NOT a typo!  Over FIFTY THOUSAND comments!!!  

Can you believe it?  Would you enter a giveaway knowing there are over 50,000 other bloggers vying for this pot?  But then again, it IS a pot from Ree Drummond . . .

My next giveaway is going to include a pot.  Just saying . . .

Walking through doors . . .

. . . when I went back to college as a non-traditional student (yup, wasted the first time I went on parties and not studying) when my last child was in school full time, I had to write an essay on any subject in order for them to determine what English class would fit my talents.  You know the categories - was she Pulitzer prize special, not so very special but she can spin a yarn okay or she spelled most of the words correctly and included several complete sentences.  It was the fall term and summer had just ended so for my subject I chose the classic - "what I did over my summer vacation".  Only I didn't write about my vacation, I wrote a very clever and humorous essay about how I needed a vacation from summer.  

If you have children or have had children, you know that summer can be more hectic (if that is possible!) than any other time of year.  Various lessons, practices, baseball/softball games, camps, Bible school, fairs, 4-H can leave you in a cloud of dust for 3 solid months.  I couldn't wait for school to start to have a rest!

But because my children are now grown, I have left those summer whirlwinds behind me.  I have walked through that door.

For the past several years (more than I would like to count), summers have been more leisurely.  At least I'm not spending the day in the car, schlepping kids here and there!  It seems that the days still go by quickly because there is always something that needs to be tended to.  Crops to tend to, lawns to tend to, flowers to tend to, grandkids to tend to, actual vacations to tend to.  But this summer is different.  All of my usual plans and activities have been derailed.  I have walked temporarily through another door.

This summer is all about my daughter's wedding.  Everything else seems to be put on hold.  We both wake up thinking of the things that need to be finished (or started!) for the wedding.  We spend our days traveling to find that perfect piece for decorations.  We go to bed dreaming of the wedding that we both have envisioned.  But I must confess, some days my heart is not into it like it should be.  Am I procrastinating on finishing things because of a deep seated fear of losing my daughter?  Do I not encourage her to make final decisions because if she doesn't decide, the process will take longer and we will get to spend more time together?  Or maybe it is as simple as thinking I can make a wedding beautiful and I just don't have the talent so I am afraid of trying!  Whatever the reason, we are knee deep in wedding preparations and still have so many things to accomplish.  I only hope that she is enjoying the process (as slow as it seems to be going) as much as I am!

Anyway, in a few short months, I am preparing myself to walk through another door.  And I will leave my spot open for a son-in-law to take my place.

So my posts may be far and few between this summer.  Forgive me.  Remember me.  And check up on me every once in awhile so I can come up for air.

Oh, and by the way, my "what I did over my summer vacation" essay earned me an A and an opportunity to skip that dreaded freshman English class altogether!   

Now, go and enjoy every single minute of your kids' summer activities and your busy lives.  In just a blink of an eye, you'll be watching your child walking down the aisle too!